drkenchso

on the contrary no ww3 possible with US, Russia and China become friends again! it is biden who wants ww3 by allying with countries together and NATO to threaten against Russia and China, isn't it WW1and WW2 starts with one group against another group?

your advice on my problem much appreciated: i have good impression of MRT until 17 February 2025, i lost my physical stored value ticket card and went to an MRT ticket counter to buy a new one, the female counter staff asked if i had a bank account (for top up?)and that i had to download the MRT app and register for use instead. It seems MRT has stopped use of physical stored value card once and for all, or at least she did not sell the stored value ticket to me (that's my understanding as she could barely speak english, and i barely speak Thai). In order not to keep the long queue behind me waiting, i left the queue, went to buy a single trip ticket, went home, and tried to figure out how to register. It turned out that i can't as i do not have any one of the three documents that registion requires: work permit, a Thai ID card (citizen or foreigner) or driving licence. i only have a foreign passport and stay in Thailand with one year visa, but registration does not include this option! i bet there are many foreigners including tourists in same odd situation like me: no work permit, no driving licence, no Thai ID, well, immigration allow them stay visa exempt or visa extension few months to one year, is it incovenient to require them queueing up to buy single use ticket every time? isn't it queueing time better spent by them for shopping and consumption for Thailand economy? (actually previously i also forced to give up TRUE card renewal as there is no passport registration option, same for LINEPAY, but TRUE and LINEPAY not as important as not having an MRT stored value card) Then on 20 February, i tried to phone the MRT Information Service Centre 0-2624-5200, on and off for more than half an hour in total but always told customer service officer was too busy, once i waited 20minutes continuously but no one answered call. i knew from previous experience with TRUE is that they just tell you they are sorry but sorry not able to change policy, but i just wish to clarify MRT no longer issue physical stored value ticket and that passengers can only use the virtual ticket (the app), or buy single use ticket each time. i really hope i can rebuild my goodwill pretty soon

glad that smog problem eg pm2.50 in bangkok also received due attention. perhaps some creative or unconventional thinking is urgently needed to solve this persisting aggravating problem?! assuming that the culprit is external, for example, from cambodia, it is right step for thailand to liaise with cambodia govt to jointly solve the problem but also good to request thai friendly china govt to help, exerting some pressure on cambodia to do better? secondly,assume we can't do much to reduce external pollution source, couldn't we do more INSIDE thailand to push for more EV to replace gasoline vehicles by subsidy or increase import tax for the traditional vehicles, or bring forward European new standard sooner, or use multipronged approach? improved air quality could attract more wealthy guys and elderly retirees ?

there is rumour or news that immigration is going to tighten up and monitor many kinds of visas application and requirement ed visa included. search for more info from stickmanbangkok.com or integrity legal youtuber

an agent ask for full commission even if the seller found the buyer. is it exploitation?

i only know about this recently: foreigners can not work as property agent not too sure if also apply to other area like insurance or car etc

actually simple way is to have condos reduced lighting in the corridors. Now all condo corindors l are brightly light up 24 hours a day all long

Meanwhile big joe probably think of retirement visa overhaul in the context of driving away foreign criminals. Linking only financial requirement with quality of retirees maybe one way to screen out criminals however it discriminate the less wealthy and screen out most non innocent retirees who have no interest at all to commit any offence whatsoever. Perhaps a multipronged approach can be adopted such as looking at the past job experience or skills and academic level of retiree applicants, in addition to financial criteria or bank deposit.

i guess expat retiree here better prepared for the increase in every aspects than hiding the heads in the sand or plead that it won't happan. The drastic increase in elite visa seem to point in the inflation direction. As to whether expats will leave in batches because of increased requirement, it is a calculated risk for the authority. The mandatory health insurance is a peculiar issue, strictly speaking, it is implemented allegedly due to request from the health department to immigration to solve the expat incurring/ defaulting hospital large bills (i don't know how possible)

the root of the problem is mandatory medical insurance most likely could not solve the big medical fee default incurred by foreigners as orginally planned. It is because pre existing health problems or medical conditions arising there of are completely excluded from protection by insurers, but it is most likely these conditions aggravated into big problems and incur large hospital bills. Perhaps the effective solution for the government is to exclude foreigners from seeking treatment from public hospitals or public hospitals to raise medical fees to be on par with private hospitals so that no more implicit indirect subsidy to foreigners or foreign retirees is possible. And why not suspend visas to those actually default medical bills?

perhaps the hope of grandfathering is too optimistic, we don't see it in the sudden requirement of mandatory health insurance enacted and imposed on retirees in 2019, and the seven fold increase from 400000 to three million baht as required coverage. Meanwhile big joe probably think of retirement visa overhaul in the context of driving away foreign criminals. Linking only financial requirement with quality of retirees maybe one way to screen out criminals however it discriminate the less wealthy and screen out most non innocent retirees who have no interest at all to commit any offence whatsoever. Perhaps a multipronged approach can be adopted such as looking at the past job experience or skills and academic level of retiree applicants, in addition to financial criteria or bank deposit.