sayitaintso

Does anyone know where I can get a legal document translated from Thai to English. I cannot afford the regular translation services such as L## L####n.

having never seen the document in question, understanding the origin and nature of the document is of the upmost importance.

in this case, it is a thai legal document that you want translated to english.

inserting the key phrases thai legal document and farang+english into babel fish returns the following response...

You have been screwed. Damages are larger than they currently appear. Following through on this will be even more costly. You will risk any remaining sanity in your possession by attempting to seek justice. You don't have to go home but you can't stay here.

Sincerely yours,

Thailand

great thread. i just had crushed potato tomato oy! potato for lunch with some fried chicken beef. Arroy mai? she axe me, pretty F'in good, i say.

my girlfriend has lived with me for two years now and has picked up on all of the various uses of the F word, pretty useful if you want to make your way around the states. i came home yesterday to hear her yelling about the F'in doc. i tell her i thought she stayed home all day? yes, i stay home aaaaaaaaalllllllllllll day she said. if you stay home aaaaaaaaallllll day then when did you go out? I not go out, you not stan me? i understand you, but if you didnt go anywhere,then why are you cussing about the doc?

F'in doc eat my bikEEnEE!

ooooh , that F'in dog. and i liked that F'in bikini.

I'm looking for a new desk chair. On wheels, cushioned, maybe even with armrests. I bought one (without the armrests) at Tesco for 700 baht but I'm not sure how much longer it will last. So does anyone know of any shops on Samui where I might be able to find what I'm looking for?

check out Winner stores, there's one very close to the bophut traffic light which is probably the closest to you, it's on the ring road/mae nam side of traffic light just a few meters from the light. a bit pricy but hey you want a swivel chair on wheels, cushioned maybe even with some armrests. for just a few baht more i can get you a couple of girls in mini skirts who will stand on either side and fan you with palm fronds.

also check out the second hand shop in lamai. probably too far for you but usually some interesting stuff.

During the 18 years that I have been on Samui there have been many Mags. and 2 Newspapers, unfortunately the better of the two is no longer available so we are left with the Comic called Samui Express.

It seems to start off well the loses the plot after a couple of pages, especialy with the News of the Weird page and other reports on the U.S.A. and other unrelated countries.

I agree with the comments made by Claude Feller and hope that should the Samui Community return it will get the SUPPORT it needs to remain in print.

Food for Thought

The Eye of Lamai

news of the weird is the only reason i even scan through this paper at any 7-11. i've even developed a technique for removing the staple, just to get at news of the weird.

if they get rid of that section there will be no reason for this paper to exist, in fact i will go out on a limb and state that if the entire paper was news of the weird along with a police activity blog and grotesque photos of traffic accidents the number of paid subscribers would double (to 2).

misus renewd hers last week still a trip upto BKK im afraid, place near Don Moang airport called Laksi. takes about 15 mins and they post it to you if you cannot wait a couple of days. they have also done away with the 5 year extension option so she had to have a new one.

also Had Yai

Hi,

My thai girl friend need to get a passport to travel. I heard that there is an office in Surat Thani. Where is it exactly? Any adresse or number phone please?

Thanks !

is there one is had yai as well as songklan? two thai friends went with me to had yai last week and i had to take them to songklan instead of had yai for their passports. also, they were told that they could have gotten them in surat thani.

i started a list of all the things that the samui express paper would be good for, including the cleaning of my cars windows, lining the puppies training area, insulation against the cold if you sleep on a street corner etc.

oddly enough, actually reading it has not made the list.

If I was in the Thai Government and responsible for Visa matters and illegal workers, I would make things very difficult indeed for all the wide boy Farangs thumbing their nose at Thailands Immigration Laws!

How many Bars are operating in Thailand, run by Farangs with the Token Thai name on the license?

They know i's illegal, yet they still do it, cos the laws here are relaxed, the times are changing folks.

Have you seen the dross that arrives in Thailand from western countries?

