nigelforbes

The TM30 rule was created in 1979 but was wasn't actively enforced until three years ago. Dropping a cigarette butt on the ground in most parts of the country will get you a nasty stare at best, on Sukhumvit in Bangkok it' will cost you 2,000 baht. Bank letters needed for long stay visa extensions are allowed to be up to seven days old in many parts of the country, in others they must be no more than 24 hours old and in at least one case, dated the same day. Fixed bank deposits are not allowed as proof of 800k in the bank with many Immi. offices, at others they are perfectly admissible. Those are things that occur to me straight away, if I were to sit down and really think about it, I could probably come up with long list.

That might be how things work where you come from but it's not always how things work here.

Yes, all of that is true but so is the fact that laws here frequently exist but are rarely applied, until some future date when it becomes convenient to do so. Plus interpretation and enforcement of the laws here are such huge variables that something that is acceptable in one area may not be in another. You also have to ask yourself if the average BiB will hand out a warning and forgo issuing a fine, I remain highly skeptical of that.

From a UK newspaper: Where can you consume it? Smoking it can be done inside an individual’s residence, and cannabis inside food can be consumed at a licensed restaurant. Smoking marijuana in public places such as schools, temples and shopping malls can lead to a 25,000 baht ($750) fine and a three-month prison sentence. As a rule, Chopaka says, people should be aware of not “encroaching” on other people’s space. What remains prohibited? Tourists cannot enter or leave the country carrying any part of the plant or its seeds. As well, possession of extracts with a THC level higher than 0.2% requires permission that tourists are unlikely to have. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jan/10/consuming-cannabis-in-thailand-what-tourists-need-to-know-marijuana-weed-rules

It's seriously foolish to think there is a single correct answer for anything that applies everywhere in the country. The rules on almost everything vary from location to location, even if national policy says one thing, don't expect that to be a useful defense when you get stopped somewhere out in the boonies.

Thanks Hummin

I'm looking for a hotel near to the Rutnin on Asok in Bangkok, my candidates are 1) FuramaXclusive, 2) Asok Suites (but only maybe because of some reviews). Can anyone recommend the FuramaX, alternatively do you have other recommendations? Er, my wife will be with me so no, I don't want to stay at the Tai Pan, thanks though! Afterwards we're heading down to Hua Hin for a couple of nights before driving further South. My wife thinks the Sailom looks OK and whilst it's priced inexpensively, I'm not so sure. Any recommendations for somewhere under 3k per night? We're not looking for top end and neither do we want the bottom, something in the middle that's good value and close to the beach. Thanks

I prefer that others know who I am when I add a reaction to their post, I don't want to be just somebody. Is somebody/anonymous the default or is my posting name the default? If I'm just somebody, how do I change it to become me, please? Thanks

I agree. In 2021, Thailand imported around USD 800 mill. of oil from Russia, it was the country's fastest growing import source of oil. As sanction began to bite, the direct supply of oil stopped. PTT and it's subsidiaries may continue to buy indirectly since most of the Russian supply was diverted towards China who appears to be a willing buyer..

The following link explains part of the picture. https://globalvoices.org/2022/11/17/international-money-transfer-routes-are-evaporating-for-russians/ EDIT to add a second explanatory link, that is better: https://slate.com/technology/2022/03/russia-banking-sanctions-telegram.html

"The first day of the festival, 13 April and which is known as Songkran Day, sees people clean their homes and public places likes temples and schools to get rid of any bad luck from the previous year and ready them for the new year. Another main activity is Song Nam Phra, a ritual that involves the pouring of scented water onto a temple’s sacred Buddha images. It is important to note the water (traditionally scented with a perfume called Nam Ob) is poured not onto the head of the image, but rather the torso and body." https://www.tatnews.org/2021/03/thailands-songkran-festival-its-origins-history-and-modern-day-observance/ "The festival originated with locals collecting water that had been poured over Buddha statues for cleansing. This was then used to bless village elders and ..." https://theculturetrip.com/asia/thailand/articles/songkran-thailand-s-water-festival/ *Link to an unauthorized source removed*

Much better than the alternative I imagine.

I imagine that's because rice is the product that the vast majority of the poorer rural population is interested in and can relate to, as opposed to electronics and petroleum products, hence it's a media and readership interest consideration, but not a major GDP factor.

A better way perhaps to display the agricultural side of GDP: https://www.statista.com/statistics/331893/share-of-economic-sectors-in-the-gdp-in-thailand/#:~:text=This statistic shows the share,sector contributed about 56.69 percent.

