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NOTE - This doesn't mean many long-haul tourists will escape the pre-depdrture tests as most airlines require them, especially for transit passengers. From Thai Enquirer New rules on April 1 Thailand will lift the pre-travel test for entry regulations next month, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) decided on Friday. To encourage more tourists, all travellers will no longer require an RT-PRC test 72 hours before departure to Thailand, starting April 1. The remaining tests for vaccinated travellers going through the Test and Go and Sandbox procedures include an RT-PCR test on arrival and a self-administered rapid antigen test (self-ATK) on the fifth day of arrival. For people going through the quarantine programmes, the quarantine period is five days with the same testing procedures. Starting April 1, the number of “Blue Zones” an area where tourist sandboxes are located and Covid restrictions are more relaxed has been increased from eight to ten provinces. The provinces include, Bangkok, Kanchanaburi, Krabi, Chonburi, Chiang Mai (new addition) Nonthaburi, Pathumthani, Phang Nga, Phetchaburi (new addition) and Phuket. https://www.thaienquirer.com/38733/covid-restrictions-ease-in-hopes-to-draw-new-tourists/ ========================== From The Tourism Authority of Thailand Relaxed rules from 1 April, 2022: Eligible travellers International arrivals under any of the current three entry schemes – TEST & GO, Sandbox, and Alternative Quarantine (AQ) – will be allowed to enter Thailand without the need to show proof of a negative RT-PCR test within 72 hours of travel. Points of entry Air, land, and water points of entry. Number of approved airports increased from 7 to 8 – Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi, Phuket, Krabi, Samui, Chiang Mai, U-Tapao, and Hat Yai (new). Land border checkpoints increased from 3 to 4 – Nong Khai, Udon Thani, Songkhla, and Satun (new) Water points of entry increased from ports and piers in 2 to 3 provinces – Phuket, Chon Buri, and Surat Thani (new). Types of vessels also increased from yachts to also cover ships of Thai government agencies, while Thai crew members on cargo ships will also be allowed to enter Thailand. Testing requirement Two tests remain in place for the TEST & GO and Sandbox travellers: RT-PCR test upon arrival (Day 0) and an antigen self-test on Day 5. Sandbox staying period Reduced to 5 days from currently 7 days. After completing five days within the Sandbox destinations, travellers will be allowed to travel domestically within Thailand. AQ requirement Quarantine reduced to 5 days and an RT-PCR test on Day 4-5. ================================

As usual, you have no proof about any of your suppositions.

But this is all speculation on your part. And it fits with what Putin would like the world to believe.

If they're so masterful why do so many not hit their target? (1) Where do you get your information that Poland has nuclear weapons on its soil? (2) You previously told us that a "large percentage do not hit their target" and now you say many got through?

From Hua Hin Today Popular blogger Richard Barrow has received a British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to British nationals overseas. Richard was presented with the medal by British Ambassador Mark Gooding. Posting on Twitter, Richard said:” I was honoured today to receive the British Empire Medal (BEM) from the British Ambassador @markgooding. HM Queen Elizabeth II had awarded this to me “for services to British nationals overseas”. Continues with photos https://www.huahintoday.com/thailand-news/richard-barrow-receives-british-empire-medal-bem-for-services-to-british-nationals-overseas/

Patriot batteries are defensive systems used to counter tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced aircraft. They are not offensive weapons. The ones you mention have been supplied to provide Poland with the means to defend itself from attack. One of their advantages is that they can be operational within 30 minutes of delivery. Now you may choose to believe that Patriot systems are bad because they do in fact represent a threat to an attacker's offensive capability. But a funny phenomenon frequently occurs in the minds of citizens when their country is threatened by an aggressor: the need to protect themselves. That's why similar Patriot systems are in service in Germany, Greece, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Poland, Sweden, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Romania, Spain, and Taiwan. Surely you wouldn't deprive these nations of such a safeguard. According to UN protocols, it would have been the parties involved in the conflict (Russia and Ukraine) and somehow I think Russia would have been the first to object. Here's a quote from the UN on the use of peacekeeping forces: UN Peacekeeping is guided by the basic principles: Consent of the parties; Impartiality; Non-use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate.

