Thailaw

And what of value does the US Dollar have "to back it up? Nixon took the Dollar off the "gold standard" in 1971, and since then it has been "backed" by nothing. US Dollars are "created" by the Federal Reserve when it buys debt (and by banks when they make loans) with new Dollars that it creates. What gives it "value" is that other people will accept it in exchange for goods and sevices -- nothing more (it is a "fiat" currency). When people lose fait in the US Dollar its value will also decrease (maybe vanish). That process may have already started. The creation of US Dollars by the Federal Reserve over the past decade has been reckless, which is why people have been looking for alternatives to hold wealth -- hence the creation of crypto-currencies, such as Bitcoin. Their appeal is that their quantity and increases in quantity are extremely limited, unlike the Dollar whose quantity is subject to political pressure and government manipulation. And the price/value of Bitcoin had been increasing exponentially for a ten year period (2009/10 through 2021), but has since dropped to less than third of its all-time high -- its exceptional volatility in value suggests that it is not a good "store of value", a fundamental requirement for "money". Where are Bitcoin and the other crypto-currencies headed? I have no idea, but I wouldn't expect them to disappear any time soon. And as long as there is a significant group of prople (I won't call them "investors", rather gamblers) that are willing to pay $10,000+ for a single Bitcoin, they certainly aren't |worth zlich". Can I respectfully suggest a course in money and banking before you post again on this subject.

Thanks very much. I will contact him immediately. Your help is very much appreciated. TL

I need to do a major renovation on my house near Maprachan Lake -- the amount of work required is pretty significant. I would greatly appreciate a recommendation (with contact information, please) for a good home repair/renovation contractor in the Pattaya area that you have used or whose work you have seen first hand -- reasonbly priced would be a real plus. Thanks for suggestions/recommendations. TL.

I need a new sofa; the old one looks atrocious. I have found one that I like very much, but it is covered in "PU leather". I have read that PU leather cracks and peels if left in the direct sun and heat. I can avoid the direct sun, but heat in Thailand is pretty "normal" -- hard to avoid. Does anyone have experience with PU leather furniture and how well it holds up in Thailand. Furniture that has been purchased here and not brought from another country would be preferred experience, but any real experience would be appreciated. I assume that if it is otherwise in good condition, recovering is an option when the PU leather is unsightly. If the useful life is 3 years or less, I think I am better off with real leather (at 3+ x the cost) or fabric. It is hard to find good quality sofas in Pattaya/Jomtien. Suggestions on good sofa shops would also be much appreciated. Thanks a lot for any help/guidance. TL

Thanks, and noted. As I said, I have had a non-O visa (mistakenly referred to as an "O-A Visa", the requirements for which (non-O-A) are clearly more onerous (are there any benefits over a non-O visa?) for more than 10 years. I always purchase the multiple re-entry permit along with the non-O visa renewal to avoid the need to get it every time I leave, which prior to Covid was frequently. My visa was going to expire in about 1 month when I left Thailand, so I decided to re-apply for the retirement visa when I returned rather than get the re-entry permit. The process and requirements for the renewal and the original application are almost the same as I see it. Given that I was gone for 3+ months and my non-O visa expired in the middle of that time outside Thailand, I am not sure what I could have done to continue my non-O visa, but if this happens again, I will certainly consider trying to extend my existing non-O visa until I return. In any event, I think I now have a clear and relatively easy path to get a new non-O visa later this week or early next week.

Thanks very much for the answer. As I recall (after you refreshed my memory), I did the same thing when I first applied for the non-O visa, as immigration started the 1 year for the Non-O visa 30 days after the application for the extension, applying the extension first before the 1 year for the non-O started. I will look at the requirements for the non-O visa, which if insurance is not required, I can satisfy presently, as I maintain an account with a balance of B800,000+ solely for the purpose of visa extension. My concern had been health insurance, which, at my age is an "unnecessary" waste. Thanks very much; you have been extremely helpful in clarifying these points/issues (and saving me several trips to immigration in Jomtien)????.

Thanks very much for the quick reply. If I understand what you have said, I have about 12 days left for my current visa exempt entry, so I will need to apply for an extension of the 30 day visa exempt entry (I should have done that immediately on arrival), and then apply for the non-O visa with at least 15 days remaining for the extension. Correct? Are you sure about the lack of an insurance requirement? I have read in several places that US$50,000 insurance is now required for the retirement (non-O) visa. Before I left Thailand, I checked with immigration in Jomtien, and I was told that the retirement visa (perhaps they meant OA, not non-O) now requires health insurance. Thanks for clarifying this.

