John Drake

This is pretty basic to fighting a war. You try and eliminate your enemy's ability to maneuver and organize. Hamas is a government and a military force. Israel should by all rights seek to limit its ability to communicate and coordinate its actions. This happens in every war.

American investors should reorient themselves towards the Philippines. Thailand is becoming a hostile anti-American member of the Russian/Chinese Axis.

Yes, PTP came through with their electricity reduction just in time for the lowest usage months of the year. Now, rates will come back with a vengeance when electricity use will increase and then soar in April/May. We will pay several times over for this late year discount.

7 Eleven

Then do ask your physician about Meniere's. Meniere's affects people in radically different ways. I see a Meniere's specialist in Bangkok. When it first struck I was seeing him every two weeks. Now, I check in once every three months. There are treatments that may control Meniere's symptoms. But I hope you don't have it.

Correct. I miss Prayuth. Wish he was back. Especially for those of us on retirement visas, he was mostly a force for stability.

What is the duration of your episodes of vertigo? Any accompanying hearing loss? I ask because I have Meniere's, although it has been in remission for almost six years. Short duration vertigo would not be Meniere's.

The long quote from the Polish body language analyst in the Khaosod article is devastating. Srettha, he says, actually tries to make himself smaller and put himself phsyically underneath Putin in a craven subserviant position.

The United States should be neutral. All sides should begin a dialog leading to a peaceful resolution.

There is demand enough. That's why Thailand is involved in IP theft. How many billions of US dollars worth of IP theft is running on Thai computers and in Thai offices? How many ripoffs of brand names are being manufactured in Thailand? How many pirated videos, movies, and downloaded entertainment?

A bike is still healthier than going from your driveway to the store parking lot and back in a car.

One of the biggest investments the US makes in countries like Thailand is giving them privileged access to the US market. Last year, for example, Thailand enjoyed a $42 billion trade surplus with the US, while running a trade deficit with the China. Quite simply, this needs to end. Those market privileges were given to Thailand on the contingency that it would be a mainland SE Asian bulwark against communist/Chinese/Russian expansion into the region. Now, the region is completely in Chinese-Russian hands and Thailand is joining them. Frankly, there is nothing else that Thailand makes or produces that the US needs. It is in US interests, I think, to simply cut off the Thai pipeline and reroute all investments, development projects, and trade towards the Philippines, a country that has cultural, linguistic, political, religious, and military ties with the US. Thailand is a lost cause. Write it off.

Across the street from me is what I call the Chinese compound. An extended Thai-Chinese family lives there. The patriarch of the clan died about five years ago. He was always friendly towards me. He grew up in the village in which I live and made a fortune in gold shops. Since he's died, I haven't had much interaction. The daughter once offered me some mangoes off their mango tree. Catty cornered to my left is dog lady, who never talks to me. OTOH, catty cornered to the right is a very friendly and talkative family of ex teachers. Most of the rest of village seems composed of retirees from the Ministry of Education (I think they bought in as a group deal about 20 years ago). So things are quiet, neat and tidy. It's pretty much the best place I've ever lived in.

One healthy thing I do think Thai lifestyle lends itself to for Americans is relative lack of car culture. In the US, I wouldn't be surprised that a large amount of the population doesn't even walk 100-200 yards per day. A few feet to the bathroom or kitchen, then a few to the recliner. Walk maybe 30 or 40 ft. to the car on the way to the big trip for the day, the 50-60 ft. trip to the office and back. My life here lends itself naturally to walking at least 8 or 9 km per day. More active around the house too.

Yes, that's true. But it does have clients in Laos, Cambodia, and for all the disguised complaining on Vietnam's part, Vietnam. Thailand is becoming one, too. Already, in northern Laos, and this was ten years ago, Chinese nationals have simply moved into the country and set up shop. The figure I saw at the time was 800,000 Chinese. Now, with Thailand's visa free entry for Chinese, the way is set up for the process to be repeated in Thailand. Once they're in, you'll never get the Chinese out. Besides they already have plenty of "cousins" in Thailand to help with their settlement and colonization.

It is clear that Thailand has chosen to be a Chinese satrapy. I think this pretty much seals the deal for most of mainland Southeast Asia. Accordingly, the US needs immediately to stop funneling money and investment into Thailand. So too should it stop dreaming that Vietnam is an alternative. The Vietnamese are just trying to leverage money out of the US. They will never realign from China. That leaves Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar firmly in China's grip. If the US still wants to fund and build up a country in the region, it should refocus on the Philippines, which has strong cultural, political, and military ties to the US. The Philippines' population is better educated and more capable of participating with the US as an economic partner. But the US should go cold turkey on Thailand. Cancel Cobra Gold immediately, raise import tariffs on Thai goods to match Thai tariffs, curtail Thai ownership of US property and companies, and put Thailand immediately under sanctions if it allows Chinese companies to relocate to Thailand in order to evade existing sanctions on them. Sever all military and political connections--all that does is provide information that will go directly to China. Let Thailand be free to act in its best interests. The US is free to do so as well. And it is no longer in the US' best interests to waste anymore time and resources on Thailand.

You think India is happy with this?

Isn't their an opposition political party in Thailand that could make a comment on this? Or do they just agree with PTP? Do they ever say anything about anything important?

Yes, these educational programs have made the UK what it is today.

Hub of crackpot ideas. 500+ billion for the digital wallet. More than 1 trillion for the land bridge. 20 baht fare for Purple and Red lines, assuring they'll need to short cut maintenance.

Are you thinking of Run for Your Life, with Ben Gazzara. Ran from 1965 to 1968. Another excellent series to come from Roy Huggins.

And wait until you see the invitation Srettha is giving the Chinese today;

It's getting worse. Khaosod quotes from a speech Srettha gave in China today: "It is like the saying that China and Thailand are not far from being siblings, but I would like to confirm that China is the elder brother. I hope this visit will lead to positive results for tourism, including increased visa exemption." Everybody still happy with the election results???

What type of treatment can we Westerners expect after Russian and Chinese troops have occupied Thailand?

The 10,000 baht will never be allowed to be cashed out. It will remain in the digital financial ecosystem circulating forever. The effect is to narrow choices to a few national chains operating across the country. Think 7-Eleven.