Digger

VAT is NOT charged on property rent, however it is charged on extra services such as Furniture lease and services lease. Many landlords have 3 rental agreements with the tenant covering the above 3 areas.  Reason being that in law, 15% of the 'rent' is payable to the government, wheras on services and furniture, its not.   

Sounds like a scam.   Ask for a full VAT invoice made out to a company and the company address stating that you have a company and can therefore recover the VAT - the VAT receipt must be made out by the company or individual, show their VAT number and address with a company stamp on it to be legal.  Odds are you will never get one, and I would suggest you say that until you get a correct VAT invoice/receipt you will continue paying the price without the VAT added.

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Thanks Digger. That information is most helpful.

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And if you really want to turn the knife, indicate that you also need to deduct withholding tax at 5% of rental fee and 3% of services/furniture. Only risk with this one is that you may find yourself out on the street so keep smiling all through and then very difficult for the Thai to argue with you. Somehow I think you may find that the bill reverts to the old level as a 'special' favour just for you.

That's loads of information to digest. Thanks.

The GPO-VIR is what she's taking.

I suppose one of the things is to give people confidence, despite the circumstances. That's all I can do.

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You can also advise her that with medicine, people have been living for 18 years on treatments and specialists are now forcasting a near normal life expectancy for those people that take medicines correctly, on time and do not abuse their bodies through drugs, alchohol and tobacco - all of which will reduce boldily functions that could fight against opportunistic infections, cancers, liver disease, heart disease etc. That single statement from my friends doctor made her look upon this disease as an inconvenience to life, not simply a way to delay the inevitable death which is how Thai's so often look upon HIV illness. Confidence, support and motivation is truly one of the best things you can do for her and from a personal standpoint, I find it highly satisfying.

The thing is that in 4 years, she's never had a viral load test.

Also, it's been mentioned on this thread that people are taking three medicines a day. She only takes one, twice a day, and is religious about the times.

I don't mind forking out for a viral load test. It would put my mind at rest, one way or the other, as long as I can persuade her that it's necessary.

Is it?

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Dont worry - Odds are if she is on the 30 baht health scheme as you say, she is taking GPO-VIR a Thai generic copy of THREE HIV drugs combined into one pill for easy dosing. The 3 drugs are Nevarapine (Very good), DDI (Effective, but old and causes body fat wasting in many patients) and Stavudine (Old and not really used too much in the west anymore). Odds are, this combination will be completely suppressing her viral load - they are highly proven drugs. They have been surpassed by newer medicines in the west (except Nevarapine which is still considered first line drug and very effective) as newer drugs have less complications, but at a price in terms of how affordable they are. Odds are her viral load is at a undetectable level or hovering around that level IF her adherance is near perfect. FYI, other low cost options would involve a lot more pills per day and not be anywhere near as cheap, as this is the only generic multi drug combination readilly available in Thailand. There is a copy of Combivir which is AZT and Lamivudine which is one pill twice a day but she would still have to take seperate Nevarapine tablet twice a day - together your looking at around 5,000 baht per month for this combination. The biggest risk from the combination she is on is the body fat wasting, which can make her face look very gaunt around the cheek bones (similar to the Joker in batman movies) but it does not affect everyone.

If you want a second opinion and viral load test you could take her to see Doctor Mattana at Bumrungrad who is one of Thailands top specialists HIV doctors and VERY GOOD. Might be worth it for peace of mind. Book early and be prepared to wait as she over runs every appointment as she is so thorough. Every HIV specialist knows her as she has taught most of them at Chula medical school where she is one of the foremost HIV experts/teachers in Thailand. She will want to do a viral load test as well as complete blood count tests and various other tests to assess overall wellbeing of the patient such as anemia, lippids etc but its probably worth it as a one off and then repeating it every year. All in all expect to spend about 8,000 baht on tests and consultation fee's if you go and see her.

