superal

Unfortunately Russia is not party to the ban on cluster bombs along with the Ukraine and the USA , my Google search tells me and also there are no bans on the vacuum bombs but if used against civilians that becomes a war crime .

When Ukraine became am independent state in 1991 it inherited a huge stock of USSR nuclear weapons that had been stored on the Ukraine's land ( formerly Soviet Union land ) . Ukraine was persuaded to denuclearise in 1994 with the assurance that if they destroyed their nuclear weapons and be party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons , they would receive military help under the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances which was made up by the following countries , Russia , UK , USA , Ukraine . Now totally ignored . Indeed the free world should be ashamed of leaving Ukraine to fight the mighty Russian troops alone , I am really hoping that we send troops to help and not just sanctions . People are dying as of today . Stop them now and after contain the country . BTW , we cannot generalise on Russians , as there will be many good people , as shown recently on TV . It is my belief that Thailand will stand neutral and will leave all the doors open to all countries who wish to trade with them . Having said that , Thailand & China cannot be criticised for abstaining when we have the likes of Boris saying in the House of Commons yesterday that Russia has committed war crimes by using cluster and vacuum bombs and also targeting civilians . Yet the UK are supplying arms to the Ukrainians but stop short of sending in forces . The west is guilty of neglect and cowardice when watching Hitler mark 2 ( Putin ) destroy a desperate nation . Biden is just as guilty , with all his rhetoric , siding and then applauding the Ukraine ambassador to the U.S.A. , same as BJ did yesterday in the HOC . I watched the morning BBC news yesterday when a Ukrainian lady was being interviewed on line and at the end of her talk she swore saying fxxx you . There followed an apology from Dan Walker ( sat in a warm studio drinking hot tea ) for the bad language but I thought she was right to let her plead be heard in the strongest way . I do not condone swearing on early morning TV but in this case we were watching and listening to a very desperate lady who could be near to death from Putins forces . Russia will have certain countries that will be in its alliance because of potential future trade or the concern over departing from the communist belief in the way of living .

Hate to say it but there is an element of truth in your post . However when this event hopefully comes to a safe non-nuclear conclusion , the countries who failed to condemn Russian actions will ostracised . It is my belief that Thailand will follow China to a neutral position and abstain from taking sides .

Covid stats reporting would be more useful if they were giving local figures i.e. province and town , if indeed the testing criteria is country wide .

UK lottery ticket is £2 Wed & Saturday draw . The Euro lottery ticket is £2.50 and Tues & Friday draws. Tis about time the Thai lottery system was updated by going online and using machines installed in say 7-11s , designed for the lottery that enable you to either choose your numbers or go for a lucky dip . As of now you have to troll through lottery slips to find your preferred/ lucky numbers . The current lottery vendors could still sell the underground lottery tickets

There is a reason that he talks when sitting at the far end of a very long 6 meter table . Reports said to avoid the covid virus but some say to give him plenty of warning space between him and a possible assassin .

NATO led coalition forces took out Libya under Gaddafi because of civilian uprising against Gaddafi . NATO knew they would win as they had superior armed forces . However , now they are standing by and witnessing the slaughter of Ukrainian civilians , including young children . Plus Russia is now using cluster bombs in towns and cities . Cluster bombs are prohibited under international law for the last 10 years or so . That means Russia are committing war crimes but that is not enough for the cowardly NATO to get involved , they prefer to watch a man drown rather than try to save him

Have to comment on the benefits . To qualify for most of the benefits you almost have to be a pauper as I found out when I enquired . Benefits are based on your level of total income and your property valuation as unearned income . Some might say that you are better off not having savings and make NIC s as low as possible as you will qualify for the benefits .It is also unfair that a UK pensioner will have to pay for expensive dental services . Finally , when you enrol / sign up for the UK state pension there is within the small print an article that states if you choose to retire abroad your pension will be frozen with an exception to a few reciprocal countries and that is why any appeal will always lose . Indeed the pension rules need to be reviewed as they are out of date and do not take into today's ways of living/ retiring .

Started today here in Issan because the typical heavy and round painted concrete table in my place was hot to the touch at 2 00 pm . Air con needed in the early hours but morning it is a chilly 15 c .

Russia has the most nuclear stock in the world along with America . Will take 1 hydrogen bomb which is 1000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima atom bomb and it would cast the globe into a nuclear winter for 4 years or more , massive radiation globally , destroy the ozone layer and halt agricultural farming for 20 years . I am not scare mongering , you can Google the facts . Finally , this part of the world would be the safest place to be to escape the effects , apparently .

They thought he was bluffing by lining up 190,000 troops and armoury and he even said that it was a military exercise , then bang , he invaded Ukraine . We do not know for sure if he is bluffing but it is one hell of a gamble with the end of civilisation as we know it at stake . If he takes Ukraine , he has already told NATO that he wants an area of land from every NATO country bordering west of Ukraine e.g. Poland , Moldova , Hungary etc as a buffer zone and that will trigger world war 3 as NATO have said they will resist and defend any NATO country . The USA already have sent troops to every neighbouring country .

