Buriram Expats
Buriram Province - General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: TonyT on July 03, 2020, 10:54:26 AM
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Since the changes in income required to obtain a Marriage Visa it has become common knowledge that the Buriram Thai Immigration office has been running a scam to encourage people renewing their visas to pay a fee of 20,000 baht to overlook the need to show 40,000 baht per month being lodged into the applicants Thai bank account to qualify for renewal of one's visa.
I have been living in Thailand for over 10 years, have married & purchased a residential house for near to Thai Baht 2m. In that time the AUD conversion rate has eroded from 32 Baht/AUD to 20 Baht/AUD which means my Australian pension is having troubles meeting the new criteria.
I, for one, would find it hard to return to Australia as the Australian Centrelink has insistedd that I had to sell my Australian Property to continue to receive my Australian pension.
The purpose of this post is to find others in the same situation who are willing to join with me to mount a CLASS ACTION to engage a good Thai Lawyer (which I have) to keep the BURIRAM THAI IMMIGRATION OFFICE STAFF honest. It can be done as i know these people will readily back down when they are challenged.
With my last renewal (I have just learned) after I brought their fee down to Baht 5,000 that they had talked my wife to contribute Baht10,000 (unbeknown to me) for my visa to be approved.
My visa runs out early next year but if you are also having the same problem I invite you to reply to me such that I can arrange suitable help.
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I have 34 years to your 10, Tony. In that time I have seen and witnessed a lot.
Take legal action against any Thai authority, then win or lose, you will be continually looking over your shoulder.
My advice...............pay up or shut up!
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Thanks for your advice. I know one person who got an authority involved and they just folded!
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I have to agree with PN
I've lived here for 20 years and rule No1 is not to piss off the Police or Immigration as you will never win. About 7 years ago I couldn't ( or didn't want to bring over money from the UK because of the exchange rate ) to meet the requirements for my yearly extension.I could have paid under the table BUT decided to just go to Savannakhet Thai Immigration in Laos and get a Multi Non O and do boarder runs every 90 days. In fact it would have been cheaper and less hassle to pay the Tea Money or use an Agent ,But at least going the Multi Non O route I was 100% legitimate and my conscience was clear.
This year I would have done the same but because of Covid-19 and the borders being closed I had to bring money I had in the UK to meet the requirements or pay some Tea Money. I was lucky that I had the money but many dont.
The simple fact is ... if you can meet the Immigration requirements then they cant ask you for tea money. If you are sure you can meet the requirements and you are still being asked to pay ,then maybe you could have a word with the Top Official at the IO. ( but ask very politely)
So if you cant meet the strict monetary requirements ( and you have no other options like Savannakhet ) I would pay-up and hand the money over with a smile ( remember they are doing you a favour ) , which is far better then being told to leave or being thrown out . smilenod
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Tony, I am struggling to get my head around this
You cannot meet the financial requirements to stay here
Immigration offered you an under the table solution
you want to mount a CLASS ACTION to engage a good Thai Lawyer (which I have) to keep the BURIRAM THAI IMMIGRATION OFFICE STAFF honest.
you win this.....
net result is you have spent lots of money, happy lawyer, but you still cannot meet the requirements so return to Oz.....
Note I did not say Australia for fear of offending our serial complainer Tassie
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Never mind.
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The point I am trying to make is that although I may not be able to make the letter of the demand, I am more than capable of covering all of my expenses for myself & my wife. What the Thai Government is doing is:
1: Missing out on their additional overseas funds
2: Ensuring that I will be left destitute
3: Ensuring that my wife will be left with no means of income
4: Propagate the rampant corruption in this country
Sure, she will have a very nice house to live in but no means to enjoy that & no means to realise it's value on the present dead Thai property market.
It seems to me that they are suiting themselves in the foot by treating the farang very unfairly. Perhaps you do not understand the whole picture by taking such a narrow view of things.
Thanks for trying anyway. I know it is hard some times.
