TravelerEastWest

What do you think of Prem in Chiang Mai?

A more complex question can an English medium school ever do a first rate job of teaching Thai - to the point when graduating high school they are fluent/native speaker/ Thai school level in reading and writing in Thai?

Learn the history of the school...Originally TSV...you'll figure this out... Is it better? It is a nice campus in a community of high priced condos, designed to support the school and community.

As for the quality and the answers to your questions...Well they are trying, but is it enough?

I like Prem's campus and overall I think its a good school although very small - which has its own pros and cons.

I have been talking to friends who are involved with translating and I don't think it is possible or reasonable to expect fluent - native level Thai speakers in terms of reading and writing...

Married to a Thai citizen you normally only need 2 staff and 1 million capital, unless the law has changed?

same house, mine here, 7 years. always flush paper. never any problems and never had to have the tank pumped. its a falacy IMHO

Agred, we also use toilet paper and flush never a problem with the concrete tank - never had it pumped.

Perhaps many buildings simply are designed to handle sewage well?

No problem.

The next time the child reenters be honest and immigration will take care of it.

You're American right? You hardly know what tax is.

So Thailand has high import tax on clothing. So does India, so does South Africa, so does Brazil. The idea is to protect the local industry. Probably 40%, by the sound of it. UPS will add handling/customs fees.

The arithmetic

<< That's what I did. I also never ever used a courier service again. >>

it depends on the country. Typically, the PO depot / international hub has a Customs department, staffed by Revenue Service / Customs. If you use post services instead of courier, they will calculate the import duty and you pay when you collect the parcel.

The arithmetic that Don Mega showed is wrong. The import duty is calculated on the value of the goods, not including the shipping cost. Then after the import duty is added, there may be VAT.

with my experience non-courier services (normal post) a lot of the times the parcels simply come in under the radar, occasionally I do get stung for import taxes and duties but that is rare.

Same in SA. But if it's labeled as Clothing [or whatever - computer components or whatever] the import duty will be applied.

Sorry to correct you, but the import duty is calculated based on the CIF value. That means purchase price + transport + insurance

The vat is calculated based on CIF value + duty paid

Correct, CIF for duty then VAT is calculated on CIF plus duty.

200 baht is a customs fee then there is airline storage fees and soon and clearing fees for a formal clearance around 1284 baht if I remember correctly.

Sometimes the freight in the CIF calculation is a customs supplied number not the actual freight sometimes one tarif amount is charged for duty instead of another.

Most of the people in the post who claim they are being ripped off by UPS DHL etc are not business people who import regularly.

The post office often but not always does not get around to collecting small customs fees so use the post office if your package is small.

I found that the office in big government complex to not be helpful refusing to notarize my signature as it was not for a Thai document.

So instead I found that for 500 to 700 baht a lawyer can usually do it.

Doublephil has given you good advice - start with a good CPA (not a lawyer) that speaks English.

Also this statement is very interesting:

"Foreigners can also hold Preferred shares to give them more voting rights and hold the majority voting power

over the Thai shareholders, even though the Thai shareholders must hold 51% of the shares."

From what I recall common shares normally have voting rights and not preferred shares.

But perhaps I am completely wrong, or perhaps something is different here in Thailand? - if someone can comment that would be great.

I believe you're right. Many of the big foreign companies out here have on paper 49% with some Thai national owning the other 51% however their 49% of shares are preferred shares and hold more voting rights....or something to that affect.

To be fair, the OP is not going to be able to make an executive decision until he sees a professional lawyer......I only know a tiny bit of Thai law and I doubt many on TVF know much more than I do. He still hasn't stated which type of business it is....for all we know little Ning has offered half her girly bar for 200,000thb in which case hiring a lawyer wouldn't be worth it.

Luxfare,

Do you mean the common shares have the voting rights? Pfd shares typically have some financial preference but not voting unless I am not remembering accounting 101 from years ago.

If a non Thai owns 49% of the company as common shares and a Thai owns 51% as pfd shares then the common shares should have all the voting power and control.

Of course as a practical matter if the investment is small it will be more of a hobby and possibly not worth hiring anyone to give advice.

Although for no more than 5,000 baht you could get a very smart Thai CPA who speaks English to advise you about most of what you need to know and they can quickly and easily setup a company if you need that.

Doublephil has given you good advice - start with a good CPA (not a lawyer) that speaks English.

Also this statement is very interesting:

"Foreigners can also hold Preferred shares to give them more voting rights and hold the majority voting power

over the Thai shareholders, even though the Thai shareholders must hold 51% of the shares."

From what I recall common shares normally have voting rights and not preferred shares.

But perhaps I am completely wrong, or perhaps something is different here in Thailand? - if someone can comment that would be great.

Agricultural zoning question

If land is clearly in a farming area what types of use are allowed?

Example can an apartment building be built?

Can a restaurant be built?

Also how do you confirm the zoning of land?

I understand that zoning is sometimes not observed in Thailand but sometimes it is for example a big factory normally can't be built without permits and maybe not at all in certain areas.

Yes Nienke, i said and i quote "To be honest with you, in all my years of pet ownership i have never ever seen any surgery done with mask for a dog."

Again for the 4th time, Thonglor, best equipped Vet in Thailand and most expansive Vet in Thailand, did not offer or had oxygen mask for dying dog.

Did not have or offer mask for major spinal surgery, or legs surgery or nose reconstruction.

