richard_smith237

Easily solved by the next lorry jumping the light or watching his phone has he passes the junction and shunts the car off the rail.... .... Apologies, Bazza.... thats not a fact.

Oh don’t know... my opinion is that your comment was somewhat pedantic, whether or not that is fact is debatable. I do think you are missing the point of a discussion forum.

So you were there. Any photos or video? Or maybe only one vehicle ran the light as the biker said, and you made the rest up, Why? why? because its a forum designed for discussion, comments, opinions, ideas debate. If you don’t want comments, read a news site !!! Anyone who has been here any length of time has seen how cars speed up as the countdown for the lights approaches zero... we have all seen the number of cars jumping lights seconds after its turned red. I’m always astonished how many cars follow me through an amber light (often 4 or 5 !!!) and the speed up and get right up close behind.... to squeeze through the light.

Definitely agree, but in Thailand when so many people don’t even bother with a licence to drive a car or ride a motorcycle society is most definitely not ready for this. Not because society can’t follow the rules, but because they don’t need to because the rules are rarely enforced. In many countries owners are responsible for any attack or injuries, damage etc a dog may cause, as such there is a stronger incentive for pets to be trained. This doesn’t stop the attacks from happening, but stronger penalties for an owners lack of responsibility could cut down the incidence of attacks. Within the month we’ll read of another attack, a child, mauled.... the same comments, the same debates, the same causes - poor training, poor ownership, lack of responsibility of owners. In that specific case it was a stupid argument. The child was in a residential street (not a main road with passing cars) and the parent was also stood in the street as the 3 year old was riding a bike. A dog which had escaped from a nearby house simply ran straight up to the child and attacked it, the mother was stood in the road 2m from the child and reacted immediately, but the child had already been mauled in a matter of seconds. ‘Should have known better’.... perhaps, should a child also know better ?? where is the line drawn with responsibility. A burglar at night - I think we’d all agree that its their own fault if they break in and are attacked by dogs. But, other circumstances.... when someone is innocent, the man delivering lemons, a child, emergency response, a new post man etc etc...

There is no ‘long term data’ for the Influenza vaccine, it changes every year as it tracks the drift of seasonal influenza. If we are to wait 10 years for the long term safety of the Covid-19 vaccines to be studied a number of issues will exist. Firstly, many many more will die pointlessly and by the time the Vaccine has passed all trials it is useless as the vaccine is no longer effective against new variants. The vaccine technology has been around for a long time, viral vector, deactivated virus, dead virus, mRNA vaccines. Now - how many of those questioning the safety of the Covid-19 vaccines actually paid any attention to the safety of the MMR vaccines, TB vaccine, Polio Vaccine, Meningococcal vaccine, Tetanus... etc etc... ??? Yes, there were ‘anti-vaxxers’ for the other vaccines, but even the ‘anti-covid-vax’ folk want to separate and differentiate themselves from the real anti-vax nutters.

I agree... Don’t ‘blame the dogs’..... 'blame the owners’... If a child grows up in vacuum without an moral guidance is the child wrong if when it reaches age of physical strength he/she kills another human? - the ‘person’ then does not know ‘right from wrong’, nevertheless the horrible reality is that that ‘person’ cannot live within society as he/she is a danger. The same can be said of dogs which attack, with their absence of consciousness they have no idea of moral right from wrong, but that animal can not live within society as it is a danger.

Exactly this..... I am on my 3rd return to Thailand (since the outbreak) - First two were ASQ (15 nights and 10 nights) - this time is is 14 nights Sandbox and a much more palatable prospect than being locked up in a hotel room. It's also much nicer being able to spend the same amount of money on a pool villa than a hotel room in Bangkok. The prospect of being free to go to restaurants, go to the beach, rent a motorcycle and ride around and even go to a bar for a few beers makes the outlook potentially enjoyable. Additionally, there also the prospect of brining my family down to stay with me during the Sandbox quarantine (if Phuket opens up to domestic tourism at that time). But... None of the above ‘improves’ things for Thailand, for myself and returnees like myself all the Sandbox has done is ‘divert’ the money from ASQ hotels in Bangkok to hotels in Phuket. That said, local restaurants etc may recognise a very minor benefit but I am under no illusion that ‘Sandboxers’ are making any notable financial contribution to the local economy - the numbers of Sandbox arrivals are just too small. As an experiment the Sandbox scheme has shown that Vaccinated and PCR tested international arrivals do not present a covid risk to Thailand - Thus, from this perspective the scheme is a success, but only if Thailand can avoid the ‘pathetic discussions’ and act intelligently solely on results by opening up completely to vaccinated international arrivals.

