[Thailand reports huge surge in COVID-19 cases, 1 more death]

And now the unpleasant facts from Covid in Europe:

- ICU's got loaded to full capacity even despite lockdown. Never seen before.

- Excess mortality the highest since WO2

- currently 50% of all ICU Covid patients are under 48 years old (example from Belgium)

- 1 out of 10 survivirs has lasting symptoms and/or reduced lung capacity or neurological damage, lasting fatigue etc...

 

So there is more than just " survival"  Those coming out of COVID related coma and ventilation will likely never fully recover.  Even young people with mild symptoms turn out to have damage and lasting negative effects by an approx 10% ratio. 

 

If you want to take your chance, go ahead, and let us know if you were amongst the lucky ones or not.

[Bangkok pollution is so bad, Public Health Ministry advises people to work from home]

8 hours ago, keith101 said:

Might i suggest it has more to do with farmers burning rather than vehicle emissions although the amount of cars etc in Bangkok is horendous .

 

It has certainly to do with traffic. 

Have you seen the black smoke from the diesel pickups, trucks, busses?

One Thai dieselcar emits as much as a thousand Euro6 diesels.

 

The emission norms are part of the problem. The government could just implement the Euro6 norm for new engines, and for Euro6 fuel as well.  But this is planned for 2029 only. 

 

And thats for new cars only ... before the old ones get replaced you are looking at 2049 then.  Brace for another 30 years of smog.

 

 

[Leading doctor says Thailand shouldn’t open to tourists for another six months]

Fully opening up for tourists or keeping the place hermetically closed wont make a difference.
Tourists wont be coming over either way. (at least not in the numbers needed to make break even or better)

[PM warns protesters of COVID-19 danger after report of a locally-acquired case]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

The reported new case is a Thai who returned home after completing the mandatory 14-day state quarantine and subsequently tested positive for the virus.

"Locally infected" is just a convenient assumption for which there is no evidence.

 

Not only that, it is also rather unlikely if you look at the specifics here.

 

As a returnee it is possible his infection was not detected, tested false negative (that does happen) OR he could be among the 1% where incubation is longer than 14 days.  Those are two potential scenarios much more likely than local infection.

 

If there were local infections many more people would show up sick, than just this returnee.

[The lockdown should be over now !]

On 5/30/2020 at 4:27 AM, Matzzon said:

So, nothing more than a normal flu, like I and many here said from start.

 

Your statement is correct for Thailand at this very moment.  In the winter months we will see how it evolves.

In Europe the highest excess mortality since the second world war is noted due to covid. The worst flu crisis in the last 50 years did not come close to today's numbers.
Not only in Italy but in Belgium as well, bodies were kept in cooling containers as mortuaria were out of capacity to store bodies before burial. Never happened before. Not "just a flu".

 

On 5/30/2020 at 6:25 AM, at15 said:

never should have been a lockdown in the first place anywhere on earth

 

Several western countries had their ICU's almost overwhelmed - and some (like Italy) did. This has not occurred before, the lockdown measures were taken to slow down the spread as to be able to provide care to the very sick.

[Chlorine is not a cure all - Thai academic adds fuel to Covid-19 and swimming debate]

9 hours ago, anterian said:

I do wonder if Thai academics are really this stupid or is it the way the media reports their comments that make them seem so. 

Both.

 

If this "swimming pools are dangerous" rethoric would be based on reality, swimmers would have a statistically significant higher incidence of hepatitis A, enterovirus, adenovirus and norovirus. Which is not the case as there are zero epidemiologic reports confirming this. And there are plenty of swimming pools, plenty of people who do swim, and plenty who do not swim, so any correlation would be pretty obvious.

 

[Covid-19: Thailand's outbreak will be all over by June - world must wait till November]

Every major pandemic comes in multiple waves. The second wave typically being more deadly as the first. Why would this pandemic be different? There is no reason to believe this pandemic will behave very different. Second, there is a clear seasonal aspect. Just like the flu and other corona virusses, they thrive in the winter. And so did Covid. And next winter it will thrive again, it is only logic.

 

My 5 cent: expect a second wave from around December. And expect it to be much worse as this one, as meanwhile the virus is widespread, latently present and ready to explode once winter conditions set in.

[Thailand announces 109 new COVID-19 cases, total cases now 1,245]

4 hours ago, Dogmatix said:

The numbers of new cases staying around the 100 mark seem suspiciously low. If they are suppressing much higher numbers, the truth will out in the end because hospitals, particularly in regions like Isaan that have pitiful numbers of beds and doctors per 10,000 population will be overwhelmed with pneumonia patients. 

