kimamey

Is that all it takes? I've just passed 70 and I was wondering how to stay looking cool.

I think the invasion and death and destruction in Ukraine is a bit more than a squabble, plus it involves China to some extent. As you say Thailand has a conflict next door and they don't seem to be coming out too strongly against that either. Min Aung Hlaing's children are apparently moving money to Thailand and buying assets here. I don't know if that's been investigated yet or not. A lot of the Russians who come here are probably the ones who don't support the war, or at least not so much they want to take part. Not directly connected but I was reading that supporters of monks in Myanmar have been boasting that their monks and abbots have bigger, more expensive cars than the Thai ones. Surpassing the corruption in Thailand that's been in the news here recently. Of course it's only those monks and abbots in Myanmar that support the military killing that are benefitting. Ukraine or Myanmar, it's all down to what it will cost Thailand rather than the sort of empathy I would have expected from a largely Buddhist nation. Until I got here and witnessed it in action of course. What could Thailand do? Say it's wrong to invade another country and steal their children, maybe.

Yes that's true. Plus it's difficult to find much that doesn't involve imported parts, unless it's just things grown here

That's basically it. They'd rather not think about it. The west has tried to avoid it as well, which is why Putin didn't stop at Crimea.

I can see your point, but the one thing you haven't mentioned is Ukraine which is the country that is suffering. From what I've seen many Thais aren't very good at looking beyond their own immediate needs and wants and taking responsibility. They will have looked at their situation rather than the death and destruction in Ukraine and base their decisions on that rather than taking a more difficult and responsible stance which might cost them.

I assumed it means you can't buy a mobile phone since the second paragraph mentions that many are imported or contain many imported parts.

Of course they are, because things didn't go to plan. It was a plan to encourage people to vote PT and ensure a big majority. After that it didn't really matter if it was implemented. MFP messed it up by getting more votes so now they have to show they are serious or they may have problems in the next election, if they can't get MFP banned or reforming.

She asserted that the child enjoyed vaping and pitched a tantrum if denied the e-cigarette. Hardly surprising since the child is probably addicted to nicotine.

I'm not sure that's correct. In the UK I have to pay tax on any income regardless where it comes from. If I'm not tax resident, for example because I'm out of the country for more than six months, then I only pay tax on my UK income.

I think it also means platforms like Ebay where people earn money but don't declare it.

The guilty look is probably because he's been caught. It sounds as if he knew he had a problem because he admitted it straight away. A lot don't. I've met 2 paedophiles and a guy who had sex with an underage girl. That I know of. I didn't know at the time because you can't tell by looking. The underage case seemed as if the girl didn't have a very supportive family. Her father was more interested in money than a court case. One of the paedophiles I met with his wife at there home in connection with work. I later saw a local news report that he and his wife had abused a girl who I think was 9. The other was a guy called Mark Hanson. My daughter and I used to go to a ferret club in Southampton and he I think was in charge of membership. He was a really nice guy and very welcoming. He killed himself and it was only during a memorial service for him that a letter from him was read out that said he'd been in prison, I think in Denmark. There was no information about the offence. There was a series on BBC called The Hunt for Britain's Paedophiles. I can't remember the year but I'll try to find out. It was a 3 part series and followed the police investigating paedophiles who mainly uploaded pictures from what I remember. The last one showed a police raid on Mark Hanson's flat. It included him talking to the police. I think he mentioned he had been abused as a child. I think there were blurred out videos of him that were shared between paedophiles and there were a lot of complaints. That was the first time any of us in the club knew about this. I'm never keen on describing sex offenders as "evil monsters" as I think it gives the impression that their whole life is filled with evil actions and that you can see them easily. In many cases, including Mark's they aren't evil, but are perfectly normal and friendly. It's just that one flaw in their character, and you won't be able to see it. Your best hope is that there might be a small clue, but there's the danger that you can misinterpret something as a clue. It seems it was 2002. I don't know if the programme is available but there is a book of the same title on Amazon.

It's basically a fetish and only understandable to those who share it. The difference is that unlike any other fetish you can't just find someone to act it out with, for obvious reasons. It's good that he will be kept away from temptation and that he admitted it, so avoiding a lengthy court case. It sounds like he maybe understood his problem. Whatever a good result, but a pity it wasn't discovered earlier.

I think Sunak has no chance anyway, which is a shame as he's certainly better than the last 2. Or is that 1 and a half? I'm not sure how to count Liz Truss. Not that it's a high bar. I'm pretty sure he's not intentionally disrespectful of veterans but it was a stupid mistake, especially with all those bright, smart young university graduate advisors I saw him photographed with when he became PM. You'd have thought they might have had enough brain cells between them wouldn't you? I've never voted Tory by the way.

