mjnaus

Doi Chaang is the best value for money you'll get here in Thailand. They have different ones on offer though, one cheaper the other; they have a premium 100% Arabica one for about 100 baht per pack, and a peaberry one for a bit over 300 baht per pack. Obviously the peaberry is far superior to the regular Arabica one, but the even that one is still pretty darn good! Check out a few different Doi Chang shops, as not all shops sell both varieties.

I honestly don't know what's more shocking to me, the fact that this sad event took place or the perhaps even sadder fact that some people are actually praising this the attacker and feel more for his sake that for the family of his victims?

You must be completely detached from reality to not instantly speak out against such a act of random and extreme violence, especially considering that these are occurring more and more...

There was one poster suggesting to "bring this guy home and care of his future", is that what the US would when a foreign enemy goes on a rampage killing innocent women and children?

You must find a job that will support issue of a work permit and most of what you have mentioned would not qualify. Working for yourself would require a 2 million baht company (although not all in cash) set up and for work permit issue believe at least 4 Thai on payroll and even then job description would have to fit as most manual labor type jobs can not be done. Each work permit is specific for the job and location.

If he is married to a Thai lady, two Thai employees will be enough. Those are the official rules, however even those two Thai employees are not always required, depending on the officer handling your application, for new companies they can let this slide for the first few years...

Why on earth should the government be liable for local farmers actions?

To everyone here jumping the "The Farang Did it Bandwagon", perhaps you should consider the possibility the author is not talking about the Pataya bar flies who piss away their sad little pension on cheap beer and women... Perhaps open your eyes to the fact that there are indeed foreign powers trying to influence the political situation in Thailand (as they do in most countries around the globe) ... Look up the National Endowment for Democracy and look into who they're funding in Thailand. Now since there is no such things as a free lunch, we can then start to think what's offered in return for these funds.

If you have a McBook why would you need to slide through apps? Thats what the "Mission Control" tab is for on your dock. Also on your function keys " F3"

Or just simply slide on your trackpad using the 2 finger or 3 finger function the same way you can slide open apps on an iPhone screen

You might want to read your user manual again online and see what it can do. No need for a second screen unless you just like to see your computers screen large.

Not true. Having a secundary monitor, you can use them both next to eachother and thus increase your screen real estate by the amount of pixels on the secundary screen. I have been doing this for years and it's a huge improvement compared to using only the smaller laptop screen. I bought a Samsung SyncMaster 2233 (23 inch), costed me around 7.000 baht at the time. The smaller screens are obviously cheaper, i would go with eiher a Samsung or an Acer, however the HP's might be ok as well.

Just got a mortgage for our new home done, on the wife's name obviously. We went with Krung Thai Bank as it came recommended by several people around us. They are a bit harder to accept your application, but they seem to have the lower interest rates plus they have nice promotions (we got one allowing us to not to pay any interest over the first 9 months).

But the main difference between a currency like the Baht and ones like the USD, EUR, GBP, SFR, JPY etc is that the Baht has no value outside of its home country. No one trades it, there is no market for it, no one wants it (with the possible exception of one or two neighbouring countries). So the value of the Baht is decided mostly internally and not by any free external market effect.

That's a rather strange statement. Of course there is a market for Thai baht, just as there is a market for any currency needed for foreign investment. When foreigners invest in Thailand, which they do, they will need to purchase Thai baht to make those investments.

It seems that the big issue for the banks is having a work permit. If you have a work permit then no problem. I live in Thailand but work outside the country. Even though I had the documentation to prove sufficient income, they wouldn't even consider it without a work permit.

Ill have a work permt, but is getting a Thai credit card also dependent on how much you make?

Of course it is; like in most other sane countries throughout the world. If your income is low, you'll have a harder time securing a credit card.

Where the heck do get your info from? A quick online search reveals that life expectancy for males in Thailand is 71/72. Comparing this to for example, The Netherlands with 76, not that big of difference. And as life expectancy in the "developed" world is likely to go down for future generations, this difference is set to get even smaller.

The media here just don't get it, they harp on about American blacklists etc. The crux of the matter is that she has freely admitted she is friends with the Mugabe family, a family responsible for the torture, murder, persecution of its opponents, and financial rape of their country, shouldn't that be enough on its own to make her unsuitable?

By this standard, being friends with Bush, Cheney, Obama (and the rest of the bunch) would make people "unsuitable" as well?

Not true. If you're a US citizen, you can own 100% due to a treaty between Thailand and the US. And even if you're a non-US citizen, it's still possible to own a majority share. For this you'll need to apply for special privileges, your local DBD office.

