JonnyF

I would also understand pretty quickly if given the choice between "understanding" and wearing multiple plastic bags on my head for 10 minutes ????.

Indeed. My conclusions were based on the content of your posts and hence perfectly reasonable.. I would say I'm glad you finally agree with me, but that wouldn't strictly be true because (based on the content of your posts) I couldn't give a Monkey's. Ciao.

May I remind you of your assumption regarding another poster on this thread? It would appear you are very quick to assume the situation and concerns (or lack of) of others. Yet you are simultaneously so quick to express your faux outrage when someone makes an assumption about you, even when it's based on the content of your posts. I'm sure if you think long and hard enough you'll be able to find the flaw in your hypocritical, sanctimonious and supercilious position. Then again... ????

Or a bit more honesty from you. Covid doesn't really affect you much, apart from being a bit boring. So you're happy for the livelihoods and businesses of the less well off to be destroyed as long as you feel a bit safer and more virtuous.

OK, maybe not luxury but there are private cells, mobile phones, drugs/alcohol, half decent food, conjugal visits available if you have cash to pay guards. Certainly luxury compared to being in the sardine section eating fish head soup every day. https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/crime/thai-prison-governor-fired-for-allowing-inmate-conjugal-visit

Covid19 has shown beyond doubt the corruption and discriminatory practices in the Thai healthcare system. Whenever a statement is made about Covid it is always that "every Thai person" will get this or that, not simply every person. So many reports on here of foreigners getting turned away at vaccination centres because it's for "Thai only". You can't even buy it for yourself because the Thai government refused to allow private hospitals to procure it until the queues to buy it were many months long. They wanted to control the purchase, and we all know why when you see the prices they paid. Not many elderly foreigners would feel particularly welcome to retire in such a place. We never know when the next pandemic will be upon us, but what we DO know is that if/when it comes the government will once again use it to enrich themselves at the expense of the populace. Even worse, foreigners will be once again be placed at the back of the queue for vaccines, no matter how many "Elite" visas they have, how many millions they have sunk into condos, how many years they have supported their Thai wife, children and family. In my opinion, post Covid many future retirees will consider places within Europe because it's more stable and closer to home if things once again go all Pete Tong. The beaches/air are cleaner, the wine flows cheaply and freely, you don't hear the word Farang 10 times a day, less scams, less corruption and most importantly they will have access to healthcare as an equal within that country. Edit; they can buy land as well, unlike here.

Surely there has to be some misunderstanding. I mean, how could a Thai person with such a lovely, polite Wai do such a thing? ???? Here's my prediction. Seeing as this has hit social media there will be lots of talk of police reform. Joe Ferrari will have to do a (very short) stretch in a very luxurious wing of the prison. Meanwhile, judges, prosecutors, lawyers, prison directors etc. all end up with extraordinarily wealthy gardeners and Joe Ferrari comes out of prison a lot poorer than he went in, but still a very wealthy man (more of a Joe BMW).

Indeed. Also don't forget, the virus only likes eating out if there is alcohol on the table when the meal is served. Once you remove the alcohol, Covid disappears like a virgin on prom night. Covid is not only an Elitist who refuses to take public transport, but is clearly a raging alcoholic.

What do you mean?

Yep, no tourists and even many expats are being put off by the silly restrictions that remain. Why would I make the effort to go to a restaurant, find somewhere to park, socially distance with a plastic screen etc. so I can sit in a restaurant devoid of atmosphere and drink water with my meal? Then be kicked out at 8pm. I am expected to take a risk of getting COVID for that experience? I would rather cook at home and watch live sport on my own big screen TV with a few cold ones. I feel sorry for the restaurant and bar owners. You can’t expect them to operate with their hands tied behind their back, only offering 50% of the experience to 30% of the customers.

Germany probably isn't the best example to give when attempting to defend a "Papers Please" society ????.

Who said I was worried? Pointing out the hypocrisy and misguided paternalism of an illegal Junta is one thing. Worrying about it is another.

Sure, seeing as you asked so politely I am more than happy to explain to you. But of course I can't understand for you. Even though I live and work in BKK I have a 30 year lease on a farm just north of Korat which until the pandemic I spent 2/3 weekends a month on so I'd say I understand rural areas pretty well. Firstly consider that many rural areas are not on strict lockdown anyway, so relaxing things in deep red areas like Bangkok won't make a great deal of difference to them. For the few Thai OAPs in rural areas that wish to lock themselves down completely (not many I would suggest) it may be problematic for some to completely segregate from the family but not impossible to socially distance from others if they really had the will to do so. Your alternative solution of locking down the entire country and obliterating the economy is a bit like solving the problem of a ant nest in the toilet by burning the entire house down. Or to use another analogy, swerving to avoid a squirrel and driving off the edge of a cliff. Like I said, vaccinate the vulnerable and lock them down if they wish, where possible. Reduce lockdown restrictions elsewhere. People need to work, to eat, to live. All you OAP's on fixed incomes who never go anywhere seem to be quite enjoying all of this, completely oblivious to the fact that many many Thais can't eat if they don't work.

