manarak

2 hours ago, melvinmelvin said:

A CO might get away, flak free, with that today - after the accidents,

but it would have been quite problematic 2 years ago - me thinks

I think you are right... looks like a lose-lose situation ?

49 minutes ago, melvinmelvin said:

 

The defense team for the skipper, Mr Benson, requests that the judges drop the court martial against Benson.

Claiming that the top management in the navy has made a fair trial impossible.

 

https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2018/11/16/defense-team-navy-brass-made-it-impossible-for-former-fitzgerald-skipper-to-get-fair-trial/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Navy Times 11-16-18&utm_term=Editorial - Navy - Daily News Roundup 

 

his defense team is not wrong.

but there are other issues.

what do you all think about being given a ship with a crew that hasn't performed mandatory certifications, but is still given missions?

should a CO refuse to carry out the mission as long as training isn't up to the navy's official standards?

2 hours ago, melvinmelvin said:

 

an off topic (kinda) remark from me

I have said earlier in this thread that navy officers are not good at driving or handling boats

I got a lot of pepper and flak for my comments

the  US Navy has, in essence, concluded as me, they are useless at driving, don't even know the rules of the road

 

now,

very early this morning a navy frigate, in Norway, crashed into a fully loaded crude oil tanker

in one of the Norwegian fiords, why? nobody knows - so far

but it is crystal clear to everybody, including the navy, that the tanker had right of way

 

the tanker - some scratches

the frigate - very severe damage, they ran the frigate ashore, beached it - to avoid sinking

 

the tanker - pilot and a nanny tug at the bum

frigate - no pilot

 

navies around the world have challenges

reading through what has been written about these collisions, there are 3 things standing out:

1- there is a need for Navy bridge officers to be certified in civilian navigation procedures. Not knowing the right of way is absolutely unacceptable for someone steering a ship.

2- the ships' basic controls need to be simplified and better designed for clarity. Computer games have much better interfaces than the Navy's classified "secret" ship systems.

3- I'm unsure if it has always been that way or not, but it seems micromanagement is paralyzing officers, who rather than taking action to avoid potential danger prefer to do nothing to avoid being criticized if they do a small mistake while they are in charge. maybe it's time to review promotion criteria. to me, an officer who has never been criticized for his actions is suspect.

Ariya and Moriya, go girls !!

2 minutes ago, Time Traveller said:

No they are not. They are priced according to the costs.

do you really believe that?

it only applies to low cost products.

yup.. the price of beer in Thailand is really a downer.

I guess a lot of it is due to tax.

...because cheating immigration regulations is not illegal. yeah, right.

10 minutes ago, tropo said:

Ask yourself this. Would you retire in Malaysia if the visa was free with no bank deposit requirements? I wouldn't.

very true!

3 minutes ago, swineninety9 said:

Do they have $1000 Swiss Franc Notes?

negative. they have 1000 swiss franc notes.

2 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

Sorry to say but if you can't find staff (put an add on https://th.jobsdb.com/th) , you can't make enough money to pay staff and you can't find work for staff then you don't have a proper business, you are a freelancer which isn't allowed here.

looks as if you have only commonplace banalities to say.

I make enough money to pay staff, but I can't find enough people worth spending the money on.

12 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

The people who are leaving are spending not much money anyhow otherwise they could afford a proper visa, so goodbye.

It's not that simple.

I have been trying to find staff for years, but it's really very difficult in my business (internet/programming).

I'm not a tourist, I need a work permit because I am working and paying taxes, but currently the requirement to have 4 Thai employees is an obstacle and I can't afford to pay 4 people for doing nothing.

I think it's good if some flexibility can be found in an arrangement in which nobody is at a disadvantage, from any perspective. Everybody benefits.

14 hours ago, JackThompson said:

I knew someone with a legit-business on this type of extension - guest-house + restaurant.  One day, officials showed up to verify the business was legit, and to count the employees.  They stayed (and were served coffee and snacks) until the 4th late-arriving employee showed up for work.

 

Also, be aware that if one were found to have faked something to get an extension-of-stay, immigration may regard this as a form of overstay, and pursue banning.  This happened to someone who was found to have faked the money for the company-equity (reported here, even though he had since gone to a Non-O - was deported and banned), and could presumably occur in a case of faked-employees.

there are indeed yearly inspections where the number of employees is verified. please read between the lines.

2 hours ago, Wayne Lee said:

Manarak, many many thanks, excellent answer ????

 

Some follow up questions if you don't mind:

-> all in including? I would like to ask for the breakdown because all the agencies I talked to seem to hide things.

I haven't got all the details with me now, and I won't be back in Thailand anytime soon. I think it was something like 4x900 baht social security, approx. 3000 or 4000 for accounting and the rest (approx. 2600 or 2800) social security and personal tax for myself.
The annual fee includes yearly accounting cost, yearly lawyer's fee and "processing fees" at labour department and immigration.

