nisakiman

This whole debacle is descending into a (potentially lethal) farce.

It's hard to keep abreast of all the different factions - PTP, PDRC, UDD, PAD....

It rather puts me in mind of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb_qHP7VaZE

It's about time the protagonists stopped with the posturing and started talking about how to resolve the situation in a democratic way. And if that results in PTP being voted in again, so be it. The 'Democrats' will just have to sit down and formulate policies that will win them the popular vote next time around.

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US State Department knows where I am because I tell 'em:

https://step.state.gov/step/

Many would not use that service.

They hate government and live in a world of paranoia !

Or perhaps they value their privacy.

That's not paranoia. It's a desire for freedom from unwanted intrusion into ones private life by busybody state agencies.

One major point is; you cannot buy land in Thailand legally unless it is completely financed by your Thai wife`s money and you can prove it. My advise is; send any monies over for buying the land in your wife`s name to a Thai bank account solely in her name, then use these funds for the purchasing of real estate in Thailand. Or as the wise man says; cover your own a-se at all times.

I learned from my mistakes and here is the benefit of my experience:

Firstly foreign shipping companies will only take stuff as far as the port in Bangkok. If you want to continue on to any other destination within Thailand, you must arrange for the cases to be picked up by another carrier company in Thailand, preferable one based in the destination where you want the goods delivered.

Use a Thai name from the very beginning with the shipping company. If you declare the goods in a farang name, you will be stung for a huge amount of Import tax, to be paid before you can retrieve your goods from the Bangkok port. They will be held for ransom until you pay.

If you bring new electrical items over, you will be charged import tax at a huge percent. Try and bring only your used electrical goods and one of each, you may have to pay import tax on more than one item that the officials think you don't need. If you do try and bring in new electrical items, take off any wrapping and put on old plugs so they appear used.

When you hire your carrier in Thailand to collect the goods from port, don't tell them you have a computer, otherwise they will try and con you for more money. The Thai carrier will not open the cases and have no right to because the cases would have already been cleared by customs in Bangkok.

The shipping company charges by cubic space and not weight, but if the cases are considered too heavy, they will refuse to take them. The customs in Bangkok charge import tax by the value of the goods, but mostly waver this tax or charge a minimum for Thai people.

As for packing, wrap fragile items in newspaper, then place the fragile items in with your good blankets or clothes so that they are buffered. This way you are not wasting any space on excess padding as your clothes are excellent buffers and will protect your fragile items when the cases are throw and smashed about by the carriers, which they will be.

And finally as in my case, the carrier company in Chiang Mai later refused to bring up my cases from a depot in Bangkok until their truck was full, meaning I had to wait until other customers were also bringing their goods up here and the truck was full. Make inquiries about this with the Thai carrier company before hand.

Hope this helps?

Some useful tips there, thanks for the input. It's doubtful we would be trying to bring anything new in.

Re the money to purchase the land, I do remember reading here before about the money having to be provably my wife's. As well as my personal account here, we also have a joint account. If I was to transfer money into our joint account here, and then transfer it to my wife's account in LOS, would that pass muster as far as the authorities are concerned? Alternatively, she could borrow the money from her parents or brother, and I could then pay them back. Would that work?

Also, I have a lot of CDs (maybe a thousand), many of which have been downloaded from P2P sites over the years - would those get through, or should I transfer them all to flash drives (a major task, but I'd do it if necessary)? And what about the desktop and external HDD? Will they want to know what's on them? (Again, maybe a terabyte or so of downloaded movies/documentaries/series on them, although I need to do some housekeeping and delete a lot of stuff).

Lots of past traffic here on woodworking tools even bench saws etc, indicated no problem, used and mixed in with other household stuff.

Blimey, I'd love to bring my bench saw too (it's a combi, and has a planer/thicknesser and spindle moulder integrated), but I thought that would be stretching it a bit as 'household goods'!

I'd assumed I'd have to arrange onward transport from Bangkok. I'd probably crate everything and then send it in a part or full container, so the crates would have to come out of the container for separate shipping anyway.

