WinterGael

5 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

I find the concept that you "don't understand " why tourists wish to behave any differently on holiday  than they would at home to be  deeply disturbing too , especially the fact that you would seek to limit their activities and  bring them into line with restrictions in your home country, Where ever that might be

Would you agree if a Saudi Arabian made such a statement ?  

 

To suggest that allowing night clubs to open to 4am is akin to  Thailand "selling its soul" is indicative of your ignorance of Thailand and nearly as laughable as your assertion that the revenue from tourism benefits only a minority  W.T .F. ?

 

Obviously you would prefer that Covid restrictions are reintroduced and that "other" people should generally be discouraged from visiting in order that your "friends and family " may feel less uncomfortable,  MIght I suggest, that rather than allowing or hoping for  the continuing decimation of the tourist industry here,  your friends and family might like to consider visiting another  country more appropriate for their sensitivities North Korea springs to mind, not to many farangs there I would imagine 

How on earth is being Thai in either Pattaya or Phuket equivalent  to being "second class" (whatever that actually means)

 

My friends and family are Thai, and my opinions come from them.  And I've had very good talks with highly educated Thais who set me straight on just how few people truly benefit form tourism and also have made me understand that tourism has many downsides for the average Thai.

Well, right off the start I have to comment on where tourists go.  From my experience, you want to be around Westerners,  go to the bars and party roads.  You want to be around non Westerners,  go to wats and cultural venues.  Even at high tourist times, when my wife and I go to a wat, oft times I am the only Westerner there, even at some of the most famous ways.

That said, I am in 100% agreement with maintaining at a minimum the present rules governing the sale of alcohol.  They are already more lenient than in my home country, so why should Thailand want tourists to act differently here than they would at home? I find the concept that Thailand must sell its soul for the pleasure of tourist dollars (which really do not affect the majority) to be deeply disturbing.  And so do Thais.

Over the past few years, due to COVID, my friends and family have been enjoying the beaches and recreational attractions around Thailand.  For almost all of them, it is a first. This surprised me, but then they tell me that before there were too many tourists and they did not feel comfortable going with all the "farangs" there.  I know many really dislike places like Pataya and Phuket where it seems being Thai is being second class.

8 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Boy if it is money they want then just open the doors for all tourists to arrive with a Visa Exempt, take the shackles off and let the venues stay open 24 hours, make it just like Las Vegas.  Add in the casinos and the folks will stream on in

 

So you are promoting the idea that Thailand become the prostitute of Southeast Asia?  I think the Thai government is doing enough of that.  I wouldn't want that in my home country, sure would not want it here.  Need to promote honest business, not further corruption.  

TAT walks a fineline on this one.  On one side they want tourists because, simply put, they need those tourist baht (a strong sign the Thai economy and economic lead in SEA is on the decline), and on the other side, they have to deal with a population that numerous times have made it known that they do not approve of mass tourism from anywhere.  

I once talked to along yerm expat from Pattaya who told me Thai tourism works like this.  The Thais involved in it want you to come for a couple of weeks, spend as much as you can, then get the hell out.  And that's pretty much what Thai friends in the industry have told me, too (with the caveat, we not mean you).

But that said, will extending visas really earn that much more?  From family and friends who travel here, outside of hotels and restaurants, I'm not convinced.  I've had friends come for 10 days and spend 40,000 baht after hotel and food. I've had others come for 60 days and spend 50,000 after hotel and food.  How much one spends is a factor of how uch you can afford (seems like people come to Thailand for the cheapo holiday) and not so much how long you want to stay.

1 hour ago, natway09 said:

No surprise here at all as the average Thai  who drives fast just has no idea how long it takes to stop a fast moving vehicle or what action needed in the event of a skid of slide.

The pick up manufacturers are also at fault here as the ability with modern engines to travel at high speeds are certainly not matched by their braking ability in particular on the cheaper models.

Speeding at 170KPH in a pick up or car that still has only drum brakes on the rear is a classic example

Not sure where your coming from on this one.  After having read disks on a truck, give me drums everyday.  And it's not like the rear breaks do the majority of the stopping.  Drove around for a month with no rear breaks without ever a stopping issue.  And as for engine power vs breaking ability, the one thing I hate about Thai trucks and cars is how underpowered they are compared to what I'm used to back home, same car, same model.  Your argument should be thank god they aren't as powerful as North American trucks.

9 hours ago, Dmaxdan said:

It is mind boggling that straight roads without a slope prove to so challenging!

In Thailand it's not so mind boggling.  Thailand has some of the worst roads I've ever driven on.  As a former road builder, I honestly don't think they know how to build them or maintain their roads.  I've driven perfectly straight roads, doing 10/15 kph under posted speed and almost lost it because of a pothole the size of a dog that you couldn't see because of the dip in the road.  6 months later, and the pothole was still there... along with chewed up grass to the side.

14 hours ago, PremiumLane said:

only in very rare cases and you do know there are two type of myocarditis, right? And that mRNA causes the mild kind (in very rare cases) which you can fully recover from.

The myocarditis association reported on this and did a study on it - they conclude that the risk of heart problem from the virus outweighs any risk from the vaccine - so get vaccinated. 