I have never encountered another doctor in Thailand quite so patient focused as this one and she takes a genuine interest in every patients well being - she certainly does not apply the cookie cutter approach. She will also remember things about your friend and ask her about them on follow up visits - such as if your friend is studying, she will ask how the course is going(and remembering what she is studying), or if working, how is business in whichever industry - god only knows how she remembers but she does - she even remembers what I do and I am not even one of her patients - for 2 minutes she quizzes me about my industry (the cynic in me thinks its because she's ensuring the money pipeline remains open for my friends medicine, but I really do think she is absolutely genuine and interested) - she also has an amazing ability to motivate her patients - encourage them to get over small problems and focus on the big picture of staying healthy. My friend has never touched a drop of alchohol since she told her to stop drinking to protect her liver. Ask your friend to check with her normal doctor is he or she has heard of her - odds are they will have and they will confirm she is one of the best specialists in Thailand.

My comment was really more aimed at what are the alternatives if the viral load was NOT undetectable. Under the Thai healthcare system and pretty much any healthcare system, that is very limited in resources, not sure how they would justify changing medicine in a seemingly well person, thereby potentially denying another 10 patients any treatment just to fund a different type of medicine to achieve the desired U/D viral load. Many of the newest HIV medicines are either not available in Thailand or are very expensive (as Thailand is not considered one of the worlds 70 odd poorest nations) - not a nice choice to have to make but reality anyway. The other option is to supplement it with private income and pay for viral load tests and additional medicine if the 30 baht scheme one is not working as well as some others could, but its a big price to pay.

I know that the doctor that treats my friend, only does viral loads now every 6 months, whereas in the west its typically every 3 months - but of course, doctors in the west are invariably not having to be mindfull of how the patient is going to be able to afford the costs of tests and treatment as either central governments or insurance companies are picking up the bills.

There was another story about a ladyboy falling from the 13th floor somewhere and surviving

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And no doubt still managed to finish up with 4 more wallets than she started out with before the fall

I saw Cats when it first came out, brilliant, also starlight express.

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I saw the revised Starlight express when they changed the show about 10 yrs ago but for me there is nothing better than watching either Phantom in one of the front stalls at Her Majesty's theatre (5 times) or Miss Saigon when it was showing in London when I saw it four times. Also seen Miss Saigon in Singapore when the Australian cast toured Asia. Cats never appealed to me but probably the best non musical show I have ever seen in the west end was the first time I saw Paul Mckenna's hypnotic show at the Duke Of Yorks Theatre when he was still a Capital Radio DJ. Absolutely the funniest thing I have ever seen.

No fire sales taking place in Phuket

PHUKET: -- Those expecting to acquire property in Phuket at fire-sale prices are in for a disappointment as no discounting is taking place on the resort island, say executives of two international real estate agencies.

David Simister, chairman of CB Richard Ellis (Thailand), said sales activity was continuing in Phuket at the same prices with developers not offering discounts because they are committed to costs. On the other hand, developers of new projects are checking the situation before proceeding.

A lot of progress has been made on the resort island with a great cleanup job undertaken, even though some shophouses still need repairs, he said. But tourists are still thin on the ground in what is normally the high season for both tourism and property sales.

Stephen O'Brien, the managing director of Knight Frank Phuket, said the Phuket market has not discounted. ``People are rather cautious now ... and they are not discounting. Prices are holding,'' he said.

Knight Frank Phuket has had a lot of inquiries for beachfront land adversely affected by the tsunami with the owners perhaps having not insured the property on it. Even though there may be one or two such cases, it is not widespread.

``I don't think we are going to find places in Patong where a hotel once stood and that hotel site is up for grabs,'' Mr O'Brien said. ``There may be a lot of disappointed investors trying to take the opportunity to acquire a cheap beachfront site, but you are not going to get that.''

Mr Simister does not see a long-term impact on property values.

``Some people came looking for fire sales but there was only one plot of land offered at a cheaper price,'' he said. ``However, with so many people showing interest, the seller has increased the price.''