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The point I am trying to make is that although I may not be able to make the letter of the demand, I am more than capable of covering all of my expenses for myself & my wife. What the Thai Government is doing is:
1: Missing out on their additional overseas funds
2: Ensuring that I will be left destitute
3: Ensuring that my wife will be left with no means of income
4: Propagate the rampant corruption in this country
Sure, she will have a very nice house to live in but no means to enjoy that & no means to realise it's value on the present dead Thai property market.
It seems to me that they are suiting themselves in the foot by treating the farang very unfairly. Perhaps you do not understand the whole picture by taking such a narrow view of things.
Thanks for trying anyway. I know it is hard some times.
I do understand what you are trying to say. When I first came to Thailand there was 76 Baht to the GBP. Now it's half of that .Also when I first arrived here the monetary requirements were 400k for Retirement and 200k for a Marriage extension. As I had a Thai company and work permit and was on a Non O Visa so it was never an option for me because I wasn't married and was under 50 , but I still have a friend in Koh Samui that's still on a retirement extension and has had his extension grandfathers to this day and still only needs 400K .
This thread could be a good read for those thinking of coming to retire in Thailand as its not all wine and rose's and there are lessons to be learnt
I have seen many Westerners fall foul over the years and run short of money, ill heath and having to pay big bill's has wiped out many peoples life savings that could have supported their wife's/partners after their demise .
The fact is, even after 20 years of living in Thailand I have no more rights than I did 17 years ago when I first got married.If I cant meet the requirements I must leave or of find other ways of staying legally. There is no human Rights or Thai MP's watching our back's like there are in the west !!
But I knew this before I decided to stay. The rules haven't change that much in the last 17 years but I do think as the Baht has become stronger the monetary requirements have been harder to meet for many Expats .So its a good thing that a few Immigration Offices try to help those that cant meet those requirements.There are many Expats here that wouldn't be if there wasn't a little bit corruption ( as you call it ), whether is through IO's or Agents .The Thai Immigration could ease the monetary burden if they really wanted to but I doubt very much they ever will.......the last thing they want is an influx of poor low ends Farang living on a budget,they have enough of them already ::)
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I have never heard about tea money being asked for in the case of a marriage extension. The reasons given that immigration could not facilitate this being that all marriage extension applications are sent to Area 4 Head Office in Khon Kaen. The final decision is made by them and not Buriram Immigration.
I understand that some people have been offered the option of tea money for retirement extensions. This likely due to the fact Buriram Immigration know full well that quite a few expats, who are resident in Buriram, use a facility offered by another immigration office that is located in a tourist area. I guess they want a piece of the action.
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TonyT ...........Whilst I have some sympathy for your position (non of us here like to see the Baht continue to strengthen any further) I find some of your statements astounding.
Firstly you state 'Since the changes in income required to obtain a Marriage Visa'. As I understand it the requirements for the Marriage Extension have been the same for years
Secondly you complain that you are not in a position to meet the Immigration requirement that the Thai Government requires. I am sure there are thousands of people who would like to emigrate to Australia but I see little chance of the Australian Government (or any other country) relaxing their requirements to allow increased levels of immigration. Like most countries Thailand is looking for immigrants who will contribute to the country (ie cheap labour or wealth creators)
Thirdly, you suggest that he Thai Government has put you in an impossible position which is detrimental to your family. The Thai Government has changed nothing. If you refuse to blame yourself for the situation try taking action against the world money markets for the current exchange rates or the Australian Government for your poor pension.
Sorry to be so blunt and critical but this is a hole you need to dig yourself out of. As Smithy posted, it is fortunate that Thailand offers methods to get around problems (ie Border hop). Another method is the 20K payment which I too abhor on principle. However I know a number of people who are grateful for this option and who knows in 10 years time I may need it myself. At least in Thailand there are some options available to you (in many countries the computer just says NO ......now p*** off ).
Taking legal action against the Immigration Dept would be the last thing on my list. You will have a better chance of getting Australia to double your pension.
If its any consolation look at the value of the UK pound, the UK pension and the state of the UK at the moment Now that will make you weep !!!
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If its any consolation look at the value of the UK pound, the UK pension and the state of the UK at the moment Now that will make you weep !!!
