RicePudding

Hi, My wife posted on a Thai Facebook group at the same time, and she has had a request for the kitten from a Thai person.

My wife told him already that we will bring him tomorrow, so I guess we will honour that.

Thanks for your interest.

A young abandoned female kitten has wandered into our home.

We already have a cat and she is not taking a liking to the kitten, so it would be nice if we could find a loving home for her.

Please PM me if interested, thanks. We are in Bophut, near Big C.

P.S. If she has an owner, then of course also contact, but I'm pretty sure she was abandoned, and I have a fair idea by whom.

I have used Manit Tajew from http://www.samuilaw.com/ before.

I think he has a minimum charge of 500 baht. He witnessed about 50 pages for me and the cost was 1,500 baht.

His English is excellent.

If you know Art Cafe restaurant in Bophut, looking at the restaurant from the road, his office is 4 or 5 shops to the left.

Dogs don't have children !

HUH ???????????????

A child by definition is a young human being. Dogs have puppies, cats have kittens, cows have calves etc. Only humans have children.

Borrowed from the smh.com.au

“The England football team went to an orphanage in Rio on Wednesday. ‘It’s heartbreaking to see their sad little faces with no hope,”

said Jose, aged six.

Agree with the posters saying a minor can hold land. According to my lawyer a minor can own anything – land, stocks, fund books, bank account, company shares – but under guardian until the age of 20. The guardian cannot dispose against the interest of the child; i.e. selling land etc.

My Thai daughter has been holding land, fund book, and shares in company, since just after she was born or a few years old, of course under a trusted guardian.

Some posters have suggested having a Thai national child as owner of (Chanute) land and a usufruct agreement for the use; perhaps some experienced TV-forum members can confirm the procedure.

Sorry to hijack the thread but could someone please explain the process of buying stock market shares in a child's name. Will a brokerage firm open an account in a child's name?

Yu'p thanks guys for your advice, I guess I should clarify a little more,

what I mean is the so called document an ex-pat is required to sign stating I have no claim on any land purchased as I did not provide money for the purchase, therefor side stepping the 50% married couple assets laws, and if so can it be contested if need be?

If for instance my wife died or was incapacitated from illness or accident would a family home and business be awarded to me the husband and I can sell as I see fit or keep or 50% given to relative's (long lost uncle/aunty) We don't have kids so that option of assets in kids name is not possible at the moment.

My wife is an educated woman and enjoys achieving her goals under her own steam so not a gold digger, and she putts money in my wallet rather than taking it out.

If your wife dies (touch wood) and she has children (yours or someone else's) and you are legally married, the house would be split equally between you and the kids. If she has no kids then you inherit the house unless she wills it to someone else. You have 12 months after her death to dispose of the house (you cannot keep it). This is advise I received from a lawyer as we were in a similar boat. You can also get your wife to write a will leaving you the house, just to be sure, which is what we did.

Your lawyer was wrong in many ways.

Most important being, with no children and no will, property is split 50/50 between husband and other family members.

Edit:

Actually he didn't say all that. My wife has a child with someone else and we just dealt with that scenario. The no children part was a confused memory on my part. Sorry.

Yu'p thanks guys for your advice, I guess I should clarify a little more,

what I mean is the so called document an ex-pat is required to sign stating I have no claim on any land purchased as I did not provide money for the purchase, therefor side stepping the 50% married couple assets laws, and if so can it be contested if need be?

If for instance my wife died or was incapacitated from illness or accident would a family home and business be awarded to me the husband and I can sell as I see fit or keep or 50% given to relative's (long lost uncle/aunty) We don't have kids so that option of assets in kids name is not possible at the moment.

My wife is an educated woman and enjoys achieving her goals under her own steam so not a gold digger, and she putts money in my wallet rather than taking it out.

If your wife dies (touch wood) and she has children (yours or someone else's) and you are legally married, the house would be split equally between you and the kids. If she has no kids then you inherit the house unless she wills it to someone else. You have 12 months after her death to dispose of the house (you cannot keep it). This is advise I received from a lawyer as we were in a similar boat. You can also get your wife to write a will leaving you the house, just to be sure, which is what we did.

