How Safe Are You - Living in Thailand?

[HK MacPhooey]

21 hours ago, MangoKorat said:

I don't want to be a scraremonger but I think its fair to say that the world is far closer to all out war than its been since the Cuban Misile Crisis of 1962.  There's conflict in the Middle East, Syria, several in Africa and many people (including myself) don't think Putin's appetite will end with Ukraine.  Then there's the tension between the US and China - in particular in relation to Taiwan. There is also a general tension between Islamist factions, if not entire nations and the West in general.

 

I'm not a fan of nuclear weapons but I think its fair to say that the deterrent they have provided has almost certainly stopped major conflicts developing until now.  I'd like to think that deterrent still exists but we have several lunatic country leaders around the world at the moment.  Russia currently holds the world's largest stockpile of nucear warheads (6257) and is controlled by a madman with, in my opinion, designs on rebuilding the Soviet Union. There is also a distinct possibility that another, very unpredictable lunatic will take charge of the holder of the world's second biggest nuclear stockpile (5550), the USA later this year.

 

I believe Putin has major aspirations and has spent a lot of time trying to align himself with various nations including Iran, North Korea and China.  I'm not so sure however, that China would support Russia in any expansionist escapades he may embark upon. One thing I think is a distinct possibility is that if Putin takes Ukraine and then moves on to attack another country, in particular a NATO member, that would most likely be the spark that ignites a major world conflict.

 

Thailand likes to ride 'two horses' but if any major conflict kicks off, its geographical position will almost certainly dictate its allegiance - China is not the same 'helpless' country it was during WW2.

 

So, given that so many members here currently live in Thailand and have made major financial and marital committments in the country, how safe do you feel in Thailand at the moment?

It could be that the very 'unpredictable lunatic' will take charge of the holder of the world's second biggest nuclear stockpile (5550), the USA later this year and pull the world back from the brink as it was nowhere near where it is today when he was last in charge

 

[spidermike007]

I think we are very safe here, safer than in most other nations around the world. Think about it, though Thailand does ally itself with China, if a major conflict were to break out Thailand is not particularly useful to anyone. It's not particularly strategic and it doesn't have enough minerals or other resources to attract the attention of nations with bad intentions.

 

Granted if things were to get really crazy then the biggest cities in Thailand are probably the last places that you want to be. But, in general, I think we're very safe here. Especially in smaller towns and rural areas. 

[Liverpool Lou]

22 hours ago, MangoKorat said:

Look around the world - I'm simply commenting on how things are.

You're commenting on how you see them...and scaremongering.

[OneMoreFarang]

3 hours ago, Dolf said:

Why is Trump a maniac? No wars for him, 2 for Biden.

 

A guy who likes golf is a maniac but a guy who likes wars is not.

It seems you have a very simplistic view.

I guess you will feel comfortable with the rest of the simplistic MAGA crowd.

 

And no, I am not a fan of Biden. He is bad. And the DEMS are bad. But still better than the alternative. 

 

[daveAustin]

Didn't read replies, but personally think Thailand is one of the safest places. Never really been threatened (bar my own d'head people) or pick pocketed. Went to Cambodia once and was pick pocketed on the very first day! I would not not lock my house in the UK, whereas it wouldn't bother me here. On world crises, we have been on the brink since not long after WWII, but for some reason continue to allow complete and utter pissants like Putin and Xi to gain power and threaten us all. It keeps happening. This is why you don't see civilisations across the galaxy. They kill themselves.

 

Post WWII, Russia and China should have been flattened and subdued like Japan and Germany were. Plans were drawn up. But I agree, without nukes (horrible though they are), we'd probably be gone already. The threat of complete annihilation has prevented us from wiping ourselves out. On Putin again, though, the other Russian powers that be think he's a bit of a wimp and if they had their way would have chucked a tactical nuke on Ukraine long ago.

[1happykamper]

Why on earth would I worry about a nuclear war? That's right up there with an asteroid impact or another deadlier pandemic. 

