jayceenik

I've lived in LOS for many years and, in all probability, I'll die here.

I want no Terri Schiavo end-of-life if something bad happens to me what with the Thai doctors sucking all the money from my bank account and then dumping me outside when there is no more so I've made a Living Will and made my TGF the one who'll decide to unplug me if I'm unconscious.

I've made it clear to her that the longer I'm kept in what should be a terminal condition the more costly the medical care and the less money left on my Last Will for her.

This is not exactly Euthanasia but it's the best I could come up with here.

You can download the Thai Govt approved and thus LOS hospitals recognized Living Will (2 forms)here :

http://en.nationalhealth.or.th/node/215

http://en.nationalhealth.or.th/node/214

Both in English and Thai.

I appreciate the BMs' concerns about a senior farang drawing a Last Will favoring a young TGF.

I quite understand it can be "risky" at times ... LOL

Well, be concerned even more as I've made a Thai govt-approved Living Will in which she is named as representing my wishes if I were to find myself in a Terri Schiavo state.

This I terribly fear (motocy accident, maybe) so I've made clear to her that if this happens she must have me unplugged asap as that will mean less $$$ for hospital care and more left for her in my bank account ...

I have just written three Last Wills (bank accounts in BE, TH, SIN) in favor of my Pattaya TGF and I've been inquiring about getting Thai Death Certificates for me which she will need to claim the inheritances.

Like SidJames says they will be issued automatically by the doctor who'll examine the defunct - either in the hospital or at home.

I queried my Belgian Embassy and they told me that three copies of this Thai Death Certificate must be taken by my TGF to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs at ChaengWattana to be officially stamped as it concerns the death of a foreigner.

My Embassy will then claim two of these stamped certificates for their use and will translate in French and notarize, for free (!!), a third copy that can then be sent by my TGF to my Notary in Belgium along with my Holographic Testament.

For Singapore a translated in English and notarized copy will be needed.

If I tally right my TGF will thus need to get a total of five Thai Death Certificates (three for BE, one for TH, one for SIN) - And all stamped by the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Ibis Hotel down on the left on Soi 4 (Nana Plaza) - 200 bahts nett - pleasant dining room.

Opens at noon.

Excellent choice Thai and Western plus some Japanese.

I eat there when in BKK.

When will "they" unblock the dailymail online ?

I love the dailymail.online.

It's the first newspaper I open on my PC in the morning.

Lots of well-illustrated articles about various subjects.

But I'll certainly agree that it's tabloid at times. Like that offending VDO that nobody really needed to watch.

Still, if I had to select only one online newspaper for my morning coffee it'd be the dailymail over the Guardian and the Telegraph.

Anyway it was blocked for me shortly after the offending VDO was published but then I Googled a way back in partially (couldn't open all articles) to the Home and US.

Then this was blocked too a couple days ago. I'm on TOT Pattaya.

I think it'd be a simple thing to restrict only the VDO article in Thailand and re-open the dailymai.onlinel but I suspect that it must to be "punished" ...

I'm told that a Thai equivalent to the Highway Code exists. Anyone know where I can buy one in Pattaya, Sri Racha, Chon Buri area? I've scoured all the bookshops but found nothing. Enquiries to assistants as to where to buy one I get the usual "Don't know" or "mai kaojai".

If you mean one in English, no, I've never seen one.

And I don't think there is one !!

But if you can read Thai there are several in Thai.

You can find them at the bookshops at the Tesco and BigC Extra malls in Pattaya.

Last year I bought all available and spent many hours reading/studying them. No fun.

And there is the free official one available at the place where you take your exam.

The imminent reopening of CW immigration is so thrilling that I can barely contain my excitement!

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Silly and short sighted comment!

My wife's pasport needs to be renewed and thousands of Thais and foreigners had to suffer from the sabotage that has taken place in this country organized by a a so called "monk".

As soon as the situation normalizes we will be at the passport office.

The reopening of the CW govt complex is indeed major news for Thailand particularly for the Thais who, like us all, need passports to travel for pleasure, business, work and the monk's occupation of the CW complex was a major disruption for the Thais who had to get one.

