ericbj

19 hours ago, Kinok Farang said:

Can you repeat that please?

Apologies to those of limited attention span.

A perspective on the issue and some comments pertaining thereto:

1.  The woman's decision to emigrate to Thailand twenty years ago seems based upon re-joining family members.  A quite natural motive.  Her son was then aged 45.  He seems to be contributing at least as much to her upkeep as the UK Pensions Service.  Which, with his increasing age, a family to support, and economic downturns, is likely becoming increasingly burdensome.

2.  What evidence exists, as alleged in a comment, of the son operating an illegal business?  I.e. that it is not at least 51% Thai-owned.  If unfounded, this statement could constitute a libel; and perjury if claimed in a criminal hearing.

3.  The suggestion she may not have paid NI contributions is unsubstantiated; and besides the point if she is entitled on the basis of payments made by another.

4.  It is true that many Thai workers and their families can subsist on less than this woman.  But they are part of a network of relationships.  Which includes expanding Thai Government social services, including healthcare.  For example, go to a Thai public hospital for an eye operation.  An expatriate will not have it for the price a Thai person pays.

5.  Global economic circumstances have changed radically and unpredictably over the past 2 to 3 decades.  And are changing ever more rapidly now.
Who can foresee today what the world will be like in 2044?

6.  The Thai economy and Thai regulations, both in substance and application, have dramatically altered over recent decades.

7.  Not every retiree fits neatly into one of two categories:

Those who plan the move in every last financial detail, down to their final demise; and

Those who throw caution to the wind and come out on a whim, full of blue-eyed optimism.

My personal experience - not typical - but there are doubtlessly many untypical cases:

Came six months, unpaid, in each of a dozen years helping refugees (mostly genuine) improve their English with a view to resettlement in "western" countries.  Discontinued this, but continued coming as result of relationships developed here.  Because of changes to tourist visa (more limited duration), switched to O-A retirement visa.  Changes to O-A visa (health insurance with one of 8 listed companies) forced change to O visa for retirement).  Returned here late 2019.  Due back in Europe mid-May.  But the plandemic strikes.  Return flight cancelled.  Book seat on another flight.  Flight cancelled.  Book again.  Third time lucky?  No!  Flight cancelled.  From the next day, 1st July 2020, all international passenger-flights banned, and borders closed.  When finally the sanctions are lifted (thanks to the damage caused to the world's second largest tourist economy) the deterioration of my health renders the return journey unthinkable, not least because of the physical and administrative challenges to be confronted on arrival.

My impression of immigration policy as currently being drafted by the Thai Cabinet is that it favours short-term tourism where visitors come for several weeks, and spend much of their annual savings in the process.  They seem to be less interested in retirees, unless these happen to be extremely well-heeled.

The politicians may be missing the point that short-term tourism is volatile.  When times are good, it booms.  When a depression sets in, hardly anyone comes.  You only have to look back to 2008 and its aftermath to see this.

Retirees, on the other hand, make a less obvious but substantial commitment to the overall economy rather than to the tourist economy.  They are here, as a rule, for the long term.  It is not easy to up stumps and depart at short notice.  Except upon death.  And then some at least of their assets may remain in Thailand.

There is a case for both types of visitor.

See here for Miron Glass containers :  https://www.mironglass.com/glass

Adults should have the option of taking risks that could harm themselves.  But not the right of taking risks that could harm others.

In the event that there is evidence that they are doing the latter - e.g. by driving erratically under the influence - they might be legally forbidden to take the particular drug, whatever it might be.  As well as any other penalty as may be appropriate.

The former would of course be unenforceable.

But then, in the case of recidivism, they could be very heavily penalised.

8 hours ago, BritManToo said:

The entire western world appears to want complete government control over the use of pharmaceuticals.

Absolutely.
Just one example:
Hydroxychloroquin, purchased by tourists leaving for malaria-infested parts, was available as an OTC (Over-The-Counter) drug.  Until Professor Raoult showed that it could be re-purposed for use against a recently widespread infection that caused much hyped-up alarm.  (So long as the infection was not at an advanced stage).
Professor Raoult was lampooned by officialdom and the MSM.  And the French government promptly banned not only OTC sales but GPs were forbidden to prescribe it.
Its use is now only permitted in hospitals.  Tourists with malaria be damned.

But governments - not only in 'the West' - are also increasingly intent upon controlling our private lives [back-up your data to "The Cloud" etc.], our opinions, and our money [through CBDCs]

8 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Doesn't mean anything, doctors do as they are told by their employers.

