milesinnz

1 hour ago, alien365 said:

Why did the trawler not move out of the way? It's a lot harder for a 100meter plus oil tanker to suddenly change direction.

the question should be were (anti) collision rules adhered to ? boats at sea don't suddenly pop up in front of you...

"organize a nationwide ceremony to pray for Thailand and the Thai people".. what a great idea from the 100% in control Prime Minster... that will make a huge difference, not sure in which direction though ? ... makes you wonder why prayers are needed if he is 100% in control ?

about time thieving scamming Thais were kicked out of all Western countries, to go back to their rice fields.... but hey.. lets hope this gets into all the Western press, plenty of better and more welcoming places for Farangs to spend their money than in dirty old Thailand, with their murdering thieving ladyboys and their worn out hores..

I give up. I am planning to return to SE Asia and to visit Thailand at some stage.. how can you make plans when you never know what the rules will be tomorrow.. I am in New Zealand, but have to change planes in Singapore - and given the flip flop over Singaporeans first having to isolate then not. But I am not a Singaporean, just in transit I can imagine it will be total pot luck how I would be treated on arrival in Thailand. If any of this is to improve tourism, I can assure you it is having the opposite effect... and I can't see the Thai clowns getting their act together through the whole of this year at least... must be nearly time for another Military coup..

Well, I am trying to deal with one supplier in Shandong Province, next to Henan, they are still in lock down.. it is most certainly NOT over in China...

16 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

I give it a month and everything will be almost back to normal, the panic served it's purpose and the rich just became richer, make of that what you will.

 

Yes fear creates panic, but what is the panic about, nothing more than another strain of influenza which kills 500,000 plus people a year worldwide, but we don't hear of that, do we.

 

If your old, 80+ and have a weak immune system, or have a pre-existing respiratory condition or diabetes, I would be worried to go out until a vaccination is made, as for the rest of us, soldier on as tomorrow you could get bitten with a mosquito and get Malaria which kills around a million, yes a million people a year, or if you get influenza it kills 500,000 + a year, road deaths 1.25 million a year. Now do you feel better ? 

As far as I am aware, Cornoavirus is not just another strain of the flu, it is a different virus... as for giving it a month and thinking everything will be back to normal, you are clearly choosing to ignore the economic consequences, and the time/effect of the virus spreading in Thailand and other SE Asian countries.

Now when you say the flu kills 500,000 people every year, does that make it ok ?... and if there had been an opportunity to have stopped it would you be saying "it will only kill 500,000 a year, don't bother trying to stop it"...

As regards fear creating panic, true, but ignorance creates fear that then creates panic and you are doing very little to alleviate the ignorance.

As regards this being a device to just make the rich richer, I am not sure where your logic stands on that.. as the stock markets have gone into a tail spin, then I guess you as one of the rich, can pile in and ride the next wave up and become even richer.. nothing stopping you... and then being the wonderful sort of chap you are, you could donate some of the extra millions you have just made....

Suicide pact..

Lets hope this makes mainstream western media, and drives away more and more and more visitors to Thailand.... either as an expat or as someone grieved about their time in Thailand, it's a win win.. if the economy crumbles enough, it will drive Thailand into - well, it must be soon time for a pile of civil unrest... I have modified the amount of time and money I spend in Thailand..

They are going to close the prisons.. you mean they are "open" now.. well that beats me....

8 hours ago, Srikcir said:

Jan. 24, 2020 - China has agreed to increase the rate of water release from Lan Chang River from 850 cubic metres per second to 1000 cubic metres per second in order to meet the urgent needs of Thailand and other countries in the Mekong River Basin.  

https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30381002

• Since 2019, rainfall in the Lan Chang-Mekong River basin has continuously decreased as a result of climate change, causing severe drought situations in China and many others along the Mekong River basin.
• At Lan Chang River in China, the average precipitation is 728 millimetres, 34 per cent lesser than usual. Until January 21, 2020, agricultural areas in 1.07 million villages (450,000 rai) were affected by the drought because of the shortage of water in 15 rivers and 43 dams in Yunnan province of China.  