The resourceful Thais dispersed the CW Dpt of Consular Affairs personnel (which obligatorily checks streaming online all passport applications) but there was a net limitation on Thai passports that could be issued in the Kingdom during that monk's half-year camping blockade.

TGF works at the Pattaya Avenue Passport Office and expects that starting on 2 June everybody will work hard OT to fill the pent up demand.

And personally I'm glad I'll again be able to go to familiar CW Immigration Office when need be.

Well there is message from the National News Bureau promising Monday, 2nd of June:

http://thainews.prd.go.th/centerweb/newsen/NewsDetail?NT01_NewsID=WNPOL5705230010019

I assume it would iclude immigration offices.

Ambitious, stay tuned.

The Dpt of Consular Affairs is not our Immigration Offices and is a bit further down CW from where we have to go.

But, yes, I'd expect (hope !!) the Govt Center and its Immigration Offices to reopen at about the same time.

Who is going to be the first one to report a successful visit to the re-opened CW ?

I'm not due there until October ...

Portugal has recently started courting extensively Euro retirees.

Cheap, good food, friendly people, short drive to Spain and France.

I wouldn't live on an island like Tenerife myself.

Too confined.

Great for a holiday, I'm sure.

I was briefly there when I worked for the summer on a ship that called there and managed to steal a few hours onshore to get drunk and meet the girls.

I was young LOL

If you're a gentleman, behave like one by being friendly and cooperative and you'll always sail through Customs.

Take it from some of our experienced gentlemen traveler BM.

If you're a low-class rube hoi polloi wise guy with a bad attitude like me then you're in for agro.

Thanks to those BM who have made me understand why as a single guy arriving from Asia I've so often been profiled.

It's only because I'm a wise guy !! I'm not being polite and friendly enough with those nice ICE guys !!

Do you belive every person that talk to you are doing some kind if scam? One asked about hostels! The other asked where she bought her nice leather briefcase! And suddenly those two are doing a scam

Not EVERY person!!

But the first encounter related by the OP was too bizarre for it not to be a lead-on to a scam approach.

Lost baggage, dropped in BangNa (of all places ?) by taxi, seeking a HOSTEL in MegaBangNa. In MegaBangNa, come on 555555

And coming to BKK intending to stay in hostels but never heard of KhaoSan Rd hostels ? Didn't carry a Lonely Planet ? Hadn't plan where to spend his first night on arrival in BKK ?

I'd have lost my hearing right there, alarm bells ringing so loudly !!

Indeed, I'd say the Caucasian girl wasted her time 'helping' that guy looking for 'hostels' on her phone.

OK, the possible scam might have amounted to nothing more sinister than a request for an 'emergency' money loan. Still, ...

The second encounter related just might have been innocent but, right on, if you feel uneasy walk away !!

Scammers need time to engage with an innocent person. This to built trust and sense if the 1 they approach is gullible. Your female friend apparantly is not. Good for her.

Thanks to the OP for his report.

Indeed the scammer needs to build a 'friendly' contact with his intended victim before he strikes.

We'll never know what the scam might have been in this case but I'm sure there was going to be one.

The OP got me thinking. Right now I have a Last Will entrusted to a notary in my home country. Easy enough to name on it my TGF as sole beneficiary of my (not of oligarchic-size) life savings. Problem is that I have three bank accounts in three different countries (like the 800k Baht I keep in LOS for retirement extension purposes). My notary would have to deal with SIN and BKK banks - not too easy, Id guess. Plus death taxes...

I think I could write two letters (Thai and English) and have them certified at my embassy: One to instruct the BKK bank to release my account to my TGF in case of my death and leave this letter in evidence in my things so she can find it. Another same one to my bank in SIN like they suggested. And join copies of those letters to my original Last Will with enough info for my notary to contact my TrueLove in LOS.

But no need to tell her now all the $$$ details. She is young, I like her, I wish her the best after I'm gone and my left-behind life savings would certainly contribute to her future happiness but like a BM said above: caution, caution makes for farang long Golden Years in LOS..