Ah !
I think I get you !

So it's the people who tell the doctors in Germany what to do that have decided to reduce the use of antibiotics ?

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Just not true, if you take anti biotics for a viral infection, there isn't any harmful bacteria to become resistant ,  so it will just be ineffective.

Healthy people do not merely have "good" bacteria in their bodies.  They also have "bad" bacteria; as well as others whose precise nature is not yet known.

The so-called bad bacteria are kept in check by the other species, but if these latter are greatly diminished the population of bad bacteria can expand.  Causing a diseased state.
[e.g.  you can have the pneumococcus inhabiting your lungs without the least sign of pneumonia]

It is recommended to check out the importance to health of the gut microbiome.  Healthy people have more varieties of bacteria in their gut than the chronically ill.

[Preservatives in industrialised foods can also adversely impact the gut microbiome.  And note that the now ubiquitous glyphosate was originally patented as an antibiotic.  Well named: anti bios]

Moreover the human body is believed, on recent research, to contain approximately the same number of bacteria as human cells.  They are an integral part of our bodies.  Many of the them are known to perform useful functions, whilst for others their utility is still unknown.

Antibiotics can save lives, but can also cause untold suffering.  A fact that many doctors in Thailand do not seem to have caught up with, since they can be all too ready to prescribe an antibiotic.

A German neighbour tells me that in his country doctors have become hesitant to prescribe antibiotics where they can be avoided.

8 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

You are speaking into the wind. Greed always wins.

Greed wins over ignorance.  We are all ignorant to a degree.  But to the degree that we are well informed we can tell the greedy to get lost.

The general public is becoming better informed; to date more so in "the West".

This is causing concern amongst greedy financial interests.

[Note, for example, the interlocking interests of the pharmaceutical industry and main-stream media - on- and off-line; include search-engines there].

They are taking steps to choke off information that can threaten their bottom line.  But ways around the largely invisible censorship are being developed.  If you care to follow 'alternative' sources.

I believe the possibility exists for us, members of the general public, to gain access to the broad uplands of knowledge that concern our and our relations well-being.

There is considerable confusion here over the meaning of "antisemitism".  Antisemitism implies a hatred of semites.  I.e. Jews and Arabs.

A large if indeterminate number of Jews are not anti-Arab nor are most Arabs anti-Jewish.  They are however anti-Zionist.  As are many Jews.

Judaism is a religion. Zionism is a nationalism, initially opposed to Judaism, i.e. anti-Jewish.  It gained a substantial following as result of extreme persecution of the Jews, firstly in Eastern Europe and subsequently in Nazi-occupied Europe.

The Netanyahu government came to power through the support of approximately 20% of the Israeli electorate.

The events of 7th October as reported in the Mainstream Western Media have subsequently been shown to be in large measure black propaganda emanating from Israeli and pro-Israeli sources.  A bit of due diligence and background research is called for here.

In the US it is clear from a brief search that many Jewish students support Palestinian aspirations for justice through the demonstrations.  In the UK the situation is less clear, but there are certainly some Jewish students (ignored by the MSM because incompatible with their narrative) who support the Palestinian cause.

On 4/23/2024 at 12:16 PM, CharlieH said:

 

It may be of interest to know that I had an O-A visa for several years, based, inter alia, upon 1,250K baht in a deposit account.

But then some years ago when going to renew it, I was asked "Do you have health insurance?"
"Yes," I replied.
"Is it with one of the eight approved companies?"
No, it was not.  I had not heard of the new requirement introduced, I think the previous April.
"Give me the details of the companies, and I shall take out the necessary insurance," I said.
"There is no time for that," I was told.  "They will not issue a policy within the fortnight when your visa expires."
"What can I do then?" I asked.
"We can issue you with an O visa which does not require medical insurance," came the reply.
So, since that time I have had an O visa.

Out of interest, I checked out the eight approved companies.
I discovered that none of them would insure a person of more than 75 years of age.  Except two of them, which would do so, for a certain number of years, if the person was already insured with them before the cut-off age.  The premium?  130K baht per annum, for the minimum cover of 40K outpatient and 400K baht inpatient expenses.

I was at that time some months short of my 76th birthday (and now almost 80).

Coincidentally, I was then, and still am, holding slightly in excess of 450K baht on deposit (in addition to the required 800K baht) to cover emergencies.

I would like to hold more of my reserves over here, but uncertainty of future Thai regulations regarding visa requirements, makes me feel it would be unwise to do so.

