5 minutes ago, Baht Simpson said:

My point was a general one about how I perceive these people, not about any particular issue.

"These people!".

I don't see how Jo Rowling belongs in this group.Was including her just your attempt to smear? To many thousands of women she is a hero - brave, compassionate and honest.What you call intransigence, I suspect the vast majority sees a fierce honesty.

Yet I admit there is a generational gap.Lets hope the young's views change.

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

You can add British Doctors to that

You could but doctors are a far more disparate group than judges.

40 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

Many wrongs don't make something right. 

Of course they don't.But why concentrate only on Israel when worse abusers (who do not face an existential threat of annihilation) often seem to get a free pass.Perhaps for these people indignation is only appropriate when Jews are involved.

42 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

A religion which states that they are "God's" preferred people, indicating that all other people are inferior.

Anti Semitic trope which non racists (including many decent people appalled by Israel''s activity in Gaza) would immediately grasp.You apparently do not.

2 minutes ago, JimTripper said:

Because we are focusing on israel now, not other locations or past wars. Your attempt to deflect attention from war crimes happening now has failed.

Doesn't really answer the point.The question arises why the selective indignation about Israel's response (I agree excessive) to Hamas terrorism while nothing but silence about other international crimes.I think we know the answer.

11 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

Stop occupying other people's land would be a good start.

Any reason why this doesn't apply to other countries that have disposseded the original inhabitants of their land ? e.g Brazil,Canada, China, USA, Australia, New Zealand, West Papua, Russia, All the countries of North Africa and many others.

What arouses the wrath and hate of so many about Israel while ignoring crimes elsewhere in the region e.g Syria? What is unique about Israel? Let me think.

On 3/27/2024 at 6:12 PM, retarius said:

I think the fine minds of the UNSC have spoken about this, considered it, debated it and come to the conclusion that the genocide has to stop. 

More fine minds like mine  would say that Israel should remove itself from all stolen lands and go back into the only lands it (might be) legally entitled to, i.e. the lands shown in the maps used to delineate Arab and jewish areas in the original documents which started this wretched intractable problem.

The land was in the UN documents was divided into an Arab half and Jewish half. Sadly the Jews wanted more than their fair share of land and have been on a land theft spree ever since. 

If the jews retreat to their land and stop the land theft for settlements etc I think the problem will ameliorate but never heal. 

Reference to "the jews" and "jewish areas" make this person's racism very clear.

1 hour ago, itsari said:

Apparently the man in question is a retired judge from the UK.

But of course he being a retired judge could still be a fool as you mentioned.

There is no way the man is a retired judge.British judges are very well paid and enjoy excellent pensions even after a relatively short time on the bench.Most have been high earning barristers before being appointed judges.More to the point (and I'm aware it's a generalization) they are highly educated - typically public school and Oxbridge - and pillars of their communities.Socially they tend to be upper class or upper middle class with the cultural interests that implies. There is no way these people would be attracted to a Thai resort built on prostitution and populated mainly by lower class expats and their Isaan farm girls, many tattooed and obese and (even those purporting to be different,) speaking in cor blimey accents and pursuing the interests that chavs and pikeys have everywhere.It just ain't going to happen.Former judges can be as sex obsessed and kinky as the best of us, but they are not going to be fishing in Pattaya waters.

My guess is that Dan has got a bit mixed up and his guy had some kind of legal auxiliary role.

2 hours ago, Goat said:

In his latest vlog love guru Dan, tech expert and owner of leading Thai dating site ThaiFarangMatch, delves into the case of a recently divorced British judge who got taken for half by his British wife and then who quickly moved on and dumped a cool 20 million on buying his new uneducated Pattaya girlfriend from upcountry a villa. 

While they are still a couple, Dan doesnt hold out much hope that the relationship will last.

 

And Dan reveals that Thai women are not for him.

 

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/AuqEE7uTwvBMGCws/?mibextid=qi2Omg

I would bet the house that this divorced guy was not a former British judge.

18 hours ago, MartinBangkok said:

Tell the freaking bank you are looking for a bank, not a tax office, and leave!

