Kerryd

For 13 years now I have used a Fixed Term account to hold my "Extension" money. The day before I plan on submitting my Extension application I go to the bank, get my "bank letter" and update my passbook. The update shows the last interest payment made and the current balance. No need to do any transactions. (This is at Jomtien.) The only requirement is that the bank letter and bank book have to be done within 3 days of submitting the Extension application. The only time you need to photocopy additional bank pages (if you are doing the "800k in an account" method) is if the current bankbook page doesn't show the account balance for the (full) previous year. In which case - assuming you weren't trying to scam Immigration - you simply photocopied the previous page and submitted that with your application. Had to do that once. And once I had to go home and get my previous bank book because when I went to do the update I was out of pages and had to get a new book - which didn't show the balance for the previous year of course. The rule about accounts is - the money has to be accessible "on demand". As in, you need to be able to go into the bank and take the cash out immediately if needed. You can do that with a Savings, Fixed Term or Foreign Currency Deposit (FCD) account. But NOT with "investments" and "RRSPs" and "401ks" which is why they are NOT acceptable. I'd love to be able to use some of my long-term GAIN investments as my "proof of finances" but the problem is - if I needed that money in a hurry (i.e. because of an accident or whatever) - I couldn't just walk into the bank and cash out the investment. It could take a week or more for them to calculate the current value of the investment, close it out and deposit the money into my account. And some people would try to scam Immigration by trying to claim the "end value" of the investment equals the financial requirement of the Extension - even if that "end value" won't be realized until 10+ years down the road. But many of those investments do not pay out the full amount if you close it out early. And of course - the money isn't immediately available if it was needed. And that is what a lot of scammers are hoping. For a way they can pretend they have the money to meet the requirement when they actually don't, by pretended they have "millions" in investments "back home" - yadda yadda yadda. Originally, the money was what Immigration had calculated (based on what they estimated the average "2 week millionaire" spent on his vacation) a foreigner would need to live for a full year in Thailand. (And the joke was - if you were married they figured you could live on half that amount because you wouldn't be in the bars every night and eating in restaurants everyday.) They expected you to show that you had the money and were actually using it to live on. Hence the requirement to show "transactions" on the account. I remember the first time I submitted an Extension application and the Immigration guy questioned me about it and I showed him I had a separate (Savings) account that I used for my living expenses. After that, they never questioned using a Fixed Term account as my "proof of finances". But as always - each Immigration office can have it's own rules about what they are willing to accept as proof of your finances. And those can change every time they get a new boss who decides he wants things done differently.

Lol - if that had of been a Thai rider this wouldn't have even made the news. Last week I was following a pick-up on my scooter. Another scooter tried to zip past on the left side. Female driver, small child in front of her and a guy on the back. Pick-up suddenly slows and I slow as well. Can't go around the right side due to oncoming traffic. There was a parked car on the left side which is why the truck slowed down. The scooter that tried to go up the left side suddenly had to slow as well and ended up back behind me. The truck and I pass the car and I hear someone yelling behind me. Then the scooter whips by me on the left side and as she passes the truck the guy is still yelling - at ME ! Like somehow the parked car on the left that made her slow down was my fault ! I was going to respond but they took off up the road like they were late for a free food hand-out. And just today I was riding to Jomtien, going down Thepprasit in a pack of scooters doing about 50km/hr. Suddenly, some <deleted> comes from a side road and cuts right into the middle of us, one hand on the controls, one holding his phone (naturally) as he cut from the left across 3 lanes so he could get to the intersection 30 meters ahead of us. Had to hit the brakes and cut to the left as he passed in front of me. Luckily there was enough room. Then I looked in my mirror. There was a gap of nearly 100 meters behind us with no vehicles. All that moe-ron had to do was wait 2 seconds and he could have crossed easily without putting anyone at risk. But no, why do that when you can just force yourself into a pack of scooters and force them to ride around you ? I can only imagine what would have happened if he'd hit someone. But that didn't make the news - or social media. Stuff like that happens a thousand times a day and never makes the news. Unless a foreigner is involved of course.

