sambum

"how can they do this?" ... TIT Now THAT I will agree with!

"They are" So you have been to every little hamlet, or small village in Thailand? If not, then don't exaggerate! (If you say "almost everywhere" then fair comment!)

Where I live is not your concern, and if I say I've never seen one, I've never seen one, OK?

No they're not!

I've never seen one!

No - never even seen one!

"Just read what others have said and you might understand better." No need for the pompous attitude thank you! "But it would be akin to going to a bar that says you can drink as much as you want all night as long as you pay 1000 bt and then order 20 beers and leaving 10 of them". Wasteful I agree, but if the offer is as you say, then it is "up to you", as they say in Thailand. A bit like all you can eat buffets being abused by crowds of C*****e, then?

"So perhaps its out of the price range of most of the retirees on this forum. I mean given they ask for breakfasts under 200 bt this must be out of their price range." Bit of a pompous statement, or are you just trolling?

Maybe if the system was better explained in the post, less people would have been confused by people being "fined" for not eating all of their food?

I am also a little confused:- "The customer and his party were fined 1,000 baht because they didn't eat up all their food." How on earth can you fine someone for NOT eating food? It's a bit like saying "The meal is 2000 baht but you didn't eat it all, so the bill is 3000 baht" The mind boggles!

This is typical of the Thai money making mindset. As there are so few tourists requiring treatment foir cuts and bruises, Covid is the ideal way to make up the shortfall on profits - "legal profiteering" to keep the fat cats in charge happy. "The authorities have reiterated that all Covid-19 treatment should be free. Investigations are underway as the possibility of a misunderstanding is mulled." What part of "free" do they not understand?

"But then Thailand would have to change its attitude towards farang expertise." Got it in one, bro!

"The Royal Thai Police has been asked to educate its officers across the country about the new legal status of cannabis and hemp, following the arrests of two elderly women growing the plant." Now there's a job and a a half! How about educating them in a bit of tolerance, or a friendly warning or two?

From Google today:- Tourism is an economic contributor to the Kingdom of Thailand. Estimates of tourism revenue directly contributing to the GDP of 12 trillion baht range from one trillion baht (2013) 2.53 trillion baht (2016), the equivalent of 9% to 17.7% of GDP.[1][2] When including indirect travel and tourism receipts, the 2014 total is estimated to be the equivalent of 19.3% (2.3 trillion baht) of Thailand's GDP.[3]: 1  According to the secretary-general of the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council in 2019, the government projects that the tourism sector will account for 30% of GDP by 2030, up from 20% in 2019 So, 9% in 2013, 17.7% in 2016 (When including indirect travel and tourism receipts, the 2014 total is estimated to be the equivalent of 19.3% (2.3 trillion baht) of Thailand's GDP) And the telling point in the final sentence:- "According to the secretary-general of the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council in 2019, the government projects that the tourism sector will account for 30% of GDP by 2030, up from 20% in 2019" I remember pre Covid days when every body except TAT realised that the tourist figures were dropping ("They've all gone up North to discover the proper Thailand" ????) and people in high places were saying that tourism only accounted for a small % of GDP (7-8%), and then when the tourist figures bombed, someone realised that "7-8%" was "a rather conservative estimate/guesstimate. Suffice it to say, that although there were no admissions of guilt, the estimate/guesstimate is now more in line than it was, and it is up to the current Government to stop dragging its heels re all the insane requirements to enter this country. The threat of "incarceration" for what may be a false positive Covid test, ludicrous insurance requirements, and the numerous other hoops that have to be jumped through which all combine to make the average traveller say, "Thanks, "More Amazing Thailand", but no thanks - I'm going on holiday to escape hassle, not to add to it!"

Much truth as always in your post, but IMHO the one most important thing that people tend to forget - especially by the Government is:- "And this started long before Covid, so stop with the excuses."

No, the point is is that it's against the law! So "plod" in the back of beyond can get themselves noticed by locking up a sick granny for possessing one plant "because it's against the law" (Or lock up 3 old age pensioners and fine them 3000 baht for having an illegal 2 or 3 beers because "we have to uphold the law"!) But so is riding a motor bike without a helmet, (and apparently also without a mask!) But how many motor bike riders are jailed for not wearing a helmet? A few years ago, a friend of mine on his motor bike was stopped by the police for not wearing a helmet. He was confronted by 2 lines of people waiting to pay their "fines" So he asked a policeman why there was 2 lines. He was told that there was a 300 baht line or a 500 baht line. The 500 baht line meant you got a ticket and had to report to the nearest police station and wait until you were called for, and pay your 500 baht and get a receipt for the same. The 300 baht line meant you paid the officer behind the "desk" at the checkpoint 300 baht, got no receipt, but were free to go on your way. Guess which was the longest queue, and guess which one my mate took!!!

So how come the exchange rate for Baht to the British Pound has been going DOWN steadily over the past week after climbing steadily since the beginning of March? (I know NOTHING about Finances, Stocks & Shares etc - I just look at the graph!)

"now the driving here, another matter." Correct, and probably something on which we agree! Have a good day, and don't forget to change/wash your mask - apparently they can harbour all kinds of nasty bugs if worn too often!

"For when the police pull you over" ???? I give up! "I am saying, stop pointing at other, it is diversion." So you are allowed to make sarcastic remarks about farangs not wearing masks, but I'm not allowed to do the same about Thais, or their Minister of Health? To be honest, I wear a mask also, but not because I want to - I think it's ridiculous in an outside setting, but I do it because it's the law - oh, sorry, no it isn't! OK, I do it because it's EXPECTED, and I don't want to upset my hosts because I live here - albeit as an "alien" according to my visa.

Diversion? Pot? Kettle? You were the one who brought up the subject of masks in the first place by making a sarcastic comment about farangs reacting in a childish way when asked to wear a mask!!! So what you are saying is that because Anutin isn't a tourist or guest he shouldn't wear a mask, but all tourists or guests should? And what about the 69 million or so Thais that are not tourists or guests? They shouldn't wear one either? And do me a favour - I have asked before but not got a satisfactory answer from anyone:- What is the logic behind having to wear a mask on a motor bike? I can't fathom it out!

"There are no interior not superior vaccines,............." I presume you mean "inferior", not "interior", but I though it was pretty common knowledge that the Chinese vaccines are pretty useless against more recent strains of Covid, but Pfizer and AstraZeneca are quite effective in reducing the symptoms. So the above statement appears to be contradictory to many expert medical opinions?

...ask Anutin, first he wears one, then he doesn't , then he does! Then he says it's not against the law not to wear one, but you can still be fined a hefty amount (up to 20,000 baht) for riding a motor bike without one? (As far as I know - that is the situation at the moment, but laws change so quickly here!) So why should a Westerner/tourist who is triple vaxed, and taken all the "necessary" tests for Covid be a danger because he/she is not wearing a mask? Less of a danger, for instance, than the hundreds of unvaccinated people ("non farangs"!) sneaking/coming across Thailand's borders from neighbouring countries.

Which are? Be honest, check back in your history books (if they have the correct facts) All of the items I mentioned above were invented by farangs, not Thais.

Why would you need a "deterrent" when TAT wants to rejuvenate the tourist industry? You probably think that the country did perfectly well without tourists (or foreign investment) before, but you tend to forget that without foreign investment and tourist dollars, you would have no TV's, no motor bikes, no buses, no cars, no trucks, no trains and NO MOBILE PHONES! (etc etc!) But of course, you can manage perfectly well without those - can't you?

But before then they'll be wondering how the neigbouring countries have so many more tourists than Thailand, and form a committee to investigate the reasons why.