Bad boy 561

6 hours ago, Hellfire said:

Luckily, we have thousands of the high-quality foreigners here in Pattaya who successfully balance this human quality situation.

 

 

Sarcasm at its finest 

5 hours ago, animalmagic said:

The States is the real world? Gadzooks, were doomed!

Better than the uk

1 hour ago, mikebell said:

Can someone explain to me how this will affect my proposed trip to UK in August?  I am an expat & every year (for the previous 15) got a re-entry permit to return after visiting my family.  Do I need some form of Holiday Insurance to return or is my 800K in the bank enough?

Pretty sure you still need it

6 hours ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

So no need of insurance?

Guess you missed the part where it said $10,000 coverage, read again 

10 hours ago, Meat Pie 47 said:

What about stay in your own country

Why don’t you?

9 hours ago, tomster said:

Just drop all entry restrictions (maybe keep the insurance requirement as that is not that unreasonable) and the millions will return.

 

Problem is if they drop all restrictions before the next election the protests will return in force - they can't have that so expect to see the fear campaign kept going until after the vote at least. 

Not unreasonable?how do figure that

On 12/17/2021 at 6:45 AM, LarrySR said:

From the FBI Report

Washington, D.C.

FBI National Press Office

55.1% offenders were white, and 21.2% were Black or African American.

Now you know.

 

https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-releases-updated-2020-hate-crime-statistics

Definatly not worth it for me to tavel

Back to america, have to go through the Thai pass process and pay a ridiculous amount of money for insurance to cover the remainder of my retirement visa, it’d be the same traveling to Vietnam or anywhere else, they need to scrap the insurance and thai pass.

5 hours ago, Orinoco said:

A very well seasoned international traveler.

Got to be first real joke on Asean Now 2022.

 

Ps just wish it had not been a Brit that said that.

 

 

 

Why, are they special?

10 hours ago, daveAustin said:

You want simple? Open the country, test on entry. Done! Stop f*****g about. Don’t employ 300 penpushers to come up with another bloated convoluted system BECAUSE YOU CAN, just copy another country with half a brain. Thailand, I love you dearly but when you think too mutt, everything goes to S    !

 

Drop the insurance,that’ll make it a lot easier to come and go

4 hours ago, malibukid said:

sick America, sick people, glad i am over here.

Better than getting stabbed to death in london

5 hours ago, Hans Rayong said:

It's an IQ-test. They don't want stupid people to come to Thailand. I got it in 2 minutes and so did all my friends.

Wow, aren’t you special, you must feel like a king here with your superiority complex , big man in rayong.

9 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

speed it up, yes good idea, Copy of you vaccine on your phone or country issued cert, maybe negative test paperwork and flight ticket - rest is complete balls.

 

You keep the pass more than another 6 weeks and nobodies coming in numbers next year either.

 

They have said only 30,000 will come a month now - 1000 tourists a day - no airport , business or airlines can manage that continuing loss. Numbers are up now due to people like us that want to go back or need to, there will be a drop off in the coming weeks if pass not abandoned.

 

The Thai pass site should have this put on the web site.

 

 

They need to drop the bs insurance

6 hours ago, gk10012001 said:

so... no firm mention here of the Thai App thingy that was replacing the COE?  So just a general policy statement from the guy, but the mechanics kind of missing?

No mention of fit to fly letter, which was added the other day

If you’re residing in Thailand on a retirement  visa and return to your original country for a visit, are you required to get a coe if you have a re entry permit?

6 hours ago, DefaultName said:

My last vaccine was a week ago at Samitjev in Sri Racha.  After several asks, I got the certificate with the ID number by email today.  Entering it in Mor Phrom was simple once I gave up on translating and entered what I thought was needed.  

 

I find that opening it and bringing up the Digital Health Pass works about one time in 3.  So, I hope that I'm never in a queue and holding up people when I need it.

