superal

Do you advocate sending in the NATO troops to aid Ukraine ? I do

Yes , you may be right but at the time it appeared to be the right thing to do . Remember when the UK was criticised for acting slowly and not closing its borders and airports ? NZ acted positively . Also Delta was a more potent strain and all this when the world was terrified of the pandemic . Some might say that hindsight is a wonderful thing . Lets just hope we can put this covid event behind us .

Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine you will no doubt be aware of the tensions over the previous 8 years between Russia and the Ukraine . It was because of this that the nearby NATO countries built up armed defences which included the American military that have recently been increased along with the inclusion of the UK military . From my point of view and conjecture there will be a lot of activity going on behind the scenes in preparation for a NATO involvement . Indeed NATO were slow out of the blocks and should have intervened a long time ago . The Ukraine president Selenskyy has begged for help but got only weapons but no aircraft or boots on the ground . He has warned NATO that Putin will not stop in the Ukraine ( he may know from intelligence ) . Some say it is better to throw the first punch .

You should be proud of NZ because of the way Ardern protected the country when the pandemic started . She took the sternest measures that were successful for a time . You must try to keep up with your countries latest news , I copied and pasted below . Australians will be allowed to enter the country without needing to quarantine or isolate from 13 April. Fully vaccinated travellers from about 60 countries on a visa-waiver list will be able to arrive from 2 May. Those nations include the UK and US.

The west getting involved is a whisker away . I watched an interview with Biden and he was asked " do you think Russia will use chemical weapons ? " he replied that it may happen and that would trigger the start of WW3 . Russia is already muttering that the west are guilty of acts against them because of association and supply of weapons to Ukraine . At the same time Biden has warned China not to aid Russia in any shape or form . In recent cease fire talks Russia has demanded that the Ukraine hand over part of their country to Russia , surrender and not attempt to join NATO . None of those demands will be met . The Russian army , although many , are not as schooled as western forces and appear to be suffering from poorly thought out logistics . Biden has been criticised by his countrymen as being too soft and a wimp but he is about to show the opposite . Nearby NATO countries are building up their defences and weaponry . The situation is in a sensitive place with Putin facing defeat with normal warfare but would he press the button ?

not even the finger ? 555 or maybe a barrage of swearing that only you can hear but it activates your safety valve , agree with you because I am a similar age but sometimes I forget that , plus even if you had a confrontation and came out on top , you will never win cos you are a farang , will get injured , big fine or prison or both

and going to Hong Kong the same but open only to residents

When I opened the link and found out who will be treated for free under the new criteria surprise , surprise , it excludes non Thai Who is eligible for UCEP Plus? First and foremost, patients seeking free medical services under UCEP Plus must have proof they are infected with COVID-19. Positive results from either an antigen test kit or RT-PCR are accepted. They must also meet one of the following criteria: At the triage point, their heart stops or they have difficulty breathing, go into shock, fall into a coma, develop seizures or become lethargic. A body temperature above 39 degrees Celsius for more than 24 hours; a breathing rate that exceeds 25 times per minute (adult); blood-oxygen level below 94 percent at triage point; blood-oxygen level dropping by more than 3 percent after exercising just a little; underlying health conditions worsen after being infected with COVID-19; or their doctor judges that they need close medical supervision. For child patients, difficulty breathing, lethargy, and consumption of less milk or food are solid grounds for access to UCEP Plus. They develop other symptoms such as panting or have other health risks. The other health risks include diseases of the lung, heart or blood vessels, strokes, uncontrollable diabetes, obesity, weight above 90 kilograms, pregnancy, low immunity, low white blood count, and old age (above 60). Also, COVID-19 patients who are initially deemed to be low-risk with mild symptoms may be eligible for UCEP Plus later if their conditions worsen and they are referred to a hospital. UCEP Plus is for Thais only, not for foreigners

Even the highly protective New Zealand is opening up in stages , starts next month . It seems that there is no stopping the virus and many virologists saying that we will have to learn to live with it and as more anti viral medicines become available , that limit the covid effects , the virus will fall into the common flu or cold category . China and Hong Kong will have to review their zero tolerance covid policy as that will not be possible to control to zero infections , other than fiction . There may be a reluctance to drop all restrictions by some countries because the whole scenario became a money making scam that has made big bucks for those of the hierarchy at the expense of the basic tourist trades .

What about the airports , especially swampy departures

I ordered and received my supplements from Piping Rock after doing a Google search on them to make sure they are a reputable company . Bought them from Lazada . The pill bottle looks authentic with all the product info on the label . Thai suppliers name / importer is IBODY ,based in Chiang Mai

Above in bold print is the most important consideration . Put in a similar way , it is the potential harm that a dog can inflict and with a rottweiler it is death , even to a full grown male adult . These dog loving do gooders who say "my dog will not harm a fly ", just do not get it and are selfish and inconsiderate . This breed should be banned from domestic ownership and kept in a zoo or used by the military . Also to have such an animal off the lead and without a muzzle should be illegal and the penalty could be a fine, then to imprisonment with compensation paid to the injured , in the case of an attack . Finally , why do people want to own such a dangerous breed ? if it is security the dog should be secured within the premises that it is guarding and not roaming the streets 300 meters away . No mention of the dogs being put down ? This young boy had 10 days in ICU . If I was his father I would be looking for a face to face meeting with the dog owner.

