chilly07

17 hours ago, connda said:

The 'rules based international order' means that your country takes its orders from the United States hegemony.

A 'international laws based international order' means that your country follows UN dictate and is the preferred method of Russia and China and their aligned BRICS nations.

These two opposed groups literally hate each other as they see only that their interests supersedes the rest of the world.

Considering that to quote Tears For Fears that "Everybody Wants To Rule The World", the big players wants everyone else to support their interests.
By the way - there are no Good Guys wearing White Hats.  There are only greedy oligarchs, control-freaks, and billionaires who want their own interests in front of the rest of the countries in the world as well as their populations.  If that means killing a few million people?  So be it.  A few billion - why not.  At the end of the day it's extreme austerity for the commoners and the transfer of extreme wealth to the elite.
To quote George Carlin, "It's a big club and you ain't in it."

I personally feel that these opposing side will end up starting a nuclear conflagration before 2030 with an enraged and fully propagandized public egging on the mutually assured destruction (MAD) - I lived though the Cuban Missile Crisis.  Who starts the 'first strike will be irrelevant.  The media blame game will be vaporized in an EMP flash along with most of the earth's population and infrastructure.   A small handful of Billionaire elites and their political and military henchmen will believe they can weather out the destruction in bunkers. Just hope the Eloi aren't waiting you ya'll exit your Morlock hidey-holes.

Viewing way to many disaster movies predicting dystopia! Without the planets population working to keep the rich and famous even more rich and famous, after MAD their wealth and fame disappears. It's in the oligarchs interest to prevent WW3 including getting rid of any maniacal world leader who jepardises their income!

5 hours ago, rwill said:

I read on a shipping site that customs exemption was for items less than 1,500 baht and less than a kilo in wieght.  Unless they contain prohibited or restricted items.  I try to keep packages small and light and never have a problem receiving them.  

 

The exception to the exemption is when your package arrives with UPS or DHL.  They like to create problems that don't exsist.  In my experience UPS is the worst offender.  But I read others here saying DHL is bad.  I have had many packages arrive with DHL no problem at all.  A couple of things DHL sent me an email and said they needed a copy of an ID, a description in Thai of the item, and a purchase receipt copy.  But I received them no problem after that.  UPS has on a few occasions demanded that I either mail them my passport or bring it to the customs office at the airport to get my package delivered.  Once was for a box of candy canes.

Ditto experience with couriers. Item trebles in price once Customs and Courier start gouging! Best to use Shopee POD et al

7 vaccinations is a fetish not immunisation!

B4 and B5 variants spreading rapidly and Pattaya continues to host festivals? Why????

V poorly written item. Who found the wallet? Mr Dam or the Tourist? Why would a Tourist take a discarded wallet to the Police and then wait for the owner? Who would spread wallets around Ko San with 1000 bht notes and ID?

Does seem a lot of unlikely items on AN today!

PC enables you to print off approval

If you have a skill that the company needs which is not available in Thailand then possibly your employment could be legitimate and lead to PR otherwise being a millionaire helps!

Lacks pedestrian operated traffic lights. Have then on beach Rd Pattaya- why don't they roll them out everywhere?

6 hours ago, BritManToo said:

It's been bouncing around 38-44 since Brexit.

It's not as if the Oz/NZ/Canadian dollar is doing any better.

It was 51 before the ballot! Do not fear- will bounce back when Bozo is dragged kicking and screaming from Nos 10.

8 hours ago, starky said:

Well as a country that sucks up to China. And as a country that has never taken a side in any war as their only interest is their self interest I don't see why not.

  Money number 1 always seemed like a bit of a fancy but in this context it just shows Thailand for what it really is, a base nation in the truest sense of the word with no morals, no real values, ignoble and at times apathetic of and incredibly cruel to its own populace.

Gross exaggeration. Many more countries out there much worse than Thailand. Mine for one! Guess which?

Absolutely! Can't open up the country if basic hygiene isn't continued. Masks, hand washing and self isolation must continue. Booster vacs essential!

You know it makes sense!

19 hours ago, Mavideol said:

nope, not a lot of people are still wearing them, mostly foreigners are without masks and when asked to use one, they move somewhere else

Quoting Anutin?

