Daveyh

The retirement visa age requirements are that you must be 50-55yrs, not sure which now to qualify. An income of 800k Thai Baht, in either a lump sum in a Thai bank for at least 2 months or proof that you have an annual income of a similar account. This can be your monthly payments in the year totalling this amount. One problem you must be aware of is the difficulty getting the proof of your income. Immigration will require a certified certificate in the form of a "Letter of Income" from your embassy annually to support your visa, if you do not wish to keep 800k in a Thai bank annually. Immigration rules are rigid here & do not waver, so be aware that the consulates here are now saying that they can no longer help due to legal issues. The fact that most embassies here have "thrown us under a bus" & abandoned us, especially expats must come as no surprise to you. Another danger here is the exchange rate fluctuates wildly, which can alter overnight, so be warned. Many due to the Thai Baht being so strong have found their income dwindled overnight & their pensions fell below the threshold of 800k Thai Baht. Living here is a "slippery slope" now because no one knows if the Baht will continue to get stronger each year or not ..... in turn, this can continue to make the requirement of 800k Thai Baht each year further out of reach for many, hence the expat community here has been seriously depleted, so social gatherings have taken a huge hit. To give you some idea of the fluctuation in the exchange rate ......... I arrived here in 2003 & the rate of exchange was £1 = 74 Thai Baht, now it's hovering around £1 = 39 Thai Baht. It however dropped, not so long ago, to £1 = 34 Thai Baht ......... that's a really big hit on everyone's income! Good luck with your plans, but the paradise that once was here is beginning to become a distant memory. 

No matter what everyone thinks .............. it's the way things are done here, no foreigner will ever get their head around it. Certainly he is guilty of causing death by dangerous driving, drunk UTI & leaving the scene of the accident, but money talks. Hiso lawyers & hugh payments must have made this possible. It is certain that "blood money" been made to the policeman's family long ago. Just the legal system & police authorities "milking it for all it's worth" by not closing the case. 

As a foreigner we all know that you will always be a guest in Thailand irrespective of how long you've lived here. There will always be someone such as Khun Anutin with xenophobia & Thai society has it's fair share of these people. Foreigner's plight here has always been at the whim of government like it or not & you should have thought it through before making your decision. The risks of living here have always been known & well documented. If you are not "thick skinned" then this is certainly not the place for you ..... fact. No one will champion your cause here & unless you can "suck it up", get on with your own life & enjoy every minute of it then life can get pretty stressful for you here. It's a beautiful, wonderful country to live in & if you do not fall foul of the law, immigration or do anything really stupid life can certainly be a beach here .................... I can hardly wait for the sun to rise again tomorrow & live another fun filled day here. 

I honestly would not bother shipping your bike to Thailand. The effort in doing so does not seem worthwhile as the "hassles" you'll encounter this end importing it will be frustrating. My advice is to sell your bike in the UK for a good price & buy a similar machine here. Thailand has been building bikes for years, it's a "must have" mode of transport for every family here & they are good at it. The choice you will have will amaze you & you will not be disappointed at their cost. If you want to purchase a bike a little more up market than a 125cc there are many 300cc bikes on the market here & ideal for buzzing around town ....... Yamaha, Honda & Kawasaki are the main brands here, but there are local brands that are even cheaper. Remember that Thailand builds bikes ........ hence nearly every one you buy from new should give you years of loyal service. Good luck & I hope you find Thailand to your liking ........ I'm into my 20th year & still loving every minute. Secondhand is a risk as most Thai's will not service their machines & only do repairs if something goes wrong. Unless you know the history forget buying secondhand. Bikes keep their value well & easily sold if you decide to sell. Thailand is what it is & what you make of it. Just be sensible, watch your wallet & live the good life ........ don't be put off by people who tell you otherwise........ everything is possible here, just be careful. Cheers.

Since the outbreak of covid19 life changed as we know it, it is what it is now & we must adhere to all these rules & regulations wherever we go in the world. We cannot avoid it. It's a real pain for all of us & I have lost count the number of times I've forgotten my facemark when leaving my home .......... returning for it just ruins my day. I've now plenty scattered around in my car, motorbike etc, so it's another object I must carry around. Wearing it I feel so uncomfortable, eating a meal with it on for me is unacceptable too & I certainly will not be visiting any restaurant anytime soon. Think the fast food outlets & takeaways are really on a winner now ........... no one wants to sit in a restaurant with all these regulations, especially with family. It's going to be years until things return to normal, unless a vaccine is not discovered soon the world economy will continue to spiral downwards ............ sad fact, but true.