How does a foreigner (legally) get to have more than a 49% shareholding?

Like I mentioned in my earlier post; a majority stake can be obtained when you're an US citizen. If you're not, you can apply for special privileges for your company allowing foreigner shareholders to hold more then 49%. It will cost a bit more then a regular company registration, but it's definitely possible. When registering our company with the local DBD office, they informed us about this possibility and they would help us get all the paperwork in order as well.

Look here for some basic legal information: http://www.boi.go.th/index.php?page=index&language=en

You can only own a minority share in a Thai company.

Not true. If you're a US citizen, you can own 100% due to a treaty between Thailand and the US. And even if you're a non-US citizen, it's still possible to own a majority share. For this you'll need to apply for special privileges, your local DBD office.

This topic, and many like them, can be summarized as follows:

BERT: Thailand sucks! I can never have what I want; the girls tell me I'm handsome but they only want my money; everything is overpriced; you need a visa/work permit to be here, Thai people are all evil and it's too hot and humid!

ERNIE: Well, sorry you feel that way. But perhaps it's something within your own perception of the country that makes you feel this way? I have been living here for many years as well and my experience couldn't be more different. I feel welcome, loved and generally happy, having everything I want! Perhaps your unhappiness has got more to do with yourself then with this country?

BERT: You're wrong! You can not be happy in Thailand because you can not own your house! And you need visas and work permits to be here! People who say they're happy in Thailand are stupid and pathetic, pathetic I tell you! And there was something else... Oh yeah, pink glasses! They all wear pink glasses!

ERNIE: Why are you getting upset? Can we not have two different views of what it is like to live in Thailand?

BERT: No! That's not possible! I couldn't make my life work here, so everybody who claims he or she could is wrong! Stupid! Stupid Thailand; you're all pathetic! I am leaving and you should too! They don't appreciate foreigners here the way they should!

ERNIE: Ok, have a safe trip back home! Oh, and perhaps you can find some comfort in a local support group for disenfranchised expats when you get back home?

If it was Bert and Ernie they would agree at the end of the discussion....

I don't think Bert and Ernie have come to agreement, but more reached an understanding; Bert will kick and scream a little while longer condemning those that do live a happy life in Thailand and Ernie will keep on living his happy life after being confused for a few hours regarding the whole "pink glasses" thing...

Thank goodness for that. The US trying to police the rest of the world.

Well, let me ask you. If you did not have police in your city, would there be more crime (and I'm not speaking of Thailand)? If the world doesn't have some country, or countries, protecting those rich, undeserving countries in N.Europe, then could there be another Hitler emerge. Seems like with all the problems Europe is having, its only a matter of time, based on repeated history. You should watch what your own country is doing.

I doubt his country is randomly invading countries, selling off their natural resources and slowly building towards huge conflicts in the middle east. Let alone signing in law that allows the US military to indefinitely detain it's own citizens without proper trial, further to that now even being able to strip citizens of their US citizenship when being suspected to affiliation to "terrorists"...

And regarding flip-flop Obama claiming to veto SOPA... didn't this puppet make a similar statements regarding NDAA? And what happened? On a quiet new year's eve, he signed this horrible piece of legislature. Don't believe a single word coming out this tools mouth.

Who the heck is Andrew Biggs?

If you a proper route across the border, you'll be absolutely fine. Following the Asia highway until Hatyai and then turn left in the direction of Sadao; cross the order either at Danok or Padang Besa (the first one the is the busiest one with all the tourists from Malaysia and Singapore coming through) and you'll completely avoid the three problem provinces all together.

-Matt

When using a Mac, you can't beat Transmit. It's not free though, but well worth the money in my opinion. It also supports SFTP and a host of other protocols and it has the neat little feature which allows you to mount remote hosts, allowing easy access through Finder.

Difficult to say for sure as the situation changes all the time. This morning, I drove from Tung Song (Nakhorn si Tamarat) to Hat Yai without flooded roads (we did have enormous amounts of rain coming down though) and it seems the storm causing most of the rains is moving up north.

Your best bet is listening on local radio broadcasts to get an idea of the current situation. Of course, you'll need to be able to speak (Southern) Thai or have your partner check for you.

Why would you want to give up your own citizenship, and deprive your child of his or her chance to decide there future citizenship?

You don't need to give up your other passport when receiving a Thai one.

Boy oh boy! This just keeps getting better and better! Who needs television when we have threads like these?

I suggest the OP quits his teacher job and looks for a actor job playing drama queen in one of the Thai soaps! That ought to put you way past the 40.000 mark, improve your Thai language and keep us all entertained after this thread dies out!

Which company provides the insurance?