SteveB2

The Thai Italian Chamber of Commerce is organising a presentaion on this topic in a few days time at the Sukhothai Hotel in Bangkok. 03 Marcg 2022

You could get up to speed quickly by booking yourself a place on the seminar and asking your questions there.

https://www.thaitch.org/event/ticc-seminar-thai-permanent-residency-and-citizenship-3-march-2022/

Unless I am mistaken, the Thai national anthem still proudly declares that every piece of Thai land is owned by Thai people.

เป็นประชารัฐ ไผทของไทยทุกส่วน...

Until that changes, I would be suspicious of anyone making claims that foreigners can own land here.

Just saying, na' 

Pattaya Beach water quality has improved dramatically in comparison with what it used to be like when I first came to Pattaya, 25 years ago.

Back then, with a 4ft sewage outcrop belching filth from the bowels of hell into the sea at the end of the old Navy pier (near the entrance of Walking street)... we were less worried about pollution and more worried about the sea catching fire ???? 

'20% tourism levels' ... 'The next high season' ... Maybe.

In 2022 ????

Is it just me...

or are there some serious kill-joys trying to make a bid to turn Thailand into an alcohol free country where all music and public fun is banned?

In my minds eye, is a vision of government house, populated by glum faced Quakers tut-tutting over every one caught smiling. 'Burn them at the stake' ...

It's a first choice advanced interrogation technique used by nasty boys around the world.

No marks on the victim makes cause of death difficult to ascertain.

Plastic bags are easy to find...

Hello All... Here is my live report

I travelled from Pattaya to Bangkok SVM Airport today 31 July 2021 with a bus full of the Sandbox 'New tourists' - I drived them there myself so as to able to handle any <deleted> the Thai goverment migtht try to throw at our 'happy group'.... well...

There was NOT ONE road block/check point - even though we had all registerred on the BS govenernment web site for inter province travellers,

At the BKK SVM airport - not one hand wash dispenser worked - all the medical staff looked bored. Really bored.

Bangkok SVM Airport was a complete ghost town. No shops open 'ZERO' were open. ZERO. Its finnished. The Airport and its tourist services are non-existant.

///

Some one, somehwhere is looking at zero tax revenue, zero rental income. Billions... Maybe trilions of revenue gone missing.

TBH...

Lately here in LOS, when I think about it... I have had more fun enduring 3 months in 'The Kingdom'

and I am not talking about THIS Kingdom! 

"The outbreak has shut 36% of tourism businesses temporarily and 4% permanently?"

Yer, right - who are they trying to kid. Whole towns are deserted ghost towns.

I was on Koh samui back in 1998 when the call went out for scuba divers to help recover bodies on another ferry that sank in one of those nasty 'North East Monsoon' sqawls that blight the region. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/dpm.1999.07308eac.002/full/html

23 October 1998 - Bangkok, Thailand

A press report from Bangkok states: A rainstorm and rough seas prevented efforts yesterday to find nine people still missing from ferry Saendee Maneesap 9, which capsized off Surat Thani on Wednesday (21 October). The search would continue, but it was feared the nine were trapped in the vessel, which sank in a storm 5.4km west of Koh Wao Yai in the Ang Thong national marine park. The vessel would be raised to establish what caused the capsize, in which three people, two of them foreigners, drowned and 18 were rescued. A crew member reportedly said the vessel was laden with 60 sacks of cement weighing about three tons, other construction materials and rice. The helmsman may have lacked experience since he put out in rough weather after a storm warning, which had been heeded by local trawler crews. A committee would investigate the causes and its findings would report back in three days. Bad weather foiled attempts by Thai and foreign divers from Koh Samui and Phangna to get to the wreck, lying at a depth of 18-20m. The rough conditions also prevented 350 volunteers and authorities, including sailors, marine police and tourist police, from setting off from Koh Samui with two army speedboats, three marine police patrol boats and 30 trawlers. Army and police helicopter crews who planned to join the search could not take off from their bases, due to the heavy rain. Chiewchan Kengehong, who was at the helm, had no navigation licence and had been charged with recklessness causing death and danger to others. The vessel's insurers are to pay 50,000 baht to the family of each of the dead and not more than 10,000 baht to the injured.

26 October 1998 - Four more bodies from last week's ferry accident near Wao Yai Island were recovered yesterday, raising the death toll to 15. Four other people were still reported missing. Three bodies were plucked from the sea near the island by navy and marine police patrolling the area while the fourth was washed ashore and was found on Phangna beach, some 40km from where ferry Saendee Maneesap 9 sank in stormy seas last Wednesday (21 October). Only one body was identified. The other three were believed to be Burmese crewmen. Governor Puchong Rungroj and Samui district police chief Pol Col Kreerin lnkaew flew in a helicopter for an aerial search and rescue mission yesterday and located the sunken vessel. Following radio contacts, eight fishing vessels went to the area with a 300m-long iron sling to tow the wreckage. Preparations were made for divers to also jump from a helicopter to search for more bodies but the mission was abandoned because of strong winds and big waves.

30 October 1998 - Officials called off the search for victims of the Koh Tao ferry accident yesterday. At least 18 people died when ferry Saendee Maneesap 9 capsized near Koh Wao Yai in the early hours of last Wednesday (21 October). Only Anuwat Chaiyaphum and a crew member identified as Nui are still missing. It was possible Mr Anuwat and the crew member were not trapped inside the wreck, officials said. Officials said the wreck of Saendee Maneesap 9 would not be recovered. According to background checks, the ferry had changed its name three times from Phanthanuthong to Arunpan to the current name. The vessel had been in service for more than 20 years and had at least two accidents. Meanwhile, a senior Harbour Department official dismissed speculation overloading caused the ferry to capsize. Sub-Lt Preecha Phetwong, director of the Waterways Transport Inspection Division, said the load of construction materials estimated to weigh three or four tons was not enough to upset the vessel which had a capacity of more than 70 tons. Other factors which could contribute to the capsize included the seaworthiness of the vessel, weather and the helmsman. Sub-Lt Preecha said he inspected the 24 metre vessel last year and found her and all safety and navigation equipment in good condition. The Saendee Maneesap 9 was originally registered with a capacity to carry 150 passengers, later reduced to 40 passengers for tax and insurance purposes because of decreasing demand. The number of passengers and the load of goods at the time of accident were far below the capacity. Sub-Lt Preecha said he was confounded as to the cause of the accident. An investigation to determine the cause should be concluded by next week.