Haven't heard of this before but am not really that surprised.Many here will be aware of pressure from UK banks on expat customers in Thailand to provide tax identification numbers with a view to clarifying tax residency.This is of course driven by Common Reporting Standards (CRS) and Thai banks are also interested in this information and for the same reasons.How much pressure the Thai banks are under on this issue from the Thai Government I have no idea.But the direction of travel is clear and the ratcheting up is inevitable.For those who have flicked off impertinent inquiries about tax identification numbers - or cobbled up excuses - from their banks over the last couple of years (including yours truly) I don't think this can be done much longer.I'm guessing the Thai banks will be less insistent but they won't give up on the quest.

10 hours ago, beautifulthailand99 said:

So the Thai government had a handle on the amount in Thai bank accounts aggregated, was my conclusion. They probably got each bank to run a query against each Thai ID number - pooled the information ins a single file and ran the app against this look up.

If my grandmother had wheels, she would have been a bike.

9 hours ago, MartinBangkok said:

You are dead wrong here. 

Doesn't tax paid have to be proved at renewal time?

1 hour ago, White Rabbit said:

I assume you are much much wealthier than that as you are bringing this up

Sadly not

53 minutes ago, SABloke said:

No, I mean that the requirements for getting permanent residency is easier when one is married.

Er, no it's not.Requirements are largely the same and in my opinion in some ways more inconvenient.It's cheaper though.

3 hours ago, Mike Lister said:

Your lawyer is correct. 

 

The only way you can become a Resident in Thailand is to become a naturalised Thai subject, foreigners here on long stay visa's are not Residents in that context.

 

Your willed ownership of the condo will depend on the quota's at the time. Assuming the condo was purchased from within the Thai quota (51%), the foreign owned quota at the time of her passing will determine whether the unit you are willed can be absorbed into that quota or not. If it can, you will not have to sell. If it cannot, you will have to sell.

 

 

The Tilleke advice suggests that the position is even more constricted.Assuming the 49% limit isn't breached (in which case every foreigner inheriting would have to sell) one would still have to be a Permanent Resident (with red Book etc) or with investment promotion status.

The great mystery is not so much the boring and inane content but why any organization should think it's worthy of publication.

Perhaps a greater mystery still is why I read this mind numbing junk and then commented on it.

33 minutes ago, PJ71 said:

You contradict yourself here, pink ID card is useful but makes sense to carry passport.......begs the question - what's the point?

There is no contradiction as would have been clear to those who read the post carefully.

The Pink Card is definitely becoming better accepted and it is Government Policy to encourage its use (so I was told by a senior Immigration official)

After a time one gathers a sense of where are the risk areas.I never carry my passport now when checking into hotels; the Pink Card seems to be accepted everywhere.

I wouldn't yet rely on the Pink Card for any kind of bank transaction.

Ideally the PInk Card format would be updated and improved to hold more information.

On 3/19/2024 at 7:24 AM, Ben Zioner said:

But "they" are the affluent, entitled Thai upper and middle classes.

In many cases of course of Chinese heritage themselves.

Don't however agree with your simplistic take on Thai attitude to foreigners.Thailand is far from being anti-foreigner but they like to be able to place people in an understandable context.

23 hours ago, Mike Lister said:

Lastly, don't expect any support our of the UK Embassy on this, the Swiss debacle was a one off.

Probably not as I have mentioned elsewhere.Still hope beats eternal etc etc.

I don't know why you describe the session with the Swiss Ambassador and a very senior official from the Revenue Department as a "debacle", especially as I recall you didn't have the time or inclination to listen to it.It was very far from being a debacle:in fact the session was very illuminating.I and many others found it extremely useful especially as it's the only time a RD senior official has presented on the subject.

There are plenty of sources of information available on the subject.I had a long discussion with a senior banker who is following the expatriate tax issue very closely.His view is that there are many aspects which are very far from clarity.It seems sensible to wait and see and avoid any kind of prescriptive lecturing.He did mention that those who brought in funds before year end acted very sensibly.

26 minutes ago, fulhamster said:

Has the UK Embassy or Consulate arranged a meeting with Thai tax authorities to obtain some clarification regarding the new tax legislation ?

555555555555555

Not while there are diversity conferences to organize.

Can you think of one thing or initiative - just one - that the Embassy has done for the great mass of resident British expatriates who are not influential or connected? They don't even attempt to keep a record of those resident.They would respond by saying consular services are available which is true but I am thinking more of specific initiatives to support local British citizens.Unlike other Western countries this aspect is of no interest to them.

Example? Think back to Covid and how the Embassy ignored hundreds of very worried elderly expatriates when vaccines were problematic.Just fatuous high level representations.Eventually the British Chamber had to step in.