Leaving the scene of an accident implies they either knew they were doing something wrong (i.e. intoxicated or no license, etc) or they thought that it wouldn't matter and they'd be held responsible no matter what. And that bag of cannabis would also be problematic. You have to be 20+ to buy/use weed to begin with. Recreational use was re-criminalized on 25 June 2025 so you can only buy/smoke it if you have a (proven) medical condition. As well, extracts containing more the 0.2% THC are still considered a Class 5 drug AND possession of more than 30 grams (ONE ounce) is considered "intent to distribute" - as in drug trafficking. It doesn't say how much cannabis was in the "large clear zip-lock bag" but saying it was a "large" bag would suggest it was more than just a couple joints worth of weed. I was in an accident once in Sisaket where an ancient fossil suddenly crossed two lanes of traffic to make a u-turn right in front of me - with no license, no helmet, no signals or even a glance to see if the lane was clear. But ! As soon as the senior policeman found out I had Class 1 insurance - case closed. He literally closed his notebook and walked away because, to him, who was right or wrong didn't matter. No one was dead or seriously injured and MY class 1 insurance would end up paying for everything. (Meanwhile, the old guy probably didn't even have the mandatory gov't insurance.) (And never mind that MY insurance premiums would get jacked up the next year.) In a case a couple years ago, a pick-up truck ran a stop sign just as I was about to cross an intersection. HIS dash cam even showed him blowing through the stop sign without slowing down. (I watched the recording on a police computer in the Huay Yai station.) But ! Because I'm a foreigner and I "hit his truck" - it was decided that I was as much to blame as he was. (Apparently 325 kg motorcycles doing 60km/hr should be able to stop in 2-3 meters with less than a second's response time I guess.) They even told me at the police station that if he'd hit me, then they would have held him at fault for the accident ! I pointed out that if I'd entered the intersection and then been hit by him, I wouldn't be alive to talk about it. (And probably would have been 100% blamed for the accident as well though I didn't say that out loud.) And shocker - I was the only one to be tested for alcohol (I was 100% sober). He showed up at the hospital, dropped off his wife and then left. (It was around 13:30 on a Sunday afternoon and I suspect he'd had a few at lunch time, hence his hurry to get away from the scene and the hospital before anyone could suggest he be tested.) It would be interesting to see if there is CCTV coverage of this incident. And wasn't it just a week or two ago that there was an accident on Jomtien #2 road when a delivery rider made a u-turn and was hit by an oncoming vehicle ? I've ridden on that road many a time and the way some people cut across the crosswalks and u-turns in the face of speeding oncoming traffic is almost suicidal. Wait 2 seconds for the speeding car to go by and then make your turn ? "NO WAY ! That's TWO seconds of my life I'll never get back ! Besides - I'm sure I can beat him - or he'll hit the brakes to avoid hitting me so I'm going for it !" That is literally the attitude of half the scooter riders you see anywhere in the city, local or foreigner. And half the foreigners are just as bad when it comes to not wearing a helmet either. They act like they think they are "special" and the rules don't apply to them. And then whine like little babies when they get a ticket and realize they aren't that "special" after all. "Waaaa they only target foreigners for not wearing helmets - or not having a license - or not having registration or a tax decal - waaaa !" How many times have we heard that on this site ?

He should have crossed the street to the "beach side" where the price would have been (maybe) 300 baht. 3,000 ? That's a "star" dancer from a go-go price, not a street walker price.

"For those residing in Thailand for 180 days or more in a tax year, the Resident Rule applies, making them liable for income tax on international earnings. This upcoming legislation aims to refine these rules, providing much-needed tax relief for many." NOTE - IF your country has a Tax Treaty with Thailand then it is more than likely it includes a clause to prevent double taxation, especially on Pension Income. HOWEVER -that does NOT mean you don't have to file a tax return if you've been "resident" in the country for over 180 days. And NO - the "clock" doesn't "reset" if you leave the country - unless it's for MORE than 185 days. It's based on how many days you were "resident" in Thailand during a Calendar (or Fiscal/Tax) year. And it is NOT dependent on the type of Visa you hold. So even if you are getting by using 60 Day Visa Exemption stamps and doing border runs every 2-3 months, you would STILL be considered "resident for tax purposes" if your total time in Thailand equals 180 days or more in the "year". IF your sole source of income is Pension and IF it is already taxed in your home country, then you have NOTHING to worry about. You would still be expected to do a tax return to show how much Pension money you received in the year, but as it wouldn't be taxable, it wouldn't matter the amount. But IF you are receiving Pension Income AND additional income from other sources - it would have to be reported on a tax return. And if they do what other gov'ts do, they would total ALL your income to determine which tax bracket you fit into. THEN they would deduct "non-taxable" income from the total (i.e. your Pension income) and THEN tax the remainder at whatever rate you were in. (Unless you could prove that other income was also already taxed back home.) So for most expats - this won't affect them at all. Assuming they are honest about their income that is. And most of your home countries do exactly the same thing as well. For example, when I was working in Afghanistan and had declared Thailand as my home address - I was still taxed (by Canada) as though I was living next door to the Canada Revenue Agency's head office. IF I had been in Thailand for more than 180 days in a year, I would have been expected to include the income earned in Afghanistan as well as my pension income on a Thai tax return. However, as both were already taxed in Canada, they wouldn't have been taxed again in Thailand (as per the Tax Treaty). IF you are unsure about whether or not your country has a tax treaty with Thailand - simply Google it. UK Tax Treaties. Australia Tax Treaties. Nigeria Tax Treaties. Your gov't's website should have a list of all the tax treaties in effect. Most of them are literally the exact same. Article 18 deals with Pensions. Article 11 deals with Interest. Article 10 is regarding Dividends. You should familiarize yourself with the details (they aren't that difficult once you get past the "contracting state" and "other contracting state" legalese. I'd suggest finding your country's tax treaty page and bookmarking it for future reference. For Canadians it's: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/programs/tax-policy/tax-treaties/in-force.html#Thailand

