Kat Hao

someone needs to buy the photographer a better camera . . .

More inefficiency and longer airport security lines. And what are they looking for? Safety is not the issue, when was the last time a plane was hijacked? This is nothing more than a blatant attempt to search our property without a search warrant or probable cause. Rights of privacy are out the window, we are all pawns in a Machiavellian government takeover. Just look at ICE in the USA. Between CCTV cameras , specialty doorbell and home cameras, and these types of intrusions, we have no rights of privacy. Face it, we live in an Orwellian world. The global mantra of "safety" is merely an excuse for authoritarian regimes to increase their control. Another sad move in the name of safety.

There is NO DEMOCRACY without freedom of speech. This is NOT a lèse-majesté issue, it is a freedom of speech issue. Disqualifying political dissent is not OK, this is why many people prefer a democracy.

A strong commitment to AVOID change. Thailand, IMO, does think of itself as the center of the universe, one of only 3 countries to never have been colonized. Many Thais continue to see this as an asset, the country has never assimilated into the full global world, let alone the SE Asian economy. Tourism is a poor long-term goal or solution, not much skill involved in cleaning rooms and preparing a continental breakfast, and the environmental pressure on beach resorts is truly terrible -- and unsustainable. Critical thinking is still missing -- perhaps in hiding -- and there is little incentive for Thais to take on business or entrepreneurial risk. I have approached several factories over the years with good business opportunities and the answer has often been that they don't want to work that hard. At the same time, Bangkok lawyers and accountants are charging New York partner rates -- which is so absurd for so many reasons. Opportunities are missed, long term growth is retarded, and political and social corruption are tolerated, if not encouraged by a systems that support the notion of paying villagers for their election votes. There is a lot of opportunity in Thailand, but so many structural issues to overcome.

Another very sad day for the US. Can you list all of Trump's enemies? You will need a lot of time, paper and ink -- he is the #1 HATER of all time. He has systematically crippled and/or removed all the policies that have made America a great country, beginning with hard working immigrants. No longer "the land of the free" -- America is the land of ICE, a private militia catering to Trump and his SS Nazi stooge, Steven Miller. Let's see what happens at election time . . . martial law, cancel elections, lawless enforcement agents roaming the streets. Venezuela, Greenland, Canada, Iran, NATO, US universities, News media, crypto, resorts and hotels, Qatar plane, the list is too long for this post. We are watching 200 years of American history being intentionally dismantled.

It is indeed frustrating when monetary policy fails to produce the anticipated results. Lowering Thai central bank rates should have resulted in immediate weakening of the Baht -- but thus far, at least against the US$, no meaningful movement. That's frustrating . . . Lower interest rates do not attract buying, it is typically the other way around -- Sell the low yielding currency and buy the high yield currency and live on the carry spread, multiplied with leverage. Fairly simple concept, so I can understand why Thailand is frustrated and a bit confused -- so are many of the global currency traders.

Trump is most likely to support the people sending him money, a golf course, a hotel, crypto, or some stupid trophy. Thailand needs to figure out how to lay low while Trump remains in office, he is destroying all US international relationships, except with Russia. He is the most corrupt and mean-spirited president in the history of the US, including Nixon. His approval rating is barely 30%, his US support base is already jumping ship and the mid-term elections are still a year away. Expecting that he reads intelligence briefings is as naive as reliance of the Tooth Fairy. He would have difficulty finding Thailand on the map -- although Thai beauty pageants featuring young women may help him with directions.

The pricing collusion between airlines has always been difficult to prove, but we see it every day on nearly every flight we consider. When pricing between Bangkok and Los Angeles fall below US$1,000 (round trip) -- many airlines magically also drop their pricing for that route. Some airlines seem to ignore market price pressures. Thai Air -- for example, seems to maintain their pricing irrespective of international market pressures. One writer mentioned Samui -- that airport does not appear to be open to competition from multiple airlines, and the dominant carrier can hold their pricing, competition is limited in that market. Based on the number of flights offered between BKK and Chiang Mai, where Thai Air and Bangkok Air are often more expensive, we can see the lower demand associated with higher prices when choice of carriers enter the picture. This is how capitalism, as well and the notion of supply and demand work in practice. But even in a "free market" environment, regulation is necessary to limit collusion and other unfair business practices.

