Ricardo

Perhaps she might offer to advise the UK-government pro bono, they are desperately in-need of a plan for subsidising/maintaining their own agricultural-sector, after Brexit removes the current essential subsidies ?

1 minute ago, Sunak said:

Only disadvantage is the 20 kg baggage allowance compared to their usual 30 kg.

Yes, Emirates had the same restriction on hold-baggage for their super-cheap fares last January, when I was trying to help two friends arrange a summer-trip back to Europe. 

But a good fare is always welcome !

Emirates fares out of BKK, travel 22nd January to 30th November, book by 29th January.

Claims to offer London  'from'  B23,210 or Amsterdam B19,955 or  Paris B21,985 and so on.

https://www.emirates.com/th/english/book/featured-fares/?filter1=airport&airport=BKK&intc_type=fares&intc_name=fares&intc_creative=link&intc_location=home

Back in the day IIRC, the Aussie government used to declare an amnesty for these people every few years, does that no longer happen ?

I think the logic was, that if you'd found work and were behaving yourself & fitting-in, they'd rather make you legal after a few years  ...  very sensible too IMO.

We don't do that in the UK, with the result that nobody in-power has a clue how many illegals there are, possibly millions, and those people live in fear of being caught, they're thus ideal fodder for criminal-gangs to exploit. 

And the personal anguish/suffering, when someone who's been living a normal life there for twenty or thirty years gets caught and sent 'home', is very troubling.

15 hours ago, britishjohn said:

As far as Thai tax is concerned, it appears tax is only applied if the income is brought into Thailand during the year it is earned.  So it would appear provided you leave the funds offshore until the next year, no tax is payable in either jurisdiction.

 

Can anyone confirm this is correct ?

That matches my own understanding, and experience over the past decade or so, they operate on a calendar-year basis by-the-way, unlike the UK.

It was confirmed to us a few years back, by a major accounting-firm, in connection with the winding-up of an offshore family-trust. The trustees in Jersey were most impressed !

I bank offshore, my income/capital-withdrawls flow into that account every year and sit there, I then transfer funds here, or to wherever else I may need them, during the following year.  It is very simple to operate.

Sadly my only income-arising in Thailand is a few thousand Baht's-worth of bank-account interest, so I've never needed to bother the Thai tax-authorities.

7 hours ago, passon said:

 when I applied for my O-Visa in January, 2017, there was no such requirement to comply with the TM-30 regulation

Just to say that, when I did my retirement-extension in September-2016, it certainly was required & being enforced by Chiang Mai Immigration.  Perhaps you just got lucky ?

Mrs Ricardo was most put-out, at being fined B1600 for not having reported me as living in her/our house, for the past decade-or-so, when I'd been complying with all their changing requirements, including 90-day-reports & TM6s !

If we're lucky, perhaps it might go away again, but with the government still trying to ease out the Bad-Guys, we Good-Guys will probably continue to get grief.  It is what it is.  Mai pen rai.

But thanks to the OP, for his attempt to give this new (to him) requirement a heads-up, to the rest of us !

Good to see export-volumes and prices getting back towards normal, after the unwinding of the ridiculous PTP-scheme, the farmers must be very relieved after the pain of the past few years.

Whether the credit ( and blame) will be put where it belongs remains to be seen, hopefully at an election this November, and they will be more wary the next time someone promises to make them all rich within six months ? Or perhaps not  ...  hope springs eternal, when a politician tells you what you want to hear !

10 hours ago, yellowboat said:

Had a nice chat with an average Thai.  She said she thought the Shinawartas were great, but they always overstepped their office triggering their ouster.  But the current government makes them look better all the time.   That sentiment is starting to take hold I would bet from Prim's comments.  He seems to be more in touch with what is going on than the good general. 

Perhaps more important is the power that Prem represents, the current Pm would probably be unwise to ignore his hint, as recently expressed when they came to congratulate him on his birthday ?

1 hour ago, Khun Han said:

 

A bit disappointing so far, but great fares have surfaced during the course of previous sales, so worth keeping an eye on this one.

Agreed, very insipid so far compared to last year, one can only hope they're waiting to see what the others are going to offer.

Looking at (just for an example) BKK-LHR on 10th September, returning on the 25th, Qatar offer B24,240.  Emirates offer B24,570 (but check their new route to/from London-Stansted), Etihad are B25,210 and the usual suspects  (Jet Airways, Malaysian, etc) just-under B22k.

So there's nothing very exciting yet.  Perhaps try Skyscanner, to see what the OTAs are able to dig out for us ?

Being based in CNX myself, I'm pleased to see CNX-LHR coming in at just-over B25k for the same dates, so not much of a premium and saving time/cost/hassle of going via BKK, they're keeping-up their 4-weekly launch-frequency but with the A319LR for the summer-season. 

Qatar Privilege-Club members try code PCGTBGIFT, for marginally-lower fares, and double-airmiles.

We shall see  ...

4 hours ago, webfact said:

tourists can buy T-shirts with the slogan: Good guys go to heaven, bad guys go to Pattaya.

Clearly all one needs to know, to instruct the British Navy to nuke the place, before they put anything even-ruder on a T-shirt, which might corrupt our youth !

Bring back the Good-Old-Days of Democrazy, and those   'good-question/bad-question'  bats, which showed so much more style & respect for the media ?

'Amazing Thailand' strikes yet-again !

15 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

Yingluck isn't aspiring to anything.

she's got the cash and the dash.  She was a member of the Thai elite and probably all she owns would be genuine, including her handbags. She's not in the Vicky Beckham league fortunately and could probably wangle a seat at Harry's wedding if she wanted, after all she's had tea with H.M.