To f**king right bigcry bigcry bigcry
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My extension of stay is due for renwal on the 15th of Feb every year, as it has been for the last 16 years. I go to the office, present my income, previously a letter from the Embassy, now a bank statement showing transfers of at least 65K per month. They stamp my passport for another years extension. I pay them 1,900 Baht, job done.
I am sorry that the OP does not have the financial means to meet the longstanding requirements to obtain an extension of stay, they have never changed (excluding the non issue of income statement by some countries) since I started my extension.
Prior to using this methodology I would return to the UK every year and apply for a Multi entry Non O. I used that method for 6 years.
I am aware, that option is not available now, as I understand Savanakhet and Phnom Phen still offered this option when the borders were open pre Covid.
I hate to sound harsh, but if you cannot meet the requirements that immigration officials demand, which despite your commets have not changed, then that is you problem.
Think of the rules in the country where you hold a passport from, would you be happy if they just allowed anyone to stay there?
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Thank you all for your thoughtful (?) and helpful (?) comments.
Subject closed as you all appear to condone the rampant goings on that I report.
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Since the changes in income required to obtain a Marriage Visa it has become common knowledge that the Buriram Thai Immigration office has been running a scam to encourage people renewing their visas to pay a fee of 20,000 baht to overlook the need to show 40,000 baht per month being lodged into the applicants Thai bank account to qualify for renewal of one's visa.
I have been living in Thailand for over 10 years, have married & purchased a residential house for near to Thai Baht 2m. In that time the AUD conversion rate has eroded from 32 Baht/AUD to 20 Baht/AUD which means my Australian pension is having troubles meeting the new criteria.
The whole of the Thai Immigration Office staff for the previous year has been doing their best to get as many people as possible to pay this fee.
I, for one, would find it hard to return to Australia as the Australian Centrelink has insistedd that I had to sell my Australian Property to continue to receive my Australian pension.
The purpose of this post is to find others in the same situation who are willing to join with me to mount a CLASS ACTION to engage a good Thai Lawyer (which I have) to keep the BURIRAM THAI IMMIGRATION OFFICE STAFF honest. It can be done as i know these people will readily back down when they are challenged.
With my last renewal (I have just learned) after I brought their fee down to Baht 5,000 that they had talked my wife to contribute Baht10,000 (unbeknown to me) for my visa to be approved.
My visa runs out early next year but if you are also having the same problem I invite you to reply to me such that I can arrange suitable help.
What changes in income ?
The requirement for a marriage extension has been 40k per month since I have been here (2006).
If you are referring to the fraudulent practice of declaring a false income to obtain an embassy letter - yes, that has changed.
Note:- Buriram Immigration do not have the authority to approve extensions based on marriage; any 'paid for' extensions would need to be retirement extensions as is the case in Pattaya.
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Thanks for your reply but it is factually wrong in many ways.
(1) Reported income used to be that which was received overseas, it is now that which you choose to deposit in a Thai bank account. This is your net income you will spend in Thailand. Most of us do purchase goods overseas which are normally paid in your home currency as this is more readily accepted
(2) Thai Immigration in Buriram now do not even look at your declarations made to your embassy as it includes your gross income
(3) The local TI office effectively decide your monetary declaration as they do not forward on the evidence you produce, presumably just the local interpretation of what you presented.
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Thanks for your reply but it is factually wrong in many ways.
(1) Reported income used to be that which was received overseas, it is now that which you choose to deposit in a Thai bank account. This is your net income you will spend in Thailand. Most of us do purchase goods overseas which are normally paid in your home currency as this is more readily accepted
(2) Thai Immigration in Buriram now do not even look at your declarations made to your embassy as it includes your gross income
(3) The local TI office effectively decide your monetary declaration as they do not forward on the evidence you produce, presumably just the local interpretation of what you presented.
This has nothing to do with Thai Immigration . UK ,US ,AUS and Danish Embassies ( and others I think ? ) announcing that from Jan 1, 2019 they will no longer issue any statements confirming the income of one of their citizens, as is required in applying for many types of long-stay permits-to-stay .
