internationalism

and counting those all 3 military cargo air plane flights taking asymptomatic patients from bangkok to remote provinces at cost 300k per return flight and 15k per patient.

I think all closed for since beginning of this month. My friend came back just yesterday to bangkok with her family by private transport. You can try to find of fb local groups some foreigners, who travel to bkk for vax or to the airport to drop their family/friends

yes, sandbox is still working. But can be closed (and re-open) with a short notice of a few days or few weeks. Don't plan anything more than a week or two. You can get air fare just with a few days advance. Even already after your pcr test. Just get your travel bag ready to make on spot decision.

this article is from 2.07, rather archives, than the current mood

I would expect the opposite to opening the country. There is a risk, that even sandboxes would called off temporarily. Hundreds infected on phuket in fresh markers within the lasy few days. The other planned sandboxes are not taking off. It was pattaya, and I think also Hua Hin. This wave will last to the end of year. Plan for you booster in the usa, with that travel would be easier and you won't have to worry about booster in thailand - that is problematic till the next year. and a yearly good private insurance with minimum $400k cover inpatient

there is still phuket and samui sandboxes. After 2 weeks you can travel by bus to bangkok and onwards to anywhere. Or do ASQ in bangkok/pattaya area, but it's being locked in as room and is more expensive, than ALQ's. I think on special visa you can stay up to 9 months. Or better sort out some other one, even marriage visa

probably you are getting sinovac (unless you ask them now and on the appointment to change for the AZ, because of international travel plans). Sinovac is not accepted by the UK. So far the thai made AZ is accepted, but not an indian one - so there is a risk for siam bioscience of dropping into that same category. Certificates are in english. yes, they do allow for a freer domestic travel - each province can have it's own rules. For example phuket was accepting travellers with at least one AZ, but sinovac had to be 2 shots. That was just sandbox. Now the island is locked for incomers. If you realy need to travel internationally, do get moderna at private, from somebody, who has already payed for it, but doesn't need it anymore. Still, moderna is coming the very end of year the first batch, with follow up in 2022

ok, he was fired on by police and wounded, which required an operation to safe his sight. It was metal gas canister. Being shot by rubber bullet, even by a crossbow, is no different at being shot by life ammunition. Actually rubber bullet is a metal bullet covered by rubber or plastic. I does pierce skin and can also be lethal. That's why there are international regulations on using it against civilians. Thai police are braking those regulations. For example they don't aim at lover body parts, so it won't be deadly. They shoot from an elevated grounds, for example from elevated motorways or high buildings, which again gets into higher body, head, neck. Here is yet another interview in english for CNN (in 2 short parts), which he gave before being fired at and the second part

in europe during the first wave patients were moved across borders to countries where they had spare beds. Similarly thailand done now, when bangkok hospitals were overflowing, they send patients anywhere possible. Generally, it were asymptomatic/mild cases, so they didn't have to be moved by ambulances. Also those patients were forced to be moved. They were given an opportunity to go back to their family home, where they had back up and could self-isolate. It's much more difficult to self-isolate in overcrowded bangkok, than in a village.

there now some 10 groups organising regular protests, mostly car/motorbike rallies, that comes to almost daily. The next one is after tomorrow, in bangkok in 2 locations, as well as in ayuthaya and some other provinces. What is different now, they congregate daytime and finish before dark, so it's more difficult for police to use violence. Also they call off when police is bend on violence, and organise the next days. Today one of the former pdrc figures (and former democrat party candidate), who recently joined student protests, was shot by police after the rally ended. Here is his interview to Pravit from Khaosod English, given an hour earlier before this incident. Surely, he came the long way to this point. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=saved&v=332858585186294

japan. "Thailand has had to import Favipiravir from Japan at THB117 to THB120 per tablet, but this will go down to THB30 to THB40 per tablet if the medicine is produced locally." https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000636

it's no point to travel back to the UK and face restrictions from being unvaccinated or with only sinovac. Thailand has those 415k donated from the UK as donation, as well as over 1mln from Japan. It also has up to 6mln per month locally made. So yes, foreigners should be treated exactly as thais would be. They should be not classified in lower category. At this stage it's possible to offer patients a choice

an earlier projection was 400-500 for the second part of September. I would think, that those figures would be higher, as situation progresses in the wrong direction

