PeterRS

I thank everyone for their comments. Let me please set the record straight. 1. Even in this time of covid19, I am one of the fortunate ones. I am healthy and I am able to work part-time for about 4 hours each day. 2. I have a Thai partner. We enjoy being together and spending time together. Again I am fortunate in that I am here and he is here. I am sorry for all who have freinds and boyfriends here who are stuck overseas through no fault of their own. When I met my boyfriend on the Blued app he had never been in any gay establishment in Bangkok. He lived on the outskirts of the city, comes from near Chiang Rai and has a busy job with a company providing translation services. 3. If you had wanted a summary of gay bars 5 years ago I would happily be submitting long reports. The last time I was in Soi Twilight was a few nights before DIck's closed. I believe that was two years ago. A few friends and I met for one last dinner for old times sake. We then moved over to Hotmale 2, one of the host bars near the entrance to the soi for a couple of drinks and to people watch although there were not any people that night. I have not been in a gogo bar in that soi for about 4 years. 4. I have not been in Silom Soi 4 for more than 2 years. 5. When I used to go to Soi Twilight I would cut through Patpong 2 to get a taxi on Silom to avoid the rip off drivers. I have not been in the Patpong area since bars started moving there. I am sorry I cannot provide the reports that some posters want. One sad note for those who enjoy fine dining at a medium price. La Table de Tee, the little French nouvelle cuisine style reastaurant in a dead end alley off Saladaeng and a favourite of many is a casualty of the virus. It will not reopen.

I have no idea what you are talking about. I visit the Silom area about once a fortnight for coffee with friends at Silomm Complex and to visit the supermarket. I have not been to Silom in the evenings for a very long time, certainly more than two years. As for Suriwong, I was again there only once a few weeks ago to visit a friend staying at the Marriott Hotel. But that was for breakfast and the hotel is a long way from the bar area. As for Patpong, I have not been near there for years. So since any information I post would be very much out of date perhaps you can advise me what I can post that will be a craze for you. I cannot think of anything unless you want information on traffic conditions and the weather. On that front, the traffic has returned to being bad and the weather is rain in the afternoon or evening on many days. But since that will not be what interests you and the others who craze I will cease posting and stick to photographs as long as stocks last.

I do not ENJOY anything of the sort. I believe in being practical in the light of the dreadful situation the entire world finds itself in. For those not in Thailand who wish to visit, I very much regret that they are unable to do so. But facing facts is far better than hoped for speculation. I do not go out to bars as I have a partner. So what do you want me to do? Make up a story? Like all posters I comment on posts or comments in posts that i wish to. I saw no point in commenting on the earlier poll. I do not need you to tell me what I should comment on.

10,195 respondents across 17 countries does not seem to me like a viable survey. Without further information we can only conclude that about 600 Thais were polled. So ir it the 82% of all Thais who are confident that the country is ready for tourism or just 82% of the 600? We need to know a lot more about those polled before any conclusion can be drawn.

I agree on both points. But that raises a question (at least one): if you ensure that one party remains in power for 55 years with virtually no end in sight, no matter how good or qualified to how much success it has achieved, is that democracy? On the other hand, if every country had saunas filled with handsome young naked men as in Singapore. Id say democracy works Yet the political system votes them into office. Is the system itself therefore broken? If so, why does the electorate not do something to change it? I know. There is no real answer. If the USA plods on with just two main parties at war with each other and no one gives a damn about changing the system, what hope is there for real democracy in the west of the world.

But that is democracy at work. The fact is it doesnt work because in some countries (many countries?) the wrong people often rise to the top. Many then do their utmost to stay there. Since Word War 2 the prime example in Asia has almost always been The Philippines (a legacy of US colonialism but Britain and other colonial powers do not look good). Others are not far behind. To say that democracy thrives in Japan is some sort of joke. The CIA backed LDP coalition rose to power after the US occupiers rewrote the constitution and has been in power almost continuously ever since the mid 1950s. Lest we forget, we can also blame the US occupiers for drafting the Criminal Code which includes the prohibition of pictorial references to genitalia which led to the use of the pixilation so many westerners dislike. In Singapore one party has been in power ever since Independence. Many know the reasons behind Thailands strange form of democracy. There is no need to go on. For those who moan about Trump, Johnson, Bolsinaro, Duterte and their ilk (as I do), how do you propose the system should be changed?

I do suggest that even if quoting from the news media references to a certain family should be edited out prior to posting here.

A friend with the 5 year visa tells me that the 5 year Elite visa inserted into his passport has a validity of 5 years. There is therefore no need to renew the visa/permission to stay annually. That is only required of those on annual retirement visas. He believes the annual multiple reentry permit does need to be renewed and costs 3,900 baht. But if there is an Elite member here he will surely clarify this small issue.