Toughen up the Visa regs if anything, turn away some of the Riff Raff!

you were the same kid in school who would run up and tell the teacher anytime something was wrong. the other kids didnt like you then and they don't like you now.

fact, you are not in the thai gov't. fact, they don't want your input. fact, you are not going to gain any points with them by ratting out all these bad farang.

how many bars are operating in thailand run by farang with the token thai name on the license?

i don't know and neither do you but what i do know is that a farang came here with some cash and tried to make

a business for his bar girl-friend who then sends the money on home to udon for her kids and family. if he doesn't

do it legally, sucks to be him but if he gets thrown out her family has to find some other farang to support them and

chances are it won't be a legal farang business because the cost is too high and the hoops are too many too support

any bar/restaurant business in any thai resort area simply because there are too many of them.

sure i've seen the "dross" that come here from western countries. and i've also travelled to other develloping nations and

seen them there too. you seem to think this happens only in thailand and that you are personally going to help clean thailand

up. let me know how that works out for you.

toughen up the visa regs all they want, riff raff spend a lot of money in thailand. or should i say, spent.

face facts, thailand needs more farang not less. if they spend their money in 3 days or 300 thailand is not in the position to be choosy.

And the majority of them are Farangs working illegaly on a Tourist Visa!

actually i was thinking of the thais who own a shop/guesthouse/business who are always asking me "where they stay now?"

and the bar girls who wonder "where customer go"

they seem to think they will find them now in pattaya or bkk but , hey, they will find out soon enough. whether or not they will

learn from it is another matter.

there are quite a few timeshare touts that are working without a permit, that will happen anywhere, however here in thailand

that timeshare they are trying to sell is majority owned by a thai who must know there are farang working without a permit trying

to put "heads on the beds", right?

I really don't understand people who come here, enjoy the benefits but complain about the people.

Thais, and other Asians, are not and never will be westerners with western values.

Thats one reason I've been here 20 years. No people are prefect, but I would rather be here with Thais than be in the US, or most European countries.

If you want western values you can get the climate (but maybe not the cheap prices) in northern Australia, or Hawaiii, or somesuch place.

Insulting our hosts is not the best way to encourage them to welcome us.

interesting you say that. japanese and chinese for example have much more in common with western values related to business for example than thais ever will. no people are perfect nor will they ever be. i would rather be here in spite of the thais than in the u.s. or any european country.

insulting their guests day in and day out is not the best way for us to feel welcome here. it's become very obvious over the last several years that tourists be they short stay or long stay or permanent residents, ARE in fact choosing other places to visit and live. but hey, you can get a great deal on a vacation property now (if you can find a buyer).

thailand, Land of those who continually bite the hands of those that feed them.

Having lived in Thailand now for about 15 years I've experienced the whole cross section of trying to live, work, do bussiness and interact with the Thais. I'm now at the point where I have as little to do with them as possible because the stress, hassles, and problems they create are not worth experiencing any more. I like Thailand. I like the weather, the beaches, the food and the land itself. But Thai people, I'm sorry but they're just too much like hard work. Besides the communication barriers, there's the ever present need to be on your gaurd 24 hrs a day, simply because, they don't play by the same rules that I grew up with in New Zealand and Australia. I don't need a visa any more to come and go. I work outside the country. I keep my money in Singapore. I don't own property in Thailand and never will - I'll just continue to rent. I'll never get involved in a business again in Thailand - it's not worth the stress.

preach on brother. hopefully nobody else has to spend 15 years to learn those same lessons. give thais another 1,500 years and

they might begin to understand that tomorrow does, in fact, exist. then perhaps another 1,500 years to understand that what they

do today has a direct impact on what happens to them tomorrow.

makes me think of the phrase "lead, follow or get out of the way"

Tourists will always arrive in Thailand, it's the guys living in Thailand on Tourist Visa's that are the problem.

if you spot one here on samui please let us know. there are literally thousands of people waiting to sell him something.

From your linked article:

You will love the earned-income exclusion…..

• Foreign earned income includes foreign-source wages, salaries, bonuses, commissions,…. Are your wages foreign sourced? No.

One last post on this. This should put it to rest. These quotes are from the IRS website.

To claim the foreign earned income exclusion, the foreign housing exclusion, or the foreign housing deduction, you must meet all three of the following requirements.

