TallGuyJohninBKK

And meanwhile, over in Thailand's Chinese "gray" market world, Immigration for years, supposedly in exchange for kickbacks, has been handing out improper student visas to scores / hundreds? of Chinese business people (gangsters?) masquerading as Thai language students, and Thais are illegally fronting as nominees for illegal Chinese owned/operated businesses involved in drugs, gambling and who knows what else. And the Chinese guy who's supposedly in charge of the whole empire is married to a Thai police colonel and somehow managed to get Thai citizenship out of the deal! Immigration is bugging us about slivers, while huge logs of corruption are merrily floating downstream right under their noses.

The accuracy and validity/legitimacy of that article and its methods has been challenged by credible sources, such as the review article below in Science-Based Medicine: Peer review fail: Vaccine publishes antivax propaganda disguised as “reanalyses” of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial data "In order portray COVID-19 vaccines as dangerous, Peter Doshi has now managed to get poorly designed and performed “reanalyses” of the clinical trial data used by the FDA to grant emergency use approval of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines published in two reputable journals, The BMJ and Vaccine? What happened?" "Now that the paper, whose flaws and misleading nature were discussed in great detail by many scientists (which I will discuss in a moment), as well as by our very own Dr. Jonathan Howard and Dr. Harriet Hall, has somehow inexplicably gone from preprint to peer-reviewed publication in Vaccine, the onslaught started again." https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/peer-review-fail-vaccine-publishes-antivax-propaganda/ As for the creds of Science-Based Medicine: "Overall, we rate Science-Based Medicine Pro-Science based on the use of scientific sources and support for the consensus of science. We also rate them Very-High for factual reporting due to scientific sourcing and a clean fact check record." https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/science-based-medicine/ In short, for reasons explained in the Science-Based Medicine review article above, even the 1 in 1,000 claim from the anti-vax journal article you cited isn't legitimate or based in any reality.

A bunch of non-credible anti-vax rubbish and unsourced claims, as usual. OP, thanks for posting the vax offer info. I'm assuming the offer is for the original Pfizer vaccines, as I've heard nothing publicly from the MoPH about what they originally said were their plans to acquire the bivalent vaccines for use in 2023. https://thainewsroom.com/2022/09/06/ministry-moving-to-purchase-updated-covid-vaccines/

In my case, and they knew it at the time, I had to be back there ONE WEEK later to the L section to do my new annual extension renewal, and had to repeat the whole bank book update and bank book photocopies process all over again. But at least for the extension renewal process, I knew that it was going to be required, as it long has been.

I'm fine to comply with their rules, if they (Immigration) actually post or publicize or inform the retirement extension holder community of them in some way.... which they typically don't do, and didn't do in the case of demanding the applicant's Thai bank book when doing a new passport stamps transfer. So instead, we get these kinds of new demands that just pop up out of nowhere because some Immigration general or colonel decides they need to make sure us foreigners aren't trying to pull any fast ones with the 400K/800K deposits mid-cycle.

Needless to say, Jomtien does not necessarily follow the same policies and procedures as they do at BKK CW. PS -- The issue with the policy that BKK CW enforced, at least last fall, was that no one would necessarily be expecting to need to bring their Thai bank book holding their extension deposit with them for purposes of transferring stamps. That had never been required there in the past. On my particular visit, I just happened to have brought the bank book with me... so I was able to meet their demand. But bringing your retirement extension deposit bank book, at least then, wasn't anywhere on their own list of required documents for completing the transfer of stamps process. If I hadn't have brought the bank book with me out of an abundance of caution, I would have wasted a day and trip out to BKK CW, and would have had to return back there the next day with bank book in hand.

I see we had an exchange of comments/posts previously on this very issue in the thread below after I came back last September from the BKK CW encounter and detailed their bank passbook demands:

My experience with that at BKK CW, as recited above, occurred Sept. of 2022. At the time, the IO and supervisor I challenged on the issue told me it was a new policy of theirs.

