ronnie50

Better not to invest in anything here. Aside from an 11 year old car, I own nothing in Thailand - and I plan to keep it that way. I own nothing in my home country either, not a sausage, which makes me a non-resident for tax purposes there. Don't get me wrong, I like living here, but I would never buy anything in Thailand that I would have trouble walking away from. As for going back to my own country, no thanks, other than to visit. The health care might be free, but it's elusive, and the number of homeless people and just run down looking people is telling of the more general decline. The place just feels more tired every time I go there. I could afford to relocate there - but cons outweigh the pros. Many Western countries are like this now and I know others have noticed similar declines in their countries.

Meaning you, as a member, can't start a new news topic with a news link in Thailand News or World News - those are AN forum rules.

In a MAGA anti-Muslim pro-hardline-Israeli kind of way...

Thaksin did. And he was relected.

I can;t remember the names of many of the TV mods, because I stopped paying attention to it years ago. I only came back more recently for the visa advice (ironically), which has been excellent here, IMO. Regarding other parts of the board, aside from Cheryl, there was another senior female Mod who was very good (as in 'moderate'), but can't remember her name.

I think even back then it was dominated by right-wing posters. So in that sense, not much has changed (except now we can't post news articles under 'news' so the natrrative is narrowed to the sanctioned OPs and their interests). Back in the early days, many seemed to cheer on the coups - and they definitely hated Thaksin. They mocked steps by the Thai Rak Thai government's populist moves like 30 baht healthcare and generally hated the elected government and ridiculed it every chance they got with memes and disparaging doctored photos. So not much has changed today that I can see. Best not to take the bait I guess. That's one way to ignore them.

I think that's about right. If the ethnic Chinese oligarchs in Thailand wanted rid of Thaksin he'd be long gone. So he's still useful to them. The layer beneath them, the rest of the Establishment, still despise Thaksin and we can see that, like you infer, in the rulings of various courts, commissions, authorities, etc., that are all rubber stamps of the Establishment. Where I would slighly differ, however, is my view that Thaksin and daughter (and PTP in general) remain in power because most of that Establishment are petrified of the progressive movement that they can't get rid of (People's Party, Move Forward, etc.). The next election could see that movement (whatever party they call thesmselves) sweep to a majority. That would seriously disrupt the tiny minority (500 or so extended families) from maintaining their wealth and priviledges.

I could be wrong, but I sense it is primarily the Americans on this forum that don't find Lewie's stories funny - even if they think they are completely made up BS. Maybe some overtly-serious mainland Europeans fall into that category too. For Americans and others who've never been to ol' Blighty, or have only visited briefly to central London and Windsor Castle, they probably aren't aware of how the accents and lingo can change just by crossing the river in London, or venturing a bit further into Essex. Drive north and within two hours or so you are in the Midlands with a slightly different accent to London (and lingo), then Manchester (watch out for the 'bizzies' - the cops), head West from there to Liverpool and you probably wouldn't understand half of what was being said. Same goes for Newcastle in "the North" and it changes again abruptly when you cross into Scotland - where Edinburgh and Glasgow are just a couple of hours apart by train, but completely different accents and lingo. If someone in the pub is talking about giving you a Glasgow Kiss - make a hasty departure!

I don't care if it's all BS. I love souf London Jack-the-Lad geezer talk. 'er indoors. Trouble and strife (the wife). Apples and pairs, up the stairs. He's havin a laugh. 'Oi mate, can you spare a fag?'

Pentagon briefing just said Jordan Israel and Iraq fly overs. Not clear when/if all were notified in advance (or at all).

I haven't read all 14 pages, but did the Pentagon ever release the flight details, like which countries the B2s flew over? Or did it take 36 hours because they didn't overfly any other countries before attacking?

What are the stats of Israeli tourists in Thailand? They must be way down the list in numbers compared to visitors from other countries. They do seem to attract a disproportionate amount of bad news/behaviour in Thailand though. Conversely, there are many Arabs from the Middle East - or so it seems - but maybe they visually stand out more (burkas, etc.). Don't read much bad news about them causing trouble in Thailand. BTW - Jews do not have a monopoly on the word 'anti-semitism', though most people aren't aware. Anti-semitism refers to Semitic-speaking people, that means both Hebrew and Arabic - it doesn't equate to anti-Jew or anti-Zionist. I also agree the Jews in Israel are planning to take the whole Palestinian territory either by force (e.g. kill and then bulldoze Gazans) or stealth (e.g. illegal settlements on the West Bank).

They don't unless there is a demand. Do you see an increase in demand for many things right now? If demand increases, so does inflation. It's got more to do with consumer sentiment than governments.

Are you hoping for 0% or maybe -1% Inflation doesn't drop due to good economic policies, it also drops because demand decreases. After all, increased demand is what drives inflation. But once people become a bit concerned about making major or unnecessary purchases, demand drops and so does the rate of inflation - until a recession hits, and then it can be stagflation (like Japan went through for a decade - no one buys and the prices drop - which is why it seems so 'cheap' these days to visit). Many Western economists and business leaders for years have been quoted as saying they are most comfortable with 'slow steady growth' - and point to 3-3.5% as their comfort zone.