Exactly!  The correct metric is not the number of positive tests (which higly depend on how much they test), but the number of occupied ICU beds. That is the strongest indicator of the scale of the epidemic.

But you have to keep in mind that those numbers display the situation 3 weeks ago. First there is the incubation period, then the part where people have mild symptoms, only later it gets critical. When they get moved to ICU, put on a ventialtor, they have been infected typically 2 to 3 weeks earlier.  But counting those cases give you the closest you can get to real numbers.

[What it's like to get COVID-19 test in Bangkok]

37,3 degrees Celcius body temperature is not fever at all. Its normal. Body temperature goes go up and down slightly, typically fluctuating between 36.5 to 37.4 during a day. 

 

Only when you record 37.7 or higher you can say you have elevated temperature or fever.

[New coronavirus infection in Thailand takes tally to 42]

33 minutes ago, Lodestone said:

For 80% IT IS "just the flu," or even less:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/27/world/asia/coronavirus-treament-recovery.html

Correct, so for the remaining 20% it is a serious problem. Do the math.

 

40 to 70% of the world population is expected to get infected (estimate by Dr Marc Lipsitch, one of the world's most respected epidemiologists).

[New coronavirus infection in Thailand takes tally to 42]

 

1 hour ago, 4MyEgo said:

I give it a month and everything will be almost back to normal, the panic served it's purpose and the rich just became richer, make of that what you will.

 

Yes fear creates panic, but what is the panic about, nothing more than another strain of influenza which kills 500,000 plus people a year worldwide, but we don't hear of that, do we.

 

If your old, 80+ and have a weak immune system, or have a pre-existing respiratory condition or diabetes, I would be worried to go out until a vaccination is made, as for the rest of us, soldier on as tomorrow you could get bitten with a mosquito and get Malaria which kills around a million, yes a million people a year, or if you get influenza it kills 500,000 + a year, road deaths 1.25 million a year. Now do you feel better ? 

 

We had climatechange deniers, and now also pandemic/Covid19 seriousness deniers. Difference is that the truth (and consequences) on Covid19 will be out very soon.

 

Compared to the seasonal flu, SARS-CoV-2 (1) spreads faster; (2) kills far more; (3) is harder to control; (4) requires use of far more medical resources; (5) for far longer a period of time; (6) has no effective treatment; and (7) can infect entire populations (no herd immunity).

These factors mean that SARS-CoV-2, if left unchecked, is far more likely to overwhelm a country's medical infrastructure. Additionally, when medical infrastructure is overwhelmed, the mortality will skyrocket because we know that 20% of cases require medical intervention.

It doesn't take a genius to piece it all together. This virus is devastating if containment measures fail. Far far worse than the seasonal flu.

[Thai protesters demand action as air pollution clouds Bangkok]

The Euro6 norm forces engines to spew out about 100x less PM2.5 compared to the current Euro4 norm (new cars) sold in Thailand.  The government has planned implementation of the Euro6 norm for 2029 (in Europe implemented 2016).

 

Many cars on the road are pre Euro1 : 1 single old diesel car will pollute as much as or more than 1000 new euro6 standard cars.

Al busses, trucks and cars should be phased out for new clean engines through a subsidy program. It's that simple.

This, combined with enforcing the ban on burning fields and garbage and the air will be fresh and healthy.

[Thai culture that are different from western culture]

>I thought it is better to warn all westerners who are newbies in Thailand. 

I thought it is better to warn you that you have a huge grammar mistake in your title.

Everybody makes spelling mistakes, but at least in the title you could do a little effort to get that right, especially if you are writing a post where you pretend to be "Mr I know everything better". Thai culture are?

 

>1. Do not cross Zebra crossing when there is a car coming, they won't stop for you. Wait for cars to pass first before crossing.

 

Also a bit BS, there are definitely cars that stop, the ones that will not stop you can detect in advance, use common sense. Similar to in Europe (although in different numbers), some cars do not stop, I would not advise Thai tourists visiting western countries to "jump in front of a car at the crossing, they all stop".

 

>2. Do not disrespect the Buddha statues or the temples by wearing indecent clothing such as shorts or revealing dresses.

 

You mean: bow down to the ultra conservatives that totally exaggerate? There is nothing wrong with shorts in a temple, it is absolutely no disrespect and many of the Thai people think likewise. Obviously you dont have to go in bathing suit, again, use common sense. It's hot, shorts and flip flops are just fine. In 20 years never got any complaints. Just because there is a vocal group of medieval religious extremists does not mean we have to comply.  If you look at the facts, ironically the dress code these ultra conservative zealots try to push on you, is very unbuddhistic. In the old days women didn't even wear tops. The whole cover-up dress code thing is nothing more than a Victorian import, pure farang influence. It was introduced by the British, exported globally in colonial times, and adopted by wanna-be-developped nations all over.

