richard_smith237

Yeah nah In 2024, a total of 323 people tragically lost their lives to drowning in Australia, according to the Royal Life Saving Society - Australia. This figure represents a 16% increase compared to the 10-year average of 278 deaths. The National Drowning Report 2024, published by Royal Life Saving Society in partnership with Surf Life Saving Australia, provides a detailed analysis of these drownings, including factors like age, sex, location, and activity Yup - it looks like that at a layman's glance on the surface - but once we look at this a little more intelligently, dig a little deeper into the area, and numbers and standardise the comparison: There are approximately ~1500 drownings each year in Thailand - many of those are kids in ponds (more safety education in schools would help a lot here). Australia's coastline is ~59,700 km (incl. islands) / Thailands is ~3,200 km. Drownings in Australia: 323 people / Thailand ~1500 (per year) To make a more fair comparison evaluate Phuket with New South Wales (I used Bondi in my example earlier). On average, roughly 61 coastal drownings for new south wales in a year (2023) New South Wales Coastline: ~2,137 km (1,328 miles) Comparison Metrics: New South Wales (NSW) vs Phuket Coastline length: 2,137 km (NSW) / 210 km (Phuket) Annual drownings: 61 (NSW) / 13 (Phuket) Population (approx): 8,400,000 (NSW) / 1,000,000 (Phuket residents + tourists - high season) Drownings per 100,000 ppl: 0.73 (NSW) / 1.30 (Phuket) Drownings per 100 km of coast: 2.85 (NSW) / 6.19 (Phuket) Phuket’s drowning rate per person is ~78% higher than NSW’s. Phuket’s coastline has a drowning density more than twice that of NSW Key Risk Factors Driving Phuket’s Higher Rates - Lower lifeguard coverage and less robust rescue infrastructure. - Tourists unfamiliar with ocean conditions (esp. during monsoon season). - Less signage and beach management, particularly at remote or non-resort beaches. - Non-compliance with red flag warnings and poor beach behaviour awareness. Phuket presents higher drowning risk per capita and per kilometre of coastline than NSW.

Also.. in your opinion (as you seem more familiar) - does the need more investment & coverage, or would you say what they have is adequate ? https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/weather/swimmers-at-surin-beach-left-without-lifesavers-as-council-removes-funding https://thethaiger.com/news/phuket/Lifeguard-chief-says-budget-cut-not-impact-service-quality https://thethaiger.com/news/phuket/No-lifeguards-Phuket-beaches-tomorrow https://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-beach-drowning-deaths-double-in-wake-of-lifeguard-contract-failure-68796.php

All there already. All year round, full compliment of guards across all beaches, working shifts from morning to evening ? All the right equipment, jet-skis, boards, full compliment of life-guards, full staff training ? Or one or two guys on some beaches, guys who sit there in some seasons... And aren't are yearly arguments about funding and threats to dismantle the service. ?

This is what confuses me... I can have (I think) up to 8 e-sims on my phone and switch between each as I choose. But... Do T-Mobile own your phone (i.e. is part of your payment plan including the phone and cell/data package on a monthly plan)... Or do you own the phone and simply have a monthly contract ? i.e. it seems T-Mobile locks your phone to its network only...

I'm confused ? T-Mobile (USA) lock your Thai-Sim ?? theoretically you could have both on at the same time, no ?

Sounds like they've pulled a fast one and sold a bike that's been sat in their showroom for about 2 years... Are there any 'face lift' changes to the bike between 2023 and 2025MY ?? ------ Years ago when selling a car - a 'Tent dealer' called me out on the age of my car... I thought it was a 2005, he told me it was a 2004... but realistically, thats not abnormal as the chassis number us is just the manufacturing year, not the model year (they are slightly different)... But a car 'to be sold in 2025' could have a MY (manufacturing year of 2024) - thats as I understand it anyway.

But it was 787-Dreamliner and initial suggestions imply incorrect flaps on takeoff resulting stall... (not my interpretation, just what others are suggesting)....

I know an old lady who swallowed a horse………… Malcy regularly bar-fines her !!...

What crime / criminals ???

