NALAK

yesterday they had a road block across the whole of the new 7 motorway, i got waved through but lots were pulled over, my favourite was the two cloomey looking farangs sat at the side of there atv who thought it was ok to drive up a 3 lane motorway on atv. hate those bloody things.

i doubt they recalibrate the breatherlisers after every session like they are supposed to, or as in the Uk wait 20 minutes after you last beer. still its not a disquilfycation.

i drove up from pattaya remembrance day and used sat nav, going was ok, coming back nightmare in BKK 3 hours to go 2 miles, if there is away to stay on express ways i would do it, not sure how put quickest route into sat nav but still nightmare. maybe next time i stick to the roads under BKK if that makes sence rather than going through BKK..

very moving but a lot more comerialised than 15 years ago when i first went, now they have a flippin train that looks like something out of disney land going over the bridge. beggars beleif

edit: 11am on the 11th day 11th month me and wife alone in the cemetry, not even a flag or any sign of the day, so easily forgoten.

Maybe better to use the word : Agenda book, or planner.

Not to be rude, but i was seeking help where to buy one NOT how to call it.

PS. It always says a diary or diary planner

Judging by the posts and the fact that you had to explain what a diary was, even with a pic, I thought it might come in handy.

I humbly apologise, i will try not to be of any help again.

agreed me 2, somebody must have got to the diaries before me and done a good job on hand writing the dates in the diaries i looked at. just cant help some people. just for the record but keep it to your self FOODLAND

I think you are confused. The period of Bt72 to the pound started around mid-1997, when Chavalit was the PM.

he even got it up into the 90's what a great time that was for us, but called the Asia crash

I have one room for rent if he would be interested.

So does the Royal Thai Police force.

as an ex Roayal thai Policeman i think you will find he has the support of the police,

Just got back from Pattaya & it was definitely going on in the city. We went through about 165 gallons of water & had an absolute blast. I think it was the most fun I have ever had in Pattaya short of a short or long time when I was a tourist years ago. The crew I was with only hosed people with water guns & active participants. We all stayed away from dousing mobile phones , cameras & Ipods. And pretty much all motorcycles. We all realize that is very dangerous on a bike & the water distraction is not what anyone needs to have to dodge.

It was great in a truck & I felt sorry for My girls Brother in law that had to drive 3 times Slowwwwly through the war zone as we had fun. It was awesome to get to be a kid again & leave behind the seriousness of life for a while . Lots of nice girls & wet t-shirts for all. And sorry Jing all baht buses were serious game. Thursday seemed a lot more PC than the weekends.

How could you possibly stay away from drenching people with mobile phones, cameras or i pods?Do you have x ray eyes? Driving slowwwwwly through the WAR zone! Jeez. How old are you? If it wasnt so pathetic it would be funny. Let me guess, you are American right? Why are baht buses serious game? Perhaps because they are full of people who are not in a position to fight back? People who are maybe heading for a meal with their kids in an air conditioned restaurant, or on their way shopping in an air conditioned mall. And who now have to sit shivering, probably catching their death of cold. Well done. As long as you and your "crew", (how old are you again?), had an "awesome" time thats all that matters eh. Songkran day in Pattaya is still five days away. Do you not comprehend that? I wouldnt be you, not for all the dollars in the world.

Like I said before Cheese & crackers for all the whiners!

And a second childhood is great instead of being all hambug about the holiday. I realize it can be an imposition I lived in the city off Pattaya Klang for 3 years & 2 on Soi Koh Talo& participated in at least 4 of the 7 days every year. I like sanook. There are options here & no one ever is holding a gun to your heads Take a vacation on Koh Kood & you won't see anyone. Bali is awesome no water. Singapore is nice.

I am 55 & sure as hell hope I never get to salty when I approach 65 years & up.

If you don't have enough brains in your bucket to realize that if you are going into a war zone with tons of water Maybe not carrying electronics would be a great answer. Or at least put in in plastic. If you don't use your brain I sure as hell don't care if you don't.

