jayboy

My reference was to Baht 600,000 per month!! My point is that opinions on this matter reflect the AN demographic which is not representative of the expatriate community as a whole. If pressed and with all the usual caveats I would say that for a single person in his/her 50's coming to Thailand for the first time a monthly income gross of Baht 200,000 would be satisfactory.

Up to a point.Excellent for advice on practical matters - visas, health, cars, computers etc Not so sound on the subject here (cost of expatriate life). This is because the demographics (elderly/middle aged/retired/blue collar) of AN drive opinions in a particular direction.The higher earning expatriates tend not to pay AN much attention if indeed they are even aware of its existence For these people - assuming taxable benefits like airfares, medical costs and school fees are taken care of for them - would expect at least Baht 600,000 pm gross and up.

Some people are clearly driving themselves crazy.

You are of course correct.Those bleating about the dangers of obtaining a TIN don't understand the process involved in "getting on the radar." I don't for a moment believe that TRD will be hunting down miscreants who have a TIN but haven"t filed.There are many legit reasons why a TIN holder might not need to file in any year - having no assessable income for example. Having said that many foreign banks are pressurizing their clients to obtain a local tax number.

My current laptop is coming to the end of its useful life, 8 years now.As a committed Apple guy, I shall be replacing it with either a 15 inch Mac book Air or 15 inch Mac book Pro.There's quite a price differential but I don't mind that, and the Mac book Pro is newer and has a better chip.Still though I like new tech my head tells me there's nothing the Mac book Pro does that the Mac book Air doesn't do almost equally well.So slightly regretfully I'm leaning to the Mac book Air.But does anybody consider the very well reviewed Mac book Pro stands out even if not the best buy financially?

Don't be silly. It of no significance one way or the other.

As a matter of interest was your old tax number 10 or 13 digits? I'm not sure when the switch to 13 digits TINS for foreigners took place but I'm fairly sure it was less than 12 years ago.

I'm not sure that is correct.My understanding is that the Ministry of Interior had a reorganization of the system a few years ago and numbers issued previously became invalid, replaced by a 13 digit version.Somebody more knowledgeable than me will be able to advise.

If they didn't you wouldn't have obtained your work permit.

The employer would have filed a tax return on your behalf.

Not so much the younger generation who are better educated and would vote for Pita if he could stand.In any case Thaksin's popularity in Isaan was well entrenched in the middle classes there - not just rice farmers.

Plenty of high rollers in Ibiza and some classy residents too, even James Blunt.There are a few high rollers in Pattaya but I would venture to suggest nobody of upper social classes would visit let alone live there. More for the Dan about Thailand types.

Wrong.You can top it up with a bank app on your phone.

Of course there are many reasons and the matter is complicated.I identified a major issue because this is not an academic forum and not given to complexity and nuance.

Sorry.I should have said Kevin Hewison who is interesting on the subject.Furthermore it is really the academic Duncan McCargo who is probably the real authority on network monarchy.No link to offer - but easy enough to research online.

Lots of middle class Thais - often Sino Thai - in Bangkok thought that way.Most sensible ones subsequently regretted the way Thaksin was ejected recognizing that it would have been better for him to have defeated constitutionally.Why? Because Thailand lost a decade and remains stuck in the middle income trap. However the Thai supporters of the coup were deceived.It was not because of Thaksin's corruption (which was real) but because he threatened the interests of the elite.Paul Hewison has written eloquently and convincingly about the Network Monarchy.But please feel free to linger in your memories of happy party time.

Did you call for the traitors who launched the illegal military coup to go to jail? Actually in many jurisdictions they would have been court martialled and sentenced to long imprisonment, or worse.That's what they call justice.

It is usually a terrible idea to reference Wikipedia as a source.In Douglas Murray's case it definitely is because he is "controversial." It's not a political bias on my part because Murray is on the right.I would be equally sceptical about Wiki pieces on controversial left wingers like Jeremy Corbyn.

On the contrary that's exactly who it is set up for.

More deflection.Anything to avoid a full inquiry.Actually in this case I suspect the problem is simply ignorance.There were many areas which were not covered and in any event none of the recommendations 9which were sensible) have been implemented .

He thinks by saying "End of" that anyone doesn't note the deflection away from the industrial level abuse and rape.

Further to my previous post I see that a grass roots Labour Party pressure group has stated: “In the face of the systematic grooming and rape of young girls by mostly Pakistani men across English towns, progressives denied, obfuscated, equivocated, averted their eyes, changed the subject. Anything but look the dark side of multiculturalism squarely in the eye. “Those who extol the benefits of immigration and multiculturalism most loudly seem to have little interest in what their policies have meant for towns across England. In liberal society, it is seen as impolite to talk about such things. This squeamishness is moral cowardice. “We hope the attention on the most awful scandal in modern British history leads to justice for the victims. A national inquiry would be a start, but what is really needed is tougher sentencing, an end to political correctness and a total reset of our immigration policy.” I

As far as this scandal is concerned, the whole point of some people people, whether at a conscious or unconscious level, is to shift attention to a blowhard like Robinson or - obviously on a completely different level - an eccentric genius like Elon Musk.Anything repeat anything not to focus on the scandal you detail.

And so it goes on

And so it goes on, the instant attempt at deflection.These people will always try to find a way to avoid the issue, namely industrial scale abuse and rape mainly by people of Pakistani ethnicity.The deniers tend to be insignificant and intellectually under powered, and one need not pay too much attention to them.One must be less forgiving of cowardly politicians, while recognizing the bravery of a few.So the issue festers and poisons British politics allowing (in my view) an ugly right wing movement to have a chance of power.