Simply don't sign for anything you are not 100% sure is yours.

This kind of <deleted> happens to me every month - i almost think it is a kind of game...????

Transliterations of spoken Thai using a European alphabet and western sounds is hopelessly inaccurate.

This is since most of the Thai hard 44 consonants have different sounds.

There are 33 vowels - most of which have different sounds to European languages.

…And of course, each spoken syllable has one of 5 discrete tones. 

Speaking Thai without tones would be similar to speaking English without vowels. The tones are necessary. A lot of guess work is necessary without the tones.

Listen to Thai news shows broadcast from Bangkok and mimic the speaker’s pronunciation.

But also listen to recordings of all the dialects spoken across Thailand.

Recognize that dialects of Thai are so strong, that it is not uncommon to see sub-titles during films to help central Bangkok Thai speakers understand what is being said (in North Isaan for instance.

Isaan Thai - a language so far from Bangkok Thai that it is really another language. 

Your quote from the PEA to run 22KV at around 1 Million Baht per km sounds about right. Nothing strange there.

Note though, that you also need to put a transformer on a pole which will cost another 300,000 Baht for anything reasonable up to 50-100KVA.

Then setup a 380V distribution system.

For this amount of money, some sort of PV/Solar system has to be a better deal, right ?

Back in 2019 when Thailand last had a half decent tourism year, the TAT listed American tourists as 0.46% of their yearly total.

So, 20 Americans out of 2,336 works out at 0.86% - which is brilliant. Honest.

Perhaps the headline should be re-written as 'twice as many American tourists arrive as normal during Thailand's post COVID pandemic openning...' ???? 

The elephant in the living room... The Seychelle has a big problem with obesity.

Obesity Worsens Outcomes from COVID-19

Adults with excess weight are at even greater risk during the COVID-19 pandemic:

• Having obesity increases the risk of severe illness from COVID-19. People who are overweight may also be at increased risk.
• Having obesity may triple the risk of hospitalization due to a COVID-19 infection.
• Obesity is linked to impaired immune function.^2,3
• Obesity decreases lung capacity and reserve and can make ventilation more difficult.
• A study of COVID-19 cases suggests that risks of hospitalization, intensive care unit admission, invasive mechanical ventilation, and death are higher with increasing BMI.⁵
  • The increased risk for hospitalization or death was particularly pronounced in those under age 65. 

http://www.seychellesnewsagency.com/articles/2244/Seychelles+is+the+fattest+country+in+sub-Saharan+Africa%2C+according+to+WHO+report

https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/obesity-and-covid-19.html

Is it just me...

I am having problems imagining the Thai goverment's legendary logistics and organisational skills distributing 60 million vaccine doses before the end of this year 2021.

I mean... thats around 10 million jabs per month, even i they start in july ????

The only way it's going to happen is that they get Lazada to deliver and administrate the jabs...

1 hour ago, RichardColeman said:

God I hope not, that'll be 2 and half years of no sex with the wife ! Cadfael probably got more than me these days

I live in Pattaya - Obviously I watch no TV because I am out on the razz every night - so I had to look up <deleted> who/what is Cadfael. Anywhay, nevermind, now I know and understand - anyway, PM me next time you are in Patts and will personaly take you out and get this particular ;'Cadfael' problem sorted out pronto. Cheers ???? 

Algae... Yer right - Thats nothing.

When I first came to Pattaya 25 years ago - we weren't so much worried about the polution from the 4ft sewage main at the end of the old US Navy pier... 

We were more worried about the sea catching fire ????

'...will get the nod from April 1st' ????????????

The date... No way!

This is a comedy wind up troll post, right?

1 hour ago, graemeaylward said:

What is the "magic formula" that Thailand has?  Even neighbouring countries are rampant with this plague!  It would appear from the figures issued daily by the government the the Thai variant is a) very mild  b) hardly contagious as it doesn't spread like all other variants, c) disappears as quickly as it comes!  Clearly, with so few tests being done, the figures are meaningless.  What would be interesting would be to compare the numbers of folks, particularly elderly, who have died, with previous years, for the each month.  I remember someone posting the increase in the number of deaths of people diagnosed with "viral pneumonia" early last year at the beginning of the crisis and would be interested to see if the trend continued.

Google is your friend, Sir... ????  13,171 people died of viral pneumonia in Thailand during 2010 - A quite typical year with no Pandemic in progress.

Pneumonia is a problem across all ages in Thailand - There is no conspiracy theory going on here.

For your referrence, here is the report "Burden of Adult Pneumonia in Thailand: A Nationwide Hospital Admission Data 2010" 

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Wipa_Reechaipichitkul/publication/264833593_Burden_of_adult_Pneumonia_in_Thailand_A_nationwide_hospital_admission_data_2010/links/5536416a0cf268fd00164b61/Burden-of-adult-Pneumonia-in-Thailand-A-nationwide-hospital-admission-data-2010.pdf?origin=publication_detail

Out of interest...

The going rate for our local BiB to reveal the name of the grass is around 5-10K.

'Money well spent for a dish best served cold' ????