wordchild

pretty good dentists in Thailand , from my experience, as good or better than eg the UK

Whilst living in Thailand i have had 3 (i think ) the last was implanted around 3 years ago ; the fact i am not sure how many is a good sign, and i would be hard pushed to point out which (of my teeth) were implants if asked. No issues beyond a month or two of settling down. All were done at Thantakit All Seasons Place, which is my regular dentist. From experience and , from what i have read, i would say; 1) get it done at a quality dental surgery by an experienced implant specialist. 2) upper teeth tend to be more likely to cause issues than lower; mainly because of the risk of the implant piercing into a sinus cavity. 3) dont bother trying to replace back molars, not worth the effort.

Maybe because their shares are cheap?

easy enough to open a brokerage account here (if you cant use your existing broker) just remember (as you are not Thai) you must buy either Foreign Reg shares or, maybe easier, just buy local shares and ask your broker to convert them to NVDR. If you dont hold your shares this way , as a foreigner, then it is likely that the company will withhold your dividend. Personally speaking i think there are better Asian markets to invest in (for Income) than Thailand , the quality of the companies here is a big issue for me and the 10 percent withholding tax is a bit of a downer. Why not consider investing more widely in the region, eg HK and Sing? Having said that i have started to invest (a little) again in the SET as there is some value available, IMHO. For high quality companies that pay a reasonable dividend i would suggest having a look at 1) PTT, the main compny not any of the quoted subsidiaries. Price=38 bt. Shares are cheap , if unexciting, balance sheet is solid, and the dividend yield is just under 5 for 2022, if you buy now you will also be entitled to a biggish dividend for yr end 2021 due to be paid in March. 2) Siam Cement, again the main holding company not the also listed packaging business, price is 388bt and the divi yield is just under 5 for this year. Maybe little boring but solid similar to PTT above. The main Thai banks are all cheap, esp BBL and Kasikorn (my opinion) and their dividends (and share prices) are likely to recover strongly over the next 2/3 years, however they maybe more volatile than the kind of investments you seem to be looking for.

yes Bloomberg is saying Test and Go suspended ; reviewed again on Jan 4

Sorry my original post (to which you responded) was not clear. I have since edited it.

I think this means the end of test and go and back to quarantine for new arrivals. That what Bloomberg is saying anyhow.

Headline on Bloomberg says Thai cabinet to consider ending quarantine free travel. Looks well sourced. ie a return to quarantine for arrivals Oh dear! More news coming out on this quoting Anutin, saying that a halt in quarantine free travel is to be considered. Baht is dropping on this

ASAP, with Omicrom wave about to hit our shores. I just got mine done 3months and couple of weeks following my 2nd regular vaccine, happy to have done that now

i have walked around sections of the new park and i think its going to be a stunning when fully opened; Lumpini looks boring and staid by comparison.

You married her right there and then, in her place of work?!

There has been some helpful information posted and thanks to all for your contributions. Just to update; i went along to Samitivej (Bangkok) today and spoke again to the vaccine desk. I also showed a screenshot of the Thonburi hospital vaccine policy (posted by rwill above) . This time i got someone different; she checked the records for myself and my wife and immediatly offered us an appointment for next week. She confirmed that a 3 month gap between 2nd vaccine and booster was now considered sufficient. So either the information i was given the other day (re a 6 month gap) was incorrect or something changed over the last few days.

It is interesting to see that the UK has now reduced the minimum gap between 2nd vaccine and booster jab to 3 months. I believe in response to Omicron. As far as I am aware Thailand is currently recommending hospitals stick to a 6 month gap before (double vaccinated) people can obtain booster jabs. Certainly this is what i was told by Samitivej (Bangkok) when i enquired recently about a date for my own booster. They said not likely before Feb as it needs to be 6 months after my 2nd vaccine shot. Even though i booked and paid for Moderna months ago! Does anyone know if there is a medical reason for this or is it because of supply concerns? On the basis that Thailand often seems to follow vaccine best practice in Europe/USA I am kind of hoping the gap may also be reduced here.

You can also get it done at Bumrungrad (10th floor). Passport, vaccine cert required (they take copies). You get the vaccine passport couple of days later; good efficient service but you pay for it! costs 1500 plus the 50bt Govt fee.

The only way this would even begin to make sense is if the Govt/Regulator insisted that the new combo give up a chunk of spectrum (at a low price) to encourage a new competitor (eg 3BB) to enter the market.

It may be allowed through, TIT after all, but it certainly shouldn't be allowed to happen. To take the market from 3 players (already tight by global standards) down to 2, will completely alter the competitive dynamics and not in favour of the consumer. Thai consumers will likely face significantly higher mobile costs in the years to come. I cannot think of another major Country that would allow this to happen to such an important market for consumers. Of course lots of promises will be made but basically the new combination (True/DTAC) plus also AIS will have a licence to print money for years to come benefiting their shareholders significantly. Is this about favours being returned? Frankly the whole think smells!

