[Recommendations for a Urologist in CM please.]

12 hours ago, elektrified said:

There are many posted experiences with Dr. Supon as he has been in practice for many, many years. He is a close colleague of Ajarn Bannakit, who is my urologist. Dr. Supon practices at several locations.

 

Having said that, I don't recommend him for routine visits or clinical procedures (prostate, UTI, biopsies, etc.) as he does not have the best bedside manner and does not like to answer questions, give prognosis or feedback. For specialized surgery like the robot - I would think he is competent and certainly experienced.

 

I can only judge from my own experience, which l am highly satisfied with.

i have yet to meet a surgeon with a decent bedside manner, of any nationality.

For me competency trumps anything else and l did not find Ajan's bedside manner objectionable in anyway.

As to answering questions, l bombarded him with many over several consultations and post surgery which were answered to my satisfaction.

His prognosis was also very clear and accurate as it turns out.

 

Cheers. E

 

[Recommendations for a Urologist in CM please.]

To resurrect this thread...

 

I too was in need of a Urologist in Chiang Mai at the end of 2019 for a diagnosed benign kidney tumor (angiomyolipoma 7cmx4cm)

 

My internet searches brought up Ajan Bannakit who no longer practices but I managed to track him down at his evening clinic. After examining my ultrasound results he confirmed the tumor had to be removed and recommended Ajan Supon at Chiang Mai Ram.

 

There do not appear to be any posted experiences on Thai Visa with Ajan Supon  other than him being listed as one of the Urologists at Chiang Mai Ram (he also practices at Sriphat Hospital but only once a week).

 

I met him at Ram Hospital and he appeared to be confident and clear about what my options were and the best surgery to deal with my case. I obtained two more opinions one from a top hospital in Bangkok and the third from a private NHS surgeon in UK.

Of the three opinions I had the most confidence in Ajan Supon’s recommendation of robotic keyhole surgery at Sriphat Hospital where they have the DaVinci robot machine.

 

I had the surgery done on 11^th January and was back home two days later with very little discomfort and only antibiotic medication. Dr Supon managed to save my kidney and remove all of the tumor.   The aftercare from Dr Supon was excellent as was the nursing care at Sriphat Hospital.

 

I have now had a follow up scan one month later, wounds all healing nicely both internally and externally and no on-going medication or life restrictions required.

 

A great result and I highly recommend Ajan Supon.

 

I hope this post is helpful for those following in my footsteps.

E

 

[Japan's chartered flight ban from Thailand is hurting tourism business]

I learned to fly here in Thailand and operate a small light aircaft on a private basis. I have had interactions with the Thai DCA at numerous levels over the years, and frankly I think they have been doing a reasonable job under very difficult circumstances. They are the symptom, not the cause of a much wider statutory problem manifested by the Thai Air Navigation Act, which is in serious need of reform.

My understanding is that the bulk of the recent ICAO criticism was over low manning levels, hampering the Thai DCA from executing proper oversight. Given the rapid expansion of all the airlines in the region, it is no wonder a lot of senior DCA officials are being poached. Malaysia had similar issues several years ago with the insatiable growth of Airasia.

I also think that punishing the airlines based on the principle of tainted fruit from the poisoned tree is lamentable. The majority of the bigger Thai airlines are well run, and have to conform to oversight from many external agencies, not just the Thai DCA.

Without root and branch reform of the Thai Air Law that governs, and limits the power of the Thai DCA, there will be little tangible improvement possible.

[Thailand not ready for AEC, finance minister tells seminar]

I have recently been undertaking consultancy work in Singapore in an unrelated field, but I took several opportunities to ask senior managers and executives how they were gearing up for AEC.

Several had no idea what I was talking about, and the majority of the others told me that Singapore is the worst for protectionist policies starting with immigration, and that they believed the government there are just playing lip service to the idea, but had no genuine intentions of seriously implementing it.

There has been no media campaign there to my knowledge either. My impression is that it will not actually make that much difference to the status quo in any of the participating countries.

[Dead Bruda whale washed ashore in Samut Prakan]

Are the brydes whales the only species you see?

-*I typed this myself*-

For whales, Bryde's are the only ones we have spotted in the Gulf. There is other marine life like Dolphins, Whale Sharks and Dugongs as well.

[Dead Bruda whale washed ashore in Samut Prakan]

I am involved in aerial surveys of these magnificent creatures every year off Samut Sakhon for the Marine Coastal Resources Dept. This whale was indeed a ten year old Brydes whale, not yet fully mature, we see adults up to 15 meters.

It died about 12 days ago, we now know from drowning, and there is evidence of bruising on the body which happened before it drowned. The carcass was trapped for some time offshore inside a muscle farm until a high tide washed it onshore last Sunday.

The population peeks between -August and December when the whales, most often mother with calves come to feed on the local anchovy shoals.

Given the congestion in the Gulf of Thailand, and intensive farming, it is unbelievable that these whales can co-exist there, and to be honest, I am surprised that there are not more casualties.

Some more details and pictures here, for those interested.

http://www.theflyingscouts.com/FSBrydeWhale.htm

We will be back out surveying next month.

