jayboy

1 hour ago, onthemoon said:

Well, your experience may differ, but I haven't carried my passport around within Thailand for years, and if any official is not familiar with it, any discussion is usually very short as they immediately ask their supervisor. I haven't had a problem since I first renewed my driver's licence six years ago.

 

Edit: I forgot to answer what I want to do with it. Take domestic flights, check in at hotels, renew driver's licence; anything I need an ID for. The exception is when renewing the work permit, that's when I need the passport.

Then you have been fortunate.It is by no means everybody's experience - take a look at the many examples provided on this forum. I note you miss out the need for ID in banking/finance, a critical area for many and one where a passport is invariably required..A couple of years ago my Pink card in one instance was not accepted at airport check in.In any case the fact that you have had to invoke a supervisor on some occasions rather confirms my point.

4 hours ago, onthemoon said:

I don't need to carry the passport around with me any more

Depends what you want to do and how sure you are the Pink card will be accepted for the purpose you have in mind.Even a casual trawl through this forum shows that the Pink card is baffling (and not accepted) by many Thai officials and functionaries. There are many cases where it makes sense to keep a passport in the back pocket, if only to remove a slight doubt.

I accept there are some folks who enjoy nothing better than a long boring argument with some overworked Thai functionary about the validity of the Pink Card. Takes all sorts.

The good news is that the Pink card is becoming slowly more accepted for ID purposes.The direction of travel is clear and my guess is that within a few years this storm in a teapot will be no more.

7 hours ago, Tuvoc said:

My wife agrees on that. She refuses the vaccine because a number of people she has spoken to have had long-lasting effects from the vaccines. And as the virus has mutated to be much milder, if you're fit and healthy maybe there is no longer a big risk for you. I know someone who died from a blood clot from the AZ vaccine.

 

However I have had 2 x AZ followed by a Moderna booster and then a Pfizer booster. For me the benefits outweigh the risks.

You draw the correct conclusion in your final paragraph.However to suggest the benefits outweigh the risks in the context of Covid vaccinations is akin to saying the benefits outweigh the risks in flying in an aircraft - though the latter is statistically more risky.

With respect your first paragraph doesn't make much sense and anecdotal evidence/ uninformed gossip need not be taken seriously.

1 hour ago, swm59nj said:

It is advisable to get a booster.  The norm is now two vaccines and two boosters for a total of four.  Moderna being the booster of choice. 
 

This is good evidence based advice.

But I have a question (vaccination sceptics please don't bother responding).What happens after having taken the second booster?

1 hour ago, onthemoon said:

a passport with ever-changing numbers.

Every ten years in my case.Thus every ten years a couple of hours admin notifying banks, telephone/internet providers of new passport number.Not too much of a hassle.

1 hour ago, onthemoon said:

I never have my passport with me within Thailand, as a matter of principle. ????

And when the banker/official/policeman turns up his nose at your pink card, are they satisfied when you tell them you don't carry a passport as a matter of principle?

8 hours ago, jombangkok said:

Some more question. What is a reasonable agency fee? Got quoted 250k recently.

 

Ridiculous.If you have the time do it yourself. If you don't or can't be bothered, get a trusted legal firm (not one which caters for gormless expatriates) and enlist your secretary to help with paperwork. Actually if you have a really good secretary she could probably handle it by herself.As to fee best to agree up front.I would say no more than Bt 50,000.

8 hours ago, jombangkok said:

Another possibly odd question, is a lack of friends and family a big issue? Very close thai friends, 0 if I am completely honest. Save for my long term girlfriend. I have people I contact every now and then from work a few years ago, but in all honesty WFH have more or less killed the small social life I had, since 2020.

It matters not a jot.They don't care whether you have Thai friends or not.It's just possible they might ask in the interview - just say you have friends in the neigbourhood and that you enjoy their company.

2 hours ago, beeper said:

Did you encounter any pushback , ignorance from the banks.?

for me k bank was utterly at a loss when I presented Pink ID. They insisted on passport as official document

UOB was the only bank that accepted PInk ID number a local as reference when I got a mortgage to buy a condo from them. 

The Pink ID card is not recognised or accepted everywhere but the situation is gradually improving.Practical advice if an important transaction required is to keep your passport in back pocket just in case.