Take a screenshot and save it, saves the hassle

14 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Just tattoo the info on your forehead as well as a QR code they can scan as they take your temperature......starting to believe they truly do not want folks to move about yet, or maybe they do and they are scared.  How are the restaurants and the other locales supposed to verify the info you provide, unless that is what this new wonder app is for.  Of course, how long will it last.  Walked into the mall yesterday and the people ahead were just walking in without scanning the QR code and the security folks did not even make a peep, very few signing the papers on the table either.

I’m tattooing mine on my middle finger

Last weeks numbers were 7,640 visitors who spent 200,000,000 baht,that works out to 280,000 per person,what could you possibly spend that amount of money on in Phuket ?

10 hours ago, wensiensheng said:

The Samui tourists are cheap Charlie’s. A couple of days ago TAT predicted Phuket sandbox tourists would be spending 40k baht a day.

 

that’s the trouble when the tourist numbers  are lower than estimates. They have to up the daily spending so that they come back to their original income generated figure. In the commercial world, they would be fired.

What could you possibly spend$1,200 a day on in Phuket ?

9 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

Here in Pattaya, the streets are filled with cars from Bangkok. It might be a bit late for a lockdown.

They’re all over chiang mai too

4 hours ago, SwampyThai said:

Nope not correct, HIV crossed from chimps to humans in the 1920s in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo

He just wanted to get an anti American dig in

On 2/7/2021 at 10:10 AM, rooster59 said:

The week that was in Thailand news: Rooster regrets: If only I'd opened an online chip shop 

 

 

Rooster has had a few money making brainwaves over the years though most of these have contributed to my relative penury rather than anticipated wealth.

 

Perhaps this was a result of never paying attention in my Business Studies A-level class at Alleyn's School in South London. I got a Grade E that was a portent of things to come. 

 

On moving to Thailand in the 1980s I reckoned that I could introduce some successful money spinners that had been tried in Europe but had not yet hit Asia.

 

Thais already seemed to love fast food especially in my Bangkok roost so I decided to set up a chain of cutesy fish and chip shops. To finance this venture I decided to go for a sure winner by exporting fake Jean Paul Gaultier clothing and pirate Rolexes to the UK. 

 

After the former fell apart at the seams and the latter ticked, my dreams of Rooster Chippy @ The Mall faded. 

 

There was nothing to be done except become a teacher. At least this provided some capital and a distraction from Patpong and Soi Cowboy. Then along came Scrabble that necessitated the study of vast lists of vocabulary 16 hours a day leaving little time for entrepreneurship.

 

Well I did make nearly a million baht in prize money - that the Thai government taxed me on at 5% - but I invested about one and a half million in travel and entrance fees so this was not a resounding success on the journey to Easy Street.

 

I came up with a brand of Scrabble watch - my own design no less - but I misplaced the extent of worldwide interest in the word game. Other people didn't seem to share my enthusiasm for triple word scores (though Mrs Rooster was eternally grateful that her name was written on the decorative watch strap....going down at the double I might add).

 

Flipping condos in the noughties did result in some improvement to my battered self esteem and battered bank balance especially after the battered fish debacle. 

 

In the end working at an international school took all my time; well that's my excuse. It has provided me with a nest egg though more the size of a Cadbury Creme.

 

On trips back to the UK years ago I hit on another plan that remained a pipe dream. Trading in what they called "cherished number plates".

 

This had taken off in my youth and by the 80s was a burgeoning industry that had not reached Thailand at all. The problem was that the Thai language and the pesky rules of the Department of Land Transport limited potential. 

 

Once again I missed the boat (not always a bad thing in Thailand what with its safety record) and saw people raking it in with plates like สส 1 (sor sor or MP 1) and combinations of auspicious numbers. I once saw the plate พร 8888 listed in print media with the clear understanding that it would cost far more than a luxury car. 

 

It said PORN 8888 - the Thai word that means blessings along with numbers that the Sino-Thais adore. 

