@Jack *******

Yeah… In fact Thailand will be instantly bankrupted if I don’t have a beer there tonight.

Funnily enough, West-European mostly eat chicken from Thailand, which doesn’t contribute to their economy. With Thai rice, of course, which doesn’t contribute.

And by some funny coincidence my Nikon equipment says “made in Thailand”.

Thailand is very poor. So poor that the Red Bull F1 team, world champions 2023, are owned by those poor Thai people.

[sarcasm off]

Be happy that some regions are actually very poor. Once they are sufficiently self-providing they will be no more girls for them poor Pattayan immigrants to have sex with. 🤣

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

I was told exactly this by the IO. You must keep your seasoning money in the bank for the required period, or else… No matter which method you intend to use next year.

The way to get rid of shady agents is to already have the seasoning done when applying the 2nd year, and nonetheless use an agent for the 2nd year because they are the only ones who can “prove” seasoning after the first extension.

Then, at your 3rd extension you can demonstrate seasoning with your own account and choose your appropriate funding method.

Basically, once a shady agent, always a shady agent. And pray that they don’t retire in the process.

@Jeffrey ******

I tried getting a PA insurance policy at SCB after I got the account and they failed to do so.

They didn’t know which document to ask and in the end the insurance company refused the policy and returned my payment. I opened PA insurance with AXA through their website and had it done 10 minutes later… 🤣🤣🤣

@Nongnuch *******

Thousands of applicants did not.

@Manas **********

It does, provided you also show a residence certificate from immigration.

I’ve been told the same thing at one SCB branch. Went to another office and opened an account. (Some?) SCB branches require approval from HQ in Bangkok. That took three weeks in our case because they kept asking for documents.

At the first day I also walked in to Kasikorn and the supervisor instantly opened an account for me. Done in 60 minutes.

Ymmv…

@Graham ******

I am not an admin of this group, if that’s what you were trying to write! 🤣🤣🤣

@Graham ******

I don’t see an admin of this group in the discussion. Where did you see one of the admins participate?

@Graham ******

Switzerland had banking secrets for decades, until the EU made a deal and all bank balances are now reported.

The Dutch tax office gave people 6 months or something to voluntarily report their balances and catch up their taxes due over the past xx years (dunno how many years they went back) and scored hundreds of millions in unpaid taxes.

The reporting time limit has passed and now they are chasing the rest, but charging everyone found with a 100% fine.

It’s incredibly naive to make tax evasion decisions based on IT capabilities in 2024.

@Graham ******

Exactly. Maybe Thailand is not capable of putting all that information together today, but that doesn’t guarantee that they won’t be able to do it in five years.

Who knows, some RD employee might consider to look back five years to find all the Andys, Grahams and Peters which may have been sitting on a bar stool.

Only time will tell, but thinking an ATM withdrawal hides your presence from governmental curiosity is very nearsighted and extremely 20th century.

1984 is already 40 years in the past and still people think they have any privacy… 😏