That there is a very good chance all of these flights will be cancelled unless the government lifts the international travel ban. At the rate the virus continues to spread within the USA I cannot see the Thai government permitting any flights from that and many other countries by October. But then, who am I to know? None of us knows.

The amount for a 5 years Elite visa is 500,000 baht. You can stay permanently in Thailand or enter and leave as you please. Unlike the lump sum annual retirement visa, you only need a Thai bank account but with no minimum in it. Each year you are entitled to 24 free one way limousine airport transfers included in the cost. Once a year you have to purchase another multiple reentry permit for 3,900 baht. You do not have to bother with 90 day reporting as you can take your passport to the Elite Visa office on Sathorn and they do it for you. After 5 years you can renew, or take out a 10 year Elite visa for 1 million baht.

I once attended a lecture about the death of Princess Diana given by an elderly lady who purported to have good connections with the British Royal Family. Afterwards I went to ask her a question. When she learned I was living in Bangkok, she sighed, "Ah Thailand. That reminds me of the time in my youth when I used to visit Fookay and had an affair with the Sultan there." Huh?

Surely $3000 equates to over 90,000 baht. I was at Bumrungrad Hospital this morning. There is now a colonoscopy/gastroscopy package for 34,000 baht covering both procedures. They also have a 40% discount on room charges and 15% discount on medicines. The hospital is usually packed with Middle Eastern patients but with none in sight it is clearly suffering financially..

There is a big push on local tourism now. I tried to book a hotel in Hua Hin for early this month and could not get a room in my preferred hotel. Yesterday at a small shopping mall in Bangkok there was a desk offering great rates at seven 4 star and 5 star Anantara Hotels - US$199++ for 3 nights including American breakfast for 2 and airport transfers valid till December 31. But if you booked yesterday, four of these properties had an even better rate of just $99++ for the three nights. Book through agoda and the best price you get for the flagship hotel on Rajadamri is 5500 baht per night. I have heard of other hotel promotions but not checked. I suspect that higher end properties are getting more of the customers but that is a pure guess.

Hong Kong has now announced that its 14 day mandatory quarantine for those from eligible countries has been extended to December 31. https://loyaltylobby.com/2020/07/24/hong-kong-extends-mandatory-14-day-arrivals-quarantine-through-the-end-of-2020/

I hesitate to question such a distinguished poster as z909. But with respect that does seem a rather Trump like comment. Do not state the figures are wrong, but throw out the suggestion that they might be wrong because of governments that are not strictly democratic. When Thailand and Vietnam are two countries dependant on international tourism for a big chunk of their GDP I reckon there is even greater reason to submit accurate figures. Once tourism reopens if even one group of tourists become infected because of transmission from locals, I can imagine the international media will not be far off that story. Then that could have an even more severe impact on future tourism.

You nicely sum up many of the comments made by others on why Thailand and some other ocuntries are not doing as well as they say. Yet the evidence is quite clear. I really think it is such a red herring to keep talking about fiddling data and fake figures which are manipulated by governments like Thailand and vietnam that people outside the countries do not like. Are you denying there is the army of about a million volunteer trackers and tracers in Thailand? I for one believe these figures more than I do those of governments like those in the UK, USA and Brazil have clearly proven they were far worse equipped to handle a pandemic, are doing a disastrous job of tracking and tracing and have been seen to try to mask their own true figures. Vietnam borders China and had no deaths until recently. Do you believe that is a lie? Thailand had the first case outside China. It was someone from Wuhan and it admitted this fact very early on. If the government had wanted to cover this up I am sure there were dozens of ways they could have done so. They admitted it. Again until recently Hong Kong had few cases and few deaths. Are those also lies? Taiwan has been one of the best countries in the world in coping with the virus. Are their reported figures fake? You probably think not only because that is a functioning democracy LOL As for the virus dying faster in hot weather, tell that to people living in Florida. It has been proved to be untrue. CHeck the WHO website. Any thought that young people are less likely to suffer or die from the virus has also been disproved.

I have read on various chat rooms several posts doubting that Thailand's covid19 figures are anything like fact. There was an interesting clip on CNN this morning which relates specifically to Thailands success in fighting covid19 and to the article posted by reader at the start of the thread. The article mentions the countrys army of 1 million community health workers. These are mostly not doctors and nurses, just ordinary men and women. During the dengue fever epidemic last year when Thailand suffered over 130,000 cases, the country set up this volunteer army to do checking and tracing. Mobilising the same group and more this year was therefore easy and fast. They follow up known cases as soon as they are identified and then do all the contact tracing checks. With such a large number dotted around the country, Id say this is a model for any country to adopt. Perhaps this is also one reason why Vietnam initially got off so lightly with covid19. It suffered 320,000 dengue fever cases last year and had a similar checking and tracing army in place. Why covid19 has suddenly reappeared in Danang after almost four months of lockdown and two months of the country having no cases, we have yet to learn.

