PeeJayEm

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.