Mr O'Brien admitted some developers might be rethinking project launches or marketing and holding back their advertising, which is not something he thinks they should do.

``But is there going to be a cut in pricing? I hope not, so far no, but I think time will tell in the next three to six months, we have to adopt a wait and see attitude. I don't think it's smart to [hold back], I don't think we need to, but I think it will be the inexperienced developers who will feel the pressure and might just panic,'' he said.

Mr Simister said hotels were going through a rough time but not residential property developers because there was very little borrowing with developments mostly done on a cash basis. Underscoring CB Richard Ellis's certainty that the market looks promising in the long term is its decision to continue operating the office it opened in Phuket late last year.

However, Khao Lak is a different story and it will take substantial time to revive infrastructure, property and tourism.

``I was in Khao Lak last weekend and, my God, the force of this wave, you have no idea, it was three kilometres inland, it was unbelievable,'' Mr Simister said

``I think Phuket will lead the recovery along with Krabi, I think those are the two that will quick-start the process,'' added Mr O'Brien.

The concern of most people who live and work on the island and are trying to revive their businesses is the perception of negative reporting by the international media, especially on television.

``I think the strongest thing that is going to hold us back from growing is the negative reporting that is being done by the international press,'' Mr O'Brien said. However, he praised the Thai press which he said had helped get a balanced view across to the national and international communities.

``Looking at the brighter side, if there is one to be seen, certainly now the world knows where Phuket is. Unfortunately, it has put us on the map for all the wrong reasons,'' he said.

It is the investment market that has been most strongly affected by the disaster as it dovetails with the success of tourism.

``If there are no tourists, there are no buyers for investment products,'' Mr O'Brien said. ``Ultimately the investment market, which accounts for 40% of all sales in Phuket, will need a rebound in tourism and we can see that coming in the fourth quarter of this year. A lot of hotels have already started to receive some bookings in healthy volumes for the Christmas peak period.. A rebound is imminent for sure.''

On the other hand, the lifestyle market, which is a totally different market with buyers being people who have always intended to buy in Phuket and come regardless of whether there is a disaster or a terrorist attack, remains quite healthy.

``Villa Santi, just north of Patong, has recorded four sales since Dec 26 without any discount in price, and obviously places like Laguna, which have got the credibility and branding, have also recorded quite healthy sales,'' Mr O'Brien said.

The worst-hit areas of Phuket are Kamala and Patong beaches. Karon had virtually no damage but Kata down the road was the scene of some heavy destruction. A safer area is the island's east coast where Boat Lagoon and Royal Phuket Marina are located. The difference between the east and west coasts is that the former is where all the marinas are located with the water being quite still while the latter has the surf and white sandy beaches.

Land on the east coast is more affordable and abundant and it is now the preferred location for a lot of developers. This is not because of the tsunami but is a trend that started before the tidal wave disaster, with the trigger being the soaring cost of land on the west coast, Mr O'Brien said.

Mr Simister said two to three hotels were going to open on the east coast, which would help that area develop faster.

The central area of the island is the safest but it is not attractive to be so far from the seaside. Among the few developments that could take place here is a golf course such as Loch Palm.

Generally speaking, though, very few residential projects were affected by the tsunami since most of the prime beachfront sites have always been devoted to hotels and not housing, the executives pointed out.

--Bangkok Post 2005-02-07

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Sounds to me like there are problems afoot in Phuket in terms of sales, otherwise these guys would not be undertaking a damage limitation excercise. Would not surprise me if some of the smaller developers end up selling at any price just for cashflow. Unfortunately, just looking at empty land plots does not pay the bills and I suspect many want-to-be-developers are going to get burnt.

Hello, I am in need of some advice and find many lawyers do not understand nor are educated enough with respect to this specific situation. Here it is...

