TallGuyJohninBKK

I was going to say the same thing... The symptoms described by the couple don't sound like any kind of "electrocution" in water or moderate level electrical shock I've ever heard of... There have been all kinds of pool / spa related electrocutions reported here in Thailand in the past involving hotel guests, some fatal, and other providing quite a nasty shock. Usually down to shoddy electrical work combined with water at the site.

Not sure what exactly your "recoded" comment above is supposed to mean re Amazon's Fire TV devices... But, like others, I've been using numerous of them for years with successive models, and they've all worked great for streaming all kinds of content. To make use of them, though, you need to sign into the device with an Amazon account, or have the device already signed in, in a country where Amazon supports the devices. More specifically, to be clear, you don't need to physically be in either the U.S. or the U.K. at all. But you do need to have the device signed into a valid Amazon account (email address and password) in one of those Amazon device supported countries. In order to access the content you want on the Fire device, you can either run the VPN of your choice off your wifi router if it supports that, or if it doesn't, the Amazon app store for Fire devices contains the apps for all kinds of different commercial VPN providers including most of the major ones. The better VPN providers these days have what's called split tunneling in their apps, which allow the user to choose which apps on the device use its native IP connection (such as one for Thailand) vs which one use its VPN connection (such as for connecting to the U.S. or U.K.) So for example, with a split tunneling VPN app, you could use the Thai IP to connect a Netflix Thailand account on the device, and at the same time use a UK VPN connection to give you access to the BBC or something UK based like that. Also, more broadly, the Fire TV devices are basically a modified version of the Google Android OS.... So once the Fire device is up and running, you also can sideload regular Android apps for things that may not be directly available from the Amazon app store. Android/Google TV apps work especially well, since they're already designed to work with a remote control as opposed to a touch screen, which would be the case for Android mobile apps.

Ever wonder how there can be so many different anti-corruption agencies in Thailand, and yet, government corruption flourishes here from top to bottom, and the really guilty ones are rarely held to account by any of them...

Wow, the government's timing is REALLY bad on this... Just in the news in the past couple days... --Phuket Immigration arrests a Chinese guy who fled China to Thailand after allegedly committing a 5 billion baht fraud in his home country... and... --there was the case of the three Kazakhs who allegedly abducted and beat a businessman here, alllegedly at the direction of two Russians, in an attempt to get their hands on his crypto assets. Big walking billboards for the government's new Immigration rules. ???? As an alternate version of a past Immigration saying used to go, "Bad guys in, good guys out!" ????

What happened to the sinsod money? Or, you broke up pre-marriage before it ever came to that?

Which Immigration office?

Perhaps a compromise and instead agree to pony up for breast implants for her??? At least then, he (and her family) would be getting some tangible return on his investment!

You mean, they're not ALL here merely trying to peacefully escape Putin and his war against Ukraine???

Some do... some don't.. It all depends on the individuals involved... My general sense is it's becoming a somewhat less common thing, particularly among younger, modern thinking Thais.... But even when sinsod DOES occur, it's very common lately for the family to put up the big money for show at the ceremony, and then take it back after everyone's gone home... As I said above, thus face is satisfied.

True, I wasn't trying to paint all Thai guys with the same bad brush... But unfortunately for Thai women, it seems that there are more than enough very bad ones out there as well.

The normal solution for this kind of demand, for Thais and farangs alike, is to negotiate with the parents for the family to put up the sinsod for show at the wedding ceremony, and then take the money back themselves once the ceremony is done. That way, face is satisfied. The fact the Redditor involved is apparently unaware that such arrangements are common here is seemingly a bad sign for his familiarity with Thailand and Thai customs. Of course, the daughter could instead end up with a Thai husband up in Isan, who like too many stories reported in the news here over the years, will repeatedly cheat on her with other women, do drugs and drink to excess, become insanely jealous, and ultimately beat/attack her causing serious bodily harm. But hey, it's their daughter, and the parents can decide.