They do long haul , drive dangerously fast because they have to hit schedules laid down by the manager . I have hired a mini bus with an owner driver who did drive sensibly at my request but that is an exception . Normally mini bus drivers are foot flat to the floor with low driving skills and zero consideration to their passengers . To be avoided at all costs IMO .

Anyone know if there are any bars open in Suvarnabhumi airport after 9 00 pm ?

What happens if you pay by credit card ? I thought they offered protection or at least pursue the vendor .

Could this be an indicator that Thailand will drop the Thai Pass scheme and end all restrictions for arrivals to Thailand ? England does so this coming Friday 18th March , no vaccination certs needed nor locator info ( Scotland decides today ) and also Canada is easing up though not totally . Other countries to follow

Similar to your police motor bike picture , I have been half way across a zebra crossing here in Thailand , when a heavy truck has come through at about 70 km p hour and blasting his loud horn as if to say , get out of my way . Only yesterday I was doing 90 km ph when a tail gate pickup overtook me and then pulled left into a side street about 400 meters further on and causing me to almost stop as the outside lane was busy . As already said I think the mini tour bus drivers are the worse , maybe kamikaze survivors ?

Hi Sheryl , I did not know there is an alternative to general cataract surgery . Can you please explain the alternatives in the highlighted bold print above .

That is scary and a senior doctor ? Is the dedicated eye hospital name start with a R and end with a N ? If so I also read the reviews about overcharging foreigners , true costs well over estimated cost and the long waiting times , despite having an appointment some patients waited another 4 hours beyond their appointed time and one person was charged because he was unable to wait too long . In my experience an appointment time is given in both private and government hospitals but every patient is given the same appointment time and then it is first come first served . As for the inflated foreigner charge which was condoned by the Thai government recently ( farangs may pay more for services across the board ) , I will be selective in my choice for medical treatment and although it may cost more , treatment in most western countries hospitals is much more reassuring when considering risks and post op success .

Indeed , I have bought a re-entry permit at swampy before at 1000 baht . You are confirming that a 30 day covid policy will cover the remainder of my extension period of about 5 months ? Good news if that is the case .

Can one of the well informed give some clarity on the Thai Pass insurance please . In my case I have a retirement extension that is valid to this September . I will leave Thailand for 1 month soon and buy a re-entry permit for my return in April . What I need to know is the length of the insurance cover I will have to take out if 1/ I do not show a flight leaving Thailand after my return and 2 / If I show a leaving flight say after 1 month . The reason for my confusion is that I think that I read on this forum that a 30 day covid policy is all that is required for any period .

It could be that Thailand has just shot itself in the foot by its so called neutrality and the encouragement of Russian tourists because when other western friendly countries become aware of the event of Thailand's close communist associations there may well be a lack of the free world tourists . Can you imagine sharing a hotel with a mass of misinformed Russians ? There is only one way that Russian tourists will be able to afford to travel and that is if the ruble and economy are supported by the communist clans . Some interesting times ahead I think .

Me too in Antalya on gulets . Very relaxing and I remember one trip when we were in a large river fed from the mountains and the water was freezing despite the temperature being about 40 c

As you will know, Russians are fed propaganda from the controlled Russian TV and most believe what they are told . Russia is an insular country because of close controlled communism and if you do not conform with the laws or tow the line , you will be in big trouble . The Russians who are trapped abroad will be told the truth and only last night on TV there was a Russian lady who had joined a demonstration opposing Putin in London saying she was embarrassed and ashamed to be Russian . At the same time 2 ladies in Russia said they were 200% behind Putins actions but only because they are fed lies and B/S . I would like to see stranded Russians repatriated so they could spread the truth about the murderous Putin . Tis not only Thailand who are feeling the pinch , most countries will be effected in some way . I say to Thailand , how about sending foreign aid to Ukraine and give instead of taking for a change . Like Russia the Thai people are not shown the slaughter of the brave Ukraine folk on Thai TV

I agree , because the situation was belittling as Sirineou had previously asked for a beer and was denied by the waitress but when the Thai aristocracy walked in and got their beer , I also would have been annoyed . However I know that this is the way things work in Thailand , the haves and the have nots live different lives . I suppose that if Sirineou had not asked for a beer he would not have been upset at the vips being served with beer . Sometimes you just got to bite your tongue but as you get older bad manners , discrimination and lack of respect become more difficult to tolerate .