Samui Ex Servicemen March 2011 Get together

Firstly thank you to Andy at Lords Bar in Choeng Mon for surprising us all with a Roast Beef dinner, very nice it was too, when we met there in February. A good evening was had by all although their were some sore heads then next day.

The March get together will be this Tuesday the 1st March from 4:30 pm onwards at the Red Fox in Lamai

Hope to see as many people there as possible, the last time we arranged a meet up in Lamai only a few managed to get there due to the rain, no such excuses this time around I hope.

See you all Tuesday,

Samui Ex Servicemen

Samui Ex Servicemen August 2009 Get Together

A big thank you to Big Joe for his highly appreciated hospitality at the July get together. We had one of our largest turn outs with 20= people coming along, was it the company or Big Joe's food, I suspect the later myself!!!

We collected names for a proposed group health insurance plan, this has been followed up on and a mail was circulatedd with relevant information, hopefully we can discuss this further the next time we meet on Tuesday the 25th August at the Red Fox in Lamai, usual time 4:30 pm hope we can generate a good turn out for our visit to Lamai the last one there was very good.

Hope to see everybody Tuesday,

Samui Ex Servicemen

Here are some articles of interest:

STATEMENT OF INTENT

Our aim is to secure equality of pensions for former regular members of the Armed Forces who served for fewer than 22 years at any time to April 1975 and who were discharged before 5th April 1975. This also applies to those regulars who were discharged prior to 1981 who do not meet the criteria of length of service and age. We ask Her Majesty's Government for pension rights based on years of service and related, pro rata, to pensions received by contemporaries who completed 22 years of service.


MEMBERSHIP

Membership of the Armed Forces Pension Group is open to all ex-servicemen and women who meet the criteria in our Statement of Intent. Supporters of the aims of AFPG may also apply for membership. To apply, forward your full name and address to AFPG Ltd, P O Box 8151, Mansfield, NG21 0ZA or download an application form from the box on the right.

http://afpg.info
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Public support for our Service personnel

Thank You!

Soldiers on Patrol

Coldstream Guards on Patrol in Afghanistan

Thank you for visiting this page. Public support means a great deal to those who are serving, and particularly to those on operations. Support from home is an essential part of the morale of our Armed Forces deployed overseas amid the stresses and strains of the operational environment.

Ways to show your support

There are many ways in which members of the Public can support our Servicemen and women. This factsheet highlights some of the best ways to provide support, whether for troops deployed on operations, for personnel who have been wounded or for ex-Service personnel.

Support a Service Charity

Often the best way to provide support will be through established charities which understand the most effective ways to help.

See Related Pages >>> for a list of the major Service charities.
Support to the Deployed Personnel

SSAFA Logo

SSAFA Operational Welfare Fund

In conjunction with the MOD SSAFA has set up a new Operational Welfare Fund dedicated to providing support to the front line. Although the MOD provides a comprehensive Deployment Welfare Package which includes; a free mail service, 30 minutes of telephone calls a week and Internet access, there are still areas where life can be improved. The priority for spending from this fund will be set by in theatre commanders in order to meet areas of greatest need.



Donate to the Christmas Box scheme

The charity uk4u-Thanks! provides Christmas boxes to all deployed personnel away from their families and friends on Christmas Day. Wounded personnel staying in hospital over Christmas also receive a Christmas Box.

The Charity supplied over 24,000 boxes in 2007 and will be doing the same for 2008 and for the foreseeable future.

To make a donation or find out how you can sponsor a box, see the uk4u website under External Links >>>

Help provide support for wounded personnel

A number of charities exist with the specific aim of providing help and support to soldiers, sailors and airmen who have been injured in the line of duty.

See Related Pages >>> for a list of the major charities which help wounded Service personnel.

