Gaccha

Thanks. That's interesting. Since making this thread, I've also found that AliPay scan options don't work within Thailand. It does look very unlikely to work abroad.

But satellite phones require a licence in Thailand. If iPhones are enabled in Thailand will Thailand change its laws?

I just downloaded the App on my phone and it works, But I am using True. The website is also working for me without incident. There are definitely a lot of ads within the App, which link to betting sites. Also the App is designed for betting, with links to dropping odds as well as current odds prominently displayed.

I think you will be able to. It seems the face scan is just for the App.

What is needed entirely depends upon the visa or extension you possess. If you have a work permit you will not need any proof of your address. It is increasingly evident that they are limiting the people who can open accounts to those on what used to be called the resident visas/ extensions, i.e. the "non-Imm ... ".

I made a topic on exactly this issue a couple of months back. TTB Bank like all the other banks requires you to attend in person for the facial recognition update. BUT unlike all the other banks, they completely freeze the App at the limit level that you set for it on the 7th of July. In my case I had the App set at zero baht. Which means that until 9th of September I cannot use the app to make any transfers! I have had to visit the bank in person twice in order to take money out over the counter and put into another bank. I had been told that I can use my card as normal, but I found that when I attempted to use it it did not work. I went to the bank for them to check on this and then somehow it started working.

Not true versus UK. I suppose if you fish around enough you'll find Western countries that had very tight fiscal policies so they did not suffer inflation. You can see the stark difference below. Thailand even had negative inflation in 2020.

We can see the astonishing increase in the money supply here (for the economists among you, you can see this is the M2 supply): We can then contrast with Thailand's very gentle increase in money supply: ...which we can also show by the rate of change: If you spent the pandemic in the West and then came to Thailand after the pandemic you would have missed the stoic suffering of high unemployment, debt and homelessness that occurred at the time. But you are now enjoying the benefits of it.

USA 'created' 10 trillion dollars (quantitative easing), such as direct stimulus cheques, and the UK 'created' 1.2 trillion pounds, such as the furlough process, during the pandemic. There is no such thing as a free meal. That money had to be paid back. Inflation is a type of (non-consensual) tax. Thailand by contrast created almost no free money. There were only trivial stimulus packages, hence the horrifying poverty that became visible on the streets in late 2021 and 2022. But it has paid off with little inflation today.

The key is to select one of the tiny number of dentists in Bangkok with JCI accreditation. This will ensure they have first world standards. See here. I've used BIDH and they were good.

These App drivers are one of the few pluses in the last 10 years of transport issues. By breaking up the cartel of the taxi mafia they provide a better, more luxurious experience. If they don't want the App drivers around, then provide incentives of better public transport to their users. This would include severe penalties for fare-hiking, easy complaint procedures and better quality public vehicles.

I would like to know the grounds for this assertion. Have you personally attempted to use it and found you're blocked because you were a foreigner? Although it is certainly true until very recently foreigners had only a limited functionality within TrueMoney, and that would definitely limit where they could use it. Now that there is 'Advanced' status (this needs a passport with a 'Non- ' stamp on it, as the TrueMoney system states, among other alternatives) for foreigners, there are effectively three tiers. Within the App it is obvious that the Advanced status foreigners are not allowed to use the 'm plus' feature, for example. It is specifically blocked and states 'for Thais only'. But there is no wording at all like that in regard to AliPay or any of the other dozens of systems that link to TrueMoney. In fact quite the opposite. On my app it's specifically says that I am personally connected to AliPay. Why on earth would it connect me to Alipay and then tell me I cannot use Alipay. It even allows me to personally disconnect from AliPay. Make that make sense. Has anyone here with Advanced status had any personal experience using it in Japan or Taiwan or China etc. ? The Advanced status option has only existed for a few months as far as I can tell.

I'm not worried about domestic usage. I'm just trying to see if anyone has had experience of using it abroad, particularly for complex transactions as I described above.

I've set it up and got verified so that I'm Advanced status, and I've got a virtual True MasterCard. I'm interested to know any experiences with using the card abroad. There appear to be an enormous number of possibilities. One seems to be using it at 7-Eleven in Japan via Alipay Plus network through the TrueMoney App scan option. And another seems to be using it contactless for the London Tube via the Google Wallet and True Mastercard; this would be like having an Oyster card. Anyone done this? I don't especially want to plan to use it on a trip, only to find it is pretty useless.

Incidentally, there is a one time password system in operation for booking appointments now. I'm not sure this was always the case.