 

Nope. No point. The earth and all it's inhabitants will certainly end "soon". Don't worry.. be happy. Nobody gets outta here alive. 

[Liverpool Lou]

21 hours ago, Dolf said:

21 hours ago, HugoFastor said:

Since you enjoy worrying about the safety of living in Thailand, here are some more of the hazards you can start losing sleep over: crocodiles, food poisoning, snake bites, balconies with low railings, scorpions, taking a boat, the jet-skii mafia, the women, the soi dogs, taking a swim in the ocean, getting involved in any kind of business, investing in anything, driving a car, taking a night bus, riding a motorcycle, taking a minivan, dengue fever, floods, malaria, paraquat in the produce, hepatitis a/b/c, rabies, drunks, cops, taxi drivers, ambulance drivers, motorcycle taxi drivers, hi-so people in cars, hi-so people in bars, scams, air pollution, monitor lizards, two-tier pricing, mother in laws, lady boys, pick pockets, chain snatchers, phone snatchers, tuk-tuk drivers, domesticated elephants, domesticated tigers, tropical diseases, hiv, low hanging power cables, gonorrhea, low hanging roof overhangs, cancerous fluke worms, unhealthy drinking water and tuberculosis. 

 

 

Expand  

Another great post and more real than ww3.

Nah, just as much b0llocks in that post as in the OP!

[daveAustin]

12 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

I think we are very safe here, safer than in most other nations around the world. Think about it, though Thailand does ally itself with China, if a major conflict were to break out Thailand is not particularly useful to anyone. It's not particularly strategic and it doesn't have enough minerals or other resources to attract the attention of nations with bad intentions.

 

Granted if things were to get really crazy then the biggest cities in Thailand are probably the last places that you want to be. But, in general, I think we're very safe here. Especially in smaller towns and rural areas. 

100% agree.

[NoshowJones]

22 hours ago, Dolf said:

I'd say no. Not even close. Thailand is friends with China, USA, Russia. Probably the safest country to be in. Got the 3 big guys onside.

I think Thailand is more of a laughing stock in the world and the other main countries are not interested. As for it being the safest country in that regard, Thais are the last people I would want at my back in a war due to the cowardly attitude of the men. I think you all know what I mean.

[NoshowJones]

21 hours ago, zhounan said:

Wait a moment and make yourself this question: 

 

Surely we are not the ones who have been devastating the world for over two centuries, but we always blame others (Milosevic, Saddam, Gheddafi, Assad, Putin just mentioning the latest of a long list)?

 

You missed out the UK's Blair.

[Freddy42OZ]

22 hours ago, MangoKorat said:

I don't want to be a scraremonger but I think its fair to say that the world is far closer to all out war than its been since the Cuban Misile Crisis of 1962.  There's conflict in the Middle East, Syria, several in Africa and many people (including myself) don't think Putin's appetite will end with Ukraine.  Then there's the tension between the US and China - in particular in relation to Taiwan. There is also a general tension between Islamist factions, if not entire nations and the West in general.

 

I'm not a fan of nuclear weapons but I think its fair to say that the deterrent they have provided has almost certainly stopped major conflicts developing until now.  I'd like to think that deterrent still exists but we have several lunatic country leaders around the world at the moment.  Russia currently holds the world's largest stockpile of nucear warheads (6257) and is controlled by a madman with, in my opinion, designs on rebuilding the Soviet Union. There is also a distinct possibility that another, very unpredictable lunatic will take charge of the holder of the world's second biggest nuclear stockpile (5550), the USA later this year.

 

I believe Putin has major aspirations and has spent a lot of time trying to align himself with various nations including Iran, North Korea and China.  I'm not so sure however, that China would support Russia in any expansionist escapades he may embark upon. One thing I think is a distinct possibility is that if Putin takes Ukraine and then moves on to attack another country, in particular a NATO member, that would most likely be the spark that ignites a major world conflict.

