My 2cent / tuppence opinion concerning "immigration moving goal posts" and "Thai Baht strength forcing expats out"

[thaiboss]

3 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Another 28 years if you can make it on 40k/month.

just find out krung sri bank give 2.2% interest for long term deposit 4 years .....

[IraqRon]

On 6/29/2019 at 5:20 PM, Lupusthai said:

The officer told me: You didn’t deposit 800.000 THB on Thai Bank accounts during the last 3 months, so your

documents are not according to the law and I refuse the Visa-prolongation

I thought that the rule was the depost(s) totaling to this amount were to be in the account for at least two or three months, depending on location, not within those timeframes.

Am i mistaken?

[Lacessit]

IMHO the expats screaming the loudest about changes are the ones sailing closest to the wind. If they think the principle of the squeaky wheel getting the oil is going to work, they will be disappointed.

[Psychic]

Agree Immigration is very good at Tha Yang.

Except they make small annoying changes ever year. Had to send for a witness after I arrived for marriage extension last year. Also followed HH's lead in needing verification from Chaeng Wattana for embassy letter.

Got a new boss there now. So I need to report after coming back via Suvarnabhumi.

HH was ok. Except for one guy who clearly hated farangs and made life as difficult as possible.

free spending all day there he said my address sign on the house was no good, needed a manufactured sign from Thai Watsadu.

The lady the next day asked while looking at all the photos why we didn't use the nice big sign our daughter made.

And of course 500B for a certificate of residence that was supposed to be free.

And then we needed two witnesses but someone could do it for me for 1000B.

Unfortunately they have made a decision to move the office to Khao Yoi at the extreme northern end of the province at year end. So now my 1/2 hour round trip will take 2 hours.

Also agree that the cost of living has gone up..

A friend joked to me that 2 beer at home every day was now around 40,000 baht a year.

At today's rates that is $1800 Canadian.

When I first came here it was around 13,000 baht or $450 at the higher exchange rate.

Starts eating into a fixed income.

[Lacessit]

13 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Latin is useful when identifying fellow rich kids who went to better prep schools.  

The Romans had a talent for encapsulating brutal concepts in pithy Latin. Si tacuisses philosophus mansisses is one of my favorites.

[Jaxxper]

Good personal story. Thanks for taking the time to post.

[BritManToo]

34 minutes ago, Psychic said:

A friend joked to me that 2 beer at home every day was now around 40,000 baht a year.

At today's rates that is $1800 Canadian.

Move to Vietnam or Cambodia.

Beer is 50c-75c for a 300ml glass in a bar (10,000bht/year).

[GalaxyMan]

3 hours ago, Old Croc said:

Just wondering  -  did the knowledge of the Ancient Greek language have any practical value in your life?  Or, for that matter, the Latin? 

Personally speaking, 4 years of Latin helped me tremendously, especially with the Romance languages.

[crazykopite]

I have no objections having the 800,000 baht in the bank the problem is that it cannot be held in a joint account so when your time comes to enter St Peters door your other half has an absolute nightmare getting the money out of the bank I have personal experience of this when a friends wife died they.both had individual  

accounts. My wife is farang and we have an understanding as to what we would do if one of us got seriously ill we would start pulling the money out straight away . I cannot understand why IM do not allow joint accounts for the 800,000 baht requirement .

[IraqRon]

bank officer told me that after death , this goes thru probate, etc. but that a Will with instruction on who can have the money would speed the process along.  Wills and probate involve executor, lawyers and court fees, so am considering the debit card with my benifiary route with a Will as backup if bank is informed of the death.

[marcusarelus]

2 hours ago, PerkinsCuthbert said:

Chip, shoulder, much?

Yes,   My parents considered religion more important than education.    

[Percy P]

On 6/30/2019 at 7:19 AM, cooked said:

I don't care about being relatively "poor". I care about the fact that my initially THB49 000 pension has shrunk to THB 42 000 over the last 7 years and don't fancy being forced to go back home or do all sorts of (expensive) fancy semi-legal manoeuvres to get extensions in my dotage.

Could move to Malaysia. At the moment myr has dropped from 12 myr/Baht 5-6 years ago to 7.5 myr/Baht if you already have Thai Baht it's good 

[Lacessit]

13 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Yes,   My parents considered religion more important than education.    

