Senior Player

March 20Mar 20

3 hours ago, Patong2021 said:
Incredibly expensive? Are you flying in First?
Airfares were increasing on the European routes well before the conflict. For the month of May, airfares remain very affordable even when avoiding the. Gulf carriers. IndiGo offers RT at 27,000 baht. Turkish is 33,000 baht. Direct flights with Eva or Thai are 37,000-52,000 baht. Business class on these same carriers is 60,000- 150,000.

Yes. I prefer to fly First due to back problems in those uncomfortable seats.

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Middle East Turmoil Leads to 1,000 Flight Cancellations to Thailand

March 19Mar 19

36 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:
Just booked my July trip to the US, and it was 200 Baht more than my Trip last November.

Things might be more rosy for you Americans, but unfortunately the same cannot be said for those flying from London to Bangkok. FYI, direct return flights from London to Bangkok have seen significant price increases following the escalation of the conflict in Iran in early March 2026. Economy fares for direct routes have surged by up to 100%, with some one-way tickets on Thai Airways reaching over 70,000 baht (approx. £1,680), compared to a previous average of around 30,000 baht. And that's right now. Things could get much worse if things continue to escalate.

Now compare a paltry 200 baht increase to a 40,000 baht increase.

5 minutes ago, Bannoi said:
You think you got it bad.
Just spare a thought for those poor girls having to put up with all the tight fisted Ex-Pats.

I know, I know. My heart goes out to those poor girls.

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Middle East Turmoil Leads to 1,000 Flight Cancellations to Thailand

March 19Mar 19

15 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:
If your flight is cancelled, will the airline not refund your money?

Having my return flight cancelled with a refund won't do me much good if I have to spend considerably more to obtain a further ticket to get back home. Not worth the risk or hassle. Regrettably, I will just postpone my trip until things improve dramatically. And I won't be the only one, which is unfortunate and extremely unfair for Thailand's tourism.

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Middle East Turmoil Leads to 1,000 Flight Cancellations to Thailand

March 19Mar 19

I was planning on flying out to Thailand for a long break in May but will now holdout until June. Not that I'm confident airfares or flight cancellations will improve by then. It's just that there's no way that I feel confident enough buying an incredibly expensive return flight from LHR to BKK and taking out travel insurance will be honoured by either vendor if I commit earlier. It's such a shame as I was really looking forward to my annual 2-month getaway after recovering from prostate surgery. Thanks, Donald.

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Rising Fuel Costs Prompt 10–15% Fare Increase by Thai Airways

March 13Mar 13

Travel firms in the UK are selling package holidays to countries caught in Middle East crossfire for as little as £100. Some airlines are even offering £15 flights to drum up enthusiasm. So what does Thai Airways do instead? That’s right, increase their airfares by 10-15%... genius!!

Benign prostatic hyperplasia

January 1Jan 1

2 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:
A UTI/STI ignored would cause similar symptoms with discharge blocking the Urethra, you didn't have signs of that? or burning whilst urinating prior to blockage? One of the uses of Ciprofloxacin is that

No burning prior to peeing, no. I was pretty much just like the OP, getting up perhaps twice/thrice nightly for a pee before that fateful night. Basically, there was no prior warning to indicate that the blockage would suddenly occur. I'd used Prostasan before then, which is a traditional herbal medicine, primarily containing saw palmetto berry extract, used by men over 18 to relieve lower urinary tract symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate (BPH). Now I have a catheter fitted until further notice.

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Benign prostatic hyperplasia

January 1Jan 1

I'm not in Thailand but I'm currently experiencing an enlarged prostate problem here in the UK. Long story short, I was rushed to hospital with urinary retention (being unable to pee for 2 days straight) whereby I've had to have a catheter fitted to drain away the urine. Due to my kidneys taking a severe pounding I was admitted over Christmas Eve, Day, and Boxing Day with constant antibiotics pumped into my body via a cannula and drip. Trust me, you don't want to let it get this far as my situation is now extremely uncomfortable.

I'm still awaiting a Transrectal Ultrasound (TRUS) to have my prostate measured and tested for cancer. This will be the first step in getting properly treated. So far I've had the finger probe where it was established I didn't have any nodules on my prostate (apparently a good sign). My UK hospital has spoken about having a Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP), which is a common surgery to remove excess prostate tissue blocking the urethra (pee tube), treating symptoms of an enlarged prostate (BPH) or prostate cancer blockage, using a resectoscope passed through the urethra to cut away tissue with an electric current. A TURP is one of those last recourse treatments. I'm hoping that after my biopsy that I'm offered GreenLight Laser PVP (Photoselective Vaporization of the Prostate) which is a minimally invasive laser procedure to treat an enlarged prostate with quicker healing times, etc. I don't want to get ahead of myself with wishful thinking, but that's the outcome I would prefer.

