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Beverly Hills or private dumping grounds?

Reciprocal pension agreements

Understanding credit cards

What will they think of next?

Still fighting for rights

Beverly Hills or private dumping grounds?

Editor;

The Pratamnak area, falsely described by Pattaya City Hall as the Beverly Hills of Pattaya is once more threatened by the impenetrable Thai pursuit of profit.

In the midst of 6 buildings, Between Pattaya Park and Keang Talay building, with a total of more than 1,000 condo units the construction company uses a piece of land of inferior quality to dump and process scrap metal left over from the construction of other buildings.

The same piece of land is used as a dumping ground for garbage coming from a nearby hotel.

As a result of all this:

- noise pollution from the relentless processing of the scrap metal

- penetrating stench from the garbage

- rats and other vermin are taking over the grounds and the nearby buildings

- countless trucks with the associated noise pollution from their open exhaust pipes

As always there are 3 questions to be asked:

- Who gave them authorization to organize industrial activities in this living area?

- How much was paid to get that authorization?

- Who put the money in his pocket?

As always City Hall looks the other way or the responsible is too busy attending the much more important parties and dinners so his face can fill up the newspapers again and again.

Inquiries about the legality of this all are sabotaged by the officials with the classic arguments of convenient incompetence: what can we do, we do not know, it is not here, go ask over there.

The conclusions of this all are very simple:

Local government bends the rules and ignores the laws to serve the powerful construction company.

Pattaya City Hall is intentionally misleading buyers by promoting Pratamnak as a “Beverly Hills”. In reality, Pratamnak is becoming a private dumping ground for the construction company.

This shows they have no respect for the basic rights of property owners and place personal profits for the few before general interest.

Tony Vander Maelen

Reciprocal pension agreements

Sir,

With much interest; lately, I have been reading letters in the Mail of the predicament faced by British pensioners living in Thailand regarding their pension payments. I sympathise with them; and as a “new” British pensioner I would like to add my piece even though it has virtually nothing to do with the main subject.

Let me first explain that I am a colonial; and that I have been a pensioner of the colony for a few years now, but just a few months ago the government of the colony of my birth discovered that I had admitted to having worked briefly in the UK back in the 60’s and that the UK taxpayer therefore owed me some money and as there is some reciprocal agreement between the two governments I am now officially a UK pensioner on the princely stipend of 11 pence per week.

The equivalent 11 pence per week at the prevailing exchange rate is of course to be deducted from my existing pension paid to me by said colonial government which gives me such a rosy feeling that the UK taxpayer is propping up my government.

Anyway, after being advised that the 11 pence would be considered as a capital gain, I would be liable for tax on the amount, and so there the homework begins.

1). The beancounter I employ to do my tax returns will be charging me an extra 20 pounds per year to handle the tax requirements on the 11 pence per week.

2). The cost to my gov’t to get this thing set in motion and monitor it, I estimate to have cost so far 200 pounds at least, and ongoing.

3). The cost to the UK gov’t to get it going and administer it so far probably 200 pounds, and ongoing.

So it appears to me that in order for this arrangement to make any sense to anyone and even-out financially; I will have to somehow survive; mainly in Thailand; until I reach about 150 years old.

Hope there are a good number of “reciprocal agreements” for me around Pattaya during that endurance performance.

Go for it BEPP.
Cheers,
Dick Archer

Understanding credit cards

Dear Editor,

‘Concerned Farang’ writes on the 13th August on credit card charges in Thailand. Clearly this gentleman has no understanding of how the credit card system works all over the world. All retailers everywhere pay a commission to the issuing credit card company as payment to use this facility. The percentages vary according to the level of business achieved annually, and are hotly negotiated. It goes without saying that these discounts are of course always included in the quoted retail price along with all other costs of sales, and are not illegal as your reader suggests.

In Thailand he is being offered a much better deal, pay cash, and suffer no credit card charges. Save his cash and he pays a modest 3% for that service.

