khunjeff

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.

This is probably the real issue. Even at the previous price, most of the sites I've visited were very poor value - underwhelming and often badly kept up.

Fair? Up to you. Racist? No. You had to prove your Florida residency to get that discount, and any Thai person who moves there will get the same reduced rate that you did. In Thailand, I've never seen anyone have to produce a Thai ID to get the Thai citizen price - the sites simply charge it to anyone who looks Asian.

Normally they will, yes.

Some yes, some no. The US Embassy, for example, doesn't close on every Thai government holiday, because Washington tries to limit the number of local holidays in each country to no more than the number of US federal holidays (currently 11).

The real "big joke" in all this is that the US Government offered to give Thailand essentially the same biometric equipment for its immigration checkpoints back in the mid-2000s, for free, and was turned down.

Maybe my reading skills have declined, but I can't seem to find the words "arrest", "trial", or "prison" in this list. All of these ranks are incorrect. Chakthip is a full General, and the other two are Lieutenant Generals.

This is about an extra day off from work for government employees, not an additional no-alcohol day.

So he's been demoted from four-star general to colonel? You'd think that would have been in the news... ????

No, it doesn't, and one look at a map or at the MRT website would have told them that. There are actually only nine lines currently operating, and that includes ALL operators. "According to the draft bill, certain services – including the BTS Green (Sukhumvit) Line – will likely be excluded as joining the common ticketing system will be voluntary." Voluntary? If any operator can just choose not to participate because it isn't in their financial interest to do so, why bother?