newnative

Any workers in the photo? Not that I can see. And, usually few around whenever I pass a construction project. What should take a few weeks to finish takes months. That intersection is the most important one in Pattaya and should have been done weeks and weeks ago.

With Pattaya, that's already in progress, and has been for sometime. Take a gander at what's going on in north Pattaya/Wong Amat. Terminal 21, of course, with its Centre Point hotel, but also the new family wing at Amari, built specifically for families with larger suites so they can all stay together. Across the street from T21 is Centre Point Space, also geared to families with its space theme. On the beach, Dusit and Cape Dara. Centara, the very large grand daddy of them all with its kids-oriented Jurassic Park vibe and family entertainments, is now undergoing a big renovation. Also near T21, a large tract of old, rundown shops and restaurants has just been bulldozed, with something called Again Pattaya to be built. In front of Cape Dara, on a huge plot of land, Centre Point 3 has started construction and will be bigger than both CP1 and Centre Point Space. New hotels Mytt and Ozo are also geared to regular tourists, meetings and weddings. Mytt has a ballroom that can hold 1500 people, and a second one that can hold 800. In addition to the family entertainments that Pattaya has had for some time, including Nong Nooch Gardens, the aquarium, Tiger Park, Ripley's, Mini Siam, elephant parks, etc., several new family entertainments have been built, including the Universal Studios Aquaverse, Ramayana, the new Go-Cart track, Dolphinarium, Frost Magical Ice and all the entertainments near it, and now the brand new water park near the View Ang restaurant. On the condo front, there have been dozens of new, large low and highrise projects done--from Riviera Wong Amat to Copacabana in Jomtien. At least a half dozen new mega condo projects are either under construction or getting started. One will be 65 stories, the highest in Pattaya. I'm sure there are more new things that I am unaware of--I only came across the new waterpark I mentioned when I went to lunch at View Ang. It's easy to see that the great majority of what has been built recently, and what is being planned and is under contruction, is aimed at the family/couples tourist demographic.

Treating everyone equally, in theory, should not be a 'can of worms'.

Yaa! I'd like to see the 'access to healthcare' clarified.

Yawn. Slow news day if this is considered one of the two top stories on the news feed.

Just do it already, already, already.

Yet, Pattaya was the 15th most visited city in the world in 2023.

Same for my spouse and myself. And, I suspect, for quite a few.

Good answers already regarding the FET document. This used to be called a Tor Tor 3 so some of the people you encountered might just know it by that term. I would not put much stock into anything a sales clerk at a mall kiosk tells me. I would recommend first deciding what area you want to be in and then research what is available. Do some thinking about what amenities you would like the condo project to have to fit your lifestyle. Be aware that many big projects sporting lots of units in the 30 sqm range will likely have multiple units purchased by investors that will be doing Airbnb short-term rentals, even though rentals of less than 30 days are illegal in Thailand. If your project having the feeling of a hotel rather than a residence is no problem for you, not a concern then. If that could be a concern, you might consider a project with fewer, larger units. These projects do not as easily lend themselves to short-term rentals and investors have a harder time buying multiple units and operating an illegal boutique hotel within the condo project. Whether buying a condo from a new project or a resale, you certainly can negotiate. If you show up without a real estate agent, you should at least get a 3% reduction in the price that would be paid to the agent for bringing you, the buyer, to the seller. I would always recommend buying in foreign quota. The condo will be in your name, it will be more valuable and easier to sell should you ever decide to sell, and you avoid all the yearly paperwork involved in owning a condo in company name. Take your time, educate yourself about what is available in the area you want, and good luck.

Yes, another poorly written headline.

Nonsense. It's not even the 'only driving force' for Pattaya.

The never-ending project.

Well, Trump certainly didn't help himself in Wisconsin, a swing state. Hope Milwaukee residents have long memories, stretching to November.

They can play Whack-A-Mole all they want but it's not going to stop the movement. Each time it will just come back stronger.

I was a state worker for 30 years and I wish we had had some sort of union to represent state workers. It wasn't allowed. For one long stretch for a number of years we did not even get a COLA raise. I had to take a part-time job to make ends meet. If you were ranked outstanding on the yearly evaluations, you were supposed to get a bonus. I was, every year, and never got a bonus, ever--always told, no money for it but thanks for doing a great job. That long stretch with no COLAs was under a Democrat governor, which I was not happy with, being a Democrat. Some of the Republican governors were actually better at giving the state workers at least a modest COLA.

Yes. I don't know why this is always such a big deal with posters. If you're a beach town you preserve and protect your biggest asset--the beach.

Fine with me. I don't care where they are built. I just like having more choice when I go shopping for an automobile than I had in 2010 when I first came here.

Not really. As a car buyer, I have more choices now than I did in 2010, when I first arrived. Yes, Chevrolet left. But MG arrived. BYD arrived. And Tesla, Hyundhai, Jeep, and KIA. Plus Aion and Neta. And, Changan. And, GWM. A company, whatever the product, leaving a market is, in many cases, more a sign of problems with the company than a market. The previously mentioned Chevrolet is a good example, with its limited and somewhat dated product offered in Thailand that couldn't compete very well--and likely would be even more so now with the increased competition. Rather than making a major investment to try to get back in the game, Chevrolet chose to exit and put its money elsewhere. Say what you will about the Chinese car manufacturers. They are making big investments in Thailand, with both fresh, and varied, new product and new dealerships. For example, until recently, I never thought of MG as being much of an auto company but here in Thailand they sell a luxury passenger van, a truck, a sedan, and at least 3 or 4 different suv models. Plus, maybe we'll get the new Cyberster sports car down the road. Compare that to the limited offerings of some of the other companies, some of which are struggling.

Lock them up or deport them. This is not the way to protest.

Get your new name ready. I suggest Forward Move Party. When that's disbanded, there's Party Move Forward waiting in the wings You can always throw Future in there, too, for some nostalgia, when that party is also given the ax. Keep on keeping on.

I agree. I also have a Chinese 10-year visa in my old passport. I checked about getting it transferred to my new passport at the Chinese visa office in Bangkok on Phetchaburi Road and they told me to take both the old and the new passport when I go to China.

Normal. Beach communities need to protect their biggest asset--the beach.

Well, you got one thing right. The 'people' did, indeed, 'speak' in 2016 and the 'people' preferred Clinton, by over 2 millon votes. 2 MILLION. The 'people' loudly rejected Trump. (Also even louder in 2020, by over 7 MILLION.) Trump, of course, was, as you say, 'appointed' (good way to put it) in 2016--by the cursed Electoral College. Not elected by the 'people'.

My Will has my signature and the witness signatures on every page. You can keep possession of your Will but make sure your Executor knows where it is. My lawyer also retains a copy.

I totally blame the airlines. With Economy configurations these days with such tight space, allowing the seats to recline more than just a little makes for a bad experience for the passenger behind the reclined seat. You end up with endless arguments on whether you should ever recline your seat at all. Airlines need to step in and change their seat reclinement so that it only reclines a few inches--that seems to be the best solution to a bad situation--brought on by the airlines themselves.