spidermike007

Very sticky situation indeed. I'll bet the ants had the biggest party of their lifetimes.

The Chinese ships and subs are likely poorly made. Thankfully the Chinese navy is incapable of traveling more than 1,500 km., in ideal conditions. Likely more like 600 km. in war conditions. And they have very few deep sea ports. Their navy is a threat only to their smaller neighbors. Smart decision to let go of the sub fantasy. Thai naval forces have not operated submarines for over 60 years now, while neighboring countries, particularly those with a major dispute at sea with Thailand, such as Vietnam, are all equipped with modern submarines. This government is a whirlpool of conflicting loyalties and interests. It's leader has to manage those interests, and effectively buy the loyalties of the various parts of the armed forces. The submarines are the price he has to pay for the navy supporting him. They will end up unusable and unaffordable, as did the aircraft carrier. There is no strategic justification for the submarines. There is really no military threat to Thailand, none of the countries with which it shares a land border have the capacity for anything other than the occasional cross border firefight. If you look carefully at all the military procurement of recent years, they are all to support ambitions, and thus buy the support of the various rival groups within the armed forces. They simply do not add up to any sort of a coherent modernisation or re-equipment of what remains a largely obsolete, immobile and under trained force, able only to undertake the most mundane of garrison duties, whilst it's bloated leadership occupies itself with playing politics or their own largely unregulated business ventures. The government however (or more realistically those to whom it reports) must rely upon the military to keep it in power. It was put into power for one core function; to prevent the nascent political, social and economic liberalisation of Thai society which arose with the arrival of new technologies and communications, which have allowed a (younger) population which has long been kept ill educated and dependent for any advancement on its elders and sponsors, to communicate, educate themselves and develop business independent of those elders and sponsors. The Covid crisis was in a dimension beyond that, and it's timid, chaotic "rabbit in the headlights" response to the challenges it brought were simply because it did not know how to react, other than to use some of the opportunities to exercise power, in pursuit of that core function, which the social and political restrictions they argue the disease has necessitated, and granted them.

FDA approval requires a fee of $2,000,000 in the US. How much does it cost here? It is a racket.

What, no time to visit the lakefront mansion in Switzerland?

Good info. You are likely right. Just look at what Clinton achieved with the economy, and the utter wreckage Bush Jr. later brought on. Trump was a disaster. He was likely the 44th worst president ever. Where will Sretta rank? Only time with tell. He is very unimpressive so far. Despite the $800,000,000 smile. Perhaps condo sales do not translate to running a country? After 9 dismal years under Cha Cha, they really needed a dynamic leader, I do not think they have one.

Thailand keeps droning on and on and on, about how they want wealthy tourists. Again, what sacrifices are you willing to make? Rich tourists like to spend money when they travel. And they cannot do that here, as they do not like getting taken for a ride. Most wealthy people are smart with their money. Thailand could be making a fortune on a 25% luxury tax, instead of the 100% of more, which discourages most people from buying. How many people do you see in the luxury stores here? They are almost always completely empty. Inane. Beyond inane. Is Thailand making any effort, on any level to address the issues that were present, pre-Covid? Traffic and public safety, air quality, road congestion, luxury taxes, wine taxes, jet ski scams? I could go on all day. My guess is nothing is being done to address anything, and every issue they currently face is being blamed on Covid. Now, they have a real scapegoat, and looking within for the source of any of the problems is less likely than ever. Prices are up, inflation continues its march, and income for many Thais who are not successful entrepreneurs, or government workers, is down. Tourism will not recover anytime soon. The quality of tourists continues to drop, the average spend is down, and occupancy rates are low. In addition, exports are down, and we have not even seen a real recession hit yet overseas. Nor has the market correction come yet. So, there is still alot of headwind that Thailand faces. The fact is Thailand could be doing a dozen different things to make itself more attractive to both tourism and investment. But, all the things it could do, to make itself a better version of its current self, would require sacrifice and vision. Not something this army led govt. nor Sretta and the PT seem capable of. Major tax breaks, drastic lowering of luxury and wine taxes, allowing ownership of land and homes by foreigners, relaxation of inane visa laws, ridding the administration of xenophobic ministers, beginning a program of hiring based on merit, improving traffic safety, paying attention to the air and the environment. The list goes on and on and on. Will any of this happen? One can hope. But, it is unlikely as this administration is likely to be another in a continuing chain of backward thinking, non progressives.