Bought a house with the wife, guaranteed the loan, divorced over 1 year ago. Right now, the ex has started to play some unbelieveable games. Of course she insisted on taking the house when after we divorced and thought she could afford the 17k per month payment. Now she is several hundo thousand in debt etc and doesnt "feel like paying the house anymore"!! I guaranteed the loan and the bank, according to them, will take us BOTH to court to get the money back if she defaults. I also have a signed document from the ex that she will pay me 400k once the house is sold. She now says, if you want to get the money back when she sells, then start paying the mortgage again. I don t live there anymore and have not since divorce. Obviously i will not throw good money after bad and refuse to pay. What will happen to me at the bank? Banks states they go after US not her first then me!! Should i take her to court now to head her off at the pass? If she doesnt pay, and the bank comes after me too, penalties could be in the million plus range. Plus, credit in Thailand fawked forever, and no management position available as i will declare bankruptcy. Trying to talk to this one...well, i think you all know! ADvice, ideas please!!

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Suggest you find a proper lawyer someone like T&G or Deacons (both highly competent law firms with either farang or Western educated Thai lawyers on staff) spring to mind - not cheap but probably worth it for an opinion. Depending upon her background, a official sounding letter from them stating your obligations might 'encourage' her to quit while she is ahead. Another idea might be to offer to take over the property and YOU pay her money to move out and release it to you or a company. Banks do not like repo-ing property as its very complicated - have a chat with them and see if you can work out a solution - if she walks away with cash in her pocket - she might go for it, particularly if she believes its costing you a small fortune to solve the problem (even if its not).

It's a long time since I've followed this thread, but I  should have done.

The girl I referred to a couple of  months ago is actually a lot closer to me than the post would suggest.

I'm no doctor, but I've certainly done a bit of research into hiv since she told me her status  7 months ago.  She always insisted on safe sex and it was only when I asked her if she would consider going on to the pill that she told me.

Like Scouser, I've stuck by her, as as her family. One thing still gets me though and that's the medical opinions.

Well before I met her, her CD4 count had fallen to 40 - I've seen the paperwork. The last count was over 650. She gets the next result on the 16th Feb. Obviously, we're hoping for the best.

However, the local hospital, after much prompting from myself, assured us a viral load test was not necessary. "If CD4 is improving, viral load must be declining". Rubbish. So, we called the original hospital in BKK and spoke to the main doctor. He confirmed that viral load tests were imperative, but suggested that the local hospital didn't recommend it as it costs too much money.

What can you do to enlighten the sufferers when some of the medical profession are steering them clear of expensive treatment?

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From what I can see of your post, they are not steering her clear of expensive treatment, but avoiding the expensive test that either confirms or denies the effectiveness of the medicine in getting the patient to an undetectable viral load. However, assuming they did a viral load test and the result was not what you wanted to hear, what would you do? Offer to pay for another course of medicine? Perhaps 10-15,000 baht a month for the next 30 years ! If her CD4 is over 650, she has what is considered as a near normal level of immune function - even if her Viral load was not undetectable, not many doctors would take her off whatever medicine she is on with that kind of rebound in CD4 levels. Why dont you offer to pay for a annual Viral load test if your so concerned - its better than nothing and would cost about 4,000 baht in a private hospital, less in a Govt hospital but not much. But that really is an outstanding result regardless of viral load - Also the point about the viral load from your local hospital is not completely incorrect - even with a detectable viral load, unlikely any damage is being done with that kind of CD4 count so long as it continues to rise. Once it starts falling (and also looking at the CD4% is a better example than absolute CD4 count), then you should be concerned - albeit only slightly - providing she is taking medicine 95%+ on time and correctly, the odds of resistance and thus decline in CD4 (increase in viral load) is very small on 3 drug combinations.

Construction costs are typically in the range of 5,000 to 7,000 baht a square meter, which will allow you to get an idea how large a house you could construct.

that's fantastic , on samui where we are (were) considering building we were quoted 18,000 to 25,000 per sq.m. for a reasonably well equipped house , not including the land (which we bought a couple of years ago).

due to the costs and some of the stories we have heard about builders , budget over-runs, contract breaking , delays and appalling standards we are re-thinking our plans.

mattnich , your house looks just great , not over the top like a lot of falang houses turn out to be , you should see some of the monstrosities that are sprouting up on samui. good luck with it.

