On 5/22/2019 at 2:36 PM, CMNightRider said:

I doubt if Mr. Big Jokes idiotic ideas to make visa extensions more difficult for western retirees had anything to do with his current demise.  If anything, harrassing western retirees would be a source of amusement for his superiors.  He had to have angered someone higher than the Junta leader by something he said or did.  There is only one person who could end Mr. Big Jokes career path so quickly.

If you know of BJ making any rules before he left post a link. 

On 5/24/2019 at 3:28 PM, thaibeachlovers said:

By using an agent at a reasonable price, I had no problems getting my extension. It's only difficult if one wants to do it oneself.

I do it myself and my wife's an agent.  I think you have been misinformed. 

On 5/24/2019 at 3:20 PM, thaibeachlovers said:

Other than increasingly silly extension rules, I did not notice any "tightening of the screws".

IMO most move out because their home currency isn't worth <deleted> any more and they can't afford the lifestyle to which they aspire.

It is true though that LOS is less attractive as a retirement destination. The smile left town years ago, the beaches are destroyed, every city is a <deleted><deleted> and inflation is making the girls unaffordable.

 

Having said that, I was happy as a sandboy in a very large box of sand living in a nice hotel, watching 60 baht DVDs and cable tv. Unfortunately, marriage to the wrong woman ruined me financially, and I had to leave.

Forgive me for asking but if you left why are you using an agent? 

Feel sorry for the expats that ran based on the rumor mill. the usual suspects whipped up the the new insurance threads to fever pitch when in the end it was just a storm in tea cup. 

 

Dont forget to write boys !!!????️

21 minutes ago, The Deerhunter said:

Health is one reason I am going home.  Every experience at every private hospital over-diagnosed and overcharged. 24 stitches for a lacerated finger three weeks ago that I wanted to just bandage but was over-ruled by she who must be obeyed.  If I stay here we are over one hour from any reasonable hospital so at 72 I would be unlikely to survive a stroke or heart attack unlike my chances back home and which would be for free.  I bought an AED but she is too frightened of it to be trained to use it if I have a heart attack.  So Sayonara LOS!

I had a heart attack here and don't think i would have survived at home as well.  Guess it depends on how you structure your experience at the hospital.  I've been seeing the same cardiologist every quarter since 2012. 

3 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

I had a heart attack here and don't think i would have survived at home as well.  Guess it depends on how you structure your experience at the hospital.  I've been seeing the same cardiologist every quarter since 2012. 

It depends on luck and location.

 

A friend of mine lives 200m from the hospital with the best cardiologists in Thailand. If he has a heart attack during working hours AND if he can convince his wife to bring him to hospital (she may prefer to pray to Buddha) his chances of survival are almost as good as in his home country.

 

Another guy lived in the sticks somewhere between Chachoengsao and Buriram. So no access to modern medical care in case of an emergency. 

10 hours ago, uhuh said:

It depends on luck and location.

 

A friend of mine lives 200m from the hospital with the best cardiologists in Thailand. If he has a heart attack during working hours AND if he can convince his wife to bring him to hospital (she may prefer to pray to Buddha) his chances of survival are almost as good as in his home country.

 

Another guy lived in the sticks somewhere between Chachoengsao and Buriram. So no access to modern medical care in case of an emergency. 

Your lst paragraph is me in essence but nearly right on location.

13 hours ago, madmen said:

Feel sorry for the expats that ran based on the rumor mill. the usual suspects whipped up the the new insurance threads to fever pitch when in the end it was just a storm in tea cup. 

 

Dont forget to write boys !!!????️

yep, the usual suspects.   they don't like being named though and so whip up trouble if one responds to their paranoia

On 5/25/2019 at 8:39 PM, madmen said:

Feel sorry for the expats that ran based on the rumor mill. the usual suspects whipped up the the new insurance threads to fever pitch when in the end it was just a storm in tea cup. 

 

Dont forget to write boys !!!????️

I doubt If many or any left based on a vague announcement.

 

And who says that was the end? Seems to be getting one thing after another recently, but I do not know of anyone who feels that for financial or other reasons the time has come to go.

 

Over the years I have known many go back, but probably they never seriously meant to stay here permanently anyway.

On 5/25/2019 at 9:34 PM, marcusarelus said:

I do it myself and my wife's an agent.  I think you have been misinformed. 

Would it not be easier for your wife to sort it, if she’s an agent?  My experience was that our agent could sort things fairly easily and quickly, with limited presence by me or my family, but that was not the immigration officer’s first request.

