connda

If China decides to repatriate Taiwan, and a NATO-led "coalition of the willing" chooses to get involved in a hot-war, what will come into the consular remit is the transportation of UK citizens (and for other Western countries, the evacuation of their own citizens from the hot-zone in Thailand if it actually goes hot), although first they will issue a travel advisory for their citizens to get on the first plane out of Dodge. Evacuating their citizens is a Geo-political Brownie Point and shows "they care." They don't really, but it looks good. They'd much rather their citizens to leave under their own power and on their own dime.

"He came to Thailand for retirement? Could have saved 300£/month easily. This would be now enough (40.000£ probably) to take a fly wherever he wants." He wouldn't have to. Med-Evacuation insurance costs between 300 to 600 GBP annually. Like I said, people come here and don't plan. If I lived in a country with socialized medicine and chose to retire in a place like Thailand, I'd definitely have Med-Evacuation insurance in order to get me back to my home for medical care if I thought local health care was substandard or if I had no other means of insurance. Really.... elderly folk who have chose to retire here... a serous question for you: if you really believe Thai health care is substandard - why the hell are you living here in the first place! What's your plan if you need "quality health care." You should have either stayed home where you can receive what you perceive as top-tiered health care, or you should have retired to a place where there is - in your own mind - top-tiered health care. By the way, I consider the health care here to be very good even in the government hospitals. I should probably start an AseanNow poll. I'd really like to know how many AN members have actually seriously planned for major health care needs, especially their own eventually demise and the care they will need during the process of their body breaking down and dying. That would be an interesting poll. Knowing Westerner's aversion to death and dying in general, I'd bet most just ignore it. Here's some interesting questions to ponder from our beloved Expat Community: First - how many of the elderly expat retirees here ignore the fact they will eventually die? Second - how many of the elderly expat retirees here ignore the fact that their body will eventually get sick, deteriorate, and die? Third - how many of the elderly expat retirees here have a plan to handle their eventual sickness and then death? Fourth - for those who come from a country with socialize medicine, how many purchase annual Med-Evac insurance to get them back home instead of waiting for the inevitable and then starting a GoFundMe page instead - or - have an insurance policy with a Med-Evac rider? Fifth - do you actually believe it's your foreign office and embassy's responsibility to help assist you solve your health care emergencies when you failed to do the due diligence and plan for them yourself?

Like the ICU nurse whose face got totaled in a motorcycle accident, the trope that Thailand's health care is substandard is just that - a trope. I fully expect that if the son gets dad back to the US, he'll succumb under the care of the NHS. Regarding the British Embassy not being responsive to his father medical condition? It's not the job of the embassies of countries to provide care for their expats or even to facilitate the care of their expats. It's the expat's responsibility to plan ahead of time and make arrangements for emergencies and the eventuality of their eventual sickness and death. To be blunt, if you can't do that, you shouldn't live here. If you depend on socialized medicine, they stay in your own country where you're safe and cared for by the State. My advice to the son: Your dad is a very sick man. All beings who have life eventually fall into sickness and then death. It's the way of this world. Take the time to make his remaining time on Earth as good as it can be considering his condition. Develop acceptance and plan for his death. It's gonna happen. Spend your remaining time bonding with your dad and then help him in his last days as a loving son. Develop acceptance. Both of you.