If I recall, it was Prayuth when he was PM that authorized hotels to charge foreigners more than locals. A couple months later I was checking out some hotels in Buriram for a trip my club was going on. Found a good hotel close to the venue - posted room rate online - 1,750/night for foreigners, 1,000 per night for Thais. They actually had that posted on their website ! Didn't even try to hide it ! Found a "resort" about 1 1/2 clicks away that was much cheaper and charged everyone the same rate. And remember that kerfluffle what, 2 years ago now, when a Thai woman went to the media because she thought the hospital in Bangkok had charged her "the foreigner" rate for her treatment ! The hospital apoligized because "they thought she was Swiss" - and then knocked 100,000 baht off her hospital bill ! I needed an operation at a hospital a few years ago and had to sit with the Finance section while they worked out the total cost. The woman was speaking to the doctor to find out what was going to be done and how long I'd have to stay in the hospital. 3 days - so she wrote "500 x 3" on the page. Then some more figures. When the call ended she went over the numbers and suddenly "500 x 3" was changed to "5,000 x 3" ! And a number of other expenses were jacked up as well. (Private hospitals will charge foreigners 2-3 times the price that locals pay.) (Last time I needed an operation (to remove a plate in my wrist) I went to one well-known private hospital and they quoted me 180,000 baht. Went to a smaller private hospital where they charged me 90,000 and it was just as good as the bigger hospital.) And of course, national parks and other attractions where you get charged 5-10 times the local price to look at the same trees or rocks. Imagine if they tried doing that in your home country. The outrage would topple gov'ts overnight ! And the current gov't recently reviewed the "double pricing" issue and then decided to - keep the double pricing and raise the price of admission to National Parks and Museums. At the same time they are crying because the number of tourists coming to Thailand is dropping and more are going to countries that don't try to gouge them as much.

It sounds like the airport (or flight) staff took the passports so they could fill out an Immigration form to allow those passengers to leave the airport without having to go through Immigration ("re-entering" Thailand) and then having to go through Immigration again (to "depart" Thailand) again. The passports would have accompanied the forms to an Immigration desk to be verified. Immigration probably kept the passports otherwise they'd have to stamp everyone back into the country and then back out again and that could cause problems with some travellers (i.e. those who don't qualify for the Visa exemption stamp). And they couldn't just hand the passports back and let those people out of the terminal - because most of them would probably be on "over-stay" and could be arrested even though it's not their fault. And note the story says all those passengers did make it to Sidney - but does NOT say when they were given their passports back. Pretty large gap in that story. For all we know, those passengers were given their passports back an hour later.

