realfunster

I see again some sharing of misinformation about the appointment of Governors/Committee Members of central banks citing "independence issues" , please pay close attention : USA Federal Reserve : As stipulated by the Banking Act of 1935, the Chairman is chosen by the president from among the sitting governors to serve four-year terms with the advice and consent of the Senate. UK Bank of England : The Monarch appoints the Governor of the Bank of England after receiving a recommendation from the Chancellor of the Exchequer If you think these two bodies are, in substance, "independent" of US and UK Government, I suggest you are living in cloud-cuckoo land ! In Thailand's case, the appointment has been blocked by an unelected, unaccountable and frankly mysterious committee. If you think that is for the betterment of Thailand, I give up hope..

I am guessing that’s why they are looking at the VAT rate increase - an easily implemented scheme with broad capture. In the thread, 4 million Thai income tax payers is mentioned, even allowing for the economic status of Thailand, that is ridiculously low.

Yes….just like the US, where the President appoints the Fed Chairman or the UK where the Monarch appoints the Governor of the Bank of England based on Prime Minister’s recommendation….totally independent of government 🤔

Maybe he does but it's never going to happen in 4 years. The timescale for this kind of investment outlook from business is multi-year and they will want to see political/policy stability before making any such investment decision. It might however, provide pause for thought for US companies considering offshoring. I think we all know by now that Donald loves his bluster. As others have noted, from a purely economic theory viewpoint a wide-ranging batch of tariffs would probably lead to counter-measures by other parties, hurting everyone. Even if the other parties didn't respond in kind the increased costs to the US supply chain would increase prices for local US consumers for the foreseeable. I expect he will be selective on how to use the threat of tariffs to get concessions and in the end he may well end up targeting (i) a limited number industry sectors and (ii) China more broadly.

Just to point out that, for example, both the Fed and Bank of England Chairman are effectively appointed by the government of the day…the article and initial responses seem to be spinning this as some sort of crazed power grab by PT.

I think "Quality Tourism" has only ever been a soundbite and an attempt to pretend to nod towards Western driven concepts around sustainability etc. Like many developing countries, Thailand finds itself with an ambition to grow its economy, raise quality of life and needs to balance that with a developed world order focusing on sustainability and the environment. The reality, Thailand grew tourism from around 10m (2000) -- 16m (2010) -- 40m (2019). With > 1.5bn people within 3-4 hours, it makes sense to target Indians and broaden Thailand's market appeal. It's also an indication that the previously relied upon Chinese tourist market has slumped. Would be interesting to assess whether that is due to internal Chinese issues around their economy or boredom with Thailand. Anyway, with the Indian population still growing, they are likely to become the dominant tourist market in Thailand for the next 50 years...that means more Indian restaurants will surely be popping up - result !

I flew from there a couple of weeks ago, it seemed fine to me. Important news for nicotine addicts - they have a smoking room. It's not very well signposted though.

Wasn't this around the time that the Chief Water Pusher, Plodprasop, was publicly proposing an "exotic" meat buffet at Chiang Mai Zoo ? Coincidence ? I think not. Found the link. Even allowing for the 2 decades or so since it happened, how utterly embarrassing for Thailand. If you ever, ever, ever start thinking "you are in Kansas", I refer you to exhibit A below. This came from the mind of a Government Minister. https://www.smh.com.au/world/exotic-animal-meats-on-thai-zoo-menu-20051119-gdmh5k.html

Just to avoid any potential confusion for members, this is not another rate cut just a report that the official meeting minutes from 16/10 meeting (which cut rates) have been released. If you are interested to read them, here's the link : https://www.bot.or.th/en/our-roles/monetary-policy/mpc-meeting.html

I was about the say the same, can’t remember where but I was minding my business upcountry somewhere when some Skynet-looking giant drone suddenly appeared crop-spraying in the field next door. Quite impressive it was. Maybe one of these https://ag.dji.com/t50 I can imagine Somchai and friends behind a tree having a good chuckle at my bemused expression.

Not inaccurate but they have left it late and they are behind the US who just cut 0.5%. Dare I say it but Srettha was right in suggesting an earlier rate cut might have set some momentum for a weaker THB for tourism/exports and to stimulate local investment.

Regrettably, I did watch some videos. From October 7th. You know, the ones where unarmed civilians (for the most part) were mass slaughtered. Particularly harrowing was the gunshot wounded Thai agricultural worker being hacked to death with a garden hoe by laughing Hamas terrorists, the slaughter of captives at the dance festival and the German lady's disheleved corpse being paraded around Gaza in the back of a pick-up, to the whooping enjoyment of the assembled crowds. If there was any doubt in my mind, that told me all I need to know. They are getting what they deserve in response, which in no reasonable way can be equated with a genocide. Remember, Israel could completely wipe Palestinians off the map but don't. In fact, they specifically use a targeted approach, often informing areas to evacuate in advance. It is now absolutely clear, despite initial skepticism and waves of complaints, that there is a maze of tunnels under Gaza used by Hamas terrorists, including under schools and hospitals. If the shoe was on the other foot, well, see October 7th. Please don't fall for the Hamas tactic of playing on Western morals whilst stabbing you in the back, as soon as the opportunity arises.

Details are scant but I was working on the assumption that this was "makeshift" Palestinian UXO on Israeli soil... I would postulate that "military" grade Israeli ordnance is unlikely to be set off accidentally by fruit pickers. I may be proven wrong....

Whilst stating women can't drive is, of course, an inaccurate generalisation, there's plenty of scientific research on the matter of relative physical co-ordination between genders, generally finding men have superior hand-eye co-ordination skills. I mean, I think anyone going through life could casually observe that but if academic research is required... Here's one example conclusion "The males outperformed in efficiency index when compared to females in hand-eye coordination with repeated practice. The study concluded that males were having greater efficiency index and less number of errors and less time taken compared to females." In fact, it's almost as if men and women are different in some ways, each having their own respective strengths and weaknesses !

How do you know he has not acclimatised to Thai driving ? I have been driving here 20 years, consider myself acclimatised and would call the driving in the clip objectively idiotic and reckless...the fact it is the sort of driving we will fairly regularly observe is by the by. It is still idiotic and reckless. It's about time they changed the Thai driving code to ban undertaking, which (IIRC) is allowed on dual carriageways and above here. You can see the occasional outcome of this in the clip, a fast moving undertaking vehicle mixing with slow traffic in the inside lane.