They also did not have it for other occasions such as bladder surgery for a cat.

So if best and most expansive hospital does not offer a mask in case major spinal surgery, you expect me to believe they would offer it in case of simple desexing?

Great, i am happy to accept this masks exists and apparently also exist on Thonglor website, however it does not exist in reality, for the reasons i already explained.

Yes Vet is taking the piss, lets do a poll, how many Pet owners had to have their pets blood tests before desexing a pet? As i said previously, i have had 35 pets desexed and know of at least another 35 from my staff or mates and none had to have a blood test before simple 10 min desexing.

So what is misinformation? that at least 70 pets never had to be blood tested but according to some theory its the right thing to do? so Thonglor, Animal Vet Clinic, Muang Acke, Soi Neamb- are all idiots and do not know what they are doing?

Even when desexing the disabled dog, he was not blood tested, nor was he blood tested prior to spinal surgery or nose reconstruction or broken legs..

Konying, Nienke is giving you great advice, Thonglor certainly does offer a mask for neutering a male dog as they offered it for our dog about two months ago. They also gave our dog a pre-op blood test - why were your dogs not offered a mask - simple answer why don't you ask? and then report back?

They also offer a mask and pre-op test for female dogs getting spade again I know this from recent experience.

I use a local small vet office for routine vaccinations etc and the vet told me that she could do the operation with a needle anesthesia but that it was better to use the gas.

Having a dog neutered or spayed is the right thing to do unless you are into breeding.

The cost is a personal matter - if on a budget go to a government clinic.

If you want the best quality go to somewhere like Thonglor hospital - fantastic service - and more importantly after service.

We took our two dogs there - yes with blood tests which are very normal preop.

Later we had a problem at 2AM not related to the operation - a quick call and we got an on duty expert vet helping us out - try that with a government clinic.

What do you think of Prem in Chiang Mai?

A more complex question can an English medium school ever do a first rate job of teaching Thai - to the point when graduating high school they are fluent/native speaker/ Thai school level in reading and writing in Thai?

More likely than not you are thinking about Prem in Mae Rim.

You can live in Chiang Mai city and have a driver pick you up and take you home.

Unless you like traffic & crime and noise and heat go to CM.

The answer is so clear that I wonder if you are serious or just having fun with your post.

Split your shipment into packages weighing less than 2 kilos and then send them via small packet registered airmail - on average 3 weeks to America.

Eye catcher,

That is exactly what I wanted to know - 200 baht is in my budget - thank you sir!

As a side note I noticed that on the 2nd floor there is an OTOP office with some interesting crafts on display.

i can assure you that Amphur Sansai will not be willing to help you at all. don't waste your time.

Thank you I will start looking at law offices.

Sansai and Mae Rim are unlikely places to find what you are looking for,

Just go to the US Consul, it is cheap considering a Luxumburg bank account and they surely will be happy to pass the info onto IRS and Treasury.

Dante99,

Thank you for trying to help but as mentioned earlier the American consulate is too expensive.

I will start looking again at local government offices and law offices.

Apologies if I was not clear this has nothing to do with a court case or opening an account etc. so any official looking notary etc will be fine.

All thoughts on whether a Thai certification is acceptable are certainly appreciated on a conversational level but not what I asked about.

Does anyone know information about Sansai and Mae Rim?

Interesting information about Europe - thank you.

The certification is for a bank in Luxembourg not for legal/court purposes, only as ID.

The request was very vague as far as certification goes - more likely than not a Thai lawyer or Amphur official will be fine.

The question is where in Sansai or Mae Rim - and how much do they cost and the time needed to get the certification...

Any ideas for certifications of non Thai documents in English?

The certified copy is signed by a person nominated by the person or agency asking for it.

So, who do you need to do the certification?

Apologies if I was not clear but in this case (and all cases that I have heard of) a certified copy is a copy certified by local authorities or those who are clearly authorized to do so. In this case a bank in Europe is asking for documents.

The American consulate is clearly authorized to notarize the documents but expensive when numerous copies are needed. I have used them in the past and it was easy effective. In Thailand I have heard that some lawyers can certify copies but I have not personally done this so I am not certain and not sure of the cost.

If a local amphur can certify copies it might be at a low price - again not sure.

Any ideas for certifications of non Thai documents in English?

Certified copies - best place in Sansai or mae Rim?

First, I know that for about $50 per notarization I can go to the American consulate.

I have a number of documents such as birth certificates, passports, drivers licenses etc so at $50 each it would be expensive.

I have heard that Thai law offices can notarize documents which would probably be cheaper, but any other ideas?

I went to check at the local amphur today just before noon and it was empty like a ghost town.

Thank you!

You need:

Your form 47

One copy of your passport, departure card and your last 90 day report receipt.

Sign every page of your copies

A stamped self addressed return envelope.

Send via EMS to your local immigration office - just a bit more than registered mail and you can trace it no need to call and be put on hold...

The whole procedure is simple and reliable I have been doing it for years.

Elgenon,

"You do know that ASEAN starts this year and barriers between the countrie will be dropped. For instance, Filipinos will be hired in Thailand because of English proficiency. So what you say is WRONG!"

I am confused - it was my impression that only some limited barriers would be dropped.

There will only be a limited chance for a Filipino to get a job in Thailand that is not already possible.

Already they can get jobs as teachers and nurses and probably a number of other possibilities exist. Their English skills are already helping them...