I had an O-A Visa for more than 10 years. I left Thailand on November 2021 and, due to travel problems (testing positive to Covid) and other issues), I did not return to Thailand until late February 2022. My O-A visa expired in late December 2021. As I expected to be gone for more than 1 month, I did not purchase the re-entry permit before I left Thailand. I entered Thailand on a "visa exempt" 30 day permit. Can I now convert my visa exempt 30 day permit into an O-A visa without leaving Thailand? I have the required money (B800,000) in a Thai bank account for more than 3 months. I need the required health insurance. Any suggestions on a good value insurance provider would also be appreciated (I am 70+ yo). My 30 day permit expires next week; I assume that it can be renewed at least once for an additional 30 days. Thanks for any help. TL

I just had my swimming pool retiled due to the gross negligence of the last pool cleaning service. I need a new pool cleaning company that will service a pool near Horseshoe Point. Can anyone recommend a pool clearing service that is responsible and provides good service (at hopefully a reasonable price)? Contact information would be very much appreciated. Thanks for any help/recommendations/suggestions. TL

Is there any hospital or clinic in Pattaya or Bangkok (more likely Bangkok) that will give PCR test results and certificate on the same day as the test sample is taken? If yes, name and location please. If not, same question within 24 hours. Thanks a lot.

Quite possible. How does that have anything to do with the questions asked, or the decision to buy a new or 2nd hand jet ski? I have a licence to drive my car and a licence to drive my motorbikes, and, if I need one, I will get a licence to drive my jet ski, assuming that I do, in fact, purchase one. And I expect that the licence and the licence requirements are the same regardless of whether the jet ski is new or 2nd hand. Next.....

I want a jet ski. They are not cheap, like all motored vehicles in Thailand. The new ones range from B300,000 to B815,000. I new base model, with a 900cc motors, and trailer is B320,000 and the 1600cc motor model is around B500,000. I worry that the base model is too small and slow. I have been considering a 2nd hand "large size" model -- for about B150,000 to B175,000 you can get a 1200cc to 1300cc model from 2007 to 2017. The big issue is condition and hours operated. Sources on the internet say that the "life" of a jet ski is about 300 hours ("high mileage"). The ones that I have seen have 500 hours or more on the clock. There is one Yamaha for sale, a 2007 model with 190 hours for about B180,000 -- the hours used is good, but it is kind of old. Can the hours be "rolled back"? I like the look of this one, at least the pictures look good.. So, my questions are -- how important is hours used? is there a cut off point beyond which you shouldn't consider the ski? Given the risks, should I scrap the idea of a used jet ski and consider only a new one (most of the sellers are Thai, and the skis are probably off-rental)? is maintenance and repair of a jet ski expensive if I were to buy a used one and find out that it has problems? Used motorbikes are not much an issue/risk in Thailand as repair is cheap. Are jet skis the same? The information on the internet is worthless and mostly comes from the US, which may not be at all applicable to Thailand. Thanks for any help/thoughts. TL.

Thanks for the replies, some quite helpful (some not so much). This is not a new installation. And my pumphouse is rather small, but not very far from the pool. Like Saanim, I am constrained by available space, existing piping (which can be changed, if necessary/helpful with not too much cost), and the fact that there are 2 pumps in the pump room -- one for cleaning the pool and one for the Jacuzzi. I can see how an 90' elbow almost immediately after the outflow of the pump can put added "work" on the pump and significantly reduce efficiency, but choices with an existing pump arrangement are, by definition, limited, and I am not willing to make a relatively cheap pump replacement into a major redesign/renovation of my poolhouse. The existing pump, which was said by one responder to be on of the "worst pumps you can get", provided service for 10 years, so, if I can repeat that length of service with a relatively cheap pump and the existing piping, I will be satisfied (the elbow is significantly farther from the pump in my pumphouse, but it is not a straight line to the pool). This is for the jacuzzi which is likely to get less than 30 minutes of use each month by my teenage kids, asymptotically approaching zero (or very close to it) after a few years. Thanks for the input. I feel much more confident about what I am doing and my available choices now. Best, TL

I accept that the jacuzzi doesn't need the lint basket, but will it cause a problem if it has one? (can't I just remove the lint basket and run the pump without it?) Is there any other difference between the swimming pool pump and the jacuzzi pump? The broken pump on the jacuzzi now appears to have a lint basket (or an area where one would be located) but it is dark/black plastic and not clear like the others. But the pump is labeled as a "self priming pool pump" (see the picture above). Can you PM me with a price. Thanks.

This is the motor that is on the jacuzzi in the swimming pool now. It is 2 HP. I don't know how or why it broke. The swimming pool walla said it was broken, and said that it needed to be repaired or replaced.