mamborobert

Not sure how long this will remain accesible in Thailand, but Anonymous (claimed) have posted a lengthy video on recent murders/deaths in Thailand culminating in an appeal for a Thailand boycott. Kristy Jones is mentioned in from 6 min 10 secs.

Paul Thompson passed away recently from Brain Cancer.

Paul had been all over the region as a photograher of Muay Thai, and in Chiang Mai for various spells (with Tiger Muay Thai). You would sometimes see him in the "old" Kawilla boxing stadium (a beautiful Eddie Munster haircut stuck out a bit ) and Loi Kroh for some international fights.

True gentlemen who has know his days were numbered for quite some time, accepted this, and his sole concern form many months was the welfare of his wife, who had her own very significant health problems.

He loved Muay Thai, and was passionate about the photos he took. Lived live to the full albeit far to short.

You can see some of his work on his facebook page as his company page has sadly been deregsitered

https://www.facebook.com/PaulThompsonFightPhotography

RIP Sharpshooter.

I am now sold on the ITV player...no cost just using Hola on Firefox and then direct to TV all in Hi Def it seems ....commentary all in English and not prattling on....I wondered how many Thai people would watch this with the Thai language as posted earlier....I gather Cantonese may have been for the Hong Kong crew but even mainlanders are getting better with English (young ones anyway).

They do like singing Fields of Athenry though

Did not expect Argentina to start so well though...another good game so far.

Another enthralling tight yet still free flowing game (minimal involvement by ref) that went right to the wire. Great defence by Wales (thanks Gatland), some impressive break out runs by both sides, and the crowd willing Wales home for the last 10 minutes, but alas not to be after a Bok try in the dying moments, noise was through the roof. South Africa all to powerful in the end

The World Cup is always fascinating for me..think about what got us here. Japan in a fairy tale over South Africa, Australia's great defence with two men down over Wales, the list goes on and on. There has been no stand out player throughout the comp so far just good team work, but then there has not been another Jonah Lomu on the scene.

There will be a collective sigh of relief in the South African nation tonight

Now to watch NZ to beat France, Ireland over Argentina, and Australia over Scotland and my weekend labour of love is complete.

Am sitting blissfully at home watching the Wales v South Africa game on ITV.

Opening sentence of game was a classic backhander by the commentator. "and the referee Wayne Barnes, an Englishman who has made the quarter finals, starts the game"

What is it with Welsh players who do not sing the National Anthem !!!!!!!!!

TRY

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Where will you guys be watching the Wales v South Africa game on Saturday?

For me...Downunder Pub...quick ride home plus..... three screens less backpackers

Too bad about the hosts

cymru am byth

There are a few agents with listings for Urbans 1. Not associated with or recommending but link below has some examples.

http://chiangmaiopenrealty.com/category/type/house/the-urbana-1

Also estate link for some background info

http://www.palmsprings.co.th/project-singlehouse-theurbana1-en.html

Just a bump for this. Kawilla have a card on 10 October all Thai. Link with card and prices below will be making a pilgrimage myself....maybe even as a VIP if I can locate my dress sandals.

https://www.facebook.com/350304288437359/photos/pcb.676872415780543/676867669114351/?type=3

Many thanks all, especially Maestro.

It does not help. You are not Oz. You do not complete a Stat Dec. You are unable to comprehend what is being asked. You are however a master of the bleeding obvious with your unhelpful irrelevent replies. Please get your post count up elsewhere.

I will await informed and relevant replies.

In making a Statutory Declaration/Affidavit the person is bound , by law , to state the truth.

I realize that !!!!!!!!!

But what information is required for example do you state exactly hw much you receive or state that you receive more that 65000 Baht per month, do you state the source of funds, .do you state in Oz Dollars and convert or the Baht figure on the day, do you state gross or net......

What I want to know is what is the best TRUE (if that helps you) wording to satisfy Thai Immigration.....

Just tryng to get some infor for a friend who is going the income verification stat dec route for a retirement visa ( I am a bank balance guy so out of my depth).

Consular staff were not clear to him so in filling out the stat dec besides names, dob, passport, and Thai address type stuff as I gather they do not want to commit/advise contents and thereby give rise to an expectancy that Thai Immigration will waltz that wording through every time:

For example should he simply indicate that he is in receipt of penison in excess of minimum monthly requirement or the exact figure received with a reference to value in Baht based on prevailing exchange rate?

Do you need to confirm that you are actually retired?

Do you need to advise the source of the funds (I ask this as he has just turned 50 and this is the first visa attempt and although 50 is the minimum it is generally not the norm for retirement just to head of any issues Thai Immigration may have).