I have taken out here in Thailand an accident-only, inpatient-only insurance to cover 20K USD of costs.  The most I feel I can afford on my UK state pension, supplemented by drawings on my reserves.  Of course not enough to cover a serious accident, such as being knocked off my bicycle by a lunatic driver.  But then at my age I would probably not survive such an accident anyway.

On a separate note:

Regarding the costs of living in Thailand, it is necessary to specify whether one lives in a tourist-hotspot or in an area ignored by the foreign crowds.  The differences can be considerable.

Many might consider me a slum-dweller.  But I have slummed it in many places, beginning with five years as a native affairs officer in the New Guinea bush in the 1960s, and in the earlier years of this millennium living with expatriate Burmese on the Thai side of the border.

16 hours ago, webfact said:

 

The Myanmar government has requested permission from the Thai government for its aircraft to land at an airport in Tak province to pick up its senior military officers, who escaped from Myawaddy, which was seized by the opposition last night.

 

Myawaddy, which was the largest government-controlled military camp in Myanmar, is located across the border from Mae Sot district in Thailand.

 

The request for landing permission, tentatively scheduled from April 7 to 9, was made through the Thai Foreign Ministry.

 

If granted, 617 Myanmar nationals, including 67 military officers, 410 non-commissioned officers and 81 family members, will board the aircraft back to the capital.

 

Photo shows a Myanmar aircraft at Tak airport last night.

 

 

 

 

 

Uncertain these officers and ORs will find it advisable to fly back from Mae Sot to SAC-held territory.
Those who fled into India and were subsequently repatriated were punished for cowardice by being thrown into gaol.
Three generals were held responsible for the debacle that resulted from the Northern Alliance's offensive and were court-marshalled.  With one condemnation to death.  [That, together with the abandonment of heavy armaments - tanks and artillery - disposes of the dubious explanation that the SAC Army's retreat was a "tactical withdrawal"]

Many Burmese may believe, groundlessly, that the US will eventually come to their aid, militarily.  It will not.  The US and its allies may feel they can confront China over Taiwan with their naval and air power.  But have no desire to provoke a full-scale intervention by the PLA.  [memories of Korea, 1951?]  Besides, Burma lacks Taiwan's micro-processor industry.  And the proxy war in the Ukraine is not evolving as NATO had intended.

3 hours ago, JimTripper said:

Where did to hear that from?

 

Not in my opinion. I used to work in dry above 35c conditions. We had industrial fans blowing the whole time. Sweating in a humid environment would make it much easier then that to cool off. The body is constantly releasing moisture through the skin in hot conditions. You need that air flow to evaporate the moisture on your skin which cools the body.

The lower the relative humidity of the air, the faster your sweat will evaporate and therefore the greater the cooling effect.
That is why, if you use one of those very cheap-to-run evaporative coolers, it is necessary to allow the saturated air from the cooler to escape to the outside.  Do not seal the room up as you might with an air-conditioner.
If you do as I do, you will filter the water you put in your evaporative cooler (although not suggested by the manufacturer) as this is likely to prevent calcium carbonate etc clogging the evaporative mat.

Those purchasing take-away roti etc from market stalls BEWARE !  It is said that expanded polystyrene is

sometimes dissolved in the cooking oil to make the roti remain crisp.
https://greenmedinfo.com/content/nanoplastics-our-bloodstream-silent-contributor-heart-disease

Myawady is still under Burma Army control.  The military regime takes aid from the UN to distribute to its supporters.  It kills refugees.  Why would things be any different here ?
https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/thailand-sends-first-aid-shipment-to-myanmar-along-controversial-humanitarian-corridor/

Operated for cataract in one eye in public hospital last month.  In and out the same day.  But being a public hospital, many hours of waiting.

If operated on both eyes the same day, you will be blind until the following day.  A point to bear in mind if you have no one to guide you home.

The public needs educating by the health authorities.
*
At present they are falsely educated by the advertisers.

Doctors should play an important role.  They should know that blood glucose goes preferentially to feeding cancer tumours, since these are revealed on x-rays after the patient has been given a radio-active glucose solution to drink.

The cost of excessive sugar consumption to the country should be estimated, and then this cost recuperated through taxing sugar used in industrially-produced foodstuffs ; allowing individual consumers (suitably informed of the dangers) to add the sugar they so earnestly desire.

Adding sugar to food is unnecessary for body and brain.  Alzheimer's disease is sometimes referred to as diabetes type 3.  Starches when digested form glucose.  The brain can function on ketones.

