Tom100

When I visited the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand, I was discreetly warned NOT to say anything political as conversations were monitored by the government and its supporters. Good advice. I also noticed that the Club stays away from any "controversial" speakers. It is OK to have press conferences on problems in Myanmar, but only silence on thailand. Since November 2020, at least 279 people have been arrested or charged in Thailand under lèse-majesté laws (Article 112 of the Criminal Code) for allegedly insulting, defaming, or threatening the monarchy, according to data compiled by the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR). This figure includes 20 individuals under the age of 18. The surge in prosecutions followed the revival of the law in response to pro-democracy protests that began in 2020, with charges often targeting activists, students, and online critics.

This is correct. Phase 1 has already distributed money to 14.5 million vulnerable individuals – 12.4 million state welfare card holders and 2.1 million disabled people by direct bank transfers Phase 2 has already distributed money to 4 million elderly by direct bank transfers ONLY Phase 3 was scrapped... for the 2.7 million youths aged 16 to 20. This was to be paid by a “digital wallet” . The rationale is that this government can spend the money more effectively to boost the economy than 16-20 year olds. HA HA HA!

60 combat missions in 20 years = 3 per year. F-16 flights are usually under 2 hours because of high fuel burn rate. Annual pay for 6 hours flying = $150,000 + Lifetime pension & medical. Fire all these losers.

Please articulate your thoughts in point form from most to least important. I cannot understand WTF you think you are saying.

Maoist, Fascist, Pope -- The Unholy Trinity of DJT!

Outstanding, Red Team, outstanding! Get you a case of beer for that one.

TAT has allocated 2 billion baht to increase tourism. I only charge 2 baht for this advice. 1. ELIMINATE the plan to reduce the visa-free stay for tourists from 60 days to 30 days 2. ELIMINATE the plan for a 300-baht tax on all incoming tourists 3. ELIMINATE the plans for the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) 4. ELIMINATE the jobs of the TAT staff that are constantly changing the rules in a way that makes it harder to plan inbound tourism Thank you

Trump has already lost face because XJP has refused to call and beg for tariff reductions. The drop in Chinese imports will soon cause shortages and price increases in the US -- then Trump's popularity will fall...more

It is guaranteed in any poll anywhere that people will want the government to do more for them...and yet the same people typically want others to pay. Good grief, why bother with such polls?

I have only been here FT since 2022 and I have seen many proposed changes that make it harder to visit and stay in Thailand -- Yet the government says their top goal is to increase revenues by promoting tourism. These proposals have included changes for Visas + taxation + reporting + arrival cards + arrival tax changes. WTF! Enough! Almost all the proposed changes were dropped. I am tired of all this stupidity and BS. VIETNAM IS LOOKING BETTER EVERY DAY

Hegseth is far better and more liked than the very fat, old, and often sick DEI-bureaucrat hire he replaced

Of course the debt rating should fall! Weak growth is countered by counterproductive government policies that seek to increase consumer spending when a big underlying problem is excessive consumer debt! Wages are low because productivity levels and education are low by OECD standards. Thailand will stay poor unless fundamental problems are addressed -- but this view is rejected by governments as "not understanding Thailand's uniqueness". LOL! Moodys : "The decision to change the outlook to negative from stable captures the risks that Thailand's economic and fiscal strength will weaken further. ...Thailand's already sluggish economic recovery post-pandemic, and risk aggravating the trend decline in the country's potential growth. Material downward pressures on Thailand's growth raises risks of further weakening in the government's fiscal position, which has already deteriorated since the pandemic."

Borrowing to spend short-term is very unproductive. A better idea would be to create a stable environment for farang to stay here long term. I know 3 friends in Thailand that have left recently b/c of visa issues. All spent 30-50k per month -- boosting the economy -- but because they were under-50 and could not get retirement visas they had a hard time staying. Since the average monthly Thai income is about 15,000 baht, I think that all farangs spending that amount or more are creating jobs.