"neither of which harmed me”...... I don’t wear a seatbelt or Motorcycle helmet - Never needed them !!! The measles is a decease which can be vaccinated against with complete effectiveness. Yet on 2019 Measles killed 207, 000 people? Why? the outbreaks were driven by gaps in vaccination. The H1N1 2009 caused an estimated 700 million to 1.4 Billion cases, 274,000 hospitalisations and 18,500 deaths (officially although WHO estimates 284,000 deaths world wide) - The odds of death from Flu are very small, however if you are old and in a high risk group you definitely want to avoid it. Thus: MMR - best to get the vaccine (vaccinate your kids etc) Influenza - best to get the seasonal vaccine if you are in a high risk group, otherwise not really any significant need. With all of that said - Implying that ‘I was ok, so there is no need for others to vaccinated' is a very narrow minded anecdotally bias and flawed outlook.

Many people applying for CoE suffer from this ‘user interface error’ and blame the system. The CoE process is relatively painless and quick, but it is clearly tripping up a lot of people who may not identify the various idiosyncrasies of the site such as hitting the ‘Upload’ button after uploading !... I also found that some web browsers are better than others (I found that I Safari would just hang, so I used Chrome instead). Regarding not having a Passport Number on the Vaccination Certificate - I also had that issue and simply ‘edited’ the PDF to add in my Passport number before I submitted the Vaccination Certification. There is always a simple solution - we just have to think outside the box slightly. Friends found out a couple of hurdles when travelling with their Children. The CoE application required the Vaccination details of the Children. Of course, children are not vaccinated. The work around was to just put the parents vaccination details in. The other issue was the requirement for Thai ID #, but young children do not have a Thai ID #, again the work around was to simply but the Mothers Thai ID number in that box. The CoE application stage in many cases is simply about getting past that first hurdle, from there on ‘Humans’ can see that the issues can easily be ’side stepped’...

I’m not so sure that is true. The mere nature of the Sandbox is to ‘experiment’ and allow incoming tourists to the Islands in a controlled manner and to see if the arrivals increase any risks of Covid-19 spread within Thailand. (The term ‘Sandbox' means ’test in a controlled environment’). In terms of recognising that Sandbox arrivals do not present any major risk of increasing Covid-19 numbers in Thailand I would argue that the Sandbox is a success. In terms of ‘increasing’ tourism I do not thing the Sandbox has been a success and tourist arrivals have been limited, certainly not enough to provide the economic stimulus required to keep the wolf from the door for many businesses related to tourism. The next step is of course to permit international arrivals to Thailand ‘beyond’ the Sandbox and rely on a similar system of allowing only vaccinated arrivals with a pre-flight and arrival PCR test without any specific need to remain in a geographic region.

I have done this (sort of). Received 1st AZ shot in Thailand, then travelled to work and received 2 Pfizer shots (1st one a month later, 2nd one a month after that). Personally, I don’t think there is any risk with ‘adding shots’ they are just vaccines. The issue of course is getting someone to agree and sign off on that, try and get a Dr to sign off that its ok to eat a tub of mayonnaise after a Covid-19 vaccination and most will be reluctant - my point there is whenever colouring slightly outside the lines there are very few who would put their name to it, thus others will interpret that as dangerous. IF you really need to get a vaccine certificate of an internationally recognised vaccine the do not tell them you have been previously vaccinated. Options depend on your nationality and availability of vaccine in that country. i.e. if you are British and go to the UK you should be able to easily get a vaccine, although I suspect you may not get a choice and given either Pfizer or AZ - other countries may be different. I’m not sure if there are any options to pay privately for a vaccine and get a choice yet.

“I was passing through the intersection during a green light when Mr. Somkuan’s vehicle crashed into me, running the light.” Translation: "I was running a light which had just changed to red, unfortunately I wasn’t going fast enough for the car behind which was also running the red light”....

