1 million Thanks to the Kingdom

[Thaidai26]

 1 Million thanks ???????? to the Kingdom    Must say the last few months predictions!grips and bs have been entertaining. Huge Thank you to Helpfully Positive Advise from considerate members , Thank you to Thailand and its  people for extending Amnesty( I have up to date visas )  and providing a Safe Healthy Home to us expats. I for one would rather ride this World wide pandemic in Thailand than back in my own Country    

[ezzra]

Is it Thanksgiving already? seriously, good to see that someone is thankful for whatever he needs and got and happy with...

[glegolo]

I do also "sign up for that"......

 

glegolo

[cmarshall]

There was a three-year project ending in late 2019 to compile a Global Health Security Index to rank 195 countries as to how prepared they are to handle a public health crisis, including an epidemic.  Although they found that no country was completely prepared, Thailand ranked # 6.  The correctness of that estimate seems to have been demonstrated.

 

https://www.ghsindex.org/

 

It must be said however, that the USA was ranked # 1 in the study, which could not be further from the truth as we have seen.

[JusticeGB]

Thailand has helped stranded tourists enormously but people who have wives and families in Thailand are not allowed back if they live in countries deemed to be risky for covid19 even if they pass a covid19 test. People who have paid 1m. baht for the Elite program have no extra rights either. 

[Matzzon]

Can´t agree more. I also fall in line with the thank you. Not for the amnesty, cause I do not need it, but for the way they have handled the pandemic with great professionalism.

I can not understand foreigners that complain over Thailand. Just hope they get what they deserve. Just a reminder, you need Thailand more than Thailand needs you. 

[chilly07]

Couldn't agree more. I'm really worried about my sons and relatives in the UK who are having to run the gauntet of that clown and his evil sidekick.

[wwest5829]

On 10/5/2020 at 1:57 PM, cmarshall said:

There was a three-year project ending in late 2019 to compile a Global Health Security Index to rank 195 countries as to how prepared they are to handle a public health crisis, including an epidemic.  Although they found that no country was completely prepared, Thailand ranked # 6.  The correctness of that estimate seems to have been demonstrated.

 

https://www.ghsindex.org/

 

It must be said however, that the USA was ranked # 1 in the study, which could not be further from the truth as we have seen.

How to respond. Completely agree about being thankful to be in Thailand and sad to see what is taking place in my home country.

[ChrisKC]

Whether it be good management or good fortune, we are all here and I think most would agree that the pandemic in itself has had little real negative effects on expats, but recognising that so many Thai people, not only in the tourist trade but elsewhere too have been almost traumatised by their problems. From my point of view, if I didn't read the news, I would know nothing of the very real problems many millions worldwide have had to endure and who are facing what appears to be a second phase of infections.

I am thankful for the current situation, that had you asked me when the pandemic started where I might choose to be to escape the problems, I might not have decided to stay in Thailand.

Of course I am aware of those who have close connections in Thailand who are unable to return and are thus affected greatly and I wish them all speedy resolution to their specific situation.

 

Edited October 6, 2020 by ChrisKC
small addition

[1FinickyOne]

On 10/5/2020 at 9:29 AM, Thaidai26 said:

Thank you to Thailand and its  people for extending Amnesty( I have up to date visas )  and providing a Safe Healthy Home to us expats. I for one would rather ride this World wide pandemic in Thailand than back in my own Country

Seems everyone I know says the same thing... we are lucky to be here... 

[wwest5829]

In the USA a medical speaker from the Univ. of Washington projected potential US Covid deaths at 390,000+ by the end of the year. 86,000 might be saved, he said, if Americans would wear masks. Slightly less than half seem to be refusing/not wearing masks. I remain conflicted .. I wish all well in part, because my Sons and Grandsons are in the USA. On the other hand? I am supposed to remain kind when fools are threatening the health of others?! BS ... and, by the gods, yes, that includes The Donald!!!

[Disparate Dan]

3 hours ago, Matzzon said:

I can not understand foreigners that complain over Thailand. Just hope they get what they deserve. Just a reminder, you need Thailand more than Thailand needs you.

As a long-time complainer up until the current panic, I agree with you. It's so unreal to be going about daily life here sans mask or distancing, in the complete absence of any local disease, but better than any alternative I can think of in light of the global lunacy.

At 0.85 deaths per million population, Thailand is the sixth most “successful” country in the world at containing the flu. I think many of us doubted the truth of the stats in April, but by now it's clear there are no mountains of bodies stashed away to make the numbers look better. Difficult to believe this "government" did anything clever, but somehow we avoided it all.