The quality of tourist in Thailand is terrible. I was on Ko Chang two weeks ago. Had planned to be there 4 nights with a friend visiting from the USA. I left after the first night. Only low-class eastern europeans that show no respect for Thailand or Thai culture. Ko Chang is Just an extension of Pattaya -- which is already the bottom rung of any ladder. And how is Thailand going to absorb these crazy target numbers of 45 - 60 million visitors? Phuket is already a disaster. Many other destinations are already over-crowded with tourists. The answer is not to just stuff more people into a limited space -- and answer to be selective. The famous and well-respected Harvard Professor Theodore Levitt wrote an essay called Marketing Through Differentiation. Thailand should read that paper, 100 times. The market is saturated, and Thailand has lost the better quality tourist that wants to learn about Thai culture and the history of Thailand. More is NOT BETTER. Better is Better.

Lots of jealousy from men of all ages . . .

I'm getting older and my neck is also beginning to have a pain. We all know what to do about a pain-in-the-neck . . . For Toxin, his neck pain is a double entendre.

Good luck proving a negative. I wonder whether the Reuters reporter is Thai, or even speaks fluent Thai. Not saying they are wrong, but not convinced they are correct.

I don't think readers on this site fully understand or appreciate the extent to which currencies are affected by Global Marco Hedge Funds and Commodity Trading Advisors -- globally. The hunt is for interest rate -- short the Yen and invest in higher paying currencies. Called the "Carry Trade", it is amongst the oldest arbitrage strategies on earth. If Thailand wants to weaken its currency it will need to lower interest rates and make the Baht a less attractive holding for these funds -- who are allowed leverage greater than 20:1. The Baht has strengthened to the US $ because US interest rates are falling. The US 10-year bond has seen a fast and sharp reduction in interest rates, losing more than 10% of its yield, and Trump is aggressively trying to manipulate (lower) interest rates for his own benefit -- as a highly leveraged owner of real estate. IMO this has less to do with gold or Cambodian trade and more to do with Interest Rate management. HELLOOOOOO Thai Central Bank, I'm sure you are watching. As a final comment on this topic, look at the US$/THB exchange rate when US interest rates hovered near 0 for several years. 28 to the dollar for a while. People have short memories.

"and if the USD cracks because of the impending US inflation then its not such a bad idea to consider bringing more money in from pre 2024." Don't fool yourself. If US inflation stays high the Fed will NOT be able to lower interest rates as Trump demands -- which is why the US Fed must remain independent. Currency valuations are not simply based on how well you like a country, higher interest rates will draw more investment -- short the low interest rate bonds (Japan) and use that money to buy higher interest rate bonds (US) and hedge the currency volatility. This "Carry Trade" is a hugely leveraged trillion dollar industry and if US rates end up rising, so will the US dollar. Not as simple as some might like 🙂

If we look around, we see a country in great transition. When my 50 year old wife was very young, in a countryside village, there was only one television in the area -- certainly no computers, search engines or AI. Now, every kid has a smart phone with international data access through social media and search engines. With the growth in AI -- which actually does require critical thinking to use properly -- the definition of education will be changing. In the north, above Chiang Mai, many of the people over 60 years of age only speak the Northern language, they do not even speak Thai -- and of course, they are 100% Thai citizens, born and raised. Funny when I go to the local market and speak Thai and no one understands me -- and in this case it's not my accent. Critical thinking is key to education, and critical thinking has historically not been allowed, or encouraged in public schools. It will take another generation to better control education and corruption, but Thailand seems to be moving in the right direction -- albeit slower than some people might like. Medical training must improve, the civil code legal system has a lot of room for improvement, and I believe this will all happen over time. Even the legalization of cannabis, which I support, turned into a cluster f*** due to a serious lack of critical thinking. This lack of critical thinking results in the government closing the barn door after the horses are already out.