 

>3. Don't write graffiti on public property. It will land you in trouble with the police.

Great tip... you can add a few like "do not put public property on fire"... do not pillage ...  do not steal... do not kill...

 

>4. Thailand is not the land of 'smiles' as painted in western media. The immigration and government can be quite strict and rude. Don't raise your voice with them like you do in western countries.

 

Until now I am really surprised with every point. Here again ... you pretend its normal to raise your voice to immigration and government in people's home country?  Its something you should not do anywhere.

 

>5. Don't point your feet at someone or touch someone's head.

Who on earth points feet to show things? Who does that? Do you feel the urge to go around pointing at things with your feet? Not only is it weird, it is also very unpractical.

We can add countless similar scenario's "do not point with your elbow". Do not point with your head. Do not touch people's ears, mouth. etc...

 

Sorry I just had to react as I found it the worst and most paternalistic stereotypical "good advice" posted in recent times.

[Do I need an ED visa if married?]

15 hours ago, SteveK said:

The problem I have now is that I can already speak quite a bit and read Thai also, I don't want to be lumped in with people who don't know their kaw kai from their gaw gai. If I travel down, get myself an apartment and turn up to this kind of class it will be a huge waste of money for me. Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

Just telling you my personal experience: I studied Thai at UTL language school, and was really satisfied. Tried a few other schools first, before I got to this one. They have many levels, and assess you when you enroll, put you in the level that is right for you.  Monday to Friday courses, you could pick morning or afternoon and per module (=level) it would take 1 month (20 lessons). When I went there many Koreans and Japanese students were enrolled, which was cool, got me some friends from that part of the world as well.  I studied there for 6 months, that got me fluid in Thai, including reading and writing.

 

I had tried private tuition before that - but that did not work for me. In a class is much better, you get challenged by your peers, it is not boring either unlike private tuition.

 

My five cents is that you should go try a free lesson in a handfull of language schools, and you will quickly see which one is best for you. Definetely worth taking courses, you learn so much in a short period when in the right class/school...

 

[Overstay of 110 days; whats the easiest way out]

1 hour ago, Get Real said:

That was the worst advice in the history of mankind. Please, never ever be close to me in the case that I will need any advice ever och whatever it might concern.

Why do you advice a person in need of help, to continue breaking the laws in the country he stays? You should feel ashamed.

Why does it have to be a taboo? While not a wise option, It is a fact that many people will actually consider this,  calculate their risks,  pro and con, make assumptions,  and decide.  This is a reality. It is what gets the overstayers to be in this situation in the first place.  So I think we should not ridicule people who voice this kind of suggestion,  but rather debate with them. 

[Is "Farang" Derogatory?]

22 minutes ago, KiChakayan said:

As far as I am concerned it is derogatory, and I make it clear that I don't like to hear it, by stating that I am a "person". Using specific term to designate any group of people is the foundation of discrimination. I see it here on an hourly basis. When I point out the unease of some people when I have to deal with them, my wife says "Teerag, they are just shy". So? they shouldn't be.

So you can never refer to a group of people because "it is derogatory"?

If you'd say some indigenous group is against the building of a dam, or against drilling for oil in their area, what would you say? "Persons" disapprove?

We cannot refer to groups based on geography, ethnicity, affiliation, etc?

[Is "Farang" Derogatory?]

23 minutes ago, starky said:

Well it's not really about whether it bothers you or not the question is, is it derogatory? 

No, the term itself is totally not derogatory.. Just names a group of people. Just like Thai. Or Europeans. Or Eskimos. Or Asians.

 

I feel sorry for those who have a hard time coping with being labeled farang... Must be difficult for them to hear it daily .

 

I don't think bad of it, actually refer to myself as farang in certain situations dealing with Thai.

[Cleared 4 year overstay this month. Returned without problems.]

Not deliberately trying to provoke but quite simply the OP should not have been allowed back in the country. Forget crackdown deadlines its totally out of order. Should have been charged daily for the entire 4 years and he many not have been so glib about it......

"Should have not been allowed back" ? Based on your personal opinion, which obviously differs from the actual situation in the field since you don't call the shots - but immigration does. The OP came back without problems and is now staying "legally" in the country :-)

OP is devoid of all responsibility. He lived here for 4 years knowing he could be arrested and deported at any time leaving all of his Thai life behind. No sense of loyalty to friends, lovers or work colleagues, as they could/would have all been discarded in an instant, or worse, burdened with his criminality. Pretty unsavoury one might say. On the other hand he might be a complete loner who had no one else in his life whatsoever for 4 years.