On 5/25/2019 at 8:36 PM, marcusarelus said:

Forgive me for asking but if you left why are you using an agent? 

I thought he moved to Chiang Mai.

Possibly it's a shared nic.

On 5/26/2019 at 10:30 AM, The Deerhunter said:

his chances of survival are almost as good as in his home country

Purely speculative and grossly misinformed

5 hours ago, wilcopops said:

Purely speculative and grossly misinformed

Absolutely.  Our experience here with mis-diagnosis, (deliberate and/or incompetence related), inadequate/inappropriate testing, over prescription, price gouging,  Etc etc. over the last 14-15 years.....  We could write a book.   My wife had an endometrium op done at an expensive private hospital here in 2005.  Exactly 13 months later it had to be repeated in my country because "the job was bigger than the surgeon expected, so chose to not bother to finish."  13 years after done in N.Z. no further surgery.  I asked my GP back home to repeat an ultrasound to confirm something that I had investigated in Thailand and now doubted.  He declined on the basis that ultrasound is impossible to use accurately for this purpose.  He checked digitally and the problem shrunk by 60% to 40% of the Thai "ultrasound measurement."   And on, and on, and on!

On 4/22/2019 at 12:46 AM, Muzarella said:

If you have a rich Thai wife and she loves you...she will resolve your immigration troubles.... but..I know...she is poor, very beautiful... and 20 years younger.

Time to review choices if you are poor too.

Exactly why I have a wife older than me and smart and takes care of everything for me, my life is very stress free in Thailand. I traded age for brains and seems to have worked ????

insurance rumours are irrelevant - if you don't have medical insurance and you are old and living in Thailand, you are putting yourself in a position of unacceptable risk.

 

I don't have many years behind me in Thailand like many here.

Been here since 2001 and there criteria for new visa's next year is absolutely beyond me.

They are expecting us to show 65,000bht coming from pension from your Country origin!!!

I actually do not know anyone receiving that much pension, in fact, I hardly netted that when working in UK.

Anyhow, hope all the farangs leave, like myself and leave's Thailand completely on its arse.

Good riddance to Thailand and I know for sure I won't even return for a short holiday in future.

Vietnam, Da Nang here I come - Marry a Vietnamese if you like and get 5 year visa.

They do actually want us there.

All the best Thailand - please sink.

55 minutes ago, abizeus said:

I don't have many years behind me in Thailand like many here.

Been here since 2001 and there criteria for new visa's next year is absolutely beyond me.

They are expecting us to show 65,000bht coming from pension from your Country origin!!!

I actually do not know anyone receiving that much pension, in fact, I hardly netted that when working in UK.

Anyhow, hope all the farangs leave, like myself and leave's Thailand completely on its arse.

Good riddance to Thailand and I know for sure I won't even return for a short holiday in future.

Vietnam, Da Nang here I come - Marry a Vietnamese if you like and get 5 year visa.

They do actually want us there.

All the best Thailand - please sink.

How have you been getting an extension if you don't have a 65K income?

 

You could always combine cash in the bank and income.

Mass exodus? Probably not but the Brits have shot themselves in the foot with austerity and Brexit and the elderly with no real healthcare should get out while they still can.

Old people without insurance expose the lack of ethics in Thai healthcare when they get sick and the Thai authorities don

Quote

 

t like that 

On 4/14/2019 at 6:35 PM, OneMoreFarang said:

"giving up"?

Did we all give up when we left our home countries and when we moved to Thailand?

Or did we make a decision that we wanted something different than "home"?

And now, if some people decide that they move again out of Thailand do they "give up"? Or do they decide that now they want to live somewhere else again?

 

Currently I am happy in Thailand and I guess I will live here for at least another 10 years, probably longer.

But with higher age and higher health risk and higher health insurance cost I might consider my options.

https://www.emigrate.co.uk/news/20190420-25506_survey-places-bangkok-as-more-expensive-than-london-madrid-and-berlin-

 

On 4/14/2019 at 7:58 PM, sfokevin said:

Before you call the Thais xenophobic take a look at your home countries immigration policy...

Mine involves the potential of being caged... 

