DoctorB

Perhaps rather than proposing to process asylum seekers in Rwanda Priti Patel should adopt the policy of the country of which you are such a proud resident and simply refuse to accept all claims to refugee status. Roll up in Thailand with a hard luck story having destroyed your identification papers and see where that gets you - behind bars. Your criticism of UK policy while singing the praises of a country that is not signatory to any refugee charter is sheer hypocrisy. It's easy to demand liberal standards from others when you don't have to live with the consequences yourself.

3 hours ago, itsari said:

You raise a good question.

Best way to look at the situation is who has the right to enforce there rights over a bordering country.

I believe that Russia has not got that right .

You are quite right. I was amazed that an entertainment column about life in Thailand should contain such an inappropriate observation. Who is it intended to impress?

15 hours ago, sandyf said:

The UK, with a similar size population, dropped  all restrictions and they have just reported over 100K new cases and nearly 17K in hospital.

Obviously those that are in favour of removing restrictions think that everyone is quite happy to risk being infected, odds are about 1 in 20.

Never been very lucky with gambling.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-51768274

Because the symptoms are are widely reported as generally no worse than the common cold. Most people are simply not frightened any more. Any how, reported numbers are expected to drop substantially next week when the government stops supplying free test kits. People will stay home if they are unwell and only seek medical attention if they become seriously so.

5 hours ago, swm59nj said:

Unfortunately it seems the majority of expats and tourists come here for parties and alcohol 

And that is wrong why??

7 hours ago, TropicalGuy said:

Imagine if Western Leaders were to make the same ludicrous insulting request to their voters about how they should celebrate Xmas ……would be voted out never to return !????wrec 

They weren't voted out when Christmas festivities and family gatherings were proscribed in the UK in 2020. And there was serious discussion as to whether the same should happen in 2021. Fortunately in the latter case Johnson had the courage to face down the doomsters. All Covid restrictions have gone now, thank God.

55 year ago when I was learning to drive in Wales my instructor asked, "When do you give way to a pedestrian?" to which I, know it all,  replied, "On a zebra crossing" to which he with withering sarcasm replied, " And if not on a crossing you run them over?" . To which I guess in Thailand the reply would be, "Yes, and on a zebra crossing as well if I can".

9 hours ago, popabear said:

Thanks for the information , but this is only for covid  insurance , I do also need medical health insurance along with the covid insurance , which I would be very surprised , if it was possible for me to get , and if possible I would think it might be very expensive.  Regards Popa

You don't say where you are based but in the UK at 77  I can get comprehensive cover, with medical expenses up to £3 million, including Covid as standard, for a 90 day trip for about £450. This is from Good2Go, through JustTravelCover.com. I'm sure equivalent cover would be available in other countries if you really wanted to bother. What puts me off is the suspicion that it wouldn't be accepted for some preposterous reason, eg it's not worded correctly in USD, or doesn't state that Covid is covered in block capitals; and then the Thai insurance would be required on top. I guess it all depends on how motivated you are.

But such a figure on its own is largely meaningless.  How does this death rate relate to other causes of mortality? (Well down the list one suspects). What is the usual mortality rate for respiratory diseases at this time of year among the elderly? Is there currently a surplus of deaths due to this level of Covid infection? Surely context is everything. Above all, do 65 deaths a day justify throttling the economy?

It is truly difficult to think of a more absurd over- reaction. For heaven's sake, it's not the Black Death! Ask them to self isolate for few days and let them go home.

1 hour ago, ozimoron said:

The vaccines do prevent infection very well for delta and around half for omicron. Stop spreading the party misinformation.

OK I accept the point you have made and I have no objections whatever to being vaccinated. But, I have had 2 AZ shots and one pfizer, so why do I need 3 expensive PCR tests, 2 nights in an overpriced SHA+ hotel room and special insurance that is clearly a scam just to enter Thailand? Why can I not visit friends in New Zealand and why is Australia only now thinking about opening up to fully vaccinated tourists when it's estimated that over 90% of their population has already been jabbed? This is what I mean by mixed messaging. I will stress again that it's not vaccination that I object to but the fact that whatever one does it's never enough for officialdom. It's not Fox News or social media numpties that undermine faith in the vaccines, it's the remorseless insistence on petty-fogging (and expensive) restrictions, regardless of ones vaccination status that does it.