When I transferred my retirement extension to a new passport at BKK CW Immigration some months back, that's exactly what they required of me -- to my surprise! The IO and then the supervisor I spoke with both said that their (at least BKK CW's) newish policy for people with retirement extensions is that anytime you go to the L section there for any type of transaction, they're going to demand new proof at that time of compliance with the 800K/400K deposit requirements.

I should have clarified above, meant to say, living overseas AND giving/using a foreign address with their brokerage account. If you're living abroad and using a U.S. address of record on your U.S. brokerage account, then the mutual funds issue should not arise.

AFAIK, if an American is living overseas, all purchases of U.S. mutual funds are not allowed, whether it's via an IRA account or any other brokerage account. AFAIK, that restriction on U.S citizens living abroad only applies to mutual fund purchases and not other kinds of U.S. investment holdings.

The science and credible studies in support of face mask wear as helping reduce (not absolutely prevent) the risk of contracting and spreading COVID are overwhelmingly clear. The WHO supports that, the U.S. CDC supports that, the American Medical Association and countless other public health agencies support that. Even the Thai doctor in the OP article advised that people should still wear face masks when in crowded indoor places: "The virologist adds that adults with respiratory diseases should continue to wear face masks outside the home. In addition, everyone should wear a face mask on public transport and in crowded spaces." The arguments against face mask wear mostly come from right-wing political idealogues and fringe scientists and doctors (whose backgrounds often are in fields unrelated to COVID and infectious diseases) who often publish their opinions in dubious journals, and/or eventually have their writings later pulled or ripped apart by actual experts in the field. There is an expert consensus on face mask wear as one of several key measures to combat COVID, along with vaccination, social distancing and hygiene practices. But as with anything, there are always going to be a few fringe groups and voices shouting into the wind.

A betting man would guess this has something to do with the DSI's director's involvement in the current Chinese "gray market" business and visas investigation, either for better (he was actually trying to prosecute them) or worse (he was obtructing attempts to prosecute them). Take your pick! So now the former DSI chief is chief of the place that keeps track of dead bodies. Perhaps that's meant as a lesson/warning to him....

And as far as likely relevance to the OP's question, all these years later, ancient history....

You didn't say WHEN you had that experience... But either way, it seems to be quite at odds with the recent Laksi experience cited by the OP here. That described by the OP was the same kind of answer my wife got back in November when talking in person to the counter staff at the Bangrak district office. Through a series of recent interactions here, I've gotten the feeling that the whole COVID pandemic ordeal has resulted in Thai government offices becoming much more focused about far ahead scheduled appointments and much less receptive to walk-in transactions that might have been more normal in the past.

I opened a Krungsri MTD account at my local branch some years ago, and have used it ever since as the home for my 800,000 baht deposit required for my retirement extension. I've never had a work permit here, and opened the MTD account solely on the basis of having a retirement extension. The account came with both a VISA debit card and a regular passbook. The account and its passbook have always been accepted by BKK Immigration for retirement extension deposit purposes without issue. Krungsri's online banking is reasonably good, and you can online transfer funds between Krungsri and other Thai bank accounts. The limitation on monthly withdrawals in not really an issue for me, since I really only use the account for Immigration deposit purposes, and not other activities.

Why would anyone want to sign on as legally responsible for a multi-million baht loan for a house that they won't own, won't live in and won't have any legal rights to?

