superal

The main problem being , that as soon as it becomes known that the patient is a foreigner , dollar signs light up in the Thai admin's eyes . Emergency treatment is secondary to how much money can be extracted from the suffering foreigner . As always in Thailand " Money Number One " , even in a life or death situation . One could be forgiven if thinking that embassies and Ambassadors had ensured that emergency treatment for their countrymen ,whilst in Thailand , was fundamental and rigorously enforced . But I guess that is not in their brief .

Soooo true

I also use Google Lens App which is easy to use however when it comes down to important document translation from Thai to English the real information or understanding of the content is often misconstrued . Professional translators , who are adept at understanding the Thai content of a message or e.g. a contract award , can then show that in English , are employed . Thus the term often used as " Lost in translation " is avoided . But for a simple day to day jargon translation Lens is good .

It is a hospital guarantee payment insurance and not intended to cover or protect tourists . Thailands reputation for shafting tourists is already known and if not giving hospital treatment to a person in an emergency will only highlight the inhumanity and third world Thai culture . Digressing slightly but many tourists to Thailand foolishly hire motor bikes . There is an assumption that they are covered by their holiday insurance but in reality , within the small print , there is often an exclusion . Indeed , many have never ridden or have a licence to ride a motor cycle and the hirer never asks for one . Motor cycle accidents can be very costly in Thailand .

I do not think that this will be a carte blanche type personal travel insurance . It is being set up to appease all hospitals that might have to give emergency treatment to a tourist . I thought that this was the norm anyway . The New Year period only ? So then to return to uncertainty after . Potential tourists to Thailand should be warned about the dangers of extreme Thai hospital bills, where the tourist will have to pay up to 20 times that which a Thai will pay . Visiting the far east is nothing like a Mediterranean holiday where European standards far exceed those of Asian countries that do excel in corruption at all levels of society . Visiting Thailand should come with a health warning .

Indeed it is immoral and the moderators should suspend the weirdos . Anonymous cowards .

Alternatives include a chipped Prince Albert . Fitted on arrival at swampy .

I have been told that View Dee resort on the dark side of Pattaya is very reasonably priced and has a swimming pool and other amenities plus a few restaurants and bars nearby . Not too far from the main town . Run by Brian Jacks ( UK Olympian judo winner ) .

Coming to Thailand soon . Leg tracker for all tourists and long stayers .

Maybe but not in my case as there was no swimming . What you have to think about is all of the village ponds / lakes that are a domestic water supply , often do not pass through any filtering systems such as U/V or micro filter before being used . BTW making food , often includes the use of water

I sympathize with you . I have been through the same as follows . On returning to the UK from Thailand I developed the runs and up to 10 times a day which stank the house out . I went to the doctors but could only see the nurse . She asked for a poo sample which would be sent to the laboratory for testing . I gave the sample the same day . Nurse said the results may take 4 or 5 days , so in the mean time take ciprofloxin . It cleared up in about 2 days . The following week back to doctor for lab report . Doctor sat looking at his computer and was mystified , saying " I have never seen this before ". Turns out it was a water borne parasite common in Asia . Do you think that all restaurants and street food vendors in Thailand use bottled water ? Not a chance in hell . I certainly never eat street or market food because 15 years ago I ended up in a Thai hospital with food poisoning . There will be those who will say something like " I have eaten Thai street food for more than 10 years and never had a problem " . I guess its a lucky dip but I prefer to shorten the odds in my favour .

My thoughts are the same , good summary

I truly believe that the achievement by your step daughter could be made by other Thai children , if given the chance and they had caring parents as you have shown

Good read and well done

I was told by an English teacher from the UK that he had to stick to the schools curriculum using an outdated Power Point system and any deviation from the curriculum would end his job . Talented children from poor families have little chance of realizing a good education from a state school . Do you agree ?

Corruption and money number 1 is the accepted way of Thai life . As you point out , 1 mans greed without any concerns for the level of education . I have been told that families with money send their children to schools with good reputations of educational achievements and from there on to university . Children of working class families have little chance of a decent level of education especially when the school is run by crooked directors which will probably be common .