In other words, you were a victim of child abuse.

[GBK]

On 7/1/2019 at 11:10 AM, NCC1701A said:

I can remember as a kid in the states going to get gasoline with my father. It was 24 cents a gallon. 

In 1992, it was 4.86 Baht per litre here.

[ThomasThBKK]

3 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

Latin is useful when identifying fellow rich kids who went to better prep schools.  

Well, many people learn latin in primary school as you need it to study medical topics at university in many countries.

The alternative is often to learn French in germany, as useless as latin for most people.

[Old Croc]

1 hour ago, crazykopite said:

I have no objections having the 800,000 baht in the bank the problem is that it cannot be held in a joint account so when your time comes to enter St Peters door your other half has an absolute nightmare getting the money out of the bank I have personal experience of this when a friends wife died they.both had individual  

accounts. My wife is farang and we have an understanding as to what we would do if one of us got seriously ill we would start pulling the money out straight away . I cannot understand why IM do not allow joint accounts for the 800,000 baht requirement .

Didn't your friend have a will?

If yes, do they make it difficult for the heir to get the money from a bank here?

Even with the will, my wife will probably get all the money out using my card, before calling the monks.

If I get a warning before my time comes, I plan to transfer overseas funds across to make it easier for her to access. 

[IssanMichael]

On 6/29/2019 at 9:31 PM, thequietman said:

Came here when you were 59 years old. So ........... you are 89 now! Wow, well done sir. ????

71

[IssanMichael]

9 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

Didn't your friend have a will?

If yes, do they make it difficult for the heir to get the money from a bank here?

Even with the will, my wife will probably get all the money out using my card, before calling the monks.

If I get a warning before my time comes, I plan to transfer overseas funds across to make it easier for her to access. 

I have organised the maximum day withdrawal/transfer amount so the account can be emptied over 2 days, done a letter confirming my agreement to this . sorted.

[thequietman]

8 minutes ago, IssanMichael said:

71

I know! I realised my error but can't change the post now. ????

[Lupusthai]

5 hours ago, Old Croc said:

Just wondering  -  did the knowledge of the Ancient Greek language have any practical value in your life?  Or, for that matter, the Latin? 

Definitely: Yes! Latin was very valuable in learning French, Italian, Spanish - Portuguese I can read at least... Even English (and German) have a lot of words founding on a latin stem.
Greek was (and is) helpful comprehending "Termini Technici" in most sciences.????

[aqua4]

I dont think the changes are what is making people angry but the inconsistent changes more often than before. Before the change in government, immigration used to make changes on average once a year and they always gave a heads up as to the next changes for your next renewal so nobody really got their socks in a heap.

 

After the arrival of Big Joke this system changed and the changes had been so many in a short space in time that immigration officers gave you two different stories in the same building. That became very frustrating and they did not care much each time there was a fine and a stamp in your passport because of 'new' changes and now you are late. 

 

Thai immigration before BJ was a workable insanity. Post BJ it has just been continual insanity and rumours left right and center of changes. I dont recall this mess before. Now add on the stronger Baht and this continual 'crack down' and it started making me wonder. There is nothing wrong with deporting people who do not follow the rules, however there has been a growing under current of anti-Westernism with these changes.

 

This continual talk of globalism to me does not mean much as I see that those from the East can settle in our lands with ease. They can live in our countries, buy a house in their name and open a business without any issues. They are no heaps of annual or 90 day jumping for them. They get to do it once in their life when married to a local and its done. There is no such thing as globalism but colonialism of the West and I feel in the end this is going to backfire. 

 

It is for this that I started to put my foot back out of Thailand into my home country. Just because these changes dont affect me today and only a minority of people who are too close to the wind. I dont want to be caught with my pants down when I am too old to make massive changes to my life. The OP is in his 71/72 age range and I dont want to be that old with the next wave of insanity coming.

 

Thailand was great but I feel that the welcome mat is being removed faster than what I thought. Caveat emptor to those who wish to settle (all be it temporary) in Thailand.

 

Edited July 2, 2019 by aqua4

[marcusarelus]

10 minutes ago, aqua4 said:

I dont think the changes are what is making people angry but the inconsistent changes more often than before. Before the change in government, immigration used to make changes on average once a year and they always gave a heads up as to the next changes for your next renewal so nobody really got their socks in a heap.

