dunroaming

Actually my accountant is Indian. Been using her for twenty years and always had a brilliant service from her. When she first started all those years ago she was very much a one man band but through her hard work and diligence she now has a very successful practice employing a team of about twelve. All based in West London. She is certainly no cheaper than any other accountancy firm but the service you get is second to none.

Nothing wrong with prudent tax planning and businesses employ tax advisors to do that all the time. However! There is a vast difference between that and Heads of State/Presidents etc. squirreling away public funds for their own personal gain. That is where the interest is with this (excuse the pun).

I have been going to India and China on business for years. For the first twenty years very little changed but now both countries are absolutely flying! Totally understand why Thailand will look to India to push it's tourism. Different world now whether you like it or not.

Living in the UK so of course I have a view based on my personal experiences. Certainly the country is run by clueless donkeys with the opposition consisting of clueless donkeys singing a different tune. Are they corrupt? Yes, in a self preservation sort of way. The truth has no value as Boris demonstrates on a daily basis. However, the people are starting to kick back so lets' see how that pans out in the future. When we moved here from Thailand my wife took a while getting used to having to do things by the book. No longer could a fistful of 1,000 baht notes get us anything we desired.

There is corruption everywhere. It tends to be at different degrees and with different levels of transparency. It is also dressed up in different forms. And when it is seen, it is perfectly acceptable to call it out.

There is a lot in your post I recognise. I also lived in Thailand (full time) for a little longer than you. I stayed initially because my business was based in South East Asia and Thailand was by far the easiest place to live in the area. I loved it and eventually, like many ex-pats, met and fell in love with a Thai woman. I always said that Thailand changed and the people are not the same now as they once were. But I don't think that is correct. Thailand offers many different things to ex-pats but the expectations also differ enormously. There are those who move to Thailand to retire, those who are running away from a bad divorce, or maybe those who are looking for an adventure. And let's be honest, one of the attractions of Thailand is, and always has been, easy access to the beautiful women or men. One of my wife's uncles is originally from Belgium and when we lived in Thailand we often visited him and his wife. He was a very savvy man who moved to Thailand in the early sixties after meeting my wife's aunt in the hotel he was staying in. He had many stories of life back then but almost all of them mirrored those we hear and read about here today. The scams, the Thai male jealousy, the Thai female jealousy, the family feuds, but also enormous generosity shown to him when he became ill. I think one common fault that westerners make when moving to Thailand is to pack our western values and principles along with our socks and boxer shorts. We expect Thais to think and act as we do and that is rarely going to happen. For me the biggest challenge was when we had our son and my view to how he should be raised was very different to my wife's. Bickering over that lasted for a very long time! We moved to the UK ten years ago and that is where we live now. There are still many things I miss about our time in Thailand but neither my wife or I would want to go back and live there full time.

Clearly a waste of time corresponding with someone who has to resort to personal insults. Quite pathetic really

The fuel shortages are due to there not being drivers to delivery it. That is what I said. The government have the army on standby to step in. And yes people are panicking and needlessly filling up when Schapps and Johnson have told them there is no shortage of fuel. Problem with that is due to past to past record, NOBODY believes them. My son goes to college and they are now only serving sandwiches in the school canteen rather than the usual cooked meals due to the suppliers being unable to deliver the food supplies. In my local Waitrose there is no frozen food due to no deliveries and the fresh food shelves are heavily depleted. Been like that for nearly a month now. Same story in Tesco and Sainsbury's. I don't have time to sit around much watching TV as I run my own business, which I moved to the Netherlands last year. I still run it from the UK until my son finishes his education. It's an import/export sort of business and I have no problem whatsoever with trucks and transport over there, are anywhere else in Europe. As for the personal insult at the beginning of your post... I guess that tells us all we need to know about you

There is a certain irony here. Put simply, the British government don't believe the figures and authenticity of the information given by the Thai Government. The irony bit is that in the UK, nobody believes a word that Johnson and the current government say either! Pot, Kettle and Black come to mind here!

Contact info? I think she can be found in 90% of the bars in Pattaya. You can fill in the name yourself ????

I can tell you the niece has now decided to stay put and bring up her daughter rather than palming her off on other members of the family. She is with husband number three I believe, although I haven't heard from the family for a while so it could be husband number four by now! Of course if your friend is interested then I am sure she can accommodate him as husband number five, or six or whatever number she is up to then. Very attractive girl with that slightly vulnerable innocent look about her. Very good at wrapping men (Farang or Thai) around her little finger. Irony is that the family are financially sound and her father is a mid level policeman. She just likes men!