Always best to copy data from last successful application. Probably eat my words when I do my next one as I've just registered a new passport!

1 hour ago, Moon6966 said:

When i left Thailand and landed in Bahrain it was like leaving 1 planet and arriving in another on my transfer 

No masks not even the official people 

Not in the duty free 

I really try to look between passengers and workers and uniform personnel 

But nobody was wearing masks hardly anyway 

And on the next flight same the air host workers on the plane no mask 

Arrived in my country no mask either 

Thailand live in the past 

Mask wearing keeps Thailand's infection rates down!

Jomtien insist you use their forms and handfill them. Tried v neat typed forms off their website and they sent me away to handfill their tatty photocopies! Also asked for a document list and they only had it in Thai! Not surprising I am considering changing from marriage to retirement extension with an agent when I don't have to queue at their office only providing photos passport and bankbook for their stamp. Cost is significant but how do you price in the stress of multiple visits and queuing to Immigration, Bank, Municipal Offices etc as well as  a possible home visit, 30 days under consideration when HQ may and does ask for more paperwork and then a further 13 mths of collecting credit advices from BB and monitoring Jomtien's ever-changing rules.

At some point I will either get fed up working year round for Immigration or become physically incapable of attending Bank, Municipal Offices and Immigration. Roaring around Pattaya in a souped up electric wheelchair at extension time could be the answer!

51 minutes ago, shackleton said:

I would assume most Thais would be happy to see the price of oil gas ect come down in Price no matter where it came from ????

Most would not know where the Ukraine is and would not be to concerned what is going on there ????

And quite a few think that Ukraine must have prodded the Russian Bear and brought it on themselves!

21 hours ago, AnotherFarang8 said:

Thailand and Russia are negotiating to implement MIR payment system that will help Thailand get precious rubles from tourists that Thailand can use to pay for cheap oil. There is also an agreement between these countries to increase mutual trade 10x. Thailand will export to Russia much more than it does now to acquire rubles it will need to pay for energy.

Source?

Well it follows that if you remove all restrictions to increase tourist revenue in the high season you will get super spreaders bringing in the latest variant. Somebody recommend me for a Nobel prize?

Experienced 3 recent UK arrivals all of which I had to remind to wear masks!

25 minutes ago, scorecard said:

All these changes have been happening in Australia for many years; very big reductions in total numbers of ATM machines, big numbers of branches closed all banks.

 

I'm aware of one bank which has reduced branches to one per state (and not all states). Customers have an ATM/Debit card, can get cash* from any ATM, bank instantly reimbursed other bank ATM costs. (*Cash rarely used now in Australia, 99% of all transactions is by quick touch debit cards.)

 

Customer cannot deposit cash at the actual bank because there's no branches (except 1 in most capital cities). Customer can depsoit cash at any other bank for instant transfer to their own bank which instantly reimburses any other bank deposit charges.

 

Old/new customers can do anything by online or telephone banking.

 

This bank is attractive for another reason; no 'press 6 for credit cards' etc. A bank officer (could be anywhere in one of their capital city offices (they have no other offices) answers every incoming call. Cannot transfer the call, same officer has comprehensive training and capabilities and must  complete whatever the customer wants by phone. Bank officer (on the phone) can easily/quickly talk the customer through uploading documents etc, showing bank products and more, especially if the customer downloads the bank app., all quick and easy. Excellent security including repeat security checks during phone calls etc., by voice recognition and more. 

Sorry but customers cannot do everything on a banking app-see my previous response

But what do we disenfranchised expats do when our embassies renege on income letters and we have to drag ourselves into our BB branch to obtain credit advices and annual statements for Immigration???

OK BB open branches in all Immigration Offices!

Or even better Embassies/Immigration do a deal on income letters!

U turn dangers extended into border airspace. Hope pilot looked both ways!

14 hours ago, DezLez said:

What has that statement got to do with bike licences?

You still have not bothered to answer the question;

"How does the issue of a so called "license" improve the quality of service or wages?" Especially in Thailand!!!

Licence requires public liability insurance-better than nothing which is what you get now!

7 jabs????

Fetish or what????

Anutins had 6- you his boss????