carlf

I agree that these short term rentals often really diminish the quality of life for the others in a building. It should be strictly limited if not banished. If the government was truly serious about wanting to control this, they would propose a phone number or website where you could denounce the practice, and better yet, propose a small compensation.

Thanks for pointing to that other article. But this still doesn't really clarify as I read in that article "The position of 10-year Long-Term Residence visa holders and permanent residents is still under review, with officials yet to clarify whether these groups will be subject to the tax."

Worries about abduction might not be the only reason for favouring Japan as a destination over Thailand. I went to Japan for holiday a few times recently and it was such a pleasure breathing fresh, clean air. I could clearly see Mt. Fuji from Tokyo, a few hundred kms away. The Japanese respect laws, don't throw trash everywhere, don't burn fields, and they recycle. I love Thailand, but those are clearly areas for major improvement if Thailand wants to attract quality tourists.

"A recent study highlights that European tourists in Asia typically allocate about $250 (approximately 8,475 baht) per day for food and beverages." Wow! Maybe my friends and I have an unusual lifestyle in Bangkok, but I'm sure that we never spend 8475 THB per day, per person for food and drinks. If they're basing decisions on this number, I fear they will be disappointed by the reality.

This young lady deserves a medal for her strength and willingness to stand up to this guy. Bravo!

I'm sympathetic to your frustration, but just for info, I've sent numerous documents from France (Paris) to Thailand (Bangkok) over the past few years, and they've rarely ever taken more than 5 or 6 business days. Ca peut tomber en marche. 😌

I'd certainly vote for a massive culling, but I know that's just not gonna happen in Thailand. As a road cyclist that is chased by soi dogs too often, I'm seriously considering getting a rabies vaccination. Anyone else get vaccinated as a precaution?

I won’t take any government statements about cracking down seriously until I see several photos published in the press of arrested farmers in handcuffs for burning their fields. When we, and the farmers, see those photos we’ll know that there is serious control.

Not too bad an idea, but I’d suggest an easier transition solution : give a 10THB discount to customers that come with their own bag or container. Let the market influence the decision.

I thought that kratom was made legal a few years ago, like cannabis. Of course, they would still presumably be guilty if it isn’t registered and taxed.

This is a classic problem. They need to analyse the reason why domestic pork is more expensive, and find reasons to justify the extra cost to the consumer. Subsidizing by the gov’t is a bad idea.

The OP stated Michelin RECOMMENDED restaurant, not STARRED. A world of difference. In Paris, there are probably under 100 starred restaurants, but over a thousand recommended. But if the OP is really factual, then they deserve to lose the recommendation also.

Given the info from the Thai government that they now want to make my life as a retiree in Thailand much more complicated with a tax declaration, and possibly paying taxes here, I've decided to curtail my time in Thailand to under 180 days per year, so I'm clearly traveling less and spending less in Thailand than the prior years. I suspect that I'm not the only one. It's possible that they're desire to grab more money from the foreigners just might back fire on them.

Nice story. Good work by this lovely woman. One detail has me wondering. How does she have a great-grandchild when she never had a child?

I don't understand how you can say this after seeing the video. The bicyclist is clearly fully within the left-hand lane. The BUS is 90% in the next lane, but going between the lanes. It is unreasonable to expect that the bike rider is looking all the time BEHIND himself when he isn't in the process of changing lanes. What would you say if it was a car in that left lane that the bus just hit from behind? Would you say it was the car's fault?

I’d be very curious to know how the Senate defines « AI ». I was an I/T specialist for 45 years before retiring 5 years ago. Certainly the term AI existed long ago, and I have no doubt that the algorithmes have evolved, but I don’t know what the strict definition of AI is such that a legally binding rule could be defined as to what constitutes AI versus any other software that does analysis of data. And without such a definition, I find it hard to imagine how AI could be regulated. Unless they want to get strict and just say that computer software can’t be used… only an abacus.

Huh? Are Rh-negative donors more likely to have accidents? And whilst we're at it.... How is a stripped monk related to the need for blood donations? Aseannow, You really need to turn off this ChatGPT feature of finding "related news"....

How is .114 greater than .50 ? (ok, 114 is bigger than 50... but we're talking decimal points here). Doesn't anyone proof-read any longer?

Are others noticing that Aseanow articles (or perhaps Thaiger articles?) all seem to conclude with a "related news" throw-away comment at the end? This gets really weird, like the one at the end of this article that mentions Brit backpacker murders as being related to this guy dying in a bathroom accident! Is this "related news" mania something that is configured for articles produced by ChatGPT? They really need to cut this out unless the related article really is pertinent. Tiring. Dumb.

Sorry, but I don't even consider this sad. Assuming that it's true that he was setting the fields on fire, he was putting at risk the health of others. He got the punishment that he deserved.

Everyone knows how dangerous it is to either walk across the street or ride a bike in the street in Bangkok. I don't believe that this is really a problem with a lack of laws; it's a problem with lack of respect for the current laws by drivers in Bangkok. It seems to me that the first thing that Bangkok needs to do is enforce the existing laws. Police need to be seen fining drivers massively with stiff penalties (better yet... the fine should be in proportion to the driver's revenue to make it truly painful). Afterwards they can start considering investments like bike and walking paths.

Are they serious? The Eastern Bus Terminal at Ekkamai is already VERY easy to get to for anyone on the BTS line today. Out in Krung Thep Abhiwat Central Terminal (Bang Su) will be much worse for convenience.

Good that the PM is showing his concern about this huge problem. Perhaps I'm naïve, but it seems to me that the first step is obvious: get the police to enforce the existing laws against burning, and make sure to publicly shame and SERIOUSLY fine (maybe even jail) some of the culprits to set a clear example. Will this totally eliminate the smoke and pollution? Of course not. But it would be a huge step forward and allow Thailand some leverage to negotiate and coerce the neighbouring countries to do similar work.

Skywalk from Phrom Phong to EMSphere was already opened a few days ago. Lovely.

Perhaps it's also fake news that Thailand has some of the most polluted cities in the world as far as AQI is concerned, in particular when the fields get burned. I think THAT is a real concern amongst potential tourists, and I virtually never read any news (fake or otherwise) about people being prosecuted for burning their fields. And how about the two-price policy applied in so many tourist attractions in this country. Is that also fake news? Now there are two very real subjects the government could work on in order to improve the image of Thailand.