Sigh. Wake up people. This is NOT about "you" (old, fat, white-haired pensioners) being able to lease a home without worrying about "nominee companies" or putting the deed in the name of the "wife I met last week who definitely wasn't working in a bar at the time". This IS about setting things up for the hordes of Chinese businessmen that will be flooding into the country in the near future as China starts to take control. THAT is why the Thai gov't made those changes to the Visas and created things like the DTV. THAT is why they are trying to change the rules about how many foreigners can own a condo in a single building. (The proposal to allow condos in "certain designated areas" to be 100% owned by foreigners.) THAT is why they are pushing the 99 year lease proposal. Here's a clue. A few years ago China (through their "belt and road" initiative and puppet companies) "leased" nearly 20% of Cambodia's entire coastline on a 99 year lease. They then built a complete, self-contained airbase on that land and disguised it by calling it a "resort". (Google "wiki Dara Sakor". Quite an interesting read.) And think - who is really behind the proposed "land bridge" project in Ranong/Chumphon and the high-speed railway linking China to Thailand ? The Chinese. This is ALL about them and NOT about YOU. And YOU should consider - most of you won't be around in 30 years I suspect so why would you need a 99 year lease ? Do you really think that if you have a 99 year lease on some piece of former rice-paddy in Isaan that you will build a bigger, better house than if you only had a 30 year lease ? And there won't be any "peace of mind". If you think there will be then you haven't lived in Thailand very long. You can have a 99 year lease, wife, kids and business and you will still be considered a "tourist" and have ZERO rights. (Yeah yeah, wonk wonk - 1% of you (or less) have PR or actual citizenship that you think will protect you. Keep dreaming.) And you will STILL be subject to being arrested for the slightest infraction, jailed, deported and blacklisted with no appeal or compensation for everything you've just lost. And gee, you leased some land off of "Somchai" for 99 years and he immediately went to the city and blew it all on hookers and blow - and now wants his land back and sues you. Or his kids find out that "poppa" lost their "inheritance" and they'll be dead and their own kids will be old before that lease expires. Unless "something" happens before then of course. Rule #1 in Thailand - never be worth more dead than you are alive. The ONLY "peace of mind" would come from outright ownership of the land and actual citizenship (and rights). And that ain't likely to happen in the next 99 years either.

Note they are talking about new "prototype" smoking rooms. Suvarnabhumi actually opened basic smoking rooms again last April. A post on the TAT Facebook page 12 weeks ago showed a small room, no tables or chairs, "frosted glass" windows and an open door (presumably a sliding glass door ?). It noted that smokers were either standing or squatting in the room while smoking. Suvarnabhumi actually closed it's smoking rooms in 2019 but it seems the Chinese are upset about that (being one of the heaviest smoking nations on the planet). Just last year, The National Tobacco Control Committee rejected a proposal to build smoking rooms inside Suvarnabhumi Airport. However - it seems the decision to put the smoking rooms back in came from - the Prime Minister herself. In a "directive" to "align Thai airport facilities with global standards." And if you search for what the "global standards" are - you'll see this: "The global standard is shifting towards smoke-free environments in airports, with a greater emphasis on protecting public health. As awareness of the risks of secondhand smoke increases and technologies improve, more airports are expected to adopt smoke-free policies in the future. " Another reason airports are happy to close the smoking rooms (aside from the obnoxious smell) was the cost of having to keep them clean and ventilated (so the smoke-filled air doesn't end up in the main ventilation system). One article I read this morning says they (Suvarnabhumi) re-opened the smoking rooms to cut down on the amount of people smoking "illegally" (i.e. in bathrooms or other areas). Note that 4 of the 50 busiest airports in the world are located in China and all 4 are "smoke free". However, most airports in Asia and Europe (and the Middle East) are not "smoke free" but they are trending more towards "smoke free" than the other way. Except places like Thailand it seems.

What did they say she was worth when she became PM ? Something like 22 billion (baht) or more ? And was the "CEO" of over 20 different companies as well. Things that make you go hmmmmm.

One has to remember that many of these monks may not be "life-long" monks but are only in the temples for 6-12 weeks "to earn merit". I've gone to a number of "ordination" ceremonies where people did the whole "becoming a monk" routine with the head shaving and parade to the temple and lots of donations and gifts. It's quite the party (and can be fairly expensive as well). And then three months (the normal length of time one is expected to stay in the temple) later, they take off their robes and go back to doing (whatever) they did in their normal lives. (It used to be tradition that all male members of a family did a 3 month stint as a monk at some point in their lives, either when they are young or after they have retired normally.) And some "monks" seem to treat the position as a job, not a "higher calling" and see it as an easy way to get free food, lodging and spending money. Way easier than digging ditches or collecting garbage all day. (Better food and accommodations and "gifts" as well for some of them.) It's probably more surprising that there aren't more problems being reported on a regular basis.

An "online account" with a foreign bank will NOT be accepted by Immigration. THINK about it. Immigration wants a Letter from the Bank verifying the account and balance AND they want photocopies of your updated bank book, including the page with your name and account number and the page(s) showing the current balance. I seriously doubt they'll accept a print out of a "screen capture" from your phone as proof of your supposed balance. They expect the money to be in a THAI bank so that if you need it (to live on or to pay hospital bills and such) you can access it literally immediately. Which is also why they do NOT accept "But, but, I've got more than 800k in my 401k or Social Security or (insert overseas investment plan here)" as proof of funds. People have been trying for years to scam Immigration by pretending they have the money to meet the requirements - but don't want to put it in a Thai bank because "waaaa - the bank clerk will steal it all" or "waaaa - I can make .25% more interest per year from my home bank". Sheesh, some years ago, some Immigration offices wouldn't even accept it if your money was in a Fixed Term savings account because they wanted to see transactions on your account to prove you were using the money to live on. (That was a dumb requirement and now places like Jomtien have no problem with the money being in a Fixed Term account as you can still access it almost immediately if the need arises.) But they will NOT accept things like "Gain 123" investments (from Bangkok Bank) as proof of funds even if you have more than the required amount because you can't access those funds immediately if the need arose. So if you aren't going to put the money in a Thai bank then you'll have to go the "agent" route and hope for the best.