This Spanish appeals court ruling today is a major victory, or major defeat, depending on your view point. But Spain, like so many other countries now, has a desperate shortage of affordable rental housing for its citizens. In many countries - especially those popular with tourists - Airbnb-style short term housing and apartment rentals, which are more popular than hotels for many tourists, are being partially blamed for the limited availability of long-term accommodation. However, investors who bought places specifically to rent out via Airbnb's feel cheated. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in other countries/cities - some of which have already introduced restrictions or bans of their own. AP report from Madrid: https://apnews.com/article/spain-airbnb-housing-tourism-36f8bf81c5a9d09a980fdd57d8a74445

Oh dear. Poor Prawit. His party doesn't have enough sitting MPs to validate him as a potential PM. I guess he'll need a coup to make that happen.

With establishment connections no doubt - "prasertsilp" is a typical 'invented' name (usually Chinese Thais from a few generations ago)

Just to add, the Dr might be a bit uncomfortable with you moving mid-treatment from the expensive place he works to the government or quasi-private hospital that he also works at (he might get into trouble with the private hospital where you were first seen). My use of the term 'quasi-private' is a bit vague I admit. What I mean by 'quasi-private' is some hospitals that aren't the big names you have heard (like in the OP), but have some of the same doctors/specialists working there that also work at the big foreign name joints. Examples would be Siriraj Hospital, Chulalongkorn Hospital, Mahidol/Ramathibodi, Vichaiyut - all top-notch. One of the big government trauma centres, busy with 24 hour emergency wards, is Rajiwithi Hospital (Victory Monument) and nearby Phra Mongkut Klao Hospital (opposite side of the road). Other 'specialty' Thai hospitals in central Bangkok near Victory Monument include Queen Sirikit National Insittute of Child Health (QSNICH), and Hospital for Tropical Diseases. These big government hospitals are of course very busy places and you will be sure to join a (possibly long) waiting queue - so go early in the day if needed/possible. But the prices should be much lower. I don't know if they charge foreigners more, maybe. Also, I don't have info on many other places like Pattaya. In Khon Kaen, the Khon Kaen Hospital is well-respected. Many of these aforementioned places are also teaching/university affiliated hospitals. You could also try the police or military hospitals. For cheaper dental work, I've been told Mahidol is a good choice - again a teaching facility, but with an ajarn (professor) overseeing things. I hope this is useful, especially for those who don't have insurance or need urgent or critical care and can't afford a private hospital. While the doctors and pharmacist in these hospitals can speak English to varrying degrees, the other staff like nurses are much more limited that way. Bring your phone to translate. Good luck.

This is just a quick post to point out to those unaware, that many of Thailand's top medical specialists practice at more than one hospital. So if you need a good doctor for a specialty you will find someone here who can give you a name(s). But just because Dr. X practices at Bumrungrad or Bangkok Hospital or BNH doesn't necessarily mean you need to go there (and pay a lot). With a little searching online you may well find the same doctor works at a government hospital or one of the lesser-known private or quasi-private hospitals (e.g. much less expensive but same treatment). This is not always the case, but it often is. Searching the name in Thai language can also be useful in finding where else s/he works.

My wife has been looking for a medical procedure at a specialty hospital (private). In English, on their Website, including one night stay, the price was 80k. On the same site (Thai language page) it was 60k, including one night.

I like Bangkok Hospital, but rarely use it because it's about as expensive as Bumrungrad, though the doctors at BH don't try to run you through so many unnecessary tests to rack up the bill like they do at Bumrungrad. Anyway, anyone who's been to BH will have noticed how popular it is with Middle Easterners, particularly Shi'ite Muslims and their elderly. I doubt that what's going on in Iran would stop most from ME countries flying to Bangkok for treatment at BH though. Why?

Only the ones that can prove they weren't eaten by Haitian immigrants...

There is a split in Trump's base now. While most brain-washed Americans still think Israel is its close ally, many of Trump's supporters (who also think Israel is their friend) are furious that Trump's even considering joining a war against Iran. They supported Trump's pledge that he wouldn't drag the United States into any more foreign wars. Of course, as we know, Iran was the Pentagon's 'seventh' and final country for regime change in the infamous post-9/11 Defense Department memo from Rumsfeld that called for regime change of '7 countries in 5 years'. Worth noting how many years ago that was, and that ever since both Democrat and Republican Administrations have gone after all those countries - except Iran, and amid great sacrifice to US Servicemen and families (all those countries were threats to Israel, but no threats at all to America). So why does America fight all of Israel's wars for it?

Ah ha! That's what I figured. He didn't leak it. He could be lying of course, but I doubt it - nothing really in it for him. But personally I think this whole border thing was a set up from the get-go by the hidden hands on the Thai side to create the shakier ground the Establishment needs to try and formulate a coup. If she hangs on, the coalition falls apart and there could be a coup. If she dissolves the parliament it triggers an election and there could be a coup before the vote (establishment are afraid of a People's Party majority victory). The Bangkok Post's hard copy (I actually saw a hard copy today!) said she was 'boxed in' - I figure that's about right.

I'd be willing to get one for both countries - and go back and forth.