Cabradelmar

Finally, a ranking study with Thailand at the top that is 100% believable.

Wtf! That is staggering. I will say, I've personally know a few Thai people that never learned to swim properly and are largely afraid to enter the water above the waist.

This is neither new nor misunderstood... The educational system in this country has been broken for some time now. What's frustrating is that all we hear is talk, and hand wringing, without real change. Firstly... Make education compulsory and free through grade 12. Then look at the curriculum and everything else... New text books, better facilities (especially in Issan), better teachers, and most importantly, end the reliance on rote learning without the deep understanding of the underlying concepts. Then grade people rigorously (stop with this everyone passes mentality - where students are essentially passed regardless of their actual performance).

This is a national problem within Thailand... Improper (inadequate) waste management... Including the epidemic problem of illegal dumping has never been adequately address by any elected or non-elected Thai government.

Lip stick on a pig, really... As long as you have garbage washing on shore nightly, and sewage and waste being dumped improperly (almost everywhere), the beach will never look good (long term). Beach nourishment (that's what where talking about here) offers some short-term benefits like providing a wider beach for recreation and storm protection, but it's not a permanent solution, and the added sand will erode away relatively quickly due to weather and waves. Quite simply, it's not cost effective and is only temporary. Not to mention the sourcing of the "new" sand... Thoughtless dredging's environmental impacts create as much a problem as it solves.

Real estate transactions must be registered through the Land Department (a government agency; under Thailand’s Ministry of Interior), which is supposed to verify legality and compliance, they don't. How can you be so incredibly obtuse and uninformed? They (the Land Depts.) allow it (the questionable transactions) to occur by failing their responsibilities, outright fraud in some cases and/or turning a blind eye... but you go ahead and believe your own fairy tale #wakeup

Thailand is a Kingdom. The governmental authorities (of Thailand, the Kingdom) allow operators to execute questionable real estate transactions, and the governmental authorities (of Thailand, the Kingdom) then swoop in after the fact to take back the assets -- as the authority of, and in the name of Thailand, the Kingdom. Wake up, take a nap, up to you, but please stop, being pedantic.

That's the process... Convince foreigners to buy into a fantasy (owning property on a Thai island), build it to spec without permits (permissions, etc ), and then reclam the property in the name of the Kingdom.

Talk about a hit to tourism... A war with a border country would be it.

Like I've always said... Leave the dealing to the locals.

Has he never watched a professional poker tournament... it involves betting with real money and assets on an outcome.

Thailand is fine for elective, pre-scheduled, short-term procedures at elite facilities—if you can afford them. It’s not a good system for chronic conditions, emergencies outside of Bangkok, or affordable long-term care. Even at Bumrungard it's more a hard sell to get you to buy "packages", and the prices there keep going up. Thailand will eventually screw the pooch on any advantage they once had as greed firmly sets in (takes over). Mexico, India and Turkiye and better value for money.

Nothing special about medical services in Thailand... If you are thai expect substandard care. If you are a foreigner expect to pay (substantially) more for the same substandard care. With the exception of dental and some plastic surgeries, you can do better elsewhere.

It is what it is.

Long haul airfares being what they are, don't see a lot of US families winging it over.