WingFat

Ah yes, get a 100B swab from the same Khao San Road purveyors of fake visas, passports and vax certifications...

Prime curriculum in the new Thai education system: "Anutin is a public health genius";...Chan Ocha is the most genius of PM's in Thai history.

Chinese "education professional experts" may have influenced this legislation. It wouldn't surprise me in the least.

I'm still thinking June-Aug timeframe 2022 to make my needed visit to LOS. I am hoping by then all the administrative and regulatory kinks will be worked out, the brown envelope amounts are agreed upon by all parties involved and perhaps there will be enough establishments still standing and operating to provide a good time to be had by all and the locals can dig themselves out of this hole to make something resembling a living.

Thailand...the best country for an expat to leave.

I found the fat cats Thailand is looking for:

It isn't just Thailand that's marching to a moronic authoritarian master; many other countries are also doing so or having to choose whether to do so or not. This is especially true in the Asia Pac region...side with China or the West; and the West, still (barely, if at all) led by the USA, is also struggling to decide with embracing with an authoritarian style government or allow a greater degree of individual freedom and personal responsibility to be how they are governed.

It isn't just Thailand that's marching to a moronic authoritarian master; many other countries are also doing so or having to choose whether to do so or not. This is especially true in the Asia Pac region...side with China or the West; and the West, still (barely, if at all) led by the USA, is also struggling to decide with embracing with an authoritarian style government or allow a greater degree of individual freedom and personal responsibility to be how they are governed.

As one who falls into the "wealthy" category by the standards expressed, I am not considering Thailand as the place I would want to entrust or depend on my hard-earned wealth to any degree. I do not consider myself "wealthy"; rather as financially secure as much as anyone can these days. That being said, I treasure the many years I resided in Thailand, founded and successfully ran a Thai Co., employed local Thais and assisted many local Thais during my years there in a variety of ways. Not to knock the Thai leadership too harshly, but given the state of flux the world in general is and I believe will be for years to come, the risk for me to roll the dice with Thailand is just too great. To those who choose to do so, I wish them all the best. WingFat.

With every new topic and threads that have been appearing the last few weeks, the trip I need to make to LOS to conclude some personal banking biz will be a very short one. Rather than spend a few weeks as I had been planning, it will now more likely be a few days at most, and spend as little money as possible in the LOS. Then off to somewhere else that has their s**t together. And no, I am not a backpacker, sex tourist or medical tourist. But I do fall into the "wealthy" high-end tourist category the Thai gov't buffoon leaders claim to be after. Nope, not gonna bite on that rotten apple.

To dream, the impossible dream...it's that or some real strong dope someone's smoking.

May-August 2022 is when I am currently foreseeing my needed trip to LOS. I am thinking by then, the Two-Jab Dance will have played out, the entry restrictions will be relaxed and perhaps back to near what they were pre-pandemic. Also, the May-August timeframe is low-season, and when I lived in LOS before, I preferred low-season, lousy weather and all; much less crowded and more peaceful.

Int'l airlines can downsize their planes to Thailand by using turbo-prop sea planes that carry 10 passengers; they won't need a gate at any of the Thai int'l airports. Land off whatever location is desired in the Gulf of Thailand and let the passengers row themselves ashore in a rubber raft.

This may be old news for many, but I was interested in seeing how all the vaccines out there stack up. Moderna, Pfizer and Astra Zeneca appear to be the top 3. Russia's Sputnik has also shown some good results, although there are questions in the scientific community as to how thorough and accurate the trial test results are. As for the Chinese vaccines...the results speak for itself as is not surprising. UPDATED Comparing COVID-19 Vaccines: Timelines, Types and Prices | BioSpace Another good data point is if one had the virus, recovered, acquired natural anti-bodies, and then had both jabs from the top 3, the research done so far indicates a more robust and longer lasting anti-body response and immunity compared to just having the vaccine and not being previously infected. Such immune system responses could last for years, and possibly even a lifetime. Dr. Scott Gottlieb on Covid: Previously infected people would benefit from vaccines (cnbc.com)

I met a retired US Army colonel in Pattaya some years ago who at that time, had lived in Thailand with his Thai wife since the 1980's. This fellow had served in the Vietnam War and also observed GI's on R&R in Thailand during the war. His observation was there wasn't much of a sex industry in Thailand before the war and how he detested it. I don't think he understood how the sex industry was well imbedded in Thailand before the war. I agree with BangkokReady that there has been a sex industry in Thailand prior to the war and well after, that caters primarily to Thai men; it's just done more quietly and not with in your face soi venues the GI's helped to foster with the with blaring neon signs and skimpy dressed girls outside beckoning you to come in and be loved long time. Having lived in a small town in Nakhon Pathom for many years, my TGF pointed out to me a few times the quiet small bars and nightclubs around town that featured imported Burmese girls for the local Thai men, most of whom were married. Aside from a few farang guys who taught at the local catholic seminary which also had schools, I was one of less than a full handful of farang in my town. So the guys patronizing these places I mention, were mostly, if not all, Thai guys.

Mine looks nothing like your's, probably because mine is about 6-7 years old, does not have a chip in it and it is not affiliated with Visa, Mastercard or any other credit card company. Mine is strictly for ATM use only.

No, it is not. A debit card is a sort of hybrid between a credit card and an ATM card, in that a credit card company Visa, MasterCard, etc will handle the transaction from a direct debit from the account the card is tied to. My card is specific to state it is an ATM card. If it is a debit card, it will state that it is a debit card on the card. Although a debit card can also function as an ATM card as well as a card that can transact purchases from a retailer, restaurant, gas station, as well as from an ATM. But a stated ATM card cannot be used as a stated debit card.

That sounds like a good plan to me. I checked with my bank earlier today Thai time. All is good; my account balance is the same as it has been for 4 years. I note that I have an ATM-only card; I do not have a debit or credit card on my account. I think that makes a difference unless this hacking involves an inside job that can get at any account, regardless of there being debit/credit cards on an account.

Wow, 105.6% vaccinated...that's like the bass player in the band "Spinal Tap" who had an amplifier that went to a volume level of 11...

Thanks for the response. I clarify that I do not have a debit card or credit card linked to my Thai bank account; I only have an ATM card.

I have not used my Thai bank ATM card in 4 years as I left Thailand 4 years ago. And when I did use it when I was in Thailand, it was only for withdrawing cash from my bank's ATM. I never used it for purchasing anything. I've been wanting to return to Thailand to transfer most of the money back to my home country bank. But with the covid mess I haven't been able to do so. I check over the phone with my bank to verify the balance every so often and there's never been an issue. I'll be calling my Thai bank to check on my account. Can anyone enlighten me under what circumstances people are getting their accounts hacked, i.e. Is it only accounts where the credit or debit card has been used in the recent past for purchases of goods and services ? Are long dormant accounts such as mine also getting plundered ?

The definition of quarantine is very nuanced, especially when used in the Thai elite gov't vernacular. It often depends on the alignment of the stars and planets, the day of the week, whether his wife and mia nois all know each other, etc, etc, etc...

No mention why they are eschewing the Chinese vaccines...but silence on that matter speaks for itself.

Only overstayed for 349 days ??? Heck, in the USSA, he's merely a short timer...the USSA has overstayers in the decades of time.

I lived in Phuket for a few years and I liked Karon and Kata. Even during high season the beaches there were not very crowded and the vibe in those places were much more low key than raucous and crowded Patong. Also, as many here have already stated, Rawai is also very nice.