It was the Embassies from many of Our home countries that refused to issue statements confirming your income.Not the Thai Immigration fault really.
I have a friend that was in a predicament when this came into force at the beginning of last year .He had his UK pension sent to his Thai Bank and brought his private pension over when he needed it .He would get a letter from the UK Embassy every year to prove his income that combined the two showing over 700k a year ( his was on a Marriage Extension where 40k or 400k was needed ) . He got around this by having his UK pension and private pension paid into his UK bank and 40k+ sent over through Transferwise each month . The first year the IO were a bit lenient but now they have doubled down and your paperwork with the transacting showing for the last year must be in order.
But like me he has now just put 400k in a Thai Deposit account and just leaves it there and has reverted back to having his UK State pension sent to his Thai bank account to live on.
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Tony,
I understand your frustration but you (and many others) need to realise that the guys at Immigration are not the enemy.
They have no control over stupid rules governments (yours and locally) put in place and no control over exchange rates.
They are just normal blokes, like us they have the odd rotten apple, but generally they are ok.
In your case they are prepared to put their jobs at risk to help you circumvent the rules.
If your next renewal is early next year, you have six months to save 3k a month, and when you pay it make sure to thank the imigration officer for his kindness.
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Thanks for your reply but it is factually wrong in many ways.
(1) Reported income used to be that which was received overseas, it is now that which you choose to deposit in a Thai bank account. This is your net income you will spend in Thailand. Most of us do purchase goods overseas which are normally paid in your home currency as this is more readily accepted
(2) Thai Immigration in Buriram now do not even look at your declarations made to your embassy as it includes your gross income
(3) The local TI office effectively decide your monetary declaration as they do not forward on the evidence you produce, presumably just the local interpretation of what you presented.
I think you need to sort out your facts from fiction.
You are pissing into the wind, and trying to paddle upstream without an oar, whilst ploughing a lone furrow. You seem surprised that no one is rushing to jump on your crusade wagon................. doesn't that tell you something.
Get yourself sorted out; keep up to date with Immigration requirements, get the right monies in the right place like the rest of us or jolly on down to Pattaya and pay an agent there to get you an immigration stamp in your passport........................... and stop whinging!
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Maybe Tony T has just had a gutful of the corruption bullshit. Pure and simple
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I think we are all aware of the corrupt practices that prevail here in Thailand. They are not likely to change. Too many vested interests
I for one do all I can to avoid any involvement in such practices, and merely observe.
If one is unable to avoid, and does not wish to be a party to such practices, the only choice available would appear to be to leave Thailand.
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Maybe Tony T has just had a gutful of the corruption bullshit. Pure and simple
If that is the case, he may have an uncomfortable time in Thailand.
Corruption, inefficiency. lies, inconsistency.......... all part of life in Thailand.
In this instance it would not be encountered if he met the Immigration requirements.
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Maybe Tony T has just had a gutful of the corruption bullshit. Pure and simple
This corruption bullshit does work both ways .
Over the years I can think of many times its helped me out .
One year I did my normal Marriage Extension and got my 90 report slip. But what I forgot was to go back after 30 days to get my yearly stamp. When I did my next 90 day report the IO office pointed out I didn't have my yearly stamp and was on a 60 day overstay .I was told to take a seat and wait.They spoke to my wife on the Phone and said to her for 1000B they would take care of everything.To cut a log story short they stamped up my passport with all the correct stamps and dates ( back dated ) and I paid 1000B instead of 20,000B for the overstay.
A few times I've be caught speeding on long trips ,200 or 400 baht solves the problem,In the UK that would be ?100 ( 3800b ) .I also had my front wall built in the wrong place ,it was 200mm ( about 8 inches ) on Government land . Again for a 1000B they moved the concrete land maker's a little bit ,they could have made me pull my wall down and move it back . No doubt back in the UK some jobsworth would of insisted the wall was moved.
