jayboy

Looks as though you were mostly right and I was mostly wrong.See BBC's Jonathan Head's tweet. Jonathan Head @pakhead Question for @AstraZeneca and Siam Bioscience. The European Medical Agency says Thai SBS vaccine is not approved because it has never been asked to inspect the SBS plant. Also AFAIK no clinical trials were run on locally-made AZ vaccine. So, harder for it to be accepted overseas.

Some of this is bound up with certification issues.But unless you have evidence to the contrary, I doubt whether scrutiny will extend to such matters as procurement, handling and storage.Thailand has an excellent medical infrastructure and is certainly not in the group of countries where delivery systems might be suspect.In short I doubt whether the whole Thai program needs to be checked.

I'm afraid I'm a cynic.The 1997 Constitution, though far from perfect, was certainly drafted with the interests of Thai citizens foremost. The current constitution enshrining the present sham democracy was drafted in the interests of those who pushed it forward and of course their patrons and paymasters.

It's not a question of not having altercations.Thais are generally a polite people with foreigners.That does not alter the fact that, as with most countries, foreigners are tolerated rather than welcomed.Those who mix with the classes catering to farang "customers" or who live in towns associated with the "water trade" may get a different impression but it isn't representative.Over time foreigners can become assimilated but that is unusual in Thailand for Westerners.

To be fair that can be said of most countries.

That is my understanding too. It's a pity that the recent advice from the British Consular Team doesn't make it specifically clear that it's a certification issue. My greater concern with the Consular advice is the wording, "working to extend its approach to vaccinated passengers from other places." This is a generic "line to take" comment that doesn't actually convey much information. I don't even understand what "to extend is approach" actually means. We are all very well aware that no answer can be given now and that it probably isn't even possible to provide an estimated likely time frame.But surely it would be possible to set out some general background on the criteria required.

I'm not questioning your veracity but since this is a discussion forum feel entitled to point out some aspects that are peculiar, even outrageous. To be specific and as an example it is a bizarre that a Danish government pensioner with no other income, who has paid all due tax, is visited by the Thai tax authorities.Why on earth should that happen? It simply doesn't make sense.

That's not authoritative.Is it just what the "kind ladies" told you and some other Danes? Other expatriates have been told completely different stories by Thai tax officials on retirees liability for tax - there are many such accounts on this forum. I certainly don't disagree that expatriates tax affairs are likely to be more closely scrutinized in the future.But there's something "off" in your account of the Danish authorities passing on tax information and contact details of their citizens (who have already paid tax in Denmark) to the Thai tax authorities who then send "kind ladies" to investigate.I don't buy it.You have perhaps neglected to advise some relevant information but there is something distinctly peculiar in your account of this incident.

Interesting.From what you say the Danish authorities, despite the fact you pay tax - at a higher rate than in Thailand - in your home country, have supplied the Thai tax authorities with details of your Danish income and your contact address in Thailand.It's true that most DTAs include provision for exchanging information but this would normally be in respect of people/entities "of interest" - not typical retirees. As a practical point there so many areas areas of greater interest to the Thai tax authorities that paying visits on blameless foreign retirees is odd to say the very least.Still I don't feel surprised particularly that the tax affairs of foreign pensioners would be further scrutinized. Most international banks have been asking similar questions over the last few years One question.You quote the Thai taxman that scrutiny of Danes and Finns is only the beginning of retirees tax position being checked.What is your source for this?

I suspect we will have to wait until Thailand is back on the green list before this issue is resolved. We are told the issue is being worked on but needless to say there have been no update reports for several weeks from the British government or the British Embassy. Thailand is not the country involved by any means.By the way don't bother looking for weird conspiracy theories about UK's concerns about Thailand's alleged shortcomings in administering vaccines.As in most cases the explanation is almost always in the bureaucratic sluggishness.In Whitehall terms it's not a great priority.

Four spectacular lies in three lines.Is this a record? Turning to the topic there are several factors to account for the difference.Obesity is absolutely critical.Most of the victims in the UK under the age of 60 were morbidly obese with underlying conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. I don't think that obesity is a significant problem in Thailand.When I visited my sick father in Manchester a few years ago it was very obvious there was a huge obesity problem among NHS workers particularly nurses.