1. Your tax home must be in a foreign country.
   
2. You must have foreign earned income.
   
3. You must be either:
   1. 
      
   2. A U.S. citizen who is a bona fide resident of a foreign country or countries for an uninterrupted period that includes an entire tax year,
      
   3. A U.S. resident alien who is a citizen or national of a country with which the United States has an income tax treaty in effect and who is a bona fide resident of a foreign country or countries for an uninterrupted period that includes an entire tax year, or
      
   4. A U.S. citizen or a U.S. resident alien who is physically present in a foreign country or countries for at least 330 full days during any period of 12 consecutive months.
      

Here are definitions of each of the above from the same IRS document on the IRS website.

1) Tax Home

Your tax home is the general area of your main place of business, employment, or post of duty, regardless of where you maintain your family home. Your tax home is the place where you are permanently or indefinitely engaged to work as an employee or self-employed individual.

2) Foreign Income

Foreign earned income generally is income you receive for services you perform during a period in which you meet both of the following requirements.

1. Your tax home is in a foreign country.
   
2. You meet either the bona fide residence test or the physical presence test.

3c) Physical Presence Test

You meet the physical presence test if you are physically present in a foreign country or countries 330 full days during a period of 12 consecutive months. The 330 days do not have to be consecutive. Any U.S. citizen or resident alien can use the physical presence test to qualify for the exclusions and the deduction.

This will be the last I will post on this. If you still think that a person cannot claim the credit on their income from a US company while living in another country, well, it does not really matter to me what you think because I have the IRS on my side.

Whatever, you are wrong and don't understand tax regulations. Under your faulty logic, I have a huge tax refund coming for capital gains and dividend taxes paid in the last few years. He may still qualify but based on what he has said he does not. For his sake, I hope he never gets caught.

To bring this back on topic, what he is doing is trying to "game" the system. I see this attitude all the time here in Thailand from farangs. This is Thailand not the overly legalistic West. Just as the overseas income exemption is not meant to allow people to avoid any taxation of income anywhere in the world, tourist visas are not for people staying long term in Thailand. Just because people were allowed for a long time to stay permanently doing visa runs does not make the practice right or legal in the eyes of the Thai government. Don't confuse non-enforcement with legality. Thais are masters at ignoring laws and regulations until such time as they feel like enforcing them. And yes I am aware it sucks and is unfair especially for the people under 50 who are not working and not married to a Thai and cannot qualify for any long term visa.

i love tax talk. as it happens, i am an Enrolled Agent. put simply it means i have a federal license to represent all taxpayers be they individual or corporate or charitable etc before the IRS in any tax matter. i hope the mods don't wake up and either delete or move all of this tax talk because out here in the barren wastelands i don't get to participate in these types of discussions much anymore.

thanks for your good advice , i now have a Driver in Thailand ,

that's not good advice, that's a death wish.

train judo. it's all judo anyway. (well at least the parts that aren't catch wrestling)

i take that back. it's all judo.

Last year I drove around 15,000 kms. I was pulled over twice for legitimate reasons, once for not keeping in the left hand lane and once for speeding about 20km above the limit.

Both times I handed over 100 baht tea money and was on my way.

Both times I have been invited to pay 200 baht and get a receipt if i wanted to go to the police station

In Australia this would have set me back around $1000.00 and a bucket load of demerit points, plus the nazi attitude of the traffic cop.

I know where I prefer to be "stung"

They are paid crap wages and personally I dont mind this minor corruption , or "cooperation" as some politicians used to call it.

Khun Andy

---------------

Actually it used to be like that back here in the states at least in New York and new Jersey.

In the late sixties early seventies we always kept a 20 dollar bill folded in our drivers license. That was alot of money then.

When you got pulled over you handed over your license. When the cop came back you'd get a warning and go on your way less your 20.

Great system actually. Too bad it's gone.

However it's alive and well today 30 minutes from here in Mexico...

in mexico i always handed over a pack of marlboro reds from the carton i carried for just such occassions.

--------------------

It takes a lot more these days bro 20 to 40 if your experienced.

