connda

That's a show killer and always will be. It is NOT quarantine free. And if a tourist has a positive PCR - Covid Jail for 10 days and an expensive bill as they walk out the door. Why bother. Go to Mexico or Portugal.

You're more optimistic than I. I expect them to treat Songkran like New Years. Official 'celebrations' will be in roped off enclaves where only those who are fully vaccinated (whatever that means by April), masked, doused in alcohol gel, and properly distanced may participate - and oh yeah - No Throwing Water. Squirt guns and "Play Water" will still be illegal as will bars and night-time entertainment. In my humble opinion by the time Songkran 2022 rolls around Thailand will still be under the boot of medical and bureaucratic officialdom and their insistence that the commoners 'do the right thing' and 'obey the rules.' Personally I don't see this returning to any semblance of normal until 2025, and actually probably not even then. In March 2020 an article in the MIT Review promised the plebs that there would be no going back to Normal. I have no doubt that IS the agenda. By the way, if you read the original article, "We're not going back to normal," dated March 17th it foreshadowed exactly what happened before it happened. Exactly. E.g., It stated ahead of time that small businesses and the like would be destroyed. And that's what happened. So the folks at top have already told you that you will never see "Normal" again. You can bet on it. You will never see normal again: "This isn’t a temporary disruption. It’s the start of a completely different way of life." "Ultimately, however, I predict that we’ll restore the ability to socialize safely by developing more sophisticated ways to identify who is a disease risk and who isn’t, and discriminating—legally—against those who are." -We’re not going back to normal, Gideon Lichfield, MIT Review Hello Medical Apartheid. https://web.archive.org/web/20200318161226/https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615370/coronavirus-pandemic-social-distancing-18-months/

Pedestrian bridge: the safe place to cross. These bridges are placed across roads that are too dangerous to cross at street level.

Hire a surveyor.

I believe you are correct about other surrounding countries opening sooner and taking the market share of tourism away from Thailand. I disagree that Thailand will "open up" as the people at the top driving this agenda are elite power junkies. It wasn't that long ago that Thailand was a feudal state with the people at the top lauding over the peasants. That form of governance is still cherished imho and making the little people dance to the elite's tune is built into the fabric of this country. The elite envision Thailand future as a country of masked, obedient plebs who bow down and obey rules. Unfortunately that's never going to be conducive to foreign tourism. Here's one sure sign that Thailand is about to open up. When you see the talking heads, game show actors, and talk show host finally take off their mask - then Thailand will begin opening back up. As long as those people are masked and muzzled - things ain't gonna change.

Not to mention the 100+K bill you're going to be handed after being incarcerated in Covid Jail quarantine if your PCR ever returns positive plus the 10+ days of lost time. The only people I personally can see coming to Thailand are those like you and I: Those of us with family or those of us who have homes and assets in Thailand. Why a 'tourist' would subject themselves to the expense and well as the uncertainty of being forcefully locked up? There are way too many other vacation locations to travel to that do not have these types of draconian regulations and unnecessary expenses. I can not fathom what draws anyone here given the regulations, expense, uncertainty, and the fact that most of what people used to come here for has been destroyed by government edict. This place is a shell of its former self. I drive through Chiang Mai and all the vibrant little shops, markets, as well as Walking Street are - Gone! <poof>. Most of our personal friends who had businesses in Chiang Mai have gone out of business, and the stretches of boarded up shops in the Thapae/Loi Kroi/Changklan/Old-Town area is simply a testament to government over-reaction and lunacy. "Little business not essential!" As long as people are forced to wear face masks, take multiple Covid tests, adhere to draconian mandates regarding movement and business operations (like shutting down certain selected segments of society and businesses), and cringe fearfully every time Dr. Yong and friends take the podium - this will never end and tourism will never return except for the trickle of vacationers who can't grasp that Thailand is nothing like its former self. <period>

????

Typical corporation: Privatize profits, socialize losses.

These busts are probably a fraction of the total speak-easys that are open in places like Pattaya, Phuket, and BKK. It's does emphasis one thing: The Night Entertainment prohibitions are extremely unpopular. Really - we're back to the Roaring 20s in the US during prohibition. Same Same. It will never be contained. They'll just bust otherwise good citizens until they realize this ain't Saudi Arabia. Maybe Prayut plans to import that ban from his recent trip. Tea-toddling Uncle Tu.