If I was to make a list of all the good reasons to live in Thailand is would far outweigh the bad. For sure , some people come and live here but decide to go back to their Home Country . Normally though for heath reasons ,children's schooling ,lack of money or they cant stand the heat, very rarely is it because of corruption.
When it comes to Immigration ,you have to know all the rules and latest change's ( that's why people post on here reports on how they did their Visa extension to help others ) . If you dont or dont meet the criteria or make a mistake then you either pay up or leave ....I've found over the years its best to have everything 100% in order ,its that simple !! smilenod
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I did have the requirements put out by the Thai Immigration last year but I cannot find it now.
Could anyone help me as to where it is?
It is a pity that the investment in the marital home (held by one's wife but normally holly funded by the foreigner ) can not be included in the justification to renew a marriage visa but that would be of no interest to TI as it has already been spent and is not an ongoing contribution to help the country to survive!!
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Tony .....Interested in why you believe Thailand needs all us aged expats to SURVIVE.
In terms of GDP the country ranks 25th in the world. It has a strong currency and high Foreign Currency Reserves. I know what my back of a fag packet calculation gives as the value each year of those on Retirement / Marriage Extensions is.
I would be very interested to know what amount you believe all us resident expats contribute to the Thai economy each year.
With that figure we could then discuss if Thailand should / should not let all us old guys stay here.
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It would appear that the Thai Government does not give a fig for any opinion we farangs should have. There is a huge difference between what funds someone needs if they are renting a property & what they need if they have fully funded their housing needs.
It is basic fairness to take this into account. Personally I am quite capable to pay these bribes but it really galls me to have to spend my income in such a way.
Both myself and my wife would be happy if we could get a fair price for our house and move on. I am 80 years old with dual citizenship in Aus/NZ but have no ties to either country as most of my meaningful contacts there have passed on. If I have to I will probably hold my nose & pretend that the fees are the equivalent of paying housing rates. That will allow me to give me time to investigate my options for the time that I have left.
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It would appear that the Thai Government does not give a fig for any opinion we farangs should have. There is a huge difference between what funds someone needs if they are renting a property & what they need if they have fully funded their housing needs.
Agree with both points
Personally I am quite capable to pay these bribes but it really galls me to have to spend my income in such a way.
You only need to pay the bribe if you do not meet the stated requirements
Both myself and my wife would be happy if we could get a fair price for our house and move on
As every Estate Agent will tell you house prices are determined by what people will pay. As for moving on, Thailand has relatively easy rules concerning immigration. Look at the requirements to take your wife to Aus or NZ. Having taken my wife back to the UK on 2 occasions the immigration requirements and restrictions are way beyond those for me entering Thailand.
Again apologies if my statements come across a little hard. In 20 yrs time when I reach your age I may well be in a similar position. However i would hope that I will not rail against Thailand (with it's option to circumvent the system) but try to work out how I dig myself out of a hole.
Pleased to hear that you are now looking at options rather than wasting money on a lawyer.
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It looks like this post is going to on forever, the rules for extension of stay are simple (you can dowload them from the website), I admit there are a couple of other forms specific to Buriram.
If you cannot meet the requirements there are other options available, they however require you to enter the "black" financial area.
I wonder if the OP would be happy with non citizens availing themselves in either of the countries he holds a passport for?
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Geordie Boy, Do you or anyone else have the write-up that TI put out last year or possibly tell me where I can find it. I did see it then but did not keep it at that time.
As Pagan1 noted I am now looking at other options as it is probably better than trying to move the "Immovable Object".
Thank you for your advice even it some was quite harsh!
Cheers
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Sorry if I appeared harsh, was not intending to.
You mention a "write up", not sure what you are looking for.
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Geordie Boy, Do you or anyone else have the write-up that TI put out last year or possibly tell me where I can find it. I did see it then but did not keep it at that time.
As Pagan1 noted I am now looking at other options as it is probably better than trying to move the "Immovable Object".
Thank you for your advice even it some was quite harsh!
Cheers
The only recent write up posted on here was regarding extensions based on retirement and the rules regarding seasoning of funds. There have not been any recent changes regarding marriage extensions.