As with any business or personal budget, the savings come from both ends. Cut unnecessary costs and raise revenue. An earlier comment suggested 0.25% VAT increase each year . . . that was an excellent suggestion. Even just jumping from 7% to 8% would be a great solution. The least wealthy in Thailand don't pay much VAT and shop in local village markets. The VAT only affects the middle and upper class who are unlikely to be impact by a 1% VAT increase. We talk about Expats . . . most of us have much more than 1% change in our exchange rates, much more. The USD has dropped more than 10% since Trump . . . Raise the VAT!!

This seems like a controversial topic, although statistics should be straight forward. In Chiang Mai, my friends that own well-established restaurants report business being VERY slow. A week ago I went to lunch at a very popular restaurant and it was nearly empty. If we are getting those tourists, where are they? What are they doing? And where are they spending money? We used to say that "numbers lie and liars figure". Who is correct here?

We must consider that Thailand society views these issues differently. This country has a long tradition of Mia Noi, where the first wife might actually participate in the recruiting of the Junior Wife (mistress in most other societies). I don't see Western puritanical values deeply penetrating Thai culture (pun intended). This is not right or wrong, Thai culture is what it is. Gay women and men, as well as transvestites, are not forced to hide their preferences, Thai society can be remarkably tolerant -- on many levels.

If you smell smoke, check for fire.

In a country that does not respect Critical Thinking, and where dinner is considered long term planning, why is anyone surprised. Rama IX was a visionary, now Thailand needs someone to carry that torch. Self-education by mobile phone is not a substitute for academic discipline. Without a solid education the next generation (or even the current generation) will not be able to manage even basic AI tasks. This is a serious challenge because China is a world leader in advanced technology, and the City/State of Singapore is very well educated. We need younger and well educated people in a democratic government, not families seeking to establish or preserve a dynasty.

Just give Trump and airplane.

I have had a Dolphin for 5 years. Use it less than once a week -- sometimes don't use it for a couple of weeks. We live in the countryside and the pool does not get very dirty, does not attract much dust or dirt. 5 years in and the machine has quit and Bangkok want 25,000 THB to repair it. Generally, when repair is 50% of new purchase price I don't bother to repair. BUT -- there seem to be several others on the market for much less money than the Dolphin, and I have no brand loyalty to Dolphin at this point. Anyone have good experience with others? My pool is a perfect rectangle and is 800 square feet.

Driving 25 in a 60 zone is ok, even though everyone has to cross a yellow line to change lanes and face oncoming traffic in order to pass the slow vehicle. Slow drivers are a bigger hazard that speeding. But don't honk the horn. Pull out of a driveway or small soi without looking -- slam on your brakes but don't honk. The cultural consideration is lovely, but the reality is not so pleasant. The horn has a purpose, the worse the drivers the more important the horn becomes.

Reminded of the saying "everyone knows price, but very few know value". So much for your high-end interior finishes, thick hardwood teak floors, granite counters, imported porcelion tile, built-in teak cabinets, European kitchen and bathroom hardware. These features mean nothing to a person without the knowledge to discern. To some extent this is true throughout the world, but no where moreso that here. And if you spent 5 million to build, and then 1.5 million to fix their mistakes, what was the value of your time and agrivation along the way? In my book, this house cost you far more than 6.5 million when all is said and done.

As an american, I am often surprised by the number of people that can speak some level of english. It sure makes my travels easier, but that's pretty much where it should stop -- I have no right to expect people to speak english, no right at all. Even more so when we visit countries that are considered 2nd or 3rd world -- whatever those silly labels mean. Why should you expect to visit a country in SE Asia, that is one of only 3 countries never to have been colonized by anyone, and have some expectation that people should speak your language? Should the hospitality workers also speak Russian? Chinese? German? French? Spanish? OK, if you book at a resort that caters to your language, OK, good for you. But if you traveled all the way to Thailand to hear your native language spoken, it begs the question of why you left home in the first place. Try traveling for the cultural experience, less anger and hostility over a language choice.