 

Thailand likes to ride 'two horses' but if any major conflict kicks off, its geographical position will almost certainly dictate its allegiance - China is not the same 'helpless' country it was during WW2.

 

So, given that so many members here currently live in Thailand and have made major financial and marital committments in the country, how safe do you feel in Thailand at the moment?

 

 

I don't believe any large nation will ever use nukes.  They all know the outcome if they do.  

The biggest risk is not Russia or China, it's our own people, or rather the less well educated, less privileged ones who don't understand the bigger picture when it comes to the economics of their city, let alone their country or the World.   

There is a major movie coming out later this year about a Civil War breaking out in the US, and although its just a movie, I would not be at all surprised if within the next 5-10 years something like this happens.  

If Trump gets in this time round his supporters are going to wake up in 4 more years and realise their lives have not improved, in fact they'll likely be much worse. 


The other threat to most of us is AI, Robotics and self driving vehicles.    Huge numbers of job are going to be lost and whilst some new jobs will be created they'll be filled by some of the existing top level tech talent, leaving very little opportunity for new graduates or out of work people.   Take this recent news that an 800 million dollar movie studio project has been "put on indefinite hold" because AI Video will eat that business - https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/tyler-perry-cancels-800-million-dollar-expansion-due-to-openai-sora-1234956364/  

If I had kids or still had more than 5 years of employment ahead of me I would be very very worried. 

 

  

Whislt 

[Keep Right]

17 hours ago, Hummin said:

Does it even deserve an reply? 

There is nothing more to say I guess. Once you have this derangement, its only a matter of time before you become insane. 

[chuang]

Don't worry be happy.. eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you may die...

I think most are worry about their next visa extension than a nuclear winter...

[Hummin]

15 minutes ago, Keep Right said:

There is nothing more to say I guess. Once you have this derangement, its only a matter of time before you become insane. 

So Im the one who got derangement syndrome? 

 

Well younguys deserve everything coming yiur way, when Trump is the answer to all your problems, and the world problems. Christ sake delusional 

[Kimshaka]

I chose to live here due to the political climate and knowing that if there was ever a nuclear war Thailand would be one of the last places hit.  I feel safe.  I did figure out if we have not electricity I will not last long.  

[Surasak]

IF Putin does kick off, no matter where you are life will never be the same, IF life continues. The real point being, Just what the hell can any of us do? However, I do believe I am better off where I am initially, but then than may mean a slow death from the fall out, so which do you prefer???

[MangoKorat]

10 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Is that your only criteria if someone is a maniac?

Listening to any of this speeches for a couple of minutes should be enough. 

 

Agreed, which is why I didn't reply to the poster you quote. Anybody with half a brain who listens to Trump's ramblings and ideas would know the man's unhinged.  What to some extent worries me but mostly baffles me is quite how a loony gets 74 million votes.  I worry about what that says about 74 million Americans.

 

Some of the comments he's made and crazy things he's done or tried to do include:

 

(At the beginning of the pandemic, not exact but something like) "It won't be so bad, I guess the total deaths will be 50, 60. 70 thousand, certainly no more than 100,000".  The total number of Covid deaths in the USA according to Worldometers to date is: 1,199,436.

 

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

 

We then have the now famous claim that a type of disinfectant "which knocks it out in one minute" - it being covid. Trump was suggesting that people drink disinfectatnt to cure Covid.

 

(On Climate Change) He has called climate change "mythical", "nonexistent", or "an expensive hoax" Then later when the penny finally dropped, not that climate change is very real, but that denying it was costing him votes his thinking changed to "its a serious subject" that is "very important to me".

 

Strangely (or maybe not so strange for Trump) his comments on Climate Change have varied back and forth, its not a subject where he, for example, firstly didn't believe in it but then was convinced otherwise by the science - he's been all over the place on it.

 

In 2009 he signed a full page advert in the New York Times that stated, 'If we fail to act now, it is scientifically irrefutable that there will be catastrophic and irreversible consequences for humanity and our planet'.

