Isaan sailor

Too bad countries couldn’t act so fast to ban flights from Wuhan back in December 2019.

How long before Chinese warships come? Not much longer than Chinese high speed trains pull into Bangkok.

Actions speak louder than words, Mr. Sangrat.

Lucky you. In my province—SinoVac to start—and that didn’t change till about two weeks ago. And the unvaccinated in my village simply didn’t want SinoVac. Can’t blame them.

Indeed. That’s the only fly in the ointment. What could possibly go wrong?

In our province, it has recently changed to AZ then Pfizer. Since we have prepaid 4 doses of Moderna—we continue to wait. And yes, I got my Pfizer shots in Sept. Wife won’t risk the AZ/Pfizer mix.

Since I spend most of my time in Isaan—I can tell you why so many Provinces have low vaccination rates. Up until about one week ago, these people had only SinoVac as a first shot. And up until about six weeks ago, they were offered only SinoVac for both shots. It doesn’t take a rocket scientists to understand the government tried to use up SinoVac on the Isaan people.

Look up the origin of the word, Siam. It referred to the dark-skinned people of Thailand. Of course the meaning of the label may have changed today.

Not exactly. From the middle of Isaan down along the Cambodian border to Trat, the population has far less Chinese and loads of Khmer in them. And they’re not so enamored with the Thai ruling class.

Nope. Try 20% unemployed, or higher. Keep the pressure on the Baht. Bring it down another 5%. Open entertainment venues, and eliminate quarantines altogether.

We are on the cusp of another choking/burning season. Although not all of the pollution comes from agricultural burning. Sandwiched between the worlds two biggest polluters (China and India)—Thailand has problems with polluted air. And I have experienced high PM2.5 readings along the coast as well. They burn the forests in Cambodia as well.

We know what happened to the 1st batch of Moderna—-mostly scoffed up be the Red Cross/Military, with a few thousand doses for those who prepaid. Gotta wonder how this shipment breaks down.

So has Anutin finally seen the light? After Covid-19 has ravaged the country—he mentions nothing of SinoVac now.

Crocodile tears here….

It depends on your frame of reference. Over the last 52 weeks, the Baht has receded—I get that. But over the last month—the Baht has gained 2% over most western currencies, despite the devastation of the tourist industry.

Let me guess…most of those Americans booked flights and accommodations six to eight weeks ago—with a USD solidly in the 33’s. Big surprise upon arrival—the Mighty Teflon Baht has trounced western currencies better than 2% since then. And by the time they’ve had enough of LoS, the Baht will rise even higher.

So who can we sue for this misinformation—the CCP or the Thai government?

Damned right about that. How many tourists spend over a million Baht a year in Thailand? And we spend Baht locally for the most part.

Do I detect an admission that the rising Baht has a role to play in this? Those of us on fixed pensions have certainly taken notice.

With a steadily rising Baht, it doesn’t look good for international tourism, local expats or even exports. Fix the Baht first. Then things will start to improve.

For once, I agree with Mr. Anutin. SinoVac is not inferior to western vaccines. It’s damned near useless for today’s variants.

Meanwhile, thousands wait patiently for their prepaid (and as of yet undelivered) Moderna. Only in Thailand…

The definition of insanity: doing the same thing, over and over—and expecting different results.

I beg to differ. The legendary Teflon Baht seems to go in the wrong direction each day. Up and up with the currency does not portend a healthy economy.

What about the thousands upon thousands of people who prepaid Moderna shots? Will the government/military continue to horde Moderna? Sure, many expats have received Pfizer—but if you have a younger wife or gf—they still push SinoVac for a first shot here in Isaan.