Thai immigration is not "immigration" at all--which implies by its very definition at least the potential for citizenship and full rights as a naturalized citizen. What is commonly referred to, erroneously, if not obscenely, as immigration in Thailand is merely the tentative permission to be granted temporary access into the country and perhaps an extension of that permission. Name one Western country whose immigration policies even vaguely approach this. The closest thing I think of would be the Visegrad countries, if you consider those countries "western," and those countries--Poland, Hungary, etc.--are routinely poo-poo'ed by the international press for their "xenophobia." 

Giving up? What? Why and Where?

 

   I know that plenty of Thai friends have serious problems these days they never had before. A lot of foreigners believe that all has changed, but that's not true. 

 

 Immigration changed a law that made it possible to live here without a real income, a signed document was enough proof. And that's gone now and it's not fair to blame the government for such changes.

 

  In my opinion, all got more expensive, while salaries stay as they are. The country is still better to live in than many others, more developed ones. 

 

   I've got a nice family, my job's okay ( could be worse ), we always have enough money to eat out, I've got my health insurance, for 450 baht/month.

 

Got a car, a bike and I know some nice people I like to have a chat with.

 

I had a time when I was thinking that all would be shi__y, but I guess we all have that from time to time. Yin and Yang, the good and the bad. I have bad days and good days and I guess we all do. 

 

It's not a shame to fall down, that can happen. But we have to be aware on how to get up again and live our lives in a way that it's enjoyable. Whining about things doesn't change anything. 

 

Life can be damn short and we should enjoy each and every minute of it. Who knows, a truck this evening could be the last thing I see. 

 

 A great day, ladies and gents. 

 

  

 

  

 

  

Has anyone read another toilet story with the Chinese.  This time a Chinese person taking a dump for all to see in downtown Bangkok I believe.  Is that Thailands future? 

On 4/22/2019 at 1:41 AM, Spidey said:

No surprise to me that the recent spate of "I'm sick of Thailand and it's immigration rules, I'm off" threads are primarily started by US citizens. I wonder why?

Because the thought of returning to UK is absolutely dire and most will go to absolutely any length not to bear the poor value, excessive taxes, overpriced real estate, atrocious food, loutish behavior, drunks, darkness, dampness and fat, mouthy women??

 

Just a hunch guv'na

On 4/14/2019 at 8:40 AM, BestB said:

Rather strange editorial of you asked me. 

All the silly changes affect those on retirement visa not those on business visa’s.

 

I do not feel attitude towards working foreigners has changed at all. Renewing visa has not changed nor has renewing WP.

 

It sure did not get easier, but did not get harder either.

 

Running biz did hard harder under junta and its never ending hunt for something illegal.

 

Would I leave after 18 years here? Yes I could but not something I want to do or plan to do yet I have thought about it.

My change would be Malaysia second home. It more of less is now as I

I go there three to four times a year . Four years ago you paid 12Baht/1 Myr now 7.5 Baht/1 Myr.   

On 4/15/2019 at 1:21 PM, John Sutherland said:

Exactly, the 2 strictest in the world for immigration are U.K and U.S.A. If you make a genuine application that is.

I have a Thai friend who wanted to visit the USA as a tourist.  Owns her own business, two houses, solid citizen.  Denied a visa.  I told her to go to Mexico and wade the river.  Easier and she could stay as long as she wanted to.

I just used my agent in the usual way. No change at all.

1 hour ago, sunnyboy2018 said:

I just used my agent in the usual way. No change at all.

(In the Usual way??)

I dare you to Specify step by step what your agent does for you and what you don’t have  to do  yourself??

and what you pay him..

11 hours ago, williet98248 said:

I have a Thai friend who wanted to visit the USA as a tourist.  Owns her own business, two houses, solid citizen.  Denied a visa.  I told her to go to Mexico and wade the river.  Easier and she could stay as long as she wanted to.

The only reason the US Embassy or Consulate would reject your girlfriends application for a tourist visa to the states, is they consider her a flight risk.  

On 4/14/2019 at 2:35 PM, OneMoreFarang said:

"giving up"?

Did we all give up when we left our home countries and when we moved to Thailand?

Or did we make a decision that we wanted something different than "home"?

And now, if some people decide that they move again out of Thailand do they "give up"? Or do they decide that now they want to live somewhere else again?

 

Currently I am happy in Thailand and I guess I will live here for at least another 10 years, probably longer.

But with higher age and higher health risk and higher health insurance cost I might consider my options.

so you would rather die in your home country than here? That is always the end result no matter what insurance you have

3 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

so you would rather die in your home country than here? That is always the end result no matter what insurance you have

I'd rather die from something sudden, quick and unpredictable.