PM confirms no Thailand’s border closure yet, dashes hope for early revival of nightlife

[Scouse123]

If the close the borders again, it's going to take even longer than 2024/5 to get the country back on track.

 

They have for years talked down and belittled how much they rely on tourism and its associated spin offs such as condo sales and car sales and furniture sales. Now, it's coming home to roost just how heavily they are reliant on tourism.

 

Plenty of cheap holidays for the next few years as many have changed their destinations of choice.

 

I do not know many who come here anymore specifically for hookers. Times have changed and moved on with people having different goals from what they want from a holiday and it isn't a ' hole in one! ' so to speak.

[Mr Meeseeks]

17 hours ago, Will B Good said:

Omicron is going to be another excuse/reason that will allow him to delay past Jan 16.

 

Pattaya, in particular, is doomed.

Repeating this ad nauseum but they don't want a sex-tourist brothel in the middle of their Eastern Economic Corridor dream. 

 

There will be Thai, Chinese and Indian families visiting this imagined paradise. 

 

Local, more discrete brothels catering to the majority are still fine though. 

[WingFat]

The way the Chinese virus variants are named, at this rate in a couple of years we'll be at Omega_Omega 2.0. There will be no shortage of variants to continue the radical changes engulfing the world into something a very few elite others are creating.

[kennw]

16 hours ago, herfiehandbag said:

 

Well, apart from the livelihoods of a rather large number of people.

Lets hope that they are able to rebuild Pattaya on a better foundation than the sleeze that was dominant previously.

[WingFat]

Once the huge discos in Phuket, BKK and Pattaya are out of business for good, perhaps they will be transformed into "Thai Heritage and Historical Sites"...with hefty entrance fees.

[Guderian]

I really don't want to go through another miserable lockdown, but there are other, less-punitive measures that can be taken to limit the spread of Omicron. This sounds like the beginning of last April, when when Prayut Chan-Einstein decided that there was no need to stop people travelling around the country for Songkran, his favourite amulet would keep the country safe from the evil SARS-COV2. And look where that got us...

 

 

 

[LivingNThailand]

17 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The January 16th date is already considered a postponement from the initial plan of allowing pubs and bars to reopen in December, and especially for the Christmas and New Year holidays

What are they talking about?  There are so many rules for different parts of the country it’s ridiculous.  Here in Phuket they passed an exception and people can drink from 11:00am New Years Eve to 6:00am New Years Day!  Continuous. That’s a lot of beers. ????

Edited December 3, 2021 by LivingNThailand
Typo

[BritManToo]

40 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

Me? Sooner have a steak dinner and a bottle of wine with my other half.

I'd rather have it on my own ....... and not have to pay for her dinner and drinks.

 

Back to the OP, and my predictions .........

I see border closures and lockdowns in the near future.

Edited December 3, 2021 by BritManToo

[Scouse123]

13 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

 

 

Back to the OP, and my predictions .........

I see border closures and lockdowns in the near future.

You may be right but I think your predictions are wrong.

[david555]

18 hours ago, Will B Good said:

Omicron is going to be another excuse/reason that will allow him to delay past Jan 16.

 

Pattaya, in particular, is doomed.

"PM confirms no Thailand’s border closure yet, dashes hope for early revival of nightlife"

 

 

That word ....".YET"..... in the line say it all ..... means it is crossing  their minds.......????

 

(hurry up Will B catch a plane  or missing the U.K. Christmas pudding ???? )

Edited December 3, 2021 by david555

[arithai12]

59 minutes ago, kiwikeith said:

One of two things will happen, 

1/ Omicron will turn out to be a savior, that only causes headaches, and saw throat and tiredness for a few days and everyone will develop herd immunity as it looks likely to take over Delta and be more contagious , but makes you only a little sick. Then Prayut will be hailed a hero.

 

2/ It turns out to make people very sick and causes havoc.

 

The answers are not available at this time the medical Jury is working that out now and we wont know for about another 2 weeks.

 

I'm hoping for no 1. 

Saw throat sounds rather lethal.

[smiggley]

I say again it is only the bars in Pattaya that spread covid, bars in Phuket, Bangkok, Cha Am, Korat and many others seem to operate without spreading Covid. Covid is now very Particular in where it decides to spread. By the way it doesn't like concerts or firework displays because they are to noisey or there are to many people so covid does not know who to choose. Lets get real, open nightlife because covid is never going away.

[japanese]

All because of a virus that causes mild cold symptoms!!!

