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jayboy
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Posts posted by jayboy
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4 hours ago, Thaiophil said:
Full Covid insurance as per Thai requirement would add extra cost. Mine was already covered by my work
Excellent report.One question if you don't mind.Many of us have work or private insurance covering the COVID risk already.Can one just show the policy or is a letter required from the insurance company needed confirming the specific Thai requirement on cover?
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12 minutes ago, RocketDog said:Admittedly I cheat by using sophisticated and exotic tools like socket wrenches, slip joint pliers, and adjustable wrenches. Hell, I even bought an O-ring assortment and crimp terminals for wiring jobs although I still keep a roll of black tape for the really tough situations.
OK that's how you take care of your wife but how do you deal with those pesky DIY jobs?
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23 hours ago, spidermike007 said:
Even the rural folks benefit. Alot of the nicer houses in the poorer farming areas were built with money from expats. Alot of trucks, cars and income is from expats.
All true but let me ask you a question. Do you think this phenomenon whereby previously poor uneducated and - crucially - deferential people get ideas above their station is welcome or repellent to the Bangkok establishment who decide on policy?
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13 minutes ago, alyx said:
I understand but the TE card is one of the categories allowed in ....putting it in a favourable position, considering. This card has been criticised for 17 years and will be as long as it stays on (hopefully a long time for the members)????
One must hope so.It's certainly the case that the Elite programme has had strong staying power.I remember many years ago that on this forum the very mention of Thai elite would trigger a dedicated volume of sneering and abuse as a worthless and risky Thaksin inspired con.I never understood the reason for this (though suspect the green eyed monster given the cash outlay needed). I'm on record suggesting that for certain people it was absolutely the right product.
Turning to bill reidy's query on "uncertainties", (given that the question had to be asked) I'm not sure where to begin - so in the interests of keeping on topic I won't.
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9 minutes ago, alyx said:
Maybe because you are not doing the math correctly: The total "value" of this card is 2,406,600 proposed at 1,700,000 Baht. Unfortunately for the OP, there are fees, hidden to the potential buyer: it is roughly a 45% discount. Of course, one might think that the latter is of no concern to the buyer but even though...it is a 30 % flat off the total cost. I am not sure how many years are left but I guess the 19 years cited include the extra 6 months given to the members of this group due to the virus. If not it is even a better deal.
Point taken but it's not just - or even mainly - a question of maths.It's also about the many attendent insecurities and unknowables for a product with this projected lifespan in the current Thailand environment.Anyway the market will determine the value not our cogitations here.I suppose however there are some people who would be prepared to pay over the odds - so here's hoping the seller gets his price.
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By any reasonable criteria this does not seem a sufficient discount given the many uncertainties involved.If I needed this kind of security I would pay no more than Baht 1,000,000.
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3 hours ago, possum1931 said:
That's the first thing I would do if I had to go back to the UK. Use social media to let everyone know about the unelected "PM" and his soldier "politicians" and their treatment of both Thais and Westerners, particularly Westerners.
What makes you think that there would be the slightest interest in the UK? They have other concerns to worry about of greater importance.As to Thailand's politics by international standards there is little to complain about, let alone justifying foreign countries going out on a preaching limb.I say that as a strong supporter of the protest movement.But we need to keep matters in proportion.
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20 hours ago, ID2020 said:I am trying to get into Thailand before vaccines become mandatory or basically you cannot travel. I do not want a DNA altering vaccine with nano tech inside it that will be able to track and monitor me 24/7. Bill Gates also said it wil kill around 700.000 which is another reason I would rather avoid taking it. I just can't have it for various reasons, mainly being my freedom and privacy (not that I have anything to hide) I
You do realise that this makes you sound as batty as a fruitcake, don't you?
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On 10/5/2020 at 4:00 AM, Stygge said:
It still shows what the majority of the thai people probably thinks.
Er, no it doesn't.The culture of deference has been disintegrating the last twenty years.
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1 minute ago, Arkady said:
Re lawyers. This suits some busy applicants for whom time is money, if they can find one of the few law firms that can actually add value in this area. Most people, however, will find it better and cheaper to do it themselves or have a secretary or some other Thai helper to assist them.
Good luck with finding a reliable "Thai helper" if that involves contact with Immigration. It's not a binary issue. I have friends with PR who have used a Thai legal firm (usually a well known one with which they had a long relationship) and I have friends with PR who did it all themselves.All were well established executives not particularly sensitive to the costs involved.Some were motivated by a sense of challenge in negotiating the PR journey without external help and others couldn't be arsed ( as opposed to thinking time was was money). In almost every case there was an excellent secretary who did the hard yards.