Send a Personal Message [Family and Friends only]

Family and Friends of Service personnel can send them messages for free via the award winning e-bluey system. This is a hybrid or electronic mail system that allows the relatives and friends of Armed Forces personnel serving on operations to maintain regular contact. e-bluey allows users to compose a letter using e-bluey software at an overseas operational, a rear party location in UK or a home PC and know within 24hrs it will be in the hands of the recipient, in some cases we have recorded receipt within 12 hrs of despatch. You can also include pictures within an e-bluey.

For more detail please visit the BFPO website under External Links >>> .

PLEASE NOTE: This service is available only to Family and Friends of deployed personnel.

Send a Parcel [Family and Friends only]

The Family and Friends of Service personnel deployed into or in support of certain operational theatres, currently Afghanistan and Iraq, can send them parcels for free via the Enduring Families Free Mail Service. This allows them to send a small packet weighing up to a maximum of 2 kilograms. The packet will be accepted by Royal Mail Post Office Counters only if the address contains the name of the person it is being sent to.

For more detail please visit the BFPO website under External Links >>> .



http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/WhatWeDo/Personnel/PublicSupportForOurServicePersonnel

Samui Ex Servicemen Get Together June 2009

A great turn out at the Red Fox in Lamai, thanks must go to Alan our host at the Red Fox for some delicious food and to every body who made the effort to go.

I hope every body had a good time and thank you Alan for the introduction of our new member Mr. Jameson, he had a lot to answer for the next day.

Our next get together is this coming Tuesday the 30th June, 4:30 pm kick off at the Full Moon Bungalows in Bang Rak, next to the Big Buddah pier. Hope to see plenty of people there to belatedly celebrate the Armed Forces Day.

Here is a link to a trip report of the British Legion (Thailand)'s visit to Malaysia: http://www.tropicalberts.com/malaysia.htm

See you all Tuesday.

Samui Ex-Servicemen

Samui Ex Servicemen Get Together May 2009

Thanks to everybody who made it to Ian's house in April for our meet up. Free beer provided by Bob courtesy of Fluid Asia Pacific and Big Joes excellent BBQ food made for a great evening.

The next get together is on the 26th May 2009, 4:30 pm at the Red Fox in Lamai. Let's hope we can have a good turn out and for those in Chaweng or Bang Rak make an effort to get over the hills and meet up at The Red Fox.

Looking forward to seeing everybody there.

Samui Ex Servicemen

January 2009 Get Together

Happy New Year to all readers of the Samui Ex-Servicemen Blog, hope you had a good one and are ready for the year ahead.

Thanks to Alan at The Red Fox in Lamai for hosting the final meet up of 2008, Alan once again did everybody proud with some excellent Cumberland sausage and accompaniments. This was enjoyed by all present, anybody in the Lamai area is welcome at the Red Fox anytime also home to the Koh Samui Hash House Harriers.

As the November get together was postponed due to heavy rain by one week and the next meeting would be in between Christmas and New Year it was decided to hold the next get together of the Samui Ex Servicemen in January. Hence we will be meeting next on the 27th January 2009 at The Elephant and Castle in Bang Rak at 4:30 pm for our 1st anniversary get together.

Hope to see everybody there old and new members alike.

Samui Ex-Servicemen

Samui Ex-Servicemen’s Get Together November 2008

Firstly thanks to everybody who came along to the October get together at Big Joes. I must say Joe Did us proud with a selection on anti pasta followed by minestrone soup and then spaghetti and meatballs. Thanks to Big Joe for his hospitality.

The next time we will see each other is this Tuesday 25^th November at the Red Fox in Lamai, 4:30 pm.

Hope every body can make it and look forward to seeing you on Tuesday.

If you are in receipt of you old age pension or due to be paid soon this may not be too good news for you:

AT least half a million British pensioners who have retired overseas have had their hopes of seeing an upgrade to their state pensions dashed.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled this morning that the Government is not obliged to pay annual inflation-linked state pension increases to expatriates. It rejected an appeal by 13 expats led by Annette Carson, who moved to South Africa in 1989, that they were being discriminated against by the British Government.