True friendships just don't exist here in Thailand for Farangs living here. At best you have a group of guys with similar interests, but I've yet to find anyone that has found a true friend here. Those that do have real mates here knew each other whilst working in their home country or abroad together & ended up living in Thailand. Others have taken up true friendships abroad on contracts whilst living here as a base, hence became friends when they settled here. I've been here nearly twenty years & everyone I know are acquaintances, but not people I'd rely on for anything. Sadly, the life here is not a "family thing", mostly we are misfits from around the world, retired & living out their days. It's also sad to note that Thai friendships are also hard to come by, perhaps it's the close knit family thing or indeed the xenophobic fear of foreigners. Whatever, living here is brilliant & I never get tired of it. May it long continue even though the baht has taken it's toll of many of us ....... fact.  

If these numbers are to be believed then I think we should all relax & stop scaring one another. I think we are all doing everything we can at the moment .......... pretty much the same as all the other countries I would think. It's difficult to know where to turn to stop the spread, but common sense tells us to self isolate as much as possible & we are doing that. I've been at home for two weeks now & only shop once a week. My household maintenance & DIY jobs, that have been long overdue are being addressed, which is great. I've managed to buy facemarks, antiseptic gel, disposable gloves & face shields locally, so I think the public are being well served by the authorities here. The key is to stay home as much as possible ....... the streets are empty, so I think the majority of the public are. Stay safe everyone by staying home ........ protect one another at this very crucial time in our lives.

For christ sake ........... what's the big deal in wether you wear a mask or not? ALL ...... yes ALL "farangs" here are guests so just remember that. If you don't wish to obey the rules here fine, if some of you disagree you have one choice .......... go home! Simple isn't it? I'm sick & tired of reading about all these "armchair experts" blaming those that are trying their best to save lives. You are in Thailand & the mindset is different, hence you are going to get information that makes no sense to you. Even in europe people are disputing decisions based on facts by governments & it's no different here. This virus is new & everyone is trying their hardest to combat this, so do whatever is asked of you & more! Please do not complain ............... it only makes things worse in the long term. The population of Thailand are not blaming the "foreigner" for this pandemic. They are aware where this virus originated & why it has spread throughout the world. Perhaps by not treating these people as idiots you will reap the rewards. At the moment all you people complaining does not go un-noticed by them. However, very few have publicly voiced their opinion in public ....... those that have in the media, have immediately been rebuked, ridiculed & an apology was quickly posted showing that the majority of Thai's do not blame the foreigner. Be a good citizen, albeit a foreigner & do your bit for our society here by supporting it ...... stay safe everyone.  

From what I've seen since this pandemic was reported Thailand has been quite efficient in trying their best to stop the spread of this covid-19 virus. Locally the malls, supermarkets, pharmacies & banks have all segregated customers as much as is possible. I must say their approach to everyone has been really commendable, very polite without any fuss. Scanners, hand wash solutions etc have all been made available, plus temperature scanners on all entrances have been placed to minimize the inconvenience of everyone. Face masks have been worn by nearly every Thai national, it seems only the "farang" that exercises his right by not wearing one & this is wrong. What really is important & does matter is doing everything possible to keep people safe irrespective on your views. I think the "farangs" here are letting themselves down badly by not showing compassion or concern to their fellow beings. You are not experts in this field & god knows neither are the top medics trying desperately to reduce the spread to save lives. "Farangs" please step back, think about the consequences of a full blown disaster here, do your bit, listen to all the measures that are being recommended to keep all of us safe & stop being pigheaded & stupid ............... comply with the authorities irrespective how restrictive life becomes. It not just you .............. we are all in this together.

As an expat living here 20yrs I'm disgusted with fellow members on this forum that seem to just revel in being ignorant, take great delight in mocking people, being sarcastic, selfish individuals who have no thought for anyone but themselves ....... fact

I think the slowness of the virus here must have something to do with the temperatures of late. I've recorded temperatures of 35 to 40 deg C in my area. We have had so many Chinese tourists here at the start of the epidemic that it must be one of the reasons why it has not spread the same as europe, especially Italy. Another possibility is that all the Chinese tourists are mostly transported in buses everywhere & spend most of their holiday on islands, hence we have no real contact with them.

I think Thailand to date has been extremely lucky. Hopefully, we will all get back to a normal life soon. Meanwhile, I'm self isolating & staying home. I'll only go to the bank (if it's open) once a month & a supermarket for supplies once a week. I'm catching up on all my household chores & DIY too, which without these restrictions I would never get them done! Ha! Stay safe everyone ........... cheers.