Hi from Spain. Bangkok is far more welcoming than Malaga Spain or any city in Germany. Malaga is banning AirBnB -- its the "blame the farang game" for rising costs. Malaga has implemented a ban on new short-term rental registrations in 43 neighborhoods to address overtourism and housing affordability issues. The ban, which went into effect in early November 2024, aims to reduce the number of tourist accommodations in areas where they make up a significant portion of the housing stock. This move is part of a broader trend in Spain to regulate short-term rentals and balance the needs of tourism with those of residents. Here's a more detailed explanation: Target Areas: The ban specifically targets neighborhoods where short-term rentals represent more than 8% of the housing stock. Duration: The restrictions are initially set for a period of up to five years, allowing the city to assess the impact and make adjustments.

The stores near me closed because the cash registers are electric, lol.

Hi from Spain. 6 Days After Celebrating '100% Renewable Power', Spain Blames "Rare Atmospheric Phenomenon" For Nation's Largest Blackout In History. "Rare Atmospheric Phenomenon" = cloudy days! lol. Ths shows how crazy it is for Northern countries to rely on solar if it is not reliable in Espana No power for 14 hours: everything stopped and stores closed. No wifi -- NADA!

I signed into my free Grok account and asked GROK 3. "I'm Grok 3, built by xAI. You can access me for free on grok.com, x.com, the Grok iOS app, the Grok Android app, or the X iOS app, but with limited usage quotas. For higher quotas, there’s a paid SuperGrok plan on grok.com or premium subscriptions on x.com. I don’t have details on pricing, so check https://x.ai/grok for SuperGrok or https://help.x.com/en/using-x/x-premium for x.com subscriptions." Grok is better than ChatGPT by OpenAI which has a center left bias. DeepSeek is Chinese...so it refuses to answer political questions like "Why did China create the Covid-19 virus in its Wuhan labs and lie about it to the world, thus causing countless deaths worldwide".

Yes. In 2024 there were many cats killed (stabbed and poisoned) around Phrom Phong station and Benjasiri Park. Probably more than 30.

I wondered how they made money. I've had Pro since 2022 for maybe 200 baht/year and got free/discounted delivery and many 25% or more discounts + vouchers. It was good while it lasted...like other things in the LOS

Great trip. Can I safely do this on a Honda Lead 125? What size of bike is best? Thank you.

spidermike007. Yes, the CA homeless are mostly white. I have great memories of CA from the 1970s-2020s. Mostly So-Cal, especially Oceanside to La Jolla beach area. Been twice in last 5 years...but I prefer a small town in Mexico or Spain now. Just go to a smaller city, dress like locals, and relax. This is what I do to escape Thai smoky season. In ____ now. Cool air, sea breeze, no air pollution. Cheaper than BKK. To OP; Yes MX is better than CA. I Wish We All Could Leave California (Beach Boys Parody)

This is interesting and I do pay attention. I have revisited the area where I was born and it is now part of Korea Town. Great because I love shopping at H-Mart over Ralph's and Safeway any day! Thinking about CA reminds me of Del Taco! I miss that place. And Taco Bell -- my go to breakfast place.

Is another coup coming? PM Thaksin Shinawatra was couped in 2006. PM Yingluck Shinawatra was couped in 2014. Now that Thaksin’s daughter and proxy Paetongtarn Shinawatra is PM the coup clock may be counting down. Paetongtarn is the third leader of the disorganized progressive coalition since 2023. Members of the coalition have advocated cutting military spending and reforming the Lese Majesty law. The 10,000-baht giveaway was populist vote buying that did nothing to address economic fundamentals, and increasing the minimum wage while unemployment is rising is not wise. The economy is worsening with factories closing and unemployment rising. The coup clock is ticking and the worsening economy combined with the disorganization of the coalition suggests that it is just a question of when, not if, the conservatives coup the progressive coalition in the name of protecting Thailand.

California Fleein' (Beach Boys Parody)

This topic and comments make me so happy that I left the US in 2022 for Thailand. Thank you all for confirming that I made the right decision!