John Drake

When I retired from Mahidol, I like you thought I would need to change my visa from Non-B to Non-O. As it ended up, however, when I went to Nakhon Pathom immigration (where Mahidol is located and where university employees were directed for extensions), the immigration officer said not so. She simply wrote a note in my passport underneath the extension that was expiring, issued me a letter, and sent me to Chaengwattana, because I actually live in Bangkok and would henceforth need to do my extensions there. Subsequently, I extended on my Non-B for purposes of retirement at Chaengwattana and have now done so for nine consecutive years.

I'm afraid that once again this shows that Trump really doesn't have a plan or a strategy that is thinking beyond the initial application of tariffs. Personally, I think tariffs are justified in the right situation. But one of the things that could best have illustrated their strategic use would have been to concentrate on one particular region. Southeast Asia deserves that honor. It's a region that puts up its own tariffs on American goods, while providing cover for Chinese companies avoiding US sanctions. The US should hit them hard and demonstrate just how powerful American trade policy could be and how it could reward friends and significantly damage enemies and fence sitters. Access to US markets has always been part of US foreign policy. But if you have a region slipping into the control of a US enemy, China, then there is no reason to allow them to continue to access the US without at least incurring reciprocal tariffs. But here is the one thing you DO NOT DO: don't start off attacking your two closest neighbors and military allies, while all but groveling to Arab states and Russia.

Trump is likely thinking that Carney will continue the destruction that he thinks Trudeau caused and thus in a few years time Canada will split asunder and Trump can make the leavings into new US territory.

Fine. Then stop military pensions and Tricare from going to overseas destinations as well.

There has been ongoing anti-Americanism since the 1980s, when Europeans all blamed Reagan for being about to start World War III.

Much of this is anti-Americanism that has been simmering beneath the surface in Europe and Canada for decades. What is interesting is to compare this hatred with other places also incurring reciprocal tariffs, such as Mexico. Nothing like the hatred you see from Canada and Europe comes from Mexico, and Trump is actually talking about border incursions into Mexico to take out the narcos.

And I don't want it to change. Trust me, once they start doing major changes to immigration in Thailand, the results will not be what we want.

The US at one time required foreign nationals to notify the government of any address change through a post card every year. I remember seeing PSAs maybe as late as the 1980s notifying aliens of this requirement. Like everything else with US immigration, however, it eventually became another ignored requirement.

I wasn't a Trump voter and I'm very, very anti-Musk. But these arson attacks are terrorism. Not only the actual arsonists need to be charged and convicted but those giving material and financial support as well. Incitement to riot also needs to be used right now, this moment, including political figures.

Bans on Thai officials traveling to the West is meaningless. It achieves nothing. I don't think they care much. Increasingly, they spend their time in HK and China. There are many, many actions involving trade that will easily get much better results from Thailand.

When Macron says "buy European," he means "buy French products that otherwise cannot compete." The EU and before that the EC was always about being led around by the French with the German lapdog licking up their droppings.

80 percent of the replies to this topic have nothing to do with the subject of the OP.

Living in Thailand during Covid was a lot better than in most other places.

Sounds like 36,000 potential members of Ukrainian bound construction battalions. BTW I see the estimate for the last ten years is nearly 200,000. That's a good number for an expeditionary force to face off with the North Koreans.

This is why . . . Prayuth was better.