Now that he understands this, he should consider trying to negotiate a discount outside of Thailand for similar services when he pays cash, because remember, the quoted price will include the anticipated payment by c.c.
Larry

What will they think of next?

Sir,

You may not believe this but here on our supermarket shelves are fruit juices contaminated with added fish oil: yes fish oil! Even a seven year old child knows that if fish oil is added to fruit juice it is no longer fruit juice and certainly not 100% juice; yet the food manufacturing goons would have us believe otherwise and, seemingly, get away with it. What about trading standards?

Can you imagine what would happen if, for example, Muslims found that the dates they were eating at Eid el Fitr had been impregnated with alcohol? More fatwahs than jet planes would be flying across the globe! Unfortunately, as vegetarianism is not normally classed as a religion it is never taken seriously. In this country, if it were not for Eric Bahrt, it would have virtually no voice at all.

My fear now is what will they think of next. Meat in marmalade? Pig in pumpkin pie? Chicken in biscuits? Why not, we already have chicken in vegetable soup and French bread may well contain pieces of pig. Funny, isn’t it, that when people talk about a meal they nearly always name it by the meat or fish; yet we have chicken soup labelled vegetable!
Michael Nightingale

Still fighting for rights

Editor;

The fundamental rights of humanity are: “The right to move freely” and “The right to justice” - Albert Schweitzer.

In 2003, I used “my right to move freely”, got a Thai visa and came from England to Thailand. I liked it so much that I decided to retire here! My projected old age pension, with annual indexation, would have been sufficient for me to live here in comfort.

I was deprived of “my right to justice” when I found that the annual indexation to my pension was stopped, simply because I chose Thailand as the country I wished to retire to!

I believe it was Winston Churchill who once described Clement Attlee as “sometimes a genius and sometimes a fool!” I think it must have been on one of his “foolish” days, because it was Clement Attlee who originally made the decision in 1946, to freeze the UK State pensions of ex-pats in certain countries, Thailand being one of them.

Now, 64 years on, the government must realise (unless they failed “O” level Mathematics) how much they would gain by simply giving us our entitlement to the annual increase in pension and the cost would be less than 1% of the total pension budget.

At the moment, there are over 500,000 expats worldwide who are receiving “frozen” pensions, mainly in Australia, South Africa, Canada and Thailand.

Over the years, different governments have all explained that our pensions have been frozen because, “We don’t contribute to the British economy!”

Mr Prime Minister, there are also over 500,000 expats worldwide, who do get indexation, so why the blatant discrimination? Please don’t insult my intelligence by using the phrase “Reciprocal Agreement” again! I contributed to the British economy by paying my NI stamps and taxes, religiously, for 43 years in order to receive an index-linked state pension! How much are your “New Immigrant Guests” paying in NI stamps and taxes? Give me a straight answer to that!

Here is a small list of some of the benefits to the British Government caused by expats with frozen pensions:

500,000+ people not joining queues at the health centres.

500,000+ people not joining queues at the hospitals.

500,000+ people not joining queues for free dental care.

500,000+ people not wanting meals on wheels.

500,000+ people not wanting free bus passes.

500,000+ people not wanting reduced rail fares.

500,000+ people not voting against you.

500,000+ extra beds for your “New Immigrant Guests?”

A fact, on average, every UK resident over the age of 60 costs the NHS 7,000 UK pounds per annum. This year I paid 1,430 UK pounds to a UK based company for my health care.

I think you will agree, Mr. Prime Minister, that we, by simply not being in the UK, are contributing a great deal to the British economy.

I read recently that an estimated 42% of the British population said that they plan to retire abroad, so, come on gentlemen, get your act together and get your calculators out. You are in a win/win situation. This is a sure way to take the pressure off the NHS and Social Services and all it will cost you is a paltry 1% increase in your pensions budget and you will be looking after the “vulnerable” Brits, as you promised in your manifesto.
Des Gillet
Koh Samui

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