bradiston

Kremlin propaganda. NATO on our doorstep is an existential threat to our existence! Estonia and Latvia have been on Russia's doorstep for the last 19 years. And Türkiye is only a boat ride away across the Black Sea.

I also suggested that Russia might advance to, rather than return to, some sort of stable democracy. I remember Russia as an invader of Hungary and Czechoslovakia, but you may be too young for that. And brutal suppression of free speech, freedom in fact of more or less any kind, behind the Iron Curtain. Can you really speak out in support of the kind of communist totalitarianism that we witnessed in the Soviet era? Stalinism? Mass murder and incarceration of political opponents in the gulags? Deportations and internal exile? Yeah, after that, anything looked preferable. I don't get the comparison with Africa. Apart from both being rich in resources, and utterly corrupt, but generally poverty struck as far as the people are concerned, maybe you have a point. But Russia is not an ex colonial country, is it? It's always been master of it's fate. Yet compare it to China and what do you see? Both communist countries, but couldn't be further apart in terms of progress. All Russia has to show for its massive resources is unbelievable corruption with Putin at the head of the pyramid and all his oligarchs sucking on the tit of the collapsed Soviet Union. At least Xi and his predecessors pulled off a miracle transformation. 40 years, and they not only caught up with the west but went flying past them. They've pulled a huge majority out of poverty. Compare to India, similar population. 30% living below the poverty level, still? But Russia? Where are the high speed trains? The mind boggling infrastructure, airports, roads, bridges, ports? Nah. Russia's had all the same opportunities, and the resources at hand, to match any of that. And have they? Your last paragraph just doesn't make any sense. Who said anything about Putin wanting resources? He thought he could control Europe and bring it to its knees with oil, gas, wheat and fertiliser embargoes. But that hasn't worked. The only beneficiaries have been India and China, whose friendship was bought with cheap oil. China no doubt has its eye on Siberia. And why not? What's Russia going to do with all that mineral wealth? He's a danger to himself and all around him. Increasingly isolated, paranoid to the point of not daring to visit his convict army. Bah. A pointless waste of space.

I think the outcome of the Ukraine conflict will have a huge bearing on future relations between Russia and Europe, the US, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and the other western allies. I can't predict Putin's demise or downfall, but with him out of the picture, and his buddies Lavrov, Medvedev and a host of other hangers on, it might be that Russia returns to some sort of stable, rational democracy, or maybe I should say, advances to that. Russia has vast resources, but I don't see anyone going to invade Russia to get them. That's why China will hold back. This war was about resources as much as anything - food, energy, mineral wealth. The territorial gains are so small for a country the size of Russia, occupying the Donbas was just leverage for the plan b of "making Russia great again", if you will. Well, it's looking like plan B has failed dismally. The toll in human life and destruction has been one of the greatest miscalculations in history, IMHO.

Your plot is way off. Finland joins NATO. Russia attacks Finland. NATO obliterates Russia. They're bound to do that. You really think Putin would risk attacking a NATO member? Most of Europe and the US respond in like manner? Putin is not into nuclear war. What would be the point? It's all bluff.

The corollary is, if Ukraine HAD been a member of NATO, none of this would have happened. An ironic lesson for the future. Putin has pretty much guaranteed NATO and EU membership for Ukraine. How else is Europe going to defend IT'S borders?

NATO members Latvia and Estonia are on the Russian border, and I never heard mention they were about to invade. That's the only reason Russia didn't invade them as well. The poppycock excuse Putin blurts out at every opportunity, that NATO was about to invade Russia... Well about as much truth in that as all the rest of the crumbling Kremlin crxp.

Deleted, double post

The article was written by a Thai, so your opening comments seem a little odd. I wonder what he makes of them? "Divisional woke narrative"? Which division would that be? 1st? 2nd? 3rd? Did you mean divisive? "The empowerment of the malignant narcissist"? Very neatly describes a vote for Trump. I guess "woke" is pretty much what Putin would describe as "decadent". Read his speeches. Join his army.

Isn't the whole case sub judice? What the heck are these "experts" doing giving their unasked for and I'll informed opinions? Charge them with contempt of court!

Is there any stipulation you must be able to read and write your native language? "List of foreigners that has...".