Thanks for that link. There seems no clear ruling on what my enquiry was, so I guess I'll have to get the SOH to call them up. I have a feeling it may be a bit of a grey area. For instance, in the link, it says at one point:

"Personal effects accompanied with the owner traveling into or out of Thailand, including any goods used or will be used commercially are not eligible as household effects and cannot brought in tax and duty free as the household effects."

Not clear whether that 'used commercially' bit only applies to goods carried with you or not.

I'd be interested to know if anyone on TV has brought any professional tools in, and how it went.

DNA is being collected from everyone convicted of any misdemeanor now, and childrens DNA are surely being collected

Link

Law enforcement officials are vastly expanding their collection of DNA to include millions more people who have been arrested or detained but not yet convicted.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/us/19DNA.html?_r=0

The database, which grows by 30,000 samples each month, is populated by samples recovered from crime scenes and taken from police suspects^[1] and, in England and Wales, anyone arrested and detained at a police station.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_National_DNA_Database

Documents just released by US Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) in response to one of EFF’s Freedom of Information Act requests show that DHS is considering collecting DNA from kids ages 14 and up—and is exploring expanding its regulations to allow collection from kids younger than that.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/04/dhs-considers-collecting-dna-kids-dea-and-us-marshals-already-do

...I haven't found any info about what I would like to bring.

I've read about the fact that if the goods come in under my wife's name, they will be duty free. Also that they must be used, not duplicated and not 'luxury items'.

But I can find no info on my situation.

I am a professional carpenter, and over the years have built up a collection of valuable (when new) and indispensable hand and power tools (many more or less duplicated, although they are for different jobs, or aspects of jobs - for instance I have four routers, two 1/4 inch and two 1/2 inch, which are all used for different types of work, several different types of drills / power drivers, a few circular saws etc etc). I'm not including non-portable stuff like my bench saw, which weighs half a ton on it's own - that I'd have to sell - but all the portable stuff.

I'm close to retirement age, and will in all likelihood be retiring to Thailand where we would like to buy a piece of land on which I would like to build a traditional Thai style timber house. This for two reasons - 1) I like them, and 2) I would be able to do much of the work myself, which would be both a cost saving and would mean the work is done to my satisfaction. It is not my intention to seek paid work with the tools of my trade (I want to retire, remember), merely to pursue my own interests. As well as my work, carpentry is my hobby. I love it.

Does anyone have any experience of shipping this sort of stuff as 'household goods'? I would point out that it is all very obviously used, no new stuff, but mostly top quality (read expensive) professional stuff. Would tools have to shipped separately as dutiable goods, even though old and well used?

Any info on this would be appreciated.

I echo the sentiments of the above posters. I think it's great that she entered what is a potentially very risky event. She didn't need the publicity, nor any money it might generate; she did it for the sheer excitement and challenge.

Bloody good show!

It would be interesting to see a photo of a piece that has been planed and sanded, better to see the grain configuration. Dark woods like that are quite rare, apart (as I said in my last post) from timber that is normally much lighter, but for some reason (such as minerals locally in the soil or particular growing conditions) has thrown up some much darker hued trees, or parts of trees. It certainly looks interesting, and If I were to get some like that in a batch, I would be inclined, as you are, to use it for a table or something similar. My gut feeling is that it is teak, albeit very dark teak. It looks to have a somewhat reddish tinge to it, almost like Mahogany, although I've never come across Mahogany that dark, and I've used a fair bit of it over the years. That said, I've bought my Mahogany in Europe, so quite possibly the dark bits don't get through export QC. (When I speak of Mahogany, I include those timbers which are not in fact true Mahogany, but are marketed as such, like Utile, Sapele, Meranti, Balau etc., some of which grow in SE Asia)

I will post some pics next week as away for couple days, I'll sand some up and wax it.

the reddish tinge is reflection from the red posts below and beside, because it is very black, no red tinge.

l ducked into the woodyard this morning before we headed away and bought a 3m red post to replace the last black one. So now have 4 black posts 3 to 5m each, 20cm sq.

Told the yard guy thst we know as we buy a bit of stuff from him, said that the black wood is not so nice, thais dont like it at all and he agreed. Put in a standing order to buy all the black wood that comes in....lets see what we end up with.