Normally at BKK CW, the extension of stay and 90 day report, if doing the latter in person, are separate transactions done at separate work areas/counters. Typically, BKK CW will want to see a valid 90-day reporting receipt as part of your extension application paperwork. So if you don't have a valid one (not already past due) when you go for your extension, you might want to handle the 90-day report transaction first.

A fetid sewer that just scratches the surface of what goes on in the RTP here....

The vague account in the OP news report resembles the account my Thai wife gave me from her reading of the Thai news... That the village Kamnan had some understanding or expectation that Major Saibua was supposed to promote a relative of the Kamnan who was/is serving in the police. And when Saibua supposedly refused to go ahead with the promotion, that's what led to the Kamnan allegedly instructing his subordinate to shoot (and kill) Saibua right there at the party. And that Kamnan supposedly is heavily involved in the local trucking business and part of the arrangement whereby truckers have to pay the police for special stickers that allow them to avoid any enforcement. And the fatally shot officer was, of course, part of the local Highways Police.

As for the U.S. military to which you alluded above, the broad COVID vaccination requirement was rescinded, over the objections of the Pentagon, at the beginning of 2023 because of a law passed by Congress: January 11, 2023 Pentagon officially rescinds Covid-19 vaccine requirement for troops "Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has officially rescinded the military’s Covid-19 vaccination mandate for troops after President Joe Biden signed the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, requiring its dismissal. “Section 525 of the NDAA for FY 2023 requires me to rescind the mandate that members of the armed forces be vaccinated against Covid-19, issued in my August 24, 2021 memorandum … I hereby rescind that memorandum,” Austin said in a memo on Tuesday night. https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/10/politics/military-covid-vaccine-rescinded/index.html

You're citing an article from back in 2022.... The facts are: --the original Pfizer vaccine, commercially marketed as Comirnaty, did ultimately receive full FDA approval and was used as such. --the subsequent second generation bivalent Pfizer vaccine currently being used is under FDA emergency use authorization. --the new 3rd generation vaccines are expected to receive some kind of FDA and CDC approval in the coming month. As for the past history of Comirnaty (first gen Pfizer vaccine) from a credible source unlike yours above: Pfizer vaccine approved in US, marketed as Comirnaty September 2, 2021 CLAIM: There is currently no FDA-approved vial of COVID-19 vaccine available in the U.S. AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The Pfizer vaccine, which is now marketed as Comirnaty, is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use by those 16 and over and is available in the U.S. ... The formulation used in the FDA-approved Comirnaty vaccine is identical to the shot that previously received emergency use authorization." https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-120794035019

At this point, it's somewhat confusing as to Pfizer's COVID vaccine naming conventions in the U.S. Comirnaty certainly was the marketing name they used in the U.S. for their original monovalent COVID vaccine, which first received EUA approval and later full approval from the FDA... As best as I can tell, they may not have continued the marketing term Comirnaty for Pfizer's 2nd generation bivalent vaccine in the U.S., the only version currently authorized and being used in the U.S. now. (As explained above, the FDA withdrew its original authorization for the original monovalent vaccines when they were replaced by the newer, currently in use 2nd generation bivalent vaccines.) Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Authorizes Changes to Simplify Use of Bivalent mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines April 18, 2023 Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorizations (EUAs) of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 bivalent mRNA vaccines to simplify the vaccination schedule for most individuals. This action includes authorizing the current bivalent vaccines (original and omicron BA.4/BA.5 strains) to be used for all doses administered to individuals 6 months of age and older, including for an additional dose or doses for certain populations. The monovalent Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines are no longer authorized for use in the United States. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-authorizes-changes-simplify-use-bivalent-mrna-covid-19-vaccines https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/covid-19-vaccines#authorized-vaccines

https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/comirnaty

Now the U.S. approval for the latest third generation COVID vaccine -- not yet in use in the U.S. -- is expected in the coming weeks from the FDA and CDC: FDA May Approve New Covid Boosters By Friday As Deaths Spike, Report Says The Food and Drug Administration could approve new Covid-19 vaccine boosters as soon as Friday, NBC reported Wednesday, offering more protection against the coronavirus’ dominant XBB sublineage, which is causing a spike in deaths and hospitalizations in the U.S. ... A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee will meet next week, and it’s expected to vote on the shots and make recommendations on who should get the updated boosters. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2023/09/06/fda-may-approve-new-covid-boosters-by-friday-as-deaths-spike-report-says/