I came across a link to this for the first time today. It was in an article in an unmentionable periodical, claiming it "allows citizens to inform local authorities of problems". Been around for a while it seems. But the article concerned tackling foreign criminals. A strange mix up of uses. Anyone any experience of it? Here's a link to an allowable source: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/traffy-fondue-nothing-to-do-with-cheese-but-melting-away-bangkokians-problems/

Nothing to do with the upcoming election obviously. Just a very public bung.

Have you read the lease then?

Allowing it to be so used. It's his place. It's his responsibility.

I saw the whole Chuwit rant on Thai news. It was spectacular. He spat and trod on a photo of Anutin, threw all the stuff on the tables on the floor, then gave the finger over and over to everybody in the room, cameramen and all, much to their amusement. I think people like him because he behaves so outlandishly, extraordinarily unThai. But he seems to get away with it. Knows his audience I guess, and doesn't give a hoot. He's got my nonexistent vote.

But they're nearer to getting the treatment costs met than the evac costs. Nobody's even mentioned the costs of treatment, only the insane costs for possibly an unnecessary evac.

I still don't understand their hurry to get back to the UK. The treatment required here is surely cheaper than the evac costs. So why all the hoohah about medical evacuation? No mention of the costs for treatment. All hysterical nonsense if you ask me.

I think it's the only hope they've got. The colossal funds for flying him home are surely far in excess of hip replacement surgery, or whatever it is that is required. One of my main reasons for getting myself insured was to cover exactly that, from eg slipping over in the bathroom. Course, he's come crashing down from 10m (?) up, so his injuries must be a lot more serious. But he looks pretty ok. Er, maybe that's not a fully qualified medical opinion, but I still agree with you. Surely the surgery is available here at a much less costly rate than the evac amount? I was quoted minimum 300k THB for hip replacement. £8000. Up to maybe 1.5m THB, £35k. So allow for extras, £50k in total? They've had £16k at time of going to press in the UK. A rather late afterthought. Is the 3rd floor as in Thai 3rd floor, which would be the 2nd floor in UK. So he might have fallen from the floor of the 2nd floor, about 6m? Ouch!

Insurance companies assess the risk (the odds) on each policy they underwrite. And like a bookmaker taking a bet, they will lay off the bet with other underwriters, so their exposure is minimised if faced with a large claim. The higher the risk, the higher the premium. Probably only a small percentage of people ever actually make a claim. That's where they make their money. If they didn't do their work properly (due diligence on an applicant for instance), they'd be out of business very quickly. And you'd find yourself uninsured.

Yes, you're right. And worse still, leaning against one, for instance with a drink in your hand chatting to a friend and simply tipping over backwards when it gives way. Nightmare. Maybe that's what happened here. I don't know where this happened but couldn't a local paper, Pattaya/Phuket News, or some such, get to interview him or his girlfriend and find out?

File under Daily Mail rubbish. Don't know why AN keep copying their thoroughly misleading, badly researched, short of data articles. Same for the girl mashed up in Koh wherever on her bike. Maybe deflection from all the NHS woes back home.

You'd think there would be 1000s of foreigners who would qualify using those 3 criteria. I'm surprised it's that simple.

"Thailand’s Ministry of Industry is seeking cooperation from the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to tackle the problem of sugarcane burning, as many sugarcane farmers are defying the ban on burning, while millers continue to buy burnt cane. According to the Office of the Sugarcane and Sugar Committee, burnt sugarcane now accounts for 23 million tonnes (31%) of the 75 million tonne total output, since the 2022-23 harvest began on December 1st." So you've got 3 government ministries plus a government committee, or office thereof, all passing the buck back and forth. No mention of the Agriculture Ministry, the Health and Safety Executive, Farmer's Weekly nor the Free Willy Campaign. No wonder nothing gets done!

Sure, as usual, no details, but you're not surely suggesting he wasn't covered for falling over the parapet of a balcony 30 ft up and fracturing his pelvis? Anybody else managed this feat from there? Lucky to be alive I'd imagine. They'd better wheel him over to the nearest government hospital, if that would make a difference.

I'm always curious to know how you fall out of a 3rd floor balcony, or any other balcony. I guess the insurance company is asking the same question. If the balustrades are dangerously low, don't go out there.