RickBradford

It's comical to watch this government edge its way painfully towards what everyone can see is the only strategy; no quarantine and no 'selected countries', just fully open as before, and take the consequences, which most probably will be minimal.

This government has all the foresight of a blind mole rat with its head in a bag, driving at night without lights on a fog-bound road. 

I would like some journalist to ask Ardern the simple question: what is your exit strategy for the Covid issue?

Given her present goal of "elimination" of the virus, the country could remain isolated for 10 or 20 years at best, perhaps forever.

Some politician, somewhere outside Sweden, has to understand that this virus, like colds and influenza, is here to stay.

So, a mild illness which mostly requires no medical intervention is to get a vaccine which is designed to do very little.

And everyone - in government at least - is going to pretend that this is a wonder drug which has saved humanity from a modern plague.

Sensemaking has hit a new low, it seems.

Either you open the country totally, no conditions, no rules, or you don't.

Nobody is going to come with 2-week quarantines, charter flights, mandatory insurance, especially as all of these conditions could change, or the whole country be closed down again at a moment's notice, if someone appears to contract Covid.

The Thai government, like many others, has painted itself into a corner by suggesting that the only social and economic metric that counts these days is "number of infections due to Covid".

They have successfully scared the population so thoroughly, that they cannot possibly U-turn now, thus dooming the Thai hospitality and service industries to extinction.

For those hanging on for a safe and effective vaccine to swoop in and save the situation, history shows that they are betting on a long shot - at best.

6 hours ago, webfact said:

 

A major conference attended by government reps and business leaders in Chiang Rai was the latest gathering to draw comparisons of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic with the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

Why?

The 1997 crisis was an internal crisis caused by heavy speculation in the baht. The 2020 crisis is an external crisis which has caught Thailand in its web.

The 1997 event didn't stop foreign tourism for a year or more - it encouraged it, as the baht went down to 56 to the dollar.

In short, there was a way out of the 1997 crisis, which is not available now, and will not be, if some experts are to be believed, until late 2021, by which time many parts of the Thai economy will be in ruins.

Lay off the cynicism, guys, however understandable.

Any pushback against corruption has to start with individual high-profile cases, and this is a juicy one.

Consciously or subconsciously, this effort to bring a rich guy to justice despite high-level corruption is being noted around the country. It may lead to better things in future, or it may be a one-off. Even that would be a small win.

A couple of tips for Elite Visa holders inside Thailand which may be of use, gathered during an unusually tense 90-day renewal in Sriracha this morning.

1) Even if your Elite visa has expired, you are permitted to remain in Thailand until the end of the 'stay until' date stamped by the Immigration Officer on entry into Thailand. This may not be news to most people, but I had not seen it confirmed anywhere.

2) The onus on you is to check that the I.O. has stamped you in correctly on arrival. It was that which caused the drama this morning.

What happened is that my Elite expired in April, but I last entered Thailand in February, with a stamp by the I.O, giving me permission to stay until Feb. 2021.

Imagine my surprise when the officer at Sriracha angrily informed me that the amnesty had expired on July 26 and that I should have reported in immediately, since overstay costs 500 baht per day. I said I had permission to remain until Feb. 2021, which was stamped in my passport.

She then pointed to a written code just above that, reading พ.30, which means 'maximum 30-day stay'. We were eventually able to agree that the I.O. at Suwannaphuum had made an error in writing that พ.30 code, and that I did have permission to stay until next year, but she said she could not issue a 90-day extension - I would have to go to airport immigration and have them change พ.30 to the correct code, which is 'PE', and then return for a 90-day report.

A bit more wheedling, and she looked in her computer, found the code PE, and decided that she could alter it on the spot, and even issue the 90-day extension.

Lessons learned:

1) *Always* check your immigration stamp thoroughly - date of entry, code (PE), date of permitted stay. Your Elite service person may be well groomed and even speak some English, but that does not imply competence or concentration. The onus is on you.

2) You can remain in Thailand on an Elite visa, even when it is past the expiry date on the visa. It is the permitted date stamped in the passport that is the important part.

3) Don't give up too quickly at obstacles in Immigration. Stick around for a while, especially if you can speak a certain amount of Thai, and they are more likely to try to find ways to solve the situation.

I also at one point suggested calling in her 'manager', making the point that the error originated within the Immigration Police and maybe that helped to get her motivated.

I hope this may be helpful.

This is all reminiscent of a bunch of children playing in a sandpit, making up the rules of the game as they go along.

*During the visit, he told news correspondents that any foreigners who come to Thailand during the 6th phase relaxation of anti-viral social measures, to be implemented on the 1st August, must be quarantined for 14 days on arrival.

Sounds like a wonderful holiday, rather similar to the UK....

3 hours ago, webfact said:

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on Wednesday said it was banning Thai AirAsia X and Thai Lion Air flights on those routes from July 20 to 27 as a punishment for bringing Covid-19 patients into the country.

China trying to play the victim. Not a good look.

Perhaps it should read "... as a punishment for bringing Covid-19 patients back into the country.

If governments are going to strap on their chastity belts every time there is a 'spike', however minor, in Covid infections, then we could be in this situation for 10 years, unless by chance they hit on a successful vaccine somewhere.

It will be interesting to see when the Thai government issues the 'get lost' order to foreigners without visas.

Unprecedented situation .... heroic staff performed well .... some lessons have been learned .... more diversity encouraged ... wise leadership met challenges well ... procedures updated to better face future challenges ... please send $30 billion. /ENDS

If Melburnians want to go out on the streets, they only have to be claim to be holding a Black Lives Matter protest, and they will be given a free pass.