HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Credit cards

More on British pensions

BEPP announce their frozen pension meeting venue

No shirts policy

Stray dogs

Hospital experience

Credit cards

Dear Editor,

It happens every time I want to pay for something using my Visa or Master Card. I am told that local Thai banks charge 3% on the net amount of the purchase and therefore said charge is debited to the customer.

That never happens when I buy airline tickets or make hotel reservations by Internet. But a Thai airline not long ago charged me 3% on the amount of the tickets, giving the same explanation. Simply absurd!

In my opinion said surcharge is absolutely illegal and used as a pretext. By my knowledge it occurs only in Thailand, surely never in Europe or America.

Are local banks authorized to charge that extra amount or it is only a way to squeeze more money out of the artless customer?

I read lately about some actions by the government for consumer protection. Hopefully this topic shall be put on the agenda.

Concerned Farang

More on British pensions

Editor;

After reading all the Americans point of view I thought they should know a little more. Gordon Brown (ex-prime minister) raided all private pension schemes leaving some with not enough to pay out dividends they promised. All parties have said that the age of retirement should be gradually increased to seventy (it’s going up to 66 next year) so they don’t even want to pay people at the age that was set when they started work.

They don’t just tax pensions (no tax below £7,500 from next year); they also tax you on your mortgage. When they didn’t tax you it was about £200 a month cheaper and they called it tax relief, and then they stopped giving you relief.

With all the cut backs and job losses I don’t think the people living abroad who sound intelligent and surely must have known this before they moved to Thailand would find a sympathetic ear back here in the UK.

The government can stretch this out, never paying the increase. Not many people are going to get the same opportunity as the ones already living in Thailand, as many people won’t make seventy and they’ve increased the private early retirement age to fifty five. These people are banging their heads against a brick wall. I wish them all the best but doubt if they’ll win.

Wayne,
England

BEPP announce their frozen pension meeting venue

Editor;

We are a small group of British expat pensioners (BEPPs) with a big grievance against the British Government. Our state pensions have been frozen, simply because we chose to retire in Thailand, which is one of the countries which hasn’t got a “Reciprocal Agreement” with Britain. I have yet to meet a bureaucrat who has been able to give me a satisfactory explanation for this phrase. Other countries include Australia, South Africa and Canada.

There are over 500,000 of us in the same situation worldwide, so there must be a few thousand of us here in Thailand. Come and show your support for our “just cause”. Even if you are not a pensioner yet, come anyway, you will be helping our fight to ensure we all get what we have worked all our lives for and what we are entitled to.

The venue has now been booked. We are holding 2 meetings at The Bowling Green in Soi Fuengfa in Pattaya. They will both start at 12.30 p.m. on Thursday the 19th and Sunday the 22nd of August. Look on www.pattayabridge.com for further details & a map.

We are not being charged for the venue, so it would be appreciated if you purchased food and drink from the menu. Judith Edmonds is kindly looking after the admin side of things, so please contact her on goldenoldies. judith&[email protected] if you wish to attend one or the other of these 2 meetings. Also see the news section on our website www. pensionparitythailand.com for further details.

I live on Koh Samui and will be going to Pattaya for both meetings. There must be dozens of us here on the island, simply accepting this gross injustice, without so much as a whimper. Now is the time to come and join us, together with other BEPPs from all over Thailand, to voice your opinion. Alone, I’ve been fighting for justice for 5 years now, all in vain. Now, united, we have a great opportunity to make the government take notice.

Even if you are unable to attend but wish to do something, you might wish to visit the UK Government’s Freedom website: http://yourfreedom. hmg.gov.uk/ where you can find and add your comments to threads about this matter.

Clement Attlee, in 1946, started this problem by saying that some people who retired abroad would not get indexation on their pension. (Maybe because he thought “If you can afford to live abroad, you won’t need it?)

This is a list of some of the countries where BEPPs do get annual increases to their pension: Barbados, Bermuda, Cyprus, Jamaica, Mauritius, Switzerland, The Philippines and the USA.

This is a list of some of the countries where BEPPs don’t get annual increases to their pensions: Australia, Canada, South Africa and Thailand.

Reciprocal agreement? No, that is blatant discrimination!

Des Gillet,
Koh Samui

No shirts policy

Editor;

I was on line early this morning reading the morning newspapers and they announced another “red shirt” protest in Bangkok! Nothing in the Thai press (as of this writing).

My vision is blurred, red shirt, yellow shirt, white shirt, etc. Why not go back to the basics that made Pattaya and Thailand famous to tourist in the first place? “No Shirts”, at least for the feminine gender! These protests, besides killing people, are killing tourism. The no shirt idea would again focus the real attention on a real problem, gender bias! Look at that instead of look at me! Once they have everybody’s attention the anger is replaced with smiles and time to eat, the things that Thais have really accomplished professionally!
Fled the scene

Stray dogs

Dear Editor;

In your April 6 Mailbag a couple from Greece suggest that the stray dogs should be rounded up and those who are in good condition and not too aggressive should be found new homes. The other dogs who are too aggressive or too sick to recover should be put to sleep.

But that solution only deals with part of the problem. It is very unlikely that you can find homes for all of the “desirable” dogs. It always comes back to the root cause of the problem which is the breeders. They create so many dogs - many who will ultimately end up in the streets to replace the stray dogs that are rounded up - that until we crack down on the breeders and get dogs spayed and neutered we’re never going to solve this problem.

I also believe (and I am dead serious when I say this) that those people who abandon dogs to the streets or temples should be given long prison sentences.

But the politicians don’t have the guts to do what needs to be done and thus this problem will probably continue with no end in sight.
Eric Bahrt

Hospital experience

Editor;

I think it would be fair to say that many expats living in Thailand are very wary of the private hospitals in Thailand, especially when it comes to fees and services. Tales of exorbitant fees, unnecessary services or medication are common and many feel that the hospitals are driven by money rather than the welfare of the patients. Some hospitals seem more interested in offering services to wealthy tourists with translation/visa and a host of benefits being provided.

However, in recent weeks I have revised my own opinion after two amazing experiences at the Bangkok Hospital Pattaya. From entering the building to leaving I can only say I was treated with professionalism, courtesy and kindness. This last visit resulted in being hospitalized for one week with Dengue Fever, something I would not wish on anyone. The genuine care and kindness extended by everyone throughout my stay was truly amazing and would put many 5 star hotels to shame. There were no hidden fees, no unnecessary checks or medication, everything was clearly explained and ultimately the final costs were well below my expectations.

Having been in Thailand for over 30 years I of course have had some bad hospital experiences, but I can say without hesitation that my recent experience of the BHP was truly wonderful and I can only express my sincere thanks to all of the staff/doctors and nurses at the hospital.

A very grateful resident

Letters published in the Mailbag of Pattaya Mail
are also published here.