PeeJayEm

In UK, passport office strapped and sealed my old passport to the back of the new one in order to keep continuing. Ideas and permits alive.

My theory is that the UK price is way higher than most countries (even in Europe) because the supply chain has been sliced into so many separate stages and markets - all run by private entities (raw fuel supply, generation, grid distribution, retail supply) and all making profits along the way and then with 20% tax on the final retail consumers. Countries like Thailand (as far as I know) have kept that whole chain in government hands as natural monopoly. In my view that's the correct way of managing anything that is critical infrastructure fundamental to security of the economy and wellbeing or people - not slicing out profit and tax at four stages within the supply.

I compared my UK and Thailand domestic electricity kWh prices for Dec22 to Feb23. The UK rate was about 500% (yes 5 times) the Thailand rate. 50p vs 10p. Thailand as a net importer of oil, gas and coal is subject to the same basic global market pricing. So it seems that either the UK has some highly inefficient structures in its energy delivery model or Thailand has a huge price bomb overdue to explode.

Although I always ensure my insurance covers what I need and comply With the small print, I have a worrying habit of taking motosai taxis in Bangkok when there's a jam or I'm late. There's usually never a helmet available or one that fits poorly or is missing internal parts. It would be quite a job to explain that away on event of accident. As a long stayer each year, I reckon I should take my own crash helmet In Thailand when I visit next time.

There is so much rubbish written in response to this article. I'm speaking from recent experience when I say that: - Thai government hospitals are far better than UK NHS in time, and care quality (I recently had a major heart issue) and the costs are very low; - good UK travel insurance policies covering medical and accident events are fully available - also for long stay and including various sports as options; - the documentation requirements to support claims are thorough but not arduous. If they were slack the premiums would be sky high; The issue is that these UK travellers who end up in trouble either can't or don't read - and some intelligence and self management is needed of which the "after-the-event crowd-finding" idiots seem to be totally bereft. The article out to be about how poor the UK education system now is in world rankings - and the huge number of dummies that produces who think they can rove the world with ignorance and impunity.

Not really - clearly religiously prejudiced. There are scores of other asylum seekers in the same situation, families with children split and separately detained for years in appalling conditions. They are left to rot because they are not "nice and Christian".

How can they be in violation of immigration if they are asylum seekers? Thailand's treatment of refugees continues to be horrific. - Families with children split up and separately detained for years on end. Political cowardice. Subservience to Chinese Communist Party.

The latest Cochrane review mainly concludes that the data quality of studies is so poor that no conclusion reliably can be reached - particularly in relation to impact for infants and older / vulnerable people. So common sense is the best approach and for me than means wearing a 95 quality mask in tightly crowded / low ventilation settings (and aside from covid, when the MP 2.5 is high in the city)

In Bangkok, at least, the MP 2.5 is often good enough reason to keep wearing a mask.

Isn't this enough for you, or anyone? ........ (UK govt Thailand web page) <<< Road travel There are a high number of road traffic accidents in Thailand especially involving motorcycles. The World Health Organisation (WHO) rates Thailand as the world’s deadliest countries for fatalities on motorcycles. To drive a car or ride a motorcycle in Thailand, under Thai law you must have the correct licence and appropriate insurance for the category of vehicle you’re using. You will need to apply for a Thai driving licence or, if you already hold a UK licence, an International Driving Permit. If you drive a car or ride a motorcycle in Thailand without a valid licence, this may invalidate your travel insurance. >>>

She had medical emergency insurance - the article says so. What other Insurance do you mean "she" should have had? (Bearing in mind that it is the bike, not the rider that has to have vehicle insurance!)

Gove me a clue of the agent you used please

This is my experience as well. It is all officially done. It is good they do these checks because anyone not having a proper License is uninsured and therefore a liability to themselves and others.

So he must have magical access to information within China that is being kept from the rest of the world. Ofcourse there have been only 66 deaths from covid in China and we all believe that too. So much safer with Chinese arriving than westerners.

Naturally. It's how inflation works. Nowhere is immune Indeed - for any thinking tourist, this is big dilemma of conscience. Thailand operates like a slave economy with the people serving tourists paid a pittance. But the low cost / pricing is a large part of what keeps the tourists coming here. When it gets to the extent that migrant workers are needed to fill the low paid jobs - and many of these left during covid - then the model is broken and Thailand just becomes like Qatar and other M.E. countries - exploiting foreign workers with no rights whatsoever in order to generate industry to keep immigration officers and business owners nicely paid.

"travel insurance" as the term is used in UK is often mainly about just that - travel: - delays, cancellations, inconveniences, loss of bags etc. Some accidental cover may be there but in many policies it's trifling. But folk often just look at the price and will pay £20 expecting to be covered infinitely when decent medical / accident / repatriation emergency cover costs £150 or more for 3 months depending on age and any medical preconditions. I always look for at least £5 million cover and get the premium down bay acceptation the highest excess available (usually about £1,000).

Awful about the accident. But no sympathy for the lack if insurance. - Why on earth would anyone think their credit card would cover Medical Emergency / Accident Insurance without checking that? It would be a massive fixed fee-paying card if any such is indeed available.

You write that the pictures can easily be avoided. How? Banning cameras? Is that really the solution you propose?

This is incorrect. If you want to bracket all people making the crossing they are MIGRANTS - not asylum seekers. The asylum seekers are a subset of these who are not e.g. economic migrants or criminals escaping justice such as the 1 - 2% of the young male population of Albania who have decided they'll have an easier or more lucrative time in the UK instead of any other part of the EU. it's important to get terminology right in this. Using "asylum seeker" for these elements lazily deprives real asylum seekers who are escaping persecution of their due sympathetic welcome.

Your little lecture is flawed because you don't understand the two different concepts represented by a story's moral (ie a lesson) and morality.

I'm against the invasion. But has anyone here ever read what the Ukrainian nationalists did to Poles left on the wrong side of the border after WW2? Far worse than the Japs in Nanjing and as bad as anything the Nazis did in France. So the Russians do have some grounds to fear for Russian speakers in Donbas.

I think you are right. The reason eg BA hasn't prioritised reinstatement of flights to BKK is because it's a tourist only route without a decent number of higher fare seats in first or business. So - as Thai's mission is principally to bring tourists to Thailand it ought to operate as a bucket cheap airline - like a long-haul Ryan Air. But that would be unpalatable for a brand bearing "Royal" in its name - with all the high salaried top-heavy management and hangers-on. So it is destined to fail.

That's suppose that's supposed to be an interesting supposition.

Obviously he or she was looking for the dash folded into the book.

Thick as short planks and stuck in the middle ages