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You could well end up with a finished price around 20,000 baht per sqaure meter once you include bathroom equipment, tiles, air con, kitchens etc but pure construction costs are in this range. Dont forget labour is cheap but some elements are very expensive - e.g one square meter of tiles can cost more than the days salary for the guy laying them - unheard of in the west but reality here. Better to always have a base price for construction and the builder agrees to fit your tiles that you buy in his price as an example. Also means you get the products on show that you want as opposed to what he wants. Similar with doors etc which are graded A,B,C standard - for sure, if its left up to the builder you will end up with C grade doors which warp and crack almost before the laquer is dry.

Hi,

Read all the posts with great interest.

I actually want to build my own house in Hat-Yai in the south.  I have a budget of 800,000 baht to play with.

Just need some advice regarding this.  For this amount of money, what sort of house could I get?

Don't have any firm plans as yet, but I'd like the contact info for the team which did your house Mattnich.

I do have a Thai partner who would own the land and house once built.

Any advice would be great,

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If your building your own house be sure to specify exactly what finish you want - look at these photo's and see what you like and do not like and then be very specific with the builder as to the specification. For example, exposed shower heaters can be tucked under a sink cupboard and then piping put behind the wall to supply hot water to the sink, bath and shower. Same with electric cables - easy and costs no more to put them into the wall through a conduit pipe. Central pillars (eg in two of the shots of Spee's house) can be hidden through clever design and it does not add anything to your overall cost of construction but the end result is more asthetic to the eye. Construction costs are typically in the range of 5,000 to 7,000 baht a square meter, which will allow you to get an idea how large a house you could construct. Also its common to have 2 prices, one calculated as cost per square meter for bathrooms and one for everywhere else. Reason being that bathrooms have fully tiled walls which need to be factored in in terms of additional costs. Smaller bathrooms equals slightly lower costs for you.

Mate of mine walked in Siam Commercial 2 weeks ago in Pattaya and opened a savings account, got an electron card for international withdrawals and Internet banking. He should not have got the last 2 without work permit for sure but go figure

While I am no expert on vat, I got the impression from the following experience that vat is due on almost anything of value, whethr money changes hands or not.

In my 30 year lease with the Thai who owns my house, rent is recited in the document, it is offset by an equal mortgage payment, cancelling out any money transfer.

Notwithstanding this, the taxing authorities levied tax on the rent amount and after long negotiations, I ended up paying 10k baht up front on a thirty year lease where the lease payments were approximately 6k baht a month.

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This probably refers to the 15% tax - its not VAT per say but an accountant would be able to advise you correctly, Unless they are considering it as a kind of hire purchase finance agreement for which VAT is payable, but pure property rental is VAT exempt, though taxed in other ways to the recipient but not the payer.

VAT is NOT charged on property rent, however it is charged on extra services such as Furniture lease and services lease. Many landlords have 3 rental agreements with the tenant covering the above 3 areas. Reason being that in law, 15% of the 'rent' is payable to the government, wheras on services and furniture, its not.

Sounds like a scam. Ask for a full VAT invoice made out to a company and the company address stating that you have a company and can therefore recover the VAT - the VAT receipt must be made out by the company or individual, show their VAT number and address with a company stamp on it to be legal. Odds are you will never get one, and I would suggest you say that until you get a correct VAT invoice/receipt you will continue paying the price without the VAT added.

Last year in Pattaya English guy got blown up and died when his gas tank exploded which they suspect was due to a faulty valve - gas tank next to the hob exactly the same way yours is - suggest you get a longer piece of hose and carry it outside even moving your IP star if you have to. Took the entire house with it, give or take one or two walls.

Anyway I thought IP star had to be mounted of the ground these days?

