John Drake

Are you sure?

This topic has been beaten to death for the past couple of years. When the fee was first proposed, I think the vast majority on then TVF agreed that it was appropriate. In fact, most people were ready to agree to somewhere between 1000 and 2000 baht. That was on the condition if no mandatory Thai insurance was required of foreigners getting retirement extensions and the like.

Beneficiary doesn't need to be related, or do they in Thailand?

Only if the baht is allowed to sink more against the dollar.

1) Insurance amount often dwarfs hard assets. 2) in this case, there were a lot of hard assets, but the woman wanted the cash from the insurance. like dangling a piece of steak in front of a doberman.

I ran across some on Twitter. They have appropriated the name "Thai Twitter" for themselves. Of course, Thai Twitter is entirely in English. My observations of their content: lots of talk about what bars they are going to, pictures of their beer on the table, shots of the pool framed between their feet on their weekly hotel outing, complaints about service that makes Aseannow seem like a charity, lots of talk about "the gym" to work off all the fat accumulated from beer. Not observed: any interaction with Thais, experience with village life (nothing outside of inner Bangkok except resorts), self awareness. Not so much nomads as locusts.

Wait until the Euros and Americans see the price of imported cheese double.

Another reason to avoid insurance in Thailand.

In France?

Got that insurance in their jaws and holding on to it like bulldog with a bone.

Nope. Nope. Nope. Ain't gonna let that scam go.

Insurance industry doesn't want to let go the Covid insurance scam. Face it. That is the reason the TP continues to exist.

South Korea (and Japan) have strong immigration and cultural ties with many American cities and states. They are a visible presence in the landscape. The intermixing of Koreans directly into America helps with the spread of its so-called "soft power." Thais in the US are mostly grouped in one spot. Say "Thailand" and connections in the American mind are vague at best. At worst, they're like what I still keep getting from people who think I live in Taiwan. In terms of Asia and its soft power in the US, I would rank as follows: 1) Japan 2) China 3)South Korea 4) Vietnam 5)Cambodia (for not altogether good reasons). The rest are all a muddle, although Thailand may be near to being "best of the rest." And no, India doesn't count as part of this picture, while Singapore, if it's thought of as anything other than a World War II history documentary, gets mention only because it canes teenage boys for chewing bubble gum.

Russia is number 9 on the list, ahead of South Korea at number 12. Not very believable. https://brandirectory.com/softpower/

Was it Kingsley Amis (maybe in Lucky Jim?) who said that British universities were first-class and second-rate? Personally, I don't believe that is true these days, although in the 1950s it probably had a lot of resonance.

Shorter column is better. Tweet-sized would be best.

It's not that none went to the UK, it's simply that I don't remember anyone. BTW, I've held faculty positions in one German university, two American ones, and at Mahidol. This over a period stretching from 1984 to 2016. To be honest, they have all degenerated into something considerably less than what they were. The rankings are largely mush. One of the most important factors is publication. And not just publications but publications in top tier journals. And not just publications in top tier journals but publications with high impact scores--meaning many citations. Want to know why Thai universities lag in the rankings? That is the reason. Few people, here, publish. Thais opt for their own national journals, because of the English requirements for top journals. And the foreigners hired for many jobs in Thai universities simply can't publish. I know of some hard working, productive scholars who do publish. But one or two of them in a faculty will turn out more articles in a couple of years than the rest of the lecturers put together. People without regular publications in quality journals could not get/keep jobs in the US/UK/Australia. They can do so, here.

BTW, one of the alternatives incoming MU students used to an international school was to go for a year, sometimes more, abroad in secondary/high schools. Mostly, they studied in the US, New Zealand, and Australia. I can't remember any going to the UK.

I taught at Mahidol. The classes were almost 100 percent students who went to international schools.

I'm not on OA but they should do that anyway.

The insurance requirement will still keep people out. (BTW not talking about myself.) And the fact that you are still dependent on their dodgy technology apps likely means that if anything goes wrong you can expect the "solution" to be something not in your favor.

Thailand Pass still in place. Because they want to keep insurance and vaccine "proof." So the hoops are still there.

Tell it to the malls.

Ron Klain

The one big weapon the US has in its arsenal is an economic one--and I don't mean sanctions. It has huge trade deficits with almost every ASEAN country. China, OTOH, hand has trade surpluses whose amount almost equals the US's surpluses. All the US really needs to do to regain some ground is apply matching tariffs to ASEAN exports to the US. Too, like China does, the US could suddenly discover reasons for safety inspections and more regulatory requirements for ASEAN exporters. But it won't.