Fair enough - it seems that every thread with even the remotest mention of Covid-19 turns into an anti-vax argument.... My apologies for feeding the anti-vax troll.

While the ‘sound bites’... ‘political buzz wording’ clearly lend to the paranoia the normally deliberate, methodical process as you called it is also known as bureaucractic and highly inefficient. The years approval applications sat in offices awaiting sign off were simply removed. Vast sums of money and resources were also thrown into the vaccines, more than any other vaccine in history. Improved from what ? the mRNA vaccines are already effective. Vaccines will need to continued evolving with the antigenic drift of the virus, just like the influenza vaccines. Thus, the ‘vaccine’ will always be new !!! Treatments will also be developed which are more effective at treating those with Covid-19 and mitigating their symptoms.

Sweden: Population: 10.23m / Covid-19 Deaths: 14,668 Norway: Population: 5.33m / Covid-19 Deaths: 811 Finaland: Population: 5.52m / Covid-19 Deaths: 1012 I checked the numbers to contradict that news, but found the above facts to be damning. On the surface of it those countries which locked down, fared better, perhaps Sweden slightly higher population density may be a reason, but its capital is more sparsely populated than the capitals of its neighbours. Sweden: 25 per Km2 / Stockholm: 367 per Km2 Norway: 15 per Km2 / Oslo: 1533 per Km2 Finland: 18 per Km2 / Helsinki 2986 per Km2 The facts remain damning, lockdown seems much more effective than Swedens ‘open’ model.

If you prefer an ASQ hotel room that you can’t leave for 15 nights, thats your choice. However, if you are basing that choice only on the idea that you cannot leave phuket after a 14 Sandbox quarantine, the information you have is incorrect. After 14 days staying at an SHA Plus hotel under the SandBox scheme any visitor is free to travel elsewhere in Thailand. Domestic flights ‘for the most part’ have stopped, but there are still options: Nok Air - to U-Tapao (not sure of frequency) Thai Airways (to Bangkok - 2 twice per week from Sept) People are hiring cars / vans off the island There is a ‘Sandbox Bus’ off the island to Suvarnabumi airport I will be in ’Sandboxing’ in a couple of weeks. I have no concerns about getting off the island after 14 days. But, if I can, I will probably bring my family down to Phuket instead of going back to Bangkok if it is still in Lock down. Thus, one thing to consider is will anything even be open in Bangkok and Patts when you are visiting - Phuket may well be a better option all around.

Actually it is... which is why we have a Flu Vaccine... measles vaccines, MMR, Typhoid, polio etc... all of these diseases which have in the past and can reach epidemic levels if not mitigated against. 1980 - 2.6 million people died of a measles epidemic - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measles 2014 - 141,000 people died of Typhoid - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoid_fever 2000 - 2,17 case of Typhoid with 217,000 deaths. 1918 - H1N1 we all know about that one ! 1957 - H1N2 1.1 million estimated deaths world wide 2009 - H1N1 60.8 million cases

I have also heard that Rawai is one of the busier area’s along with Laguna area as this is were there are most expat residents. But regrind travel off the island, your comments are rubbish. One read of the ‘Sandbox’ facebook groups highlights exactly how people are travelling off the island to other areas of Thailand.

History is also full of epidemics and pandemics which have killed people. I wonder how many of those who are refusing to poison their body with this vaccine turn a blind eye when it comes to other ‘stuff’ they put into their body, medication, process foods, KFC etc with all the hormones, plants grown with pesticides etc. I get that some people have concerns about possible the long term risk, but have they balanced this risk against other factors of their life? Its very easy to be vocal against something such as a covid-19 vaccine because people are playing on their fears, but for some reason other risk factors of peoples lives have become so normalised they don’t notice them... .... it seems to be the health equivalent of being penny wise and pound foolish.

Please provide a link the ‘printed rules’ you imagined that said no one can leave the island ? The use of the program was to ‘study’ the risks involved with allowing vaccinated foreigners to enter Thailand. Once foreigners have completed their 14 nights of ’island isolation’ they are free to travel to other parts of Thailand in exactly the same manner they would be had they quarantined at an ASQ in Bangkok (local / provincial restrictions permitting). There have been busses departing for Bangkok (3x per week) There have been private vans arranged (people booking together or inviting others online) People have been renting cars, shared or alone. There have been flights to U-Tapao Bangkok Airways have announced flights to Samui Thai Airways have announced flights to Bangkok (twice per week) from Sept. https://aseannow.com/topic/1228088-thai-airways-to-resume-flights/

You’ve answered your own question... small enough that a child's hand or fingers can’t get through. Ultimately, if people want to have dogs in their yard as either pets or security, or both - there really need to be a few precautions to prevent innocent people (and children from getting hurt).

