Felton Jarvis

Previously, there was a download tab on the Chonburi Immigration page which allowed downloads of the most used documents. I am having difficulty finding it. Can anyone point the way??

I am afraid of pain and suffering. Death? Not so much.

Very strange. Never heard of this rule.

The term "stupid" is a bit strong. Most Americans, for example, do not have a passport and have never traveled outside the country. It's a daunting task, even if you know what you're doing. I started thinking along these lines when I turned 30. I kept seeing advertisements about retiring in Mexico very cheaply. As time moved on, I discovered Costa Rica and finally Thailand. After 18 trips here, I decided this would be where I would retire. I didn't realize that things were about to get much more complicated after the American Embassy quit issuing Statutory Declarations of Income. The constant changes keep many retirees from moving here. Cambodia will be my next stop if they make it impossible for me to continue living here. Immigration is working hard to do exactly that.

That seems odd. The only time I did an online report, I received approval the same day. I hope this system hasn't fallen victim to the usual Thai bureaucracy problems. Ten days is entirely too long. This is why I continue to file in person. Of course, I only live about 500 meters from the Jomtien Immigration office.

Those reports create jobs for Thais. Otherwise, they would be sitting around Immigration with nothing to do. There's a method in the madness.

I still wear mine every day. Not sure if it makes much difference. It DOES remind me not to touch my face, which is a "super-spreader" activity.

I suspect that any sort of "regulator" would be charged with making sure that the insurance company makes a profit. The prices for health insurance are totally out of line with the costs of health care. If the industry were truly regulated, the premiums would reflect that.

Yes, Thailand is, arguably, the only country that tries to discourage those with relatively high incomes NOT to retire there. In the USA and other countries, they try to keep out the poverty-stricken retirees so they won't end up on the street.

Cambodia is the obvious choice. Many have already re-located.

Wuvu2 wins the Internet. I laughed like a hyena. ????

Bashing Alabama will not inflame me. I have lived in Thailand happily for eight years. I didn’t leave because I liked it, I left because I retired. To most Americans, not just Alabamians, The Chairman and Chula look fairly similar. Alabama is not known for its consumption of Asian culture.

When I worked at a university in Alabama, I kept a portrait of Chulalongkorn on my office wall. People kept asking me if it was Chairman Mao. I soon had to take it down and put up a picture of Jesus. So much for academic freedom.

I take no chances in Thailand. The risks are too high.

I easily fix the malcontents by putting them on “ignore” at the first sign of disagreement. I’m not posting to gain followers and I tolerate dissent about as well as Kim Jong Un. ????

I recently attended a movie at a local theater, here in Pattaya and noticed that during the King’s Anthem, many remained seated. I was under the impression that this was legally actionable. From what I could tell, those who remained seated were both young and Thai. One guy actually smirked at me as I stood. I have never seen this before. If I am going to have to go to jail, it will damn sure be over something other than failing to stand for the anthem. I try to obey local laws wherever I am. Any input on this would be welcome.

I will never understand anyone who VOLUNTARILY goes to war. Good luck.

Got robbed by a Chinese man and woman on my first trip to PP. They claimed I owed them 30 dollars for “beer”. 30 dollars worth of beer in Cambodia would last you a month. I didn’t see any weapons but I was taking no chances. I phoned a friend who was at the casino. He came over with the thirty bucks. The Chinese couple were dressed like HISO Thais and spoke very good English. My fault for being too cheap to take a tuk tuk back to my hotel.

They didn’t want you setting up a meth lab in your hospital room. Typical Thai logic.

That’s a nice deal if you HAVE 400 K. I have a monthly income from Social Security, A Teacher's Pension and a smal TIAA annuity. I simply don’t have large amounts of liquid cash to park in a crummy Thai bank that offers almost no interest. If you have liquid cash for investment purposes, I am happy for you. but that arrangement was not the norm when I moved here in 2015. I was told that I needed to have 65 thousand baht monthly income and that it didn’t make any difference WHERE the money was kept. They changed the rules and I was not “grandfathered” into the new arrangement. That is why I have to use an agent if I want to live here. If they push much more, I will simply move to Cambodia where the rules are simple and cheap.

The ones who do not use agents or pay bribes are the ones who have 800 K to park in a sleazy Thai bank account which pays almost no interest. If I had the money, I might consider it. I don’t see much difference between a bribe and the “sweetheart deal” between Immigration and Thai banks.

Easy to say if you have 800 thousand baht. I don’t. I am a normal, non-wealthy retiree. The kind of person that many snobs believe should not be able to retire here, because all I can show is a monthly income of around 100 thousand baht. The Thai Immigration rules are completely untenable. That’s why I pay an agent.

I’ve been taking testosterone injections for years. Only recently do they seem not to be working. I am 73. Perhaps that has something to do with it. Nothing lasts forever.

I’ve been paying them off for years. Always works for me. It’s how business is done.

They just need to allow all Americans to have the same protection they have in the United States. It’s obvious that Thailand is dangerous and more dead thugs will drive the point home.