That said, it was reported some time ago that UK,USA,Aus and Danish embassies had stopped issuing income affidavits. Therefore, nationals of those countries now have to prove income entering a Thai bank, from abroad, each month. The criteria is quite simple.
For a marriage extension, applicants must show a minimum of 40k baht entering a Thai bank each and every month. The alternative is to show 400k in the bank. Seasoning periods for this method may vary from office to office and should therefore be check with your local office.
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After due consideration I am moving towards the option of cutting my losses & moving on.
When I first came to thailand I decided to buy a house (not realising that i could never own the property.
I wrote a contract which involved paying an initial deposit of Thai baht 1M with the remainder of TB650,000 payable in 12 months. The house was a new spec house built for that reason When I realised that I could never own the property I considered writing off the 1M Baht and walking away but somehow could not do that (a bad decision)!
The conversion rate was AUD/Thai 32 per AUD which meant the house was reasonably cheap but after 12 mths the conversion rate was AUD/Thai 20 per AUD.
The house was typical thai standard with many things like floor tiles very good but with the wter pipes throughout the house being such that I think the plumber forgot to apply glue and roof tiles so so. It took me 6 months to fix the plumbing which involved replacing all plumbing from the neat internal plumbing to everything being outside including both the bathrooms plumbing.
i also installed guttering and rain-water tanks that collected the then plenterful rainwater & two pumps, one for rainwater and the second for town water. These have to be altered as I realised that the rainwater tanks were all but empty.
The latest change has been to convert all the tanks to be town water which is quite good water in satuek so now we have 20,000 litres of town water being stored and delivered to the house with the two pumps which works well.
Recently I discovered that the three 2,000 litre tanks (the original ones) had deteriorated due to exposure to the sun that they have had to be retired.
Now that everything is as good as it can be I am pretty much decided to cut my losses & walk away.
This will mean returning home to AUS or NZ with virtually the clothes on my back.
QUESTION
Can anyone help me with knowledge about the AUS or NZ embassies in Bangkok as to whether either country has a scheme to offer subsatised housing for their residence. I have dual citizenship in these countries.
If they do, who should I talk to.
For the last 6 years I have only dealt with the NZ Embassy because it is a smaller embassy, and more personal whereas the Australian Embassy is big and not particularly frendly .
Any advice PLEASE!
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TonyT .......Sorry to hear that you have decided to leave. I wish you all the best and hope things turn out well.
Unable to help concerning NZ or AUS information (a Brit)
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Forgot to say that my last marriage visa renewal cost me a bribe of Bt20,000. I negotiated half of that not knowing that my wife had previously given them Bt10,000 which was money the Thai Government had paid her regarding a small rice farm she owns.
I have decided that this on-going situation will probably not resolve itself and it is not one which I am willing to tolerate.
Thank you for your comment pagan1
Have just been in touch with the NZ Embassy and presently I would have to serve a 14 day guarantee in a hotel on arrival in NZ (at no cost to myself)
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After due consideration I am moving towards the option of cutting my losses & moving on.
When I first came to thailand I decided to buy a house (not realising that i could never own the property.
I wrote a contract which involved paying an initial deposit of Thai baht 1M with the remainder of TB650,000 payable in 12 months. The house was a new spec house built for that reason When I realised that I could never own the property I considered writing off the 1M Baht and walking away but somehow could not do that (a bad decision)!
The conversion rate was AUD/Thai 32 per AUD which meant the house was reasonably cheap but after 12 mths the conversion rate was AUD/Thai 20 per AUD.
The house was typical thai standard with many things like floor tiles very good but with the wter pipes throughout the house being such that I think the plumber forgot to apply glue and roof tiles so so. It took me 6 months to fix the plumbing which involved replacing all plumbing from the neat internal plumbing to everything being outside including both the bathrooms plumbing.
i also installed guttering and rain-water tanks that collected the then plenterful rainwater & two pumps, one for rainwater and the second for town water. These have to be altered as I realised that the rainwater tanks were all but empty.