IS "more" better than "less" on the basis that volume equals substance or should you go the small target route and provide the very basics in a few lines..

I have seen sample "letters: for US cases but not sample Stat Dec for Oz cases.

Can anybody point me or pm me wording for Oz citizens for a Stat Dec that has been generally accepted by Thai immigration please.

Really need the Oz Stat Dec type example not other nationality/ letter wording.

Thanks.

In exactly a month from now one of the great cultural events in the world takes place, the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Does anybody know of any venue with plans to show all if not most of the matches near the city?

As this is a solemn and in many ways religious experience I would rather see games sans backpackers which may knock out the UN Irish.

Is it being broadcast on Thai TV at all.....please Lord, worse comes to worse its internet streaming I guess but with the weather my connection has been dodgy sometimes.

Cymru Am Byth

Have a look where the Police are concerned there may be issues

http://www.cm108.com/bbb/topic/5869-ตำรวจเชียงใหม่เข้มสถานที่สำ/

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Explained this to my wife who also had a similar Facebook post (though not attributed clearly), she is still unwilling to accept that I should seek sanctuary in the safety and security of Loi Kroh.

There was a sizeable police and (more) army contingent last night around Thapae (much more than usual) but all in all there was bugger all people about anyway. I know its early in the week but twas a ghost town last night.

As a side, a pre pubescent army soldier that from his decorations may have miraculously been in every military campaign since Hannibal crossed the Alps did drop in at the bar I was in at the moat end to inform owner/manager of a meeting tomorrow to discuss the 300 metre (minimum) from school issue. If it goes ahead there will be more than a few bars closed moat end and in Loi Kroh and Moon Maung, some heavy rent losses, and I would have thought a few hundred out of work (and that's before they look at NImman and other places where there are actual university and technical students drinking).

The pre-enforcement seems to be having the desired effect.......I did not see one Thai underage technical school student drinking in Loi Kroh.

Anyhow keep safe out there peoples

That's a bit untidy Briggsy....could equally have a wife and children and good friends. All it takes on a bend like that is a bit of gravel or wet road. Yes you drive to conditions but the speed limit there is (to my opinion) high and with light rain etc makes it more dangerous.

It's not the first accident there so perhaps a higher barrier, reduced speed limit, better design could prevent the same regardless of speculative causes, so no one else is injured or dies, let alone trauma for family, in the future.

I did not name individual simply because I have seen slurs in the past that family members have come across when searching for information about loved ones involved in an accident abroad. Perhaps that should be kept in mind. Would not want my family, children, spouse, parents to be accosted with vile comments and speculation.......

Wife just bought this to my attention.

Individual named (with photos) in link below in case anybody knows him.

Should be buying a lottery ticket for draw today as perhaps the luckiest man in Chiang Mai.

Hope his good fortune continues in recovery.

http://www.cm108.com/bbb/topic/5856-คลิป-ฝรั่งซิ่งมอไซต์-ชนราวสะพ/

Stament, turning to your response to my post where you queried why properties are discounted so much here...

I think there are a myriad of reasons. I have seen quite a few properties discounted by a third. It makes it worthwhile waiting back (one recently from more than 6 million eventually being advertised and sold in the mid 4 million. What this does do, if you can wait, is open up your range dramatically as properties that you would never have envisaged being affordable will come into your range especially if you are searching some of the real estate web sites by price range. Consistent with the culture property is able to be bartered, but it is a longer process.

The big factor here, as others have alluded to, is that there is a glut of properties available. The difference with buying a Farang verses Thai owned property for me is that Thai's are more willing to sit and wait as land has value to them, there is the face is issue if they sell low, there is an expectancy to sell for a higher price if to a Farang, and they also have no or little mortgage (and if they do they are at exceptionally low rates). Given that your average Thai family can live on the smell of an oily rag.....they can wait.

Farang sellers are different as there is usually a time frame. They have committed somewhere else, need to return quickly to their homeland for family/work/illness/schooling etc. They are generally (if they are departing Thailand) working to a time frame for selling. The other side of this is that family and health issues are generally "unplanned" so there has been little time to come to grips with things.

Turning now to the price issue, what people value their own house as and what people are prepared to pay are always two different things and will depend on the level of pragmatism. Some think they are selling or buying a "dream" or "lifestyle" and value it accordingly, but in the end its a house. The individual makes the dream not the house, despite how much the house may be "perfect" or "stylish" or "customised". Your "dream" house that you price accordingly may not be the same as my "dream". Why would I pay top dollar for your "dream".

