spidermike007

So, far Thailand is doing miraculously well. Officially at least with 42 cases, and one death. Spain, the US, Hong Kong, Singapore, Germany, France, Japan, Iran, Italy, South Korea and of course China, have all fared much worse. Let us hope they are not hiding anything. If they were, it might be the end of the army, once and for all. 

9 minutes ago, ThaiBunny said:

We could have read comments like these at any point in the last 30+ years, yet here we are

There is cause for optimism. A portion of the Thai youth are activists, and they are passionate about the future of the nation. They are impressive. They need to contaminate the older folks, with their enthusiasm. Plus, the theft of the senate, and the dissolution of the FFP (a monumental miscalculation on the part of the extremely incompetent army) was a real personal blow, and the anger is there. Combine that with a horrific economy that Thailand is going to have to deal with for some time to come, a decimated tourism sector affecting millions, and you may have a perfect storm of discontent. The army really, really needs to be shown the door. The sooner, the better. 

Anutin. What can one say? You pick from the bottom of the barrel and this is your result. 

We cannot have protests. People could get sick. Anything to put down the Thai people. 

The nation is being led by an army that is not only tone deaf but has dramatically lowered the quality of life for all but the top 5%. Moving again the FFP was a colossal blunder, reaking of hubris, arrogance, an insatiable thirst for power and wealth and it amounted to a declaration of war against the common Thai. One can only hope the thousands grows into millions and the hapless army is shown the door. In a perfect world the top 200 generals would have their wealth and properties confiscated and turned over to the state and they would be stripped of their citizenship and permanently exiled. One can dream. 

The army is on its way out. Just wait. They have abused the trust the people have shown them. 

On 2/29/2020 at 12:32 PM, Melbun said:

Diversity ?? Oh really. A pussy - cat is a pussy - cat irrespective of nationality surely ??

Not even remotely close to reality. Women of different nationalities and cultures are as different as dolphins and birds. Totally different temperaments, expectations, humor, bodies, minds and hearts. 

I am really disappointed. The Chicoms promised me none of this stuff would be detected. Guess they are light years behind the Russians!

What a spectacular waste of resources. The Vietnamese gals are adding to Thai culture by offering some diversity into the mix. But many do not like competition! I do. 

I believe the US does not allow dual citizenship anymore? And yes they make it expensive to renounce your citizenship. Many people of wealth are doing it due to taxation reasons. The US seems paranoid about losing citizens. 

1 hour ago, CGW said:

Thats simply not true, the old folk where I am are anything but "apathetic", if they had been as outspoken 50 years ago as they are now, they simply wouldn't be here! Indoctrination and iron fasted administration has kept these "people" in power, it helps if you keep the majority in abject poverty as well.

It's easy to sit back and comment how they should rise up and take power back, you don't have to look far back in history to see what has happened. 

No doubt there will be consequences. The army will not want to give up there power, and massive fortunes that are being made. But, change is a coming. It is inevitable. This hapless army has not worn their power lightly. Their incompetence, hubris, arrogance, racism, and ignorance, knows no bounds. They must go. And they will be forced out. Just wait and see. 

The risks of getting the virus here are very low. Wear a mask on public transport, and carry around a strong hand sanitizer. Use it every hour or so, and wash your hands as often as you can. It is mostly about hand to mouth/nose/eyes transmission, unless you are living with someone who has the virus, or standing next to someone who is infected who sneezes or coughs. But, so far it appears the infection rate here is very low. Otherwise it would be soaring right now. 40 total, is remarkable, if indeed that is the truth. Let us hope it is.

These runs will have to be limited to the seasonal variety, as we do not want runners passing out from PM. 2.5 levels of 150 plus, and AQI of well over 300. Those levels can cause lung failure, especially during a long race. 

Nothing, absolutely nothing is being done to improve the air quality here. This administration is the least progressive one could even imagine. If they were the slightest big interested in improving the quality of life here, there are a dozen things they could be doing, starting with discouraging the purchase of new diesel vehicles. Most nations are already wising up to that. Then? How about burning? 

There is a very simple solution to this problem. If the authorities were interested in solutions. The burning has to stop. There are alternatives, to this 19th century technique of burning after the sugar cane harvest. Either the government starts to encourage farmers to switch to more environmentally friendly crops, or they start to penalize farmers for burning. This heinous burning, is leading to a tremendous degree of environmental degradation, and alot of lung disease. So here is what I propose-

1. Fine the farmers 5,000 baht for a first offense, and give them a stern warning, that burning is now prohibited, and the second fine will be very harsh.

2. For a second offense, fine the farmer 100,000 baht, and warn them that if the burning continues, their land will be confiscated.

3. On the 3rd offense, confiscate their land. Period. No questions. No legal proceeding or appeals on the part of the farmers. Allow others to come in and purchase the land at a fair price, with the caveat that sugar is prohibited as a crop to be grown on that land. 

The news would travel faster than the toxic smoke, and farmers would change their ways overnight, and move into the 21st century. 

29 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

Do you really think the number of infected persons (~40) from the Coronavirus in Thailand is high with a population of 69 million + tourists and expats? 

So far, Thailand is barely on the radar, unless there has been a massive coverup, which I tend to doubt would be possible here, with the affinity for social media. Thus far, Thailand has dodged the bullet, though they have been absolutely devastated on the tourism front. However, the officials can always use a good dose of humility. Humiliation is good for them. 

1 hour ago, SiSePuede419 said:

Haven't you heard?

 

Dear Leader says he has done a great job containing the virus.

 

And Mike Pence will pray that gay virus away.

 

Why so serious? ????????????????????????

A virus surely has to be the work of Satan. Praying should make it go away. Pence, as usual, is on the right path. A man of such righteousness, evil simply cannot exist within his realm. 

Easy for him to say. He knows the army will be out of power, and out of the picture in 8 years time. Just more lies and deflection from an administration that has redefined the concept of insincerity. Those generals are about as useful as a downhill racing team in Thailand. They do nothing for the nation and the people. Get them out now. Get the army out now.

First of all, there is no such thing as a sponsored visa anymore, in the US. The closest thing to it is a work visa, which requires a specific skill set, and a letter from the company. A tourist visa to the US is relatively difficult to get for anyone other than someone with real money. The US does not want tourists from the third world who do not have big money in the bank. 

We tried. This was years ago, and I was told by someone in the state department in Washington that the threshold is 20,000,000 baht in a savings account here in Thailand. There may be some flexibility on that, but the hurdles are high, unless you are on an organized tour. Also tried a student visa. Was told that was a lottery process, and that one of 200 was approved. We were denied for both. Once we were married, the visa was easy. She got a 10 year, multiple entry visa, good for up to 90 days per trip. 

15 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Me Too.

But I imagine stupid, poorly educated people are happy to talk with other stupid, poorly educated people.

Learning Thai to discuss how tasty was that meal, and let's have another drink, is about as interesting as it gets.

Since coming to Thailand, I don't want normal women, I want 8s, 9s, 10s.

Back in the UK I had to make do with normal 4s, 5s, 6s.

And even to be with a 6 in the US, you are required to jump over massively high hurdles, and then be an obedient man, who checks his cajones at the door. And all of that is just to be with a woman who is more masculine than I am, and totally intimidated by her own femininity. No, I do not think so. Not in this lifetime.