We regularly hear horror stories of people geting taken to the ATM's by ocal TJ poilice and taken for hundreds

sometimes thousands and their vehicle and lately unfortunately their lives.

TJ is out of control but I like it. It's the closest thing to the "old west' dangerous if you're not careful...

dam_n, inflation is a beyotch. glad i haven't been in mexico for many many years now.

*adds one more country to the list of countries that used to be a nice place. notes that list is becoming longer and longer

and possible future destinations will have to include other planets.

Last year I drove around 15,000 kms. I was pulled over twice for legitimate reasons, once for not keeping in the left hand lane and once for speeding about 20km above the limit.

Both times I handed over 100 baht tea money and was on my way.

Both times I have been invited to pay 200 baht and get a receipt if i wanted to go to the police station

In Australia this would have set me back around $1000.00 and a bucket load of demerit points, plus the nazi attitude of the traffic cop.

I know where I prefer to be "stung"

They are paid crap wages and personally I dont mind this minor corruption , or "cooperation" as some politicians used to call it.

Khun Andy

---------------

Actually it used to be like that back here in the states at least in New York and new Jersey.

In the late sixties early seventies we always kept a 20 dollar bill folded in our drivers license. That was alot of money then.

When you got pulled over you handed over your license. When the cop came back you'd get a warning and go on your way less your 20.

Great system actually. Too bad it's gone.

However it's alive and well today 30 minutes from here in Mexico...

in mexico i always handed over a pack of marlboro reds from the carton i carried for just such occassions.

"I think that the Thai government should only allow one 90-day tourist visa per year. After that, a long-term visitor could buy a one-year "visitor" visa for 100,000THB. Of course, we'll read the nonsensical postings that this would destroy the economy, the housing market, and and and...

well you pretty much just started and ended the nonsensical part by suggesting a visitor visa for 100k baht.

Lived here 4 years in Bangkok and never even spoken to a policeman , but can say been pulled up in Sydney a few times by police in the car , once for driving whilst on the phone, they were writing the fine before they even got to my car door and acted like it was a very very Serious crime , all countries have there good and bad police , in a way not from experience but from this forum , i read a lot where with a bit of tea money minor makes things go away quickly . so there is a plus . try offering that in Sydney .Grass is not always greener

Driving while using a mobile phone is a potentially dangerous act. A relatively large percentage of motor vehicle accidents occur when one or other of the drivers is fiddling with a mobile phone.

I am glad you got booked. I only wish you had tried the "tea money" trick as well. You could be in jail right now, and you would deserve it.

try some decaf. or just try taking a deep breath before you post. hel_l, if his story upsets you so much, try turning off your computer and go outside and meditate under a coconut tree for a few days.

slightly off topic but if your main intent is to work online while taking an extended vacation and are an american than belize is worth a look. you will find a much better and friendlier tax atmosphere. belize is perfectly happy to let you sit in your home office and net away all day making your money without paying any local tax of any kind, personal income tax, corporate tax, capital gain tax etc while still qualifying yourself for the foreign earned income credit as well as the housing allowance.

personally i'm only here for many of the reasons that make the current situation in the states unbearable to me, liberals, police state, tremendous cost of living etc. every step thailand takes in this direction is one step i'll be taking in another. from the looks of things around the country this high season, many others are doing the same.

So what did they say to you kburn? Or was this a no english/no thai thing and they just gesticulated?

That sounds bizarre.

bizarre indeed.

they didn't say much and their english was limited(my Thai sucks). just "come", "id/passport","no move", then they went through my pockets and frisked me. after all that they said "okay you go".

dana white has provided the thai police force equipment to prevent the illegal download and sharing of UFC PPV events. they have your personal information now, expect a visit from the shart master himself.

more drama my buddy's laying on my internet-savvy plate... our question is, since he's on almost a 3 month overstay should he spend the money he doesnt really have to spend right now on leaving the country to pay overstay and subsequently get non-IMM visa now, or can he wait a couple months when he will have the money (bank problems, not income problems; long story)?

obviously he'd prefer to wait 2 months when his situation has improved and can afford to go travelling...

does 3 months overstay or 5 months overstay really make a difference?

if he can stay out of sight, wait the two months and then get an air ticket out before showing up at the airport with the 20k.

obviously will be more problems if during the two months he gets questioned/arrested but apart from that, under the current rules,

i think better to overstay for long periods in order to get your moneys worth. just don't get caught before you get to the airport.

maybe during the next two months they raise the bar to 50k, this is thailand, then what will your friend do?

i had a 6 month overstay, showed up at the airport with the 20k and came back two days later with a non imm b and only let the

overstay continue in order to get the most bang for my baht.

i'd expect the max penalty will be 50k or 100k or more soon enough.