At what age can a Thai citizen shortly to start university in Bangkok open a full banking account with a Thai bank? By full banking I mean getting internet banking, an ATM card, the bank app etc.

20 minutes ago, Dogmatix said:

For PR and citizenship it is often just your lawyer or agent who pockets all or most of the money.  

That's the usual response on this forum, but for me using a lawyer worked well.He had been our company employed lawyer dealing with immigration for many years.There was no overcharging or pocketing of funds.

As a matter of interest do you have any idea of how much very roughly the police general was paid?

11 minutes ago, Dogmatix said:

However, it still seems that the average applicant for PR or citizenship has been able to get through the entire process without using a lawyer or agent or being subjected to demands for cash.

I hope so.But the evidence seems mixed.

25 minutes ago, Misty said:

Unfortunately valid, qualified PR applications were simply not being accepted during very recent years unless an agent was used.  This was an open topic among law firms helping applicants, and was confirmed via direct experience as well as in discussion with others at foreign chambers of commerce.  That's why it's heartening to hear Anthony's experience from Dec 2021 that perhaps that trend has been rolled back.

 

Editing for clarity:  The applications that I know of personally were definitely not border line cases. 

Point taken.I recall hearing recent developments on the lines you set out - there were certainly no issues of this sort when I applied.

Interesting that we were being told on this forum that after the military coup the logjam of PR applications was loosened up by the Ministry of the Interior.Now we hear that corruption at Immigration on PR applications - never a concern before - was ramped up.Perhaps it's like getting a Covid jab - favourable developments for a bit before the pesky virus re-asserts itself.

7 hours ago, Dogmatix said:

For second “interview” he just waltzed in and showed the police general’s name card and was told all was in order

Although your friend was successful, there is I suspect a definite danger in invoking high level bureaucratic/police/armed forces support for PR applications unless you know exactly what your sponsor's reputation is in the Thai pecking order (and you never will).I agree that, as regards immigration matters, a police general's support is safer than most but, given the maelstrom of internal politics, one can never be quite sure.Given that the police general's intervention was not "free of charge", it would present an opportunity for a hypothetical rival to make mischief or worse.Why exactly are you doing this for this unimportant farang etc etc? I wonder how much the "consideration " actually was.If I was a Thai police general it would have to be very large indeed to make it worth the slight risk.

I have never heard of a PR application being rejected where the applicant fulfilled all the criteria.I suppose in a border line case - say a salary on the low side - it might be a sensible option to invoke support from outside.Otherwise my inclination would be to put in the application and wait.There doesn't seem to be a downside to a longish wait.

12 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

If you want somewhere up market maybe a different country is best

Quite so, though there are many places in Thailand that offer excellent experiences for the discerning traveller.

As for Pattaya, its fate will be determined by economic forces.

On 6/8/2022 at 11:20 PM, kinyara said:

I suggest you watch the interview Buzzin Pattaya did with the owner of Heaven Above during Covid. It addresses quite a few of the questions you raise from an experienced guy in the industry who faced a lot of the issues you mention

I occasionally watch Buzzin Pattaya.The presenter seems a bright and personable cheeky chappie type but negative impressions remain.The whole scene he depicts is resolutely down market - geared for the tattooed gor blimey ex London cabbie type. A sophisticated visitor would avoid like the plague.Secondly the tours of the area Buzzin Pattaya shows underlines how scuzzy and downmarket the whole place is.

Sex always was the engine that drove Pattaya but in the past there were some redeeming features.All gone now.

On 6/14/2022 at 4:38 PM, richard_smith237 said:

Realistically, IF your son has mild symptoms, feverish and sore throat just like any other cold he’s had then just treat it as a cold... he’ll be fine in a day or two and testing negative again in less than a week. 

 

Good advice and in line with the best medical advice.

Having said that I've noticed that middle class Thai parents almost always seem to take their Covid affected children to hospital/clinic and are then invariably prescribed with several drugs sometimes antivirals as well.The option of having them recover under parental supervision at home without medical intervention doesn't seem to occur to them.Obviously if there was any unusual symptom a visit to the hospital/clinic would be justified but in most cases the symptoms are as you describe.

I've been here long enough not to question weird Thai customs openly.But I did mention to a Thai friend that a Covid affected child of a my relative in the UK was treated at home without visiting hospital.I was floored by her reply." What you must understand that we Thais really love our children."