As Russia announces it will have a vaccine ready by mid August, disturbing news from Hong Kong. With its third wave mushrooming , there is fear that the vaccine has mutated to become more easily transmittable. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-53575875

Regrettably I agree with Michael. I see a slow loosening with people from certain relatively free covid19 countries being allowed in - eg Taiwan and Vietnam. Originally I thought parts of Europe but there seem to be new spikes cropping up all over the continent. I honestly cannot see any tourists being allowed in for many months from the badly hit countries like the USA, UK, Mexico, Brazil, Russia and India where the virus is still spreading rapidly. There will be a lot of economic hardship here but the population prefer that to the virus reappearing and being spread by tourists. When will it be safe to return? For those from most countries my guess is not until 2021

A friend told me his this horror story from last weekend. He is Thai but has lived in London for more than 20 years where he has had a British partner for most of that time. Together they ran a small company. Three years ago the Brit developed dementia which matured into Alzheimers. Last year the Thai decided it would be best to move his partner to Chiang Mai, buy a house, get caregivers and a car and driver. He himself flew to Chiang Mai every 2 months for at least a week. He was planning to close the company and move back permanently this autumn. After his early March visit, he could not return again in May due to quarantine regulations. Knowing that his partner was becoming very frustrated by his absence, he spent a lot of time visiting Embassies and airlines in London to see if his partner could fly to somewhere in Europe without quarantine. The UK with its dreadful covid19 rates and quarantine rules was out. After several days he got agreement that his partner could fly out last Friday on Austrian Airlines to Vienna. So he booked business class tickets for his partner and a carer. He also booked an apartment in Vienna for two months. The flight from CNX was uneventful. Since you cannot presently transfer from domestic to international, they picked up their bags and went upstairs to recheck in. When tickets, passports and other paperwork were handed over, the manager was called over. After a consulation they were informed that they could not be accepted for boarding. They were informed that just the day before the Austrian government had banned entry to all non Schengen passport holders. In Vienna the Thai partner was going crazy since he had received cast iron assurances in writing and been given no notification about any new rule. In the end the carer realised they would have to leave the airport and get a hotel in the city. Just as they arrived at the hotel, there was a very apologetic message from Austrian Airlines saying they had been provided with wrong information. If they would immediately return to the check-in desk, they would be offered immediate boarding. It was all too late. The Thai managed to get them on a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt the following evening. After a day of and night of rest, they got another flight to Vienna. All that fuss did nothing for the patients state of health. Who coughs up for all the money wasted on tickets and hotel rooms I have no idea. Hopefully Austrian Airlines will. Hopefully also the people at BKK will in future know what the rules for each country actually are. .

You have jogged my memory and I recall this restriction as well. If I remember correctly it was one adopted by the Bangkok Post and not a general restriction. But I could be way off the mark.

Thank you. I got it using Firefox. But only permitted one article. I wonder why a copyright issue makes copying/pasting an NYT article not permitted but the same for other media seems not to be a problem provided the source is quoted. Ido you know if this is the same for all media with a paywall?

That NYT article is only for subscribers. Any chance you can copy and paste please?

Seems that Vietnam put similar measures into effect as soon as they detected the first patient. Is that country the only one in the world to have had no deaths? And only 370 or so infections. I believe it also suffered badly with the SARS epidemic and similarly set up a department specifically to manage future epidemics and pandemics. https://www.voanews.com/covid-19-pandemic/how-did-vietnam-become-biggest-nation-without-coronavirus-deaths Taiwan has had few cases, no lock down, no closing of restaurants, cafes and bars. All a result of immediate government orders to wear masks, wash/sanitise hands, contact trace, take care that you might never infect others - and quarantine for visitors. There is a lesson here that the worlds top nations should have learned - and didnt. The price being paid for that negligence will be felt for years to come.

No I was referring to general pre-covid use. Surgical masks have been used by operating theatre staff for about a century. Initially it was believed they protected th patients. A photo from the 1930s presently in the Seattle Museum of History and Industry shows all theatre staff wearing masks, as does one from the 1960s. Now there is certainly a degree of debate about the need also to protect theatre staff. But having 4 doctors in my family, I can tell you that my surgeon cousin would never enter an operating theatre without a mask for the protection of him and his patient. The one person who often does not wear a mask nowadays is the anaesthesiologist. I guess the only point I have been trying to make is that in todays covid 19 world, wearing a mask is equally as important for the wearers as those in whose company they find themselves. With two weeks before an infection becomes the illness and the ease with which the virus can be passed during those two weeks, anyone not wearing a mask risks putting a large number of people in hospital. And we now know that this horrible virus can have much longer term consequences for the brain, lungs and other organs.