mosan

6 minutes ago, jackdd said:

At first clone the whole drive. This could be done using a linux live cd and the command "dd", as explained for example here (i don't know if there is a windows tool which can do the same): https://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/unix-linux-dd-create-make-disk-image-commands/

Then try data recovery tools and see what you will get

There is a Windows program that can clone the drive.  It's called "Partition Master" and can still be found by it's older name "Partition Magic".  The program can be downloaded from the web...just do a search. 

Plug the drive into a second spot on a PC or as an external USB enclosure. Boot up the main computer, run Partition Master and then you can clone/copy the so-called bad drive to anywhere with a space large enough to hold the data...

24 minutes ago, buick said:

there is 'flat broke' and 'cheap charlie'.  flat broke are history, they can't get a visa (some, married to a thai, can't put 400,000thb in a bank).  cheap charlie is another thing, as noted by another, many cheap charlie's actually have money and can afford the deposit required for the visa.  they'll still try to get their costs for housing, food, and entertainment to be as low as possible.  and that is pretty easy here in thailand.

 

my father and my best friend are both cheap charlies (they live in USA).  i'm well versed in how they operate.

 

You don't have to put 400K in the bank if married to a Thai, one can transfer in 40K per month also...

Just about everything you can purchase now comes already setup up to run 220/110 v 50/60 Hz.  Check what your buy before you purchase and you'll probably be fine.  Everything I have now was purchased in the last two years in the US with the exception of my big screen LED TVs' and even they are dual voltage/Hz ready...

3 hours ago, lkv said:

Yeah maybe.

 

Had a grand total of 3 posts.

 

I did mention before the likelihood of someone mantaining archives of aged usernames.

 

For example, another thread currently running today called "Getting rejected", was started by an username with a total of 4 posts since 2016.

 

Actually, these posts were all or most made within the last 12 hours or so. So these "people", they never posted in years, just watched the forum.

 

Which could indicate the username factory was established many years ago ????

 

As for people that posted in the past then stopped posting, and then restarted, it's easy to see they are genuine. They have a low community reputation but many posts prior to this function being added to this forum.

I understand what you are saying, but it may or may not be true.  For example, I moved here in 2000, I've been reading these forums since I first discovered it probably around 2003-though I'm really not sure.  However, I finally decided to start posting just recently. I may have had one or two post prior to the last several years, but the reaction of those who don't want to hear what you have to say just turned me off.  The nature of these forums is to attack any and everything regardless of how much knowledge a person may have--or the lack thereof.  Many may think its trolling, or something along those lines.  I just think people are in panic mode...as well they should be.

15 minutes ago, payanak said:

I just renewed my extension of stay based on retirement yesterday (Nov, 7) at Chaeng Watana.  There was NO mention of any need for medical insurance.  This process was an 8 hour ordeal, however.  Standing room only pretty much all day. 

Do us a favor and don't bother posting unless you're going to tell us "what type on visa you entered this country on".  That is the whole thrust of this conversation...Non Immigrant O-A visas...

OK...

31 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

One thing to be wary of is that many of these Thai policies do not do real medical underwriting -- for sure not the ones you can buy online on the spot as that by definition means it was not underwritten.

 

This is one of several "quirks" in the local health insurance sector.  Basically they wait until you have a claim and then investigate to decide if it is allowable or whether it falls into the "pre-existing" category...and is why local policies have such a bad reputation for actually paying out.  Claims in the first year especially, if not due to an accident, are likely to be rigorously investigated to see if they can possibly be attributed to something pre-existing, and sometimes the leaps of logic used to decide this are rather tenuous.  Full medical underwriting largely avoids this by making it explicit from the start what is and is not covered, but that takes time to do (and in soem cases a medical exam).

 

Pacific Cross does do full underwriting. AETNA might, I'm not sure. I think most of the others do not. For sure the on-the-spot folks don't. Caveat emptor.

 

Between the unrealistically low level of inpatient cover and the many policies that do not do full medical underwriting, plenty of what Immigration considers  "insured" people will still be left unable to pay their bill -- especially those who bought a quick policy at the airport at IO insistance.   (In their defense I don't think the IOs have a clue how health insurance works, why would they?).  I predict that the MoPH will eventually see that this "solution" does not help, but that will take time -- probably years - to play out and who knows what they will then come up with.

In effect, if one has TRICARE/TRICARE for Life, it does not matter if the Thai policy pays anything.  We only have to purchase the Thai policy because it is required to enter and extend your stay in the Kingdom.  Under TRICARE my sole liability is 25% of the bill up to 100,000 Baht, after that TRICARE Pays 100% with no pre-existing exclusions...

1 hour ago, TheAppletons said:

  I may not have communicated my point effectively.

 

  I understand that insurance doesn't apply to a re-entry permit.  My concern would be that a person on a first year O-A visa - meaning you have as many re-entries as you want without obtaining a re-entry permit - may be denied by Immigration for a re-entry permit since it's not required. 

 

(I realize we've seen one instance in another thread where someone accidentally did this but that was well before the new law became enacted.)