A departing Farang values the house generally in terms of what they paid for it...in there own currency and then has a nominal mark up. As currency fluctuates the foreign value may change but the baht value does not. As an example on the current US rates a 3 million baht house costs $85.3k USD. In May 2013, a little over 2 years ago the same house at the 29 baht to the US dollar exchange rate would have cost over $103k USD. So if you bought at $103k USD two years ago would you want to take a nearly $20k USD (17% reduction) haircut now.

A lesser but still prevalent model is to initially price a property at what an individual needs to re-establish themselves in their own country with little relation to the value of the property itself. This valuing method becomes a choice when people have no property in their own country and have retired or realistically assessed that they are going to make no or limited income in their own country, and an assessment of the living costs in their own country. So the fantasy Thai property price is conversely based on a realistic estimate of their financial abilities and ongoing expenses in their home country.. Eventually the reality gap closes and heavy discounting occurs.

There is an abundant supply, often cashed up buyers, and on a regular basis desperate sellers.​

It sounds (or is) predatory but there will always be Farang bargains to be had if you have the cash and can wait , as to put it bluntly, you are capitalising on the misfortune of others. I may not buy your "dream, but I will buy your bargain. While emergencies do spring up, often there is a lack of initial planning (judgement) so this is where the "don't invest in Thailand more than you can walk away from" groupies come in. If you retired here on a state pension, with no wife (but now have a younger one proficient in Thinglish), complain about the price of everything, do not interact and enjoy, drink as recreation, and generally have the social skills of a brick you will invariably fall into this group. Often the "don't invest more....." groupies are envious/jealous as they have not invested as they have nothing to invest (but are excellent advisors if you want to know here the best 20 baht meal is) If you have made good decisions in the past, back yourself now.

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A house (for me) is primarily a home not an investment, and certainly not an easily convertible investment in Thailand so to me we are talking about two different things (home verses capital return)/ If its your home and you love it then a 17% reduction or 17% increases is immaterial.

By this I mean if you and your family love their home, location, neighbours would you sell simply because it went up 17%?. My house in Oz has gone up 600% and I will not sell. It's my home (apart from my Thai home) where my adult children still live and I stay when I visit.

If you are here for the long haul, do your research, wait, have some trust in your wife, buy, and above all enjoy your home, family, and dream coz your a long time dead.

We built a house years ago and we were very fortunate to have sold it last year. Would not build or buy now in a country run by a military junta and with future events that could potentially be unfavorable to expats. Never has the adage "don't invest anymore in Thailand than you are willing to lose" been more true.

Under that rationale people would have never purchased here....given that we are at number 19 on the coup d'etat count and coming for the 19th constitution/charter. Its not like xenophobia or Thai nationalism is a recent development here.

There has always been a large element of risk for the naïve here just from the inability to put name on title. Whilst we have occurrences of the confused being preyed upon and the resultant "she done me wrong" stories I still would have thought that the more significant financial losses in the past (and to come) have been from the farang brokers and developers and financial advisors promising title ownership through dubious companies (look at the ongoing issues in Phuket as an example)etc. I would have thought you would always be more at risk from some Expats than the military here.

TV is littered with people that have been here for two decades or more, happily married (hopefully), acquiring property (in spouse name), and generally keeping their nose clean and under the radar. Trouble is that does not get enough coverage, there's no news in good news.

I do agree that people are now very fortunate when they sell now and that places stay on the market for a long time or end up being heavily discounted off cost or original price. For me, that has more to do with the adage than anything given the bubble/glut/diminishing national growth figures.

There are just so many variables in this decision/topic and no one size first all.

It would probably be helpful if people outlined there own relationship status as that colours the advice given ( a single or married retiree couple probably would not have the option to buy or would rather stay closer to amenities/transport in the city proper).

To me if you are married to a Thai buying is the only option (the house not the Thai).

Apart from the cultural/security reasons surely a spouse would want there Thai partner to have some financial security in their old age after they themselves have passed on. Generally spouses are younger and women live longer anyway, and will be (culturally) looking after you as you age....staying in a house is far cheaper and (to me) less stressful, than changing house/rental as you age, or more preferable to ending up in a maximum security twilight home.

I can't understand the amount of blokes here that shuffle of this mortal coil and leave their spouse nothing...no house, no money at all or insufficient in the bank or no access to an ongoing pension. If there is no children or they lack the compassion/finances then they really are stuffed.

Going back to the OP I think the location location location argument matters SOMETIMES......whilst this may sound like an argument against buying its not like they have strict zoning laws here. A model estate can be next to a brickworks or pub strip or factory. I think the further out you go the cheaper the land or house is and whilst we all need some stimulation in the city its only 20 minutes to half an hour away for a lot of places and we don't need to make that trip everyday or in rush hour.

