sandyf

Not quite as bad as 2011, when supermarket shelves became empty and DM had to close. In 2011, heavy rain combined with multiple tropical storms throughout the extended rainy season led to severe, record-high flooding across 66 provinces in Thailand, including the Bangkok metropolitan area and its surrounding areas. Overall, the floods affected more than 13 million people and resulted in more than 680 deaths. The total damage and losses from the 2011 floods in Thailand amounted to THB 1.43 trillion (around USD 46.5 billion). The manufacturing sector bore roughly 70 percent of the total damage and losses due to the flooding of six industrial estates in Ayuthaya and Pathum Thani from mid-October to November 2011. Overall, approximately 90 percent of the damage and losses from the 2011 floods were borne by the private sector. https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/2011-thailand-floods-rapid-assessment-resilient-recovery-and-reconstruction-planning#:~:text=Overall%2C the floods affected more,(around USD 46.5 billion).

Obviously you have a problem seeing the difference between apples and oranges.

You should refrain from making false and uninformed statements.

I have been to a couple of the Thai vineyards and still very much in their infancy. Silverlake has grown signifficantly since I first went but still a cottage industry and you effectively pay through the nose for "hand made". I don't really fault the government for protecting the industry as more than likely it would disappear. Rather than buy a box as I used to, now just enjoy a glass now and again.

More and more are realising the truth but feel free to keep your head in the sand. https://www.london.gov.uk/new-report-reveals-uk-economy-almost-ps140billion-smaller-because-brexit#:~:text=The average Briton was nearly,jobs in the capital alone.

Quite, but why "wage theft" when pension theft is more prevalent. Not only does the UK have a froxen pension they also have a frozen tax threshold. This year workers got some offset with a reduction in NI contributions.

I have been going back and fore for 25 years and in that time the majority of flights have been through the middle east and across India. Some direct flights have gone to the north of India and in the days of USSR would have been in Soviet airspace. Not sure about the northern scandanavian countries, and of course there is always Aeroflot.

Typical falang rhetoric, reality is Brits have driven themselves out by deciding to stay at home. The majority of Brits do not like foreigners unless there is some benefit involved. They wanted the sun on the Costa del Fortune and then changed the environment to suit themselves. The benefits that attracted Brits are evaporating, in my first decade prices hardly moved but since 2010 there has been a significant upward trend in Thai wages bringing the inflation factor into play, particularly with accommodation. Inflation of course has a significant effect on every nationality in receipt of a frozen pension so not surprising the numbers are reducing. Remind me how many nationalities are on a frozen pension. Brexit was a stark reminder on how little respect the English have for foreign nationals and Thailand trying to clarify and diversify doesn't sit well, and not just with Brits.

Agree with the sentiment. I bought a Lenovo Chromebook a few years back for travelling but didn't like the operating system. Replaced it about a year later for the same model with Win10. Much easier for travelling but not a lot of use at home other than watching TV on the verandah.

Generally speaking passports become expired, not invalid, people often travel with both old and new when needing to use stamp/visa in the old. Expired passports are still a valid form of ID, in the UK you can fly domestic on an expired passport for up to 5 years after expiry.

Another generalised statement. In the UK, "Renewal" and "Replacement" are different application categories.

Fair enough, you must think entries and extensions mean the same thing.

I am certainly not confused, I have had extension to a visa exempt entry long before 2014, possibly 2006. For your information in 25 years I have never had to leave the country. There is an old saying, "if you don't ask you don't get".

Your last statement is very generalised, if anything I would suggest domestic UK wine is very much the same price as Thai domestic wine. What you really mean is imported wine is heavily taxed to protect the domestic market. Fuel is heavily taxed in the UK but not for the same reason. We can live in hope that one day the Thai wine producers will become more efficient and prices fall, not holding my breath.

The conflicts are headline news and easy for some to make assumptions, they may or may not have some impact. The real reason for an upward trend in shipping costs comes from rerouting vessels. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240119-red-sea-crisis-how-global-shipping-is-being-rerouted-out-of-danger

I came back into Thailand with just a fraction of a page left, Malaysia had gone and put a sticker right in the middle of the last page. Didn't bother the Thai IO just put the entry stamp in the last little bit. Bit of a problem though at immigration, not enough room for an under consideration stamp without impinging on another stamp. The boss however decided a little impingement was ok.

Indeed. Not all banks are forcing facial recognition. I can access phone and my bank's app with pin numbers without a problem, my daily limit is 200K. There is cameras on ATMs but not necessarily related to accounts, possible some have that option, wouldn't know. I never use my own banks ATMs, only a variety of others.

May well be a reduction when Google moves to biometrics, starting shortly on payments. Extract rom an email. "In the coming weeks, there will be a change in how you confirm your setting when you choose biometric verification. For mobile devices, when you’re asked to confirm this setting, you’ll use your fingerprint or face instead of your Google Account password."

Indeed, the huge explosion in Beirut a couple of years ago was chemical storage. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_industrial_disasters#:~:text=December 3%2C 1984%3A The Bhopal,Union Carbide India Limited plant.

For those that may not have understood what I meant, this occurred following the clampdown of Aug 2014. People should remember things can always go back to the way they were. Previously, visitors from countries which are exempt from obtaining a tourist visa when entering Thailand, including Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, United Kingdom, and United States of America, could stay in Thailand for a period not exceeding 30 days per visit. Now, the new regulations permit visitors from these countries, as well as those entering Thailand with tourist visas, to apply once for an additional 30 day extension of stay without having to leave the country. It should be noted, however, that the period of extension in total cannot exceed 30 days from the expiration date and is subject to the discretion of the authorities. https://www.bakermckenzie.com/-/media/files/insight/publications/2014/09/thailand-introduces-new-visa-extension-regulations/files/read-publication/fileattachment/al_thailand_visaextensionregulations_sep14.pdf

And as I pointed out, when you reached the immigration desk it never crossed your mind you were abusing the Bilateral Agreement, which was never intended as an alternative to a visa.

My comment was in respect of the change from a discretionary time to a standard 30 days in regard to extending a visa exempt entry which if I remember right came about following an immigration clampdown in 2014. However in pursuit of some hidden agenda you felt compelled to change the context of my post.

Indeed you did, your words. "I've been traveling on exemptions for a couple of years now. Two months in Thailand," Two months in Thailand means you had an "extension to your visa exempt entry" which as I said used to be at the discretion of an IO.

Indeed,and it was a response to the OP, one and the same.

I will certainly stick with the EV ferries, more to do with comfort rather that an anything to do with risk, both being very low. Service craft are a different ball game to private vessels. I don't think marine craft use petrol, more likely diesel, less inflamable but still a fire risk, but then so are lithium ion batteries. Fears over the dangers of EV batteries used on both cars and motorcycles which can produce uncontrollable heat surges, radiation and chemical discharges. Wednesday night’s fire is seen as a wake-up call for authorities. https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2023/09/09/ev-vehicle-concerns-after-bangkok-fire-bangkok-governor-chadchart/