The cascade of criticism about not re-opening for mass tourism ignores the fact that Thailand can't act in isolation in this case even if it wanted - and in any case Thais I mix with don't want tourists back. They like their country as it is now.

In my recent experience, IOs have been very helpful under considerable stress, much of it from farang shouting at them for no good reason (I have seen this myself).

Plus, ref the Thai health service, my wife just [successfully] had expensive heart surgery in a government hospital on the 30-baht scheme and it cost us nothing.

To my astonishment, I can't complain at all (unless you get me onto politics which is fortunately verboten on TV.....).

Edited October 6, 2020 by Disparate Dan
add sentence

[Max69xl]

5 hours ago, JusticeGB said:

Thailand has helped stranded tourists enormously but people who have wives and families in Thailand are not allowed back if they live in countries deemed to be risky for covid19 even if they pass a covid19 test. People who have paid 1m. baht for the Elite program have no extra rights either. 

People with the Thailand Elite Card are allowed to come back in if they apply for the CoE and accepts the 15 days quarantine. But it comes with a price, a total cost of maybe ฿100,000 or more depending on the choice of hotel and type of airline ticket.

[gamini]

1 hour ago, Disparate Dan said:

As a long-time complainer up until the current panic, I agree with you. It's so unreal to be going about daily life here sans mask or distancing, in the complete absence of any local disease, but better than any alternative I can think of in light of the global lunacy.

At 0.85 deaths per million population, Thailand is the sixth most “successful” country in the world at containing the flu. I think many of us doubted the truth of the stats in April, but by now it's clear there are no mountains of bodies stashed away to make the numbers look better. Difficult to believe this "government" did anything clever, but somehow we avoided it all.

The cascade of criticism about not re-opening for mass tourism ignores the fact that Thailand can't act in isolation in this case even if it wanted - and in any case Thais I mix with don't want tourists back. They like their country as it is now.

In my recent experience, IOs have been very helpful under considerable stress, much of it from farang shouting at them for no good reason (I have seen this myself).

Plus, ref the Thai health service, my wife just [successfully] had expensive heart surgery in a government hospital on the 30-baht scheme and it cost us nothing.

To my astonishment, I can't complain at all (unless you get me onto politics which is fortunately verboten on TV.....).

The UK allows Thais to enter without  quarantine. They have obviously reserched the conditions here and confirm the countries sucess with contolling the virus. So there should be no more skepticism.

[Time Traveller]

On 10/4/2020 at 7:29 PM, Thaidai26 said:

 and providing a Safe Healthy Home to us expats. I for one would rather ride this World wide pandemic in Thailand than back in my own Country    

yeah....2nd worst country in the world for car accidents, poor food safety standards, common institutional physical abuse of children, murder rate higher than most western countries, endemic diseases that are virtually non-existent in western countries, terrible air pollution, polluted waterways.....  So much safer than those Western countries ! 

 

These Thailand desperates are always a good laugh at the <deleted> they say.  It's funny half of them are probably sharing diseases with hookers every other week, and they're worried about catching some flu in their home country?   Too funny.

Edited October 6, 2020 by Time Traveller

[cmarshall]

13 hours ago, wwest5829 said:

In the USA a medical speaker from the Univ. of Washington projected potential US Covid deaths at 390,000+ by the end of the year. 86,000 might be saved, he said, if Americans would wear masks. Slightly less than half seem to be refusing/not wearing masks. I remain conflicted .. I wish all well in part, because my Sons and Grandsons are in the USA. On the other hand? I am supposed to remain kind when fools are threatening the health of others?! BS ... and, by the gods, yes, that includes The Donald!!!

The S. Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency was trained by the American CDC.  S. Korea has had 422 deaths out of a population of 51 million with no lockdown. 

 

Had the US government done the job containing the epidemic that it knows how to do like the KDCA, the unavoidable American deaths should have been no more than 3,000.  All of the additional, unnecessary 207,000 US deaths are entirely the fault of Trump and the Republican Party in government.

 

At least with respect to the greatest public health crisis in 100 years, the US has become the sh**tholest country in the world.  Nice work, Donald.

[jomtienisgood]

On 10/5/2020 at 1:57 PM, cmarshall said:

There was a three-year project ending in late 2019 to compile a Global Health Security Index to rank 195 countries as to how prepared they are to handle a public health crisis, including an epidemic.  Although they found that no country was completely prepared, Thailand ranked # 6.  The correctness of that estimate seems to have been demonstrated.

