kimamey

10 hours ago, geisha said:

when you say Bangkok, where ? Do you mean the airport ?? 
I use Bangkok taxis often, and never have a problem. They are more than half the rates compared to Phuket or Pattaya. Phuket and Pattaya have a big problem with their over charging taxis. Think about it, example , a taxi from pattaya to Suvarnabhumi costs around 1300 to 1500 baht. 90 mins drive. 
A taxi from Pattaya centre to Jomtien charges 500 to 600 baht for 15 mins drive. I avoid them like the pest, except for the Airport runs or urgencies. 
I left Phuket years ago because of the lack of public transport and the scamming taxis . Pattaya and hua Hin has baht buses at least ! 
 

Although BKK is sometimes used to refer to Bangkok, it is the airport code for Suvarnabhumi.

I can't say I've had many problems with taxis to and from the airport. It's often a great workout for the anal muscles.

On 2/8/2025 at 4:37 AM, PETERTHEEATER said:

.....in the sun-drenched haven of Pattaya,......

 

Gawd!

Well it is usually sunny. Then again so is Death Valley.

1 hour ago, Hunz Kittisak said:

Xi conveniently forgot about Macao the Asian Las Vegas. 
 

Just because he didn't mention it doesn't mean he'd forgotten about it

On 1/13/2025 at 11:17 PM, hotchilli said:

After four hours at the salon, I bet she don't look like that waking up.

Unfortunately we won't get the chance to find out

14 minutes ago, TheAppletons said:

 

  Have you considered purchasing a computer with a "return" button so you can create paragraphs?

Sorry about that.  I wrote it on Libre Office as I didn't have time to do it all at once. The formatting probably got lost in transfer and I didn't check. 

On 12/9/2024 at 1:57 AM, gk10012001 said:

I never said they would target them.  I said they may have the ability to pursue all their financial transactions if they decided to.  Your speculation and assumption is ...

The difficulty is finding those who might be getting the increase when they aren't entitled to under the current rules. If they have a way to find people who are possibly infringing the rules then it becomes much easier. It's not difficult to investigate someone to find out where they are living. Their passport information should do that. I'm surprised they aren't using that already although that might only go back so far.

On 11/15/2024 at 3:16 AM, Gottfrid said:

Yeah, all the Brits who moves to Thailand or lives here, knows the rules. Fair or unfair, has nothing to do with it. If they make a choice to move to Thailand, they will also make a choice to go by the rules. Break them, and sooner or later you will have to pay for it. Something that might be so hard that they can not stay in Thailand no more. 

 

Welcome to Thailand! Stop hiding and breaking the law. If you can´t afford it, Thailand is not for you. Then it´s better to chose a country where can get your full pension.

I think the situation is a little more complicated than you suggest.

It’s not always the case that there’s an easy choice. A case I read about, an elderly man’s wife died, and his daughter, who was living in Australia with her Australian husband and young children, suggested he went to live there as he no longer had any friends in the UK and of course didn’t see his grandchildren as much as he’d like. I have a similar situation with my granddaughters. That’s not a simple choice to make and not something that can be planned for. I’ve heard of several similar cases as well. 

When I first came to Thailand in 2008 to meet the woman who is now my wife there were a lot of things to think about, but my pension wasn’t one of them as I didn’t know how things would work out. Call me an old romantic but I wasn’t going to bring up ridiculous UK pension regulations when deciding whether to live with and marry my then girlfriend. At the time we decided to live in Thailand due to me being 15 years older and my son and daughter being adults whilst her daughter was 13. There wasn’t a firm plan, although I did think I might have to return full time to the UK if my health took a turn for the worse. I’m 70 now but OK so far. I also had in my mind that I’d be spending more time in the UK by now but amongst other things my wife’s mother is getting older so that makes it more difficult. Plans don’t always work out as you intend.

As for knowing the rules, that’s not so simple either. If you pack up and move completely then yes it’s straightforward and also if you move back in the same way. If however you move between the UK and, in my case Thailand then it’s complicated as there aren’t any actual rules as such. I did have a letter from the DWP setting out their method of determining residency but I can’t find it now. They look at whether your flights are return tickets, do you have family, do you have somewhere to live and do you have a car? That’s all I can remember. All departments have their own. HMRC is pretty clear but others use ‘ordinarily resident’ or ‘habitually resident’. I did phone the International Pension Centre early on to ask where I could find the rules. I was told they would be on the .gov.uk website. I said I’d looked and couldn’t find them and was told “They’ll be on there somewhere”. I mentioned this when I wrote to my MP and he couldn’t help either. On various calls when I’ve asked what would constitute becoming resident again, I’ve been told. “Being in the UK for 6 months”. I don’t know if that’s got to be continuous or not. “It’s not really just how long you’re here as it’s based on other things as well that help us decide if you’re resident or not”. On my last call when I pointed out that between early April 2024 and early March 2025 I would have been in the UK for 186 days, so more than 6 months, the woman said “Oh yes that would mean you are resident”. So I’m now resident, at least for now.

It’s not as simple as it sounds is it.

