Give me joy, shipmates. I have finally completed the Thai Elite (TE) process.
If you're considering doing this, please allow at least two months(!) to complete it. It was even more in my case because it turned out my bankers are Hoares and Fuggers. And I made the mistake of transferring to my Thai account before transferring to TE. Side note, this step also showed that the actual price is not necessarily just 500k.
Big up to those of you who helped with advice (advise?) and pointers along the way. Owe you a beer or two!