If it's any consolation, the NHS is extremely slow in treating this despite me being placed at the top of some urgent NHS waiting list. Nevertheless, as soon as I have my biopsy/diagnosis I'm going private here in the UK.

The drugs I have been given in the meantime consist of Contiflo XL 400 mg (taken once daily) and Ciprofloxacin 500mg (twice daily).

The only reason I'm telling you this is don't let this problem manifest like I did. Because one night you just might find you can't pee either and have to undergo what I'm presently undergoing, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

I wish you luck.

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Pattaya Tourist Assaults Bar Staff, Knocked Out in Viral Fight

in Video News and Updates

April 18, 2025Apr 18

What's happened to this site? Once upon a time, there used to be page-after-page of forum members speculating on the nationality of the perp and main cause of the drama. But I go away for just a few months and come back to find it now a barren wasteland. Is this mostly due to the awful new format whereby regional news has been removed and replaced by one large muddled and assorted thread the main cause? I gotta say, I'm not liking the new format, people. I much preferred the previous news threads filed under "Pattaya News, Chiang Mai News, Bangkok News," etc.

That said, I was hoping to find a forum "investigator" who had uncovered the real nationality of the "street fighter" yet I find just 2 paltry comments on the subject!! Standards are really slipping around here.

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Drunken Foreign Couple Causes Chaos at Pattaya Hotel, Woman Detained After Fleeing

December 25, 20241 yr

Cue the unforgiving and repressively puritanical looking down their nose at drunken behaviour in Pattaya because they are so above it themselves. Perhaps this forum should be retitled Prissy Now.

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British Tourists Involved in Soi 6 Brawl With Guards Found, File Formal Legal Complaint

May 30, 20241 yr

Popular Post

3 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

I agree, too many times I see these thugs in Pattaya. They need to be taught a lesson.

It saddens me to see these thugs, the Thais are so friendly and welcoming.

You wrong them, GAME On, good on them, just need to remove that soccer guy, kicking heads not needed.

Do I detect an element of sarcasm in you response? Doesn't matter.

Like it or not, Pattaya, or Thailand for that matter, attracts an unsavory crowd that likes to cause trouble when out drinking or frequenting these kinds of establishments. I've seen it with my own eyes many times before. And it's not specifically Brits that are doing it either. It just happens to be our turn for the spotlight this particular moment in time. Does that mean I side with the security guards? Absolutely not, as I made it abundantly clear that I thought their response was disproportionate. If it makes you feel any better, I will add that I think the "soccer guy" who kicked the Brit on the floor in the head, should be prosecuted and face more than a small fine and a simple wai.

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British Tourists Involved in Soi 6 Brawl With Guards Found, File Formal Legal Complaint

May 30, 20241 yr

By all accounts, it looks like the 3 tattooed thugs went out looking for trouble and found it. Was the response from the security guards disproportionate? Yes, but hopefully the 3 tattooed thugs will think twice next time before starting any trouble.

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British Expat Arrested For Punching and Killing Russian Man

https://thethaiger.com/news/national/ex-con-brit-arrested-for-fatal-punch-to-russian-in-thailand

May 30, 20241 yr

Popular Post

5 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Local radio station has an update on the Welsh guy and his misbehaving, also some feedback regarding his UK drug antics, as well as begging from UK family members.

Apparently, the daughter is not his, looks like she's Miss Mods daughter.

You're correct. The Thaiger has followed up the original report with its own investigation and there's a lot more to the story than we were first led to believe...

So the Brit is an ex-con whose daughter is still in South Wales and not in Thailand. So, who is the 15-year-old that the Welshman—known locally as Flash Harry—is trying to pass off as his own?

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British Expat Arrested For Punching and Killing Russian Man

May 29, 20241 yr

Popular Post

31 minutes ago, Cereal said:

Because he murdered someone for chatting up his girlfriend.

You keep pushing the notion that the victim, Igor Yasilyev, 36, was chatting up the Brit's girlfriend (wife) when the actual reported story is he was making lude advances to his 15-year-old daughter. Whether you believe a 15-year-old should be out at a midnight party is irrelevant as it's not against the law. Besides, she was with her father who also happens to look like he knows how to handle himself. She was not galavanting around Pattaya's seedy nightspots, unlike a lot of the holier-than-thou commentators here in the chat.

