khunjeff

Yes, clearly career road-building professionals wouldn't actually complete the project unless a politician "directed" them to do so 🙄

They're not trying to protect the (tiny) local wine industry at all - the levy on wine is just a luxury tax, pure and simple.

There's nothing wrong with providing subsidies, but I wish they would stop referring to them as "gifts". They're ultimately paid for by taxpayers, not magically gifted by the politicians currently in office.

Yes, "ordering" is always the best way to get career professionals to do their jobs - I'm sure it never occurred to them to try to improve traffic flow until his "order" came down.

Obviously the "security" claim is totally absurd, but the official policy of almost every airline is indeed that you can only pool luggage for passengers on the same reservation number. Full service carriers may not bother enforcing that rule when it's obvious that a bunch of family members are traveling together, but the business model of budget carriers is different - they want to give you a low basic fare, but with as many ancillary fees as possible. Exactly 💯

As usual, a lot of hyperbolic verbiage and zero explanation of how this would actually work in practice for travelers from Thailand to HK.

The sidewalk on my soi was completely rebuilt about seven years ago, but you would never know to look at it - the construction was so poor that it looks like it's been degrading for 25 years. Placing the tiles on concrete rather than on sand will be an improvement, if they can really carry through on their promises.

About 20 years ago I went to an IKEA in the middle of downtown Hong Kong, located in the basement of an office building. So no, this is not a new concept "in all of Asia". Since I have an IKEA membership, I was also invited. They asked me to register online, and said the first 500 registrants could participate. I did so, but they never sent any acknowledgment or provided any indication of whether I was one of the lucky 500, so I didn't try to go. Very peculiar way to run a promotion.

They haven't "reestablished" or "reinstated" anything. These are the exact same flights that have already been operating, using the exact same planes that have been flying those routes, except now the flight number will begin with TG instead of WE. Big whoop. They made the same kind of ridiculous announcement in Hanoi a few weeks ago, holding a grand press conference to announce that they were "resuming" service to Vietnam - by which they meant changing the flight numbers on the exact same flights that had already been operating daily since Covid. Misleading the public isn't a good first step towards regaining trust after bankruptcy.

You're confusing visa validity (the period during which you can use your visa to enter the country) with length of stay (how long you can remain in the country once you enter) - the two are completely different. Yes, some nationalities can get a ten year visa, but they must fill out a lengthy application form, pay a fairly substantial fee, and probably make a personal appearance at a consulate or application center. The nationalities covered under the new program can just get on a plane with no formalities and be granted a 15 day stay in China.

Thailand has averaged over 50,000 foreign arrivals per day for all of 2023, so I have no idea what they're talking about. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1423617/monthly-foreign-tourist-arrivals-thailand/

So they arrested and punished disfigured people who are victims of human trafficking gangs? I guess they want to get back on the Trafficking in Persons watchlist, as the last TIP Report noted specifically that "government officials did not identify the majority as trafficking victims, placed foreign victims in immigration detention centers, and arrested victims, including Thai citizens, for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked in these illicit operations" - exactly what they're doing here, yet again.

Rangsit isn't a province - both Rangsit Station (Red Line) and Khu Khot (Green Line) are in Pathum Thani province.

Hong Kong as well.

I get free shipping on Shopee all the time, but you do have to know when codes will be distributed, and then use them before the allotment is exhausted. The rules for each code also differ, so I just keep stuff in my cart and then try the various codes until one works.

The police were taken from the Interior Ministry and placed directly under the Prime Minister about 25 years ago.

This can join the technology to inspect for black smoke emissions and excessively tinted windows, both of which have been introduced repeatedly over the last several decades with essentially zero result.

I like the flavor, but the mouthfeel and body are poor due to the use of rice in the mash.

It's a nice idea, and better than nothing, but ultimately of little value unless drivers are actually punished for ignoring the lights. I live close to a very busy zebra crossing with a pedestrian-operated light (not sure if it's penguin, puffin, kiwi, or emu), and some selfish idiot goes through the red light on virtually every change, even when people are actually crossing the street. (There's a countdown clock visible for at least 100m, so "I didn't see it" isn't an excuse.) I have never seen even a single driver or rider pulled over and fined for this, even on the rare occasions that a policeman is standing nearby, so the message is pretty clear that they authorities just don't care.

I quite liked those special hoppy brews in the aluminum bottles, and I can't stand regular Thai beer. Unfortunately, the advertising ban stopped them from getting into the public consciousness, and as you say the 79 baht price was likely too high for the folks looking for the cheapest possible buzz.

In Bangkok, I read that the zones are Patpong/Silom, Ratchada, and RCA, which I seem to recall were the same areas selected for special closing hours back during the Thaksin years. And no, it doesn't make sense that a policy intended to boost tourist spending is mostly focused on areas where most of the customers are local Thais (and often underage Thais at that).

They didn't "clarify" anything - just confirmed what everyone had already observed with their own eyes 👀

The "journalists" seem to have missed the fairly obvious clue of the BTS structure running alongside the road.

The Police have been directly under the PM for several decades already.

All well and good, but what exactly is this supposed to accomplish, other than lowering costs for the often exploitative Thai corporations that use these laborers? This has nothing to do with ASEAN per se. It's about unskilled migrant labor, which the Philippines does not supply to Thailand.