With all the media outrage against a small group of people ‘breaking the rules’ my opinions remain the same. If its a group of 6 people in a private house being charged for exceeding the law on ‘no more than five’ or if its 3 policemen grabbing a bite to eat... I see no issue with either, news such as this offers opportunity for those wishing to throw fake outrage and sanctimony around. Of course, police should not beyond the law, but this rule is pretty daft and knee-caps common sense. ----- The other facet of this story... the outrageous BS from the police officers. Its well known police officers visit restaurants etc in their area and get free food etc... and the idea that a guy had to eat before taking medication and this meal was provided with fortuitous timing to meet the officers medical demand is utterly hilarious.

After you have registered for your CoE (Stage 1) you will receive a Pre-authorisation e-mail with a 6 digit reference code. One you have your hotel and travel confirmations you need to submit those. Your hotel will provide you with a SHABA certificate. You use the reference code from your SHABA certificate to book your covid-19 tests with PSAS arrival, day 6 and day 12 Covid-19 CPR tests <https://www.thailandpsas.com> In the CoE application (stage 2) You input submit Codes from the SHABA hotel certificate as proof of SHA Plus accommodation. In the CoE application (stage 2) You upload your PSAS Covid-19 booking receipt along with your CoE application and all other documents (flights). IF you have all the documents the process is quick, the slowest part of the process for me was waiting for the hotels to send the SHABA certification. After the initial (Stage 1) application, submission of documents needs to be carried out within 14 days. A lot of people apply anywhere from 4 weeks to 2 weeks in advance. While some apply 2 months in advance and others less than a week in advance. Some Embassies are more responsive than others. Two weeks in advance is fine IMO (I have gone through the CoE process 3 times, 2 for ASQ and 1 for Sandbox).

IF someone tests positive while in ASQ, they are taken to the Partner hospital for ‘treatment / isolation’. Theoretically their insurance ‘covers’ the hospital treatment / isolation period. But, some insurance may not cover non-symptomatic hospitalisation, so that could get messy. Thus, IF someone tests positive, I suggest they ‘fake’ symptoms so that something is placed on the admission sheet and the hospital is forced to cover treatment !! IF someone tests positive as a Sandbox arrival, I think they are taken to a hospital (not sure if there are any partner hospitals with the Sandbox scheme), they are 'treated / isolated’ at the hospital. Again, theoretically their insurance ‘covers’ the hospital treatment / isolation period. They are also refunded for their unused portion of their hotel stay. Again, insurance cover is a grey are and insurance may not cover non-symptomatic hospitalisation, so again, that could get messy. As there is a small risk of ‘false positive’, anyone who tests ‘Positive' for Covid-19 should demand a second conformation test.

I agree with you up to a point, but we don’t live in a world where there is a perfectly placed line between right and wrong. Unfortunately, some humans create a mess. In this case the humans (owners) have created this mess. We have owners who have not adequately trained their animals and have not adequately secured their property so that someone cannot get hurt. For the benefit of the animals and everyone else these owners should never be allowed to own dogs. IF and owner cannot train their dog properly, why should the be allowed to have them? We now have a situation where there are animals which are known not just to bite, but to attack with sufficient severity that a person who was simply ‘delivering an item(s)’ lost a limb. Is this not enough of a warning ?.... Next time it could be a child retrieving a ball, next time the gate may not be fully closed and the dog(s) escaped, run out in to the street and mail a child playing - then we face the moronic arguments (that we saw in another thread) where posters argue that a child should not be in the street. [in the example above, a dog ran out and mauled a child playing less than a couple of meters away from her parent] So, why I agree, in a perfect world the dog should not be punished for doing what comes naturally to an animal (protecting its territory), it should either be ’trained’ or removed so that it cannot attack again. The owners are most definitely responsible for this man being attacked.