 

I amused myself with a little low key skulduggery on some of the many cars and motorcycles I have bought in Thailand. One had พอ on it that with the aid of a little black tape I was able to convert into the Thai word "phor" or father. 

 

My kids lapped it up but the original Mrs Rooster envisaged arrest and put the kibosh on my personalized plate plans.

 

Now I ride around with 147 on one of my bikes - at least I know it refers to Snooker....

 

This week in an entertaining seven days of madness on Thaivisa forum it was announced by government spokeswoman Traisuree that soon Thais would be able to personalize their registrations with a combination of Thai letters, vowels, tone marks and numbers. 

 

This is quite a departure from the past - you couldn't use vowels or tone marks - and put the forum into a hubbub of speculation especially after the Daily News mock up went for OLE 1234, maybe a reference to the Manchester United manager. 

 

Posters had a field day suggesting their ideas and slamming the notion that profits from the scheme would be paid into a "road safety fund".

 

Americans pointed out that this works in the US where entities like national parks benefit from contributions for allowing U2 NEAR or 3SUMSUK.

 

Brits satisfied themselves with wondering how on earth Jimmy Tarbuck deserved the plate COM1C.

 

As a kid waiting for the bus to school in Beckenham the plate "A1" used to whizz by. 

 

Nah, not for me. I'll just go for ทีวีรุสะเตอร์ (TVRooster) if and when my kids accept their Asian responsibility towards their Blighty dad with a brand new Ferrari. 

 

In more serious news the vaccine rollout in Thailand continued to be about as "clear as klone" - mud. 

 

Later in the week HHHHHH (his hapless highness head health honcho) Anutin suggested that the first doses would be coming not from embargoed Europe but Asia though he was economical with the details. Meaning he didn't have any or they might be subject to scrutiny.

 

DPM Prawit - now scarcely able to walk due to overindulgence in pie - was also tight lipped. Shame Big Pom didn't adopt that habit when it came to lunch. 

 

India - with one of the largest and respected pharma sectors in the world - has been rejected as a much needed source of vaccine, most of which will arrive as late as June. 

 

Thailand is crying out for a speedy resolution to this issue not least of all to help rescue the lumbering tourism industry that despite some good news in certain aspects of the pandemic is still suffering. 

 

Domestic tourism is of course the only hope at present and the Thais' reticence - or otherwise - to travel will be key. Thai media continued to produce stories about "lively Koh Larn" ,"hopeful Hua Hin" or "Pattaya-in-waiting".

 

The lady I call QUOTES (Queen Of The Eastern Seaboard), was also in the news as mayor Sontaya and his minging minions stared into the abyss - no, not the resort's future as a tourism destination but a series of very large, black holes in Walking Street (images that delighted many on the forum).

 

Cable burying D-Day was Monday and Sontaya has promised the red light area will be beautiful come next January. Mystery surrounds the "large boxes" that are threatening to litter the street, however.

 

Also loosely connected to Pattaya was news that a ferry linking Sattahip with Songkhla will soon begin. It will be able to transport cars, cargo and people the third of which seems to be a commodity in the shortest supply at present. 

 

The twenty hour journey was hailed as a time saver though I reckon I could drive it in just over half that given a couple of M150s and an accident free journey.

 

Apropos, Thaivisa went with a headline that a motorcyclist dies every half an hour. Safety advocates mentioned the young on Big Bikes and specifications but no one mentioned that plod is reticent to log off Facebook to enforce the law.

 

Political will remains the only hope for a national disgrace that is the appalling death toll on the roads. It is subject to lip service and "7 deadly Day" crackdowns. 

 

If the powers that be could correlate the annual deaths of 25,000 to the consequent huge loss in GDP they might act. I can only imagine they think fewer people saves them on the bills...

 

In international news most of the focus was on a country very close to home - the coup in Myanmar and the locking up of Aung San Suu Kyi. 