I agree that there is an over reliance on exports which are approaching 70% of GDP, it's very dangerous, I think. (Note: International Tourism is an export). There is no reliance on agricultural exports, they are way down the list. International Tourism is only 12% of GDP. "The country mainly exports manufactured goods (86 percent of total shipments) with electronics (14 percent, vehicles (13 percent), machinery and equipment (7.5 percent) and foodstuffs (7.5 percent) being the most important. Agricultural goods, mainly rice and rubber, account for 8 percent of total shipments". https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/exports#:~:text=The country mainly exports manufactured,8 percent of total shipments. The Baht is valued according to the value of USD, BOT cannot influence that value to any great extent. Fair value is in a range of 31 to 34, currently it's 34.xx. Consumer Lending is Debt is major issue, I agree.

Ummm, what failed economic policies might those be?

As you will already know from being subscribed to the Baht Thread, International Tourism represents about 12% of GDP whilst Domestic Tourism is about 8 or 9%. Domestic (Private) Consumption on the other hand is a major recipient of tourist spending and that represents 50% of GDP.

I suspect you've never lived in a country that is dependent on tourism to such a significant degree and where the English language newspapers publish the Tourist Boards estimates or forecasts. Every significant business and sector has forecasts, not all of them get shared with the public. But since the TAT forecasts are shared, it's not unreasonable that they set expectations as a result. After all, what's the better alternative, depress the entire country and say our forecasts are completely naff and nobody's coming,.....come on now.

January 2023 saw 99,500 Chinese visitors, that's about 40% of the 2022 total, just in one month. 2023 also saw 2.1 million International tourists in total, compared to 2.250 mill in December and 1.750 mill in November. https://www.bot.or.th/App/BTWS_STAT/statistics/ReportPage.aspx?reportID=875&language=eng https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/thai-pm-sees-over-30-mln-foreign-tourists-this-year-spokesperson-2023-02-07/#:~:text=Overall foreign tourist arrivals were,travel curbs were in place.

Air travel costs are probably still too high for the mass tour market to be attractive to native Chinese, FIT is much prefered anyway.

The Chinese aren't the only game in town and 2022 was a bad year for international tourism: https://www.thaiwebsites.com/tourists-nationalities-Thailand.asp

According to an article in the post dated 17 February, some market analysts think the Baht is going to depreciate further below 34.20 and this is helping the price of exporting company stocks. At first glance, many readers will think the article's title says that the weaker Baht will aid exports, but it doesn't! The headline reads, Baht Dip Aides Export Stocks, that means that shares in exporting companies have increased in value on the expectation the Baht will weaken and those companies will do more business. That strategy of course will only work if there are enough willing buyers! Most of the information appears to be from the investment arm of a Thai bank which sells stocks and shares, the information may or may not be accurate. What is probable is that funds will flow out of the Thai stock market and into USD on the back of the US Fed's view on inflation. That outflow may well result in further weakening of the Baht (against USD), unless it is offset by other factors such as increased tourism or FDI inflows, for example. A weaker Baht seems probable, increased export value as a result of the weaker Baht, remains very very uncertain.

NESDC (National Economic and Social Development Council) is the Thai equivalent of the Economics Budget Reporting Office. Their report on the 2022 economy was recently released and is linked below, open the link below and click on "Thai Economic Performance in Q4 and Outlook for 2023" . The chart on page 2 shows the growth in export values to key economies for the past four years and by quarter for 2022. Interesting to note that exports to regional economies dominate to a high degree and the influence of Western economies is small by comparison. Also interesting to note is the extent to which Private Consumption is aiding the economy, mostly as a result of improved tourism. https://www.nesdc.go.th/nesdb_en/ewt_news.php?nid=4491&filename=Macroeconomic_Planning

I think both the web site (Siam-Legal) and the previous poster may be correct, the problem is that the SL site doesn't consider a lease between man and wife and the implications of divorce laws which appear to take precedent. Your safest way forward appears to have your wife sell the land to a third party, on paper at least, and then for you to take the lease or usufruct from that person. That idea might work for you but I suspect your wife will be less than thrilled!

29 January, 2023 "Sony has transitioned the manufacturing of cameras that are destined to be sold in Japan, the United States, and Europe out of China and to a factory in Thailand, which amounts to about 90% of its total production". "Last year, Sony sold about 2.11 million cameras around the world. Nikkei says that of that, 150,000 were destined for sale in China while the remainder went elsewhere. At this point, most of that production — more than 90% — has been moved to Thailand". https://petapixel.com/2023/01/30/sony-has-moved-90-of-its-camera-production-from-china-to-thailand/ https://finance.yahoo.com/news/global-firms-eyeing-asian-alternatives-203144776.html