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18 minutes ago, scorecard said:
Agree.
"...It will cost money..." This could be very big money. I'm aware of an international law firm in Bkk (big name) who offer help with PR applications.
I don't know their fees for this but I am aware their basic fee is 120,000Baht to renew a work permit in normal circumstances, nothing complicated, nothing changed from last year, plus extra charges for photocopying, messenger to take the docs to the labour office, etc.
Sure there are some lawyers who charge reasonable fees but many have a fee schedule which is outrageous / a total rip off in relation to the actual difficulty/volume of work. That includes both Thai and foreign lawyers.
It won't be an option for everybody. For the reasons you suggest - and others - it's necessary to do due some due diligence before retaining any individual/firm. In practice many applicants for PR simply use the legal firms already used by their companies so the fees are not extortionate (ruling out scams like the Bt 120,000 wp renewal you refer to.At my company we paid about legal fees of about Bt 10000 for wp renewals). Also a half way decent personal secretary (so be nice to her, all you PR applicants) does most of the document accumulation and liaison with the lawyer"s office. Having said that reputable lawyers are expensive and retaining legal advice on the cheap can be problematic.It's best to avoid those firms which feed on gullible foreigners and firms which operate on a no success no pay basis.The websites for these shysters are usually a give away.Even if you are confident of the law firm's integrity and competence, it's best to have a talk about fees in advance so there is no misunderstanding.
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2 hours ago, onthemoon said:
2.) Lawyer. I keep recommending against lawyers. They cannot do anything for you except follow the list and ask you to get the documents. Oh yes, they can translate documents for inflated fees and save you the time of going to a translator. How serious are you about your PR if you cannot even do that? Waste of money, IMHO.
Recommend to your heart's content but it's your opinion only and many would disagree.It's true that many successful applicants do without and it's certainly not necessary for success.It's also true that a dodgy lawyer is worse than no lawyer at all.But assuming some care and due diligence on selection, support from the right kind legal firm will provide considerable benefits - most notably saving you from getting deeply involved with bureaucracy and generally making the whole business pain free.It will cost money and if you don't have money or are too stingy, then it's obviously not an option.There are some people who just love the buzz of tearing around and assembling documents, and chewing the fat with mid level bureaucrats.Good luck to them but speaking personally, it's my idea of hell. Chaque a son gout or to put it another way - there are different approaches to different circumstances.
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32 minutes ago, holy cow cm said:
Yes they did, and yes it was, and yes they will.
That's a very convincing rebuttal - if you are five years old.Grown-ups might not be so easily persuaded.
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On 9/29/2020 at 11:09 AM, holy cow cm said:
And so Thailand is the first to reward China and totally overlook that they created the virus that wreaked havoc on the world whether intentionally or unintentionally released. I wonder whose pockets are going to bulge from this?
A odd post.This is not a reward for China.China did not create the virus.Therefore it was not "released" intentionally or unintentionally.The proposed admission of tourists is on such a small scale that nobody's pockets are going to bulge.
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4 minutes ago, Airbagwill said:
The corkage charge is completely irrelevant - it is the way that Thai law works that is the elephant in the room
That was the point of my post.
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6 minutes ago, Expat Tom said:If you do not have a Thai passport and are in Thailand then you are a guest. Far too many expats here, and elsewhere in the world, are suffering from severe ethnocentrism. They want to live abroad and still want a Cozy Pub with cider on tap and fish and chips. Many Americans assume that they can be as rude and obnoxious here as they are at home. I lived in Florida for many years where we were inundated with thousands of New Yorker every year who persisted it telling the Floridians "we don't do it that way up North". My favorite bumper sticker at the time read, "We don't care how you do it up North". That would be very appropriate here...."We don't care how you do it in...America, the US, Germany, Australia, Korea. etc." Well, reality check....it is just this simple...if you don't like it here either adapt or leave. No doubt that every expat here has had a lot of head scratching moments when faced with "Thainess". I certainly have. BUT I AM A GUEST HERE AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE A THAI PASSPORT....SO ARE YOU.
There are many other countries in the world that are a bit more welcoming than Thailand and a lot that have more straight forward visa requirements. And regardless of how trite it might sound, the truth is, "If you don't like it here...try someplace else". I have lived here for many years and have left several times to give Europe, South America and other places in Asia a try. I always ended up returning to Thailand.
The Thai year in 2563. This society has functioned a long time and regardless of whether you understand or agree with things, the Thais seemed to have survived without being told how to structure their society by we "enlightened Westerners".