Comirnaty is just a marketing name for the Pfizer vaccine. It's the same vaccine. See the FDA action cited above: "Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine has been known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, and will now be marketed as Comirnaty (koe-mir’-na-tee), for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older. " Earlier this year in the spring, the FDA withdrew approval of the original monovalent version of the COVID vaccines, and from that point forward only authorized the use of the 2nd generation bivalent vaccines in the U.S., Pfizer included.

The original COVID vaccines originally used in the U.S. for adults had full FDA and CDC approval, and have had for a long time. FDA Approves First COVID-19 Vaccine August 23, 2021 Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine has been known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, and will now be marketed as Comirnaty (koe-mir’-na-tee), for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older. " ... Since Dec. 11, 2020, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine has been available under EUA in individuals 16 years of age and older, and the authorization was expanded to include those 12 through 15 years of age on May 10, 2021. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-covid-19-vaccine Subsequent full approvals were given for the vaccines for the several younger age groups. The Pfizer document you linked to above involves the NEW, Omicron version of the Pfizer vaccine (the third version) that has just been approved in Europe, and is expected to be approved in the U.S. within the coming month.

I'm pretty sure Thai 7/11 has some formal policy somewhere on the return of purchased items (but I'm not presuming what it says one way or the other). Now, whether the OP and others can find a version of that policy in English language is a different matter. But as an example, when we purchase items for home delivery via Tops Online, the paperwork indicates we have up to 7 days to return the purchased items if not satisfied for any reason.

Lest we forget what was going on in the world prior to the arrival of the COVID vaccines: ‘Not a wave, a tsunami.’ Italy hospitals at virus limit Health Mar 13, 2020 4:45 PM EDT "The coronavirus outbreak tearing through Italy has turned a nation that usually donates medical expertise and equipment abroad into a country in need. Some hospitals in hard-hit Lombardy are at saturation point, unable to admit new patients. Every day is a scramble to find more intensive care beds than the critically ill who need them." https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/not-a-wave-a-tsunami-italy-hospitals-at-virus-limit Global coronavirus deaths surpass 1 million - Reuters tally September 29, 2020 * Global deaths have doubled in three months * United States, Brazil and India leading fatalities * One person dying from COVID-19 every 16 seconds * High death rate puts burial strain on many countries https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-global-deaths-idUSL4N2GF2RR U.S. COVID deaths smash daily record amid pleas to trim back Christmas December 8, 2020 WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) -The daily U.S. death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed 3,000 for the first time, prompting pleas for Americans to scale back Christmas plans even with vaccines on the cusp of winning regulatory approval. COVID-19 deaths reached 3,253 on Wednesday, pushing up the U.S. total since the start of the pandemic to 289,740. A record 106,219 people were hospitalized with the highly infectious respiratory disease. Healthcare professionals and support staff, exhausted by demands of the pandemic, have been watching patients die alone as millions of Americans refuse to follow medical advice to wear masks and avoid crowds to contain the spread. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-idUKKBN28I1WD

Nothing much different here re South Africa... Other countries at various points kept their vaccine contracts private, so as to not disclose their pricing and/or terms, often because that was a requirement of their contracts with the vaccine makers. Other countries, including the U.S., had liability waivers for the vaccine manufacturers, and took on the liability themselves, because... That's what it took to produce and launch in record time a COVID vaccine that saved millions of lives, helped blunt the impact of the COVID pandemic when hospitals and morgues were being overrun, and as has been documented above, had only very rare serious side effects. 13+ BILLION doses and counting.... Newly updated vaccines to better deal with the latest COVID variants being rolled out in the coming weeks in the U.S., UK and elsewhere.

With people like Thaksin, enough is never enough. He must have felt like he was owed or entitled to the fruits of his various corruptions, and getting away with those was, for him, winning.