The group claimed discrimination on the grounds that pensioners are treated differently depending on their country of residence. Pensioners retiring anywhere in the European Union, America and countries such as Israel and Barbados have their state pension increased each year in line with prices, just like a pensioner who stays in Britain.

Those living in most Commonwealth countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa, do not. Their state pension is frozen at the moment they retire, or when they leave Britain if they have already retired. Over time, that results in a pension that falls further and further behind the uprated version, and their purchasing power steadily declines.

Ms Carson's pension is frozen at £67.50 a week, the going rate when she retired. But if she still lived in Britain, or any of the countries where state pensions are uprated, she would now be receiving £90.70 a week, the rate for the tax year that has just begun.Some expatriate pensioners in their 80s receive less than £10 a week. Victory in the case could have increased annual payments by hundreds of pounds.

The ECHR rejected the appeal by six votes to one. It said: "While there was some force in the applicants’ argument, echoed by Age Concern, that an elderly person’s decision to move abroad might be driven by a number of factors, including the desire to be close to family members, place of residence was nonetheless a matter of choice.

"The Court therefore agreed with the Government and the national courts that, in that context, the same high level of protection against differences of treatment was not needed as in differences based on gender or racial or ethnic origin.

"Moreover, the State had taken steps, in a series of leaflets which had referred to the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Regulations 2001, to inform United Kingdom residents moving abroad about the absence of index linking for pensions in certain countries."

The Department for Work & Pensions said: "We do not plan to make any changes to the current arrangements regarding the freezing of UK State Pensions. We will, nonetheless, study the terms of the judgement carefully to ensure that we continue to comply with our obligations under the terms of the European Convention on Human Rights."

Only one member of the court, Judge Garlicki from Poland, supported the pensioners' view. She said: "To my regret, I cannot subscribe to the Chamber's finding of no violation. In my opinion ... the difference in treatment has no objective and reasonable justification."

This was echoed by Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern, who said: “The ruling means that older people will continue to be penalised for wanting to retire abroad. We supported the action because it is hugely unfair that these pensioners have made their National Insurance contributions but are not getting their fair share in return.”

Three years ago, Ms Carson had a similar appeal rejected by the House of Lords

Reference: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/money/pensions/article5079275.ece

Samui Ex-Servicemen

Samui Ex Servicemen October Get Together

A quick reminder that on Tuesday 28th October 4:30 pm will see the next Samui Ex-Servicemen get together at Big Joes, located on the Ring Road, Chaweng.

All Ex-Servicemen living on Samui, visiting ex-servicemen or serving members of Her Majesty's armed forces are welcome to come along.

Hope to see you there.

Samui Ex-Servicemen

September Samui Ex Servicemen’s Get Together at Le Chablis

Once again a good turn out for our September get together at Le Chablis Resort in Chaweng, Koh Samui. A few new faces and some of the regulars enjoyed an evening of banter and an excellent Fish and Chip supper provided by Joe at Le Chablis. Thanks to Joe for his hospitality and all who came along.

October’s meet up will be at Big Joes, located in Chaweng on the ring road, at 5:00 pm on the 28th October.

The Poppy appeal boxes are being distributed around Koh Samui in the next few days, if you see one it would be appreciated if you could contribute to this worthy charity.

Looking forward to seeing everybody on the 28th. Any serving members of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces or Ex-Servicemen visiting the Koh Samui are welcome to come along.

Samui Ex-Servicemen

September Get Together of the Samui Ex-Servicemen

This Tuesday the 30th September at Le Chablis in Chaweng 4:30 pm we will be having our monthly get together. If you are unsure where to find Le Chablis e-mail me at samuiexservicemen@gmail.com for directions.

As mentioned previously if anyone is interested in obtaining a veterans lapel badge and is unsure how to apply for one when we meet this time bring along the following details:

National Insurance Number:
Date of Birth:
HM Forces Service or Unit:
Service No.:
Periods of Service if known:

I can then apply on your behalf and hopefully have them for you by the October meet up.

