Thaimo

Oh, was that you? I didn't know you were there too.

I could have sworn that I heard in 1956 he had a baloney sandwich.

Yes, several different agencies offer insurance for motorcycles. As for the cost and what they'll cover, it's best to shop around before committing to anything.

Died during intercourse. If you gotta go, I can think of worse ways to do it.

I always mail via registered mail when mailing anything from Thailand. There's no such thing as a return receipt, but it's only slightly more expensive and my mail has always gotten through. I do know the embassy carries the tax forms, although any tax form can be downloaded. I don't know if they have a tax attache, but it should be easy to find out. The number for the embassy is 02-205-4000. When the operator answers, ask for American Citizens Services and they can tell you. Also, just about any Internet chat software, such as Yahoo Chat or Skype, allows calls to toll free numbers in the USA at no cost, so you can do that if you need to contact IRS if you have questions.

Though I, like most of the world, despise the Burmese government, I still have been interested in visiting Burma. This will make it easier to do.

UDD accepts PM's reconciliation roadmap UDD accepts PM's reconciliation roadmap * Published: 4/05/2010 at 06:57 PM * Online news: Local News The United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) has resolved to join Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajica's roadmap for reconciliation, Veera Musikhapong said after a meeting of UDD leaders on Tuesday evening. Mr Veera, the UDD chairman, said all red-shirt leaders made the resolution unanimously because the UDD had long proposed for it. Moreover, the UDD did not want to see more deaths and injuries as a result of the political conflict. However, the UDD, in entering the reconciliation process, wanted the prime minister to set the timeframe for House dissolution because it is within his power to do so and leave it to the Election Commission to fix the election date. Moreover, the government must immediately show its sincerity by ending all forms of intimidation against the red shirts, he said. Mr Veera affirmed that the UDD leaders would not seek amnesty from being charged with terrorism and lese majeste and would be ready to fight the charges. Nathawut Saikua, the UDD secretary-general, said the red-shirt protesters would not yet disperse until the prime minister came up with a clear time frame for the House dissolution. Earlier in the day, Mr Abhisit said the government would go ahead with the five-point roadmap for national reconciliation with or without the UDD's participation. Mr Abhisit said the cabinet had been informed of the plan, so it was not necessary for the parties in the coaltion to confirm their support for his roadmap, as demanded by the UDD, because he, as prime minister, holds sole power to dissolve the House of Representatives. The prime minister admitted his roadmap was not supported by a Democrat Party resolution, but believed he would be able to explain it to the party when it meets on May 6. The party's chief adviser, former prime minister Chuan Leekpai, earlier today reaffirmed his opposition to a House dissolution brought on by intimidation. Mr Abhisit said the proposal was generated by his own wish to bring about national reconciliation before a general election, and denied his decision was the result of being intimidated. The reconciliation process would not include an amnesty for anyone facing criminal charges, he said.

It was long before there was any such thing as the Internet or even personal computers, but during the Vietnam war there was also plenty of immigration to Canada.

I agree with you, but I doubt that people giving up US citizenship because of taxes would be swayed by the fact that citizens of other countries pay higher taxes.

Even if you renounce your citizenship, as far as IRS is concerned there is no such thing as renouncing your citizenship. In other words, if you have assets, pension, bank accounts, Social Security, or whatever in the USA, if you renounce your citizenship IRS can seize anything they can get their hands on if you do not continue paying income tax. If you have no assets, but return to the USA without having filed or paid income tax, you can be arrested on income tax evasion charges. If you are among those who do renounce your USA citizenship, you better check with an attorney first so that you know where you stand legally.

Maybe he's related to Jimmy Swaggart.

Yes, that's a very good point. It's nice that there are many alternatives for getting to and from the airport, but the timing is certainly a factor. Something I don't really understand about some of these transportation services is the fact they are not available 24 hours a day. They start in the morning, but in most cases services end about 9:00pm or so. But many international flights arrive much later than that and many outbound travelers have to get to the airport in the wee hours of the morning. I would have thought most of the transportation companies would want the business, and there's plenty of it, but to my knowledge the only service that runs at those hours is the taxis. That makes no sense to me.

In any case, if I make a trip that lasts more than 7 to 10 days or so, I don't think I would pay the price for the convenience of having my car right there at the airport, especially if shuttle service to and from the parking lot isn't any good. When parking starts getting expensive, that's when taking my chances with a service such as Bell or just taking one of the airport buses or a taxi makes much more sense to me. Also, I recently read a post somewhere that while there is some sort of a shuttle service to and from the parking lot, you still have to haul your luggage from wherever you parked to the shuttle bus and it can be quite a distance. I would think if the weather is bad it could be much more than simply inconvenient.

I looked it up. Here are the rates:

Has anyone who has his own car driven to the airport and parked there? What is the daily cost for parking and how good is whatever shuttle service they have between the parking lot and the terminal?