 

https://www.ghsindex.org/

 

It must be said however, that the USA was ranked # 1 in the study, which could not be further from the truth as we have seen.

Probably an American study.55555555

[jomtienisgood]

On 10/6/2020 at 2:00 PM, JusticeGB said:

Thailand has helped stranded tourists enormously but people who have wives and families in Thailand are not allowed back if they live in countries deemed to be risky for covid19 even if they pass a covid19 test. People who have paid 1m. baht for the Elite program have no extra rights either. 

That shows that MONEY is not everything in this life or country........

[runamok27]

On 10/5/2020 at 1:57 PM, cmarshall said:

There was a three-year project ending in late 2019 to compile a Global Health Security Index to rank 195 countries as to how prepared they are to handle a public health crisis, including an epidemic.  Although they found that no country was completely prepared, Thailand ranked # 6.  The correctness of that estimate seems to have been demonstrated.

 

https://www.ghsindex.org/

 

It must be said however, that the USA was ranked # 1 in the study, which could not be further from the truth as we have seen.

It would depend on what the criteria was for the study. Given the choice of being in a country with a major outbreak and one without a major outbreak, obviously I would want to be in the country without the major outbreak, so I am thankful to be in Thailand since there has been no major outbreak here. But, given the choice of being in Thailand or the U.S. if both countries had a major outbreak, hands down I would far prefer to be in the U.S.. Look at New York for example, they had a major outbreak and were able to medically service the outbreak fairly well. They didn't run out of much stuff, PPE mostly, and given the size of the outbreak didn't run out of ventilators and other critical equipment. Thailand on the other hand would have been a nightmare to get proper medical care during a major outbreak. Thailands medical facilities could not handle a major outbreak and it appears that the current government knows this and is probably the primary reason they are being so cautious. For whatever reason, Thailand did not have a major outbreak but if they had, I would have gotten out of here as quickly as possible and taken my chances somewhere else. 

[cmarshall]

6 hours ago, runamok27 said:

It would depend on what the criteria was for the study. Given the choice of being in a country with a major outbreak and one without a major outbreak, obviously I would want to be in the country without the major outbreak, so I am thankful to be in Thailand since there has been no major outbreak here. But, given the choice of being in Thailand or the U.S. if both countries had a major outbreak, hands down I would far prefer to be in the U.S.. Look at New York for example, they had a major outbreak and were able to medically service the outbreak fairly well. They didn't run out of much stuff, PPE mostly, and given the size of the outbreak didn't run out of ventilators and other critical equipment. Thailand on the other hand would have been a nightmare to get proper medical care during a major outbreak. Thailands medical facilities could not handle a major outbreak and it appears that the current government knows this and is probably the primary reason they are being so cautious. For whatever reason, Thailand did not have a major outbreak but if they had, I would have gotten out of here as quickly as possible and taken my chances somewhere else. 

Your ability to overlook the obvious is impressive.  It was not by chance that Thailand did not have a major outbreak, but like other Asian countries, the government, especially the public health department, took the appropriate steps and is still taking them.  I guess you're in the camp that believes that the the successful containment of the virus in Thailand can't possibly be because the Thais themselves did anything right.  It must be luck of some kind.  White people are always better, right?

 

It's true that the US had all the resources to be # 1 in combating an epidemic as the Global Health Security study expected, except that it lacked a government with even minimal competence to deploy those resources.  So, too bad for Americans where 642 per million (and counting) have died compared to Thailand's 0.85.

 

So, be my guest and go await the next pandemic back in the States.  I'll be staying right here.

[jomtienisgood]

7 hours ago, cmarshall said:

Your ability to overlook the obvious is impressive.  It was not by chance that Thailand did not have a major outbreak, but like other Asian countries, the government, especially the public health department, took the appropriate steps and is still taking them.  I guess you're in the camp that believes that the the successful containment of the virus in Thailand can't possibly be because the Thais themselves did anything right.  It must be luck of some kind.  White people are always better, right?

 

It's true that the US had all the resources to be # 1 in combating an epidemic as the Global Health Security study expected, except that it lacked a government with even minimal competence to deploy those resources.  So, too bad for Americans where 642 per million (and counting) have died compared to Thailand's 0.85.

 

So, be my guest and go await the next pandemic back in the States.  I'll be staying right here.

0,85. how can somebody die that percentage????? 5555555 LOL????

[rickudon]

15 years ago, GW Bush asked scientists to create a Pandemic plan - which was done - and Trump's government totally ignored it (and the UK).

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/george-w-bush-crafted-social-distancing-plan-ignored-us-britain/