Look forward to seeing everybody on the 30th September.

Samui Ex-Servicemen

August Get Together of the Samui Ex-Servicemen

Tuesday the 26th August, 4:30 pm at The Full Moon Bungalows in Bang Rak will see the next get together of the Samui Ex-Servicemen. Following on from the excellent turnout at the last meet up lets all make an effort to support the Full Moon Bungalows in Bang Rak. If you need directions please contact me on samuiexservicemen@gmail.com

Walt Alert:

Members are advised that a 6’ Australian claiming to be 47 but looking much younger has surfaced on the Island claiming to have been seconded to the SAS (12 tours of iraq/stan!). He was immediately rumbled by several of our members & subsequently failed their Walt-Detector test(s). We’ll need to devise new lyrics for walting matilda in case he shows up at our next meeting.

UK Armed Forces Veterans Lapel Badge

For generations our Armed Forces have served their country across the world in many roles from war fighting, peacekeeping and reconstruction to home defence. In so doing, they have defended our country, our way of life and our cherished values. A large number of our veterans are young and active and now use the skills, the discipline and the leadership qualities they learned in the Armed Forces to benefit their civilian employers and the wider community. The Ministry of Defence Strategy for Veterans highlights that because of all this it is important to focus on supporting veterans of all ages, by celebrating, and raising public awareness of, their achievements and their contribution to society. To promote recognition of veterans by the wider British public the unique and unifying symbol of the HM Armed Forces Veterans Badge was introduced.

The UK Armed Forces Veterans’ Lapel Badge was launched in May 2004 by the Minister of Veterans, to raise the profile of veterans by assisting the wider public to recognise them. The first veterans badge was issued to Lord Healy, a veteran of the Battle for Monte Cassino, on 10 May 2004, which initiated the roll out of the badge to the Second World War veteran generation. Since then eligibility to apply for the badge has been extended in sequential phases to all veterans. This has now closed the gap between those who apply for their badge and those who receive it automatically on leaving the Services.

The badge is an enamelled, engraved, and pinned, lapel badge featuring the words “HM Armed Forces – Veteran”, which encompass the Tri-Service, Anchor, Crossed Swords and Eagle motif. Its symbolism is intended to unite all veterans in recognising the commonality of their service, to encourage a sense of unity and community between surviving veterans and to ignite public recognition of current veterans and their continuing contribution to society.

Eligibility

Criteria
All those who have served in HM Armed Forces.

Exceptions
Veterans who served in Armed Forces of other Countries and those who served alongside HM Armed Forces are not eligible (e. g. Canadian Navy or Royal Australian Air Force).

Posthumous requests
The badge is a survivors badge and therefore is not issued posthumously.
The only exceptions are War Widows and Widowers who are in receipt of a War Widows/Widowers Pension paid by the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency. This is in recognition of the fact that their death was due to their military service.
DQ Graham to provide word around the term survivors

How to apply

You can apply by any of the following methods:
Click on one of the links below to access the application form.

Application Forms

• Acrobat Reader Version

Please ensure you complete the form as fully as possible.

You may post or fax your completed form to the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency.

Another option is to download the form, complete it electronically, save the form and return to the
Service Personnel and Veterans Agency by email.

If you wish, you may call the Freephone number to apply. Please ensure you have to hand all the details asked for on the application form.

Postal address:

Service Personnel and Veterans Agency,
Norcross
Thornton-Cleveleys,
Lancashire,
FY5 3WP

Fax:
01253 330561(UK Only)
+44 1253 330561 (Overseas)

Email: lapelbadge.team@spva.gsi.gov.uk

Freephone Helpline
Free: 0800 169 2277 (UK only)
Free: 0800 169 3458 (Minicom UK only)
+44 1253 866043 (Overseas)

Ref: http://www.veterans-uk.info/new_badge/badge.html

Samui Ex-Servicemen

Samui Ex-Servicemen June Meet Up

Hope all who attended the June Samui Ex-Servicemen meet up at The Red Fox in Lamai had an enjoyable afternoon. Thanks to Alan our host for the excellent stew, a real taste of home. As usual a few topics were discussed and a few beers consumed.

