Source: Expats in Thailand considering moving to Latin America prompted by Thai visa changes

It’s not news now that Thai visa new rules with embassy letters, income method rules without letters, massively confusing combo method, and more onerous rules for the retirement bank method are prompting many, many expats, some that have been here for several years to look elsewhere.

For those leaving or considering leaving Thailand the most popular choices are most likely some other nations in Asean or back to their home country. But it’s a big, big world, and there are other choices. For example Portugal, Spain, Malta, and Cyprus mostly of interest to Europeans.

Then there is Latin America. Most people considering Latin America are from the U.S. and Canada but it’s really not that far from Europe either, and Latin America along with Asean are the most ripe regions for lower cost expatriation, retirement, etc. on the planet. This thread is intended to ONLY be about Latin American destinations.

Nothing about other Asean nations, nothing about Europe, Africa, or any other region, OK? So now that I’ve introduced this topic, I want to say there are THAILAND specific issues with moving to Latin America. A major example is a number of the Latin American nations require translated and apostle documents about your police record if you’ve been living in Thailand, and probably from your home country as well.

At this point in time, how exactly do you get that document for each country? Can you still get it after you’ve moved from Thailand? There will be time limits on such documents, so if you get it here, you need to rush to make your Latin American application (when required). Now to actual DESTINTATIONS. I think it’s fair to assume the majority of expats in Thailand looking at Latin American choices are seeking places that have lower level financial requirements. (So Brazil would likely not be very popular as their requirements are higher.)

Beyond that, we all have (or should have if we are shopping for a new country) our individual list of priorities for a new country and specific place in the new country. That will vary with each individual. I will post mine in a separate post.

So this thread is a open ended general discussion about both generalities and specifics covering the topic of current expats in Thailand considering moving to nations in Latin America. It can also include people that were planning on moving to Thailand but considering the recent developments, are now looking more seriously at Latin America. Participation by people with first hand experiences living in various places in Latin America of course very welcome.

Source: Model claiming Trump secrets pleads guilty, getting deported | Coconuts Bangkok

The Belarusian model and self-proclaimed “sex trainer” who sensationally claimed to have proof of Russian efforts to help Donald Trump win the US election pleaded guilty in a Thai court yesterday, bringing her prostitution trial to an abrupt end.

Anastasia Vashukevich, aka Nastya Rybka, is now out of her jail cell — where she has been held since police raided the “sex training course” she was part of in Pattaya in February — and is now set to be deported.

Her lawyer said that Vashukevich and seven other co-defendants were sentenced to 18-month prison terms and fines of THB100,000 (about US$3,000), reported Bernar News.

However, since the defendants had already spent nine months behind bars, Chief Judge Kasem Supasit released them to serve their sentences on parole and also waived the US$3,000 fine.

Though they were initially sentenced to three years, the sentence was cut in half when the group agreed to plead guilty.

Vashukevich had travelled to Thailand after becoming embroiled in a political scandal with Russian aluminum tycoon Oleg Deripaska, a one-time associate of US President Trump’s disgraced former campaign director Paul Manafort.

She set off a scramble for details after she promised in an Instagram video to reveal “missing puzzle pieces” on claims the Kremlin had aided the US president’s 2016 election victory.

Police initially charged the group with work permit violations, but later alleged that the “seminar,” led by self-styled Russian seduction guru Alex Kirillov, was just a cover for arranging paid sex for participants.

The group originally pleaded not guilty to the charges, as supporters of the defendants say the seminar was geared towards offering romance and relationship advice.

Post-release, the defendants are now in the custody of the Thai Immigration Bureau, and their names have been put on a blacklist, prohibiting them from returning to Thailand

“I will contact the Russian ambassador in Thailand to arrange a date for him to take them in and buy a plane ticket,” said Lt. Gen. Surachate Hakparn, Immigration Police Chief.

He expects them to be deported by the end of the week.

Source: Unssssolicited Visitor: 9-meter-long king cobra drops by Thai woman’s home (VIDEO) | Coconuts Bangkok

What are some of the most terrifying things a person can discover in their home?

We rank snakes pretty high. We rank gigantic, Jurassic Park-level snakes even higher.

So when a 9-meter-long king cobra decided to make a house call on a 23-year-old woman in her Southern Thailand home yesterday, we immediately identified with her plan of action: run.

Rubber plantation worker Nunta Duangleang said she was sitting and chatting with a group of friends at her house in Trang province’s Sikao District when the unsolicited visitor appeared and quickly broke up the party.

Nunta said the snake — the biggest she’d ever seen in her life — flared its hood, sending the terrified group running off in different directions, reported Khaosod.

Apparently unphased by the unwarm welcome, the cobra then slid into Nunta’s house and tucked its robust 20 kilogram body between the cushions of her couch.

That was when the homeowner called in the experts — the Wang Wiset Rescue Unit.

Sawai Keaowjeu, leader of the unit, said it was the biggest snake his team has ever handled.

It reportedly took about 20 minutes to capture the cobra and bring it outside the house to release it back to its natural habitat.

By that time, of course, several superstitious locals had flocked up to the scene to see if there were any “lucky numbers” they could infer from the incident in order to buy lottery tickets.

THAILAND: The Royal Thai Police has agreed to help the National Office of Buddhism (NOB) block people with criminal records from being ordained.

Source: Police to vet novice monks

In a letter sent to the NOB, national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda said the RTP has put in place guidelines for its officers to run background checks on applicants seeking to join the monkhood.

In Bangkok, the NOB is advised to send the applicants’ ID numbers to the police Criminal Records Division (CRD) for background checks.

In the provinces, details of those seeking ordination are to be sent to police forensic offices for further submission to the CRD.

The results will be sent back to the NOB or its provincial offices within 15 days, free of charge. The move is in response to a NOB request asking police to run background checks on people seeking ordination.

According to the NOB, the checks are to ensure that monks participating in ordination ceremonies comply with standards stipulated by the Sangha Supreme Council.

The move is part of an attempt to put in place a stronger screening system for those seeking to join the monkhood.

Earlier, the government floated a proposal for monks to have smart ID cards that show their backgrounds to enable scrutiny by authorities as part of attempts to address a series of temple scandals.