oompie69

2 hours ago, Megasin1 said:

Maybe an American can correct me, but wouldn't this fall into the jurisdiction of the CIA?

The CIA works under the radar, mainly to further USA foreign policy, no matter what the official spin is. The FBI is supposedly there to combat criminal activities across state borders within the USA.  

14 hours ago, Kadilo said:

Glad you are doing Ok Jack. 
 

Thailand is doing far from fine economically as you will notice if you remove your head out of the sand. 

Might not be in the sand, but a bit closer to home!????

27 minutes ago, scorecard said:

Yep quite possible but my vote is that several committees will be formed, all required to report in 60 days then an extension of 60 days and then forgotten. 

Is that not normal, here? And don't forget the photo opportunities.

Here we go, mulling again. If they were milling as much as they mull, they would have all keeled over by now.

TAT says they are coming. Has AAOT okayed this?

Given previous issues where the left hand doesn't always know what the right hand is doing, this could end badly for the prospective tourists. 

At this rate, they will have no need for a new airport.????

3 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

I still think this is a witch hunt being blown out of proportion. If you ask me some of the responsibility may be in bad parenting. Bad parents = bad kids.

Agreed. Why single out this group of schools? Not happening in government schools? Might be, but probably will not be investigated or reported with the same vigor.

If this had not received the media attention it did, Thereby forcing officials to act, 

As I mentioned in a post on this topic a couple of days ago, this is not going to end well for the "aggrieved" parties given the libel laws being what they are here in Thailand.    

14 hours ago, Benmart said:

A poor comparison. The people of Guam are US citizens and there is a movement there to leave their status as a US Territory. Research before offering apples andvoranfes.

And, as an aside, Guam citizens may not vote in the US Presidential Elections. 

On 9/30/2020 at 8:21 AM, RichardColeman said:

I wonder if you will have the same reaction if it becomes part of any visa or visa extension to Thailand ? 

As it is probably going to be. And not only in Thailand. BigPharma is going to want a return on their R & D investments.

Keep him there!

2 hours ago, connda said:

Wow.  Reminiscent of East Germany during the Soviet era.  Residents are not allowed to leave the country/state and internal movement/travel closely monitored and restricted.  "Statsi" Covid police patrol the streets seeking Covid-dissidents to arrest and lock-up.  Statsi Covid police monitor communication channels looking for dissidents planning illegal dissident activities like going outside or meeting for the likes of prayer. Individual and human rights shredded.  The difference between the Soviet Union and Australia?  One was following the doctrine of communism and the other the doctrine of covidism.  And yet Freedom House will not doubt list Australia as a bastion of "freedom" in their 2021 report rendering their analysis meaningless in this brave, new world.

Straight out of the Fascism Handbook.

4 hours ago, DaveCW said:

Sorry you missed my attempt of humour relating to those who perceive the enormity of the risk (0.50%) of dying from C19, opposed to the earth being hit by said asteroid (0.41%). I thought the "lol" and the emoji may have been the clue - That all said, for the emotionally challenged wrecks. "I unreservedly apologise to all those who are now cowering under their beds (or have manifested other symptoms) due to this post. I can confirm and acknowledge it was not intended to cause widespread fear due to "Scaremongering"" - I will of course try harder in the future and be more mindful of those "at risk". 

 

Also, is this General section only related to General Thailand posts? If so I'm hopeful a mod will be along soon and redirect it.

Sometimes I get the idea that there are members on this forum who get rid of their frustrations by venting at, or, criticising posters,maybe I am wrong. If so, I apologize. 

If this is so, it could perhaps lead to a situation where posters will become fearful of attracting negative feedback and not feel free to post. 

So, I suggest that a little more thought be given to what we post when replying to a topic.

Differing opinions can lead to a healthy debate. And nothing wrong with that, but , would it not be better if we reflect on whether we are contributing something positive  to the conversation? If not, why not just keep it to yourself.

3 hours ago, RobU said:

I don't understand why licences are not recorded with a central authority including photo and have a points system exactly the same as UK driving licences (ie photo renewed every 10 years). The School should then have to check the central database for every teacher when they are employed and at least once a year thereafter and submit a current photo for comparison with the one on the licence. When employing a teacher or a teachers assistant the school should notify the central authority and a record kept of their employment.

As far as I know, The Teachers Council of Thailand is responsible for the certification of all prospective teachers, And no teacher may be employed without a teaching license. In this sense they do have a central authority, but the TCT should have the authority to visit schools and audit the teaching staff for compliance. Also, no foreigner may work in Thailand without the correct visa and a valid work permit. 

The regulations are there, as they are in most other countries, but if the focus of the employer is on maximizing profits, rules and regulations may be ignored. 

And the profit focus is also not always the main reason. With teacher salaries very much having stagnated for the past two decades or more, the available teacher pool is getting smaller and smaller. This results in schools having to break the rules just to have teachers in the classrooms. 

4 minutes ago, impulse said:

The day before the US election...  I know where I'd like it to land. 

 

Would be even better if it broke in 2 and landed on both of them.

 

I If you are referring to the two individuals deemed to be the most suitable to lead the Greatest Nation on Earth, having watched the debate, I think they have already been struck by something or other. Numerous times, it would seem.

Not a day goes by without US Google News Science section posting about this type of event. Seems it is a stock item. As is the UFO brigade that are appearing to get more and more stories included in such venerable publications as The Sun and Daily Express. And in all these cases what could possibly be the motive? Fear-mongering box must be ticket with every edition?

But then again, might just be the looming tourist invasion that is starting to register a blip on the radar. 

7 hours ago, madmitch said:

It' the sort of stupid thing that certain provincial Governors would do. Let's wait and see. I for one don't want to be stuck on Phuket for the sake of 130 Chinese tourists!

It might be part of the "test run" and not continue for more than a month or three. But it could happen.

Last minute decisions always follow protracted mulling and pondering in LOS so be prepared! 

Wonder if there is any motivation behind targeting this group of schools. 

I am sure, if they were bold enough, many teachers and ex-teachers on this forum could mention instances where they have observed behaviour by teachers that is a bit beyond the pale. And did not react for fear of losing their jobs. 

If this actually works, and is as accurate as they say, it could be implemented at all airports and become part of the check-in process. Thus doing away with the 72 hour PCR test requirement.

Now all that is needed is that the WHO convinces countries to buy into this test and get them to open borders to visitors again. 

What they did the 1st time round wasn't all that successful. So, what do they think will  be different this time round?