From Asia Insights As Vietnam enjoys rapid economic growth, one community on Hanoi's Red River has been left behind. The "Floating Village" is a series of homes on the water that uses drums as floats. Many residents have no official papers and are unable to find permanent work or receive government aid. A rise in COVID-19 cases in the summer of 2021 left them in desperate straits. We follow 2 out-of-work families and the community's leader as they work to survive the pandemic. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/ondemand/video/2022353/

Ouch, Latbear. Such outrage, such unmitigated umbrage, such unbridled hated, such invective, such vituperation, such.... Think I liked you better when you were fucking all the superpowers. Man of your education should be able to better than that. ☺️

From PBS FRONTLINE tells the story of what led to Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine. Veteran filmmaker Michael Kirk and his team examine the events that shaped the Russian leader, the grievances that drive him and how a growing conflict with the West exploded into war in Europe. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/putins-road-to-war/

These aren't insults. They are an accurate reflection of positions you have been putting forward since the war began. You've defended and attempted to rationalize Putin's actions. You've criticized Ukraine for not acquiescing to Putin's demands for Crimea and the Donbas. And you're certainly in agreement with Assad's characterization of Putin's war.

From Coconuts Bangkok Listen up, all you subs, doms, gimps, twinks, rubberbois and bondagegirls: Don your stretchiest spandex outfits and mingle with fellow fetishistas next month at a mainstream BDSM party. Rubber fetish store ForFun is hosting a “Bangkok Fetish Ball” on April 15 at the Pullman Bangkok King Power lifestyle hotel hosted by none other than top Thai queen Pan Pan “Pangina Heals” Narkprasert of Drag Race Thailand fame. Expect performances, music from DJs, and free-flow beverages 7pm to 10pm. Attendees are encouraged to put on their kinkiest outfit, from pet attire and meat-packing furries to leathery biker gear and superhero cosplay. No nudity is allowed, though. If latex fashion piques your curiosity, the store will also host a photo exhibition dedicated to the fetishtastic material April 14-24 at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. Tickets are available online for THB3,990 including one ATK test. Only 100 tickets are available to keep things tightly intimate. FIND IT Bangkok Fetish Ball 7pm-late Pullman Bangkok King Power

From Pattaya Mail Social workers, legislators and sex worker advocates called for Thailand’s prostitution laws to be relaxed or abolished at a forum in Pattaya. Chonburi MP Tunyawaj Kamolwongwat, a member of the House’s committee on children, women, the elderly, disabled, ethnic groups and LGBTQ people, chaired the “Prostitution Laws: Amend or Abolish” seminar Monday at the Pullman Hotel Pattaya. Over 70 participants from the government sector, civic organizations, and sex worker activists attended. The aim of the workshop was to raise awareness about problems surrounding enforcement of the Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act of 1996 and suggest solutions, or even amendments to the law or its repeal. Prostitution was legal in Thailand until the enactment of the Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act in 1960. That law was replaced in 1996 to expand punishment for those offering sex for sale and those involved in sex trafficking. Critics maintain the 1996 is too broad, making it difficult to interpret and enforce, leading to abuse by police, such as extracting bribes from bar owners, entrapping sex workers and penalizing people for simply agreeing to, but not engaging in, prostitution. The first step toward resolving such issues is to decriminalize sex work in Thailand, advocates said. This would help remove the stigma associated with it and improve the lives of the poor men and women engaged in such work. Testimony, evidence and conclusions reached at the seminar will be forwarded to relevant government agencies and serve as a basis to any revision of the law.

From The Thaiger Thailand’s Health Ministry to propose scrapping pre-departure PCR for Test & Go Thailand’s Public Health Ministry is set to make a proposal to scrap the pre-departure PCR for Test & Go travellers, making entering the country more convenient and cost-efficient. The proposal will need to be approved by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, which will have its general meeting this Friday and is expected to discuss a number of topics, including possibly lifting the mask mandate. Officials are set to discuss the predeparture RT-PCR Covid-19 test, which is currently required 72 hours before travel to Thailand, according to Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health, Kiattiphum Wongjit. Thai media adds that officials are also discussing reducing the required health insurance from US$20,000 to US$10,000. Upon arrival, Test & Go travellers are required to undergo another RT-PCR test and isolate at a hotel or resort while they wait for their test results to come back, which can take up to a day. On Day 5 in Thailand, travellers are required to take a rapid antigen Covid-19 test, or ATK. Reports say officials will also discuss declaring Covid-19 as an endemic once there are more updates from the World Health Organisation. The mask mandate might also soon be lifted, possibly starting with public parks.