By the way you need to adjust your cooker hood its not streamlined with the wooden surround - easy to adjust and would finish it off nicely.

Hmmm English, Aussies, or Yanks!!! Take your pick, any choice would be correct. 

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Must be Yanks, the Brits have a virtual navy these days - what there is just about scrapes around the med and as for the Australian Navy - well they make the British navy look well equiped

Don't you boys and girls think that once a cure for Aids has been found some other illness will threaten mankind?

I don't wish anybody to get aids or cancer or whatever but maybe these illnesses are just nature's way of saying there are too many people on this planet.

Instead of wasting money on finding all sorts of cures maybe it's better to do nothing thereby allowing the weak to die and the strong to survive.

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HIV is man made!

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And Princess Diana was murdered by the British secret service, Kennedy was shot by the mafia and santa claus really does exist

I have been thinking about trying this service - I like the idea of getting an allocated seat rather than a bun fight to get onboard and fight for a seat. Utapoa is very convenient for Pattaya - about 30-35 minutes drive straight down Sukhumvit road towards Sattahip.

FYI, I have used the SHA (Singapore Hotel Association) airport counter Hotel centre many times in Singapore. My favourite is the Negara Hotel which sells rooms for about 110-120 S$ good 4* hotel adjacent to Orchard Towers and all the shopping area. Walk in rate at the hotel is well over S$200. Also the Holiday Inn on Orchard is pretty good - similar price. Cheaper hotels tend to be older or in the red light district at Geylang but very good prices. Whats nice (and so typical of Singapore) is everything is clearly shown price wise - no weighing you up and then 'plucking' a price out of the air as so often happens at other airports, notably BKK, based on what they think you can pay.

Difficult to buy such a small piece of land to fit your price range in Pattaya or immediate areas around it. Therefore you would have to buy small piece of land on someone else's project and then arrange your own builder etc. Sounds like a lot of problems and by the sound of things somewhat naive as you need to supervise construction every day (a lot can go wrong in a week, even if you have decent plans). I'd say your too late - too many other builders both farang and Thai pretty much have the market covered and unless you can come in with some kind of 'WOW' product that has not been done before, your chances of getting burnt are pretty big. One Farang builder I know on his first project did not make a penny out of the 20 or so houses he built - subsequent projects he has done better but he was caught out by the 'extra's' and general time delays in getting things done.

Not an easy thing to do.

Hi:

I'm wondering if anyone  can quell my growing sense of panic, or give me some honest feedback.

I have they symptoms of either Japanese encephalitis, dengue fever, or something, but I haven't left Bangkok since 25 November.  I'm going to the doctor, but I wanted the opinion of experienced expats first because in the past going to the doctor here has been a waste of time and money.

Here are my symptoms:

genral feeling of ill-health since the week of Christmas, around 23 December.  Very stiff neck, with a feeling that it sort of reached up into the side of my face.  Never felt that before.

sore throat, dull eyes, high fatigue, but I kept going to work

right after New Year's, full-fledged viral thing, flat on my back, slight fever, weakness, sweats, fluid lungs and painful coughs.  On my back for about 4 days, then my throat dried out and I lost my voice for a couple of more days.

Massaged out the sore neck, but it kept reappearing on and off.  Much different than usual.

Now the obvious viral thing is gone, but I am still feeling general ill-health (fatigue, dull eyes, sometimes shortness of breath, watery eyes, and my glands in my eyes are bigger than normal)  What makes me especially nervous, is that this stiff neck is back with a vengence.  For the last few days, my neck movement has been restricted, and it does not feel like normal muscular neck problems.  I don't think it's a slipped disk or anything, because there has been no reason for one to occur.  I'm usually in very good physical shape.  Also why would a slipped disk appear in conjunction with watery, slightly swollen eye glands.

Oh yeah, I work near the prachnaiwet area close to the airport, and live right in the middle of silom in Bangkok.