My wife's niece went to Denmark (and South Korea) for a massage company a couple of years ago. They send them with tourist visas that usually last for six months. They seem to be quite well organised for an illegal activity and the girls go willingly. They get a proportion of the money they earn but I am told that most of them do it more for the "extras". Apart from the usual tips they often get gifts and potential husbands. The niece said that if twelve girls went then there were always some that don't return, finding a mug..... I mean lover to take care of them. She had several proposals of marriage and came back from South Korea with three different diamond engagement rings. It doesn't work for all of them and girls have been known to disappear. The niece was given a hard time when the family found out what she had been doing and won't be off again any time soon!

So one question, going forward, would be, When is your double vaccination certificate past it's sell by date? In the UK a third (booster) jab is recommended for the over 50's. I am getting mine shortly. If that is needed then the protection from the original two vaccinations obviously weakens with time. Do I then need a new certificate showing the booster jab has been given, and if so, when?

Two months ago In Mae Sai you could buy Astra Zeneca and Pfizer vaccine. My friend was offered them at the Pharmacy near the bridge. They had boxes of them. All fake of course and coming directly from China. God knows how many boxes found there way south from there. Now I am sure (like my friend) none of you would fall for this obvious scam, most ex-pats in Thailand are far too savvy for that. But that is not the point. I am sure there are fakes all over the place in the poorer countries with vulnerable people and lax law enforcement. Of course this will influence the UK and other countries when they look at travel restrictions based on vaccinations.

I think that is spot on!

People have different reasons for living in Pattaya. Some have bought property there and are bringing up family and some are there for the decadence. Whatever their reasons, they do understand (I am sure) that Pattaya is a party town rather than a family destination and therefore will attract tourists that reflects that. Tourists come in all sorts of shapes and sizes in Thailand and the ones rushing to Pattaya will likely have a different agenda to those heading up to places like Chiang Mai or Sukhothai. Horses for courses, as they say!

I guess they look at what were the rising tourist markets in Pattaya before the pandemic. Putting the Chinese to one side, the Indians were certainly making up a good proportion of new tourists as they are in many parts of the world now. It's all about new money and the Indians and Chinese are at the forefront of that. Russian tourists in Pattaya also have a strong presence and have done for some time. So I think there is sense in the PBTA's plans.

Sorry for late reply, been busy counting my money! Well I was a millionaire by the age of 40 but not in sterling, or USA dollars, come to that. And even then it was only on value of business and assets so it doesn't count for much in the great scheme of things. However I can say that my life (so far) has been very rich in many ways ????

I take your point but "taking China out of the equation" is not optional anymore as they represent the vast majority of tourism in Thailand now. The other growing market is India. I think that the western tourists are pretty irrelevant for the next year or two and will never make up to the numbers they used to. Apart from the gap year travelers of course. Thailand is always hard wired into their itineraries!

Yesterday the UK announced eight countries removed from the red list and dumped the amber list completely. As far as I can see Thailand is not on that list so remains firmly on the red list. It will be reviewed on a regular basis, but for now, going to Britain means quarantine and a hefty bill! Consequently I doubt many will be heading for a Thai beach any time soon.

I would be wary of reports of what is "proposed", as this government tends to go on fishing expeditions (usually dressed up as leaks) to get consumer feedback and then decides on whether to go ahead or not. Even then they are liable to change their minds if there is a backlash. Johnson has said that Covid is here to stay that we have to learn to live with it. Another profoud statement form our dear leader.

Announced just now, that a third (booster) jab is to be offered to all over 50's in the UK. It has to be at least six months after the second jab.

Well Covid cases are rising again in the UK, not falling, although there are regional variations. It is muted that the traffic light system could be scrapped in it's current for but that the red zones will remain. As clear as mud! As always in the British media, you can find "facts and proposals" that will suit your arguments if you look hard enough. If you then match that to a government full of inadequates who change direction at the drop of a hat then you have to conclude that it is anybodies guess as to where we will be by October.

Until recently I visited Thailand regularly as I still have business interests there. I stay at four or five star hotels these days as I am too old to do the cut price hotels. I have noticed over the last four or five years that the hotels get far more young Chinese guests, usually young families. Without exception they all speak English, are polite, including their children and never push in front of you. This is certainly different to the many years I spent travelling in mainland China when social graces were sadly missing.

It is true that it has never made sense to buy rather than rent in Thailand. The properties I built there were to sell on to ex-pats, never for the rental market.