For example: For the United States: Report: COVID-19 vaccines saved US $1.15 trillion, 3 million lives December 14, 2022 A Commonwealth Fund study estimates that, through November 2022, COVID-19 vaccines prevented more than 18.5 million US hospitalizations and 3.2 million deaths and saved the country $1.15 trillion. The modeling study estimated hospitalizations and deaths averted through the end of November 2022, at a time when 80% of the US population had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. ... "Without vaccination the U.S. would have experienced 1.5 times more infections, 3.8 times more hospitalizations, and 4.1 times more deaths," the authors wrote. (more) https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/report-covid-19-vaccines-saved-us-115-trillion-3-million-lives For the world: COVID-19 vaccines saved an estimated 20 million lives in 1 year June 24, 2022 COVID vaccines reduced the potential global death toll during the pandemic by almost two-thirds in their first year, saving an estimated 19.8 million lives, according to a mathematical modeling study yesterday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. An additional 600,000 lives could have been spared if a World Health Organization (WHO) goal of vaccinating 40% of the population of every country by the end of 2021 had been met, the authors of the study say. ... ...the model estimated that vaccination prevented 14.4 million deaths, or 79%. When they accounted for under-reporting, however, they found that COVID vaccination prevented an estimated 19.8 million deaths out of a total of 31.4 million potential deaths that would have occurred without vaccination—a reduction of 63%. (more) https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19-vaccines-saved-estimated-20-million-lives-1-year

You might -- but probably won't -- stop to consider that perhaps the reason everyone at your work who got vaccinated and later ended up getting mild cases of COVID escaped relatived unscathed was exactly because they HAD been vaccinated... In the current Omicron world, the current vaccines at far more effective at keeping COVID cases alive and out of the hospital than they are at preventing infections. Yes, the shots still help somewhat prevent infections, especially if the person has received the newer bivalent vaccines recently... But that protection against mere infection is not 100%, and does tend to wane substantially by several months after the latest shot. However, the protection from the vaccines against COVID death and serious illness has been shown to be more substantial and durable, even with the newer Omicron variants. So far from your "biggest swindle in human history," the vaccines during the course of the pandemic have kept many millions of people alive who otherwise would have died from COVID. And perhaps your co-workers are among them.

Mask Mythbusters: Common Questions about Kids & Face Masks How do masks prevent the spread of COVID-19? "When worn correctly, face masks create a barrier that reduces the spray of a person's spit and respiratory droplets. These droplets play a key role in the spread of COVID-19 because they can carry SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Masks also can protect you from others who may have coronavirus but are not showing symptoms and who could come within 6 feet of you, which is how far respiratory droplets can travel when people sneeze or cough or raise their voices." https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/COVID-19/Pages/Mask-Mythbusters.aspx

You managed to find a study by an avowed anti-COVID vaccine doctor -- Tracy Beth Høeg -- who's working with the anti-COVID vaccine and COVID skeptic state of Florida Health Department, which recently has been trashed for putting out bogus COVID vaccine research: "Tracy Beth Høeg, M.D., Ph.D. is an epidemiologist currently doing COVID-19 vaccine research with the Florida Department of Health and a physician in private practice in California." https://www.tabletmag.com/contributors/tracy-beth-hoeg That's one bio description of her. But others make it clear that she's primarily a sports medicine doctor with an interest in something called "othobiologic medicine." "She then completed her residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at UC Davis, where she was Chief Resident, followed by a fellowship in Interventional Sports, Spine and Regenerative Medicine in Napa, California. Dr. Høeg is highly qualified to treat disorders and injuries of musculoskeletal system such as tendon, joint, cartilage and bone as well as disorders of the spine which can cause neck, back and sciatica pain. Additionally, she is highly qualified to diagnose conditions of the peripheral nervous system and musculoskeletal system using EMG/NCS and diagnostic ultrasound." https://www.norcalorthoassociates.com/team/hoeg.php Doctors sue to block California COVID disinformation law "The plaintiff doctors have been vocal in the debate over pandemic health policy, pushing back publicly on school guidance and mandates. Duriseti and Dr. Tracy Beth Høeg are affiliated with the “Urgency of Normal” group that in June urged the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to dial back school guidance to minimize disruptions from quarantines and end vaccine mandates." https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/11/14/doctors-sue-to-block-california-covid-disinformation-law/ Experts slam Florida surgeon general’s warning on coronavirus vaccines ‘If you submitted that to a peer-reviewed journal ... it would get rejected,’ vaccine safety expert says about study on which it is based https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/10/11/florida-surgeon-general-ladapo-covid-vaccines/ There's quite an industry of fringe academics who write all kinds of junk related to COVID and COVID vaccines and/or produce low-quality research that's published in low-quality journals... including academics who opine on topics that have nothing to do with their field... Such as Ambarish Chandra, the co-author with Hoeg on the study on masks, who's actually an economics professor: "Ambarish Chandra, an economics professor at the University of Toronto Scarborough..." https://www.chroniclejournal.com/news/national/social-media-tools-were-key-to-freedom-convoy-protest-expert-tells-inquiry/article_81175b13-6c73-549f-894f-fe0de1a177f8.html Not exactly the kind of expertise you'd want to bring to bear on issues relating to public health and COVID.