They should be looking for CCTV images of when he got on the plane in Cambodia (after he spent some time with his good buddy Hun Sen) and when he got off the plane and when he arrived at the prison. Because if I recall, there was no problem with him then. And after he arrived in Thailand he was initially taken to the prison and barely an hour later complained he was having a problem trying to take a nap and that's why they took him to the hospital. He wasn't even at the prison long enough to be processed in, let alone had time to try and "take a nap". The whole thing was staged from the minute he arrived. And remember the kerfluffle when someone got photos of him in a swimming pool with his nephews ? While he was supposedly near death in the hospital ? So the prison/hospital officials quickly put Thaksin in a neck brace and on a guerny and had a photo of him being moved (somewhere) in the hospital to show how sick he was. And now the daughter is in hot water after calling "her uncle" (Hun Sen) about the border dispute. And now you can bet they are going to have a lot of trouble trying to get Yingluck back to the country without her having to do a lot of prison time. Good thing they were able to appoint a friend of Thaksin's to be the acting PM or they'd really be in trouble !

I have a Big C card - apparently it gives me a 5% discount on my purchases. The One Card collects points. It used to be at Tops the cashier would note how many points I had and ask if I wanted to exchange some and get a discount on my bill (it was a couple hundred baht discount) but I haven't done that in ages. It can also be used in other stores as well (HomePro and such). I have a Fascino card as well and it gives a 5% discount on any purchases. You can register for Villa Market online and then I guess you show them the number (or Q code or whatever) on your phone and get a discount there as well. I tried to get a 7-11 membership but - as mentioned elsewhere - they want a Thai ID card number. I collect the stamps when 7-11 hands them out. I have a bunch of stuff from the special promotions they've run in the past, like a complete, large set of "Doremon" tupperware containers, a "Doremon" wastebasket with hinged lid. A "Winnie the Pooh" waste basket with hinged lid and a couple other items somewhere I've forgotten about. The big stores used to have some awesome promotions where you'd get stickers for everything you bought (except alcohol) and then could trade them for special items like Vivo double-walled glass tumblers, special kitchen knife sets, cookware sets and so on. Usually high quality items that they don't sell in the store. That's how I got my fancy pots with glass lids, a large, deep frying pan (with glass lid), the double-walled glasses and a fancy "vegetable" knife. When the Tops store opened in The Chilled mall on Soi Khao Noi they had a lot of promotions. Buy your groceries then take your receipt to the customer service counter and get stuff like plastic laundry baskets or novelty insulated mugs and stuff. One promotion was crazy - for every pack of Fisherman's friends you bought - you got a free small (6oz ?) glass tumbler. I used to buy 6 packs of Fisherman's friends at a time because the glasses came packed 6 to a box. I think I've got 4 1/2 boxes of those glasses before that promotion ended. Got them stashed on a storage shelf. Give them out to people who move into a new house or apartment. The discounts and promotions aren't a huge savings at the time - but over time they can add up. I probably spend 10-12,000 a month on groceries alone so a 5% discount would equal 5-600 baht per month in savings. Over the course of a year that's about 6-7,200 baht in savings. Multiplied by the number of years I've been doing it. The promotions and 7-11 stickers are just a bit of fun. I'm buying stuff anyways so I toss the stickers into the little promotion card thingy and then one day paste them onto the card and see if I have enough to get something useful like a beach mat - or another waste basket. I didn't pay attention to the last one and had half a card worth of stickers. Bummer, a couple more trips for snacks and I could have gotten set of cheap plastic "Doremon" bowls with lids. Oh well, maybe next time.

Lol - there was a Facebook post just a few hours ago that said it was CHINA that put an end to the Casino bill by TELLING Thailand they did not approve it and it was "suggested" (in the article) that the recent very large drop in tourist arrivals from China was their way of saying "do things our way - or else". I suggested (on that article) that it seems that China is now dictating Thai law. The article mentions how much Cambodia makes from it's casinos and that they know if Thailand starts running their own, the Cambodians will lose huge amounts of revenue. Funny how China has NO problems with casinos in Cambodia though, isn't it ?