If you are ever in Hong Kong, a recommendation for a cheap pint, was the Mariners Club just over the road from the Star Ferry terminal.

For July's get together it was decided to return to our original venue The Elephant and Castle in Bang Rak on the 29th July at 4:30 pm. Hope to see everybody there.

Here is some information that may be of interest to some of us:

Chancellor Alistair Darling has announced changes to the personal allowance in a bid to defuse the 10p tax row.

The move was intended to compensate the 5.3 million households who lost out when the 10p tax rate was abolished.

It will mean more money for several million people paying the basic tax rate, but administrative work for some businesses.

So how will it affect you?

How did this come about?

A series of tax changes came in at the start of the financial year, on 6 April. They had been announced in Gordon Brown's final Budget as chancellor in 2007 and in the later pre-Budget report.

The changes saw the 10% starter rate of income tax abolished, except on savings income for people who are low paid. The basic tax rate came down to 20% from 22%.

When 5.3 million people realised this meant less money in their pocket, many spoke out leading to a backbench rebellion by Labour MPs.

What changes have now been announced by the chancellor?

Alistair Darling said he wanted to compensate the people who lost out.

He is borrowing £2.7bn to raise personal tax allowance by £600 to £6,035.

This means anyone earning up to about £40,835 will gain £120 this year.

Mr Darling said 4.2 million of those households which lost out previously will receive as much or more than they lost when the 10p starting rate of tax was axed, and the remaining 1.1m households will see their loss at least halved.

The biggest losers, experts say, would be some of the very lowest earners who do not have families and do not work enough hours to claim tax credits.

What is my personal allowance?

The personal allowance means you earn a certain amount of income without paying any tax at all. Income tax starts being paid on earnings above this amount.

Personal allowances are amended each year in the Budget, and usually they go up with inflation.

In the current tax year 2008/2009 the basic personal allowance was set at £5,435 (up from £5,225 the previous year) but has now gone up by £600, a rise backdated until 6 April.

People can expect a £60 lump sum in September pay packets, followed by a £10 monthly increase until the end of the year.

The chancellor's announcement was extremely unusual as it made changes to the tax system after the Budget - a move not seen by a chancellor for around 15 years.

Won't the better off gain too?

Around 17 million middle-income earners, who did not lose out when the 10p rate was axed, will gain from what the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) described as a "simple and expensive option".

Extra money for these people makes up around £2bn of the £2.7bn handout, the IFS says.

Mr Darling said he would lower the starting point at which the 40p tax band is paid by £600 to £40,835, so the most well-off would not gain more.

This will push 150,000 people into the higher 40p tax rate but the Treasury said that these people would still benefit from the extra £120 this year.

It remains to be seen what will happen next year, as all these changes are for this year only.

It also remains to be seen whether this move - which will give millions of people a little more spending power - will cut the chances of a fall in interest rates in the coming months.

What does it mean for people running small businesses?

While many low and middle income earners will gain, there are some issues to deal with for those who pay them.

Chas Roy-Chowdhury, head of taxation at the Association of Chartered Accountants, said businesses systems and processes will have to be updated halfway through the tax year in September.

"SMEs represent over 99% of UK businesses, and they will have to change their PAYE codes and tax systems," he said.

Ref: BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7399105.stm

Samui Ex-Servicemen June Get Together

24th June, 4:30 pm, The Red Fox, Lamai, Koh Samui will see the 6th Samui Ex Serviceman's get together.

All ex servicemen and serving members of the armed forces are welcome to come along and enjoy the company of like minded people.

So if you are free on Tuesday afternoon we look forward to seeing you in Lamai at The Red Fox.

Samui Ex Servicemen

Samui Ex Servicemens May Meeting

If you are an ex-serviceman on Koh Samui why not come along to our next get together at Big Joes, purveyor of fine pies and all things good to eat, located on the Chaweng Ring Road opposite the petrol station.