What they call latex adhesive here in Thailand is NOT latex but PVA (polyvinylacetate) which I use regularly for interior woodwork.
True latex adhesive is expensive but excellent for gluing fabrics including carpets, and patching clothing, either relatively short-term (resists some laundering) or prior to stitching.
If you want true latex glue, search for 'Copydex'.  And if keeping some of it long-term store it in the fridge.

Why was this sort of thing not thought of long ago?
There could have been an agreement with Hitler for humanitarian assistance to Jews in the extermination camps !

Many thanks for information provided, which could save me a lot of time searching.

Am looking to replace a worn-out mountain bike, purchased more than 12 years ago, with a touring/trekking style of LARGE FRAME-SIZE. [height 6'2" = 183 cm].  Used for getting around including going to town for shopping - i.e. quite heavy loads on luggage rack and attached panniers.  Distances covered never exceed 30 km.

Seek a model where one can sit reasonably erect, not leaning forward on the handlebars with head cranked back; and where the frame-size is appropriate, so it is not necessary to raise the saddle to such an extent that one risks toppling over when stationary.

A downward sloping top-bar would be helpful, because, when items are piled high in the shopping-basket on the luggage rack, one cannot dismount by swinging the leg backwards.

Fairly low (high-ratio) gearing needed to get up a steepish section of road with a week's load of groceries.

Would like decent quality and simplicity.  Without frills, such as disk brakes and shock-absorbers, that add to weight, complexity, and price.

Shall shortly be visiting Chiang Mai for several days, so advice on suitable cycle shops to visit could prevent much wastage of time. [would also consider visiting Bangkok at a later date]

[Some years ago there was a bicycle shop in Th.Chiang Moi, run by an Englishman and his Thai wife, that offered for sale some very interesting bicycles.  I bought from them my large, canvas panniers, of excellent quality.  Unfortunately, on a subsequent visit the shop was no longer there]

This may be of interest, although last updated in June this year:
https://www.thethailandlife.com/income-tax-thailand

16 hours ago, BritManToo said:

You could try a swinging fan on a timer to give some air circulation.

The principal need is to reduce relative humidity of the air in the room or building.
In its simplest form by use of a chemical such as calcium chloride suspended over a bucket.
A more technological route is to use an electrical dehumidifier.
More info here:
https://bestdehumidifier.reviews/how-much-electricity-does-a-dehumidifier-use/

At risk of recapitulating points already made:

Lack of adequate air circulation in modern buildings breeds mould. Compare the Thai traditional buildings, even those in Bangkok when I first visited in April '67 and it was fast ceasing to be The Venice of the East, with those of today.

There is a huge variety of moulds, some of which may in instances be beneficial, as for example penicillium notatum, said to be present in blue cheeses.  The spores of black mould are pathogenic.  If in doubt, check it out.

Mould likes warmth and dampness.  Much of the Thai year favours its growth.  It can also be encouraged under cooler conditions (my experience in the south of France) when temperatures drop below the dew-point in a temporarily uninhabited building.  My solution for half-yearly absences was to place several kilos of calcium chloride in their supplied sachets (polythene wrappers removed) on galvanised chicken-wire mesh fixed over the top of a bucket.  CaCl2 is deliquescent and dissolves slowly in the large amounts of water absorbed from the atmosphere.  Have not seen the possibility of pursuing this avenue in Thailand, but perhaps some entrepreneurial spirit will take this up.

Use HEPA filters against mould.  And also in the vicinity of a laser printer.  A revelation to see how much toner powder it collects.

Borax, which can be purchased in bulk quite cheaply on the Internet here in Thailand, destroys mould, and, as if that is not enough, bacteria also.  It has been used as a mouth-wash but is best not swallowed unless you wish to disrupt your gut microbiome.  It is often recommended to be added to laundry detergent, but I tend to use it more with the final rinse-water.  Stored clothes do not subsequently acquire a musty smell.

Borax is also an insecticide.  If the insects can be persuaded to consume it.  A little in a strong sugar solution for ants.  For termites an aqueous solution painted on bare timber before finishing (for protection) or scraps of cardboard soaked in it for bait - very dilute (1%) if you wish to wipe out the colony.  For cockroaches, sprinkle the powder in doorways and along walls.  It will stick to their legs which they will clean by licking them.  Their corpses will be eaten by other cockroaches, with a knock-on effect.  Search the Web for more detailed info.

Borax dissolves best in hot water.  And is non-toxic for mammals.