Hey if you hate the holiday stay away easy as that. Some of us are still young at heart & like to have fun outside of a bar!

Cheers

the death toll will be around its usual figure, many caused by idiots throwing water at people on bikes, thats sanook!!!!!!! maybe a zoning area where all the people who want to try and blind each other can go and a dry area, where people who live here can go about daily life. in the city the mindless idiots are a small minority of the population who bugger it up for the majority. how funny it is to see the girls who are going to work in nice uniforms get drenched oh thats so funny. how about the minority take it elsewhere, as with football hooligans give them an area that they can all damage each other. its not a thai tradition to do what is happening down there, i live in Thai village and they are not behaiving like that. why cannot a bowl be used why does it have to be a high powered water pump.??? quite a lot of urine in the mix as well and even a bit of acid and chilli for good measure, side splitting fun. for your fun factor read 116 dead so far.

edit just read on here 148 dead having fun?????/

any tourist spending has to be good, as already said package tours been coming to samui for years. Samui lost its charm after the phuket tsunami and all the developers who have now nearly all gone bust trashed the place. Mcdonalds,burgerking,pizza hut etc no charm once they arrived

foodland saw them couple of days ago, end of isle near the tills, see you said you been there but they do have them.

yes used it when with wife in BKK, always going into Uk i have to go through non EU with her, seems Birmingham are one of the few doing this as i have heard of others getting Thai wife through with them in EU line.

cant you buy online and get e ticket, i would think airport is most expensive place to buy.

i have same problem saw a specialist at PIYAVATE hospital, he was on about opening up my leg from hip to knee and putting a plate in. 350,000 baht. i had same problem 15 years ago and it was a torn cartlidge. will wait untill i go back to England

p.s vacuum sealer a must.

that earned the ewww factor on that post nalak!

i do cheat a little to be honest, not from real ladies just products of the Ocean but the guys are happy. i am amazed some guys spending $500 per month on such stuff. anyway hope its answered OP as an option.

I hear its gotta be schoolgirls panties, eek. So, back to school for all of us if we want to make a profit out of it eh?

no worries on that one, one lady on the website i see is about 300 pounds, over 50 years old, made $1000 on pair of shoes last week. Fergie brand though

100 baht buying price isnt too bad. You can get some of those 3 pairs of cheap knickers for a 100 baht here..so, if sub is up for buying them in bulk, thats a pretty good profit.

On the other hand, how much you recon can be made selling to the Japanese market? Any sources?

lol.

Main market is USA, varies from $30-$200 per pair, also PH, socks etc. wife buys them for 10 baht soi bakoaw market. Problem selling to Japanese is all the web sites are in Japanese. huge market in USA. footwear too but airmail makes it a little more expensive. Problem in Thailand is Victoria Secrets brand are difficult to find and thats where the bigger bucks are, guys seem to prefer them, as is Satin. Lots of ladies in USA earning thousands per month.

hope that answers the question.

as for sources google

p.s vacuum sealer a must.

even though you knew about the history of the jet skis why oh why did you still go on one with a pregnanat wife with you on the beach. if everybody stops using this scum they go out of business

clarks and hush puppies have a place in the outlet mall Theppasit, had a size 10 ew fit great but at 4500, ended up with a size 45 out of big c with velcro fasterner so a bit more space. interested to know if you find anywhere. used to be a size 9.5 uk but seems 9 years of shoes has but me over a 10.

i would always recommend going to a BKK hospital over any of the regional ones, even so the one i saw went from and estimate of 120,000 on the phone to an actual cost at the hospital of 350,000. declined and wait until i get back to Uk and let the meds take care until then. with the exchange rate now its just as cheap at home.