There are about 12 million doctors and about 10,000 virologists worldwide..... I consider anyone who entertains such a widespread conspiracy to be a thoroughly compromised fool... The evidence simply isn’t there for all to see - not by a long shot. If it were, we’d all be seeing it, not just the painfully self-proclaimed “free-thinking” anti-authoritarians. I often wonder how much overlap truly exists between the anti-vax crowd, flat-earthers, and moon-landing conspiracy theorists. It would make for a fascinating study - if only to chart the limits of human idiocy - There’s a chasm between genuine intellectual enlightenment and the willful ignorance that fuels anti-vax delusions - a bottomless pit of denial masquerading as ‘critical thinking'.... Lets see if your like minded peers are ready to accept that viruses do not exist, or pathogenic viruses do not exists, that viruses have never been isolated, that pathogenic viruses have never been isolated, or that diseases do not exist... (just some of the silliness you've spouted over the past few months).

This is a fundamental part of the issue. Quite the paradox you present: an unfortunate cautionary tale in a lab coat of irony, serving as a walking advert for the worst-case scenario... You’ve had vaccines - and now stand as a screaming example of how they might not be safe, causing serious damage once the blood-brain barrier is compromised... And yet, billions saunter through life blissfully unaffected, shielded by the very same science that supposedly scrambled your circuitry... Funny, isn’t it?.... A world saved, while you scream into the void... statistically tragic… existentially hilarious.

Thinking out loud here—this may not be directly tied to the current thread, but there's a clear connection worth exploring. In another discussion, a lad lays in a hospital bed with the bills piling up, and the topic of travel insurance came up. While that was a separate issue, this thread draws parallels of something just as critical... Every year, a number of tourists drown on Phuket’s west coast. The currents there are significantly more dangerous than in other parts of Thailand - and yet, safety infrastructure often feels like an afterthought, limited at best. In that other thread, I mentioned the 300 baht tourist tax 0 something that could easily be handled through the existing TDAC system... the maths works. - 300 baht per tourist × 35.5 million tourists = roughly 10.65 billion baht (≈ US$ 292.2 million). IF The annual medical cost burden of tourists sits at just 300 million baht (≈ US$ 8.22 million). That's barely a fraction. So here's my point: There's a surplus - enough to genuinely invest in life-saving infrastructure. Not just healthcare post-accident, but proactive measures - where Phukets beaches are concerned: - Fully trained and equipped lifeguards - Regular patrols across Phuket's beaches - Public education campaigns on ocean safety And no, not “beach boys on a budget”... I'm talking Bondi Rescue-level professionalism. How much would that really cost, per year?

I know... just IMAGINE.... It would just as nuts as chaos from the sudden knowledge that the earth is flat, or that diseases are a figment of our imagination.. ... Thankfully, such delusions are reserved for the folly of fools...

Agreed... Chon-Buri Hospital is about 85km from Bangkok and 60 km from Pattaya - so he may have got over half way before something went wrong... My thoughts too - I'm wondering if in a moment of madness he decided to ride to Pattaya and didn't quite make it... Certainly his close friends and family will want to know what happened.. its a very odd story.

Step by step list... Items, locations (you and them), communications methods, where you first saw the item advertised, payment methods, nationalities involved, expected delivery methods etc... Whether this was a private sale, or from a business etc The more info you provide, the more help you can get...

Why don't you think twice before asking for assistance - its impossible for anyone to offer help with the lack of information you provided... Its like asking... "I got hit, what can I do ?" - the question itself is so vauge its impossible.... So, as for thinking twice... Give it a try... There aren't any that offer advice, because you provided zero context. There's plenty of help here... but you really need to help others help you, if you get my point...

f Fabio can’t even be arsed to provide the barest shred of relevant detail, why the hell should anyone even bother giving this oxygen ? Frankly, it’s no surprise he got scammed - when someone is so intellectually barren that they ask for help without offering even the most basic context, they deserve the black hole of silence they invite. Expecting others to play psychic while those asking for assistance dribble out nothing is lazy....

