samtam

Thailand is the hub of plans. It has a new one nearly every day. They usually amount to nothing. Or start, and then get shelved. (One can live in hope regarding to RD's new interpretation.) Or the even better strapline: "Buy one, get one", omitting the crucial "free".

I always struggle to know why pavements and other projects in Thailand are only ever half completed. It's "good enough"? The incomplete pavement will never get completed, and over a very short period of time, parts will be hacked up to install something vital that wasn't in the (not)plan. Is the safety the part where people trip on the unpaved section, and the convenience that a large portion of the pavement is utilised by the adjacent shop owner? I guess it all comes down to money, as in "how much to approve the half-arsed work". Still, at least it's a peony pattern, (apparently).

Seems to a lot of this* around... *"it was just somebody talking about some idea". Some might even suggest the head of RD reinterpreting the tax law, (all inward remittances irrespective of date), is just some idea, certainly without any Act. The present (and hopefully short-lived) government seems to be determined to undermine confidence in Thailand's financial system. On the one hand the clown-in-chief* spends an inordinate amount of time as Thailand's world class salesman, but so far without much to show for it. Whereas, as if to contradict that endeavour, endless "talking about some idea", (including the unintelligible change in condo % ownership law), also seems counterintuitive on the face of it . Anyway, the game board may be about to be upended when the 3 pending decisions are made by the Constitutional Court, (MPF, Srettha, and Thaksin).....plus the Bhumjaithai Chidchob case, (unless that has already been bought and paid for). In all likelihood Srettha & Thaksin cases will be resolved in the usual manner, (ironically, as the Srettha case is in relation to the money in the cake box method). Plus the Senate "election" seems to be a complete sham. Time for someone to make up something new to float along with the other unmentionables. Weed is still "floating", and not sure how those leaves have been interpreted. *At least someone isn't smiling inanely any longer. Perhaps he can get back to performing a magic trick on the dying property market, without killing the golden geese, that currently seems part of the schtick. By the way, a former Thai employee at Sansiri informed me that it's founder holds foreigners in disdain, so current actions fall in line with that.

That's good to know. I have the Pink ID, but no TIN, should I need to file.

I think this headline is yet another in a long line of brain farts emanating from this ridiculous government. Nothing is ever thought through to its critical conclusion. If this announcement was intended to attract foreign buyers it will have the opposite effect, when there is a lack of clarity about voting rights in a property you own 100%. The current 49%/51% ownership makes little or no difference in voting at AGMs. At our AGMs we barely meet the quota (30%) for the AGM to proceed. Thereafter, only 3 or 4 owners attend, the other 25% are proxy holders for the family that owns that percentage.

I hope it's a sinking fund and not a shrinking fund!

Foreigners can already vote in an AGM and their vote is the same as Thai owners. I am a foreigner with 100% ownership of my condo. I am chairman of the board of the condo. I have as much say as anyone else in the running of the building, (through my vote at the AGM). As it is, my position allows me to have a very large say in how the building is run. Our condo rules specify expenditure limits, significant structural changes etc, that require AGM majority voting. This applies to all owners, irrespective of their nationality.

In our condo we have a couple which continuously has arguments and (physical violence) which results in screaming that is disturbing the neighbours. (The husband hits the wife). He also locks her out on the balcony and she throws garbage to the floor(s) below. We have reported the incident to the police, but there appear to be few remedies under Thai law that can protect the wife, unless she makes a complaint to the police, which she is unwilling to do. Has anyone else experienced this in their condo, and have they found a LEGAL and workable solution? (They own their unit.)

From this: https://thailand.acclime.com/guides/land-buildings-tax/ I have owned a condo here for 20 years but have never received a tax notice. Is this a new requirement?

There was a plan in June 2023 to upgrade the Green Bridge, but I think this must have been shelved, like a number of the klong walkways, (the one at the Sathorn Narathiwas Roads intersection was supposed to run all the way to the river, but seems to have stopped after 500 metres from the intersection).