On 12/17/2024 at 2:12 AM, lordgrinz said:

 

They'd be better off embracing the low-end, and advertising it everywhere. Trying to chase a fountain of Gold could end up bankrupting them if it doesn't work out, and they would've already spent way too much trying attract them. Not worth the risk, they already have what they need to support the lower to middle-end of the spending crowd. In fact, it was working for years, they just need to do away with the nonsense of the ever changing immigration policies, paperwork, and harassment. 

The thing is, they come up with this plan on a regular basis. If it worked these high end tourists would already be coming anyway.

They could look at making it easier for foreigners living here. It doesn't say how long these tourists stay in Thailand, but let's say 4 weeks, 28 days. If they spend at the top end mentioned, 7,000 baht per day, that's 196,000 baht. A foreigner living here and spending 537 baht a day would amount to 196,000 baht over the year. Plus they aren't likely to say to their wife and family "I've never been to the Maldives, we should go there next year. That would seem a much better option in the long term. However that would make sense so rather lacking in Thainess.

On 12/18/2024 at 10:47 AM, phetphet said:

The cancer cases must already have been there. The program has just brought them to the fore.

 

I wonder what the main causes are here in Thailand. Smoking? Excessive use of chemicals in farming? Pollution? Additives in food? Deep frying everything?

A lack of amulets as well maybe?

Good to see they want to stop nepotism. Wouldn't want that would we?

On 12/7/2024 at 7:44 AM, jcmj said:

If they ban vapes, then they should ban cigarettes. But of course we know that the cigarette manufacturers have big pockets and connections, so they won’t be stopped. Vapes are now the cheaper alternatives to cigarettes and the tobacco companies don’t want them around, unless they get into the game. I bet some already are. Time will tell. 

As far as I know the big tobacco companies are getting into vapes as they can see that regulations are closing in on tobacco. Mind you vaping may not escape either. 

9 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

In case you have metal pipes, then those can have rust inside and that might clock valves or something like that.

 

The tank is a short bypass from the main supply,  so it should be ok. The only problem may be the pump. I'll have to just try it and see. I could always replace the pump as we've had it a while.

I'm off to Bangkok on Saturday and then back to the UK on Tuesday until early March so it may have to wait until then unless I can fit it in. 

Thanks. 

10 hours ago, novacova said:

If it was left uncovered maybe a drain and rinse, personally I wouldn’t bother since you’re most likely not drinking it.

It's a plastic tank so it's been covered

 I may drain it but it isn't used for drinking.

Thanks

We have a water tank and pump that hasn't been used for a while, maybe nearly a year. It's still full of water but I guess I should drain that, but is there any chance that it may need some sort of cleaning to avoid any possibility of bacteria.

20 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

Yeah Jeff... WTF is that !

 

Good post, although I think your English need a bit of improvement. You should have written.

Yeah Jeff... WTF are those?  😃

22 hours ago, SunsetT said:

They could bring in some Christian bishops as advisors...🤣

Maybe they already have and that's the problem. 

1 hour ago, khunjeff said:

The responses all seem to be about immigration, but the system is meant to be about check-in, baggage drop, security, and boarding, in addition to immigration.

 

Since this is an AoT press release, they fail to mention that the only part of that process that AoT controls is security. Immigration will decide who can or can't use FR to pass through their gates, and the airlines will decide who - if anyone - can use it for check-in and at the gate. Since airlines are responsible for checking visas and passports for entry to destination countries, they are generally not as open to using fully automated systems for international flights as they are for domestic trips.

 

Still, if it speeds anything up, sure, why not. (If you entered the country legally, and especially if you ever got an extension of stay, the Thai government already has your picture, so don't fantasize that they're grabbing your soul by saving your photo.)

A lot of hotels have my picture on my passport as well,  I don't know how long they keep them. The government has my picture and my wife in our bedroom, outside the house.  They have had dozens of copies of my signature, many in one visit to immigration. Most are unreadable but there are a few where they've asked me to do it like it is in my passport.

28 minutes ago, VR333 said:

Sadly, Holly Bowles has now passed away 

 

https://7news.com.au/news/laos-methanol-poisoning-victim-holly-bowles-dies-in-thailand-hospital-a-day-after-best-friend-bianca-jones-c-16840415

This is from the BBC.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cde7j9j76x0o

I don't see any mention of the police,  but maybe I've missed it. 

Just had another look and I can see a mention of the police now.  The story seems to focus on TikTok and TV interviews. 

On 11/20/2024 at 8:43 AM, lordgrinz said:

 

Yeah, until it's your own wife or daughter, then the tune usually changes. Lets nip this in the bud right away, my solution is a effective deterrent, and there will be no recidivism.

I see your point but in law there is usually a necessary sense of proportion. Would you suggest the same punishment for speeding, driving under the influence of drink or drugs ect. What about the Thai government  for allowing people to drive without proper testing or policing. Then there's the police themselves for allowing the obvious danger. You could also target a large part of the Thai population for their lack of responsibility on the issue.  And that's just driving, never mind all the other dangers that are deliberately allowed to continue.

I wouldn't want to understate this woman's experience but I think you need to be sensible.

I would have thought the best thing to do would be to turn off the fan, and anything else they have and then look to see if the meter is moving. Try that at different and then call the electricity company. It could be down to power other than for the fan or it could be a faulty meter.

5 hours ago, ujayujay said:

Do you know the difference between not having a driver's license and having an expired one? Apparently not!😉

If your licence has expired, you don't have a licence.