Edit:

This was a three years ago and things may have changed. I would recommend getting advise from a lawyer to be sure.

I've been having the same dilemma. I've had the same package as you for 5 years, although on Samui. Sent the wife in to 3BB to ask about the cheaper, faster packages. They say that the premium package is a dedicated line, while the other packages use a shared line with up to 20 other users, so that at peak times the internet could slow down. They tried to convince her that the premium was the best package available. Don't know how much truth there is in that, but I'm also like you, in that I am happy with what I have and am reluctant to change and end up with something worse. I do lots of downloading and live streaming of sports, and go through over 200 gigs some months. I have read on other threads that the cheaper packages get throttled after a few gig a day, although they don't seem to be able to give you exact details about this in the office. Fibre optic cable is supposed to be coming to Samui around Xmas time (with 3BB, already here with TOT) I was told so I will be switching to that. Half the price for 4 times the speed. Not sure if it's in Pattaya but I would be looking at it.

If you come to Thailand regularly or for a long period of time it's best to open a Thai bank account, and Telegraphic Transfer (TT) the money in.

My Oz bank is CBA and Thai bank is Siam Commercial Bank and if I do a TT during office hours my money is in my Thai bank within a few hours.

The CBA fee for a TT is $20 for any amount and I find the rate I get from SCB is competitive.

As others have said it is VERY IMPORTANT that you don't convert the amount to Thai Baht in Oz, just leave it in AUD, or the exchange rate will be much lower. i.e. On the TT form just put in the amount of Australian Dollars you want to transfer and leave it as that without converting to Thai Baht. The AUD gets converted when it hits your Thai bank . I do my TTs online with Netbank, you just need the address and Swift code of your Thai bank.

If you have a friend in Thailand it might be easier for them to help you set up a bank account. I just had a mate visit who wasn't happy getting charged $15 by his Oz bank for every withdrawal from an ATM, and since he is coming back next year for 2 months I helped him open up a Thai account using my Thai address.

One advantage with having a Thai bank account is that you don't feel compelled to withdraw 20,000 at a time. You can withdraw smaller amounts since there are no fees for withdrawals from your own bank's ATMs. And in Thailand you can use your ATM card to withdraw your money from any other bank's ATMs, although there is a small fee.

Hi,

I've tried it several times; a Fixed Deposit Account was refused; a savings account with a history of at least 3 months was accepted...

What immigration office was that?

Most offices now accept them as long as they are liquid. There are some accounts that do not allow withdrawals until the term is finished these immigration will not accept.

I too had it refused. For me it was Samui.

His argument was "This for saving, not for living. How you live?"

I tried to reason but it was a waste of time. In the end you have to go with the interpretation of the Immigration Officer where you're applying.

The Kiwis made a movie about abuse of this drug. It was called "Once Were Worriers"

Saw that, good movie. Still remember Jake's quote: "I was right ... too much speed, not enough hash."

I can recommend a Thai lady, Ring 08 6596 9410. She has a range of cars from Jeeps up, and at reasonable prices. No international DL required. Her shop is in Bangrak, used to be in Chaweng. She always brings the bikes or cars to us, so haven't seen her new shop. Since Ring and her husband deliver, I would suggest a pick up and drop off at the airport, which would save on a couple of taxi fares. You might need to put a deposit, but I would recommend booking before arrival (with her or elsewhere) as it is high season and Samui is flat out at the moment.

Ah....need to get a job done ?....get an Aussie to do it.

...except in Australia where you need to get a kiwi to do it.

Dear NanLaew -Thats GOLD & so true ! Nice Work

Dear NanLaew, thanks for that and I'll have to trust you on it, because in all my years there I never met a Kiwi that had a job.

Anyone know if the Penang, Malaysia Consulate would be an easier, more friendly & willing option to Singapore?

(I'll be in a similar position next month.....where to go/child/etc).

Seems best to avoid Singapore then?

I am with guzzi850m2 and would definitely go back to Singapore.

I have had 3 visas from Singapore and I would call the ladies attitude 'business like' yes but not in a negative way.