-> Did you have any experience using an agency who assist you on setting up a company? I talked to couple of them and I can say they don't sound very trustworthy. Do you have any advice on what I should be careful of before handing them my money?
I used a lawyer member of the Thai bar.

-> Could you kindly point me to somewhere to check the bar membership and chartered accountant? Many thanks.

That's actually a very good question. I have found no online resources for this, maybe something is available in Thai language. The 2 regulating associations are: The Federation of Accounting Profession and The Lawyers Council of Thailand

11 hours ago, overherebc said:

If doing 90 reports and not leaving the country that means an extension of stay, not a visa, so won't that be cancelled when you finish with the original company??

I don't know about that particular matter.

I have mixed feelings about OP's story.

So OP broke immigration regulations by abusing visa-exempt entries and a friendly immigration officer still allowed him to enter in exchange of a small bribe.

As far as I can understand the situation and if I believe OP's story, the IO did provide a good service and saved OP a trip back to Singapore, as well as provided OP with a way to re-enter in the future.

Yet OP is angry, the root cause being himself ignoring immigration regulations.

my advice to OP would be to regularize his situation with immigration, for example by registering his Thai marriage and obtain the corresponding visa.

If for some reason (for example like already being married in Singapore) OP doesn't want to register his marriage, then he could apply for a METV.

Someone in this thread said METV are free for Singaporeans, I reckon this type of visa would solve all his problems.

5 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

I still say it is pure stupidity to put your'e signature on something in a foreign language you do not understand.

When signing a document I don't understand, I add a note saying that I don't understand the document.

6 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

My wife was educated 100% in the Thai education system. Her and her little group of Thai people also educated 100% in Thailand make 500 ton structures that they ship to Europe to be put into industrial settings there.  Thailand has no unemployment and the economy is doing great. 

 

Could you give me an example of free thinking in grade school or high school or anything under the MA level?  I don't think they want kids to freely spell or add and subtract.  In my own education experience no one wanted me to be a free thinker till I started working on my Masters.  

 

I never wanted a free thinker to work for me.  Do what I tell you the way I tell you and when and where I tell you and do it perfectly every time and we will get along.  

the previous poster mixed things up - "free thinking" is not the question here, the question is about thinking things through, making plans, anticipation, exactitude, analytical thinking, etc.

7 hours ago, RichardThailand said:

 

Can you claify what you mean by

"Thailand does not tax foreign income that stays abroad for at least 12 months."

from KPMG:

https://home.kpmg.com/xx/en/home/insights/2011/12/thailand-income-tax.html

Quote

Salary earned from working abroad

Is salary earned from working abroad taxed in Thailand? If so, how?

Salaries receive from employment exercises outside of Thailand are exempt from Thai tax, if not paid in or remitted into Thailand within the same calendar year it is received and provided the cost is not recharged into Thailand.

Taxation of investment income and capital gains

Are investment income and capital gains taxed in Thailand? If so, how?

Most types of capital gains are taxable as ordinary income. Capital gains from the sale of shares in a company listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (if the sale is made through a licensed broker) or from the sale of investment units in a mutual fund are exempt from tax. Any capital gain or investment income from sources outside Thailand is not subject to taxation unless a resident taxpayer remitted the process into Thailand within the same calendar year it is received.

Dividends, interest, and rental income

In general, dividend, interest, and rental income from local sources by residents and non-residents are taxable income in Thailand.

Interest earned on savings deposits with a bank in Thailand (which are repayable on demand) is tax-exempt if the interest is below a maximum limit of THB20,000 per year.

A resident of Thailand may elect not to include dividend income in his/her annual tax return provided that a tax credit /refund on dividend are not requested.

Interest, dividend, and rental income derived from sources outside Thailand by resident of Thailand are taxable in Thailand to the extent such income is paid or remitted into Thailand within the same calendar year it is received. Non-resident is not subject to Thai tax on such income from foreign-sourced, in any case.

another source:

https://www.pkf.com/media/10028503/thailand-tax-guide-2016-17.pdf

Quote

Resident individuals are subject to income tax on Thai sourced income and income arising or earned overseas if remitted to Thailand in the year in which it is derived.

4 minutes ago, tutsiwarrior said:

rich or poor we all got the same immigration, local taxation and property ownership rights hassles and etc to put up with...

actually that's not true.

there is Thailand Elite and some investment visas give the right to purchase 1 rai of land, etc. Thailand does not tax foreign income that stays abroad for at least 12 months.

10 minutes ago, RichardThailand said:

 

Hopefully some of the posters here will learn from this link.  Also a map of Asia might be a useful thing for those who are not quite sure what countries are in Asia ? 

a post about your client's lifestyle, preferences and priorities would be most helpful to determine a suitable destination.

7 minutes ago, BarnicaleBob said:

Hawaii, has all the resources one needs to enjoy life, the best year around weather, they all speak English (well mostly lol), and Maui, Hawaii would be the best island to live on.  

not in Asia...