Karma80

Totally. The Thaiger is total garbage clickbait. Ran the article through a Chat GPT detection - 100% probability hit. It's just sad that it ends up reposted here.

I hate to break it to you, but Thailand is a kleptocracy, and the RTP is corrupt from the top down. There would be nobody left.

The behaviour of the guy in the video and comments like this is why stereotypes about Americans exist.

Pretty much. My Phuket Thai friends are full of hating on Ferang right now, "but not you... of course." - it's an easy audience to play to. However, the overall shift in tourist quality downwards, and the large Russian demographic taking up long-term residence-establishing networks are a real issue, too.

They didn't really win this one, in fairness. So it doesn't really matter.

Maybe they misheard and thought it was the Summit for Kleptocracy. Strettha would be well suited.

Unfortunately, it won't matter. The sheer weight of the democratic kleptocratic system is being used to ensure that none of them holds office again. It's just a puppet show. There will undoubtedly be attractive offers for members to jump ship early and save their skin, coupled with personal pressure on those who won't. Either way, MF is dead, and just another stained footnote in Thailand history.

What do you mean people don't want to invest in a corrupt den of thievery that could turn on a dime? I am shocked.

And, let's be honest, it will still be after then also. Thailand is a kleptocratic state painted with a thin white wash of democracy.

In Thailand, democracy is just a fig leaf for kleptocracy. No better than Russia in most respects. Light on killings in recent times, and more evolved into weaponising the legal system and layers of corrupt bureaucracy. Thailand has had 13 successful and 9 unsuccessful coups in 100 years. If anyone dares really implement change, then no doubt another will follow.

Sad to see really. There must be thousands of people working remotely in Thailand without a work permit on ED visas, a whole bunch of Russian business fronts, and whatever lies between. But let's focus on some technicalities for people who probably had work permits and at least tried to do the right thing.

I feel like that's a pretty poor choice of words! But, more seriously, BA running their oldest planes to Bangkok should have anyone looking for another carrier. It's not like there is a shortage of choice.

Varies by card and bank. There are now only very few options for AU no international fee credit cards, most will slug you 2.5%-3%. Some debit cards can be int transaction charge free. Australian banks are some of the worst for this, and one of the few countries where even paying by card domestically will allow the merchant to pass on a transaction fee to you for the privilege of paying them. I'm surprised it's taken Thai banks so long to work out they can get free money.

Unfortunately, my work requires access to some semblance of an international airport for frequent travel, which means either Phuket or Bangkok. Having lived in Bangkok, I could not go back to the daily pollution and traffic, which gets more crippling each year. Phuket has found itself in a strange situation where Russians have bought up much of the higher-end property stock on the island, and at the other end of the spectrum, you can stay here for little money on dodgy ED visas long term, and short-term low-end visitor calibre charge continues as Thailands perception of a hub of sex and now open drug sales continues. It's relative of course, and for some it's no doubt a paradise by comparison to the other options they have. I can't imagine why anyone would actually bring a family on holiday here if you had a choice. Nevertheless, Phuket has taken a different path back out of the pandemic, and not for the better. It's was already driven by stupidity, local corruption, money and lack of medium-term planning, never mind long-term. Now there are more people than ever coming to abuse that situation. There's no coming back from that over the next ten years.

It's become one reason we are planning to leave Phuket. There isn't the infrastructure to support this sharp uplift in short term, or long term visitors. It's a pure money grab. https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Markets/Property/China-and-Russia-buyers-flock-to-luxury-homes-in-Southeast-Asian-resorts