 

Are there any stragglers out there that still think this is about virus and health, and not about power, money and control?

[Mavideol]

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha today (Thursday) made clear that his government has no plan to close Thailand’s borders again

deja vu, he did the same last year when covid started to spread and look what happen ????????

[Smokey and the Bandit]

4 hours ago, IamNoone88 said:

Meanwhile in other news, many Phuket bars seem to be open and back to normal.

I have friends in Phuket and they say all bars , restaurants etc are open, selling alcohol, foreigners and girls everywhere, just like normal!

The only stipulation is that everything must close at midnight, they are strict on that the police go round and check!

[OishiRefill]

17 hours ago, JackGats said:

Which is better, Pattaya 80% dead like it is right now, or Pattaya 200% full like pre-covid in high season? I remember in high season going down for lunch at Central food court at half past eleven in order to be able to get a seat. I nearly had a fight with Indian guys once as they were blocking the last available seats for one of theirs. As for dinner, it was difficult to be welcome in popular eateries later than 5pm. Also, remember the nighttime noise until the small hours + the air pollution.

 

I recall getting turned down 3 times in a row at Patpong's King Castle (1 and 2) by girls who didn't want my money. It was Christmas time and they probably had even bigger (Asian) payers lined-up.

 

All was not well pre-covid either.

The man has a valid point! That's the worst of the worst kind of experience. When even a working girl turns her nose up at you. Happened to me in Thermae once - because I wasn't Japanese/Korean.

Edited December 3, 2021 by OishiRefill

[DLock]

I don't have a horse in this race, as Pattaya is not for me...

 

But if the Government did want to rid Pattaya of its' "worlds brothel" image, now is the time to do it.

 

But will they? Probably not. It's an industry to itself and too many influential people have a financial take in it. It will remain a fairly low-brow city existing purely for entertainment for men, and given the rail links with China a good candidate for casino(s).

 

Thailand has an excellent family support system and they can always return to the family farm and farm rice. They will survive. 

[DrPhibes]

16 hours ago, Reigntax said:

Yes.Their daughters are out selling themselves on the streets in huge numbers just so their families can survive. Im sure that justifies any delay in getting back to normal....for some!!!!!

If you don't like what is considered here and other parts of the world as a normal way to make money, then go get the government to create jobs and jobs that actually pay something more than barely being able to eat day to day.

[Longwood50]

19 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

while dashing hopes that pubs, bars and other entertainment venues can reopen before the set D Day of January 16th.

Unless he is ready to make a decision one way or another and stick with it all that is accomplished is diminishing whatever tourists were considering coming to Thailand. 

A tourist has to make plans weeks to months in advance.  He is creating uncertainty not just about the entertainment re-opening which will diminish the appeal of Thailand but also creating fears that other mandates will similarly be changed without notice.

[Skeptic7]

23 minutes ago, Smokey and the Bandit said:

I have friends in Phuket and they say all bars , restaurants etc are open, selling alcohol, foreigners and girls everywhere, just like normal!

The only stipulation is that everything must close at midnight, they are strict on that the police go round and check!

Sounds GREAT. The way it should be everywhere. 

[Skeptic7]

16 minutes ago, DrPhibes said:

If you don't like what is considered here and other parts of the world as a normal way to make money, then go get the government to create jobs and jobs that actually pay something more than barely being able to eat day to day.

Spot on. There is very little gainful employment here in Land of Greed. Even for university graduates. They work long hours for poverty wages. Forced to go into huge debt and forever a pawn of the elites. Much easier to screw or blow a dude and make more in an hour than 2-5 days work. Much more enjoyable too as vast majority of "customers" treat the girls very well.

Edited December 3, 2021 by Skeptic7

[david555]

12 minutes ago, Skeptic7 said:

Sounds GREAT. The way it should be everywhere. 

Phuket is not that far .... you could travel , or better ....move permanent  

Edited December 3, 2021 by david555

[Skeptic7]

1 minute ago, david555 said:

Phuket is not that far .... you could travel or better ....move permanent  

I can travel to or move anywhere in the world. Not the point.

 

Or, how about they just open up everywhere already and get on with living. Model the entire country after Phuket, if it's so successful down there. Works for them, then should work everywhere. 

[david555]

Just now, Skeptic7 said:

I can travel to or move anywhere in the world. Not the point.

 

Or, how about they just open up everywhere already and get on with living. Model the entire country after Phuket, if it's so successful down there. Works for them, then should work everywhere. 

