KhaoYai

Yes. Unless a country bans all travel and seals its borders WHICH INCLUDES STOPPING POLITICIANS FROM TRAVELLING - travel bans will do very little other than slow down the inevitable. The UK for example has banned travel from a number of infected countries but the Omicron variant is present in several EU countries that are not covered by restricted travel. There are 2 cases in the UK already and there will almost certainly be more.

This is just madness. The new variant will get into Thailand whatever they do - just as the Delta variant did. What are we going to do? Close the world forever? What happened to learning to live with the virus Mr. Chan-oh-Cha? Trip planned for 29 December, booked, paid for, Thailand Pass received - 2 cases in the UK already, there will be more. Very doubtful my trip will go ahead - I cannot accept 14 days quarantine. There was a report on UK TV this morning with a live interview of a doctor in South Africa who has been dealing with patients infected with the new variant. All the patients this doctor has dealt with had been double vaccinated and ALL only had mild symptoms - yet to see how it affects people who have not been vaccinated. The answer seems quite simple - get the population vaccinated and get on with your life!! Let those who don't want the vaccine take their chances.

No, that is also incorrect. To the best of my knowledge All first class policies include medical/injury/death cover for third parties - I cetainly haven't seen one that doesn't. When you purchase such a policy you are asked if you also want the compulsory insurance and if you do, the premium is adjusted accordingly and I believe (unsure because I didn't take it up), listed separately. When trying to get 1st class cover for my bike, I got quotes from at least 3 companies (possibly 4) - all of them covered third party medical/injury and death. Its not only 1st class cover either, I was hit by a taxi in Bangkok 10 years ago, amazingly the car was only covered by 3rd class insurance (legally apparently). I sustained significant injuries, spent time in hospital and 6 weeks off work. Being 3rd class, the amount of cover was low but I did at least receive 100,000 from the 3rd class insurers and if my memory serves me correctly, 30,000 towards my hospital bill from the compulsory insurer.

Precisely, what happened to Prayuth's copycat but very true announcement that we were all going to have to learn to live with the virus?

Sorry but some of what you say is incorrect. My 1st class insurance is not just for property damage, it also covers both myself and anyone else involved for injury if I'm at fault. I can post the policy if you think I'm wrong.

Of course its better that nothing, that's not what I'm talking about. I don't see why its necessary if you have your own insurance. Naturally the private insurers may stipulate that you must also have compulsory insurance - it reduces their payout.

Its really annoying that even if you buy your own cover, you still have to get the compulsory insurance - - just a racket!

Last resort answer for the anti vax brigade. I suppose the doctors in the reports are really undercover BBC operatives and it was all done in a studio with fake patients?

Given the news about the new Omicron variant, I can't see this going through.

Rubbish. Its widely reported that the majority of new cases of serious illness here (UK) are those who are unvaccinated. I watched a report on TV just 2 days ago - on one ward they were taking care of 8 pregnant women who had Covid 19. Most had refused the vaccine because they thought it may harm their unborn child - 7 of the 8 were unvaccinated.

What rot. You seriously think world governments spend billions on vaccines that are a waste of time? On the subject of deaths and serious illness, you fail to take account of countries that have high numbers of vaccinated people, often high infection rates yet low death/hospitalisation rates. I'm getting sick and tired of people like you spreading their crazy anti vax tales. Just check out the UK's figures at the moment and compare them with previous waves of high infection. One small example 50,000 new infections today with 160 deaths. The last time we had infection rates so high, death rates were averaging around 1500 per day! How do the anti vax brigade explain that? The vaccines are not perfect but they were created in record time and their effect is clear to see. The protests in Europe are not caused by people thinking they've been misled by their governments, they are happening because they are being misled by crazy anti-vaxxers like you who are able spread their vile messages because of the internet! Do you have any idea where the anti-vax movement started - check out the name Andrew Wakefield, the man who with other sick minded people, started all of this with his lies about the MMR vaccine. He was a doctor, got struck off because of what he did, moved to the US, hooked up with an ex super model and made a fortune. While you're on, check out just how he and companies related to him made him that fortune. When I was a kid, we had our TB, Measles, Polio and other jabs without question and there were very few problems. Polio for example - I remember kids in my class with their legs in calipers - you won't see that in the UK now. The difference today is that people like Wakefield and yourself have social media on which to spead their message.

Any talk of anything opening, including entry to the country using the Test & Go method could all be pointless shortly given today's new of a new variant.

New vaccination certificate received, applied for the other gent again - again, instant approval. I think if you have good copies of everything and are fortunate enough to have a QR code on your vaccination certificates, you won't have a problem.

Oh, it is a joke.

This is a joke right?

No idea what other people's experiences with Thailand Pass applications are at the moment but they certainly seem to have improved the system. I was asked to help 2 elderly gentlemen, due to travel to Thailnd by doing their applications. I tried both last night, the first was approved immediately - within 2 minutes. The second I had to abort due to issues with the QR code on his vaccination certificates - despite repeated attempts I kept getting the Invalid message. It took a while to discover what the problem was (I think) - both of his vaccine record QR's scanned on my phone so I wasn't expecting any problems. At first I couldn't see anything wrong with the QR codes but when I expanded them on my laptop there were 2 intermittent lines running horizontally across both of them - akin to a printer error. I have asked for a new certificate, hopefully that will fix the problem. I still don't understand why the codes scanned with the QR scanner on my phone yet the Thailand Pass system rejected them but fingers crossed it doesn't happen with the new certificate - its just over a week until they fly.