I was the person that reported about leaving on an O-A that was issued to me in January 2019.  I made it a point to leave and re-enter early--my visa expires on the 23rd of January 2020.  I decided to avoid the confusion and start my second year early thereby giving me a whole year to see how things would go.  

Many people told me I would be OK because my visa was issued prior to 31 October.  I've been living here long enough to know that nothing is as it's "supposed to be"...

If everything smooths out by about 13 January 2020, then I can still exit and re-enter and not lose my 3 months--though at this stage I'm content to fly home to the US next October and return on a Non Immigrant O.  If insurance is required for all "Long Stay" extensions by then, so be it...

I would just say that those couples are misinformed.  When I first moved here I applied for an extension and showed financials for myself only.  My wife is an American citizen and she only piggy-backed on my financials.  She had to file an application but no financials were required. 

I don't think the rules have changed...

4 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

Invite you to read below and understand that US water pressure is normally in the 40-60 psi (about 3.5 bar) range but your tower would likely be about 7 psi even if top tank full (0.3 bar is under 5 psi).

 

Water towers need to be much higher (on hills) to provide real pressure.

The point is you don't need "real" pressure to get the shower/water heaters to activate.  Most of the units sold here in Thailand are designed to operate at very low pressures.  

I'm sure you know this...this individual knew nothing just like I did when I first arrived in Thailand.  Nobody local is going to go out to his house and put a pressure gauge on his line and quote numbers to him.  What he needs to know is that a decent pump placed between his tank and the water line leading into the house will most likely fix his problem--not a squabble about how much water pressure is in the US...

1 hour ago, Roy Baht said:

I haven't found one. We have a house where the water pressure is too low to attach a normal sort of Thai water heater. Our plumber told us no can do. So we take cold showers. If you find a place in Thailand that sells them, please let me know.

So you're saying you can't have a 3, 4, or 500 liter tank connected to the main water supply to the house with a pump attached to increase the water flow into your house and thus to the showers?

Below is a picture from an old house we built out in the village in 2000, we put a 1000 liter tank 3 meters up in the air and another on the ground level.  We had a pump that forced water into the tank at the 3 meter level.  The downward pressure made the water run like we were in the US.  Eventually, we just put a pump between the tank on the ground and the piping into the house--same effect.  We got rid of the tank 3 meters up on the platform.  The tank on the ground is filled by trickle feed (very, very little pressure) and stays full.  My sister in law lives in the house now and has never had a problem with the how water installations in the bathrooms.

I have a Microsoft Surface Go for "on the go", and an Intel NUC for my home theatre machine...it's only 4"x4"x4" but packs an i7 CPU, 16 Gigabytes of DDR4 RAM and a 256 Gigabyte SSD. Like many others, I keep most stuff in the cloud, but I also have a 500 Gigabyte external USB drive to store stuff offline for backup.  All of these things easily fit in your backpack.  Unless you're a gamer and need a super duper video card, why have a traditional tower PC?  Besides, you can get any component you need right here in Thailand. There are two large computer chain stores here: J.I.B Computer, Banana Computer and also InvadeIT and Lazada, for online ordering of parts, whole machines or software...

6 hours ago, LazySlipper said:

i.e. if, she retired at the retiring age, which is required by law?

Not if she did not pay social security, as I explicitly say in my op. Her company don't take it out of her salary.

 

Why I hate the Canadian pension plan? Just answer this question for me. 

 

How many years do you need to live and work there in order to be eligible for a minimum pension that you can barely live off?

 

How many years do you need to live and work there in order to get the top pension?

 

 

 

We are currently in the process of building a house. One that I will unlikely be able to live in for long the way the visa game is going here. 

 

Any clever ideas on how to help the ageing in Thailand mosan? I'm sure Deputy Prime Minister Jurin Laksanawisit, deputy government spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek

would like to know. 

 

 

 

 

 

You haven't given us very much to work with here.  You say "We are currently in the process of building a house."  How exactly does that help secure her future--like most folks I know here in Thailand, that means spending millions of Baht, not investing in an emergency fund or a savings account which would mean building a liquid asset.  No you're just on here saying companies and governments are not helping you.  Governments and companies don't usually put your interests before theirs. You have to look out for yourself--which apparently you have either failed or refused to do and now looking for someone to blame.  Fair enough, but the effort you put in will reflect in what you get back...  

No malice intended, but you have some soul searching to do.  

23 minutes ago, LazySlipper said:

My wife has no pension plan organised by her company (which is a foreign company) and this same company does not provide her with social security, as they should. In a nutshell, she will be out in the streets begging once I am kicked out of this country because of the visas and red tape and unable to help her.

 

Canada's pension plan is appalling as far as I am concerned. But Thailand's is non existent. I really worry for my wife long term...

Alright then, tell us what you have done to secure her future.  I'm guessing you've taken a few positive steps...

Just now, sirineou said:

Thank you for the above reply, I don't mean to hijack this thread , but you are right , I am confused.

Have being coming to Thailand for 13 years, Married to a Thai national for 10, we live in the US but have build a house in Thailand that we mainly use for vacations,  Always arrived in Thailand on visa exempt, and being in Khon Kaen did visa runs to Nong Khai and over to Laos on day trips. Never had a problem. 

