I purchased a unit in an older building that has not been very well maintained and has a weak management company. There are several areas that need new tile and repainting, and other fixes, but almost nothing is ever done other than safety maintenance and cleaning. The reason given is that they expect to cover everything with the common fee and do not want to ask owners for more.

But the building is sitting on several milllions in the Sinking Fund that hasn’t been touched. The committee members seem more interested in treating this like a retirement fund than using any portion of it to renovate and make major repairs.

So they perpetually would prefer the building to remain in terrible condition because… I’m not sure why. Maybe they think there will be a unusual disaster that insurance will not cover. But sometimes it seems like there are ulterior motives or maybe just fear or incompetence. Maybe a combination of the three.

Has anyone else seen this before? A condo they would rather forgo keeping the building in good condition just so the amount in the sinking fund never drops? Even when the required repairs are less than 10% of total fund?

Hi All

I'll try to keep this succinct

My current employer recently informed me that they cannot continue to grant me Non B extensions.

My current extension will expire in October

I'm leaving Thailand for a prolonged period in June anyway. I expect to return in November or December.

I have already found a new sponsor/employer who have suggested I get a new Non B, while in my home country, which they will extend with a new work permit, when I return.

I have already arranged to return my work permit to my employers in June (I work remotely), so they will cancel the work permit on the day I fly out.

What's confused me is what to do about the extension of stay.

My new employer suggested that just leaving the country will cancel the extension, and this will allow the application for a new Non B.

Some posts online suggest that this is a very bad idea, extensions must be cancelled officially at an immigration office, before leaving the country

Others have cast doubt on that.

Because I work remotely, quite far from the immigration office that stamp my extensions, I'd prefer to avoid a long, busy, bureaucratic trip to sort that out, along with the rest of the packing up chaos.

Although I of course will do that, if it's absolutely necessary

The only official information on this topic I could find, comes from the Phuket immigration office volunteer site. They suggest Non B extensions must be cancelled officially, unless the visa was granted outside of Thailand.

(I actually got my initial Non B in Vietnam)

I don't know if this is a rule local to Phuket, or applicable countrywide

Another potential option could be to arrange an agent to do the cancellation. Does anyone have experience with this?

Of course, fully appreciate any input from those with experience with these matters.

Thanks

I got my passport renewed in Bangkok and upon exiting they wrote a bunch in my passport. Just curious what this says and if it will make it harder to enter again. Thanks in advance!

And the only thing that will keep you from a meltdown is Thai Tea....

Every time I try to cook this stuff it just turns into glue on my pan. What am I doing wrong?

I buy Liptons teabags from Big C, but they have sold out and no one can tell me when/if they will have some more delivered.

Is there another national supermarket that sells them? I live in Udon Thani.

Why no one rides the orange bus?

Hi! I have a friend who is going through a hard time right now with the loss of a family member and I know when I lost one of my parents, the best thing for me was when people brought over meals so I didn’t have to think about cooking. I wish I could do that but I am from another country. I want to send them a gift card instead but not sure if Thailand uses Uber eats, or Postmates, or DoorDash, or some other food delivery app. Is there one that is popular here (they are in a major city if that helps)?

Hi. I'm a screenwriter and a company is interested in a 3-month contract to work on a project I sold them. I will mostly work from home but may come in once or twice a week for meetings. Do I need work visa + work permit for this? What is the best option?

Hello, So I had some mangos at home and wanted to try to make something new. I had seen a very popular video on Youtube on how to make Mango sticky rice, but the question is I live in Turkey, and people here eat different varieties of short-grain rice, I am from Pakistan so we opt for long-grain like basmati or seela. Im thinking that Thai sweet rice is up on the list of things I will never find here on a whim, so what rice could be used otherwise? It won't be authentic I know but I really want to try this recipe and my mangos are gonna go bad if I don't use them soon, Thanks in advance!

Was in a minivan coming back to Bangkok from Hua Hin, and paid around 120 baht for a ticket. I noticed that along the way, the van would stop for people waiting on the roadside and take them however far they needed to go. I never saw them pay any money to the driver, so I was curious how it works. Is it just a free thing for local Thai people, that the vans will stop and give them a ride?

The van would also pull over at some random shops and pick up/drop off some boxes and packages, curious about this also. Do the minivans double as a sort of delivery service for local people?

I wanted to know what pets are illegal in Thailand. Was looking forward to having a tortoise as a pet but a quick google search told me “All species of freshwater turtle and tortoise native to Thailand are protected from exploitation under the Wild Animal Reservation and Protection Act B.E. 2535”

Just wanted to know if there are certain species of tortoise that can be kept as pets.

Is there a Thai retail website ( like ali express) that sells Thai goods worldwide?

Now I’ve been reading countless horror stories about Korean immigration. My fiancé is Thai and I am a US service member stationed in Korea. I am very nervous to bring her to korea. Has anyone actually had a success traveling to Korea with just a KETA? If so do you have any tips of what to bring or be ready to be asked. Thanks so much I’m advance.

EDIT: we have an approved KETA and she is coming in 2 days ago. The stress has hit a peak for me though and I’m looking for advice.

Good afternoon,

I am currently investing in a mutual fund that tracks the performance of the "best" Thai stocks. Investing on it with a Thai bank from Thailand.

The fund is basically poorly managed and you have to pay high fees to the useless managers of the fund.

Is anybody else investing on these mutual funds ?
I am planning on selling as soon as I get back to have the money that I initially put down some years ago, now that the stock market went up 4% or so.

Is it better to buy Thai stocks individually instead of mutual funds ?

Or should I stay away completely from investing in Thai stocks?

Thank you.

I am right now in Thailand, I kinda lost my Passport (prob mom has it but she doesn’t give it to me, it’s difficult), can I travel back to Germany with a photocopy of my passport + my valid ID Card of Germany?

Age: I am already an adult.

I dunno what to do, on Monday I am supposed to fly… and the family situation is difficult…

Greetings

Culturally sensitive topic. Looking for answers from people who actually have the experience in Thailand.

I have a company chauffer that occasionally drives me to my factories on the outskirts of Bangkok. Of course, when I make the visits, it usually ends in a long dinner and drinks with at least 20 members until about 9pm. The chauffeur is paid a monthly salary, overtime and a multi-month annual bonus by the company which props up his earnings to those of TEFLers.

I am expected stay until at least a few execs have left. Therefore, the driver will probably reach home at about 11pm which makes me feel like a piece of shit everytime I go out there. So my question is, what is the appropriate tip here? I was thinking a purple note for his troubles...

Hi! I'm an Australian music producer, and keen to connect with some Thai producers. I've spent some time in Thailand last year and hoping to go back later this year. It would be nice to make some musician friends and possibly even collab on a track sometime. ^^

Hi, my mom has a heart disease and I would like her to go to Thailand for heart treatment. Does anyone have any hospital recommendations? Thanks in advance!

Does anyone know where you can find an owner of a property? I'm looking for a GIS Map or something similar like the states.. not sure if that exists. Basically showing the parcel outline of a property & ownership information.

Does such database exist?

I have been looking all over the place and asking all locals I cross paths with.

Now I turn to you, Reddit, my imaginary friends.

Thank you for your helps.

I'm new to Thailand and I'm having trouble finding a cream I used to manage my skin condition back home. The cream I need contains betamethasone valerate as the active ingredient. It seems like the typical betamethasone creams available on Lazada aren't what I'm looking for. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find betamethasone valerate itself on Lazada despite searching online. I got it originally back home under B-Valerate.