Excellent! I'll keep an eye on this thread!

Thanks for the tip, mate! Made me think! From now on I'll make a point to take my piercings out, get a nice haircut, hide my commie tattoos and dress nice before going through US border controls.

Appreciate that. Thanks. As Lee Kuan Yew once said: "Garbage looking people deserve to treated accordingly."

Great man, that Lee.

Yes of course, Singapore is a shining light in the annals of personal freedom:

"The government in Singapore has broad powers to limit citizens' rights and to inhibit political opposition."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Singapore

"Singapore enforces the death penalty by hanging and has, according to Amnesty International, one of the world's highest execution rates relative to its population."

Yup, great man, that Lee...

Maybe one of the passengers managed to smuggle a pair of tweezers through airport security.

"Take me to Geneva or I'll pluck your nose hair!"

It's a bit ruddy late for the caretaker government to take a step back, and put the country's interests first.

There's only one interest the caretaker government puts first. It sits in Dubai with a big smirk, and is to where all the stolen money has gone, less some to the personal coffers of those in top government positions, i.e. MPs who thieved on his behalf, and got rewarded for it.

That is an overly simplistic view, and doesn't describe the realities at all. The Shinawatras and Suthep are merely bit players in a larger game. The future of Thailand will be decided in negotiations which will take place well out of the glare of media attention.

If it is ebony, as yermanee suggests, then it is a very expensive wood. I have my doubts, however. There are two types of Ebony; African, which is found in Southern Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and Zaire, and Macassar, which comes from the Celebes Islands, neither of which are likely to be exported to Thailand for construction purposes.

There is also Mun ebony (Diospyros mun) which grows in Laos.

Perhaps the OP could compare the grain with these samples: http://www.pinterest.com/wooddatabase/dark-woods/

Thanks for that, it's one I've not come across before. It just goes to show that however much we think we know, there is always more to learn!

How do you suggest they catch pedophiles without invading innocent peoples' privacy? I had my laptop searched 2 years back and there were a lot of questions asked about my arm around 2 5 year old hill tribe girls. I answered truthfully and never felt my privacy was violated as I had nothing to hide. It always seems to be guilty people that are first to question the legalities over wiretaps, searches and so on.

I love it. Question the limits of government power and to some people, that makes you guilty. Oy vey!

Free limitless travel without any checks without any rule of law being a part of said travel. How wonderful that would be. Right.... But the reality seems to be beyond you. So called intrusive policies, laws, checks are things that are required in today's world. It is unfortunate that it has been the case for a hell of a long time now. Watch the news one day and then tell me that being vigilant is not needed, or that the screening of bags is not needed, or that people who meet a certain 'profile' should not be stopped and questioned for the safety of others? So the old saying is as true today as it has always been and as it always will be. If you have nothing to hide then you have nothing to fear. This is not the film "North By Northwest".

I would appreciate it if you could work out how to use the 'quote' facility. You have posted a comment which infers that your opinion is in fact mine, as it appears in my quote box. Kindly edit this, as my opinion differs from yours, and I don't wish anyone to ascribe your opinions to me.

Or perhaps, failing that, one of the mods could could go back to the past couple of posts by iamriva1957 and edit them. This is a serious matter, or at least, it is serious to me.

I think my wife would divorce me if I wanted to wander around town shirtless. Or anywhere, come to that, apart from beach and home.

It would be interesting to see a photo of a piece that has been planed and sanded, better to see the grain configuration. Dark woods like that are quite rare, apart (as I said in my last post) from timber that is normally much lighter, but for some reason (such as minerals locally in the soil or particular growing conditions) has thrown up some much darker hued trees, or parts of trees. It certainly looks interesting, and If I were to get some like that in a batch, I would be inclined, as you are, to use it for a table or something similar. My gut feeling is that it is teak, albeit very dark teak. It looks to have a somewhat reddish tinge to it, almost like Mahogany, although I've never come across Mahogany that dark, and I've used a fair bit of it over the years. That said, I've bought my Mahogany in Europe, so quite possibly the dark bits don't get through export QC. (When I speak of Mahogany, I include those timbers which are not in fact true Mahogany, but are marketed as such, like Utile, Sapele, Meranti, Balau etc., some of which grow in SE Asia)

If it is ebony, as yermanee suggests, then it is a very expensive wood. I have my doubts, however. There are two types of Ebony; African, which is found in Southern Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and Zaire, and Macassar, which comes from the Celebes Islands, neither of which are likely to be exported to Thailand for construction purposes.