Building or buying comes down to maths and the level of any bargain/refurbishment. Having said that, happy wife happy life. You gotta live somewhere so why not give your spouse the (possible illusion of) being the significant decision maker. If your wife has never owned a house before this is a significant face and achievement for her. At some point we all get some joy vicariously through the happiness of others, particularly those closest to us so it does the OP some benefit as well.

Depending on your age are you really interested in the fire sale or appreciation arguments.....I want a home that you can live happily in preferably to end game, its not all a capital gains decision, remember moving house is rated just under death of spouse for stress levels . If its for a shorter window as you have indicated then really you are not buying it for you, or indeed for your wife.....you are simply housing yourself until you move on so established closer to the city makes sense for you, perhaps not so for your wife. I would have thought that for six years (and the presumption that you are then leaving Thailand) renting would be a far better deal (no loans, wider choice of properties, flexibility on location, total rental period, quick departure if need be, etc. There may be no profit in it but you would expect renting to be cash neutral over buying/building in a short period as others have already mentioned.

Another counter on this is the exchange rate....over time than can reduce by half your gains, or double it regardless of the property your buy/build, and the exchange rate may also affect demand for your property if it is built/tailored towards western appeal, your ability to pay loan, or indeed rent could become easier/harder).. So if you think you are doing this for capital appreciation (with a view to possibly moving back to your home country again) factor this in. Good luck with that. There are muti million baht properties that are not moving sale wise so I find it difficult to think of property in Thailand as a sure and easily convertible investment.

Buy and be happy and thanks for the topic...looks like it will be interesting

Not the one that was never finished in the park/garden opposite...what a shocking waste that place is...so much potential.

Further along past the Indian consulate.....I am not to flash with google maps but I think this is the coordinates.

18.794863, 99.016695

There is also the Immi Eco hotel nearby a lot nicer and that used to be open to the public

Ps the kids seemed to really like the Tung Hotel...so much so that I took up a Thai tradition and left them there a few times to swim, eat and find there own way back The Unis have used it some times as well. Why they built (but have never completed) the one (you mentioned) so close is beyond me.

There is large (but not modern )public swimming pool on Tung Hotel Road (end nearest the Railway station), easy enough to get to, food, drink, parking no problem.

I don't like these digital gnomes. I'm more of a traditionalist myself.

And from what I have seen of digitals in CM the traditionalist has far greater social skills, is visually more interesting, similar averaged earing capacity, can withstand direct sun light, and far less queries on TV on visa status issues.

10 seconds may do it ...sometimes.

A visa allows you to travel to a country not to enter it, that is the decision of the immigration officer and whilst they have guidelines they also have discretion. It all depends on how earnest the immigration officer is and whether that earnest officer considers you are entering for purposes consistent with your visa. Pretty much the same rule all over the world, often inconsistently in Thailand, with the odd flash of rigid enforcement.

As far as a Malaysian run ...once ok, twice ok maybe.....but each quick turn around ultimately increases your risk (especially if returning to point of origin). There MAY be issues if the officer thinks that you are doing the run simply to avoid fronting an immigration office as you have more or less self assessed that you do not have a chance with them and consequently voted with your feet.

I have done it a few times...years ago. Not sure I would be so certain nowdays so understand your checking.

You pays your money you takes your chance.

"but each quick turn around ultimately increases your risk "

You're confusing a tourist visa with a visa exempt entry and misinforming the O/P

If you have a 2 or 3 entry tourist visa that has not expired nor been fully used, there is no problem with just exiting and immediately returning.

If you do repeated turn around visa exempt entries, you may face a problem, but with a valid visa, that's simply not true.

Nope...no confusing, no misinformation...and consistent with post from Recom273.

I have previously worked at Swampy and a couple of other internationals in the area....with Immigration. Visa or Visa Exempt or Valid Visa makes no difference. A visa (or VOA or Visa Exempt) allows you to travel to a country. An immigration officer gives you clearance into that country. A person can be refused entry to the US, UK, Australia, and Thailand with a valid visa (such as travelling and then declaring on entry a serious criminal conviction)

We digress slightly. Op may want to consider spending a few days in Malaysia...or returning to another airport in Thailand (Swampy) and then catching an internal. That way if he is questioned only has to state that still doing tourism in a different area and travel arrangements were cheaper and/or more convenient (caught up with mother transiting through Malaysia on her own holidays, have not seen her for a long time, she was really happy etc).