@Brandon ***********

So countries that offer no visa free travel for Thais won't have visa exemption to enter Thailand and its nothing to do with the ruble value having halved meaning the baht yield per Russian pensioner has more than halved.

@Bob *******

Also many cancer patients will stay in contact with their oncologist for years after treatment.

@Bob *******

not necessarily. It does depend on the illness. Electives, sure the waiting list can be extended. But don't believe the headlines. UK targets for prostatectomy is 62 days or less. Irelands current wait is about 114 days.. Prostatectomy is a typical treatment. There will be drug based therapies but it's not like nipping over to get a tooth taken out. A medical tourist traveling for cancer treatment will struggle to get travel insurance. That will be a problem if the thai doctor says nothing can be done, and your friend is in such a state no airline will let him fly, ie no medical evacuation and he has a lonely death in thailand, perhaps without palliative care. Prostate cancer is one if those cancers where not everyone will get treatment and a surgeon will refuse to carry out surgery even if the patient demands it. If surgery is the treatment, your friend will be required to undergo pre surgical assessment where they consider overall health and age. At that stage they may discover comorbidities which will stop the procedure going ahead, such as heart or respiratory disease. A trip to Thailand might not even result in any treatment. I would urge him to fully investigate domestic alternatives including referral to the private sector.

I would check outcomes rather than if its cheap. Ireland has a public health service and co-shares with the UK NHS. There was some YouTuber in Thailand who opted for throat cancer treatment in Thailand because someone on the Internet told he coukd not get treatment at home in the UK. His savings were emptied and he died. Turned out the NHS would have treated him, probably a better outcome. Also note, there can be significant differences in the etiologies of cancers in different ethnicities meaning a Thai oncologist might not be as familiar with the treatments that work best in a northwestern European.

@Nongnuch *******

There are recent indications from the government that this will change, subject to tax trreaties

180 days in Thailand makes you a tax resident. How is one a still a tourist when you have been living there for 6 months

@Carlos ********

probably marginally. I'm the end the differences amount to chump change for someone who has flown halfway around the world and spent thousands. If you are so confident of better currency dealers, then mame them rather than carping from the sidelines. Superrich is regularly used as a benchmark and I never said it was the best.

I see a lot of comments about changing money in Thailand. Yes, you will mostly get a better rate. Note there are two different SuperRich: SuperRich Thailand and SuperRich 1965. Basically the same rates, but the rate depends on the branch. Best rate is at head office, middle of nowhere in Bangkok. Today's live rate at the airport for UK Sterling is 43.95 if its BoE notes, 42.30 for Scottish notes and nothing for Northern Irish notes. Meanwhile in the UK today's best tourist rate is through Sterling, and is 43.32. So Scottish or Noren Ironers, get English notes or change at home. And if just changing for some get by money, changing £100 at home costs you 63 baht. Which won't get you a coke at the airport. Changing at home often also gets you a buy back rate.

If you marry in Thailand, its expensive. Both of you will likely need to book time at your respective embassies to get an affirmation. The UK charges citizens for this service. Then that paperwork needs to be translated and notarised. Then the paperwork needs to go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be check, accepted and approved (takes 3 working days. Be mindful the UK embassy only does its affirmation service on tuesdays and thursdays, and you need to book well in advance). You can DIY, but most use an agent to do all the running round (MFA shuts at 3pm M-F, closed public holidays and weekends). Cost me £500 to marry a Thai national, so you will be twice that, porobably, if using an agent.

@Adam *****

Don't forget the Perp Walk. The 4 men put on my flight back to the UK by the police, I presume were over stayers. One was a grinning student type. One looked like an elderly hobo who had been quickly spruced up. The other two, I presume they were in the clothes they had on when arrested. One had manky t-shirt and shorts, the other was, bizarrely, in a cycling t-shirt and speedos. Except for the student type, they were all with long beards, and looked pretty thin, and dirty.