I did my latest retirement extension last week (800k) I've done 15 retirement extensions all over Thailand.  Had I not read Thai Visa I would not have noticed any change.  Nothing has changed for me in 15 years.  

[abrahamzvi]

On 6/29/2019 at 9:31 PM, thequietman said:

Came here when you were 59 years old. So ........... you are 89 now! Wow, well done sir. ????

I suggest you check your math. The OP came here in 2006 when he was 59. It's now 2019, so 13 years later, which means he is now 72 and not 89!!!

[Old Croc]

30 minutes ago, Lupusthai said:

Definitely: Yes! Latin was very valuable in learning French, Italian, Spanish - Portuguese I can read at least... Even English (and German) have a lot of words founding on a latin stem.
Greek was (and is) helpful comprehending "Termini Technici" in most sciences.????

I'm not sure that learning a language because some of its words have been adapted into another language is the most efficient way to learn the second language.

Many/most languages have words with origins elsewhere. However, you don't first study French or Latin to learn English or German.

 

I would have thought "Termini Technici" is more Latin in origin and obviously has German and English derivatives so I fail to see the value of learning the old language first.

[Shouldhaveknownbetter]

8 hours ago, connda said:

I can remember when a gallon of gas and a pack of smokes both cost 26 cents.

Yes the good old days, when a gallon of gas and a pack of lucky strikes put a smile on your face.

Edited July 2, 2019 by Shouldhaveknownbetter
of instead of on

[IssanMichael]

2 hours ago, thequietman said:

I know! I realised my error but can't change the post now. ????

we both got it wrong should be 72, mine is definitely dementia related thought it was 2018

[Mansell]

On July 1, 2019 at 11:10 AM, NCC1701A said:

I can remember as a kid in the states going to get gasoline with my father. It was 24 cents a gallon. 

I was driving in Texas in 1973 and it was 13 cents a gallon. Cheapest place I found it in America. While driving in Morocco same year I would pay for I think 9 liters and get three free as a tourist. Bet that's long gone.

[Mansell]

On July 1, 2019 at 11:12 AM, spidermike007 said:

There are alot of valid reasons for complaints here. But, upon reflection I have even more complaints about living in the US, at this point in time. I would do it if someone was willing to pay me $1 million a year. For less than that, I do not think so. The quality of life there has diminished to a pale shadow of what it used to be. I think in general, the world population is increasing, inflation is rampant worldwide, despite what the fools tell us, and the quality of life is not what it used to be. That is just something we have to deal with. It is what it is. Make of it what you will. Some of us have been fortunate to carve out a pretty nice existence here. 

World Population has doubled since the early 1960's. So that explains the overcrowding going from around 3.5 billion to 7 billion. Imagine what it must be like in China, India, and Indonesia.....now those are crowded places. 

[thequietman]

16 minutes ago, Shouldhaveknownbetter said:

Yes the good old days, when a gallon of gas and a pack of lucky strikes put a smile on your face.

I remember when we had to walk to school cause we couldn't afford the car. The school was 20 miles away and we walked there in our bare feet with dogs chasing us. It was so hot back then and we didn't have money for water, so we drank it from the dew on the grass. Did I mention there was glass on the road and people would come out and beat us as we made our way to a school that had no roof. The sun would beat down on our heads as learned the thousand times tables! Hard times, but good times, the best of times!

 

Enough with the reminiscing ya old farts! ????

[Lupusthai]

1 hour ago, Old Croc said:

... most efficient way to learn the second language.

I think I've been speaking about "valuableness" not optimized learning method...

 

1 hour ago, Old Croc said:

thought "Termini Technici" is more Latin

"τεχνικός" sounds pretty greek in my eyes and in my ears...The Romans used a lot of greek loan words as well...

But you are right, other languages are not the main reason to study those old 'dead' languages. No, getting knowledge about the roots of European cultural and sociological historical background is IMO more important, but not 'enumerable'...

For easing: When I got my Diploma I could choose between Latin or German for my presentation...???? and that was in the middle of 20th century!

Edited July 2, 2019 by Lupusthai