JustinTyme

The sad reality is that "culture always wins." There are few cultures less equipped to own, maintain, manage, and train dogs than Thailand. And the irony here is Isaan, the belief no home is complete without at least one dog. The dogs are completely untrained, unresponsive to commands, often aggressive, and few, if any, have the proper vaccines they need. They don't even wear collars so there is a CHANCE to pull them off victims. Also, since they are rarely neutered, they breed like rats. I no longer go for walks, don't visit the lovely temple nearby, and endure the endless barking all hours of the night and day. Fair warning to people thinking about moving to Isaan, stay here for a few weeks before you decide to actually move here.

In a learning moment, where is this video stored? Have you tested this from start to finish, log-in, video replaces you, etc? Interesting ... Pro Tip: FYI - All this nonsense only applies on phones. Transfer on the web sites are allowed IF the maximums are in place. And ... BONUS ... if the recipient has the user name, password, and mobile (in case they send a verification number). THEY can change the maximums! So, I keep my accounts with a very modest maximum transfer limit, to ensure no hacker can wipe me out, and GF is an EXPERT now on logging in and changing maximum transfer values. No video, no blinking, just an easy and legal process because "He did it just before he died." And, of course, having her as a "favorite transfer" with a long history of activity, is, in sense proof of the "normalcy" of fund transfers.

I am not sure when living alone became a disgraceful sign of being a total worthless loser as implied in so many posts. Anyway ... In a legal sense, the vast majority of Expats here in Thailand "live alone." Only a small percentage are married, and have the foresight to write and register their last will and testament, with the corresponding recipients and documentation to facilitate a smooth transfer of assets after their death. Example: You have a long term girlfriend who you feel is, and treat as ... "your wife." For lots of complicated tax, income, and cultural rules, you find it much easier to just stay "single" and have a happy life. You live in Thailand via the "retirement visa" and keep the required 800,000 THB in a bank to ensure compliance and easy annual renewal. You also have your "other" account for living expenses ... etc. You may even own stocks in the SET, since there is no capital gains tax in Thailand, and there is money to be made. You drop dead tonight. Who has the legal rights to your money? Does your girlfriend have a legal right, via an official Last Will and Testament to begin the rather lengthy process of getting the money and stocks you meant to leave for her? Does she even know the process to follow? Oh wait, you think she can just transfer the funds to her account? Have you updated your banking transfer values to allow that, or will she hit the new fire wall of "transfer of funds requires face recognition." Have you considered a request to transfer your 800,000 is a red flag in the banking system. since it implies "This person has just disqualified themselves from the Non Immigrant O process." Golly, we should look into this. The point is. Thai banks make a TON of money KEEPING Expat funds, and forcing those left behind to hire lawyers, and engage in protracted legal battles. More often than not, the very person who needs the money, can't fight that battle, and would not know where to start. Feel free to message me for ideas that can help. (PS: Don't let me "newbie status" fool you, there is a good chance I have lived in Thailand non-stop ... longer than you)

Can you please explain how a factory can operate as a "zero dollar" entity? Walk me through it, the raw materials, the machinery, electricity, the logistics equipment, the labor, the sales and marketing, taxes paid to Thailand, and on and on. The Chinese who come to manage the plant do what? Live under a bridge begging for food, or do they buy condos / build houses, buy cars, send their kids to international schools ...etc How exactly, do they magically operate and none of that generates revenue in Thailand???

Can you please explain how a factory can operate as a "zero dollar" entity? Walk me through it, the raw materials, the machinery, electricity, the logistics equipment, the labor, the sales and marketing, taxes paid to Thailand, and on and on. The Chinese who come to manage the plant do what? Live under a bridge begging for food, or do they buy condos / build houses, buy cars, send their kids to international schools ...etc How exactly, do they magically operate and none of that generates revenue in Thailand???

You are conflating "zero dollar tours" with an entirely different international investment model, and they have little in common.

So let me see if I understand this. Thailand does NOT want foreign investment because it is "zero dollar?" What does that even mean? A company invests in Thailand, but ... no one buys material to build a building, no one is hired to build it, the factory workers are not Thai? The goods magically get transported without Thai trucks and drivers? The business does not pay taxes? No one in the company eats, or lives indoors? No one goes to the dentist, the doctor, for a massage, takes a taxi, buys a motorbike / car, etc etc etc? Can someone please explain how a country close to a recession does NOT need Foreign Investment?

I invite you to imagine how hard it is to shoot YOURSELF between the eyes. Very difficult. Now imagine how easy it is to shoot a person sitting across from you, between the eyes. Easy.

My first trip to Thailand was in 1979. OMG, it was PARADISE !!! 555 ! Made a permanent move here 14 years ago. 10 in BKK ... then built a nice house in Isaan. VERY happy here, away from the drama in the rest of the country.

(Please don't let my "Newbie Status" fool you, I have lived in in Thailand full time for 14 years) I think we have a case of "Be careful what you ask for, you may get it." Thailand has a long history of using the wrong metrics to make decisions. Example: The number of tourists is less important than the total money they spend. Stuffing the country with Chinese and Indian people seems like " a lot" ... but the fact is, per tourist, they spend far less than visitors from the EU, Great Briton, Australia, and the USA. And cause a lot more drama doing it. One might think it would be obvious, but what seems to have not been considered in the "quality tourist" conversation is that there is a real barrier to entry for people who have to fly half way around the planet to get here. So, when we see a Western Tourist, we are seeing a person with the time, money, and motivation to get to Thailand and probably is more focused on maximizing the experience, than what it costs. Just the airfare costs more than a Chinese "Dollar Tour" visitor spends in two weeks on the whole vacation! Part Two: Thailand used to be a beautiful country with authentic culture and positive people whose life view was a delight for Westerners to engage with. It has changed, and not in a way younger, health focused, and environmentally aware travelers want to be in. The air quality is awful in BKK, and the North West mountain regions. (Places tourists want to go to) The entire country has become literally covered in litter and garbage. The beaches are crowded and filthy. There are packs of feral dogs barking, biting, and harassing people 24/7. There is non stop news about all kinds of ways tourists end up in the hospital. And last, but certainly not least, and file under "Thailand, You have lost the plot" ... It was the unregulated and FUN culture people LOVED, and is not sanitized and kept in "Food Court" boxes. The endless street food, open markets, and yes, it really WAS "The Land of Smiles" ... not "What have you done for me lately." Thailand should have done itself a favor and instead of a dozen rich Thais GUESSING what tourists came here for, brace yourself ... ASKED tourists what it was they came here for. "Adventure, exotic new places, clean beaches and mountains, and a Bangkok that was really FUN." It is not the exchange rate, it is that the only people who come here now are "locals" (India / China) looking for cheap fun they can't get at home.