What kind of bizarre logic is that? ???? We need to protect the vulnerable with vaccines and if they wish, self imposed lockdown - and let everyone else get on with their lives (within reason until vaccine rollout is complete). Not lockdown the people who are pretty much unaffected by the virus. The young are also the people who work, the people who drive the economy, the people who are in the process of being educated. We can't lock them all up just because some grumpy old pensioner on a fixed income from overseas and never goes out anyway is unaffected by all this.

Yep, and you can bet all the restaurants and Gentlemen's clubs at the General's private barracks are all open, with the wine/whisky free flowing and not a mask to be seen.

Nobody is stopping the old and the sick from locking themselves down.

What gains? Covid has rocketed since the restrictions were put in place. Largely because many don't follow them and nobody really enforces them. So in effect, you have the worst of all worlds - you get all the negative outcomes (economic meltdown) without the positive outcomes (minimal cases) that a real lockdown would produce. If they're not going to enforce rules properly and leave wet markets, construction sites etc. open then you may as well loosen the restrictions so at least people can get some exercise at the beach, sit down for a meal outside and allow people to support themselves financially. Just grow a pair and make a decision - do one or the other. Not some halfway house, middle road nonsense that drags on forever and helps nobody.

That's the problem they face with cases like this. Once they start to scratch the surface, the extent of the dirtbaggery from top to bottom becomes abundantly clear and many others are implicated. People start to see how deep the rabbit hole goes. That's the reason that they only act when absolutely forced to i.e. when CCTV footage of the actual killing makes it onto social media. They'd much rather sweep the whole thing under the carpet but alas, it's too late for that now. Will be interesting to see how all this plays out. Personally I'm surprised they didn't let him escape the country, seize his assets and then pretend to chase him for 10 years like they did with Boss.

Well from a personal perspective, I go to restaurants for many reasons and not only to eat. I go to meet friends to socialize, get out of the condo for a few hours, have a proper draught beer or a nice glass of wine etc. Often the food is quite average and over-priced. The idea of taking it away and eating it in my condo is not really appealing. I may as well buy some quality steaks from the supermarket and cook myself. The only exception is a couple of local Thai places which I get takeaway from but mainly because I want to support them through this (been going there for years and I'm quite friendly with them) and I cannot cook Thai food. Also, with no tourists, many expats having left for a few months, remaining expats maybe suffering downturns in their businesses etc. I'd be surprised if business was only down 40%.

Hey, what's the rush guys? Take your time, it's not like Covid is affecting the country or anything. On a bright note though, at least my Thai colleagues have stopped asking me why my country couldn't handle things brilliantly like the mighty, smart and disciplined Thai people. 2020 was full of that. They never seem to mention it now, weird huh.????

Let the negotiations begin. A few land transfers here, a few offshore accounts there, before you know it Jo Ferrari gets a death sentence which is subsequently reduced to 18 months in jail (suspended for one year for confessing and previous good character) and a 2000 Baht fine. Justice. Thai sty.

The only people at significant risk will be the unvaccinated. It is their choice to go to the restaurant unvaccinated so if they contract Covid while there, to put it bluntly that is their problem. Their life, their choice. I am not anti vax and am eagerly awaiting my second shot, hopefully next month. But if people don't wish to be vaccinated that is up to them and they will have to live (or not as the case may be) with the consequences of that decision. Let individuals decide. I certainly don't want to live in a 'papers please' society with medical apartheid because certain people wish to decide what other people have to put into their bodies.

Probably because the police are protecting the PM (who stole power illegally) from the Thai people. As we saw a couple of days ago when a gang of thuggish Thai cops kicked those young protesters off their bikes, shot rubber bullets at them and beat them as they lay on the ground. Not to mention that the Army is equally as corrupt, as we saw with ol' fatty and his collection of Rolexes borrowed from a dead friend. Or the convicted drug dealer tipped by some to be Prayut's replacement. They're all as bad as each other. There will be no cleanup, only the occasional conviction of low hanging fruit to pretend they are tackling the issue, and only when deemed absolutely necessary because the stench has become too obvious and too odious for even the downtrodden Thai people to pretend to ignore.

The CCP won't be allowing their citizens into Thailand until Thailand has all but eliminated Covid. Certainly not without harsh quarantine for said tourists when they return to China. Why would they take such a risk? They have nothing to gain by allowing it and everything to lose. It's pretty safe to say that mass Chinese tourism to Thailand is done for the best part of a decade. Every cloud has a silver lining.

Well let's face it, having a constant supply of uneducated, insular, overly patriotic and unambitious individuals entering the workforce at 300 Baht a day is quite handy for the Elites. They have no interest in providing education for the proles, especially when they could just keep the money required for such an education in the Benz fund.