We will be meeting at 6:00 pm on Tuesday the 27th May 2008 for a few drinks and some good food.

See you there.

Samui Ex Servicemen

Samui Ex-Servicemen April Get Together at Le Chablis

The April get together was at Le Chablis in Chaweng where our hosts provided an excellent curry accompanied by some substantial samosas and condiments. Thank you to Le Chablis, if you are ever visiting Koh Samui this is a nice resort with very comfortable and moderately priced rooms at the north end of Chaweng Beach. We had new members this time around and as usual a few beers were consumed as the sand bags were pulled up and stories of days gone by related.

Next time we get together will be on Tuesday the 27^th May, 4:30 pm at Big Joes purveyor of pies and all food that is British. Located on the Chaweng ring road opposite the petrol station.

Below is some information that may be of interest to you click on the links to contact the Honary Consul.

Visit To Koh Samui by Head of Passport Section British Embassy

The head of passport section will visit Samui on Fri 16 May. If sufficient interest exists it will be possible to arrange appointments for individuals/families to discuss the following:

• Passport renewal procedure, inc proposed changes to current biometric passports expected later this year.
• All aspects relating to children.
• The British nationality act.

Notes:

1. Time & venue has yet to be established but will be in Bang Rak or Choeng Mon late afternoon or evening.
2. Interviews will be by appointment through the Honary Consul. This is primarily aimed at those with Thai spouses & dual national children or Brit couples with children.
3. Immigration matters (ie visas for UK or visas for ‘farangs’ in Thailand) are a separate entity and will NOT be on the agenda.

What to do next:

Interested parties should email the Honary Consul with questions (between 01 & 09 May) & to ask for an appointment. The Honary Consul will allocate appointments on 10^th May.

Samui Ex Servicemen March Get Together at Full Moon Bungalows

Tuesday the 25th of March saw the get together of Samui Ex Servicemen at the Full Moon Bungalows in Bang Rak.

Our thanks go to Paul the owner of the Full Moon Bungalows in Bang Rak on Koh Samui for his hospitality and Big Joes Food for providing some great Ribs and Sausages.

This month we had representatives from the Army, Air Force and for the first time a couple of new faces from the Navy helping to complete the group.

Much beer was consumed and stories told about times gone by and I believe many of the Ex Servicemen suffered the next day!!

We shall be meeting again on Tuesday the 29th April, 4:30pm at Le Chablis Resort in Chaweng. If you are an Ex Serviceman living on Koh Samui or a visiting member of the services please call in and enjoy the banter.

Hope to see you there.

Samui Ex Servicemen.

Samui Ex Servicemen Social Afternoons

Initially conceived by Bob Keen the distributor of the finest ales on Koh Samui was the idea of ex servicemen getting together once a month for a social afternoon.

After speaking to a few ex servicemen on the Island a get together was arranged at the Elephant & Castle in Bang Rak on Tuesday the 29th of January 2008 at 4:30 pm.

In all five people met at The Elephant & Castle, who did us proud with a fine selection of Bar Snacks. We had a discussion and decided that although it was not the greatest turn out it was a start and we should arrange to meet the last Tuesday of February, 4:30 pm at The Red Fox located on Walking Street in Lamai. We then convened at the Bar and consumed some fine Ale.

One Month later on, the 26th February at 4:30 pm, we had a turnout of eleven ex servicemen at The Red Fox Bar in Lamai, also the home of H3 on Koh Samui. The new arrivals were welcomed and introduced and it was agreed that in general this was a good idea. We were treated to some fine broth supplied by The Red Fox Bar, Thank you.

So the next get together was arranged for Tuesday the 25th March 2008 at the Full Moon Bungalows in Bang Rak. (Note this is a revised venue) There will be a presentation regarding health insurance at this get together. All ex servicemen are welcome to come along, chew the fat and drink some beer or whatever is your poison.

See you then.