Well arrival at Haneda was a complete nightmare at Immigration, despite completing the "Visit Japan" online registration, which provides no benefit in the immigration waiting times, as you are all ("foreigners") lumped together, (no "Fast Track"), with those who fill out the hand written Arrival Cards. A snaking line of about 600 people, including a seemingly pointless junction to read the QR code and take index finger records, (which didn't work), followed by rejoining the snaking line to the Immigration Officer, who retook finger scans (successfully), and swiped the QR code successfully, took a photo, and affixed a label (equivalent to a stamp) to the passport. And then after collection of baggage, finding a kiosk to read the passport and the QR code and you're good to go, (to hell), through customs. All in all about 45 minutes to 1 hour, after arriving at the terminal, (after bus transfer from the plane). Not the mythical Japanese efficiency one remembers. Yes, it was very quick, thanks to Fast Track at BKK. Sakura Lounge rather underwhelming in the Japanese utilitarian way, with odd choices at 8.00 am (pasta, curry etc), no breakfast items, fruit etc. But not far from the gate, which was well organised for boarding. Sadly JAL Business Class is a shadow of its former self, but of course staff polite, if the service unco-ordinated, and the food of extremely low quality. But that's post pandemic on most airlines in my experience, and sadly USD3000 plus.

We are flying in and out of Haneda.

Yes, thanks. My flight departure is early (09.45), so I was trying to avoid the overly long period between check-in and push back, as I'll leave home in Sathorn around 07.00, which will acclimatise me for Tokyo time in the ensuing days.

JAL have confirmed that Fast Track is available. Initially "no", but then they checked again. This is in line with the Suvarnabhumi website: https://suvarnabhumi.airportthai.co.th/service/airport-guide/detail/902

I'm flying on JAL Business Class. What's an optimum check-in time? I'm planning on 2 hours ahead of departure time.

Yes, that sounds feasible. But in order to get the deferred % (5.8%) you would not receive (in my case) GBP19,255.60 over the 24 months you deferred. At our age, (and I'm healthy and fit having just turned 67), longevity is a diminishing return on "more yesterdays than tomorrows".

This one?

My quotes were from that link. Certainly when I inquired about it, when my eligibility for UK State Pension started in March 2023, I was informed that even if I deferred, it would revert to the amount per week at the date of eligibility. So yes, maybe things changed since you deferred, as supported in the text of the links I copied.

Not so, if you live in Thailand, and you claim you are not resident of UK. As far as I can see, it remains locked at the date you became eligible:

Call +974 41445555 (in Doha). Even if the "Let's Chat" makes you wait, just be patient.

Do you have a membership? If so, log in and go to "chat". Much better than speaking to the local number, (which is answered somewhere else).

Can you help me out with what I'm missing. I'm over 65 and I come to a figure of THB500k non taxable: 60k Personal Care Allowance 100k (up to) Pension Income Allowance 190k Over 65 150k Zero-rated 500k Total ....what's the additional 70k? Thanks.

I'm a farangy, and my lawyer got me a blue book, a yellow book and a pink card, (all pretty colours), from my Amphur (Thungmahamek) in Bangkok. My partner and I jointly own our condo. He too is not Thai, but only the house number appears in the blue book, and in the yellow book the same house number, both our names, me first page and then him on the second page. We both signed Amazonian forests of paper, met the head honchola, and paid the lawyer, (I can't remember how much). So in answer to your question, "yes"; they do make it up. I think we did this all around the time of the reintroduction of the TM.47 hoopla, which then died down, (as in not required for re-entry, or going out of province etc).

As in the title. Are they widely available?

Then we agree. But the correlation between control and kids is a stretch, IMO. I do however think that the initial rollout of the cannabis decriminalisation here was ill-conceived, in that there is no regulation on the strength and measurement of THC content available. That is the bit they needed to get right first. But it would have required planning and a means to test. Just as with alcohol being at a maximum of 40% proof, in the case of cannabis, it's dangerously unregulated. One shop I've bought from would only sell CBD products, another THC, and the gummies were far too strong, even in miniscule quantities. A spliff from another shop that someone brought one evening, had me in the death throes after one drag. I wouldn't go anywhere near it again here.