"Viengrat Nethipo is an associate professor of Political Science at Chulalongkorn University. ... We observed questionable actions at the central government level but a competent contribution to the robust responses to the pandemic by other levels of government, especially the local administrative units and village health volunteers. By force of habit under the authoritarian leadership style, the central government has exclusively controlled information and increased the power of its central body by jumping the hierarchical structure, confusing people about the exercising of power. You might think that a crisis will make government agencies stronger, but Thailand has proven the opposite, with its agencies becoming weaker in the hands of the government. " https://prachatai.com/english/node/9400

at the end of last year Pfizer offered thailand unlimited amount of doses without down payment - thailand suppose to pay already after receiving and distributing those vax. This offer was 3x refused by thai authorities, on ground, that thailand doesn't need thi vax, as it's efficiency is yet unknown and thailand needs only 3mln doses per months already secured by the AZ contract. Prayuth said in an apology to the country, some one month ago, that this decision was right at that time. They did not expect second and any other consecutive wave or any new strain. That's political horizons of thai government - care only about today needs. And about their own particular needs, already secured by the AZ deal

yes, an alternative to eating healthy food is losing by her those few extra kg she got on noodles, rise, sugar and fatty foods she had all her life. Since the first lockdown I have started do to shopping, because wife is too scared and too lazy to move her bum. So now she eats, what I ordered

each crisis creates opportunity for imaginative thinking - instead of noodles and rice there are hundreds of substitutes. Look for healthy once, not for the cheapest and poor nutritious. Time for thai gf and wifes to get out from their traditional boxes and learn about quality foods and good diets. If they don't do, you do shopping online, including lazada/shoepee, and force them to use ingredients you bought

I think it's a 4th wave and more lock down measures on cards. The pick of this wave will be sometimes in October and end of it sometimes at the end of year (basing prediction on mathematical model and on the government preparations of covid medicines). Do forget any organised, large scale tourism for a year, maybe two. Let people to decide by themselves to take day's off work when they feel to take holidays. Those long weekend holidays, as well as well as all state and religious holidays, are just for the pandemic to prolong.

they wanted to import, joined their action, made several attempts and each time they were torpedoed by the government. Yes, they had chance to import, had allocated budget, distribution channels. At the end they were allowed only for 4mln moderna. Look at an example of sinopharm imported by chula universtity. That's private institution. They have imported already up to 10mln doses. They did it behind the government knowledge and involvement until order in the royal gazette. The next morning anutin still could not say anything when asked during press conference. This vax arrived within month of ordering and is coming in small 1mln batches every few weeks. That exactly how it could be done in thailand, if private hospitals were allowed

no, it's just an example, that private hospitals had plans for import of large quantities of any vax possible, well before the government started to think about getting vax in meaningful quantities. the thonburi hospital group were talking 20mln pfizer. It shows, that they see a large market, even at up to 5k per shot. Surely, many foreigners, as well as well-off Thais, wanted to fork out that money, when there was not any chance for anything within the next few months. All spring people were as desperate, as to travel abroad. Some just decided to leave thailand for good

no, it's the opposite. That's because the government officials want backhands and red tape any progress. As in case with sputnik.

possibly will boost a little export, still a lot of rice, rubber, agricultural products

correct. I do apologise for a spelling mistake, as I was writing at 2am, so little tired and tipsy: suppose to be "not and not "now". So corrected " It's also not own by the CP thai conglomerate, so smaller chance for corruption during purchase process."

here article from 2 days ago with more details. that's where money will be coming: "In the meantime, the cabinet decided to set aside 12.6 billion baht, from the Central Fund, to be disbursed as overtime pay and hazard allowances to medical personnel and public health volunteers engaged in caring for COVID-19 patients between July and September. Anucha said that the people eligible for the payments also include members of various committees, experts, advisors and outsiders who were involved in activities related to the contagion." That clearly means, money would be squandered outside medical profession, to any civilians associated with the ministry, civil servants https://www.thaipbsworld.com/more-financial-support-approved-in-thailands-dark-red-provinces/

who stole my 40mln from the last statement a few weeks ago? The original plan was for 50mln of additional doses, over those 20mln already contracted. and what happen with a promise to get more moderna? situation has worsened and plans for orders should be increased, not decreased. Where is J&J, which is approved already, but not ordered? Or sputnik, mentioned a few times but never acted on? https://www.thaipbsworld.com/50-million-more-doses-of-pfizer-vaccine-more-moderna-expected-to-be-purchased/