khunjeff

The property sector manages to turn every piece of news and rumor into a reason why real estate is about to enter a boom cycle, and the media keep faithfully repeating their press announcements as though they're based in reality rather than wishful thinking.

We've heard similar announcements from the same group of countries every couple of years for decades, and so far virtually nothing has happened - so I don't think Uncle Sam has much to worry about for the moment

"they were charged under the Scout Act of 2008, section 64. The act stipulates that anyone who dresses in a scout uniform or displays scout symbols without permission, leading others to believe they are authorised to do so, is subject to a maximum penalty" As usual, the authorities ignore the key part of the law, which is meant to stop people from fraudulently presenting themselves as scouts. I don't think anyone was led to believe that these women were actually scouts... ????

Don't lose sleep over this. First, unless you're fabulously wealthy, the odds of anyone challenging your will are pretty remote. Second, it would be abundantly clear in any legal proceeding that Miss V (single) and Mrs V (nee Miss V) are the same person.

I was having a bunch of specialized tests done as follow up for a previous retina problem, so I'm not sure what the cost was of the basic exams - like refraction - that were part of the whole program that day. I seem to recall from friends that a garden variety eye check up, including a new prescription, was about 1500 baht or so.

I've been going to Rutnin for almost 30 years. As long as you tell them you want to update your eyeglass prescription, they'll give you the appropriate exam - I believe it's listed as "refraction" on the ticket. (Rutnin has a kind of "stations of the cross" process where you go from room to room where individual specialists do each test.) I had an appointment with my retinal doctor at Rutnin a couple of months ago, and asked to add the refraction exam. The guy was very thorough as usual, and the PD was included on the prescription. Note that they don't hand you the prescription; after everything is done and you've paid the bill, you have to go to the optical shop on the ground floor and have them print it out for you. Strange, but not difficult. After getting the new prescription (only a slight difference from the previous one), I ordered from Zenni for the first time. With every bell and whistle added, they came to about $250, which is still less than I used to pay in Thailand for poorer quality lenses. (The Zenni glasses aren't as good as the ones I got in Korea ten years ago, but those cost over $800...) Shipping took two weeks. At the end of week one, I got an email telling me the glasses had arrived in Singapore (!). A week later, they arrived in Thailand and were delivered the next day in a mailer showing a return address of Malmo, Sweden (!). No duty or tax was charged.

Zenni's instructions say that they only ask for one addition, as it's almost always the same for both eyes (it was for me). I guess if someone has different additions for each eye, they would have to contact the company to ask what to do.

Amazingly enough, the incidence of influenza - a virus that spreads from human to human - plummeted when people were staying home, keeping well away from others whenever they left the house, and wearing masks to block their saliva droplets. You don't need a conspiracy theory to explain that.

So, "almost" 100 out of 625km have been completed (which I assume doesn't include signals), and service will begin in four years? Hmm... High-speed rail has completely separated rights of away, even at ground level - there aren't any at-grade crossings. Yes, encroachments through the fences are always a possibility, but by vehicles - no.

The problem people have is that the last time there were similar MRTA claims of "fake news" - with the Yellow Line opening - it turned out that the rumors were correct, and the official denials were wrong. As a result, it's not surprising that folks aren't sure who to believe. (I'm referring to the news reports, Crossy, not your inside info!)

More to the point, where has the opposite been stated, in this land where the caretaker government would never miss an opportunity to boast about some grand new operation for which they could claim credit? Obviously you're trolling - and rather aggressively - but if you've been to Suvarnabhumi any time in the last year, you will have seen the entry/exit for the train to the satellite gates in the middle of Concourse D, right across from immigration (the current immigration, not a new one). If you'd like to hear from the companies that designed and built the satellite, you can take a look at the articles below. If they really did include a complete new terminal facility in addition to the new gates, it's odd that they're keeping it secret. https://www.otcpd.com/projects/airports/suvarnabhumi-satellite https://www.hok.com/projects/view/suvarnabhumi-international-airport-midfield-satellite-concourse/

Yes. It's actually a concourse, not a terminal, so it will only add more gates. There will be no additional check-in, security, immigration, or baggage claim, making one wonder just how it will increase passenger handling capacity by this remarkable amount.

When 7-11 first started accepting credit cards here a few years ago (only Visa initially, if I recall), they had a minimum of 200 or 300 baht for purchases by card. After a while they eliminated the minimum, putting them in line with places like Korea (where minimum purchase requirements are forbidden by law). It's a pity if they've really reintroduced it - they'll save a bit of money, but cause a lot of bottlenecks at the registers in heavy tourist areas as people try to figure out how to pay.

Yes, I'm sure their main concern is the safety of journalists ????

Most of the popular Thai TV celebrities are luuk khreung with farang fathers.

There were Air Asia flights to Kuala Lumpur four times a week back in 2018 - were those not international? The Air Asia flights mentioned above used A320s. So again, what exactly is new here?

He really doesn't seem to understand the concept that a caretaker government is not supposed to undertake major new initiatives - or perhaps he thinks that his cohorts have a lock on eventually taking power once the parliamentary shenanigans are over.

Only a trillion baht! Clearly foreigners aren't contributing anything to the economy, better start charging them a 300 baht entry fee ????

Yes, just as you're "excused" from paying the bill at a restaurant where you didn't eat ???? As others have noted, the reporting requirement is for those who stay in Thailand for 90 days in a row. Anyone who doesn't stay for that length of time has no reporting obligation, and therefore nothing to be "excused" from.

"the tourists had uploaded the video to TikTok, but they never expected it to receive so much attention or damage Pattaya’s reputation" "If it is determined that the two individuals intentionally damaged Pattaya’s reputation with their video, they will also face charges under the Computer Crime Act" "the police will strictly proceed with legal action against any irresponsible content creators who produce content involving violent behavior of this nature without respect for the image of the country" This thin-skinned focus on "image" and "reputation" is really something to behold.

They arrested four people. Thomas Ginner is a 39 year old Austrian, and Danny Rhode is a 42 year old German. (The other two weren't specified in the reports I saw.) So clearly the problem is Australians on retirement visas ????

That seems to depend heavily on which branch you go to, and on whether they've received new shipments recently. I mostly shop at some of the largest and busiest stores in central Bangkok (Ratchadamri, Rama IV, Ratchadaphisek), and haven't noticed much change there.

Fair enough. I was just noting that your post said: "Big C Extra, Meat department.....Why customers are almost never seen there... This is what I see every time I walk by the meat department" ...and then dozens of folks chimed in saying that Big C only sells expensive, vacuum packed meats, which isn't true. You are of course quite right about the absurd pricing of their imported beef, and I'm glad we agree that the prices of the non-beef meats that most people buy at Big C aren't bad at all. (Even when the imported beef there was cheaper, I rarely saw anyone buying it.)

They still sell 99% of their meat (pork and chicken) from open trays, as can be seen in the background of the OP's tight close-ups - and there are plenty of customers there. I can't recall beef ever being sold from those open trays, however. What the OP was looking at was not the "meat department", but the "butchery" counter, where they sell imported and more expensive products.

The Thai system is effectively racist, yes. My comment was in reply to the question of whether having a local resident price for Disney World was racist.