Surasak

4 hours ago, Bundooman said:

You can dress a monkey in a suit, white shirt and a tie - but it is still a monkey.

You have forgotten the bespoke highly polished black shoes. If you intend to dress a monkey, please do it correctly.

Its a first world country for many reasons, most of which are the wrong kind.

On 10/22/2018 at 7:27 PM, CharlieH said:

You'll be hard pushed to find a shopping mall anywhere in Thailand that doesnt have a Christmas tree ! or decorations. 

I know you are correct, but its all for making money. 99% of Thais have no idea of the meaning of Christmas.

Thai banks are as good, or bad, as any other bank in the world. My money has been in KrungThai bank for the past 15 Years with no problems. As Michael Miles used to say, "Take your pick". 

2 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

Need to teach road safety in Schools and have a real driving test for starters

Yes, sure. But who will teach the teachers?

It was always possible to get the Daily Mail on my phone. The computer was OK with a VPN, but hot and miss sometimes.

4 hours ago, catman20 said:

After 6 years in Bangkok, I have never seen a Thai driver check the blind spot before changing lanes or turning. Is it not something they teach in driving school here?

 

you cant teach stupid ! 

I beg to differ. T I T

4 hours ago, clokwise said:

Meanwhile, foreigners living in Chiang Mai must queue up at 3AM, and stand in the sun and rain for 12 hours, just to renew their visa at the brand new immigration office. Can they send Big Joke up north for a visit?

Can they send Big Joke up north for a visit?  Possibly, but don't give him a map, for god's sake.

I am of the opinion Thais are not so much worried about the flag colours being close to the feet. Its more the design of the shoes thats upset them. Thai's are very quick to complain about foreigners using the Thai flag for whatever purpose, but will desecrate any other countries flag to suit themselves. Somewhat hypocritical me thinks.    

1 hour ago, chicowoodduck said:

Number 11.....never make a loan to a Thai.....it will end up being a gift.....lol...????????????

You are correct in a way. I made a loan to a Thai, it took 2 years to get it back. But of course there was no interest.

28 minutes ago, CGW said:

Friendly tip, turn the AC on ???? 

Friendly request. Who's pocket should I dip my hand into?

Yep, double glazed uPVC windows are great for heat and sound suppression. Not much good having expensive windows if the walls are trapping the heat INSIDE the house.

24 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

In the house it's all about Brexit, not about a few thousand expats who can't vote.

Many of us can still vote.

1 hour ago, dabhand said:

All this talk about verifying income might just stir the Thai Tax Department into taking an interest. ????

 

The law of unintended consequences?

WHY? If you don't earn money in Thailand, you don't pay tax on it.

2 hours ago, Nurseynutcase said:

I provide the British embassy with all of my annual P60's and the rental agreement on my house in the UK.  None of these are bogus - my NI(national Insurance) number is printed on each one of the forms.  I will not receive my State Pension until I am 66(2 years time).

 

I came to live in Thailand because it is cheaper than living in the UK.  The forms I provide are my actual income.  Yes I could transfer it all to a Thai bank account but from what I have read it is so difficult to get it back to the country of origin.

 

Also even with my high spending lifestyle I do not spend 65,000 baht a month on living expenses.

 

I will be OK until next November 2019 and then I will have to rethink my position here.

 

Thailand will lose out if I and many others like me decide to decamp and go to another country,

Thailand will lose out if I and many others like me decide to decamp and go to another country,............And the British Embassy couldn't give e toss.

2 hours ago, Runamile said:

The really annoying thing about this is that neither British or Thai side are applying any genuine thought to the matter.   Here is a potential solution from each side: 1. The British embassy outsources the income consular letter procedure as they and other embassies have often done when they either can't cope with the volume of paperwork or don't have the technical competence. Many Brits would pay significant sums for this proper procedure 2. Why can't the Thais accept a global statement of income properly drawn up and attested by a qualified Thai accountant. Again, many Brits would happily pay significant sums for this.

You are assuming people have the money to pay out for this service. Those who require the Embassy letter of proof of income may be doing so because they do not have sufficient spare funds.

2 hours ago, IAMHERE said:

I suspect the UK Government knows what most British citizens have and earn. 

Yes they do and so it also very easy for the consulate to verify you income. It is a;so very easy to get a tax statement from the gov.uk site to prove your income.

I have a interest paying Account with KTB bank. I use the same book to show the 800,000 each year. I can put funds into the A/C but cannot remove funds without losing interest. I have used this method over the past 9 years with no problems from immigration. I always take a normal deposit bank book which shows funds in and out on a regular basis, which is topped up from time to time from funds from UK. This is always updated on the day I get my Bank letter. I have never been asked to show this and have never been questioned as to my means of financial support. If that should ever happen, I have Visa Debit cards and Cash cards to show means of financial support. Some immigration offices, as we all know, apply different rules to suit themselves, I'm glad to say the one I use is usually pretty straightforward.

1 minute ago, Tony125 said:

Easy answer Western Union would be the most expensive of the many options.

That's your opinion. Monday I used Western Union to transfer £5000 to my Thai bank. Using my UK debit card, the cash was in my Thai A/C on Tuesday. The charge? A BIG FAT ZERO

Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said the OTP must work proactively to support the country’s plan for transportation infrastructure development by creating five, 10, and 20-year plans that align with the government’s 20-year national strategy. ...Can they honestly think that far ahead?

11 minutes ago, Hugh Jarse said:

Corbyn has been on record saying it is unfair.

So are many of his stated policies. He gives with one hand and takes back with two. The pound will tank if he should ever get into No 10

This was petitioned a few years ago. It went as far as the EU court of human rites and was turned down. Can't remember the reasons given, but I doubt it will ever get reinstated.

3 hours ago, Jingthing said:

But they and really ANY embassy could easily verify claims made about government pensions. Government pensions generally can provide letters confirming benefits. They could even get a direct computer connection to verify that. Maybe add a charge. Other forms of income, yes that would be different and more problematical. But government pensions are likely the most common type of income reported by retired expats.

It is possible to get a confirmation of ALL income from the gov.uk tax website. I very much doubt the Immigration here would accept it.