53 minutes ago, timendres said:

This is the one valid issue with legalizing weed. And it is not easily solved.

But not impossible. UK police now have had a breath test for cannabis and cocaine since 2015. If positive a blood test will then be done for other drugs. Not a perfect solution but at least a deterrent.

3 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

That depends how you cherry pick your information. 

 

The NEJM published information that the BNT162b2 vaccine is 70% effective against Omicron, meanwhile the same study showed that the BNT162b2 vaccine was 93% effective against its comparator (pre-covid variants including Delta). 

 

Now... you’re a Doctor, right?... you should understand the implications of that...  that the difference is on a societal level, not just an individual level.

 

 

 

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2119270

 

Actually the article you cite shows the effectiveness of the vaccine against hospitalisation which I would never deny. And no I am not a medical doctor and get my information mostly from UK press and main stream media not medical journals per se.  I am also triple vaxed and would advise others to be so but the fact is that in the UK the message has been that the vaccines prevent serious illness, not getting it or passing it on. My argument is against mixed messaging by officialdom not against vaccination.

14 hours ago, JonnyF said:

I'll avoid THAI wherever possible.

 

Too many stories of them not refunding cancelled flights from last year. Difficult to trust them after that. I find EVA much better.

Alas EVA don't seem to have much of a timetable for the immediate future. Once a week LHR to BKK seems to be about it for the next few months last time I looked.

Frankly if this really does give insurance cover to the extent indicated I would be prepared to pay 1,000 baht, since at 77 the proxy Thai insurance firms won't cover me and immigration won't accept foreign travel policies because the wording isn't exactly right; eg in a quoted example last year "unlimited cover" was rejected because it wasn't the 50,000 USD stipulated at that time.

On 1/29/2022 at 3:27 PM, kokopelli said:

 https://www.tipinsure.com/CovidRegional/product_detail

 

No restrictions on age.

But for some reason if you click on "Buy Now" the only period of cover offered is 30 days whatever visa status you show and no entry dates are offered after 5 May. What am I missing here?

On 1/27/2022 at 5:21 AM, ubonjoe said:

That is is what the heading for it states. But the 2nd line states this.

"Financial evidence e.g. A copy of pension statement if the applicant is a pensioner, or a copy of 1-month bank statement showing your income from pension, or 3-month bank statement of at least £10,000"

Source: https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/84508-non-immigrant-visas?page=5d6636cd15e39c3bd00072dd&menu=5f4b6eb3f6ae4b236972c562

Yes Joe, wouldn't it be nice if their bureaucratic formulations were internally consistent. I just assumed that the requirement for a state pension was an over-riding condition to which the means of demonstrating income was subordinate. But you are quite right. If you just need to show £10,000 in the bank for 3 months the pension bit is irrelevant. Also, why is the insurance requirement stated as USD 100,000? Is this just a failure to update the site properly in line with the current Pass requirement, or am I missing something??

On 1/27/2022 at 4:47 AM, treetops said:

In practice the State Pension is not required (I got the visa without it), and they accept insurance for 30 days.

That's useful to know. I was basing my comments also on the fact that a friend was refused a non-O although he had a British Airways pension, because he was too young for the state pension. That was several years back, pre-covid, so hopefully things have changed. Also it was pre the online application process; he was at the London Embassy.

2 hours ago, treetops said:

The "O" retirement could also be obtained from the UK last time I looked.

Yes but the London Thai  Embassy site says "aged 50 or above WITH A STATE PENSION" and at 54 the OP would not qualify. Also it states a requirement for 100,000 USD covid cover for the entire period of stay, though maybe that should have been updated to the current 50,000.