If the British Embassy was properly staffed there would be never any problems for UK citizens when situations such as this arise! They are posted to these embassies to serve! It's a known fact by expats that over the years this embassy has performed below par & continues to provide very little support to UK citizens in need ....... fact. It must be so distressing now they do not have "wireless road" ........ it's the end of an era where garden parties for the elite & the continued waste of taxpayers money on lavish spending ceased. It's "dad's army" ............. remember when they use to use expats as "honorable counsels" .............. what a joke these embassies are.

It's obvious that he should not hold a minister's post from previous outbursts. I think he must be living on "borrowed time" ........... the loss of face to government, plus the public's reaction to his media & tv comments surely must end with his demise ...... ?

Classic quote from incompetent British Embassy officials ........... no help whatsoever. Leave Thailand now before you become our problem! ........... actual fact as there is none here! I've been living here nearly 20yrs & have witnessed all the shortfalls of embassy staff here, which do not take care of the needs of anyone who is a British Citizen. It's pathetic service to expatriates also is appalling & any excuse to do absolutely nothing. I wonder what they do all day, probably a lot less now they have no garden for lavish parties to continue spending taxpayers hard-earned cash.. What a waste of "Taxpayers Money" that the UK government squanders on these so called diplomatic officials ....... it's a real joke. They serve no purpose whatsoever here & should just go home! Most people's needs are available on the internet & once the forms etc. have been downloaded & filled in mailed to either Hong Kong or direct to the UK. 

Perhaps tourists think they exist to assist where it is needed, but their staff are incompetent & normally used "a locally recruited" embassy official, who incidentally is normally an expat! Talk about "Dad"s Army" ............. no wonder they have no clout here & seen as a joke. Time's up I think .......... the British Ambassador here & his staff should go home ............. 'cos we're staying!!! 

Yes, humanity is all we really have left in this state of confusion. I personally think it is us that will resolve matters by helping each other. Governments worldwide make a mess of most things leading to a crisis which eventually must be & are resolved by us, the general public ...... fact. Be it war, famine, drought & epidemics etc etc etc it's us that make a difference. Now is the time to show compassion & concern for every human being on this planet .......... only we can do this.  

On 3/15/2020 at 8:21 AM, tifino said:

what he said is recorded on video for all posteriety

 

what he wrote, is on plenty of caches around the world... of whoever/wherever of those who read his since-deleted tripe

Yep, this guy spoke before engaging his brain ....... Thai mindset tends to do this a lot as they become angry so easily leading to instant explosive remarks & actions. Again, denial seems to be the first response to any accusations here, but it's all on video in this case etc etc, so really a "hands up" I said that & I apologize is all that's needed ........... by his denial only makes things worse for him & damages Thailand's worldwide reputation as "The Land of Smiles". What a "<deleted>". The damage caused by all the recent remarks about foreigners living & visiting Thailand will eventually show in the ToT forecasts, they will not be able to continue to "fudge" this issue any longer .... fact.

23 hours ago, Misterwhisper said:

Of course. No Thai would ever infect another Thai.

 

I cannot even begin to describe how disgusting I find this official xenophobic finger-pointing at "foreigners". 

Get use to it! Just because COHIV19 has recently become pandemic is not the reason for the changed mindset of Thai's towards foreigners. It's a well known fact that only our money is welcome & their attitude towards us should come as no surprise to anyone. 

Tourism is the lifeblood of this magical country & we fund most Thai's life styles by coming here on holiday. First it was the Europeans, then the Arabs & Russians, then the Japanese & Koreans, then the Chinese & Indians .......... now everyone has left, no income for local businesses & everything is closing down because of the lack of cash, but the unexpected COHIV19 virus has really put the "Cat amongst the pigeons". Who to blame for all this? ................ Thai logic say's it's the tourist & they should be blamed, but this time they have gone a little too far in their accusations, which has left many foreigners really angry & quite rightly so! To be labelled "dirty foreigners" in the media & tv here is the last straw for most of us. I doubt those that have already left will ever grace these shores again with their presence & many others in the coming months will also leave never to return.

A sad state of affairs indeed, when everyone should be pulling together & helping one another, irrespective of race, sad, sad, sad .........  another barrier here which will be difficult to overcome. This tragic world event which will continue for many more months, even years. Thailand so far has been so fortunate that containment appears to be working here compared to other countries with very few fatalities, especially as the Chinese tourists come here on holiday in the thousands you would have thought it would have been far worse as the virus was first identified in Wuhan, China..