From Vietnam News Việt Nam drops COVID-19 vaccine certificates, quarantine requirements for foreign arrivals HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Health late Tuesday officially issued the long-awaited COVID-19 protocols for foreign entries into Việt Nam. The regulations state that visitors with negative COVID tests can enjoy quarantine-free travel from day one. Travellers entering Việt Nam via air routes will have to present proof of negative SARS-CoV-2 tests (except for children under two years old) done within 72 hours prior to departure in cases of RT-PCR/RT-LAMP or within 24 hours in cases of rapid antigen tests, and the results must be certified by the authorities of the country where the tests are conducted. People entering via road, sea, and rail will be subjected to the same requirements. If entrants cannot show proof of negative tests, they are required to take a test (either using RT-PCR/RT-LAMP method or rapid antigen tests) in the first 24 hours from the time of arrival. If the results are negative, they may travel outside of their place of accommodation, with public health measures still in place, if the results are positive, they must notify health authorities for further instructions. Arrivals must make medical declaration before entering and use Việt Nam’s COVID-19 mobile application (PC-COVID, available in both Vietnamese and English on both iOS and Android) during their entire stay according to regulations. At the border gate, if one shows symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection (fever; cough; sore throat; runny nose, stuffy nose; body aches, fatigue, chills; reduced or loss of taste; reduced or loss of sense of smell; headache; diarrhoea; breathing difficulties; respiratory infection, etc.), they must immediately notify the health agency at the border gate to take medical measures as regulated. No mandatory quarantine is required, but in the first 10 days after entry, people should self-monitor their health and if any symptoms develop, ask for assistance from the nearest medical facilities. Visitors are asked to frequently wear masks and disinfect their hands. The guidelines, released after the country fully reopened international tourism activities and reinstated pre-pandemic entry and exit regulations, replace all other previous COVID-19 rules for foreign entries and the health ministry asks local authorities and State agencies to quickly direct the implementation of the COVID rules to avoid spreading the virus among the travellers and the community. ============================== NOTE - The PC-COVID hyperlink embedded in the article did not show an English version when I checked it before posting.

If you get tired of carrying water for Putin, Syrian President Bashar Assad is looking for a horse holder. Assad, like you, says Russia's attack on Ukraine is a correction of history. I think it would be the making of a beautiful friendship.

From Channel News Asia KUALA LUMPUR: The arrival health protocols for Malaysia’s air vaccinated travel lanes (VTLs) with Singapore, Cambodia and Thailand will be standardised, Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong wrote in a statement on Tuesday (Mar 15). In light of Putrajaya’s decision to reopen borders on Apr 1 as the country begins its transition to the COVID-19 endemic phase, Dr Wee wrote that the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the air VTLs with the three countries will be “made uniform”, utilising the “test and release” method. Under this method, travellers will no longer need to wait for their COVID-19 test results within the terminal upon arrival, he explained. “Travelers need only conduct a COVID-19 swab test upon arrival and will then be allowed to proceed to their respective accommodations as declared in MySejahtera Home Surveillance Order (HSO) via private transport, taxi, or hired vehicles,” he said. Travellers must then self-isolate while awaiting their COVID-19 test results, which will be ready within 24 hours.

I've had oil applied at various temperatures directly from container but I think that always results in excessive amount that is very difficult to wash off unless boy helps you in shower. That always earns him an extra red note when leaving and I tell him why (if he showers with me before and after, I add another). My preferred method is when the masseur puts small amount in hands and rubs them together to warm it up.

From Emerging Europe The Guide is one of the most famous historical dramas produced in modern Ukraine. It takes place during the 1930s, considered by many to be the peak of repression of Ukrainian nationalism and cultural identity. The film’s main character is a ten-year-old boy from Kharkiv, whose American father is assassinated by NKVD agents for possessing evidence of state atrocities. A blind kobzar, a traditional Ukrainian wandering bard or musician, “adopts” the boy, who acts as the kobzar’s guide. The two then attempt to navigate the turbulent environment of 1930s Ukraine – it should also be noted that kobzars were targeted by the Soviet state for embodying what they considered to be a dangerous romantic ethnonationalism. Directed by Oles Sanin, the film features beautiful cinematography, inviting many comparisons with Andrey Tarkovsky. To this day, The Guide is the only Ukrainian film to be nominated for best foreign language film at the Oscars and it is a worthy representation of the country’s cinema.