It never ceases to amaze me just how wilfully oblivious some anti-vaxxers can be to the blindingly obvious - as if slapping a meme or a quote onto a thread somehow annihilates the most basic principles of common sense. Your example captures this absurdity in pristine form: the laughable claim that people over 80 years old who received the influenza vaccine died at a higher rate. Well of course they did - they were older and more likely to die regardless. It’s as moronic as presenting “evidence” that no one who took a vaccine after the age of 90 survived another 30 years - as if that proves anything beyond the staggering density of the person making the claim. The sheer idiocy and mind-warping absurdity of trotting out examples like this genuinely beggars belief.

Awww... cute.. Malcy our 'highly awarded drink-driving-monger' is still so desperate to provoke.... Dealing with the points directly: Riding off the road and into a moat - and you think he might be experienced rider ???.... you're funny... IF you think a tourist is licensed to ride a bike on their standard UK licence, you are likely wrong - and if so, that 'would' make rental illegal.. thus, tts very probable he was unlicensed (unlikely he'd passed his CBT) - of course possible, but really you know the likelihood of that already and just want to be a t!t.... If you think a motorcycle that ends up in a water (a moat) is not waterlogged / water damaged - more fool you next time you go bike shopping.... .... you tried so hard to ridicule my 'guesses' that once again you just look like a total nitwit you're known to be. I'll have a guess... 'never rode a motorcycle in his life before'.... ... more possible that he had never ridden before and had no idea what he was doing... Likely unlicensed and rented illegally - that crack-down they announced a few months back didn't last, as if it was ever expected it would !!!... This will now cost him - the bike is waterlogged... how much is a brand new Honda Click these days ?

Indeed... but sadly this is quite accepted and has reached the news on a couple of occasions in recent years.... November 2024 - Eighth Grade (Selaphum district, Roi Et Province) The student 'Lalida' was made to perform 100 squat jumps as punishment for forgetting her badminton racquet. She developed rhabdomyolysis, suffered muscle breakdown and kidney stress; was unable to walk and bedridden for several days. July 2024 - a 15-year-old high school student in Kanchanaburi was forced by a teacher to perform 200 squat jumps as punishment for skipping class. The student suffered severe leg pain, developed Myofascial Pain Syndrome, and required two surgeries conducted in August 2024