0843622388 he moved me from samui to Pattaya then from one part of pattaya to another. great service even stored our stuff in his house until we got here from Samui. Name dan, Thai speaker, delivers fans for tesco so all over the country.

http://allpattaya.com/directory/emergency-services/business/4754/Banglamung-Police-Station

hopefully its ok to put this website on map showing banglamung police station

From North Pattaya Road junction proceed along Sukhumvit Road for about 3 km and you will see Banglamung Police Station on your left-hand side.

i was drinking with 4 guys from Cameroon an Saturday,, night one took my number hope it was not them, cant be to many Cameroonians here

Nalak, I never comment on other solicitors once named so I can't do so here - that doesn't imply or infer that there's anything wrong with them in any way, I just never do it so whether they are "kosher" or not is your decision.

As you probably know anything you leave to a UK registered charity is exempt from UK Inheritance Tax.

If you are leaving all your assets worldwide to the one charity then there is no reason why you need more than one will, although as I said above you may need a number of "originals" depending on where your assets are (Thailand, mainland UK, Jersey, Guernsey, I of M, etc). Some countries/territories will retain a will once probate has been granted or the will approved so having a number of them makes it easier and is perfectly legal (as long as they are identical).

Above all, keep it simple. There is no need to be verbose or for your best attempt at "legalese" - everything is everything in any language!

As a simple example, most people leaving all their assets to one person or charity could use the following as a general template:

This will is made by me xxxxxxxxx

I revoke all former wills and testamentary depositions.

I appoint xxxxxxxxxx to be sole executor of this my will.

I give all my property and funds worldwide to which I may be entitled or over which I have any disposing power at the time of my death, after my funeral and testamentary expenses and any taxes rightfully due, to xxxxxxxxxx ID card number xxxxxxxxxxx.

In the event of the prior death of xxxxxxxxxx I give all such property to xxxxxxxxxxx.

I would strongly suggest that anyone leaving their assets to one person and then to another in the event of their death adds a charity as an ultimate beneficiary in the event of all those named dying together. Doom and gloom, but all these things are possible and most problems can be avoided with a little thought.

If you intend or need to leave anything to your mother, then I would suggest that you (and anyone leaving assets to more than one beneficiary) never leave set amounts; leave fractions or percentages of your estate instead (unless you want to leave someone a symbolic penny!).

If you do change your will remember that you are not obliged to tell your previous executor, but that it can complicate things considerably later if you don't - the original executor, for example, could apply unknowingly for approval or probate first, leading to a contested will and other problems and delays.

Madame, I'm sorry, but I missed the question about your friend's daughter and keeping funds "in trust" for her until she is 18. This, I am afraid, is a very complicated subject in Thailand and they need to seek expert and specialised advice depending on their specific circumstances. In most cases it is nowhere near as simple as in Europe or the States as there are considerable differences between countries whose laws are based on civil rather than common law.

He may well find that his simplest solution is to open an account for her abroad with a provision for her not to have access to that account until she is 18 and a proportion of his estate to be paid into that account on his death. Unless he can trust an administrator or executor to do that for him an alternative would be for him to open a joint account with her now, with her only having access to the account when she turns 18; the downside to that is that even if he is still alive when she turns 18 she can then access any funds in the account. He would also need to consider how she, or her surviving parent or guardian, could access those funds if they genuinely needed to - for example if she needed a life-saving operation that had to be paid for; in most cases banks either have no provision for that at all or the process takes so much time that she would be dead long before access was approved.

I wish I could be of more help, but I am afraid that this is one instance where general advice just doesn't work.

that seems simple enough, all assets in Uk so appointed UK executer, i never actually named anybody as for all i kow it might be you i am using, either way Kosher or not its written now and hopefully should be legally binding.

your advice is sound and helpfull, thanks

Some advice for you for free, Nalak, as is all my legal advice less that to a very few clients who don't care about paying extortionate fees: ignore LM's will as posted here. Not only does it appear to be legally invalid, but it introduces totally unnecessary detail which is at best confusing and at worst could result in his beneficiary only getting part of the rights to any property owned in a company name.

