madmitch

RIP Queen Elizabeth II. You will be sadly missed.

And if a new charter were to come into being during Prayut's continued tenure would this restart the clock? You've done your time, Prayut. You even set up the rules. Time to give a younger man a chance.....……...........oh I've got that bit wrong!

He should retire gracefully. I should rephrase that, I doubt he could do anything gracefully????

Photo taken today during the caretaker PM's visit to Krabi. Yes, just the man to move the country forward!

But this should open up opportunities for Thai tourism. It could be cheaper for retirees to spend their winter in Thailand than back home in Europe. On a separate point, the reason France is faring better than Thailand is down to geography, with the country easily reachable from the whole of Europe and attracts long-stayers, weekenders and day-trippers alike. Thailand's neighbours are more likely to hop over for a short time (and you can interpret that whatever way you want????). Thailand's tourism industry will remain in the doldrums until the Chinese and, to a lesser extent, the Russians return. Even then I can't see it exactly flourishing.

I wonder how many of the 549 "new" travel businesses are actually brand new operations and how many are registered by speculators buying existing distressed businesses at a knockdown price?

.........one of whom has just been suspended as a result of accruing unexplained wealth!

Poor reporting generally. First flight since covid, not the first flights, and four times a week, as someone else pointed out.

"There were 15 million visitors per year or 1.2 million visitors per month before Covid-19. After Covid-19 restrictions were lifted there are now about 40,000 visitors per day.” 40,000 per day is 1.2 million per month. So Phuket tourism is back to pre-covid levels already and it's the middle of low season! Amazing!

Keep the bars at 2 but let nightclubs open until 4. Compromise.

A business of this size would probably not be required to submit such documents upfront though it's possible an insurance company might require a survey, which should point out the deficiencies. Policies also contain endorsements relating to health and safety so insurers are protected if the insured blatantly ignores regulations. But I believe it's already been ascertained that no public liability cover was in place and as most small businesses buy a package I'd assume there was no fire insurance either.

Precisely, which is why I'd like to see the poll question, Actually there's one other person to whom they are also loyal!

Whilst the OP might be poorly written and researched, it has prompted quite a reaction on here and that's what it's all about. I've been back in the UK for a year after 18 years in Thailand so am probably in a better position than most to comment. The obvious expense differences are in property, either rent or purchase, eating out, fuel and utilities. Groceries are probably a little more expensive but my partner, who's here at the moment, believes that most meat is no more expensive here that in Thailand. I'm not talking Waitrose of high street butcher prices, of course, but lower end supermarkets. Even bananas are the same price here. If you eat a predominantly Western diet, grocery shopping in the UK is probably cheaper than Thailand but add a few more exotic ingredients and the tables soon turn. I bought a secondhand car for 70,000 baht. 10 years old. The GF expected an unserviceable old banger but she was surprised to see a decent runaround that would cost around 250,000 baht in Thailand.. I think people's circumstances should be taken into account. Not everyone is living off a UK state pension, renting a cheap bungalow and living off noodles and phad khaprow. If you are then don't even think about returning to the UK. Unfortunately I am one of those idiots that sold my house. I'd be totally self-sufficient had I not done so, however the proceeds funded my lifestyle in Thailand, including a business the GF now runs. But it was a huge financial mistake. I have a private pension, no state pension yet, and savings but I am also a professional in my field and have been able to pick up lucrative contract work whilst still calling myself semi-retired. This has enabled me to pay a high rent in West London. I have no school fees to pay and no medical insurance costs (though I have kept a basic policy with a very high excess on the go in Thailand as I probably will return sometime and don't want to end up unable to buy insurance). NB the OP's comment about being unable to register with the NHS is simply untrue. All you need as a National Insurance number and proof of citizenship. My daughter works part-time in a restaurant and attends a school (free). She funds her own clothes and expenditure and even gets child benefit. There are aspects of Thai life I miss but I'm enjoying pubs, English beer, gigs, theatre, the arts, country walks, and free public transport (being over 60 in London). Yes, I'd spend less in Thailand but money is not the be all and the end all for everybody. I'll be back sometime, when I no longer want to work (or nobody wants me!) and when my daughter finishes her education.

Without showing the questions that were asked and a proper comparison, the article is rather meaningless. I wonder what the term loyalty means, for example. Loyalty to whom?

I don't know if this accident was caused by one of the vehicles taking a shortcut by cutting across the lines in the middle of the road. This is a very common practice on Kata Hill. Many parts of Patak road now have posts or even a wall in the middle of the road. I've never understood why parts Kata Hill were left without.

They don't seem to have an issue with grisly pictures on cigarette packs so they could and should do the same on TV. Those campaigns in the UK were very intense and in your face back then. TV watching habits are very different now but it would still be the best way to get the message across.

Many people that get their tickets officially from the Government then sell them off en masse to "sub-agents", who pay the 80 baht. They then sell for a higher price to make their profit and I believe even some of them resell in bulk. It's a difficult one. On the one hand the digital sales have probably demonstrated that Thailand should create a more modern lottery but what happens to those making a living? At the moment they're in between and that's possibly the worst situation for all concerned