Try to  understand them .... Phuket is a " test case model" & a certain publicity to try starting the tourism engine again , and of course the expensive one first as a favorable new model for the others to follow  

[aussienam]

16 hours ago, Reigntax said:

Yes.Their daughters are out selling themselves on the streets in huge numbers just so their families can survive. Im sure that justifies any delay in getting back to normal....for some!!!!!

The whole script regarding the poor village girl being forced to prostitute themselves so their families can survive is well and truly gullible tripe.  Absolute BS.

 

Many come as it is a lucrative, easy way to make a lot of money.  Millions of others don't prostitute themselves, they work in regular jobs and help families, along with their siblings.  It's  a choice.  

I have spoken to and observed plenty of the girls over the years. 

 

Cashed up foreigners pay way over what they're worth for a basic biological act.  Not complaining about that, but the fact is what is charged is ridiculous IMO - comparable to a week or two grocery shopping, month's electricity bill etc.  

 

The girls all want a few sponsors and gigs on the side for passive income from dumb gullible foreigners who they tell they love and get wired money each month (the stupidity is off the Richter scale for these guys). 

 

Or the girls want the 'big fish' - for a wealthy foreigner to marry them and support them for life. Less leg spreading and more lazy living. 

 

Plenty of prostitute women are extremely lazy, greedy and spend a lot of that money as well on themselves with luxury items.  They learn to lie and deceive.  I have seen and heard it all.

 

And the internet is awash with thousands and thousands of stories of these vixens fleecing money off foreign men.  

Yes, most have a baby by a previous Thai man who has separated with them (the women will always pull the victim card).   

 

But you can want to believe the BS pity stories from the girls of being forced to come to Pattaya etc to become a prostitute.  It may fit into many guys' 'white knight', 'woke', 'blue pilled', virtue signaling 'save the poor princess' fantasy mindset narrative. 

  

 

 

[Stargeezr]

I just had a phone call from an old friend who recently arrived in Hua Hin. He says the place is dead with so many businesses

still closed,  he says that  his stay will feel different for the whole stay.   He had breakfast at a restaurant on Soi 94, and the owner says

that they had to close, then re open a few times, and she is out of money and if the business closes one more time,

She will sell and give up.   The guest house that he is staying at is not even half full, and it is a popular place for expats that

only rent their accommodations. The weather has been cool, in the low 20s, but he is enjoying that as he left -15c only

3 days ago.  He is glad that he does not drink much anymore, as the younger crowd does not look very happy.

  So I hope the lot of you can survive this Christmas and New Years as the celebration may not be very memorable.

    Good Luck

[gearbox]

2 hours ago, japanese said:

All because of a virus that causes mild cold symptoms!!!

 

Are there any stragglers out there that still think this is about virus and health, and not about power, money and control?

That's not a specific Thai phenomenon. Worldwide the politicians are now drunk with power,  will be harder and harder to get our freedoms back.

 

Australia is introducing so called "anti-trolling" legislation..

 

https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/28/22806369/australia-proposes-defamation-laws-unmask-trolls

 

I guess one soon needs to submit a passport page and driving licence when registering for a forum account ????

[NoshowJones]

2 hours ago, Mavideol said:

deja vu, he did the same last year when covid started to spread and look what happen ????????

and he said there will be no coup. This soldier posing as a PM is a serial liar who puts real politicians to shame.

[scotsdude]

19 hours ago, zzaa09 said:

Nonetheless, they'll adjust and survive. As they always have. 

The social and familial extensions are quite in tact here. 

Not as intact as your in tact....

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

14 hours ago, CartagenaWarlock said:

However indirect jobs? Street vendors, motorcycle riders, etc.

Yeah, I seriously question that 3% figure. There's the tons of indirect jobs which the working girls support. Motosais, beauty salons, clothing and accessories, better food, drinks, entertainment they could afford for themselves when working. Then there's the family support, the money they send back upcountry, which their families then stimulate their local economies with. Then most of all, there's their ongoing, long term relationships. These may be good customers, or may be one of their many boyfriends, unaware of how many other punters they got going, heh. Or one might be that lucky guy they eventually settle down with. Just where does the 3% end? At the cash handed over per ST deed? Beyond that it goes much further, and is hardly limited to farangs. On the much larger Thai side you got the karaoke bars, soapy massages, and all the mia nois. Together it makes for an integral part of this culture.