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British Expat Arrested For Punching and Killing Russian Man

May 28, 20241 yr

Popular Post

8 minutes ago, Celsius said:

No it does not.

You mean the Brit killer overstepped his social norms by bringing a 15 year old to a pool sex party?

I don't mean anything, that's your assumption. But the Russian DID overstep social norms, like it or not. Or perhaps you think it's normal to proposition another man's daughter when your own wife is at the same party? And as far as I'm aware, there is no law that says a 15-year-old (probably going on 16) must not attend a pool party when abroad on holiday with her father, irrespective of the time of night. If there is some unwritten law, it must be from the early 19th century.

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British Expat Arrested For Punching and Killing Russian Man

May 28, 20241 yr

Popular Post

There appears to be confusion amongst many of you in the chat. The wife WASN'T propositioned, it was his 15-year-old daughter. The wife had already left the party by the time the perp had delivered a single punch to the Russian for propositioning his daughter. The wife says so in another story featured in the DM. It says: his Thai wife, 28, said she had also attended the party but left early to go to work. At around 3am, she claimed she received a text from her husband saying he wanted to go home. She said: 'I returned to the villa and found him walking along the street, so I took him back inside. 'When I asked him what happened, he told me that while they were drinking, the Russian man started to sexually harass our daughter, even though his own wife was also there at the party. The harassment escalated until the man finally propositioned our daughter. This angered my husband so he punched him once and knocked him out.'

An acquaintance of the Russian who died said both men met each other for the first time at the party. She said: 'They were drinking together normally until a row broke out. I didn't know what nationality the man was, but he punched (the Russian man), who hit his head on the ground. I was so shocked because there was a lot of blood.'

The father, reportedly from Wales, was arrested on Monday afternoon at his home in the Sattahip district, around 10 miles from the pool villa. He told police: 'I did not think my punch would lead to the man's death. I regret my actions.'

The headline in the DM is also rather salacious as it implies the Russian was a pedo when the so-called child is 15-years-old and looks much older than her years. Could it be that the Russian thought she was older too? Who really knows what was going on in the Russian's head, but he clearly overstepped social norms and got a slap for his offensive behaviour. Unfortunately, he cracked his head on concrete and died as a result.

I hope that helps clear up any confusion.

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I was quoted 100k to remove a hemorrhoid. Outrageous.

May 28, 20241 yr

1 hour ago, Gaccha said:

That is a steroid (readily available in Thailand) and a local anaesthetic (easy to get). So if the OP is motivated to act then he could go and get a couple of creams today to sort himself out.

Not in 2016 when I needed the ointment, it wasn't. I tried online and couldn't find it anywhere, also visiting countless pharmacies in Pattaya to be told the exact same thing. And yes, the steroid cream can now be bought without a doctor's prescription in the UK and most likely in Thailand too in 2024. Not that it's of any consequence as I've already had the operation. My main point was that sometimes you have to swallow the treatment cost if you want to be restored back to health—something the OP was more concerned about.

I was quoted 100k to remove a hemorrhoid. Outrageous.

May 27, 20241 yr

23 hours ago, mfd101 said:

Yes, it's the equivalent that counts.

If people pour nothing but rubbish down their throat, they get every sickness known to man.

Indeed. Mine were first brought on by drinking alcohol in excess coupled with a poor diet when I was roughly 27-years old. Getting the condition made me immediately cut down on my booze, especially after my GP visit. As I previously pointed out, I was prescribed Proctosedyl Ointment which could only be prescribed by a doctor and not bought over-the-counter in the UK. The tube used to be quite large and would last me roughly 1 year before it expired. My condition would only recur every once in a blue moon, sometimes not coming back for a couple of years. Thing was when they did come back, no over-the-counter ointment would ever work, only the one with hydrocortisone, a steroid, and cinchocaine hydrochloride, a local anaesthetic. Despite their infrequency, as I got older the haemorrhoids could reappear over any type of straining, even heavy lifting or untightening a difficult bolt with a spanner could bring them on! What I'm trying to say is even a healthy diet wouldn't ward them off indefinitely. That's why it was such a relief to get the surgery done in Thailand when I was staying there for 6 months. Now I no longer have to think about them. The cost has obviously now gone up due to inflation, which is another reason that I'm glad I got it done in LOS when I did.

I was quoted 100k to remove a hemorrhoid. Outrageous.