Sorry to subject you to my symptoms.  If this rings-a-bell for anyone, please help me out.  Do you think I should go to the doctor?

Kat

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Symptoms could also be signs of seroconversion for HIV infection. If you had any possible situations of unprotected sex about 2-4 months ago you should highlight this to the doctor. If there could be possibility of exposure this way, go and see a specialist HIV doctor if only as a precauation as a general HIV test may still not show any signs of your bodies antibodies fighting it (which is what they look for when doing HIV testing) - they might also suggest CD4 and Viral load tests even if results show no anti HIV antibodies. None of these are routine blood tests etc and you would need to ask specifically for them to be done.

according to a story in the post the projected journeys to the new airport will start with 100,000 to the airport every day ! thats presumably workers and tourists !

where are they gonna find the taxis and cars to take them all ! there wont be any MTS

for a while so thats a lot of taxis ,buses, trucks , bikes and tuktuks !

could some mathamatics expert work out the area of roadspace needed to cater for this lot ? and parking spaces ,ball park figures ....

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I for one just hope that the airport authority charges a higher daily price for parking at the airport short term car park and then I might actually get a space at terminal one which is currently fully occupied by TG staff parking there - presume on some kind of free pass - really hacks me off.

Go and see the manager in Living Dolls 1. Great food by the sportsman.

Go on because I can come and help eat it.

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Just keep an eye on Ken when your up getting your sausage rolls and egg mayonaise sandwiches from the buffet as odds are he will be all over the girl if you bring one into the bar when he is around. Great guy but like a dog on heat

I have a place out by the Mabrachan lake about 5 miles outside pattaya

3 bdrm nice yard 10 meters from the community pool. I would need to know something about you as i don't need the headaches for two months. I would throw in a moped at no charge.  I have someone in it at presnt for a couple more months. They are the first ones who have actually lived in it since new other than me for about a month. send me a pm if you wish. The price is about half what digger is saying. I don't need the cash and would like to have a responsible person in it long term.

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That is my experience - other than bigger property businesses, difficult to find a short term let (less than 6 months-1 year) because the potential hassle outweighs the small return. And its invariably the case that as soon as you let it short term, along comes someone wanting 1 year and wanting to move in yesterday

The place I saw was way better than anything else I have ever seen around the resevoir but its charging accordingly. According to the Thai guy I spoke to, he said most of the residents were having the bill paid by their employer, which would rule me out at those rates....

Prince ungawa magumbee you still alive?

The letter said you had passed away?

Phuket overpriced for some time.

Samui the domain of the pommy property tycoon!

Pattaya well nuff said.

Where does our esteemed panel think the new opportunities are???

Some say Vietnam way better.

I met an old fella from Surat thani who said he had waterfront there for a fraction of Samui cost.

Where is the next hotspot in Thailand for beachfront property?

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I have heard there is some prime beach front land going in the beachside resort of Abuja in Nigeria. Apparently they have buried 500,000,000 US$ somewhere on the beach and the guy that buried it has died. Land is only 5,000 US$ an acre - send me a cheque and I'll tell you exactly where it is.

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sshhhhh - dont tell anyone - I am really just in hiding - I cannot return to my homeland so I am staying in Sukhumvit Soi 3 operating a kebab stall biding my time until I can retrieve the money....

The reason for the topic was that I electronically sent stirling which left UK on 4 Jan (75฿) which should have arrived here on the 7th, but Kasikorn claim they didn't receive until the 14th (72.2฿), then charged in addition to the standard ฿500 fee a charge of ฿1000 for transfering this from Pahonyotin to my account.

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On the 7th January Bangkok Bank was buying sterling Telegraphic Transfers at 73.30 baht to the pound. Cant imagine Kasikorn would be much different. In my experience, Both BBL and SCB have never hung onto the money - always credited same day they receive it - however when I check with UK bank, they had not sent it when they said they were if there has ever been a delay. Neither SCB or BBL have ever charged me more than 500b even for an upcountry credit.