brommers

As ever there is nothing more to the plan than a few words on paper. The cost areas where they propose changes are on the margin and even making all charges zero would only have a minor effect because the big costs are not being, and cannot be reduced by government intervention. The reason why ticket prices rise are partially affected by costs but also by the airline yield management systems which increase prices in line or even ahead of increasing demand. Because available capacity is limited and an unsold seat is an operating cost airlines can charge higher prices if demand exceeds supply, which is currently the case. Of course Prayuth has no concept of the real world and is only trying to electioneer with this issue. Prices will only fall when supply exceeds demand and that isn't going to be anytime soon.

Excuse me jerynbea, have you not realised that the OP is asking about Chiang Mai?

It will take more than an election to rid Thailand of the swamp of corruption that is ruining this country. From what I hear from younger Thai voters they want change but are not determined enough to fight for it. And so there will be no meaningful change this year or for a long time to come because the critical mass of those determined to fight for a revolutionary change does not exist.

I asked a young degree holding Thai friend about these mist spraying trucks and his response to what were they achieving was " it is science"! Seems to me the accusation about rigging should be on educators who feed their students all kinds of trash science behind which government officials can hide from reality.

Six down 500001 to go.

If anyone thinks that the government will listen to the people they don't know this country. When you come to power holding a gun you listen to know one even when you pretend you are democratically elected. And Thai people have been indoctrinated for centuries to accept their lowly position. In Chiang Mai an attempt at a class action was quashed by a judge who decided the situation is not an emergency! He knows which side his bread is buttered on and it is not the side representing the people. No political party hoping to be elected in May is even making pollution a part of their policies so that shows what everyone is up against. And after that they will all be scrambling to get their noses in the trough. Next year will be no better but many deaths in 2023 will be quietly brushed under the carpet and ordinary folk must just accept their fate.

It should be named Pie in the Sky Airlines. Won't even get to its inaugural flight.

Hail, rain, wind, damaged buildings, ruined gardens, no power for over 6 hours, no internet for nearly 18 hours, mobile service unstable.. how can you tell that Prayuth was in town yesterday! Hats off to the lady who gave him a bunch of dead flowers and told him to go.

This is a health crisis that affects at least as many as Covid and yet there is absolutely nothing done to eliminate the causes. The likes of Anutin have totally disappeared from the scene, we get a myriad of "experts" telling us what the problem is, and the hospitals are admitting large numbers of the sick and dying. And we just carry on living in this disgusting pollution day after day, month after month, year after year. Why are the population not gathering en mass to demand real action from the government?

Yes it is true, and renewing my passport recently took 13 weeks! But if genuine emergency travel is necessary you can apply to those wonderful people at the British Embassy for an emergency travel document.

Does this mean the end of mass debating? Can only be a good thing.

Firstly you need to know which monitor is using which measurement system. The Chinese system uses an average spread over time to give a smoothed reading, the US system uses real time measurements to give readings which fluctuate more than the Chinese but is a more accurate measure of reality. Then you need to measure your air at the same locations. The instrument with the purifier is measuring air in the close proximity to the machine, so place your mobile readers in exactly the same location. And finally you need to be sure of the type of measurement technology being used by the various devices as they have varying accuracy rates. The best measurement monitor is possibly the AirVisual that is sold via the IQAir app site, but others might prefer a different device.

Some seem to be talking at cross purposes. N 95 or KN 95 masks are advisable or necessary if you are outdoors in this pollution, nothing to do with Covid. Yes you can get 3M masks, I found them in various places including Homepro. I also have some washable KN 95 masks from Boots in Central Festival, not a known brand. Those with valves are for pollution protection and require a bit less breathing effort due to the exhaust valve, but they are only marginally more comfortable. Where I live in the Amphur the AQI has been close to 200 for days and working outside is causing me breathing problems and allergic rhinitis. Seems sensible to use a mask and limiting myself to one hour sessions and then retreating to the indoor air cleaned by a number of air purifiers scattered around the house. Each to his own.

So I guess this means that here in Chiang Mai in the height of the pollution season we will see the traditional Songkran activities of the Team Coughing marathon and the Long Distance Phlegm Spitting championships. Both typical Lanna pastimes.

Look at Pipper, made from pineapple and available in Rimping.

So at 8am it was an acceptable AQI of 58. Now at 14:00 hrs it is 156! There must have been some very concerted fire lighting overnight because CM is rapidly moving up the world ranking. Well done Somchai, we are number 9 globally.

Without an alarm system linked to armed response the cameras will do nothing but provide lousy quality pictures that the RTP will show no interest in. Best to ensure your house is always locked up securely if you are not at home. And leaving the bathroom light on for long nighttime hours is a sure sign you are not at home. No home is ever 100% protected as I learned in another country. I had alarms, armed response, industrial fencing behind 2 metre walls and still I was held up at gunpoint, robbed and left tied up and locked in my bedroom for hours until my shouts were heard by a neighbour.

Who is going to enforce this? Certainly not the senior police officer who is my neighbour and burns his garden refuse. He obviously has no knowledge of the regulations and definitely not of the health hazards because he leaves his house windows open 24/7 and is frequently coughing and spitting phlegm in his garden.

It's Nim See Seng!

What's the problem? If you have nothing to hide then there can be no threat. If these visits ensure that undesirable people of any nationality are at least reduced in number then it is only a good thing. And anyway this is a sovereign state that has a duty to protect its citizens and should be doing so in these times. Yes there are criminals in the RTP, and many of them, but there are far more trying to enter this country. I have never had a visit but have no objection if it stops even one criminal being allowed to live here.

My latest visa extension appointment was switched at 24 hrs notice from Sanambin Rd office to Central Festival, same date different time. When I arrived it was bustling but well organised and the whole process took only 20 minutes. I did my last 90 day report at Central 3 weeks ago and since then the whole office has been totally revamped to offer what looks like a full range of services. The staff complement has increased dramatically, the layout is completely different and there is even a left - luggage area. A very welcome set of improvements to what was initially an excellent but limited service office.

Went to Mother & Child hospital a couple of weeks ago. It was busy but very efficient, the staff were very pleasant and helpful. Took only 25 minutes to go through the whole process. Pfizer was the only vaccine available which was fine. Carparking was a slight challenge and the location of the vaccination process was easy to locate by a large banner in passa Thai, adjacent to the outdoor tented waiting area. Left with a printed updated certificate of vaccination.

The term "some spots" is dismissive of the reality which is that in population areas it is disasterously high every day. It might be technically breathable on the summits around Chiang Dao but in urban areas is had hardly dropped below 50 for many days if not longer. And as for designating no burning from Feb 15, this is ludicrous because since December we have had high pm2,5. Of course here in the north the situation does not matter to all the hiso folk in Krungthepmahanakorn. We are just country bumpkins. But remember each of us has a vote!

How long before we see tourist souvenir paperweights made from these fossils on sale via a website and operated by yet another corrupt government employee?

As usual the authorities are asleep at the wheel. Pollution because noxious weeks ago and has become significantly worse this year. But drive a couple of kilometres out into the rural areas and watch the biomass burning going on in daylight. Big businesses are one culprit but the thousands of small scale fires are also comp!icit, including the policeman neighbour who burns his garden refuse. It is endemic, ignored and any control measures are nothing but PR exercises. So we should accept it, use air purifiers and get on with life because it will never change.