The certification issue has been detailed in several posts over the last few days.We haven't yet been given the details. I see you are now placing caveats and qualifications on your previous "explanation." It makes no difference:it is still mostly nonsense.

I don't think it's even that.My hunch is that while Thailand is on the red list there's no real urgency to find a solution, the usual bureaucratic sluggishness that's too endemic in the British civil service unless there is focused and imaginative management.It's the "computer says no" mentality. However Thailand is but one of several countries affected and credit where credit is due, the new Ambassador seems an energetic and capable person and will keep the expatriate community informed.I would be surprised if we didn't have a way forward by the end of next month.

It wasn't a suggestion from you.You presented your collection of errors as facts. The issue relates to certification of vaccines and Thailand is not an isolated instance.We await clarification from the UK government on the details.

Complete rubbish. There is no evidence this is anything to do with the UK position

This thread is becoming unhelpful since it's not shedding light and errors of fact are being endlessly repeated.. The problem has nothing at all to do with the vaccines administered in Thailand.The issue is with certification and even here it's is not Thailand specific since several countries are affected.According to the new Ambassador the issue is being worked on in London but an update on progress is well overdue.It would be helpful to have a bit more specificity on exactly what London considers the certification problem to be.

Good luck in getting an answer.We can but live in hope. Reading the UK press particularly the Guardian, it seems that the problem is not with Astra Zeneca but with the certification process.There is a very similar sense of outrage in India for the same reason.

This matter is fast becoming a scandal.Nobody blames the Ambassador and his staff but it is absolutely his responsibility or those to whom he delegates to communicate more clearly and more regularly with British residents on this matter.This is not happening.If there isn't a definite answer to be given yet then it is the Embassy's duty to explain what considerations are in play.If the concerns of British residents are not of pressing interest then the Embassy should also understand the requirements of the large number of Thais who have business and social ties to the UK.This muddle is doing the reputation of the UK no good at all. Jonathan Head of the BBC, in response to the Guardian article. correctly identifies the illogicality, stupidity and hypocrisy involved in the refusal to recognize Astra Zeneca vaccinations from Thailand. "Agree this is completely illogical and seems discriminatory.Astra-Zeneca states that its vaccine is of identical quality wherever it is made - here in Thailand you might get locally made AZ or AZ from Korea - both have exactly the same efficacy"

Exactly.It's a group which has minimal impact on the property market with the exception of the condo sector - and even there farang are very much minority players.Personally I don't think opening up the property sector to all comers would do anything but good, but it will never happen.

Do you know what "farang" means?

It's a rather poorly written article but the quoted comments of Dr Wichai are quite revealing because they so clearly demonstrate the mindset of the Sino-Thai commercial class. Looking at Dr Wichai's handsome features I'm guessing his not so distant ancestors hailed from the rice fields of Southern China.If a bunch of foreigners ever cornered the Thai property market, his lot did.

My understanding from Astra Zeneca in Bangkok is that France and Germany both recognize AZ vaccinations performed in Thailand ( these countries' approval remove the possibility of any quality control difficulty.)The UK at present does not recognize AZ vaccinations performed in Thailand for reasons which are unknown.The new British Ambassador is aware of the problem but has not explained why there is an issue here nor given any kind of estimate when the issue will be resolved.

Thanks for this useful info which prompted me to check my own Mor Phrom App and noted the same results as you have set out. I expect many of us have booked a Moderna (or similar) vaccination for next year as a booster, or at least are thinking about it.As far as I know the government is not providing these so we will have to source from private hospitals. It would be great after having received the booster, the details could be incorporated in the existing Vaccine Certificate/Digital Health Pass - but I guess the likelihood the hospital concerned will be issuing their own verification.

Funniest comment I have read for quite some time and unless I'm mistaken I think it's meant to be taken seriously.

Thanks.I think this walk in facility might be of interest to quite a few British expatriates "on leave" (do people still say that?) who are looking for a booster jab after having received the first two vaccinations in Thailand.It's UK policy now that the booster be given to appropriate groups six months after the second jab.Obviously it's not available now so it's a matter of keeping on checking next year.