 

And I'm sure she'd say  "Thank-you three times", too, then shed a tear for joy !

There appears to be a good deal on-offer at the moment, booking via British Airways' website for these flights operated by Qatar on CNX-DOH-LHR, which are also BA-codeshares & which avoid the usual treck through Swampy.

For flights from 29th October to early-December, I'm currently seeing a return-price of only B14,997 , including all taxes/charges and with 1-bag/up-to-23kgs hold-luggage allowance.  IMO that's pretty good, for a return to London.

https://www.britishairways.com/travel/fx/public/en_gb?eId=111011&timestamp=0109112410&saleOption=FO&depCountry=undefined&from=CNX&journeyType=RTFLT&to=LHR&depDate=29/10/18&retDate=08/11/18&cabin=M&restrictionType=LOWEST&ad=1&ch=0&inf=0&ya=0&interaction=SFDtoOld&getFlights=Find flights&shape-failover=true&<deleted>=403&k=1&req2=&ip2=61

Just to stress that this is only available on the BA-site, the same flights on Qatar's own site cost much more.

Hope this helps some other TV-ers in the area !

Also, in case anyone hadn't heard, the service will continue through this coming summer-season, but using their narrow-body A319LR (via Rangoon inbound-only) on the same 4-days (but slightly-later timing). 

23 hours ago, tonray said:

That settles it...they need to 'chip' all foreigners upon entry. That way we could also do away with 90 day reporting and TM30 form nonsense.

Lovely idea, but we all know that would be duplication, as they'd not want to do away with the old paperwork, just because they now could !

Hope the guy in the OP is found OK.

A cardboard cut-out  ...  were the frog & the chicken not thought to be up-to the task ?

This feels like being in a British pub, back in the good old days, when eventually someone would call  "Time, gentlemen, please !", and we'd all move on. 

The usual mid-January Sale on Qatar is currently being loaded onto their booking-engine, perhaps allow another 12-24 hours before they're all available ?

Book by 16th january, for flights until 10th December, according to the blurb.

https://www.qatarairways.com/en/offers/global-travel-boutique.html

And I gather that Emirates have some improved-offers, I'd certainly expect both them and Etihad to respond within the next day or two, going by past years.

Happy Hunting !

1 hour ago, Konini said:

One place was in House and Land mooban on the 1001 - anybody out that way know if the planes regularly go that far north before turning? I don't care about the odd one going to China, it's just what is the norm.

I live outside MaeJo, and the planes to China use the roof of my house as an aiming-point, I sometimes think.  But you're right, that's only 10-15 times per day, and they're mostly narrow-bodies and fairly-high by the time they pass over here.

Thai Lion just got one/some new wide-bodied planes, also TG use bigger planes in winter, and they tend to be slower climbing-out and turn further-North than the B737s/A320s, IME.  But most planes are turning over the Super-highway or Mee-Chok, as you say.

14 hours ago, NamKangMan said:

Send the Thai Military in to clean this mess up.  Oh, that's right, they have been in control for 3 years already, yet, have achieved next to nothing on Phuket. 

 

No hope for improvement on Phuket.  What we have now on Phuket, will be what Phuket will always be.

IIRC the military cleared a number of buildings/businesses from beaches, during the first year in-power, which were reportedly occupying the land illegally ? So some progress at least. This may be a borderline case ?

Personally I steer well-clear of Phuket, have done for years, as we simply got tired of the constant scams.  Vote with your feet and your wallets !

But will it increase, or decrease, the likelihood of a major earthquake in Thailand this coming year  ...  we need a Thai professor to tell us !

3 hours ago, George FmplesdaCosteedback said:

I have a question: why has there only been 2 or 3 bankers prosecuted in either the UK or the US for their total incompetence?

The UK Gordon (ex-chancellor) Brown government ignored what was going on in the US so Brown is culpable for what subsequently happened in the UK. As chancellor for years before he was responsible, and even with one eye should have seen what was coming. Ludicrous unsecured loans and crazy funds could never last, which were just invented to increase performance bonuses for unscrupulous predators.

IMHO Brown should have let some banks go bust and recompensed the customers for their losses, not bailed out his mates with tax payers money.

Agree whole-heartedly, the 'light touch' on the City & 'prudence' he so-often mentioned as both Chancellor & later PM, turned out to be a recipe for disaster, he deserves to be given the full credit for his mistakes !

But one can't go punishing the top-bods at the banks, they might move to a different tax-haven, and screw-up their economy instead !  If I were one, I'd have moved-on overseas, after legally moving my earnings offshore natch !

China Southern are 4-star and 8/10 on www.airlinequality.com, but you do get some pretty-bad reviews on there too, other people seem perfectly happy ?

http://www.airlinequality.com/airline-reviews/china-southern-airlines/

58 minutes ago, lamyai3 said:

Did you mean to post this in the laser whitening thread? 

No, nor in the popular  "Hide the Sausage"  thread, I understand that's a popular passtime in Pattaya & Bangkok?

But good catch, there !

The never-ending Thai version of "Where's Willy".

Yingluck appears to be in London enjoying the New Year's Sales, like a good populist ex-PM, while the ordinary people hope for a B15/day pay-boost, her brother's pre-election promise that 'they would all be rich within six months' having somehow failed to be delivered-upon.

I can't blame her, she should never have allowed family-loyalty to push her into accepting the job, in the first place.

But at least it puts to bed some of the conspiracy theories.

2 hours ago, Sakeopete said:

They belong to his friend the Chinese submarine salesman. 

And are therefore scandal-proof, to a depth of sixty metres, only !

B15 would be too little, and this increase is overdue, IMO.