The idea of introducing a tourist tax has been floated numerous times over the years - most recently, there was quite a bit of chatter around a proposed “300 baht tourist tax.” However, from what I gather, this initiative seemed less about genuine improvements or addressing concerns around healthcare costs and public perception, and the cynic in my suspected this was more about those in power attempting to secure a new revenue stream - a classic case of a “money grab.” Previous challenges with the proposal included: Logistical hurdles: There was significant uncertainty about how to efficiently collect the tax at arrival points without causing chaos. Concerns over delays: Adding an extra payment step at airports risked creating long queues, frustrating tourists upon entry. Fairness issues: The idea of embedding this tax into airline tickets was dismissed, primarily because it would unfairly burden Thai nationals. Ironically, some discussions even hinted at imposing a similar tax on Thais traveling abroad - a notion that reflects some of the more questionable, protectionist thinking occasionally found among policymakers. If I remember correctly: The tax was initially slated to be introduced in April 2024, then postponed to September 2024, and since then, the proposal has fallen off the radar altogether. Looking at the figures: - Income from Medical Tourism (2024): US$ 15.4 billion - Income from Tourism as a whole (2024): US$ 48.45 billion - Medical cost burden of tourists: 300 million Baht (≈ US$ 8.22 million) - Medical cost burden as a percentage of medical tourism income: 0.053% - Medical cost burden as a percentage of total tourism income: 0.017% Too often, reports focus on the costs tourists impose - particularly medical costs - without balancing those concerns against the enormous economic benefits that tourism, including medical tourism, brings to Thailand. In my view, Thailand already earns so much from tourism that it could comfortably absorb the medical cost burden tourists impose. This burden accounts for only a tiny fraction of total tourism income, and essentially, the country does just that already. Yet, the ongoing rhetoric complaining about tourists as a “burden” is unhelpful, optically very poor, and IMO counterproductive for a nation so dependent on its tourism sector. On the 300 Baht Tourist Tax: Such a tax could work. The main issue in the past was the absence of a clear, efficient framework to collect the fee upon arrival. Early ideas included adding it to airline tickets, which was rightly seen as unfair to Thai nationals. Ultimately, the whole debate generated more noise than progress. But today, Thailand already has a well-established system: the Digital Tourist Arrival Card (TDAC). This online platform could easily be adapted to include a 300 baht tourist tax - payable only by foreigners - which could feed directly into a national insurance fund for tourists at public hospitals. Tourists who prefer private care could still purchase travel insurance, as responsible traveler's routinely do. This wouldn’t replace private insurance for those who want it, but would offer a baseline of coverage for accidents and medical incidents occurring within Thailand (with care at government hospitals). To put it in perspective: 300 baht per tourist × 35.5 million tourists = approximately US$ 292.2 million. This sum is about 2.8% of the medical cost burden attributed to tourism, offering a comfortable financial buffer. With the TDAC system in place, implementing a unified, online 300 baht tourist tax would be straightforward. It would exempt Thai nationals, ensuring fairness, and cover unforeseen medical incidents tourists might experience while in the country. Would this discourage some travelers from buying travel insurance? Possibly. But with a large financial surplus - over 97% of the medical burden covered by the tax alone - there’s ample room to swallow and absorb any resulting differences. Moreover, many tourists opt for insurance out of responsibility, ensuring access to private care and peace of mind (we don't read about all those in the news - we only see the horror stories, which amplifies our impressions of such issues). A Tax system wouldn’t replace that choice to 'self insure' with travel insurance but complement it. Longer Term Visa holders: I see scope for significant potential for Thailand to extend its national healthcare system to longer-term visa holders - such as those on Non-Immigrant B visas including retirees and spouses - by allowing them to contribute to and access care at government hospitals. Thailand already attracts many retirees and long-stay residents through attractive visa options like Retirement and Marriage Visas, yet these individuals often face high private medical costs and limited public healthcare access. Introducing a system where long-term residents can pay into a national health insurance scheme would promote inclusivity, reduce financial uncertainty, and encourage longer stays, while also generating additional funding for public healthcare. This could be implemented through contributions linked to visa renewals, offering essential healthcare coverage at public facilities, and administered jointly by relevant government agencies. Such a move would complete the residency package Thailand offers - providing not only visas but also equitable medical support - enhancing the country’s appeal as a welcoming, modern destination for retirees and expatriates alike. Finally: The infrastructure to implement the 300 baht Tourst Tax (insurance) is already in place (TDAC), making it a relatively small step with potentially significant benefits. It would also help reduce negative narratives about tourists “burdening” the system, and curb unfair practices like state-sponsored double pricing aimed at foreigners. Thailand could transform this challenge into a major positive: “Look how we fleece visitors who experience misfortune here”... This is a far better message than the current one, which sounds more like: “how you pay ?... where's the money”...

Good story, and I can see that happening here in some areas. A number of years ago now in an office mutli-story car park in BKK... I was slow looking for a space, the driver behind me impatient, over-took and hit the side of my car... we stopped - she didn't get out of the car, clearly afraid of the 'bad foreigner'... ... so I just went back to my car and called my insurance... within 10mins about 20 office staff (male and female) were there talking with her... probably all her colleagues... Fortunately, none of them showed any aggression to me... But, I can see how things in 'some areas' (delicate wording) could get out of control quickly.... Regarding your motorcycle story... very similar happened to me... I saw a single motorcyclist sway into the central reservation then wipe out... so I stopped to help. Then locals came out... the difference was that I asked them to help, call and ambulance, stop traffic (with the light on their phones - it was night time) etc... but, they could easily have behaved differently. So... I do understand the 'mob rule' thing... But, I still dont see it as an excuse.... Hit-and-Run is just that, unless a mob forms and then driving straight to a police station 'could' be justified... in this story of the Porsche driver, no way...

Absolutely spot on...

Ensure you have 'Wifi-Calling' enabled... (and data roaming off etc).. you should be able to receive SMS (over Wifi). Thats the way it works for me with True... ( I get the OTP's - even in areas with zero cell network ).

Hopefully... but even then the attention diminishes quite quickly... This is something that needs persistence as the media here seem to be more effective than the scales of justice.