Up here in Issan , the eatery business is very competitive with low profit margins , however it is in our case the old cliche of " sell it cheap and pile them high " that has created her low profit business . Any increase in the price of meals would drive our customers to other restaurants . Her staff are happy with the 300 baht a day and 2 meals . What you have to consider is that up here in the north east , 300 baht a day , although tight , is enough to feed a small family , if living purely in the Thai way . Many have their homes on land that they own , so no rent . Use mostly motor cycles and do not tax or insure them , as is the way up here and they are mostly ignored by highway police . Having said that , our local do-it-all tradesman has put his daily rate up to 500 baht a day from 300 baht . He is always in demand . 300 baht a day , working in Bangkok , would be a struggle .

I urge you to read the BBC news , under Word news and the comments of President Biden . Confirms much of what I have stated . Israel are losing support because of their indiscriminate bombing .

The spokesman knows that the laying down of arms and surrender will not happen because of the degree of hatred between the 2 nations . Hamas will never be completely wiped out . What is worth mentioning is that the U.S.A. vetoed the U.N. Security council resolution for a humanitarian ceasefire . This veto will not only prolong the war but brings in the possibility of Palestinian allies joining in . The U.S.A. reasoning being that a ceasefire would enable Hamas to re-group . Not only are the U.S.A. just as guilty of war crimes carried out by the Israeli troops , because of being complicit and also as an associate , plus a supplier of 92% of all Israeli weapons . The indiscriminate bombing and murdering of innocent people in Palestine is barbaric and indefensible . Shame on Israel and America . It is beyond me how there is any support for the actions of Israel .

Totally agree . Generally the Thai school kids are taught the bare minimum and will end up in mundane , dead end jobs which is what the elite Thai Hi So want . In my experience , I have found that most young Thais can learn new skills quickly , if given a chance . However their futures are normally mapped out at an early age and give little hope of a prosperous life . My lady pays here restaurant staff 300 baht a day plus 2 free meals . She often has inquiries from job seekers who are willing to work for less . Any significant wage rises would mean a hike of the menu prices and customers will just find somewhere cheaper to eat which would result in business closure and loss of jobs.

You describe a typical working scene at many large Thai shops . I have also seen the same in D.I.Y. stores where the uniform wearing staff outnumber customers by at least 10 to 1 . They also hide in out of the way places and using their phones . Have little if any product knowledge and rarely can speak any English . How the company can survive or make a profit is questionable .

N95 masks can if worn correctly be a barrier to covid . However the emphasis is on " worn correctly " .When I was working in a chemical industry environment that required all persons working there to be tested for the correct fitting to their face . Many men , nearly 30 % could not achieve a seal , due to their facial features and certainly not for those with facial hair . N95 masks are not comfortable to wear for long periods . Medical masks were designed to stop the transfer of aerosol droplets from the wearer to a patient . They should be a single use only . They do not give protection against small particles for the wearer because there is not a tight seal around the wearers cheeks . The majority of those who caught covid in the UK did wear a medical mask ( me included ) , in order to comply with the laws .

What is the definition of genocide in the United Nations? According to the Convention, genocide is a crime that can take place both in time of war as well as in time of peace. The definition contained in Article II of the Convention describes genocide as a crime committed with the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, in whole or in part. https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/documents/Genocide Convention-FactSheet-ENG.pdf

I read your link which defended the wearing of medical masks . There is the assumption that most are single use masks but that is not followed by most wearers that I know . They simply pull out a mask from their pocket that has been used many times . As for daily washing of some masks , do you honestly believe that that is carried out ? I have used all types of masks in my working life within the petro/ chem industry and I know all to well that these medical type masks are at best a dust barrier . Inhalation via the gap on the facial cheek is like a vacuum cleaner sucking in minute particles .

The attack on Israel by the Hamas on October 7th was indeed barbaric but so is the indiscriminate bombing of the Gaza Strip where innocent children are being killed and maimed in their thousands . The Israelis see it as collateral damage . It has to stop asap . Pure genocide and some world leaders are just as guilty by association .