 

By 2012 he was stating that Climate Change was "created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing non-competitive"  - only when he received severe criticism on that statement did he claim he'd been joking.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-51213003

 

I would also suggest that people check out his Twitter posts throughout his presidency where, during periods of cold weather, he often stated that the cold weather disproves climate change.

 

I could go on but if the USA was my home country, I'd like to think that I had someone in charge that at least had a partially working brain.  Trumps wild statements over the years must have been a nightmare for his PR team who must have spent much of their time firefighting or on damage limitation - mainly as a result of his late night posts.

 

Anyone thinking of voting for Trump again should maybe watch the video below, I particularly like his comments that he should have been a doctor 😁😁😁.

 

 

[khunPer]

23 hours ago, MangoKorat said:

So, given that so many members here currently live in Thailand and have made major financial and marital committments in the country, how safe do you feel in Thailand at the moment?

I feel safe...

[Expat68]

I personally think we are as safe as anywhere in the world if not safer

[Dolf]

48 minutes ago, Hummin said:

So Im the one who got derangement syndrome? 

 

Well younguys deserve everything coming yiur way, when Trump is the answer to all your problems, and the world problems. Christ sake delusional 

Politicians don't answer many problems at all.

[Kinok Farang]

If i could get all my kids and grandkids here with me i would be a happy man.

With the cowardly politicians and police forces in the UK it can only get worse until we either face up to the Muslims or capitulate altogether.Both ways could end in a bloodbath.

[MangoKorat]

50 minutes ago, Surasak said:

IF Putin does kick off, no matter where you are life will never be the same, IF life continues. The real point being, Just what the hell can any of us do? However, I do believe I am better off where I am initially, but then than may mean a slow death from the fall out, so which do you prefer???

I used to think the same - especially as in the UK I live about 3 miles from a US base.  However, after seeing the performance of Russia's conventional weapons and equipment in the Ukraine conflict, I'm not so sure now - although I accept it won't be good.

 

There's been a lot of talk recently on how Ukraine might be losing the war at the moment - considering what they are up against, or more correctly, the might of what their opponents are supposed to have, they should have lost long ago.  Quite frankly, their performance so far has been amazing.

 

'Global Firepower’s 2024 Military Strength Rankings evaluated 145 countries, assessing them based on their military capabilities.

 

The US ranked first out of the 145 countries analysed, followed by Russia in second position and China in third. The US scored 0.0699 (the lower the better), with Russia following a close lead with 0.0702 and China at 0.0706, it said.'

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/worlds-most-powerful-militaries-us-russia-china-b2480033.html

[Red Forever]

22 hours ago, Dolf said:

How has climate ruined the world? More crops today than 50 years ago by far. More food.

There are more crops today than 50 years ago because the world population has more than doubled in that time. Duh.

[Dolf]

6 minutes ago, Red Forever said:

There are more crops today than 50 years ago because the world population has more than doubled in that time. Duh.

And the land is more developed with less poverty duh

[MangoKorat]

We, including myself are heading right off topic here.

 

The sentiment of my original post is also being taken way out of context.  By 'safe' I was not refering to any threat from direct attack or nuclear fallout. What I am refering to is that the world is currently in a bigger state of turmoil than its been for a long time. Groups of allies are starting to emerge and China, unlike its position in WW2, is now a superpower. China, North Korea, Iran and Russia are clear allies with others likely to join that group.

 

Whereas Thailand in previous conflicts has previously tried to 'ride the winning horse' the likelihood is, that if a major conflict did kick off, Thailand would align with China.  Where would that leave any expats living in Thailand?  Would they be allowed to stay? Be locked up or deported?  If such a thing happened what would happen to any assets you own in Thailand.

