dinsdale

Just goes to show how lucky Thailand's been with a currupt general as PM who had little in the way of political experience but gained power through a coup d'etat and remained in power by changing the constitution, shifting the goal posts during an election and having supprt from his paid off cronie generals etc in the Senate.

+ they'll bring in Chinese workers The use of Chinese labor on BRI projects has been a contentious issue. The governments and populations of host countries usually seek to increase the proportion of local hires on such projects, to increase local income and skills transfer. Chinese firms, however, seek to keep labor costs down while accommodating Beijing’s political preferences. https://www.cfr.org/blog/who-built-labor-and-belt-and-road-initiative

Here's a less alarmist way of looking at. Recovery rate as of 24 April is 99.28%. As for lung inflamation I'm not sure about this as Omicron is an upper respiratory infection. Maybe lung inflamation is from secondary infections? Don't know. Deaths? Well again possibly these are people who had severe comorbidities or elderly or both as was the 1st recorded death with, not from, XBB.1.16. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/thailand/

Sex toys, dope and vaping. All should be legal and Thailand could actually become a member of the 21st century. Alas the minority consevative Buddhists rule the roost.

So was this the only person the BIB helped. Not according to the article. "....helping tourists with their luggage, including a well-known lawyer." Well how many tourists? Seems like childish cherry picking from someone who has completely lost it.

Good on her. Well done. I do, however, think she may of had some of that famous (6th and not real som tam) som tam salad the day before and ......som tam afterburner. Just kidding. Good on her. Very strange catagory though.

Breaking through Thailand’s current policy making hindrances or How to Make it Look Like we are Fighting Corruption, not Giving Ourselves a Big Trough to Feed from and Make it Look Like we are Helping the People.

I love elephants. Saw one open a manderin by very, more like very, very, very softly treading on it, taking out the flesh to eat and discard the peel. Thais who where there at the same time were as amazed as I was. An animal that can very easily crush a human skull. Something I will never forget seeing.

Probably rates higher than us. The elephant that is. Saddly some cultures just do what they do. Most animal and animal parts smuggling is for the Chinese. I went to a wedding here once and there was shark fin soup. I refused to eat it. They didn't understand. It's a status thing for them never mind that they just cut off the fin and throw the shark back in the water to die. I really do not like this side of Asian culture.

Balancing between US, China I'm not sure if balancing is the right word. Maybe on hands and knees.

You're very welcome.

I understand tha when it's hot, and when it's hot and humid some people find it a bit challenging to find their sense of homour. As a genius (thanks for that) I suggest a cold beer or two. Maybe something else. Anything that will help you relax.

Yeh mate. The long horrible build up to the wet season is starting. Few storms here and there and stinking hot and humid in between until the real rains start. Who knows when that will be.

Maybe it's more give with one hand a take with another.

People voted wisely last time but you still, through moving the goal posts and with support from your trough feeding mates in the sentate (bet this cost a pretty penny baht) ended up PM against the will of the people.

What heatwave? Rainy season looms but officially doesn't start until July. Oh dear! Here's my weather forecast for a year.. Hot. Remaing hot. Will become hot and humid. Will be hot, humid and sometimes wet with storms. Will cool down. Will become hot again.

As long as no favour is shown and no back handers given I can't see a problem. Good on them. Helpful coppers at the airport can only be a good image. Out of the airport though get ready with the tea money.

True it would only be another 2 years but things as we know can change in 2 yrs.

The little ones at schools that get free lunches don't get a lot. 1/2 an egg with morning glory and rice, maybe a little bit of so some thin soup is probably enough and reasonably healthy. As for a simple and contented life this is something that the Pilosophy of Economy Sufficiecy Promotes and moderation is one of the three pillars. “Being a tiger is not important. The important thing is for us to have a sufficient economy. A sufficient economy means to have enough to support ourselves…we have to take a careful step backward…each village or district must be relative self-sufficient.” His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej https://www.chaipat.or.th/eng/concepts-theories/sufficiency-economy-new-theory.html

Great photo. Looks very up to date. One would think there's a pandemic of some sort. Is this the best they can do? Just so lazy. If I saw this from overseas I would be wondering what the hell is going on in Thailand.

I would not rule this out of hand. Remember how a PM is put in place here. It may still be that Phue Thai get 50+1 which I thinks makes it very difficult for his mates in the House and The Senate to get together to vote him in as PM. Not sure but the case is this is what can happen. Happened last time.

XBB.1.16 Initial Risk Assessment, 17 April 2023 The global risk assessment for XBB.1.16 is low as compared to XBB.1.5 and the other currently circulating variants, at this current time and with available evidence (see risk assessment table below). While growth advantage and immune escape properties are observed in different countries and immune backgrounds, including in countries where XBB.1.5 has become the dominant variant recently, no changes in severity have been reported in countries where XBB.1.16 are reported to be circulating. In India and Indonesia, there has been a slight increase in bed occupancy numbers. However, the levels are much lower than seen in previous variant waves. Taken together, available information does not suggest that XBB.1.16 has additional public health risk relative to XBB.1.5 and the other currently circulating Omicron descendent lineages. However, XBB.1.16 may become dominant in some countries and cause a rise in case incidence due to its growth advantage and immune escape characteristics. *** Severity and clinical considerations Level of risk: Low, as three months into the emergence of XBB.1.16, and from sustained and detailed variant and epidemiological surveillance in India, severity indicators have not increased across the Indian states, and neither are there any reports of severity in any of the other countries that have detected XBB.1.16. https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/21042023xbb.1.16ra-v2.pdf?sfvrsn=84577350_1

Sure. But a common cold can do do the same. When a person's system is failing it doesn't take much. That's why I wonder about the numbers. How many are the one's where covid "pushes them over the cliff." Like the old fella who died here. Didn't die from covid but it might of helped him on his way so to speak. As for international concern well maybe but it doesn't seem to be that way in most countries. No masks, no more jabs except for the vulnarable, deaths basically down to nothing globally and remember we have to keep this in context. It's petering out as it is. Let's hope there's no more suprises of 'a virus of unknown origin' on the door step. Just went to 711 and I would say 30-40% of people I saw whilst relaxing and imbibing on a coldy were not wearing masks. More than just a few days ago. They're coming off, slowly maybe, but where I am it sure seems like the masks are coming off. p.s. I live in Thailand not Tourist Thailand. Masks have been off there for a long time.

I'm sorry but again yes people are still dying but the big question is dying with or dying from. I wonder how many people have died in the last 28 with the common cold? This is why I would like to see a breakdown of age and comorbidities. Who knows maybe 22,000 of the 23,000 had comorbidities. Don't know. As for people getting sick well people get sick all the time. It's a matter of severity. From what I've seen hospitilisations, ICU, intubation are all way down and continuing to decrease. As for hospitalisations are these people going to hospital for other reasons and being screened and coming back positive? I believe these are called incedental positives or something like that. It's undeniable that the Omicron era is nothing like Delta. We were very lucky that some how Omicron evolved and displaced Delta.

I always wear a seat belt. Getting the wife to wear a seat belt is another story. I never wear a mask. Not now. By not wearing a mask I'm at risk from what and what will be the consequences? I've had covid (Omicron, definitelty once but maybe twice and delta maybe once.). Not too bad. Over in a few days. I've had the flu once in my life and that wasn't good. Nothing like Omicron for me. I had pnuemonia as a baby, I have a few medical conditions, I've sustained numerous injuries, broken bones, dislocations etc, I drink, I smoke I'm >60 yrs old but I am in no way concerned with the Omicron variant of Sars-Cov-2. Why should I be.