newnative

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.

The tourism figures you quote for 2023 do not show a 'significant shift' to Asian tourists in 2023 compared to the period before covid. In 2019, pre-covid, the shift had already taken place. 'East Asia' tourists that year were 16,600,000. 'ASEAN' tourists were 10,600,000. 'Europe' was 6,700,000. 'South Asia' was 2,400,000. 'Americas' was 1,600,000. If your 2023 tourist figures are correct, you have Asia at 20 million, Europe at 6 million, and Americas at 1.3 million. Not much different than 2019, especially Europe and Americas, and certainly not a big shift from what was already happening pre-covid.

Well, duh