I always am amused when a naive post like this pops up from the "adapt or leave" crew.It's always right to be polite and in Thailand it's often best to keep silent rather than make some "getting it off the chest" remark.But this doesn't mean one needs to accept every piece of poor behaviour sitting down. To make it easier for all these experts in "Thainess", I would point out that no educated Thai would put up for one moment the kind of bad treatment that this expert thinks foreigner should mildly submit to.Nor would most Thais think foreigners should be treated any differently from themselves.
As to the particular case, I admit to finding those who comment on Trip Advisor rather creepy (life's too short) - while making an exception for those who wish to praise a particular person or outstanding hotel service. It's quite reasonable for a hotel to charge corkage.But some comments here rather miss the point.However obnoxious the guest's comment, it's not reasonable to take steps to land that person in custody.
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23 hours ago, Arkady said:I was told by Immigration that my red book would be my equivalent to a passport or ID card and I should carry it everywhere
That would be an interesting challenge.I keep mine in a safe apart for its outing every five years - and it still threatens to disintegrate every time it's opened.
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49 minutes ago, thedemon said:
No need. In my experience the police haven't wanted to see my passport even when doing the 5 year renewal.
Actually I was under the impression that once PR is issued there is no requirement for the PR holder to even possess a passport.
Thanks for that info.
As to your second sentence you are no doubt correct it isn't a formal PR requirement but it would IMO be rash not to have one from innumerable practical viewpoints.
In my case it's not an issue as I have to travel overseas.
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A slight diversion from the topic if I may.
If a PR obtains a new passport, is it necessary to report immediately to the local police station or can it wait until when the usual 5 year reporting is due?
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6 hours ago, geriatrickid said:I expect that most of those farangs have died or been forced to leave Thailand. 14 years is a long time and I am depressed knowing how quickly time has passed.
In respect to the former PM Thaksin, he is still obsessed with having his revenge and regaining his lost face. Right or wrong, that period is over. He cannot go back in time. He's like the old guy who sits on the stoop, waving his cane and yelling at the kids making too much noise when they play on the street.
And to those who will criticize the man now for being opportunistic. Well, in the good old days of the anti Thaksin posturing in TVF, if the position was reversed and Thaksin or Yingluck still around, his detractors and critics would be ripping into him because of the Covid19 response. Their Covid19 response would have been little different than the current administration's.
What a confused post.It's not Thaksin that has engaged in an obsessive campaign of revenge.It's his opponents in the unelected elites (military, Sino Thai cartels, feudal dinosaurs etc) and their shadowy backers that have driven themselves crazy in trying to annihilate his influence.Thaksin doesn't plan a come back though obviously he's keen for his historical impact to be seen as positive.He has already won in the sense that the final outcome is assured however long it takes.Thaksin is certainly taking a shot now with his question about the country's progress in the last 14 years.But what rational person could disagree with his point?
As to Covid you are right that the response wouldn't have been much different.But Thaksin would have had a much clearer exit strategy.
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8 hours ago, impulse said:
Maybe true. But being about the most important thing happening in Thailand right now, you'd think a Thai based forum would cover it better.
Instead, we get thread after thread about... The Amnesty, will it be extended?
One does not read Thai Visa to find out what is really going on in Thailand.The forum covers many things very well, particularly immigration matters, but politics is really beyond its scope.
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My instinct is that the Thai Government (it doesn't really matter which government) is always in cahoots with the big Sino-Thai conglomerates.The latter have seen Wishbeer and others open up a gap in the market.The lesson for most foreign operatives in Thailand is to fly under the radar and not attract too much attention from the likes of Central or Charoen.Even joint ventures can be risky if the local partner begins to feel the foreigner is making too much money (though I don't think Wishbeer were doing that well).Once the outsider is neutralised, the government will quietly backtrack on restrictive regulations so their Sino-Thai friends can clean up completely.
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Thanks for all the replies.Looks as though the consensus is Grab is operating well in Thailand.
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How is Grab taxi service working in Bangkok these days? Are there fewer cars available and is getting a car more difficult than at the beginning of the year.I note the app specifies non cash payment now but in practice is cash still acceptable?
Frozen Pensions
in Q&A, Ask the Consular Team
Posted
That is not my understanding.If the subject is raised with them Embassy staff correctly point out that the matter is nothing to do with them.I am sure they feel nothing but sympathy.
The hard political truth, reinforced by events over the last 10 months, is that there will never unfortunately be any inflation based uplift.
The realtiy is - and this is my view - any retired person who is mainly reliant on his UK state pension probably should not be in Thailand at all.