Nalak, or anyone else thinking of leaving their estate to charity, if your estate is going to charity I suggest you make them your executor, not a "self serving Thai lawyer" (or any lawyer). Its much simpler, they will usually do the will for you, and you can usually expect a lawyer to take up to 7% of an estate as their fee - the smaller the estate, the larger the size of the fee. Nearly missed it: no need or point in any mention of where you "reside" - its irrelevant, and you may change address; if you feel you have to then use "currently living at ........"

Gerry53, apart from your bike a will may not be necessary for the accounts; most banks here allow you to name a beneficiary in the event of your death. If you prefer a will then keep it simple , unlike the example here, and if any lawyer wants more than 7,000 baht go elsewhere; 3,000 baht for a simple will in Thai and English (all my property in Thailand ..... to Miss xxx xxxx, Id card number 12345678) is not unreasonable and is readily available. Sorry I can't recommend a lawyer, but that could be construed as "self serving".

KEEP IT SIMPLE.

This is not my particular field so I cannot quote the specific numbers for the articles of law without taking the time to look them up, although I will do if my opinion is questioned. The first point I should make is that lawyers do not keep your will unless you ask them to or they are your executor; where and who keeps your will is entirely your decision. Administrators for Wills (the equivalent of executors) cannot be approved by a Thai court (the equivalent of a Grant of Probate) until you are "gone", irrespective of whether your Will is registered with the Amphur or not.

Keep your will simple - rein in your ego and your idea of what a will should sound like, and above all avoid confusing the issue unnecessarily.

Choose your executor/administrator carefully - if your Will includes property overseas it may be better to choose someone you can trust from whatever country the property is in rather than a beneficiary who may have problems communicating in a foreign language.

If your Will covers a number of countries then you will probably need a similar number of "original" Wills - in the UK, for example, you would need to apply for probate separately in the UK, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man if you have offshore accounts.

Get advice from those who are qualified to give it. Far too many posting on the internet and saying how they did it successfully and cheaply have no idea that all they have done is to make major problems for their partner which they will have to deal with without your help. A lawyer may be expensive (some are) but it is often a question of whether you would prefer to pay now yourself or for your partner to pay considerably more later.

The particular problems with LM's will, as I understand from what he has posted here, are as follows:

1. Both the Thai and English versions of the will are legally invalid.

The English version must be witnessed by witnesses who can at least understand the full signature block as it is written (in English), not as it is translated (into Thai). If they did not understand what they were signing the document has not been witnessed and is not valid. I do not believe "the girls at the Amphur" could do this with LM's Will without considerable help.

The Thai version of a translated Will is not valid unless the translation is not only certified, as a standard translation, but is also signed by the person who wrote it and by two witnesses; this is specific to a Will so most translators may not be aware of this, although most lawyers should be.

2. When revoking previous Wills you should revoke not those "made in the Kingdom" but those referring to any property held in Thailand (eg I revoke all former Wills and Testaments relating to my property in Thailand).

Any Wills made elsewhere may not have been country specific so their provisions were worldwide and by not revoking them you are confusing the issue unnecessarily and leaving the Will concerning Thai property open to challenge and doubt.

3. Expenses. Keep it simple: do not limit the expenses to be paid from the estate too closely. There is no need to mention hospital bills: these are simply debts. If you fell you have to write something then instead of limiting hospital costs to your "last illness" (most people dying of natural causes die of a number of causes) simply put "outstanding medical bills".

4. Articles 2, 3 and 4 are not only unnecessary but highly problematic even if the will is not challenged.

Keep it simple: apart from intellectual property all property is "tangible property". There is no point in dividing it up if the beneficiaries are the same, as they are here. A simple "all property in Thailand over which I have any disposing power at the time of my death" covers everything.

Introducing "residences" that are "in the company name of xxxxxxxxx" should be avoided at all costs - there is simply no reason to mention it and every reason not to. An administrator for your Will has to be approved by a judge in court; he may or may not take the time to read the Will in detail, but if he does (and most do) then he should note that you are giving away property that is not yours - you do not own the company even if you are the sole director so you cannot give it away without compensating the other shareholders who own the majority of the company (probably 61%). Some judges have noticed this and gone so far as to make an entry ensuring that the usually nominee shareholders are correctly compensated, with the intended beneficiary ending up with less than half of the value of the property.

