thaigold

Don't blame Harley Davidson for the high pricess in Thailand. Blame the real cause; Thai import taxes. Case in point, the Mini Cooper. In the US you can buy a fully equipt Mini for under $30,000 US. Same one in BKK; over 2 million baht ($60,000) ....

Sure hope they can recover some of the money, but chances are it's all gone now.

Foreign wife, money transfer, suicide by throat cut and tied to cement block? Yeah, right.

Sure hope these reports are true ... especially for the Thais who earn their livings from tourism. There is a fact overlooked here; tourists come here for adventure and pleasure, not for solemnity and sorrow.

Maybe the crooked American bankers could use this defense too. "My wife forced me to steal the money"

Kudos to  the Thai police. Real simple, they know what they look like; they know their countries of origin, and they can smell them a block away. Profiling works ...

Check Australian entry visas. Maybe his Australian boyfriend got jealous. You know, a  ménage à trois, two givers and one taker.

Kind of sad ... seeing this historical landmark being divided up for developers.

What we’ve been hearing for months now are nothing but lame excuses.

“Gee, I was busy”… “No one told me.”…” That message wasn’t routed properly.”…”Yeah, but wasn’t classified according to my personal server.”..."It didn't really make any difference."..."All this is just a distraction; let's forget about it." etc, etc, etc. It was always no big deal or someone else’s fault.

During my time in the military we dealt with classified on a regular basis. If any of us had handled one…single…document the way she’s mishandled hundreds (if not thousands) the offense would have been relentlessly investigated and pursued to the fullest extent of the law. We were responsible 100% of the time, regardless of any excuses.

As they used to say…”You can delegate authority but you can’t delegate responsibility. If you're in charge; you own it.

And this miscreant has the audacity to hold herself above the law…..

Unreal.

Look. Mrs. Clinton was the Secretary of State. How can some low level government wonk decide what the secretary can or cannot read and forward?

Who decided to classify certain documents - documents so secret that the Secretary of State needs some lower pay grade person's OK?

It's all bull; politically driven.

Reminds us or Bush's Attorney General, Ashcroft singing, "Let the Eagle Soar." It had the Bush Whacker weeping.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woLQI8X2R6Y

Some say Part B for expats is a bet on furure health failure. I dumped Part B more than 13 years ago, and in doing so saved almost 700,000 baht in useless insurance. Also, BKKSnowBird - the Medicare is useless overseas. Remember, in the US, if you are well off, health care is a breez. If you are poor, it's free. Only the middle class takes the hit. Unfair? YES.

$104 is pretty cheap insurance. I think best to keep it.

It is discouraging to me as an American expat seeing some of my European friends with full 100% health care, Americans still have to deal with this can of Medicare worms; expensive US costs; 20% deductibles, and no overseas protection. Useless.

Guess Medicare would be used in those cases where a person preferred to got back to the U.S. (or its territories such as Guam) for certain/major medical care. And they didn't want to incur the 10% per year for life premium penalty for not signing up when eligible at 65. Ex: Delay your sign up until age 70, that's 5 years X10% =50% higher premium for life over those who signed up at 65. So late signup can be a consideration especially if you feel you will be moving back to the U.S. at some point in your golden years.

Also, for military retirees (and their dependents) to continue their Tricare coverage uninterrupted (medical coverage of active duty/retirees and their dependents) "worldwide" they must sign up for Part B coverage at 65. Then their Tricare coverage continues to provide medical coverage regardless of what country on Earth they live in and coverage for life (75% reimbursement for in-hospital and outpatient care). Medicare generally provides no coverage outside the U.S. but Tricare continues to...if living outside the U.S. instead of mailing your claim to Medicare you continue to mail it to Tricare as you did before you turned 65. Additionally, if a person decides to move back to the U.S. later on then they are covered by Medicare and Tricare which covers 100% of their medical costs after deductibles.....Medicare provides first coverage, then forwards the un-reimbursed part to Tricare for reimbursement....works out great for a military retirees and their dependents.

But for a person not eligible for Tricare coverage, then signing up for and paying for Medicare premiums if living outside the U.S. would not provide any coverage unless the person went to the U.S. for care....and once again a person must take into the late sign up penalty for life especially if they feel all of their golden years will not be spent outside the U.S. I can be a tough decision sometimes.

As stated, US Medicare is useless overseas, so if you are retired overseas you will have to return to the US, or on of its territories or possessions for treatment - this includes Guam. And Guam, for American Thai expats is workable - with a suggestion; secure a primary physician on the island prior to seeking treatment.
Additionally, Thai medical care is world class, especially in Bangkok. Americans need to understand that unless you have a place to stay in the US and an accredited physician to admit you to a hospital, you are going to incur additional costs.

Put all this together; air fair; drug costs; 20% US deductibles and you may find self-pay cheaper in the Kingdom.
If I needed major surgery (not elective) I'd fly to Honolulu, go to the Queen's Medical Center ER and collapse. Other than that, Phayathai #1 - superb health care ...

A Thai gentleman told me that there is a warehouse fully stocked with black shirts. What could that mean?

How about a better idea - get the Americans out of the Middle East? The Americans can't even keep their own schools and campuses free of violence, and they're going to pacify the Levant. What a joke.

Let's start with you Iranians getting the hell out of countries you have no business being there,

pull your lackeys and proxies armies out Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yeman and stop meddling

in other countries affairs under the guise of you being the protectors of your faith, coz no

one believe it anyway..... you're the roots of all evil in the middle east, get out and stay out

and the region will be a better place......

It's not uncommon for these senior Japanese gentlemen to have a Japanese wife at home in Dai Nippon.

In this conversation, it important to bear in mind that a seismic event is just over the horizon for all the Thai people. This eventuality s not a wild guess, it's written in stone. It comes to us all.
So, maybe 2017 is a spot-on estimate, given the very real fact that eventually, all things are eventual.

Here's a suggestion; unless you are a Thai, bite your tongues. The Thai method of governing by coup d'etat is none of our business.

.... or this one. I withdraw a 10,000 baht from an ATM against my U.S. account. A month later the withdrawal shows up in the U.S., but it's doubled (two 10,000 baht debits). Ye have been duly warned.

Simply outlaw the Hijab, burqua, chador, and Niquabs.

the use of hijab on id photos is nnot legal in france and one can understand why

We know the Thai police are doing what they can, but the initial refusal for outside investigatory assistance was a mistake in the extreme. The FBI has scientific and forensic tools that the Thais can't even conceive of. They should have been allowed in immediately - after all, a terror bombing is an assault on all countries, not just Thai pride.
But, in a rush to create a facade of normalcy, the crime scene was purged of any evidence as quickly as possible, and the murderers got away.
(another thought; why are backpacks and luggage allowed on the BTS?)

In New York, Sydney, or London the site would have been secured and whole area tented for examination by forensic technicians and the police authorities. This would be especially true in the case of a mass murder, like the Rachaprasong bombing. Now, because of this ridiculous rush to normalcy, the evidenciary chain of evidence is broken and useless.
Bangkok residents will remember the Thai who was beaten to death at the shrine for defacing the image. The site was closed while the restoration work was in process. So sad.

Travel anywhere in today's world is dangerous. Bangkok is no more dangerous than New York City. However, no family with children should visit Thailand until the underlying political situation is normalized.
Most travel insurance policies have exclusionary clauses in the case of injuries or damages due to civil unrest. It is reprehensible to put your children in danger.

Hawaii awaits ....

Were I a betting man, I'd say Chuwit will get a pass ... They always take care of their own.

I suggest sticking with the mail. The efficiency of the Thai Karatchkon (or lack thereof) is legendary.