I believe they stick to the rules and if you have your paper work in order, then everything should be OK. It only takes a phone call to them to find out what is required if your situation is unusual.

I did need to show a plane ticket into Thailand, but not out of Thailand, or the equivalent in cash, which I have never been asked for at other embassies but that was no big deal.

On my visits the waiting times were short. Compared to Vietiane where once I got there at 9:50am and they had already closed the gates because of too many people and I had to go back the next day.

I don't think Singapore needs to be avoided, just call them first if you have any doubts about what is required.

A young male ginger cat has adopted our home, near Big C.

I would guess he's 7-9 month old.

He's a little on the skinny side and hungry, so we have fed him and of course now he keeps coming back.

If he belongs to someone, please PM me.

He has a Star of David stamped on the inside of each ear. Anyone know the significance of that?

Cheers

I have booked 2 flights with Bankok Airways this week and only received a 10% discount on the fare, not the usual 20%.

I can't get any sense out of the staff at the Bophut office. They just say, 'Yes Sir, you already got your discount".

Anyone know if the discount has changed officially or if it is some sort of error on their part.

I checked the correct fares on the internet, and yes the fare I looked at did include all the taxes and extras.

I was told by a Thai lawyer today that a farang husband of a Thai woman can no longer obtain a 30 year lease of land/house that the Thai wife owns, similar to the way a farang husband cannot loan money to his Thai wife for her to purchase land. He said it is a new rule and it is about the government trying to stop farangs having virtual freeholds over land. He said a Thai woman can lease her land to anybody else except her husband. I didn't believe him, so he said to ring the land office and check, which we will do tomorrow, but I was wondering if anyone else has heard of this. Cheers.

my point is that there isn't a law which stipulates burmese, filipino or african people get denied tourist visa or only get a single entry visas (if they're lucky), but consulate decisions are made on whatever reason suits them that day. not every decsion is based on the laws of thailand - which is pathetic, corrupt and a pain in the arse (whichever way you want to describe it) for those legally trying abide by the laws.

I don't think it is fair to say "pathetic, corrupt".

A "pain in the arse" sure.

I once tried to obtain a tourist visa for a 19 year old Russian girl to visit me in Australia, and unfortunately it was declined. When I querried this I was told that she falls into a category (young Russian women) that have a high probability of overstaying their visa based on past statistics. There is no law in Australia that denies young Russian women visas, but it is up to the discretion of the immigration officer.

The same may apply in Thailand. English, Australian and NZ men would probably very rarely overstay their visas (or work in Thailand), while young female Filipinos or Burmese would be much more likely to overstay or work in Thailand, and hence the different attitude and subsequent result at the consulate.

leonism: The number +6626532201 was working a week ago. I think they finish up at 4pm each day, so try early in the day. If I lived in Bangkok I would be happy to help you, but I'm on Samui.

Sorry to hi-jack the thread, but anyone got any ideas about getting to and from the game? We will be staying in Sukhumvit.

Are they organising buses? Don't fancy waiting a couple of hours for a taxi.

This wouldn't be happening if the yellows were arrested for their criminal act at the airport last year, and the courts allowed to sort out the issue of vote-buying. By allowing one side to act criminally you are condoning the other side to do the same. This should have be stopped in December and I fear that there is now no turning back.

I don't support or condone the Reds, but instead of what they have done, perhaps they should have blockaded the airport until the government resigned. Except somehow I think the army would have acted this time. What does that tell you? Thailand has a politically biased army IMHO!

I will be getting my visa on 22nd Jan. and my passport runs out June 23rd 2009, that gives me the 6 months validity, but how do I work it to renew my passport? (Canada)

My Friend, if the date you quote is correct then that is only 5 months validity in your passport.

To reiterate another poster, it is best to get to the Embassy early. I have been twice for double entry visas (successfully), the first time they shut the gate around 10:30am, the second time they shut the gate around 10am and would not let in any more applicants, no matter how much they begged, saying that there were already too many inside waiting to be processed (about 100). They say they are open until 12 noon, but that is not true of the gates. However, I believe they process all those inside the Embassy grounds even if the time goes past 12.