This seems to be limited to Thais only. Just 10 years ago this would have been almost impossible. But thanks to Fintech (the finance technology revolution of the last 10 years) you do have some limited options. "Stashaway" opened a branch in Bangkok a few years back (2022?). And this is the option I'd use in your position (i.e. want to keep money in Thailand to keep things simple but want access to the World's ETFs and mutual funds). Obviously it is always wiser to follow the ABC rule when an expat (live in A come from B invest in country C) and it is also always wiser to invest in a first-tier country (e.g.Singapore or Hong Kong) to ensure your money is safe. But obviously only you can determine your priorities. I doubt this is possible. HSBC does not have regular customer account options anymore. Although they have recently opened premier customer account option in Bangkok. But I don't think this offers mutual funds etc. to foreigners. A basic problem you face is that regulations restrict where you can invest. As you've probably discovered you will not be able to make greater investments in the UK if you are a resident in Bangkok, although you will be allowed to keep investments already made in the UK. These stifling rules can be very frustrating. Again, the typical solution is to put money in the more 'relaxed' locations of Singapore or Hong Kong. All of this can seem tiresome but compared with 15 years ago this is absolute paradise. Back then the only real options for international investments were insurance company based investments which were often dreadful. The other options were to invest in local mutual funds etc with often pitiful returns.

There are two new vaccines for Chikungunya with impressive results: IXCHIQ and VIMKUNYA. But are they available in Thailand? How much?

I can answer that because I wanted to check who signed for my delivery. It turns out that the delivery driver can sign for the delivery!

I have been a very long time user of Lazada and Shopee. Lazada in particular has demonstrated a superb responsiveness to refunds. It has always provided a refund to a claim. I always avoided AliExpress for years because I got the impression they had a dodgy refund mechanism. But it's actually worse than I thought. I received a notice yesterday (7th of August) in the App of delivery of an item on the 28th of July. Having made sure that nobody else accidentally picked up my item (which is an occurrence that has never happened in the whole time I have had home deliveries), I then claimed a non-delivery. The AliExpress app states that before a complaint is made you contact the logistics company. I checked with the logistics company which then said It cannot deal directly with the receiver. The AliExpress then says to contact the seller if the logistics company does not provide information. They did not respond back to my message (It clearly is not in their interest to respond) since any refund would be against them. After putting in my claim, AliExpress AI bot makes a determination against me. It requires that if I want to continue the claim I must provide evidence. And the evidence is proof of non-receipt from the logistics company or police evidence. I figured my CCTV would be good evidence but in fact my CCTV only goes back 10 days. Since the delivery notice arrived 10 days after the claimed delivery date I did not have any CCTV. This is absurdly Kafkaesque. The system uses its complete incompetence against you. If you are going to use AliExpress make sure your CCTV has a long storage system.

It is long been recognised as a sport, at least since the 1940s. This recognition looks very similar to the recognition now just granted to poker. If a bridge game is played without the authorisation of the bridge club body of Thailand (CBLT) then it can still fall into the trap of being regarded as illegal. The question arises as to whether the Pattaya Bridge Club were recognised by the national body for bridge in Thailand. Although the details are sketchy it seems that the bridge club when it was raided in 2016 was defended by the CBLT. This could have two meanings: they were in fact authorised and recognised by the CBLT, or on their behalf, the CBLT claimed that bridge is not a card game known culturally within Thailand for gambling. The latter is a defence under the gambling laws of Thailand for when an activity is not specifically banned.

Poker was never and has never been specifically outlawed in Thailand. Having read all the relevant legislation, and knowing the terrible explanations I've found on various websites I'll explain it below. Poker, as a card game, is only regarded by the Thai legislation as illegal if it is considered to be traditionally regarded as normally played in the pursuit of gambling. Poker is not, unlike many other games, named and banned by the legislation. Probably because Poker, and certainly the Texas Hold'Em variant were not known in Thailand/Siam at the time. This means, even if you play with plastic tokens and with no intention to pay out with money it is still illegal since poker itself is traditionally regarded as a game played in the pursuit of gambling. You'll notice that for similar reasons those pensioners playing Bridge in Pattaya got arrested. They were eventually let off because they convinced the police/prosecutors that Bridge is not a game normally played in the pursuit of gambling. By my reading of the law it seems the relevant named Minister can write declarations allowing certain games at certain times without any new legislation. And that seems to be the plan here. Hope this helps.

Hardly surprising given the terrible combination of the response to the pandemic, poor GDP growth fuelled by political instability, and an economically illiterate millitary government running the country for around a decade. Thailand had the opportunity to attract the huge amount Western industry moving from China but instead it relocated to Vietnam and India. Thailand's ability to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory is always quite something.

Just to be clear, this is a black leopard.

In Western diplomatic circles, the talk is of invasion and regime change in Phnom Penh. I think Thaksin is just siding with this very real possibility.

It's remarkable looking at the work of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. They have gone back in time looking at the satellite maps and they can identify the exact moments of explosions and troop movements. Never has a conflict being so clearly the fault of one side: Cambodia. You can clearly see troop movements in mid-February, to fortify strategic hill stations, as well as strengthening military road networks within Cambodia. You can then see that the first shots were fired into Thailand. But it is equally shocking how bad Thailand has done on the communication front. The whole international media is alight with Cambodian representatives pleading their innocence. Whilst Thai diplomats sound aggressive and obstinant.