There's a lot in SE Asia I haven't seen yet so if my hand is forced I can always go check them out. It's easy to move about when you avoid large purchases and don't collect a lot of things.

this sentiment is going to be echoed repeatedly over the course of the next few years for many people contemplating a visit to thailand. considering the thai discussion which favored an increase in work permit application fees to 300k baht i think that the

number of people visiting thailand will stay roughly the same but the number of people who choose thailand for mid to long term

stays and their associated purchases will fall faster than the thais can possibly imagine.

i get the feeling that buying land/house here in thailand is very similar to having gone long in the u.s. stock market in september 1929.

we will be hearing the bar girls begging 200 baht for short time soon enough.

maybe these are not such bad changes after all

If I did ever move to Ecuador, I would become a resident of Ecuador, because that is easy to do and allows you to live there. I am skeptical of your info on Belize and the ease of establishing rsidency because I remember reading they have cracked down on that. A tax of 25 percent wouldn't bother me at all if it was only a tax on Ecuador income because I won't have any Ecuador income. I suppose if I ever visit there I will have to visit a lawyer. My personal priorities are lower cost, some desirable amenities, and an easy legal way to live there without a pension. That severely limits my choices. If Ecuador did tax outside Ecuador income and assets 25 percent that would be totally unacceptable; I doubt they actually do that but they might so am trying to find out for sure.

Some of those SA countries have some wacky rules. For example if you become a resident of Argentina you are technically required to declare all your world assets and you are taxed on both your world income AND assets. Many people lie but I don't like lying to any government.

lowtax.com is a pretty useful source for some up to date tax info on each country. i am sure you are well aware of the difference between residency and citizenship. there are only 3 countries in the world that tax based on citizenship, with the u.s. being the biggest and only country of any significance whatsoever.

if you are a u.s. citizen and looking to gain residency in a country for tax purposes, you only need to be out of the u.s. and it's possessions for a specific number of days each year, not actually physically establish official residency in any particular country.

i have never seen that about argentina before and i would have to actually see the particular tax code that allowed for that as it

is highly unusual and puts them into the category of taxation based on citizenship rather than residency.

anyway, good luck with your search. i think you will be ok in ecuador from a taxation perspective, safety and security are entirely different matters.

Thanks, sayit, I am not talking about going there for tax reasons. I am just concerned that they might tax outside Ecuador income/assets. Belize has a pension requirement, as I don't have a pension, it's out for me:

.

Qualified Retired Persons

To be designated a Qualified Retired Person under the program, applicants must receive a monthly income of not less than US $2,000 through a pension or annuity that has been generated outside of Belize.

well, unless you are american, taxation is based on residency not citizenship. that 2k per month number you posted is only for qualified retired person status, you don't have to have that to live there, in fact you can establish belizean residency simply by being in the country for one full year. i believe you can also bypass the 2k per month by having 25k to invest also. anyway, just saying you don't need 2k per month to live in belize although it is probably the country with the highest cost of living in central america.

btw, to answer your original question, most countries where you are not a citizen but a resident will not tax you directly on non (insert country here) derived income. only on in-country income.

not trying to knock ecuador but i would run away from, rather than towards, any country that had a flat tax of 25%.

i'm in the tax business and have never heard of anyone going to ecuador for tax reasons. just go up north of there a bit to C.A. and stay in belize. no individual income tax, no capital gains tax, no corporate tax etc. best watersports and diving in the western hemisphere and there is plenty of cheap crack as well. stay away from belize city and find yourself a nice fenced in compound away from the guatemalan border and you'll be ok.