Could be 'Indian Laurel', which grows in Myanmar (known locally as 'Taukkyan') and Khmer (Neang) and probably to a lesser extent in Thailand (but I don't have a local name in Thai for it), and is used for marine construction and piling, posts, pitprops etc. Colour varies from light brown heartwood to dark brown with irregular darker streaks or lines. According to my reference book, it is "difficult to work with hand tools, and moderately hard to machine, with a blunting effect on cutting edges".

On the other hand, it could just be local Teak, which can vary in colour from golden brown to very dark brown. In any large batch, there will inevitably be a small percentage of dark wood, which may well be considered sub-standard for furniture making so gets consigned to the 'gash timber' pile for construction use.

Just go to any decent coffee shop that makes proper coffee and ask for an iced black (or white) coffee without sugar. Then add any sweetener of your choice if you so desire. You'll be getting an unadulterated product then. Anything which comes in a can or carton is going to have all sorts of crap in it.

That's brilliant! Coincidentally, I was looking at an old thread about buying tuk-tuks just last week, and the prices on those seemed to run from 60,000 to 150,000, depending on specification. 50,000 seems like a bargain by comparison. Where did you buy it?

Is there no way you can 'dogproof' your growing area? I know it's extra work and expense, but really a better option than poisoning what are in effect innocent animals (after all, they don't know what they're destroying, or even that they are destroying anything), and also seriously upsetting the neighbours, which as uptheos above points out, could have some very unpleasant ramifications.

Oh dear....

I live in Europe, but not in UK, which is my country of origin. Where I live (Greece, for more than 10 years) is in many respects similar to Thailand insofar as it is pretty anarchic, and in some ways even more relaxed than Thailand. For instance, you have to be very unlucky to get done for a traffic offence (seat belt, crash helmet etc), you won't be breathalysed unless you are in an accident, and not always then,if it's minor. Despite a blanket smoking ban, you can smoke in most bars and restaurants (and even in public offices, you'll see ashtrays on the desks), and overall, as long as you aren't too antisocial, you can do much as you please. And the crime rate is much, much lower than either Thailand or UK. I still never lock my car or worry about break-ins. Not only that, but if you offered a Greek cop 'Tea Money' for any reason, he would probably arrest you. I may well move to Thailand in the next year or two, but I can't see myself ever living in the UK again. It is rapidly becoming an Orwellian dystopia, with the state interfering in every aspect of people's lives. The government is in thrall to the 'Public Health' lobby and their rag-tag army of single-issue minority (but well funded) lobby groups.

No, I don't think teams of wild horses could drag me back to the repressions of the UK.

SOH and I decided we had too much luggage (we fly back to Greece on Tuesday), so bought a biggish box (about 55cm square) and filled it with clothes and bits and bobs. Took it to the Post Office to send, and they told us about 1 month. We'll see. It weighed 10 Kg and cost 1700 Baht (Gulp!). The wife's mum has sent smaller boxes to her, but still quite big, maybe half / third the size we sent, and they've arrived in 2 - 3 weeks. Pretty sure they went surface mail.

Tried to take a taxi from Chinatown where we're staying to an Indian restaurant in Sukhumvit Soi 26 last night - couldn't find a cab willing to take us, so took MRT and BTS to Phrom Pong and cabbed it from there. Sukhumvit was blocked at Asoke as mentioned above. Found a cabbie willing to try the return route, but Rama IV was blocked along Lumphini - no chance to get through - so he dropped us off at the barricade and we walked to Silom MRT and luckily got one of the last trains to Hualamphong. The mood of the protesters at Lumphini was not exactly threatening, but neither was it friendly, and we felt uncomfortable and much relieved to make it down into the metro.