I find it funny that people seem to believe that old people should live forever. 77 is pretty much a full live-span. When you get to be that age, something will kill you. And yet people fight it to extend their poor quality of life longer than it should be extended. My guess is that if the elderly gentleman manages to return to the UK, the NHS bureaucracy will kill him. He'll probably die waiting for an appointment or an ambulance. People with diabetes die of what start off as "minor" infections of their extremities even in the West. As much as Westerners love to slam Thai health services, they can and do care for conditions like these. But eventually all the care in the world isn't going to stop the inevitable. But? The family will bankrupt themselves to return dad back to the UK where he'll die anyway leaving the family burdened with debt. Really - I have a question for those folks who are now in their 70s or older and who live here in Thailand: If you live in a country where you depend on socialized medicine and chose to retire in a location, such as Thailand, where you have to pay for your own healthcare and emergencies, why haven't you factored in contingencies for the eventuality of developing a life-threatening disease that can kill you? Why don't you people plan for that - the older you get, the more likely it's gonna happen. For myself and a number of other like-minded expats (BritManToo for example, we are a minority), we have already excepted that we will eventually die in Thailand. Your body is going to break down, medical care will eventually just not cure you, and then you will eventually die. It's the way of life, life ends in death. I've got a living will and the head-doctor at our Amphur hospital is a personal friend of the family and knows the wishes of both myself and my wife. It is natural for you to die in your 70s and 80s. Sure, some people live into their 90s and beyond. But your quality of life begins to really suck - why fight it? When the time comes, when my body breaks down and become irreparable, I want to be kept as comfortable as possible and be allowed to check out of this body on my own terms. I'm at peace with that. What I don't have is any desire to be med-evacuated back to my home country in a journey paid for by GoFundMe donations and the life-savings of my children and family. Why? My life and my family is here in Thailand. Also, for those who want to be sent back to their home countries where they receive state socialized medicine - you could have purchase med-evacuation insurance! It does exist. If people wish to extend their lives as long as possible and desire to be "shipped back home to receive the best socialized medicine," then why didn't you prepare for that eventuality - because it WILL eventually happen. Not preparing is irresponsible. How many AN members are going to do the exact same thing when their bodies final break down and death starts to tap you on the shoulder and remind you that this stay in Thailand and on this Earth is only temporary. How many of you people even bother to think about this - cause is will happen. Guaranteed. 100%. "Hello my friend. Did you plan? Are you ready? I am coming for you - maybe today, maybe tomorrow, maybe next week, but I will gather you up and take you away because that body you inhabit? It doesn't last forever no matter how much money you have, or how much status, or how much power. It's just a body, and when it finally breaks down for the last time - well, I'll be seeing ya!"

I read that the parking garage at Maharaj/Sripat complex was damaged during the earthquake March 28th. Anyone know the status of that structure. Is it open or closed? Parking is already a major problem in that areas as it it.

Only 12 million more to go!

Somebody is being set up to be thrown under the bus.

US Tariffs Threaten Thai Economy with B360bn Blow How much of a "blow" were the 72% tariffs levies against US goods? I'm not sympathetic.

Drunk? Methinks someone will be popping positive for opioids and benzos. Best to have consumed them all as prison doth awaits for even and minuscule amount in possession.

Now a know you're bob smith for sure - bob.

Interesting. Both Lazada and Shopee carried it for vet purposes until the "Covid experts" made such a fuss that these outlets stopped carrying it back at the end of 2020. It's an extremely inexpensive way to treat worms, mange, and heartworm. Read up on the dosages and be aware that some dogs can have adverse reaction if they have a MDR1 gene mutation that tends to affect the following. Australian Shepherd Border Collie Collie (Rough and Smooth) Shetland Sheepdog (Sheltie) Old English Sheepdog German Shepherd Longhaired Whippet Silken Windhound I treat the dogs I work with and never have seen a adverse reaction in a typical Heinz-57 Thai dog. Good news. NickyLouie is right. Lazada is carrying it again. It takes very little to treat heartworm. Not particularly good for pups, but at the right dosages it works in adults dogs well.

But super-especially for Brits!

If a president of a superpower wanted to destroy his own country, what steps would he take? Listen to Boris Johnson and levy sanctions on a neighboring superpower and then fund a piss-ant little country on its neighbor's border to fight to their last man, woman, and child while destroying their own "superpower bloc" economies in blow-backs to their own failed sanctions?

Not even a hiccup in a massively overbought market. If the S&P lost 1/2 it's value it would be a healthy correction. Current valuations is artificial and upsurd.

Pink Floyd? Phil Collins? <laughs>

The Number 1 in Road Deaths per year and The Number 1 Worst Air In The World are always good fall-backs.

How are they "lifesavers." In the middle of a major earthquake there is too much movement in the building to evacuate. "We need seismographs to tell us that an earthquake is happening." Any conscientious human can tell that an earthquake is happening. My guess is that this is a money-maker for someone connected to the government.