Hi I just checked this with a Thai broker and maybe what the broker told you originally is correct ie you may need to sell and repurchase rather than convert. It seems there are different rules for converting from NVDR to F (and F to NVDR) as opposed to converting from Local to NVDR. While you can convert NVDR to F at any time after purchase (and I have done this myself a few times) you cannot convert Local shares to Foreign or NVDR after the trade has settled ie you have only 1 day to correct the mistake after your purchase. It looks like you will need to sell and repurchase. The broker should be able to do this for you at minimal cost (as they can match up the trades) but there will be some cost involved. Sorry about the incorrect info I posted above. I would think it is best to discuss this with the broker and get them to execute the trade rather than trying to do yourself online.

That does not sound right, and I would call again to check the information you were given in terms of how to rectify the situation. From what you say, you bought local registered stock as opposed to either F (foreign) or NVDR stock. I assume that you do not qualify to own L (local) stock, in which case the company is required , under Thai Law, to withhold any stock entitlements from you , eg dividends. It is analogous to buying a condo from the Thai allocation if you are a foreigner. This should be easy to rectify without the need to sell and repurchase, which would likely cause expense. The broker should be able to convert your shares into either F (if shares are available) or, maybe easier, convert your shares to NVDR form. In very rare situations the NVDR allocation is also full but I cannot think of any Thai shares for which this is currently the case. Simply instruct your broker to convert (ie rather than sell) your shares to the appropriate class. FWIW my personal preference is to own Thai shares as an F registered owner, you can always sell as Local shares if the liquidity/ price is better. But that is as a long term holder, if a trader simplest is to just buy In NVDR . check again with the broker concerned regarding your options.As what you were told simply does not sound correct. Ask them if it is possible to convert all your holdings to NVDR form as a first step.

I agree that allowing in fully vaccinated travelers is likely very low risk, and there should be the minimal bureaucracy to facilitate this. Many people need to travel for reasons other than tourism eg family visits and business travel. Opening up entertainment (and bars!) while the schools are still not fully open is just barmy. Get the bulk of the population (incl older kids) vaccinated, then fully open schools and universities, then wait to see what happens with case levels and healthcare capacity. Only when the situation seems to be under reasonable control should they consider opening the nightlife. It would be just plain wrong to make kids suffer again because of a push by interest groups to open up the nightlife.

Yes this is standard practice amongst international employers in Thailand, however if it’s a Thai company not sure if they will do this.

Samitivej sent out a message recently saying that they will start to timetable vaccinations of Moderna on the 8th Oct; they requested prior vaccination history with the implication that it would determine the priority list. They provided an indicative timetable based on your previous vaccination history (eg no prior vaccine = moderna immediately available, had 2 AZN shots already wait 6 months after your last AZN shot ) they also gave an option for people to transfer one or both of their vaccine slots.

The news report that i read suggested that they would start "selling tickets" to certain destinations from Oct 1st; travel dates not confirmed as yet. I doubt many people will be rushing to book tickets with them given; 1) would you really want to fly on a plane that has sat on the tarmac for 18 months, piloted by a crew that have, until recently, been buzzing around Bangkok in their Grab jackets? 2) And also considering how badly they have treated (former) customers who had flights booked and paid for that were cancelled due to Covid. They have given only very limited customer refunds to date, one of the worst of the world airlines in that respect.

not all double taxation agreements are the same, some countries may have taxation agreements (with Thailand) that cover private pensions. The UK/Thailand agreement is pretty old (30 plus years) and they are supposed to be working on a new one. (But they have been saying that for several years and nothing has appeared.) I guess when the original agreement was drafted there were not many UK pensioners in Thailand, so the agreement simply does not cover private pensions. I believe it does cover Civil Service and Military pensions as quoted above. so the UK revenue will not approve private pensions paid directly , gross of tax ,to someone resident in Thailand. For UK retirees in some countries eg (I believe) Australia it is possible to have private pensions paid without any (UK) tax being withheld . But that is because the DTA between the UK and Australia covers private pensions. There are other options available to Thai expat residents to mitigate any local (Thai) tax liability, eg as mentioned above holding current income outside Thailand until the following Thai tax year (Jan 1). However i would think that it is extremely unlikely that you would ever be questioned by the Thai tax authorities about pension income which has already been taxed in the UK. Nevertheless, there is a risk of further (double) taxation in Thailand of pension income (from the UK) , because such income is not covered by the current UK/Thailand DTA. I ,personally , have never heard of anyone having any issues with this. The risk is purely theoretical ,in my opinion

I think you need a new financial advisor, maybe someone who has some greater knowledge regarding UK/Thailand taxation issues

The current Thailand/UK taxation agreement does not cover private pensions. I think you will find that you cannot have your pension paid gross of tax if you are resident in Thailand. there maybe other types of tax planning that you could take advantage of, but best to get professional advice on this.