[Floating lanterns a threat to aviation in Northern Thailand]

The regular lanterns are less of a threat to larger aircraft, than a bird strike, but as a pilot of small aircraft I am very wary flying during this period, not so much because of these smaller normal lanterns, but due to the much larger ones launched during the day from the temples. These are more like blimp barrage balloons often several meters in diameter and sturdier by far. Getting tangled with one of these close to the ground would be interesting to say the least.

http://www.demotix.com/photo/bulkuploadphoto-56189

Also agreed the Issan rockets pose a greater threat and no way to avoid them.

[Thai plane slips off runway, no injuries]

If the aircraft involved was a SAAB 340B, it is operated by Nok Mini, formerly Siam General Aviation (SGA), a completely separate legal entity to Nok Air, but using their branding.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nok_Mini

[Don Mueang Airport Ready To Open For Service On Oct 1]

I frequently operate a light aircraft from Don Muang, and have done so for the past 5 years on and off.

The standard of the runways, 21 Left and 21 Right has been and continues to be excellent.

Runway 21 Left was the most affected by the flooding last year, since it was partialy underwater for several weeks. The crown of Runway 21 Right remained mostly dry during the worst of the flooding, and was used immediately after the airport reopened, whilst Runway 21 Left was completely resurfaced.

The process was reversed earlier this year, and Runway 21 Right has now been completely resurfaced.

Both runways are now fully operational, and I have no hesitation operating out of this airport.

The physical orientation of the runways, and the location of the airport itself is very good. 80% of the time the prevailing winds are straight down the runway, which is ideal. Whoever conceived of its location was very perceptive, whether by design or accident.

In terms of flying in and out of Don Muang from a technical perspective, it is a non issue.

[Car Rental Loei]

Thanks for the reply.

So far all the hotels tell me self drive is not allowed in Loei.

I don't mind private car hire if necessary. Do you have any contact details of the person you rented the car from?

Cheers. Ed

[Car Rental Loei]

Hi,

Anyone know any local car rental in Loei?

Pick up/ drop off would be at the airport next week.

Cheers. Ed

[Does Anyone Know What Has Happened To Nigel Kelsy, The Physio On Pattaya Tai 16?]

I managed to get in touch with Nigel again on his normal mobile number.

He is back at his office on Tai 16 after an overseas trip, hence the lack of contact.

Normal service resumed. thank goodness.

Ed

[Does Anyone Know What Has Happened To Nigel Kelsy, The Physio On Pattaya Tai 16?]

Does anyone know what has happened to Nigel Kelsy, the physio on Pattaya Tai 16?

He sorted me out very well last year, and I urgently need some treatment again, but his mobile is off, and his office boarded up.

I hope he is still practising somewhere.

Thanks. Ed

[Accupuncture For Lower Backpain]

Does anyone know what has happened to Nigel Kelsy, the physio on Pattaya Tai 16?

He sorted me out very well last year, and I urgently need some treatment again, but his mobile is off, and his office boarded up.

I hope he is still practising somewhere.

Thanks. Ed

[Looking For A Hawk/falcon Handler In Chiang Mai]

No falconers that i know of in CM, but you could always try one of these...

Many thanks for the replies. The R/C option certainly looks interesting.

E

[Looking For A Hawk/falcon Handler In Chiang Mai]

Hello,

I am looking to engage a Hawk or Falcon handler to fly his bird around a large condominium located in Chiang Mai on a regular basis to help with a Pigeon infestation problem.

We have tried all the usual techniques ; netting, scaring etc, but the problem is that many of the building units are unoccupied and therefore the pigeons have easy roosting locations we cannot get to.

If anyone knows of such a person in or around the Chiang Mai area, I’d appreciate any contact details or a location to best find them.

Thanks

Ed

[Looking For A Hawk/falcon Handler In Chiang Mai]

Hello,

I am looking to engage a Hawk or Falcon handler to fly his bird around a large condominium located in Chiang Mai on a regular basis to help with a Pigeon infestation problem.

We have tried all the usual techniques ; netting, scaring etc, but the problem is that many of the building units are unoccupied and therefore the pigeons have easy roosting locations we cannot get to.

If anyone knows of such a person in or around the Chiang Mai area, I’d appreciate getting their contact details, or a location to find them.

Thanks

Ed

[Thai Wife International Driving Permit]

Hi Guys

The dragon is coming back to Oz with me for a while and wants to drive around scaring the natives!

Where do we get her an international permit? Of course she does have a valid Thai licence, obtained after many years of highly skilled advanced training and many more months of dedicated study of the rules(of course being Thai she condensed it down to nearly a week in total). I have done a search and can find references to Farangs driving in Thailand with one but not vice versa.

Any help appreciated.

Rana

If you're in BKK the land transport office at Mo Chit (same place as you get your licence) issue IDPs to Thai licence holders. Possibly other locations do too.

Hi, does anyone know the criteria for a Thai to obtain an IDL. My partner now has a 5 year Thai license but has only passed the test as of 2 years ago. I had heard a license had to be held for 3 years + before an IDL was issued.

Is this correct?

Thanks