China can't provide what it doesn't have - water for Thailand.

Maybe ID needs to update its facts.

“With the completion of more mainstream dams and the cumulative effects of climate change, that tipping point” for when the Mekong can no longer sustain these changes “may be coming closer,” says Brian Eyler, the Southeast Asia program director at the Stimson Center in Washington, D.C.......... > it's both... if you have control of a dam further upstream, and you need the water more than others downstream, what would you do with your dam gates ??????? ah.. how does this fit with your "facts" ???

Chinese English teachers anyone ???

I am surprised the ship has not gone to Sihanoukville, Cambodia, where they would have been welcomed personally by Hun Sen... shaking hands with all of them as they stepped off....

I thought the Thai government said a while ago, that the virus was 100% under control.. so why would there be any need or concern about face masks ?

"Those infected both in China and in Thailand have been elderly, had pre existing health conditions and weakened immune systems". ... BS.. so this applies to the young doctor who was one of the first to raise the alarm, the one who recently died. Whilst there are elements of hysteria, there is a lot of propaganda swilling around as well. If there really is no problem, the authorities in Thailand need to tell the Chinese leadership that they have it all wrong, and that they should close all the extra facilities for the sick people... because cars are more dangerous.. but hey, why expect anything different from the Thai authorities ???? Oh, and why worry about people being murdered in Thailand.. because a lot more get killed in cars... such is Thai logic..

18 hours ago, bbi1 said:

Just tourists? Why not just ban all foreigners from riding scooters & motorcycles in Thailand.

I am a foreigner when in Thailand. I have a motorcycle in Thailand, and one in Cambodia, as well as one in my home country. I have been riding motorcycles 50 years, and never had an accident since I was 16, and that was only extremely minor. I have ridden thousands of kms in Thailand, and out of any country, I really enjoy riding a bike in Thailand.. Because some people make stupid and ill informed comments, there should be a ban on people making comments on any Internet based forum...

6 hours ago, Roy Baht said:

No, Vietnam is now clamping down on long-stay tourist visas--and they have nothing like the Non-O long stay. It's not looking for retirees.

New rules go into effect 20 July 2020:

"Accordingly, the amended law stipulates that a foreigner will be allowed to remain for only 30 days in Vietnam when granted a 30-day or longer tourist visa"

https://vietnamnet.vn/en/society/police-profile-foreign-criminals-entering-vietnam-601182.html

and the Vietnamese cry when they are not allowed free and open access to work and stay forever in European countries... ??? what utter hypocrisy... it's little wonder the growing resentment there is particularly in Europe..

2 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

A U-turn is one of the most dangerous manoeuvres but I've seen farang do it without looking both ways

In any country, a U turn is dangerous... even in NZ, Police have been involved in serious road accidents doing U turns, avoid them at all cost, pull off and then join the road again so you can easily see both ways...

Thais seem to have a "don't care less" about their own dogs. Few seem to be trained at all, and allowed to run free causing all sorts of trouble. I have no idea of the statistics, but it would seem dog ownership is quite high... I am surprised it is tolerated as it is.. perhaps it's just a part of Thai culture whatever the downsides..

However unpalatable it is, the truth is that in the overwhelming situations such as this, there are childhood circumstances to lead to this sort of outcome. To say "there is no excuse" is to avoid the issue. This is nothing to do with making excuses, it has everything to do with how we as parents bring our children up, and in the broader context, how supportive society is to the parents and the younger generation - not only supportive, but also to avoid negative judgements on children as to how they "should be" according to some adult wish - the best way to encourage positive outcomes is by passive example. Never more is true than we reap what we sow. Western society is even conditioned to look to blame, without ever considering the reasons for bad outcomes.. often the reasons are too difficult to face, so we prefer to ignore them, and look for someone to blame. It is difficult to imagine the emotional turmoil that must have been present in this family, even if "the family" was just mother and son.... I was just mother and son.... so I do have a lot of insight of the many things that can go wrong, but are never acknowledged by the broader society... because it is too challenging, just in the too hard basket....