 

And you keep making claims with no evidence - just hearsay and  anecdotal evidence.  Are you talking about people who get frequent and unnecessary booster shots? You know the doesn't invalidate vaccines - it just means don't misuse them. That is the same for any drug or medical procedure. Sounds like you are grasping at straws. 

I'm not on here to quote every journal and printed report.  If I were, you couldn't make an uniformed, wishful thinking, mainstream approved comment like this.  I have friends in healthcare as I used towirk in a hospital lab.  You ain't hear nothing yet...

14 hours ago, PremiumLane said:

Citation needed for that one  - I looked and there was only 4 cases and all not serious. 

And how do you know the media are not reporting? Citation for the 9400 cases and compensation.

 

And the doctor said 'maybe' - well it must be the vaccine then 

Live in Thailand, but used to work in healthcare in home country, so still have lots of friends working in hospitals there.  From the news, I see very few reported cases of adverse vaccine reactions.  That does not reflect the cases seen in the healthcare system where they are almost regular.  That said, it is known that the mRNA vaccines are causing cardiac issues.  Also, there are reports out of Europe that said vaccines are causing issues with our immune systems such that while gaining some protection from COVID, our bodies won't be able to deal as they once did with other infections.  This is interesting in that excess deaths are being reported that are not caused by COVID.  

22 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Surely it is not that that these staff are all off sick now due to Covid, more to do with the lack of staff qualified to do the job, as, like many other countries, staff were laid off during the height of the Covid pandemic, due to there being little International  travel. 

So not solely a factor of current Covid infections. 

The news stated that the cancellations were due to employee absence due to the spike in employees having COVID; ie. too many sick at the same time.  They do notbhave the staff to replace them. Not because of lack of training.

13 hours ago, rumak said:

the only people i know who have NOT got sick ...... have all refused the shot.    of course if i say the useless shot It will be misinformation.   

My village was doing great.  Everyone very careful.  No one caught COVID.  Then the vaccines came, everybody vaccinated 2, 3, 4 times.  Now the only people know who have caught COVID all were vaccinated.  Half the people in the village have had it now at least once.  All the vaccines did was cause people to let their guard down. 

14 hours ago, UTH001 said:

My US friends in Texas are fully vaccinated and boostered. All four of them (two adults, two kids) had Covid last month. Feeling a bit unwell for two days, and that was that. Less symptoms than that of a flu...

My wife and I are multivaxed.  Both of us caught COVID at an outdoor concert.  She was sick for 5 days, pretty much like a cold although still tired all the time five weeks later.  For me, it was one of the worst periods of being sick ever.  And five weeks later, still dealing with a cough and breathing issues.  Just depends how it hits you.  

The more concerning thing is the fact that people who had COVID with no symptoms are showing up at their doctors with organ damage 6 months, a year later, caused by the virus.

1 hour ago, ThailandGuy said:

The surge happens everywhere, but nowhere they are closing down again. So why is Thailand even considering this?

 

Have read 2 editorials out of UK stating the government has failed the country by lifting mask mandates and other preventatice measures.  Same in US, Canada, other countries.  They're argument is simple:  we need to learn to live with this to avoid the economic crash we had in 2020/2021, and dropping masks, allowing large groups is not going to do that.  It risks putting our economies right back where we were 2 years ago because vaccines aren't keeping up and herd immunity a lost cause.  And simply letting it spread could lead to a new strain we can't control.  So the pressure is out there to reinstate preventative measures.

2 hours ago, Denim said:

 

Well she made the cover of MUTT magazine so perhaps you were expecting too much.

Don't think Thais know what mutt means in English. 

On 7/1/2022 at 7:53 AM, BritManToo said:

All of my family have had COVID, none of them have developed 'serious symptoms' then or after. The symptoms they had at the time were no worse than regular flu.

Like I said, not paying attention to the news.  Symptoms may be similar to the flu, but this is definitely not the flu.  Last I read the UK alone is dealing with almost 900,000 cases of long COVID, with the associated health risks, loss of employment, etc.  Even asymptomatic patients have been having associated health issues months after recovering. 

As reports out of UK state, learning to live with this will not be easy as it is still having a huge health and economic impact on people.  Think about Lufthansa alone, 2200 flights cancelled in June because of not having the staff due to COVID to operate.

On 7/1/2022 at 7:53 AM, BritManToo said:

All of my family have had COVID, none of them have developed 'serious symptoms' then or after. The symptoms they had at the time were no worse than regular flu.

The serious symptoms can show up much later.  At the present time, last u read, close to 900,000 Brits are suffering from long COVID and other related health problems as a result of having had COVID.  Many had no initial symptoms or issues with it.  I have a friend who caught COVID in summer of 2020.  She laughed it off as nothing to sweat about, as she had no symptoms.  This year she found out she has serious cardiopulmonary issues as a result of COVID.  

8 hours ago, robblok said:

Depends if she is working for the people then there would be no problem. If she like her other family tries to get Thaksin home then it could lead to trouble. So it all depends do they want to work for the people (and take their corruption cut like the current MOB) or go after a Thaksin pardon again. (not beneficial to the people will lead to problems)

 

Will have to wait and see for that one.

Most Thais I know would love to have the Thaksin and his sister pardoned and returned home.  They truly believe he was good for them and the country.  Pardoning them could help stability.