Buddy, tell your friend not to fear the worst. A high PSA is quite often Prostate Cancer (PC) but as Cheryl said - there are other causes. The main thing is to get the right diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible. Almost 7 years ago I was diagnosed with highly agressive PC, my PSA level was very high at 189, I had treatment and I'm still well. PC is very treatable if its caught early enough and much depends upon the grade of cancer. If the tumours are contained within the capsule of the prostate, there is a very good chance of a full cure and recovery. Even if the cancer has broken through the capsule there is still potentially much that can be done. When it spreads to other parts of the body its is more difficult to treat but in most cases it can be slowed down with hormone therapy etc. - sometimes for many years. Yes, such a diagnosis is scary, I remember being given the news - I felt like I'd been shot in the head. However, with good oncologists and the right treatment its often not the curse its said to be. I had hormone therapy (HT) to shrink the tumours and give the next step - Radio Therapy (RT), a better chance. My PSA went down to almost 0 and It took six years for it to start rising again (March this year). PET scans revealed some low level activity which probably means the RT didn't quite get it all. However, I've just had a course of High Dose Rate Brachytherapy (HDR) which although it wasn't suitable as a primary treatment in my case, it is now. I'd had the maximum dose of RT previously - more could cause damage to surrounding tissue whereas HDR can be targeted directly into the areas of activity after they are mapped out by scans and biopsies, hence, little to no effect on surrounding areas. I have also been accepted for High Intensity Focused Ultrasound treatment should the HDR fail - so as you can see, the most important thing is to get checked. If it is cancer the earlier they treat it, the more options there are. A lot of blokes are scared of treatment because they have heard it affects your ability to perfom in the sheets. It does but that's often temporary and there's much they can do to help nowadays. The alternative may be the 'sheets' being replaced by a wooden box. RT is virtually painless and is given for a few minutes every day for a few weeks depending on the oncologists recommendations. HDR is a little more involved and does cause some discomfort and problems with your plumbing for a while (I'm fine after 5 weeks) but the treatment itself is usually carried out under a general anaesthetic. I've got to be honest and say that the HT that I had (there are different types) was bloody awful - not painful and it affects everyone differently but I had a few issues with it, it was necessary. Please try to re-assure your friend that if it is PC, he has plenty of options but its up to him to find the right people to advise and then drive things forward - I've been lucky so far.

Are King Power duty free shops back open?

The information states that the Thailand Plus/Morchana App will alert you to do the test and that you upload the results on the App. Is that not the case? My hotel have told me that If I don't want the ATK I don't have to have it - sounds like a box ticking excercise to me.

Why do people enter in to property sales/puchases in Thailand without using a solicitor? Would they do that in their home country? Certainly not in the UK.

No you cannot. You are the proponent of studies, I have said from the outset that I neither believe them or have any need of them to advise me what is right and what is wrong on the subject of parenting. Typical that you answer a question with a question instead of tacking it head on. You have every right to believe what you wish - as have I. There has been nothing in anything I've read on this thread that would even begin to make me question my beliefs. I have raised 2 families in the normal way - a mother and a father. That is the norm for our species and I really can't understand your constant relating of the issue to apes. I really don't care what apes or any other species do, the norm in human society is male + female reproduction and male + female parenting.. There is yet to be a biological replacement for the former and although the latter is sometimes not practiced, it is preferable and overwhelmingly in the majority. In any case, I believe this discussion has run its course. Neither of us is likely to change their viewpoint and I refuse to take part in a discussion relating human behaviour to that of apes. Perhaps you are saying that gay/lesbian people are more closely related to apes in terms of their behaviour? If I was gay I would find that offensive.

Etihad Airlines require me to provide a negative RT-PCR Test result for my return journey to the UK in January. There are all sorts of prices for these tests - my wife had to pay 4000 baht in July. However, I have come across this company that charge 2100 baht: https://www.klook.com/activity/57906-Covid19-RT PCR Test-Huanji Gene/?aid=14338&aff_adid=550769&aff_label1=COVID&aff_label2=Test&aff_label3=Huanji&aff_pid=&aff_sid=&utm_medium=affiliate-alwayson&utm_source=non-network&utm_campaign=14338&utm_term=&utm_content= Also on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?id=319339738095641&story_fbid=4628440300518875 Anybody used them and can give feedback?

They do.

I related my original post to the OP by suggesting a different title but we are going way off topic now and I have no intention of letting this spat dominate the OP. I'd be happy to debate the matter further with you in a relevant thread - feel free to start one. You could make it a survey - I wonder how many men would be truthful and state why they came to Thaland for the first time?

Quite correct but.....................it is of no consequence but on that occasion I was actually meaning myself. However, lets be honest, I do think the availability of women in Thailand and the fact that in Asian culture, it is often acceptable for a girl to have an older partner does mean that for whatever reason, the majority of Western males come to Thailand looking for a female - be that a partner, a fling or a paid for encounter. It is also a fact that some men do come to Thailand because they have difficulty in finding a partner at home as you say - but what's the difference? The reason they come is just the same is it not - females. I wouldn't say its many men as you do, I'd say some. It could be said that I had trouble finding a partner in my home country - a partner who didn't carry a spare tyre round her waist and look like she'd done 11 rounds with Mike Tyson. Sorry, as I said earlier, I've looked after myself and I'm just not attracted to most women in the 'available' age group in my home country. How many women have you seen on this forum?