Now things are changing.

     Will be 63 in a few months , retiring from work,  and planning to spend more time in Thailand, 

I don't think I will be staying in Thailand for more than 6 months , but that could change.

    Should I still arrive on a visa Exempt and get a non-O visa in Thailand ? or should I get an Non-O at my home country Thai embassy which would be a bit of a problem because I live in Florida and my options are New York or Tampa , both not close to me, 

   Should I decide to permanently live in Thailand, I will need and extension based on Marriage. Money in the bank is no problem but medical insurance, if required  might become a problem when I get older and cant get insurance. Is medical insurance required for an Extension to stay based on Marriage? 

An answer to the above questions will go a long way towards removing some of my confusion, 

Thanks again for the valuable service you provide to this forum.

My apologies to the OP for briefly hijacking his thread, I promise this is the last question I will ask.

 

Well I live in Florida when in the US and your options are Washington or Miami. You can get the visas through the mail and it only takes a couple of weeks at most. No need to travel to either location. And, as of right now, the Non Immigrant O is probably the way to go as presently (until we find out differently) no health insurance is required...  But, stay tuned.

43 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

A OA visa requires you to be 50 or over to appy. It is intended to be for retirement.

A OA visa for being married to a Thai does not exist.

You seem to be confusing non-o visas with a non-oa visa.

Joe, I rarely disagree with anything you say, however, the word "retirement" is never used in relation to the "requirements" for an O-A visa.  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs only identifies a Non Immigrant Visa as a "Long Stay Visa"...But then many websites do put the word retirement in quotes or parenthesis...

On 10/21/2019 at 8:42 PM, Just1Voice said:

Read again.  I said it is not a Non-O Retirement Visa. 

And, it is not an "extention of stay" either...

That's easy, just go to the office, present your bankbook. And, while you're at it, give them your passport and ask for the 90 day address check. I doubt they'll refuse, and if they do, then go home.  However, I'm guessing you already know that doing a 90 day check online means doing it 15 - 7 days prior to the actual date...

3 hours ago, Leaver said:

When they bring in compulsory insurance for retirement visas / extensions, I doubt the perpetual 400,000 baht in the bank rule will disappear, so the question will still remain, what is the purpose of this 400,000 baht? 

 

Answer is, it's a forced free loan to Thai banks. 

I think it's for extenuating circumstances: Meaning, if they need to ask you to leave, or settle a bill or whatever, they know you have the funds to do so. Sort of like a Bond, if you will, only you get to personally manage it.

Just now, jacko45k said:

Optimistic but I hope you are correct. But doesn't the airport immigration officer have to check how much longer the insurance policy supplies cover. He is required to stamp a person in not for a year on an O-A, but for the duration of insurance cover. It could be 11 months later than when the Visa was issued!

Personally, I don't think they'll be overly concerned with such details, just whether you have insurance on not.  But, I could be wrong--frequently am...

8 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Can you imagine the nightmare if Immigration at airport started checking for Insurance, it simply can't be done there. Only place to do it will be in the home country where OA is issued.

If is issued a new O-A, your passport will have a annotation from the Embassy or Consulate confirming you're covered.  IOs at the airport only need to check if the annotation is there or not.  If you have no annotation and it's required, they'll probably ask you to step aside and get it taken care of prior to entry...Next.

How about only renting places that are fully furnished and provide internet service.  Or like me, use your mobile phone as your wireless hotspot--every mobile has this capability (at least ones purchased within the last 4 years, and yes, 4G is up to the task of streaming video.  With a Laptop or Roku, Firestick, Chromecast, micro Intel stick or NUC computer that plugs directly into a HDMI slot on a LED/Big Screen TV, you're good to go.

2 hours ago, steevjee said:

Ok my heads spinning.... so I got my non imm o a multi entry visa from Oz in January this year. I’m going back to Oz in November and plan to return a few days prior to my visas expiration in January 2020, will I be expected to have Medical insurance or not?

For the record, I spoke to UbonJoe specifically about this situation as I too have a Non Immigrant O-A which I received in January of this year.  However, even after he advised me that I probably would be safe exiting and returning in January 2020, I went ahead and made a strategic decision.  I made a border run yesterday (15 Oct 2019) and got stamped back in for 13 October 2020.  My decision was based on the fact that interpretations may change between 31 Oct 2019 and January 2020.  I don't feel that losing 90 days means much to me in the overall scheme of things--But 54K to 85K is a bit of money to be betting on.  Besides, now I have a whole year to see how things shake out.  Additionally, over the next 90 days we're sure to get some reports of some getting caught out--or not. If not, then I can still exit and return in January 2020 and I'll have only lost a couple of hours travel time and 1500 Baht for the border run.  As we all say here, "up to you". 

5 minutes ago, canuckamuck said:

Those plugs are usually 6mm or 7mm. they usually have a 6 or a 7 as a raised number on the plug

 I get away with using a 6.5 on the 7's and I use a 6 for the 6's

The point, which was to drill the pilot hole 5mm deeper than the length of the plastic plug.  I don't think the thickness of the drill bit was in question unless I missed the point...