Lorry

That's the whole point that you are not able to understand. For the 3rd time: you can work anywhere in the EU, and if you have a job in country XYZ, you con live there too. But if you have no job, e.g. you are retired or a housewife, there is no right to live anywhere in the EU.

You are just plain wrong, what can I say... Yes, many EU countries are quite relaxed about these things, but you have absolutely no right to settle down anywhere in the EU if you are not working. Prime example: Bulgarians/Romanian in rich EU countries. Even the Irish wife of my German friend was not automatically allowed to stay as long as she wanted.

That's Paxlovid. Good idea if tested positive and in a risk group or elderly (recommendations vary, from over 50 to over 65) Available at the ARI clinic downstairs at the parking of Samitivej Hospital for about 27000, Bumrungrad (a bit more than 30000) etc. You have to see a doctor and do a test at the hospital.

Best post I have read on AN for a long time. Just 3 comments: They are (especially in combination with busses and motorcycles) much more expensive than in the most expensive cities of my home country, which is a rich country. Same in Spain, Paris, London, Germany, NZ... I don't think unaffordable housing is the main reason for decreasing populations. But that's another topic.

I thought that's an oxymoron

You can still buy Minoxidil. 5% for men. 2.5% for women (I have never seen 2.5% in Thailand, though,

Job offers. Good jobs, supposedly in Thailand, Malaysia or Cambodia. Salaries double of a beginner's salary in Taiwan (which are extremely low, not much more than in Thailand). They kidnap not only women, also men.

It's a government place, you cannot normally choose a doctor. You will first be seen by a junior doctor.

Good article. I would add the beautiful exotic beach of Pattaya, absolutely stunning. These are the beaches all tourists should go. And please stay there!

Wasn't the rainy season supposed to be over?

Not only Taiwanese https://www.usip.org/publications/2024/05/transnational-crime-southeast-asia-growing-threat-global-peace-and-security

The pm2.5 part of it would not be in your lungs - it passes through the lungs and goes directly into your blood. Did the Filtrete make your a/c more noisy?

3M says, cover only 50% -66%

I fitted Filtrete into my wall-mounted Daikin unit after having the unit cleaned. The wall-mounted unit (not the compressor) is quite noisy know.Is this a typical effect of Filtrete? (I have never used Filtrete before) Or is this an effect of shoddy cleaning? (My Mitsubishi unit got noisy after cleaning, no Filtrete involved)

All the rice farmers I know don't file taxes. But I don't know 12 million. Some do claim WHT refunds, most don't, as fixed term deposits are not popular with farmers. The word ภาษี "tax" for them means VAT. This one they all know.

I had more food poisonings this year (3) than in the last 20 years. What's changed? 1. I got old. 2. I still like street food. But the stuff that, 20 years ago, used to be regular food for most people here, and was reasonably clean, is now clearly (in Bangkok) a very low-class rarity. One coconut sweet I bought was clearly rotten, I threw it away (saved me from a 4th food poisoning this year). City Thais nowadays eat at Pepper Lunch, Fuji, Chesters and all the other crappy "food" joints, just look at Terminal 21 or Emquartier.

You (or your wife) should have gotten the invitation to pay property tax. I got it for several years, some mail from the government adressed to my former landlord, I had no idea what it was and threw it away. That wasn't very smart.

Are you qualified to judge this? Obviously not. The private hospitals on the Algarve and Hospital da Luz are good, but Hospital da Luz is a bureaucratic nightmare. The others... have fun!

EU citizens are free to travel anywhere in the EU. They are not free to live/settle down anywhere in the EU. They are free to work anywhere in the EU. But if you are retired, not working: You can stay 3 months, after this, you need a permission of stay. It's different in every country, but generally requires proof of income or financial stability, and proof of health insurance. Spain: beware of the tax traps many expats have fallen into, eg property tax for foreigners. Greece: no medical care. You have to bribe even the dentist if you want treatment - and it's still bad. Portugal: public medical care is soso, a bit better than in Thailand. Private medical care is by far not as good as in Thailand,.

Is he gone yet?

Usually, yes. But I once was sent home. It was thursday before a long weekend (I didn't realize that), and the guy before me took about 2 hours. So, when I finally got called, it was time for the IO to go home. They quickly found an excuse (like "you cannot transfer stamps to new passport without bringing your bank book ") and sent me home.

People subsisting on less (real life examples: 500 € per month in Pattaya, 721€ per month in Pattaya) are exactly the people who do not participate in surveys. But they claim back their WHT, as 100B is a big deal for them. These are the people who know all the happy hours, and who complain bitterly if beer goes up 10 Baht. There are many of them. Just like low-class Thais, they never waste a thought on tax. That's why you don't see them asking questions about tax. OTH there was a guy who posted, 20 years ago, that it's impossible to live a decent life here on less than 300,000 per month. His calculation included apartment and BMW for the mia noi. He also enjoyed threesomes, no other form of sęx. YMMV

No, that would be logical, but IT systems do forget (data banks migrate, systems are upgraded, data are deleted according to statutes of limitation, whatever). If you had a TIN 10 years ago and then never used it, it's as good as not being in the system. My home country is one of the most bureaucratic places in the world, but they would have a hard time searching for tax data from 20 years ago. The perfect surveillance state is being developed, but it didn't exist 20 years ago.

7.30- 8.00 is better. Best is Dr Jack's way - if you are confident that everything can be done in one afternoon

You have told us this before. It seems you really were an exception, I know many people in Bangkok and Pattaya who claimed their refund of WHT without problems. Maybe because it's a routine here, whereas in Prachinburi a foreigner is not routine...no idea.