And as usual in this forum, those claiming N95 masks don't reduce the likelihood of being infected by COVID and the spread of the virus provide absolutely no credible evidence or sources for the claims they're making. Yes please, let's follow the science: Mask-wearing linked to 53% cut in Covid incidence, global study finds Researchers said results highlight the need to continue with face coverings, social distancing and handwashing alongside vaccine programmes Mask-wearing is the single most effective public health measure at tackling Covid, according to the first global study of its kind, which found that the measure was linked to a 53% fall in the incidence of the disease. ... “This systematic review and meta analysis suggests that several personal protective and social measures, including handwashing, mask wearing, and physical distancing are associated with reductions in the incidence of Covid-19,” the researchers wrote in the BMJ. ... Results from more than 30 studies from around the world were analysed in detail, showing a statistically significant 53% reduction in the incidence of Covid with mask wearing and a 25% reduction with physical distancing. (more) https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/17/wearing-masks-single-most-effective-way-to-tackle-covid-study-finds

Perhaps the good Thai Dr. should check in with his colleagues at the WHO: WHO updates COVID-19 guidelines on masks, treatments and patient care 13 January 2023 WHO has updated its guidelines on mask wearing in community settings, COVID-19 treatments, and clinical management. ... Masks continue to be a key tool against COVID-19 WHO continues to recommend the use of masks by the public in specific situations, and this update recommends their use irrespective of the local epidemiological situation, given the current spread of the COVID-19 globally. Masks are recommended following a recent exposure to COVID-19, when someone has or suspects they have COVID-19, when someone is at high-risk of severe COVID-19, and for anyone in a crowded, enclosed, or poorly ventilated space. Previously, WHO recommendations were based on the epidemiological situation." (more) https://www.who.int/news/item/13-01-2023-who-updates-covid-19-guidelines-on-masks--treatments-and-patient-care In other words, they've now broadened their face masking recommendations to be more expansive, and not merely based on whether infections, hospitalizations, deaths are rising or falling in any particular area.

Regarding China and their outbound tourists: Almost a fourth of air passengers screened from China had COVID-19, report reveals January 14, 2023 Italian officials who screened 556 airline passengers from two Chinese provinces in late December found that almost a quarter of them tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, with one flight having 42% of passengers infected, according to a report yesterday in Eurosurveillance. Authorities conducted the screening from Dec 26 to Dec 29 after Omicron cases spiked dramatically in Beijing and other Chinese cities. The screening took place at two major airports: Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci in Rome and Malpensa in Milan. Of the 556 passengers from China screened, 126 (22.7%) tested positive via polymerase chain reaction testing. The proportion testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 per flight ranged from 11% to 42%. The flights originated from either Nanjing in Jiangsu province or Hangzhou or Wenzhou in Zhejiang province." (more) https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/almost-fourth-air-passengers-screened-china-had-covid-19-report-reveals

It's already pretty clearly been established above that the U.S. Embassy in BKK does not require Americans going there to obtain their certified freedom to marry affidavit to bring along any kind of witness. I got my freedom to marry affidavit there in the past, and no witness was required, nor does the Embassy webpage on marriage affidavits make any mention of needing a witness. The OP needs to download and fully complete the marriage affidavit document, IIRC except for his own signature, make an appointment to visit the US Embassy, and then present his US passport and the completed affidavit to the embassy officer, sign it in front of the officer, and then the officer will certify it, and return the certified document to the applicant. https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/getting-married-in-thailand/