The latest change has been to convert all the tanks to be town water which is quite good water in satuek so now we have 20,000 litres of town water being stored and delivered to the house with the two pumps which works well.
Recently I discovered that the three 2,000 litre tanks (the original ones) had deteriorated due to exposure to the sun that they have had to be retired.
Now that everything is as good as it can be I am pretty much decided to cut my losses & walk away.
This will mean returning home to AUS or NZ with virtually the clothes on my back.
QUESTION
Can anyone help me with knowledge about the AUS or NZ embassies in Bangkok as to whether either country has a scheme to offer subsatised housing for their residence. I have dual citizenship in these countries.
If they do, who should I talk to.
For the last 6 years I have only dealt with the NZ Embassy because it is a smaller embassy, and more personal whereas the Australian Embassy is big and not particularly frendly .
Any advice PLEASE!
This is not intended as having a pop at you Tony, but your situation is a classic example of the need to acquire sufficient knowledge before embarking on a life in Thailand. There are so many sources of information, and advice, often from those of us who have trodden that path already.
Your story should be shown to every newbie planning to move to Thailand.
Just one example; there was no need to pay a bribe of 20,000 Baht, a retirement extension can be bought in Pattaya from 13,000 Baht up (others may have cheaper examples).
Apart from education, nothing can be done to help anyone who does not understand the basics of land ownership in Thailand - the number one rule, or start point, is 'What is spent in Thailand stays in Thailand' and 'Only spend in Thailand what you can afford to write-off'.
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Apart from education, nothing can be done to help anyone who does not understand the basics of land ownership in Thailand - the number one rule, or start point, is 'What is spent in Thailand stays in Thailand' and 'Only spend in Thailand what you can afford to write-off'.
Coco is spot on BUT in some case's many are lucky , I built a house in Koh Samui and sold it after a few years , the profit paid for the house in the village.If you going to buy a house for resale make sure you buy it where people want to live.Houses in the Village will never ( or very rarely ) make any money , so as the old saying goes ( that CO-CO has said also ) dont spend more than you cant afford to walk away from .
There are many people I know or have met over the years that have Married their Thai Partner ,built a nice small house in the Village and lived the remainder of they days happily living the quiet Village life BUT there have been many who's relationship doesn't stay the course and they leave with their tails between their legs !!! . That's Life smilenod
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Could not agree more. Hindsight is a marvellous thing. I had been briefly in Thailand many years ago & assumed that it would be roughly the same rules as the countries I had been used to (aus). With honesty of government, fairness and so on. In fact a big boy called Glen said how he had come across the same thing at the time and after he had pointed out the house investment he had made the authorities understood & agreed. (How different it is now!) BUT THAT WAS 12 YEARS AGO.
I was reasonably wealthy before I came & felt the ball was at my feet. I only came at a whim when my current new partner decided to go to Vietnam to attend a cooking class & I felt "It was a while since I had been overseas, having travelled through Europe 7 mainly Italy twice on my BMW K1100lt twice, so I contacted a lady whom I had communicated with a year previously and arranged to visit. (The rest is history due to a severe attack of brain hemorage). Never mind I have since learned through a lady in the NZ Embassy, whom I have communicated with many times, that on arrival in NZ I would have to quarantine for 14 days in a hotel (at the government's expense) . That sounds good as hopefully I will be able to negotiate the purchase of a cheap car (after having sold my 12 year old Fortuner here in Thailand) and find some temporary accommodation when I am at the enforced hotel stay. The accommodation also offers 3 meals a day. (If I went to Australia I would have to serve a similar 14 day isolation, but at my own expense). Also my wife tells me that she is not interested in coming with me (even if she could) and plans to find another more suitable "alien" to support her having the house that I have supplied and fully developed as a bait. I had hoped to let my situation see me out (as I turn 80 this year) but having had my health re-generated with the help of Doc Martyn here in Buriram and having my adopted family from my first marriage in Australia shed themselves from me, I am now looking forward to the next phase of my life. (BRING IT ON!)
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Best wishes Tony. Look forward to the good stuff, don?t let the past bring you down. Safe travels!