Expat Tom

Governments everywhere will seize any opportunity to hold onto power. Liberties and freedoms lost will not be easily restored. History is full of examples.

Well, the last time I commented on freedom of speech in Thailand I was blocked from commenting in this forum for 10 days. Is that a form of censorship? Just asking.

So, I will not comment on freedom of speech. 

Soi Cowboy and Nana....come on people!!! It's a joke!!!!

Depending on where in the USA, he could have been shot...and no I'm not a whinny brit. I am an American veteran living the good life here in the LOS. (Land of Smiles)

Someday the government of Thailand will do a proper cost benefit analysis on tourism in general and Chinese tourism in particular. 

The Chinese tourists often pays for their package in China.. They fly on Chinese airlines to Thailand, stay in hotels owned by Thai/Chinese or by heavy Chinese interests. They ride on busses owned by Chinese (or Thai front companies whose beneficial ownership is in China)  to restaurants owned by Chinese and shop in Chinese owned gift shops. The Thai environment and and infrastructure is degraded by bus traffic and the additional bio-load of all of the extra people spending little money in Thailand but consuming water and depositing effluent into the sewage systems out weighs the income produced. 

Now, let's look at the expats living in Thailand, many of whom are leaving. I am not a rich expat but I bring 90,000 baht per month into Thailand and spend it all. Hey, I made the money so I enjoy life. There are people on pensions riding bar stools all day long in Pattaya who can barely afford to live a low level life here and there are fortunate folks who own big homes and condos and spend a lot more than I do. So, let''s say that I am kind of middle of the road. My bio-load on Thailand is minimal and my load on the infrastructure is minimal given the amount of money I spend here. 

The question remains, why would the Thai government make it hard for me to stay here and instead, court plane loads of Chinese who will bring other misfortune to Thailand with limited financial benefit per captia? The Asian Flu, the Hong Kong flu, SARS, the Swine flu and now the Wuhan Coronavirus (let''s call if for what it is) all came from China   

How much more to you want Thailand and for what REAL benefit?  

Why not go for quality with reduced numbers and save your country rather than let the invading swarms form the empire of the North ruin beautiful Thailand.

Just one more reason to get out of Thailand. This is no longer a farang friendly country, if it ever was. Opening up the flood gates for Chinese tourists will make this one of the most danger ridden unhealthy countries to the world.  

Open the bars! Let the good times roll!

Actually, governments around the world usurp human rights and violate their own constitutions as a whim and are wont to give the rights back to the people. I am not saying that the coronavirus is not serious but have the draconian measures been justified? Has the medicine been worse than the disease? We will never know.

Come one everyone, "brevity is close godliness"  and that certainly includes the "Rooster"

if you can't make your point in 70% less verbiage then kindly don't write anything at all.

Please do not be cynical and just acknowledge a random act of kindness. What sort of complete jerk would do otherwise?

These clowns could not organize a barbecue for 20 people. This was to have been expected as soon as announced. 

The incompetent leading the ill-informed to try to accomplish the impossible.   

Give information but NEVER hand over your passport unless absolutely compelled to do so. If you mess with these people over trivialities it could bite you in the butt later.  Smile, be pleasant, put up with the non-sense. It is their country and you are a guest. Refusing to cooperate with the local 'poo-bah' might buy you more misery down the road. Be the nice smiling cooperative farang and not the <deleted> farang.

If you can't bear the situation, leave Thailand when you can. 

Only Brits and the like omit articles in front of words like school, hospital, university and bank. An American or Canadian would say that I go to "a university" or "the university" and not simply "university".

The Brits suffer from the delusion that they are still an important dominant nation in the world, something that they have not been in the last 150 years. Most of the world today wants to learn North American English and not "marbles in the mouth" <deleted> English, a.k.a. "the Queens English"

Castration would be appropriate to prevent the "stupid gene" being propagated.

I know that sounds harsh but how f#*king stupid can you be!!! 

I suggest that you switch to pot. it is widely available throughout Isan and is probably better that tobacco and might take your mind off the current situation 

A detox off of booze for a few weeks would do the whole country good and I say that as a moderate drinker. Alcohol also lowers the body's natural resistance. A huge percentage of the deaths in Italy , over 90%, were among those with pre-existing health problems. So, you puss gutted rummies with florid faces should look in the mirror and consider a few weeks of sobriety. If you don't, you might contribute to nature's culling of the herd.

The "Peter Principle" in action. This man has clearly attained a position for which he in neither professionally, intellectually or temperamentally qualified to hold.  

China's advantage was that they are an absolute communists dictatorship and quite use to obeying orders. 

Not so much so in other countries. God's way of culling the herd?  

My saw the poor fools waiting under the tent in the parking lot at the "Pattaya Immigrations" which is not in Pattaya.  I use an agent who handles EVERYTHING and have use her for 3 years....Non-O , 90 reporting everything.   I don't want to sound cruel but if you can't afford to use a good agent, maybe you should go home.

Thailand, be careful of what you wish for. You are rapidly becoming a Chinese colony if not a vassal state. The Chinese will pay off the stupid military leaders with worthless toys and Thailand will be sold to the highest bidder...the f#*king Chinese. 

Anyone who haas taught in any Thai school or university, as I have, is quite aware of the generally low level of educational attainment in Thailand. This minister is obviously a product of the Thai educational system. That is certainly not meant to imply ALL Thais are stupid but it does appear to be a requirement for high political office.