realfunster

Yes indeed. A holistic transport review, including air connections, would be helpful. Checking Google maps, a bridge to the mainland would be at least 10 km long, I assume that is going to be a long & expensive project. With the associated opportunities for, ahem, facilitation and consultancy fees, a great opportunity for the national government to find the budget and buy some political allies down south…

After COVID the Thai medical profession appear emboldened to share their opinions on various public policy related matters. I really don't think they should be bothering with this issue....in the linked article, the good doctor tries to draw some linkage with opening hours and COVID to legitimise his involvement but likely he is just a 'conservative' and doesn't want to encourage certain types of "immoral" behaviour. I think we know in Thai society the anti-fun moralising crowd are bubbling just underneath the surface at all times. Keep in mind kids, even "scientists" have underlying world views that can bias their judgement..

Sorry to break it to the good doctor but as in so many things in this country, with its archaic, fearful and somewhat incompetent bureaucratic class, much of the Private Sector has already moved on and is essentially ignoring the government guidance at the moment. Many companies are now running on a weekly or symptom based ATK testing regimen. Test positive, go home and then a negative test required to return to work site. On the basis that for many (not all..) symptoms are quite mild and might even go unnoticed, the return to work can be within a couple of days. I tested negative within 2 days and was back to work on day 3, having suffered a minor sniffle for a couple of days before testing positive. Some colleagues have also tested positive and returned within a maximum of 5 days and the vast majority are able to work normally during quarantine, as symptoms have been mild. Without being reckless, I think the hard reality for many companies and employees is that further disruption to business/lives after the last 2.5 years and with Omicron typically being mild, is not seen as viable...of course, a concern that doesn't impact those working in the more relaxed and state funded Public Sector.

I bet they have… ????

Switch massage chain for convenience store and you have the same situation with CP. But they are Thai and amongst the anointed ones, so no protests there… I would have thought pricing for a product or service was broadly subject to the open market ? Perhaps not, on mafia island. Maybe, they should look at their own pricing structures and strategies in more detail. I guess they have a cosy agreement on a fixed price structure across all shops, likely doesn’t help the end consumer - see Phuket taxis as a good example.

Here too. I think there is a wider problem as I note the news homepage has not been updated at all today, although member comments are still appearing on old threads.

You may be aware that Thailand is an oligarchy and nepotism runs rife ? Being a ‘successful’ Thai politician and businessman (in his father’s company…) does not mean that you are a genius, more likely that you simply come from the right kind of family with the right sort of connections. I personally try to judge people on their overall character, values and behaviour, not simply the baht in their bank account.

If one person says something or produces a report and a thousand repeat it, it doesn't make it fact. The findings do, however, raise some interesting questions, which I hope will be further investigated in a deeper review of the methodology used for this trial and possibly some additional research.

The price of greed, corruption and an unstable and ineffectual political system…

Nice to see citizens taking action and applying pressure to ineffectual government officials. Maybe there is some hope after all…

Yep, I don’t think anyone was really buying that twenty-something lad as being the owner..

Some “approved” pharmacies have it in stock as do most, if not all, hospitals. The pharmacies will be cheaper than buying at a private hospitals by a margin. You will indeed likely need a prescription. Typically, you will find such large/approved pharmacies in the vicinity of Government hospitals. Government became concerned on mis-use, so a while back stopped smaller clinics and pharmacies giving it directly to patients.

Not surprising at the moment, young people are probably seeking some stability and security after the last couple of years. Tourism has taken a massive hit, there has been mass redundancies across the industry and it is still in the early stages of its recovery. It might take another 1-2 years before it is seen as a stable form of employment. Once the tourists return for a consistent period and in large numbers, I think it will become attractive again to potential employees.

That last statement is meaningless, 2017 & 2018 were in "normal" times. Hardly a celebratory matter to have an economy recovering at a snail's pace from COVID. The World Bank has already downgraded the 2022 forecast to 2.9% as well. So, with a -6.2% contraction in 2020, only 1.6% growth in 2021 and let's say 2.0%+ growth in 2022, it's going to be (at a minimum) 2023 before we return to pre-covid GDP and quite possibly this could slip into 2024. With regards to the old chestnut about the importance of tourism to GDP, I find it challenging to reconcile the overall 2020 and 2021 GDP numbers (when international tourism was largely non-existent and with other significant negative impacts on the Thai economy) to a hugely significant tourism GDP contribution. So either the GDP numbers are fudged or international tourism is not the 10+% of GDP that it is claimed to be...

Agreed. Who knows how any of us would react in that situation, with fire and explosions, but I am relatively astonished at the inactivity of bystanders as disorientated people stumble quite far out of the exit door actually on fire with no assistance given.....

It's an absolute disgrace that Thailand are indirectly legitimising the existence of an independent Taiwanese state by providing scheduled air services there ! A disgrace I tell you. Please China, don't accept this kind of public and international disrespect for your intentions to re-annex land that is rightfully yours and urgently put in place some broad economic sanctions and/or ban sale of military hardware to Thailand. If you want to flex your military muscles more openly, some live-fire naval exercises in the gulf of Thailand should do the trick to get the message through. The Thais are currently defenceless whilst they are still waiting for their submarines.

Very true. Equally true is.. “crimes like these could not be perpetrated without the culture of mindless compliance, over respect for “authority/superiors” and lack of critical thinking drummed into the populace from childhood.”

It was a flight from Don Muang to Chian Rai, doubtful it was a four hour flight ? I can't see four hours mentioned anywhere in the linked article, where do you get that from ?

Just what I was going to mention, they have the same ridiculous fluctuating speed signs down the Motorway number 7 from Bangkok to Pattaya.

Well, I suppose it makes a change from the usual TV guesswork and speculation on the murder case at hand. I reckon many TVers are probably more expert in the field of augmented bosoms…

Ah, I see

Usual suspects putting mileage into this thread. It’s the beginning of the end for COVID, it’s time to move on with reasonable, rather than neurotic precautions. Very happy to have my post judged by “the future” and state that based on current evidence and future outcomes yet to be seen…COVID is moving to endemic…

Bangkok is a large place, an approximate location might generate more and better answers for you!

What battle ? If he wants a battle he can return home and fight for what he wants for the people of Thailand. I suggest he hasn't got the stomach for that and prefers enjoying his billions in the comfort of Dubai...yet another member of the Thai oligarchy, who somehow, as a humble policeman from Chiang Mai, was very happy to accept a national mobile communications concession from the powers that be. My dog could have turned that opportunity into a successful business. I vote 'none of the above'. Root and branch change is needed.

What do you mean “you folks” - oh, I see, straight into a binary discussion and polarization of differing opinions. I am actually triple vacced and take sensible but not neurotic precautions. You are pigeonholing me straight away based on one post. COVID has been a serious global health issue, I am pointing out it is not a serious global health issue anymore - it’s time to move on. BTS ridership is at the highest level since pre-pandemic and anyone in Bangkok can tell you that traffic levels are getting back to pre-pandemic levels also, it seems most people also feel it is time to get on with life and the global and Thai mortality statistics bear this out… There is absolutely no correlation between road deaths and COVID and no one has ever said there is, what can be drawn is a comparison in individual/government response for an ongoing twenty year road death crisis in Thailand and people monotonously fixating over what is now an endemic disease. You can also extend the analysis and state factually that driving is now 3x more likely to kill any of us than COVID, so I look forward to the neurotics out there analyzing the hell out of the road death data. It’s time to move on..