May 26, 20241 yr

5 hours ago, superal said:

Outrageous is true . My own recent experience with Thai Bangkok hospital prices is similar . E.G. A procedure called

Resume water therapy treatment for an enlarged prostate , quote 220,000 baht is the lowest fee quoted for the procedure plus pre op consultation fees. The procedure takes only 15 minutes ( a follow up 1 week later for removal of a catheter if fitted ) and is not surgery as such , only some injections of steam .

Maybe these high prices are made for patients with insurance to pay the fees .

A friend of mine in Pattaya had a similar treatment for enlarged prostate as you describe. He appears to be fully recovered now.

You make a very good point about the pricing. I recall being taken to the finance department of the hospital to discuss payment options. As soon as I said my health insurance wouldn't cover it as it was an already pre-existing condition that I hadn't thought to notify the insurance company about, they changed the price and lowered it. I recall the price was quite reasonable which included a 2-day stay in the hospital, especially as the room felt like a 4-star luxury hotel. Also, I was in extreme discomfort and wanted the operation to go ahead without any further delay, so agreeing to the fee was a necessity as far as I was concerned. Sometimes you just have to swallow the cost if you want to overcome your problem straight away.

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I was quoted 100k to remove a hemorrhoid. Outrageous.

May 25, 20241 yr

I had an operation for haemorrhoid removal at Bangkok Hospital Pattaya in 2016. Can't remember the exact cost (think it was roughly 80k) but it was well worth the money as I've never had an issue since then. Before that I used to rely on Proctosedyl Ointment (with steroids) which was the only cream that worked for me. Unfortunately, Proctosedyl Ointment is not freely available in Thailand so I had to take myself off to the hospital where I was offered surgical removal or some other technique whereby he inserted rags doused in some chemical solution up the rectum to reduce the swelling. Not fancying the insertion treatment, I decided to opt for surgery. As I hadn't eaten the previous evening (or in the morning before my hospital visit) I was admitted straight away for the operation. The cost included a 2-day stay in the hospital where I was looked after by nurses in my own private room with TV and toilet. The room even had a panoramic view of the Pattaya coastline from my large window. The operation was pretty much as you describe: I was given a spinal anesthetic and was fully conscious throughout. I was basically on all fours with my posterior raised in the direction of the surgeon, where he did his removal of said haemorrhoids and a long vein. During the removal I was being constantly talked to by the anesthetist, who made sure I couldn't feel anything. The whole procedure took something like maybe 30 minutes, before I was then rolled back onto my trolley bed and taken to my private room to recuperate.

As I stated previously, the operation was a huge success as I've never had a problem since. The only downsides were that the spinal anesthetic took a long time to wear off after and for me to regain any feeling back from below the waist, plus the healing process with dissolving stitches took approximately 4 weeks before I was able to feel fully back to normal again. Basically, I had to be careful how I went to the toilet as it was still very sore down there.

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Singapore turbulent flight: Aussie survivor’s desperate plea

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-39771637

May 25, 20241 yr

An almost identical incident happened in 2017 when an Aeroflot flight from Moscow to Bangkok hit a patch of severe turbulence resulting in 27 passengers being injured. "The reasons behind the injures were that some of the passengers had not had their seatbelts fastened," Aeroflot said in a statement. I'm surprised no news outlet has mentioned it.

Then there was another incident in 2016 when a flight from Abu Dhabi was about 45 minutes away from Jakarta on Wednesday before the turbulence hit. More than 30 people were injured. In a statement, the airline said 22 people had been "treated by paramedics for minor injuries at the airport. Nine other passengers have been taken to a local hospital".

There's an interesting info box called "What causes turbulence?" at the foot of the same BBC story and it states the list is long. According to the US Federal Aviation Administration, turbulence can be caused by:

air movement not normally seen
atmospheric pressure
jet streams
air around mountains
cold or warm weather fronts
thunderstorms

It goes on to say: "Turbulence can be hard to predict, and the injuries it causes cannot always be prevented by wearing seatbelts. In-air turbulence is the leading cause of injury on US flights, the FAA says. Most turbulence accidents happen at 30,000 ft (9,000m) or above.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-36209833

Personally, I've flown that same route as the Singapore airlines flight many times before and there's ALWAYS severe turbulence over that same location in the Andaman Sea just prior to crossing the coastline of Myanmar. Numerous pilots have ALWAYS insisted on the passengers wearing their seatbelts at this juncture, especially after the previous incidents.

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Thailand Set to Recriminalise Cannabis Amid Expert Outcry