 

People can say I'm scaremongering, a doomsday phrophet or whatever but the world's military experts agree that we are facing a very dangerous period.  The UK's expert's views are here:

 

https://news.sky.com/story/are-we-heading-for-world-war-three-experts-weigh-up-whether-russia-china-and-the-middle-east-could-lead-us-into-apocalyptic-conflict-13056131

 

Quote from Dr David Wearing, lecturer in international relations at the University of Sussex

 

"The danger here is not that one side takes the pre-meditated decision to spark the apocalypse, but rather that a conflict or area of tension escalates to a certain point, one party makes a move that another party misinterprets, and then a nuclear exchange begins despite the fact that no-one was looking for one.

"We should take that risk very seriously, especially over Ukraine and Taiwan"

[BE88]

On 2/25/2024 at 3:53 PM, KhunLA said:

I think the opposite, and the war mongering is all BS.   The countries, ALL, are too intertwined economically, trade wise to ever have an all out war.   Just not economical.   The little proxy wars provide more than enough stolen tax money from y'all to satisfy the puppeteers.

 

MSM keeps you scared enough, so that you don't question your gov't.   Along with letting you know the dire consequences when you do.

 

If the big one ever did happen, I really can't think of a better place to be, than where I am right now.   Almost self sufficient, and could have a bore hole dug, or just desalinate seawater if rain water wasn't enough.  Prepped & ready 

 

Those living rural, no worries.   Those in the metros, good luck surviving the first week or 2 

I agree with your BS. Russia sends millions of cubic meters of gas to Europe via Ukraine, but weren't they at war?

 

Why should China wage war on the US or Europe which are the countries where it imports the most hard currency and drives its economy.

 

Why should the US wage war on China which provides it with all the goods it needs at a good price.

 

All the military companies in the West are now doing a roaring trade with profits in the billions. Of course someone will have to pay for all this and therefore you good citizens will pay more taxes because we want to protect you.

 

With a financial system almost collapsing naturally more taxes will be asked and even perhaps raiding your bank accounts but all for good, to save you from your fear of the atomic bomb that could come your way if you don't pay your new taxes.

 

But if I were to be wrong and a nuclear missile was launched by mistake since they are about to use AI and cause atomic war, at least here we could survive by eating only the fruit of the trees like today's monkeys..😁

😁

[MangoKorat]

6 minutes ago, Dolf said:

And the land is more developed with less poverty duh

You're taking us into an entirely different area but the real reason that more crops are being grown than there were 50 years ago is because demand has increased.  That demand has resulted in the use of fertilizers and pesticides that are contributing to the destruction of the eco-system.  Climate change and destruction of the eco system are entirely man made phenomena.

 

You don't have to be be Einstein to understand that you can't take out, more than you put in - not without consequences. Nor do you have to be a scientist to realise that the smoke and fumes we have bellowed out into the atmosphere, particularly since 1750 has not been a good thing.

 

And humans are the most intelligent species?

[MangoKorat]

2 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

You're commenting on how you see them...and scaremongering.

That is untrue.  Take a look at what the world's experts think of the current situation. Scaremongering was a term used quite often in the run up to WW2.

[MangoKorat]

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I think we are very safe here, safer than in most other nations around the world. Think about it, though Thailand does ally itself with China, if a major conflict were to break out Thailand is not particularly useful to anyone. It's not particularly strategic and it doesn't have enough minerals or other resources to attract the attention of nations with bad intentions.

 

Granted if things were to get really crazy then the biggest cities in Thailand are probably the last places that you want to be. But, in general, I think we're very safe here. Especially in smaller towns and rural areas. 

Thank you for a very straight and honest answer - all that was asked for and all that was needed.

[Stevemercer]

Thailand won't be attacked in the event of a world war. However, it will be dominated by China and may become increasingly subservient. Sooner or late China will come after any foreigners living in Thailand, particularly those nationalities seen as enemies. China would expect Thai authorities to round up such individuals and hand them over for 'safe keeping'. Thailand will oblige and may even 'nationalise' any assets for the benefit of the nation (read those in charge).