dinga

Nonsence - the spread is 100 baht per 1 Baht Gold Bullion (currently Buy 41,050 Sell 40,950 per 1 Baht Gold) https://goldtraders.or.th/

RUBBISH - I'm a farang with PR Status, and NOT a Thai citizen. I cannot own land in Thailand and if a beneficiary in a WILL will need to sell any bequeathed land within 12 months

Ben Roberts-Smith VC - consult Prof Google before jumping to outrage. Let the legal process proceed and await the determination of the facts, not ignorant emotions

Did you ever get that Ruling???

My understanding is that - provided you meet the eligibility criteria especially both the Assets & Income Tests - you get the OAP immediately you turn up and say you've returned to permanently reside in OZ (the 2 year period relating purely to portability, not eligibility). Did your calculations factor in the receipt of the OAP during the whole of that 2 year period ??

Rental Income in Thailand All rental properties are subject to a House and Land Tax, which is 12.5% of the annual rental income. On top of that, the rental income is taxable, and owners will have to pay Thai income taxes on the money. Thai income taxes are calculated using a progressive scale ranging from 0-37%.

Mae Phim by far the best beach & (quiet) holiday spot in Rayong - and probably the whole of the east coast

By way of comparison, I have a BASIC Plan, Hospitalisation & Basic Repat only, US$500 deductible for a Premium of US$3,324 when I renewed in February 2023 (at age 69). The proposed premium for renewal of this policy in February 2024 was US$3,925 - and increase of over 18%. Your numbers suggest I could expect an increase of well over 20% if I was to renew my policy in February 2025 at age 70 - taken the new premium to near US$5,000. Bye-Bye April

Tks Sheryl - AA World was the Broker (no surprise, eh!). A feather will knock you over after I reveal that they were pushing Regency. I concluded the claim (sic) about having no regard for age-bands was absolute b/s and I wasn't prepared to go through the usual exclusion of anything faintly smelling of existing conditions for an alternative policy. I've had a gutfull of Health Insurance companies, and concluded it was only a matter of time anyway before the leeches would price health coverage well beyond reasonable & affordable. Hence, from now on I'll rely on my Thai Social Security cover and pay for any additional upgrades.

G'day Sheryl A couple of times I asked exactly that question (via the Broker) - what is the Premium renewal now for my exact policy coverage, but for a 70 year old (not 69 as I now am). This is the reply I finally received" “Our processing times are currently affected by a surge in activity. We apologise for this delay. For your information, the rates for the My Health International are not based on age-related increases. Furthermore, we have no visibility over price increases for next year, as these are set by the insurer. We look forward to hearing from you. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you require any further information. I will not be renewing this policy as: 1. I don't believe the advice that the Premium next year will be unaffected by my moving into the next standard Age Bracket that seems to be used by most/all other Insurers; 2. April and/or the Broker has been/is a Black Hole in relation to service, response times and more importantly, transparency.

Thanks so much - more to think about! Given the shading situation, another solar panel can only really be installed next to the current one (which is near the pond fountain). So I'd still have the 40 metre connection. Also given I was thinking at running a 300W Sub Pump, on it's own, for only 1 hour or so every 2 or 3 days is it really likely that a 340W panel will be insufficient to power the pump (at say peak power production mid/late morning)? The bore is right next to a mains power source, so I'm now thinking it might be easier to forget about solar and just get a 220V Jet Pump....

G'day Sheryl Seems April is a Black Hole - utterly Zero specifics about how the Premiums are calculated or the current Premium payable for renewal of a Policy with exactly the same conditions as my current one - with the exception that if the age at renewal was 70 (rather than my sprighty 69). This is the answer provided via AA World: "April has mentioned that the tariff based on 70 years of age will not be taken into account until 2025, and they do not yet have information on these tariffs. Indeed, the insurer defines premium for each year on the basis of the age of the insured and the zones of cover and formulas chosen". Penny to a pound that the Premium increase for my renewal in 2/2025 will greatly exceed the 18% increase offered now. Mighty unhappy with April's lack of candour and transparency - got some thinking to do. Like a few other posters, I was shafted by Allianz when they closed down Hauteville (via David Shield) and generously offered alternative policies 'under the same terms' [but then screwed us with massive premium increases in the subsequent year/s]. To say I lack confidence in Health Insurance Companies is a gross understatement, given my experiences over pretty well the last decade. BRs

At present I have a pond fountain that I run as an aerator - powered by a single 340W Solar Panel (Max Power Voltage and Max Power Current of 38.2V and 8.94A respectively). I also have a bore hole in which I'm thinking to install a solar submersible pump to provide water to a section of the garden. The bore is about 16m deep, and I'm looking to draw the water at 11-12 metre depth - with the main PvC line being about 100 metres in length [feeding drippers & micro-sprinklers using about 3,050 litres per hour - for approximately 1 hour every 2 days (in March-May) or 3 days (in other not-so-hot/windy months]. Because of the limited expected use (especially) of the Sub Pump, I'm thinking that the Pump and the Fountain will be run separately and therefore should be able to share the single Solar Panel. The distance from the Solar Panel to the Sub Pump is about 40 metres though (in addition to existing poles, a new pole will be needed near the Solar Panel to run the electric connection). So - my questions: 1. Is it feasible for the Sub Pump and the Fountain to separately be powered by the single Solar Panel? Are there any limitations? 2. Does the 40 metre cable length between the Sub Pump and the Solar Panel pose any problems? [perhaps Voltage/Power drop-off etc...] 3. Assume I need a 3-way switch at the Solar Panel to allow selection of the following settings: (a) Power Off; (b) Fountain On; (c) Sub Pump On. If this is correct, where can I purchase the switch? (I can't see them on Lazada - is there a special name to cater for the solar power connections?) 4. I have (I think) a 120 Mesh 3/4inch in-line Disc Filter that I'm thinking about installing on the main line at the head of the bore. Should this filter be sufficient to separate any fine particles in order to prevent any clogging of the drippers/micro sprinklers? Regardless of the filter used, should I still anticipate regular clogging - especially by bugs & ants?? Thanks!

Thanks (as usual) Sheryl. I'm registered with the Rayong Hospital since it's the main hospital in my Province (Chantaburi is a little further away from my home in Mae Phim). I've been there a couple of times (last time for a colonoscopy) - favourable comparison with my Bumrungrad experiences [aside from the queues...]. Every year you get the opportunity to request a change in hospitals and, as you say, in particular circumstances there is the possibility of getting a referral to a higher rated hospital/specialist.

Read the link.....(it does)