The theft of the election from Pita was an abomination that will not be forgotten for many many years to come. It brought tremendous shame on Pheu Thai and Thaksin, it was a boil on the face of Thailand and we all know who was behind it.

Any sort of reform with regard to the RTP is a good thing, much change is needed, much improvement is needed, to reign these guys in, on their lifelong pursuit of the Golden calf. So hopefully this is just one tiny little baby step. Or it could just be a lot of hot air.

War can be an extremely expensive and very, very long-term prospect. A nation had better really know what they're doing when they declare war, mobilize their forces and commit on the level that Israel has now committed. There's no way to know what the end game is or if there is even an end game.

I'm so glad I don't have thin skin, otherwise I guess I'd be offended on a daily basis by nitwits, that post things that they haven't taken a single second to consider, before it's committed to the page.

A pee up in a Brewery. Been a long time since I attended one of those. Point taken though, I think sometimes they simply like to make things unnecessarily complicated, and the big question is why? The answer is likely because they can.

Netizens demand action. Has a more hilarious phrase ever been invented? And are netizens more, or less sensitive than normal people? Perhaps they are in greater need of "safe spaces", and that is why they stay home all day on their computers? They sure are warriors behind their keyboards. How about in real life?

I love this forum. Some of these replies really make my day. Honestly.

While there are boring simpletons here, your statement tends to generalize as much as the original posters statement. I've met a lot of rather boring and lifeless drunks here, but I've also met a lot of very accomplished, interesting, colorful, fun, great foreign friends here who I love hanging out with. There's generally a mixture, unfortunately the the dregs tend to get more press and more attention. But there are some very substantial foreigners living here, you just have to be fortunate enough to meet them, and befriend them. You will not meet them in the bars.

I guess we are not supposed to ask Thailand to stop exploiting Burmese and Cambodian workers, and I guess we're not supposed to ask Thai officials to stop kidnapping and trafficking neighboring people into slavery in the sex and fishing industry. I think those questions are off limits.

They are above the law, and we all know the very, very sad reason why.

Just look at the smirk on his face. To think he has continued to be one of the nation's leaders is a rather bizarre thought. So sad.

How much of the "covid narrative" was real, and how much was the business of Big Pharma, the FDA, the WHO, the IMF, and other 3 letter agencies? Can they be trusted? Why should they be trusted? Question everything is likely the best policy.

If anybody has ever negotiated any sort of deal with an Israeli they know that this kind of behavior is all together possible. They say that the difference between an Israeli and an Arab is about one DNA strand, there is some truth to that.

Thank you. That was very well put very well articulated. I think alot of what we get back in life has alot to do with what we are putting out there. So the first thing to do is question thyself, the attitude you are bringing to the table, what you are projecting, and whether or not the kind of reaction that you're getting is in any way a reflection of any of that. I find most Thais to be very pleasant to be around.

So sorry to hear. Perhaps it might be time for a change. I love most Thai people, and love my life here. I have alot of respect and affection for most Thai people who I consider lovely souls. I actually find the difference between the way we perceive the universe, and the way the average Thai (and my wife!) does, to be amusing, and an endless source of fascination. And I love their lighthearted spirit and their playful nature.

I think he was trying to emulate Harvey Weinstein. Perhaps he was a retired Hollywood producer? What kind of a desperado does something like that? What a complete fool. Who were his parents?

Is that a new TV show Patong Bay watch, who are the stars, and when does it premiere?

So is getting on a motorbike anywhere in the country So is getting behind the wheel of a car on any highway in the land. So is walking down the sidewalk in any major city So is crossing any major street. There are so many hazards here one has to be diligent constantly. Do you really think we're going to worry about Dengue? Give me a break, I don't give a second thought to covid anymore, I'm more worried about catching the flu. Don't even talk to me about Dengue get a real job please.

They have been wanting to get rid of the nightlife for years now. Covid was a great reset for them to punish the nightlife and knock out thousands of bars and clubs. Whether or not the tourism sabotage was deliberate is questionable, but a question worth asking. A bit of a neocon type agenda? Destroy the industry, reduce it to rubble, get rid of the nightlife and the industry, and rebuilt it from scratch, in the image of great purity of the "noble ones". Quite a diabolical possibility.