On 6/16/2022 at 8:30 AM, internationalism said:

as good as he is, he would never become nominated by the democrat party because he was involved in serious corruption a long time ago.

No, he wasn't.What you have said is not only untrue but libelous.If you disagree please provide details.Otherwise just keep your absurd allegations to yourself.

That's odd.Since the endorsement has expired, why does it have to be cancelled?

A friend has had 2 AZ vaccinations and a Moderna booster, the latter 5 months ago. She had been going to get the 2nd Moderna booster at the same private hospital.The opportunity has come up to get a free Pfizer booster.Is there any issue? If there isn't, is there at least a preferred option to get a second (paid for) Moderna jab?

On 6/4/2022 at 12:49 PM, Will B Good said:

He is no more than a liar, a cheat and a third rate columnist who, through the class system, wormed his way into positions of power.

 

Liar he may be but he's a first rate columnist who earned an excellent living by his pen.He's not particularly upper class - less so than David Cameron for example.If you describe stonking election victories as "worming his way into power" you might want to brush up on the British constitution.

I'm not a fan of Boris Johnson but silly uninformed criticism confuses the issue.

22 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Since all it is requiring is COVID cover it hardly serves that purpose.

 

Other countries have managed to have insurance requirements without a "Thailand Pass" equivalent.

 

However the MoPH has made so much noise about the necessity of insurance  that they can't drop the requirement until something else is in place without losing face.

 

I think that something will be the 300 baht surcharge coming into effect next quarter.

 

Should be noted that not all of the unpaid bills of tourists/expats  is due to lack of insurance. Failure/inability of some government hospitals to provide the documentation needed for insurance payment also plays a role. Especially at Vachira in Phuket which has been one of the most vocal in complaining about unpaid bills.   

 

Of course some people really are uninsured or underinsured. But there is also a lot of potential insurance reimbursement being lost because some hospitals don't have the necessary staff and systems in place to access it.   

It would be interesting to do a cost benefit analysis on the insurance issue.My hunch is that the problem of foreign tourists lacking insurance cover and/or being unable to pay hospital bills is relatively small.Does anyone have the numbers?

On 5/28/2022 at 8:28 AM, Crossy said:

 

Of course, I have REAL (no $$$ tied up) credit cards from Citi, AmEx and SCB. All want you to be working (but see JAS21's post above) and have at least 6 months left on your WP.

 

 

In my experience if you are issued with a Thai credit card when holding a WP, it will not be cancelled once one has retired.

I notice that in my Mor Phrom App under Digital Health Pass that there is an expiry date six months after the date of my last vaccination.This appears to relate to the EU Digital Covid Certificate/Under Test.

Does this have any practical significance?

Like many here who have remained in Thailand for 2 years or more,  my thoughts have turned to home trip for 10 days or so to the UK, probably in October.

I thought I might treat myself to a business class ticket since my usual BA Premium Economy isn't available.Any recommendations? My provisional list in order of precedence -

Qatar

Eva Air

Emirates

Lufthansa

KLM/AF

Thai

Budget not more than Bt 130,000.Don't mind breaking journey.

Much talk on both sides of military partnership, and need to address security threats.That may be true of the United States but Thailand has no security threats or even potential enemies. Thailand will always kowtow to China and as to its traditional enemy Myanmar, the military rulers of both countries are as thick as thieves. Theoretically Thailand could eliminate its armed forces altogether on the lines of Costa Rica but more realistically a minimum force needs to be in place - internal security, border patrols, modest army, ceremonial and assorted marching around activity. etc. Total spend by the Thai armed forces is approximately US$ 7 billion p.a.This could easily be reduced by about 75%.

Given the huge discrepancy in drug prices between private hospitals and pharmacies. I wonder how cost conscious but comfortably off middle class Thais approach the issue.I'm thinking of Thais who have a monthly income - just plucking numbers out of the air for illustration purposes - between say Bt 75,000 and 125,000, ie those can afford private sector medical treatment but who are also cost conscious. I certainly know of one Thai who has an arrangement with her doctor whereby he tells her the drugs needed and she then buys them outside, thereby avoiding paying hospital prices for drugs.Is this common practice?

42 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Why not go to one of the 2 Apple stores?

Thanks.Yes that's the best option.I may check my local Apple repair setup first.