Then I don't understand what's so special about their service. What do they expect you to do while selfish inconsiderate people who are not ready on time don't mind making everybody else wait while they have themselves a nice leisurely breakfast, or whatever they are doing? If it were me I would be furious. I'm paying them to get me to the airport. I'm not paying them to make me wait for people who can't be bothered to be ready on time and then I possibly have to be rushed at the airport or even miss my flight. Also, when I get on the van, I'm expecting to leave at the appointed time. I can't believe they expect people to just grin and bear it, and sit around waiting while people are having breakfast. I would have thought the driver would tell them there are other passengers who need to get to the airport and they need to come right now or find another way to get to the airport. If you can't rely on them to stick to their schedule and have to worry they might force you to wait for those kinds of things, then this is not a service I would want to use. That may be the Thai way and they may want the business, but if that's the way I potentially can find myself treated, then they won't be getting my business.

What puzzles me is even with all the turmoil going on in Thailand, such as the demonstrations, the violence, the major loss of tourists, and now a border clash with Cambodia, the baht continues to strengthen against the dollar. I would have thought the baht would be plunging given all this, but just the opposite is happening. I can't understand why.

I have not tried (I'm going to take it with me!), but I have heard that you can do that if the beneficiary is Thai. An American friend of mine passed away a few years ago. He held a Thai bank account. His relatives from the USA have been trying, unsuccessfully, to get the money out of his account ever since, although he never did anything officially to name a beneficiary. Part of the problem with trying to deal with Thai banks is you keep getting different answers from different banks and all too often different answers from different branches of the same bank. My advice would be to go to your branch office and see if they have a standard form for naming a beneficiary. If there is no standard form, then I think you better consult a Thai attorney to get an accurate answer. I would also suggest asking your embassy about it. I did not ask the USA embassy about a beneficiary for a Thai bank account, but I did ask about wills. I was told that it doesn't matter about a will. When a USA citizen dies within Thailand, ultimately the embassy gets the jurisdiction about how personal property and effects are to be disposed of. They said when an American dies in Thailand, the first thing the embassy looks for is the passport. The embassy contacts the next of kin and all decisions are left to the next of kin, even if you have both an American and a Thai will. Everything is still up to the next of kin and all you can do, with or without a will, is trust that your next of kin will respect your wishes. I did not ask what happens if there is no next of kin. Based upon what has been going on regarding my late friend's bank account, apparently it can be a real problem. But no one in my late friend's family has actually come to Thailand to retrieve the money. They say there was not enough money left in the account to make it worth a trip here. They did, so they say, consult a Thai attorney via telephone calls and Email, but the attorney's fees also did not make it worth pursuing. They stopped trying. I do not know what will eventually become of the money, but I would guess that after a period of time the bank gets the funds left in dormant accounts. I think the easiest solution would be to open a joint account with the person you want for a beneficiary if, and only if, you can be certain you can fully trust him or her.

Do you have online banking? Sometimes you can get more detailed documentation when looking at your account history. You mentioned that you anticipate difficulty getting the information from the bank. What happens when you try?

I can't answer your question. I think you have to contact an enrolled accountant or even IRS for that. But as far as the documentation, how did you know how much Thai tax to pay? Didn't you receive some sort of a bill? Or if it was paid by some sort of debit from your bank account, wasn't there something that showed what the debit was for? Wouldn't that suffice as supporting documentation?

It is my understanding that you can back-to-back them provided you do not exceed the 180 days restrictions. It is also my understanding that you can get 10-day extensions, but one the extension expires you do have to leave the country in order to obtain another tourist visa. I could be wrong. This is what I've heard, but have not personally checked.

Since you are a gay gentleman, then you will probably consider Thailand to be a gay paradise on earth. Thailand is one of the most, if not the most, gay friendly and tolerant countries in the world. In Thailand you will feel perfectly free to be the person you really are. However, sexual preference is by far not the only reason to choose Thailand as the place to retire. You did not say whether you have been to Thailand before. My interpretation of your post is that you have not. Before setting your heart on Thailand or committing to Thailand, I suggest, if possible for you, to spend at least a couple months here first to make sure living here is what you really want. If you do move here, I also suggest keeping your options open for at least a year in case you later decide that Thailand is not the right move for you after all I love living in Thailand. I have been here for years now and I have no regrets at all. I would do it again without hesitation. But life in Thailand is vastly different from what you have experienced in California. Some people have a difficult time adjusting to it. As a gay man, I suggest visiting not only Bangkok during your first trip here, but also Pattaya and Chiang Mai. These are the cities to which the majority of gay men gravitate and it is these cities that offer the bulk of gay day and nightlife. Pattaya, for example, has a large gay beach area and two areas of the city almost exclusively for gays. Bangkok is certainly gay friendly and has quite a bit to offer. Chiang Mai too. Many prefer Chiang Mai because it is more picturesque and laid back than Bangkok or Pattaya and many find the climate there more to their liking. In any case, I hope you will have the opportunity to get to know Thailand a little bit before making your decision. I also hope you will feel perfectly comfortable coming to us on this message board whenever you have questions, problems, or seek advice.

That is a perfect example of a common problem. Different immigration offices seem to make up their own rules. I know for a fact that friends who live in Pattaya have obtained their new visa as much as months in advance when they had valid reason to do so.

If you are in Canada, you need to contact the Thai embassy. If you are in Thailand, you need to contact your immigration office. If what you need turns out to be complex, then I suggest hiring a Thai attorney.

I'm glad it worked out for you.