taiping

I've been in the LoS a looong time but don't have any Thai male friends, perhaps because I'm quite reserved and mostly stick to myself. Some years ago I was friends with the local KTB bank manager and several times we partied out the back of the bank during working hours (!), but we went out one evening and he drove his car like a stupid maniac after a few beers - I vowed never to be his passenger again. The only other times I've been fairly friendly with Thai men, I felt I was being used as the farang pinup. Education, cultural differences, language difficulties, and lack of trust, prevent closer friendships.

What's the problem with a non-res Euro account at (say) Bangkok Bank in the LoS?

As far as I can see there is nothing new here. I've known about these rules for years, but if push comes to shove you can state that you are returning to live in the UK permanently.

In practice, as others have indicated, I doubt if there would be any problem getting free medical treatment, especially with a NHS card.

By the way, my NHS card is something like 40-years old, printed on paper - what do the current ones look like, and how do I go about getting a new one?

Suggest invest in a range of Asian shares using a share broker in Hong Kong. For many years I have used Phillip Securities (HK).

A dividend yield of 4.5% is entirely realistic.

Use this site to pick suitable stocks, using yield or p/e criteria . . .

http://www.finet.hk/mainsite/investment/calculation.html

Of course, funds can be transferred anywhere from the HK broker to LoS or wherever.

Risks are share price volatility and exchange rate risk from (say) HK shares to Thai Baht.

Commission charges for share dealings are low but commission for fund SWIFT transfers are a bit high, so suggest doing fund transfers once or twice a year.

If possible, NEVER use FedEx, UPS, etc.

They use agents in Thailand who try to extract ridiculous "customs clearance" fees.

It's a scam - don't fall for it.

Mail by USPS, Royal Mail etc is fine. I've been here a long time so no from experience.

Go back to your own country and start again.

A loan in Thailand must invariably be considered a gift without expectation that it will be repaid.

chiang mai, on 27 Feb 2014 - 16:02, said:

Er, ...numbers? How much is large?

How thick is your skull ? He would have told us in the first post how much if he wanted too.

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Not at all - the replies posted are useless if the sum is indeed "large" - say several million baht.

For this I have an excellent solution if required, which I have used several times. No bank paperwork required.

Please share the solution

Contact me directly if you are serious.

Don't forget if you have significant assets in Thailand - List of assets in Thailand (property, bank accounts, vehicle, etc), translated into Thai and presumably legalized at the MFA (I forget now - too long ago). Hand over to the Amphur office official when registering the legal marriage. I did that - no comment made.

In case of divorce, only assets obtained after marriage are split 50/50.

A word to the wise . . .

chiang mai, on 27 Feb 2014 - 16:02, said:

Er, ...numbers? How much is large?

He would have told us in the first post how much if he wanted too.

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Not at all - the replies posted are useless if the sum is indeed "large" - say several million baht.

For this I have an excellent solution if required, which I have used several times. No bank paperwork required.

How much are we talking about? What do you mean by "large"?

You can use MoneyGram at banks like SCB. I used SCB Ekamai Branch.

I have used them several times without major problems. No paperwork required except copy of passport.

Not sure how the fees compare to Western Union.

I am told that upcountry Bangkok Bank is more amenable to sending outward remittances.

You can also have a non-resident foreign currency account. I recently started a non-resident CHF deposit account with Bangkok Bank (Ekamai Branch) with initial funding by Thai baht cash deposit.

I also support Bitcoins - extremely cheap and quick to transfer funds.

Thanks - very well done.

I would prefer not repeating the view of the bridge and would like more "busy" street scenes.

Again the rights of ordinary citizens to go about their lawful business has been usurped by this nonsense Civil Court decision.

I am told by a Thai businessman that he decided to close his restaurant in Siam Square because of the protests affecting business.

According t the newspaper who's name we must not mention, Mr Chalerm has 170 million baht in assets and no debts.

Not bad for a Police Captain don't you think?

Who's stupid you said?

Peaceful voting at Wat Parsee, Ekamai Road, Bangkok, on 2 Feb 2014.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFpjQBRiT4M&feature=youtu.be

Perhaps 3 autonomous regions might be a solution, the North and North-East, Central, and the South. Everything nominally under a central Bangkok government with limited powers except for defense, foreign affairs, and whatever.

That should also solve the interminable Muslim separatist movement in the South as well as the present North/South divide.

It would require compromise, which is lacking in the current situation.

I would like to know what the Thais think about the situation and how it will end - nobody cares what farangs think.

I asked a Thai woman today who spoke reasonable English working in a company sales office what she thought, and it was very clear she knew of Suthep's corruption and previous shenanigans regarding palm oil etc, but she believed that he was the lesser of two evils (compared to Thaksin & Co) and he would be capable of reforming the system to some extent. It seems a pragmatic view but I doubt very much it will work.

Thanks to firestar for the heads up about Palm Oil.

See http://asiancorrespondent.com/49900/thailands-palm-oil-crisis-mr-s-strikes-again/

Hi Jonmarleesco - I certainly did not say or imply the red-shirts are "completely devoid of culpability." I'm just suggesting that Suthep's background does not suggest he will be the savior of Thailand. I have no answer for the endemic corruption in Thai society - better education maybe?

Suthep biography . . .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suthep_Thaugsuban

Deputy PM under the UNELECTED Abhisit government.
WikiLeaks US Embassy cables showed many in his own party long complained about his corrupt and unethical behavior.
Dodgy dealings with land title deeds in Phuket, leading to the dissolution of parliament.
Outstanding murder charges as a result of his direct orders to soldiers causing death and injury to red-shirt protestors in 2010.

And this is the guy who will get rid of corruption in Thailand? I don't think so.

I bought 500 PTT-R shares recently through TISCO eTrade. Commission and tax was 243.98 baht or 0.17% (zero point 17).

I have been with TISCO eTRADE for many years, Excellent service. Can fund from transfers from/to a Thai bank. Dividend payments paid to a Thai Bank account less 10% tax. However, they only deal in Thai shares while I believe other brokers like Phillip Securities have access to overseas shares. I also have an account with Phillip Securities in Hong Kong so this is of no concern to me.

I paid 48K for the new school term but my daughter has hardly attended because the gov insists that the schools close. Exams are coming up without the students getting the knowledge to do the tests. Yet more unintended consequences, I suppose.

Suthep on Ekamai Road (where I live) today collecting money from the dummies. I asked one supporting bystander who spoke English how it was going to end and the consequences of the protests and she had no clue whatsoever - a bunch of children pretending to be adults. I asked one of the motorcycle supports how much he got paid, and he denied being paid at all, despite revealing that he comes from Songkla.