The funny thing about this, and not funny in a humorous manner, is that the US tariffs are in response to tariffs, some extremely high like Thailand's, that are imposed on US goods by other nations. If you listen only to the media or Trump detractors you'd think that Trump woke up one morning and decided to impose tariffs on the world. The reality is that many, many countries in the world have imposed ridiculously high tariffs on the US for no other reason than they can and have gotten away with doing so forever. Now the media and Trump detractors scream bloody murder because the Trump plan imposed tariffs on countries imposing tariffs on the US at a rate of 50% of the target country's tariff's on the US. So Thailand imposes an average tariff of 72% on the US, so now the US imposes 1/2 of that on Thailand or 36% - and Thailand, the media, and Trump detractors scream to high heaven. "Unfair! Unfair!" Yeah I agree. That 72% tariff Thailand imposes on the US is "Unfair!" In my own humble opinion, "Fair" would be reciprocal tariffs of the same amount as other tariffs that countries around the globe impose on the US. The US should have imposed a 72% tariff on Thailand, 90% on Vietnam, 97% on Cambodia...you get the picture. I have no sympathy for Thailand at all. The US should hammer them until they drop their tariffs. Those of us living here, Thai and expats alike, benefit from the reciprocal tariffs which hopefully will cause the Thai government to drop their tariff scheme and allow those living in Thailand to buy US goods without being hammered by ridiculously high tariffs as we have in the past.

I had a motorcycle endorsement, motorcycle training, and a couple of years of driving experience before ever getting to Thailand, and still managed to get into a couple of accidents the first year I drove here. The roads here are DANGEROUS and no freaking joke to drive on. You have to be switched on defensively 100% of the time. Managed to stay out of accidents for the next 14 years and finally hung up the helmet around 70 years old as I just don't feel comfortable driving without metal around me anymore. I prefer a car. I enjoyed my motorcycle driving immensely, but I always understood the risks. Tourist come here - without training, without any experience, without a license, and put themselves in harm's way on Thai roads - and then get creamed. I don't feel much of anything for these people because what they are doing is highly irresponsible. They get hurt and then b*tch and complain about Thailand. I will admit that Thailand supplies the stupidest people on the planet with all the tools that they need to seriously injure of kill themselves. But that is not Thailand's fault. It's the fault of those who come here all starry-eyed and think that the rules back in their home country don't apply to them here in Thailand. That's just stupid.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink.....just like you can coax a tourist to Thailand, but you can't make them responsible (fails to obtain travel insurance prior to arrival, drives a motorcycle without training, drives a motorcycle without a license, drives a motorcycle on "The Most Dangerous Roads In The World" when your policy doesn't cover the accident that you have a high probability of encountering due to your lack of training and skill on the motorcycle you are driving illegally and without proper protection, doesn't wear adequate protection gear for driving a motorcycle - I could go on, but why bother - it happens over and over and over and over and over.....). I'm not saying that's her case, but I'm making assumptions base on her story and assuming that the horse-shoe fits the stead.

Nope.

What are they going to do. Rise their own tariffs from 72% and take them even higher to "Show Trump A Thing Or Two!" I guess the days of screwing the US with tariffs are over, and heck, he only hit them with 1/2 of the tariffs that they impose on the US. Imagine if Trump raised tariffs on Thailand to match Thailand's average of 72% on US goods?

Good to know. Small tremors relieve pressure. Big tremors less likely.

Where's the list?

Full-face helmets are your friend. Now - slam Thailand's medical facilities and care. Then indicate that you either weren't responsible enough to take out a medical insurance policy for the trip, or, the policy didn't cover riding a motorcycle (many don't). Let's not even talk about wearing proper protective gear for driving a motorcycle. Now slam Thailand's medical facilities and care some more. Then start a GoFundMe page. And blame Thailand. People! Don't travel to third-world and developing countries without being prepared. Was she driving the "moped" (which is a motorcycle) or a passenger. Got a full-face helmet? Had she ever driven a motorcycle in the US. Was she licensed in the US to drive one. I'm always amazed that people who never have driven a motorcycle in their home country think it's OK to come to Thailand and hop on one without any training - or a license. See it all the time. I wish these people would just stay home. She'll no doubt be slamming Thailand's medical services for the rest of her life. Dear sweat child - don't come back. Stay in the US.