 

The now former leader fell from grace amid genocide allegations but at least she was elected after a fashion. People in Thailand will recall how she was eulogized in news stories in the kingdom through the 90s.

 

The coup - and action against many critics - is worrying not least for the ideas it may put in the heads of the khaki underpants brigade across the border. 

 

In the UK good news that 10 million people had received their first dose of vaccine was tempered by the very sad death from Covid of national icon Sir Tom Moore who raised more than 30 million sobs for the NHS.

 

Rooster was teary eyed hearing his family members tell his story but buoyed by the remarkable year that the centenarian had in 2020 that inspired not just the UK but many around the world. 

 

As a 59 year old if I'm half as strong as this fine gentleman was 41 years later I'd happily go up in smoke in Thailand.

 

In Russia government critic Alexei Navalny was jailed for three and a half years. In court, he called Putin a poisoner. A leader and a country that is prepared to kill their enemies abroad (such as the brazen attempt using a nerve agent in Salisbury, England) will not have much trouble in a gulag so there are legitimate fears for the safety in custody of this fine and brave Russian patriot. 

 

Details of Barcelona legend Lionel Messi's latest contract revealed he signed for a staggering $674 million while the world's richest man Jeff Bezos of Amazon fame stepped down.

 

If only I'd started that chip shop and taken it online.......Prawit could have made me millions.

 

Back in Thailand Bangkok featured heavily in the news with Thaivisa publishing stories about the amazing new Grand Central train hub in Bang Sue and the Benjakitti Forest Park extension. 

 

Krung Thep - who regular readers of this column will know is my first love - is getting ever more liveable especially with improvements to public transportation and green spaces. But it is vital that something is done to address the poor air quality both in the capital and in many other places in Thailand. 

 

Also in Bangkok a survey suggested that citywide only Don Muang did not have 90% of people wearing masks properly and in Phayathai it was 99%. 

 

This had waned slightly but the second wave of the pandemic, and continuing high daily figures coming from Samut Sakhon, have re-heightened awareness as every governor worth his salt urged the populations to "gard yaa tok" - don't let down your guard.

 

That was least of all her worries for a former employee of the Probation Department who was handed a 261 year 348 month sentence for creaming off drug addicts' bail money. The court kindly cut her sentence to the maximum allowed of 50 years. Enjoy the rice gruel madam!

 

Schools in Bangkok and elsewhere went back on Monday much to the relief of parents. Now we are waiting with bated breath to see what discounts are given. The Education Ministry has ordered no rebates on fees only on add ons like lunches and trips. In Mae Sot there was a panic after a student tested positive but this seemed to have no relationship with the opening of schools.

 

Back to Pattaya, many expats were thought to have lost millions due to an errant employee of Kasikorn bank. Reading between the lines it appeared this had more to do with the gullibility of foreigners believing in a Ponzi scheme - something for which the curmudgeons roast Thais. Now the boot was on the other foot they blamed the Thais again....

 

Craft beer producers staged a publicity stunt by tipping their product in a wheely bin. While Rooster thinks this is undoubtedly the best place for this cloudy stuff,  I concur that the regulations prohibiting online sales and the continuing pandemic restrictions on the drinking of alcohol are in need of change.

 

In quirky news a granny aged 68 was pictured with a sign on her motorbike with a sidecar saying "please don't go into me" while a little puppy survived a 50 km journey from Kaeng Krachan to Bang Bua Thong underneath a car. Her new owner christened her "Chok Dee with the surname Tee May Taay" (Lucky who didn't die).

 

Finally, a lady in her 10 million baht house in Samed, Chonburi was shown on CCTV running with a baby in her arms after an intruder came over a wall. 

 

She claimed that the sleeping guards at the luxury housing estate were rubbish and came up with a great word that I was not convinced was a spelling mistake and could be in the next Scrabble dictionary update:

 

SUCURITY. 

 

Rooster
 

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