Exactly . Now he is feeling the pinch and defeat a possibility which he never factored in with his invasion plan . Now like a cornered rat and will press the button , rather than back down . In the meanwhile global governments concentrate on sanctions which will be effective later on but right now we have a maniac who is prepared to annihilate the world . Something has to be done asap , even if it means surrendering and take him out when the heat is off . When he hits that button it is too late . Just hoping that we have intelligence monitoring his movements , especially if he makes his way to a nuclear shelter .

State media lies ? yes that is true, however many Russians are aware of that and get the true news via the internet and spread the word by mouth . Lets not forget that there are related families in both Ukraine and Russia and there is a certain reluctance from some of the Russian troops to assault Ukrainians according to a SKY TV report . Despite huge foreign reserves , Putin is now concerned that his war strategy is collapsing around him and his huge personal wealth is disappearing at a rapid rate , along with the dirty money held by the oligarchs . Also the Russian public are realising that they are being cut off from the rest of the world . Finally , Putin's invasion was prompted by an agreement with NATO some years ago when NATO agreed to having a strategic gap between Russian boundaries and any NATO nation . There was intent/ discussions on the Ukraine joining NATO which Putin said broke the treaty . Ironically if Russia secure the Ukraine they will have borders with several NATO countries and then what ?

Considering what Vlad The Unhinged had to say this morning it may not be far off, unfortunately. That would be uncalled for because the majority of the Russian population are against the invasion of Ukraine . Putin is the target , dead or alive , sooner rather than later .Isn't that what happened in the middle east in the recent years i.e the leading tyrants taken out ?

Think we all do

I do not want to digress from the main topic but faranngs pay double , treble or x 10 the price that a Thai will pay in a government hospital , now overpricing for farangs is government approved .

Putin has to be taken out soon by either his own or alien forces . The current situation on his invasion is bleak , followed by further global sanctions and unrest within Russia . He has options , 1/ get round the negotiation table 2/ back off and withdraw his forces 3/ bombard Ukraine and flatten it without any consideration for civilian life 4/ hit the nuclear button 5/ turn the gun on himself . My preference would be option 5 for him . Judging by his actions so far , if he is losing or backed into a corner , I think he would press the button and destroy the planet or at best there would be a nuclear winter of 4 years .

Just wondering how the Pullman hotel in Khon Kaen managed to comply with the amount of beer produced cos it was nowhere near your figures but their German beer was the best beer I have tasted in Thailand . Not sure but I think I read somewhere that the Pullman is closed now ? Who ever made the brewing laws must have been influenced by the big breweries because what difference does it make on how much you produce ? More important would be the compliance with hygiene control / QA/ QC within the production of beer and plant maintenance .

I have to admit John that I have never seen the word oligarch before and had to Google the meaning of it . Reckon I am not the only one .

Very scary . Putin is another Hitler ?

There is a reason for on arrival pcr testing inasmuch there are many fake test certs and the only way to be confident , is to test again on arrival . Pre-flight testing is often a requirement from the airline . What I have not seen mentioned on this topic is that there are now at least 2 different types of anti viral tablets that if taken within the first 5 days of covid infection , can reduce the effects of the virus significantly and in most cases stop hospitalisation . Maybe they are not available in Thailand ? The reasons given by BJ for ending covid restrictions in the UK were that omicron was less severe , majority of the UK population have been jabbed and the anti viral medicines have reduced the hospitals burden . With this ease on the rules for new arrivals announced on the same day that Khon Kaen has imposed further restrictions , makes no sense .

Same in the UK

When air flights were much cheaper , as were decent hotels , food , drink , ladies of the night and lets not forget all of the copies / fakes e.g. watches and brand named shirts etc that were a major attraction for tourists to the markets . Now that all is gone but you can still visit the temples and beaches (there are better beaches on the med ) . On top of the all mentioned before the tourists have to complete the Thailand Pass ( not so easy for seniors ) and take a chance on paying in advance for air tickets , hotels , insurance and pcr tests . Gone are the days when you could book a flight and fly in the next week . The catch 22 is that the majority of tourists come for the night life and ladies but if the bars are closed there will be few tourists but if the bars open will the ladies attend for a few months until the tourists decide to return ? In a nutshell the Thai government wants to turn the clock back 50 years and rid mainland Thailand of cheap tourists and place them in Phuket only where the over worked bar girls will prevail and std will be rife , not for me . I hear that Vietnam will be the new Thailand .

This Anutin statement could well turn and bite him in the backside . Just look at Hong Kong at the moment where it is spreading at an alarming rate and only 6 weeks ago it was almost zero cases . I am also concerned with the UK ditching all covid restrictions too early , a bit like Denmark .

That is the brand that I take and prescribed by my local hospital doctor . It cost me around 500 baht for a box of 30 tablets which are 40 mg .