jbaldwin

Which government department do you think is responsible for the AGM fees? Do you not beleive that these fees are set by banks?

Also it is certainly not unique for cross border financial transactions to cost more than domestic ones.

Halifax makes no charge for transfer from my UK bank account to any other UK bank account but charges 9.95 GBP for a transfer to an overseas bank account. Do you also beleive that this is racist?

Try

Aeroflot via Moscow

Finn Air via Helsinki

or Air Brlin via Dusseldorf

I also down graded from Platinium to Gold from 1 June

If you are not Thai you cannot buy a house whatever currency you use

Yes

Providing the orientation/trial period was a success.

They said that they would obtain a work permit for me and even pay me.

So that's an incentive!

So you are intented to work illegally for a trail period?

Asiatravel.com was purchased by Tui Travel on 28 September 2007 for USD49million.

I know that we all have different priority but it takes more than a 7 baht increase in beer prices to make me feel "devastated"

Can anyone recommend a really good German restaurant in Pattaya? Food quality more important than beer quality in this case...

Gerhard's, Soi 16/2, Naklua Road

No paying tax is not a contribution to the SS fund. Social Security is a separate levy 5% paid by employer and 5% by employee (on the first, I think, the first 15,000 per month of income). Should be shown separately on our pay slip

I totally disagree with you. I think that there is far more security here. Most Condos have 24/7 presence by security guards. This would very rarely been seen in the UK.

The biggest difference is that as labour costs are so much lower in Thailand, employing Security Guards is much more cost effective compared with electronic systems.

I had always thought they there reputation was fairly bad. I have not used them for a long time. Normally prefer airlines that are cheaper and have more modern fleets

Check this link www.thailivingferry.com

They still seem to expect a start date of January 2009

There is a grey area. However, property and the stock market of the same. You do not need a work permit to invest in property or shares. However, you do need a work permit if you act as a professional property or share dealer.

The nicer destinations (Barbados, Antigua, Virgin Islands (British)) are more expensive than Thailand hands down. Yes you can get some lower cost package deals, but the places just aren't comparable to what you can get in Thailand. Nor is the food. Places like the Dominican Republic and Cuba can certainly offer better package deals but again the outside options are not much fun. I If you want a great deal there is always Haiti and Jamaica, but you basically go there knowing that if you step outside the hotel you will be mugged. All the other little islands like Nevis, St Kitts are beautiful, but expensive.

Martinique had the riots recently and St Marten is filthy. I've been to all these places and if you factor out the airfare differences, Thailand's value is much better. Even with higher airfare, the hospitality and service levels available in SE Asia quickly compensate.

I've been all over the Carribean and I'd gladly pay a bit more given the choice between the surly chip on the shoulder Carrbean attitude and the friendly Thai smiles and friendlieness.

And I'm not the biggest fan of the Thai hospitality industry either.

Well, Much of the population of the Carribien are decendents of slaves and blame westerners.

Lately the Thai are blaming us for economic slavery

I do not think that I have ever come across a Thai who beleives that they suffer from "economic slavery"

I have to say that I agree with dave111223.

OK you might have found a legal loophole which allows you to avoid your obligations but would you like to live in your Condo if all the co-owners behaved in the way in which you have.

Late payment penalties are there for a reason - too many condos have been unable to carry out necessary maintenance while they waited to be paid

90 day reports can be done up to 7 days early or up to 7 days late

This is not usual. However, a friend of mine offered to pay 1 year up front in exchange for a 20% reduction of the rent. This offer was accepted.

I am on the Committee of a Condo in Pattaya.

Some time ago we decided that we should find a suitable local lawyer should we ever need legal help.

Markus Klemm, a German Attorney of Asia Law Works in Thepprasit Road, was recommeded.

We met him and he seemed very knowledgable of Condo law issues but as yet we have not need to use his services.

In the UK very few people would buy a property without first getting a survey carried out by a qualified surveyer but in Thailand it seems normal just to hope that everything will be OK. Subject to any particular warranties you argeed with the seller you will have bought the property as seen and therefore will have no recource for faults (such as the precents of termites).

Termites can be very difficult to eliminate. I would strongly recommend bringing in a professional pest control company and not rely on the condo management to solve.

I am not sure of the location of your unit. However, under no circumstances would I ever consider buy a ground floor condo. The risk of termite problems is too high

"Juristic Person Manager".

by juristic person manager , do you mean the chairman of the committee , voted to the position by the committee?

No - The Juristic Person Manager is not the same as the Chairman of the Committee.

The Juristic Person Manager is the legal representive of the Condo, appointed by a vote of co-owners. He may or may not be a Committee Member. It cases where there is an outside management company it is often a senior employee of the management company. Our condo used to be management by IRM. When it was the managing director of IRM was the Jeristic Person Manager. After we removed IRM as managment company the Thai member of the Committee became the Jeristic Person Manager.

As stated in my previous message our advice from both previous condo management companies and independent lawyers was that acting as Committee Chairman is not consider work but acting as Juristic Person Manager is. Our Committee has always been aware of this so I had assumed that any well informed Committee would also know.

From the orginally article it seems that the Canadian was acting as the "Juristic Person Manager". This is the individual who is the legal representive of the condominium and who has similar power and duties as a director of a limited company.

I am a member of a condo committee. Our advice has always been that the Juristic Person Manager must either be Thai or have a work permit. This advice has come from both the companies that have acted as our Condominium Managers and also independent lawyers.

Our Condo committee has seven members - six falang and one Thai. The Thai was appointed as the Jusistic Person Managers as our Committee was fully aware that the post holder would be consider to be working.

I have an extension on investment grounds. Need to keep 3 million baht in a fixed deposit account. However, I beleive that this option was removed for new applicants on 1 October 2006 - now only renewals for existing holders

I assume that it is these people.

http://www.londonnominees.com/ln/home.asp

A quick look at their website seems to show no details about the company's ownership or regulatory status. They give their address as a PO Box in the British Virgin Islands which raises the possibly that transparancy is not their greater priority.

Surely your investment advisor or broker has provided you with the reasons these funds were recommended. If not find a professional one.

I beleive that the OP is confusing Thai and Malaysian immigration rules. My understand is that:

1) Thais do not require a visa for stay in Malaysia of less than one month

2) There is no requirement for a minimum amount of cash (Thailand has a rule - rarely enforced - that anyone entering Thailand on a tourist visa needs 20,000 baht)

3) Malaysia has no requirement for an onward air ticket