Rather than hope that the judge will ignore or overlook this, there is no reason to introduce it - the Company Directorship is "property" so it will be transferred to the beneficiaries along with all other property.

The division of property in the event of the death of the first beneficiary is conflicting. If it is to be divided in "equal shares" this cannot be at the "executors"' "absolute discretion". It can be one or the other, not both.

5. Administrators. Keep it simple: Thailand does not have executors or "fiduciaries" - the term fiduciary should be avoided as it implies fiduciary trusts for minors. Name one administrator (who can also be the beneficiary) and a second in the event of their death, and another in the event of theirs if you have to. Avoid the terms "successor" and "survivor"; if you have to, use administrator (or executor, if you prefer) and next-of-kin respectively.

6. The Simultaneous Death Clause is unnecessary as it doesn't "modify" any "provisions" in the Will. Similarly all the "30 day" provision does in effect is freeze all assets for 30 days; the inclusion of this clause derives from countries that have Inheritance Tax, as it avoids a "double whammy" of Inheritance Tax if one beneficiary dies within a month of inheriting, but it is unnecessary in Thailand.

7. In the event that you and your partner die together (for example in a traffic accident) and her children are aged over 18 you have named no beneficiaries and will be deemed to have died intestate. If your embassy cannot find any next of kin who can claim your estate it will go to "the Thai government".

The only aspect I can't understand about the whole episode at the Thai Amphur is why when the Thai staff asked your Thai girlfriend in Thai if you had made the Will yourself she replied "he smart man" in English. Odd.

thanks, i looked at LM and straight away the wording revoke all previous wills in the Kingdom, well to me that excludes my last will in the UK as you say not to good. I have mine drawn up by a british lawyer with a small firm in Pattaya 6000 baht copy in English and Thai. the actual executer will be one the English guy here and 2 a firm of Solicitors in th eUK who he works with. investments are compicated and spread as are pensions i figured the animal charity would end up paying sols to sort it anyway. eitherway the charity will benefit, if i were in the UK as before i would have had a friend as executer but this one may be alittle compicated with me only having one living relative who is mother in care home. hopefully i have got most of it right but further coments appreciated. i assume the lawyer here is cosher, but obviously will check out with law society etc about the one in the UK.

All my assets are in the UK apart from a couple of thousand pounds here, i top it up every few months. so thats why English executer appointed. as you say down side mate would do it for free, sols will charge but i thinks its best as i will not see friend in UK until July, maybe change it then, not sure.

thanksgreat advice, any thing further you want to contribute appreciatted

its great IMHO hang around the next couple of months the sun is coming big style

bored in pattaya!!! there are endless things to due, pick a hobby and its here even bowls and ball room dancing. your better on your own, i always go out on my own and hate it when somebody tags on. you can go where you like. immigration have put the kibosh on bar owners being around, but cant you chat to the girls. long term TGF well what happens to her when you go home, and you will have to pay here and when your back. try differnt areas, attend other forums weekly get togethers there are plaenty going on at least 2 per week and you will meet other. ex pat club. have a night in naklua or jontiem. to be honest i like talking to others when out but i do like to wonder around and tourist and ex pats dont mix to well i have found as tourist always seem to know more than ex pats about the place. but other forums cater for guys like you on holiday, where as for me this forum is more ex pat orientated. PM if you want a forum that caters for guys in your situation.

still perth is a nice place.

i had read somewhere that Laos were in deed going to bring in such a law, the one prank was ok and is done every year, but every forum i went into had one going, the Samui one not suprisingly had more than 1. still have to have something to amuse them down there at the moment.

yes i was caught out buy this one as it was something we stopped doing when we left school and that was a long time ago.