Never let a Thai GF/wife know that upon your death she will inherit your assets and/or that monies/riches will be received. Rather, advise that when you die so does the golden goose. ... You think I'm kidding!!!!

Cynical but common sense too.

Actually I'd fear more the relatives than my TGF.

If she gets rich so do they...

Present TGF expects to be sole beneficiary of my last will.

Haven't done anything about that yet.

BTW my Citibank SIN account manager, obviously concerned about my getting very senior, called me recently strongly urging me to designate a beneficiary or give somebody a power-of-attorney to dispose cleanly on my (sizable) account there when I say adieu.

My "sizable" ones bigger than your "sizable" one! well maybe not but mines a grower not a shower.

Thanks for this silly flame, Mr JeremyBowskill !! LOL

I'll think twice in the future about contributing anything to the Thai Visa forums

Never know who is going to unpleasantly flame me !!

Never let a Thai GF/wife know that upon your death she will inherit your assets and/or that monies/riches will be received. Rather, advise that when you die so does the golden goose. ... You think I'm kidding!!!!

Cynical but common sense too.

Actually I'd fear more the relatives than my TGF.

If she gets rich so do they...

Present TGF expects to be sole beneficiary of my last will.

Haven't done anything about that yet.

BTW my Citibank SIN account manager, obviously concerned about my getting very senior, called me recently strongly urging me to designate a beneficiary or give somebody a power-of-attorney to dispose cleanly on my (sizable) account there when I say adieu.

Copies are available at both locations.

But to save time it is best do the copies before you go.

yes, of course, but if you want a re-entry visa the same day you need to submit a photocopy of your newly extended visa.

Long time ago.

Going just that one time through LAX coming from JKT. Stopped for bag check. Only had small carry-on.

Couple questions and check of my multi-stamped passport.

Female officer then hit a switch and a red light came on over our heads.

Supervisor came over. Inquired why I was going so often to Thailand.

Told him "Because I like Thailand".

He didn't inquire about my Indonesian visas. Just suspicious about the multiple LOS stamps.

But they then let me go without further ado.

I remember that red light "we have a situation here" just for little me. Funny in a way. LOL

Yes. I get the same warning.

Watching FoxNews in Pattaya.

I'm absolutely no fan of that channel but I'll say that their present coverage of the MH370 is top notch.

As for Greta's opinion that's exactly what I personally had thought when I first heard that the RTAF had not come forward right away with their radar info. I suspect a latent anti-Malaysia sentiment...

I started putting on some weight at 40. At the time I knew nothing about calories and dieting so I got myself a few books about sensible eating and striving for good health. The better books all had a chapter about the ill effects of smoking. Scared me seriously. At the time I was a 10 to 20 smokes a day Marlboro smoker. I quit cold turkey after reading a few of these books, threw away what cigarettes and cigarillos I had left and never wanted to smoke again. It was easy.

I had quit a couple times before for a year at a time but that last time was the real one. Obviously I wasn't too much addicted.

Good luck anywhere in Thailand trying to use a 7 day old bank letter for visa renewal purposes!

Have a very good friend I personally know and was with when he presented a bank letter from SCB to immigration for an extension to stay based on retirement that was 7 days old and it was accepted.

Back in the old days at SuanPhlu I never had any problems with bank letters/bankbooks which, as far as I remember, were always dated a few days earlier.

7 days prior to the visa extension applicat9ion date is acceptable at Immigration.

Yes, the 7-day prior bank letter could be acceptable at some Immigration offices.

Like this one :

http://pathumthani.immigration.go.th/Documents%20for%20visa%20extension.html

But see what happened to this guy here at CW :

http://www.thaiwebsites.com/immigration-update.asp

It's not me but like I said before same thing has happened to me twice already at CW.

And, yes, I dress nice with much more than the required 800k on my bank book...

The last time it happened (NOV13) the officer had a look at my previous-day updated bankbook and bank letter and said " Oh but your bank book must be updated as of today"... and there I went to my bank's branch LOL