Thats just an opinion. The OP made concious choices, weighing one risk over another. Imagine doing 4 years of border runs each month. 100% legit during those four past years, no risk for landing in the IDC BUT many others (beside the hassle and cost). For example risking your life each month 2x6 hours in a minivan speeding to and from the border, 48 times in 4 years - how "responsible" is that? Risking your life to be ok with "the law". From death one does not return, from IDC you usually do.

[Teachers told not to panic about visa and work permit crackdown]

"Dont panic teachers!"

There is a solution to everything. Just make sure you get your tea money ready ;-)

[How to delete LINE "stickers" of stalker girl on my pictures]

Go back to your country of origin, get some education and come back brainy. Or maybe just change your medication. You can't be serious...

Regarding your suggestion to "get some education", keep in mind that its not because in your country LINE is be a part of the education curriculum, that this is the case in the OP's country.

Since you have that much of an education (PhD in LINE related studies?) you could maybe enlighten us with the answer to the question..

I do have a PhD in psychopathology. The answer is as easy as making Somtham Lao. Don't marry a woman from a bar, then try to get rid off her.

And it was already answered by a poster here:

Your Uni girl can not see the timeline from your bargirl.

You can block the bargirl, so she can not post comments in your timeline.

But the pictures you can not get out from her timeline.

What your bargirl post in her timeline, is up to her.

Delete your profil and open a new one.

Be carefull to give out fotos to crazy bargirls!

Why wasting time for such a question anyways?

To answer your question, I don't think its a waste of time. To me its a perfect legitimate question. If you have the LINE application + you have friends on "LINE" you can indeed have a situation where people "alter" the reputation of your online profile by publicly affiliating with you and/or posting weird stuff showing up on your timeline. Good to know what can be done about it.

You don't have to marry a bargirl and then try to get rid of her to be confronted with such problem.

[How to delete LINE "stickers" of stalker girl on my pictures]

Go back to your country of origin, get some education and come back brainy. Or maybe just change your medication. You can't be serious...

Regarding your suggestion to "get some education", keep in mind that its not because in your country LINE is be a part of the education curriculum, that this is the case in the OP's country.

Since you have that much of an education (PhD in LINE related studies?) you could maybe enlighten us with the answer to the question..

[Phuket airport meter taxi mafia on video.....]

This is a great initiative!! More people should do this. I am convinced that if more and more people start to do this, it will have an effect and eventually put pressure on the taxi maffia. In stead of just bitching about it, you actually do something, you dare to film it , enter discussion, call the police and post it on youtube :-)

My only advise would be to use simple "THenglish" vocabulary, simplified English (all verbs in infinitive, no idioms), because using idioms as well as above-primary-school vocabulary loses your message as noone understands it...

Good luck, and next time I am in the situation I will do the same, film and post, I hope others follow...

[Belgian arrested in Thailand for wife's murder]

He's a "Belgian"? Then why does he look - dare I say it? - Thai? Something doesn't add up here, Dr. Watson.

Well the aborigines get rare in Europe.....tell me the most common name given to babies in Germany, Austria, UK (most probably also France):

"Mohammed"

In France and Austria the extreme right wing seem to win the EU parliament elections...

Clearly his name is not Mohammed

Sorry but your statement that "aborigines" get rare in Europe is a xenophobic lie , unless you believe 90% of the population equals "rare". Do call 90% of the population "a minority"?

The fact that the most common name for newborns in certain European countries is Mohammed is not because they form the numeric majority, but simple because half of them call their son Mohammed, while the "aborigines" as you call them give much more diverse names (and actually do not want their kid to have the same name as the other kids).

So you got the islamic immigrant kids named Mohammed, and the locals named a thousand different names. Not difficult to see that Mohammed becomes the most used name if its just 5% of the kids. To pretend that they have become the majority is far from the truth, just typical xeno propaganda talk.

[Towing of illegally parked vehicles commences in Bangkok]

The Thai police really know how to add value with their "Valet Parking Service". This info should go in the tourist guides for Bangkok!

I mean, for just 500 baht your car is collected (you don't even have to wait and give the keys), it gets stored in a safe place, 500 baht service fee and just pay 200 baht per additional day?

TIP: When leaving on holiday no need for arranging long term parking, just leave your car on a busy road and collect it after your trip for a small fee

/Marc

[YOU !]

Since such an important question has been raised, I feel obliged to answer. My number one rule:

HAVE FUN!