Clams ain't bad either.

Murphy's Law says that if your computer HD blows up, there is an equally good chance that your backup HD will fail at the same time (I've had it happen). Lessons learned the hard way. Keep an external HD backup and disk images stored somewhere else. The day you think that is overkill will be the day you find out that it isn't.

Next month is time for the annual trip to Immigration for a marriage extension. Are there any changes to the list of requirements this year that I should be aware of or does this list still pretty much cover it. Marriage Extension Requirements - Ubonjoe.pdf

What civil engineer in their right mind places a cross-walk on a road with an 80 kph speed limit? That's insanity!

The Thai authorities seem more interested in "helping" the murderer. The murdered farang and the farang he tried to hack to death? Meh!

???? Hummm....exactly!

Red Bull owning you gives you wings!

This is how corruption works for the wealthy and politically connected. From the beginning the government has pursued one of two avenues. Simply attempt to clear him of all charges, or, wait for the statutes of limitations to run out. They now seem to be expressly stating that they are taking the latter path. Why not conduct a trial in-absentia? Both Taksin and Yingluck Shinawatra were tried in-absentia. The only reason that Nong Vorayuth Yoovidhya isn't tried in-absentia must be because those who control the levers of power in Thailand simply don't want to do so. He's been given an explicit "get out of jail free" card. He is overtly protected both inside and outside of Thailand. The Thai 'leaders' need a patina of plausibility when the statutes of limitations run out and Nong Vorayuth comes waltzing back to Thailand to receive a Red Carpet welcome - and I've no doubt that is exactly what will happen. The government? <shrugs> "What could we do?" We issued a Interpol Red Notice! He won't come home like a good boy to be tried." And anyone can check the Interpol Red Notice - Vorayuth Yoovidhya is not in their system the last time I checked. There are 12 hits for Thais. None of them are Nong Vorayuth. https://www.interpol.int/How-we-work/Notices/View-Red-Notices Nong Vorayuth is safeguarded from the very top down to the very bottom of officialdom. The only people to get Thrown Under The Ferrari will be a few low level functionaries tasked with obfuscating the investigations. End of story. "Thailand’s 2021 corruption standing drops six places to 110th out of 180 countries." -Transparency International Any questions?

Well, if they go under the Thai government should be responsible for covering the claims as they allowed an company with solvency problems to operate. How many more companies get to make bets and then renige on the coverage because they loss their bet. What's insurance anyway but a casino game rigged in favor of the house.

Yeah, most Thai motorcycle drivers will pull onto the road without even a glance to see if traffic is coming. I wonder how many thousands are killed that way each year?

Good. Put this issue right in front of everyone's noses so it's impossible to ignore. As long as it can be ignored, the carnage continues. If people finally get irate over the slaughter? Maybe the government does something other than blowing hot-air up everyone's buttocks.

No no no no no. The pleb in the Honda didn't get out of the Hi-So Benz driver's way. The cops will sort this out for the Benz driver for sure.

It's a Benz. All the lowlifes need to get out of the Hi-So's way. Traffic lights? They don't apply to Benz drivers.

Of course. The flu doesn't exist any longer. Hospitalization and deaths rate from Dengue and the Black Plague are now higher than flu.

In 2025 you'll still be wearing a mask and slathering alcohol gel on your hands to get in a store, and alcohol gel will be the only alcohol you're allowed to possess. What's going to change? The 'leaders' love the dictatorial emergency powers, and the pharmaceutical companies love the endless tax money flowing into their coffers to supply the government with Forever Shots for their citizens and super-duper expensive 'cures.' Maybe by 2025 you'll need a shot every 2 months to keep up with all of the viral variants for Covid and the now novel flus that will probably appear out of nowhere, but will further lock down society and destroy even more businesses. Medical dystopia baby. Give it a big hug - it's never going away. Too much money and power involved.

Which is not our fault. After 10, 15, or 20 years of marriage, they could, streamline the process as it's not like you are faking the marriage. Have we ever heard of a foreign woman having this kind of problem with their Thai husband? I never have. So it doesn't have to be this way. Anyway, it's a money thing. I'm not tying up 800K THB to make it easier for the IO. If they don't like the marriage extensions, they should lobby parliament to change the xenophobic laws. Again - if you've been married for 10, 15, 20+ years, the only reason for making the process complicated is racial hatred.