Is "quaffing" a typo? A lot of people would be happy if it wasn't. 😀

That never happened last time though so I'm not sure it would now, whatever we may wish.

My post merely stated that Rishi Sunak isn't an immigrant in answer to someone who seemed to suggest he was. That means he isn't a foreigner and nor is Sadiq Khan because he was born in London. I'm not sure why that is so difficult to understand. I do notice that neither of them are white or born to parents from western countries so I assume that might be your logic. We don't know how anyone would react when it comes to who they would back, but I don't see any evidence that either Rishi Sunak or Sadiq Khan would back Indians or Pakistanis respectively over UK citizens. In fact Nigel Farage supports Trump who would probably undermine the UK and share our secrets with Putin. None of this has anything to do with the OP. It's a difficult position to find yourself in. As for knowing what you're doing when you move to Thailand, or anywhere else, it's not that simple. When I first met my now wife I would have just turned 43. We had no idea how we would get on and when we later met and saw that we liked each other I didn't think to rush to the DWP website to check out state pension entitlement. In fact the issue only came up in 2021 a year after I first received my pension. I'd previously spent 3 months in the UK then 3 in Thailand and so on, initially working whist in the UK. I was always in the UK slightly longer than 6 months. I stayed with my mother in her 2 bedroom flat. She's in her 90s and liked that I was there at least some of the time. Covid messed that up a bit but I planned on returning to the 3 month cycle. Then she needed to move and a one bedroom flat came up so I lost my place to stay in March 2022. I still go back, but it's expensive and it's not easy managing 6 months. One thing, other than pensions that I think needs to be considered is what happens if you lose mobility and need a wheelchair. Many pavements/sidewalks aren't pedestrian friendly let alone suitable for wheelchairs. You may need to return to your home country.

No it's genuine. He's supporting the military now by joining them in government despite PT promising not to. If you go back to the 2010 Redshirt protests he promised justice for those killed by the army. When PT were in power however he decided to protect the military and try to prosecute Abhisit and Suthep since they were rivals he wanted to get rid of. He based this on the fact that the army were only following the orders of the PM and his deputy given through the rules of engagement. Only, any reading of those rules would show that most if not all the killings were outside those rules. If you need any further proof then Robert Amsterdam, the lawyer for the Redshirts brought in Ray Whitty, formally of the US military as an expert witness to give his opinion. His full report was still available not that long ago and may still be. Within it Ray Whitty states that the army was operating outside of the rules of engagement. That rather undermined Robert and I didn't hear much from him after that. Still maybe the miraculously cured Thaksin will fight for that justice now he's back. If I hear anything on that I'll let you know, and you be sure to do the same.

I obviously said something you're having trouble coming up with a sensible answer so you claim I'm sticking up for them and post a picture of one who nobody would want even if he and his previous generations were born here. The "them" you claim I'm sticking up for is again a massive generalisation presumably because the complexities of asylum seekers are too complicated. Immigration is a problem and seems to be worse now we've left the EU, although some may be down to Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Ukraine, which should finish moving through the system and then reduce. It needs more than just generalisations.

Yes agreed. He also said he'd get immigration down to the tens of thousands. When it didn't happen he first blamed the LibDems and then the EU and their freedom of movement. It's as if he didn't know about it.

😄 No Southampton

I think you're entitled to NHS treatment as soon as you become resident in the UK.

The PM isn't an immigrant. He was born in the Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton UK. His parents are Indian Abbs he may have Indian citizenship through that, although I don't know but he definitely isn't an immigrant.

Two problems with that. As far as I'm aware the state pension is paid by those working. When they retire those then working pay for the pension of those who have retired. So when I was working I paid for the pensions of those who were retired. Admittedly it would have cost more if there hadn't been frozen pensions at that time, but times change. Sometimes people move to be with adult children who look after them, not always through choice. Times change, and so should the state pension. You'll notice they don't mind changing the age you receive the state pension despite what you thought was the retirement age when you were working. Also, I'm retired and I pay tax on all my pensions and on the rent I recurve for the flat I rent out. I pay VAT on fees to the letting agent and any other costs related to it. The only income I don't pay tax on is on foreign income which is zero. Just recently the PM said the government should look after those who had worked hard for their retirement. He didn't say it depended on where you decided to doyen your retirement.

The army might shoot them of course as they did before. I wonder who Thaksin would blame if that happened. I doubt even he would try to blame Abhisit and Suthep this time.

How dare you defame the Chuckle Brothers.