kwilco

your anecdotal experience on a different system is irrelevant. You are now just asserting what you WANT to be true.

so nothing to do with this thread, than

On what passport? THe topic is the new 60 visa exempt. I'm guessing you must have either got a 30 day extension or a tourist visa - so quite a different matter.

Embassies are notorious for getting it wrong. What if someone wants to do 3 or 4 visits of say 35 days?

THis just appeared on Facebook - could be fake.......

NB - there is no date!!!

But some countries already have 60 or 90 days entry...so the 180 day situation is already running for some.

THe new 60 day visa exempt and other measures are meant to start today - has anyone personal or hard evidence that they have started?

Sickness from pollution last year and this year - From 1.3 million in the first nine weeks of 2023, the number of people seeking treatment for pollution-related illnesses increased to 1.6 million at the start of 2024, AFP reported - it doesn't go unnoticed. More than 10 million Thais sought treatment for illnesses linked to air pollution in 2023 in total PM Strettha has made several announcements about pollution.

I lived in Thailand for 20 years and I know that people avoid pollution like the plague, as I said if you go north in Feb/March you'll have no problem getting a place because no=-one's there. I also have 20 years of photos comparing views with and without pollution. If you check travel sites, you'll find dozens of questions on pollution every year. I have travelled extensively over Thailand and Laos since th 1990s and pollution is a huge and growing problem. I have friends, both Thailand foreign who are ready to move from some towns for fear of the damage it is doing to their children. As said just because you haven't experience of it, doesn't mean that others don't. PS - the Independant is an online paper. and it isn't just the British who are concerned it is ALL visitors to Thailand. I even know of tour companies in the North who won't take bookings at that time of year. AN is certainly not the only source of ing]formation for foreigners on Thailand.

You know repeating something doesn't make it right.

You've only made one comment on this thread - it is not backed up by any reasoning and it was wrong - now you are just getting surly.

you aren't explaining yourself - just making baseless ad homs now. It doesn't contribute to the discussion at all. I don't think you are sufficiently informed on the topic to make a reasoned comment.

Although rain can sometimes help clear PM2.5 particles, variations in wind and temperature can affect the efficiency of rain in removing PM2.5 particles from the air, and it often doesn't completely remove them. A lot depends on the intensity and duration of the rainfall - Heavier and longer rainfall is more effective at removing PM2.5. Light drizzle which seldom has a significant impact. Remember that the source of the pollution is continuing to produce particulates. Whereas larger particles are more likely to be captured by raindrops smaller ones can escape and get re-released into the atmosphere. Some particles can be water-soluble and dissolve in rainwater, while others are hydrophobic and resist being washed away. So, it’s true that overall, rain is generally beneficial for air quality, but it's not a guaranteed or 100% solution for eliminating PM2.5 pollution.

Here is just one article by the BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-68487230 and CNN - https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/thailand-air-pollution-tourism-intl-hnk/index.html Of course on social media/internet, it's everywhere. Here's a recent online article - https://www.independent.co.uk/news/thailand-ap-chiang-mai-laos-world-health-organization-b2564311.html I think you are leaning towards the "if-I-haven't-seen-it-it-doesn't-exist" school of thought. I'm sure there are people who visit Thailand who are massively ignorant about it before coming but there are high and low seasons in areas and Thailand's pollution now is an international issue. It has been covered in many countries on TV, printed and probably most importantly, the social madia for several years - at times it does bear the question "what rock have you been under?" PS - I visited the "North" in Feb March and the area was totally deserted - Thai people would not dream of going then - I also caught a bad chest infection.

Rain doesn't necessarily remove particulate pollution. Cloud cover and low wind allow it to build up. you also need to bear in mind the mass of industrial estates in and around BKK especially to the South and East when the winds in that direction. You think too little

VEhicle pollution is a constant source in Bangkok - what changes is the weather - if it becomes calm (and cloudy) then the pollution gets trapped. THis can happen at any time of year. Further pollution and haze can occur if crop burning and other pollutants are blown over BKK and trapped there - crop burning is seasonal.

THis is an interesting point, because your VISA is valid for several months and only "triggered" on entry. So if you enter for 60 days on visa exempt, you should be able to exit and re-enter at some point on your tourist visa for another 60 days. If you included a 30 day extension on each one, in theory you could stay for 180 days.

2.5 levels can be unacceptably high without a perceptible change in visibility levels. The particles scatter light and increasingly cause haze. But air pollution is not just PM2 5 particles, it is a mix of various pollutants and that mix can vary from day to day.. Attempts to gauge pollution on personal observation can be wildly inaccurate.

I think your views are clouded by racism.

I think you've got most of that wrong.

no - it has to be published in the Royal Gazette.

"" this is new and needs explaining this is new and needs explaining.

You probably don't realise that is pure gibberish?