CG1 Blue

Verifiable data, or guesswork? As others have said, these are purely forecasts by a body with a questionable past (Legarde etc) and a pretty awful record. IMF shows poor track record at forecasting recessions However, a closer look at its record on reading the future suggests it is unlikely they will accurately predict even how many economies will expand or contract this year. “All macroeconomic forecasters are poor at predicting downturns,” David Turner, head of the economics department at the OECD told the FT. https://www.ft.com/content/60581224-3335-11e8-b5bf-23cb17fd1498

Smart people tend to have more open minds my friend

Most of us have many decades of life experience, and many years of Thailand experience. You have to remember this is a a young girl, probably first time in Thailand, probably a bit naive. Probably could only afford cheap accommodation. Also some people are naturally more clumsy than others (not everyone is as perfect as you). We don't know if she tripped or slipped on something. At the end of the day that balcony rail is way too low by any standards. What is the point of a rail that low? I don't think even Warwick Davies would be safe on that balcony.

A bit like Meghan stirring up hatred for the Royal Family.

Everybody I know currently getting Omicron is suffering very similar symptoms to a cold, or no symptoms at all. Assuming this BF.7 follows the same pattern as previous new variants (i.e. spreading faster but less virulent), why would governments need to "think the worst"?

Any proof of this? I suspect what you meant was most people you associate with believe this.

All of those things you list are just excuses for her and her followers. Her unpopularity is due to her appalling attention seeking and hypocritical behaviour. And for turning Harry (who used to be very popular) into a p whipped fool. 99% of the British public (me included) had no idea she had African ancestry until she started telling us about it. And they made it worse by moving from the UK to make their own living, for us to find out that the 'living' they planned was basically being paid to gossip about the royal family. Of all the good things they could have chosen to make a living from, they chose this.

You're going way off on a tangent. You might be right about those things, but you ignored (or misunderstood?) my fundamental point in order to raise LGBT rights issues. Or do you think people in a same sex relationship should be beyond scrutiny?

I think you're over reacting. I would have said the same if an ex teacher was dating a girl 51 years his junior. The gender/sex was not the central point, it was the occupation. He was probably a perfectly decent bloke, but some (including parents of his former pupils) might raise an eyebrow reading about this. And that's probably why the newspaper made a big deal of the occupation + age gap - to get more clicks.

No I didn't.

That said, him being an ex-teacher having had a career surrounded by young boys, and then ends up dating a man 51 years his junior might cause some concern to people. If he'd been an ex-plumber or accountant less so. In any case RIP to them both. I hope the old chap was having the best time of his life before he met this untimely end. And as for the 27 year old - he had his whole life ahead of him ????

They've done the lock-in pee testing at tourist venues too over the years. I just don't think it's a good look. I haven't been to Jakarta, but I'm quite well travelled. Thanks for your concern though.

Yes

In all my years I have never carried a passport with me on a night out. It's too valuable to risk losing it. Also, in all my years and in all the countries I've ever visited, I've never been held captive in a bar / club by police and forced to pee in a jar. I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest the Thai authorities should rethink this strategy if they want the tourist sector to fully recover.

I get the feeling we're seeing the result of 3 years of Thailand withdrawal symptoms coming to a head all of a sudden, with a mad rush to get over there on top of fuel price increases and the airlines trying to make up Covid losses. Let's hope once the surge is over, fuel crisis is over, BA reinstate the route, etc. we'll get back to some normality in 2023/24.

That's insane. I hope you're wrong too!

Sadly I think the days of finding good flight deals direct from UK to BKK are gone. Since BA removed that route from their schedule there are fewer flights, which means the cheaper seats with the other airlines go too quickly. I imagine you'd need to book a long way in advance to get a good deal. I booked business class with Thai in early Oct for just over £3k.

Very helpful, thanks!

Wait, so earlier you said: "I have been here a long time. I have been attacked unprovoked on 3 occasions." And now you say: "I have personally witnessed more than a dozen foreigners killed on the roads here." I suggest you think hard about who you upset in the past. You're clearly cursed ????

Normal is no mask on the flight, get off the plane and walk to immigration, show your passport, get your bags, go outside and join the taxi queue. There were a lot of extra measures during Covid

My friends are flying into BKK from London in a couple of weeks. They haven’t been to Thailand since before Covid. I wondered if those who have recently arrived at BKK on an international flight could give any advice on what they can expect. Is it back to how it was pre-Covid now? More specifically: Vaccination status. Is this being checked at the airport on arrival? They’ve had 3 jabs, the last ones in December 2021. AstraZeneca and Pfizer. NHS app barcode expires May 2023. Masks – will they need to wear a mask after disembarking? Will they need to wear a mask for the duration of their flight with Thai Airways? Insurance – they have a good travel insurance policy through their bank accounts in the UK. Will this be sufficient? Will they be asked to produce a paper copy of the policy upon arrival? Taxi – is the taxi rank operating as normal at Swampy? Anything else to be aware of? Just trying to avoid any nasty surprises for them! Many thanks

And you are living in denial

I mentioned them because I don't think the kids of those immigrants are achieving in the way that you described. I think you were being selective. Am I wrong?

These kids acing their school work, winning places at the top universities, acing their studies and landing well paid jobs across all sectors of business, are these the kids of immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean, or only kids from certain parts of Asia? If it's the latter perhaps you can explain why - without being racist of course.

How would they achieve all this in a racist and xenophobic country?