Special screening for Omicron 2 variant? One Thai health officials seems to be laboring under the belief that the Omicron 2 variant hasn't yet reached the Kingdom. He wants to single out arrivals from Hong Kong and Britain for additional screening. With the sandbox, quarantine and test-and-go schemes in place for months now, I find it difficult to believe that the Omicron 2 variant hasn't already become well established in Thailand, as well as in most other countries whose visitors are welcomed. The official also appears to contradict himself (see below). From The Nation In his Blockdit post on Saturday, Chalermchai said Omicron BA.2.2 is severely impacting Hong Kong where weekly average Covid-19 infections have soared to 5,425 per million people, compared to 315 per million in Thailand. "Meanwhile Hong Kong's seven-day death rate from Covid-19 is 30 per million people, compared to 0.85 in Thailand," he said. "Apart from Omicron BA.2.2, the rise in Hong Kong's Covid-19 cases may be due to the low number of vaccinated people as well." Chalermchai also confirmed that Omicron BA.2.2 has not yet been discovered in Thailand. He emphasised that Omicron, which is the dominant strain in Thailand, is spreading four times faster than Delta and has mutated into three subvariants: BA.1, BA.2 and BA.3. He said BA.1 and BA.2 have been discovered in Thailand while the number of patients infected with BA.2 is likely to increase rapidly. Virus mutations commonly occur in areas where a lot of Covid-19 infections are found, he added.

What's good for the goose must be good for the gander... From Pattaya Mail As much as government officials would love to make Pattaya a “family friendly” resort, the city’s economy remains powered by bars. The reopening of bars as “restaurants” and the return of tourists is seeing the entire bar ecosystem come back to life. Phonpan, a bargirl on Soi 6, said the street of bars and pubs is getting busy again with British, German and, for now, some Russians patronizing hers and other bars. She can now earn about 1,000 baht a day. Prasit, a motorcycle taxi driver, said he’s busier, too, now that the bargirls need to travel to work and back. Gasoline prices are rising, so he’s happy to have more income. Somphon sells revealing clothing to the bargirls and she’s doing better too. Sales aren’t as good as they were in 2019, but she has hope for the future. ================================ From Pattaya News Today’s video is the current situation on the ground in Pattaya in terms of domestic tourism, according to the president of the Eastern Hotels Association. https://www.youtube.com/c/thepattayanews

I better understand your position but please accept that I cannot agree with it. You seem to obsessed with the past, and you find yourself defending Putin's decision to invade Ukraine. Capitulation to an aggressor will never quench his thirst for more aggression, more territory. That was certainly demonstrated in World War II. NATO was formed to deter such aggression in the future. If Churchill had given in to German's demands, the map of Europe would look very different today. North Vietnam aggressively fought a war with a nuclear power. It could have simply given in but it persisted and drove the Americans from their land. Taiwan is regularly confronted by a nuclear power but chooses resistance. I understand that fear can be debilitating if we allow it to dictate how we live our lives.

Richard Barrow has posted numerous photos of random street art around the city. It's worth a look if Bangkok is one of your favorite haunts. https://www.richardbarrow.com/

I seem to recall that there were a number of apartments in the building when it first opened. Are these being converted into luxury hotel rooms? The observation deck occupies the full footprint of the building, plus the overhanging glass extension. Hopefully there's sufficient room to accommodate both the hotel's plans for a pool for guests and a bar/restaurant open to the public. It would be sad if the public didn't have access in some form.

So if we follow your line of thinking, if Putin invades Poland in six months, NATO should do nothing based simply on the fact that Russia has nuclear weapons? This would render Europe defenseless. There are 30 countries in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. You want the other 29 to step away from their agreement and allow the tank columns to roll toward Warsaw. You've allowed fear to control your response to Russia's invasion to the point that you're encouraging the aggressor. Hopefully NATO's leaders will be influenced by the courage we see on display in Ukraine and not fall victim to fear and defeatism.

From National Geographic / MSN The Bhumibhol suspension bridge spans Bangkok, Thailand’s Chao Phraya River. The historic neighborhoods on its banks are experiencing a creative and commercial renaissance. © Photograph by Tassaphon Vongkittipong, Getty Images Rachna Sachasinh Bangkok’s Chao Phraya flows in exaggerated loops through historic neighborhoods, past Buddhist temples, gilded palaces, and humble teak bungalows teetering on the water’s edge. The river floats by the curled rooflines of Chinese shrines, the spires of Christian churches and mosque minarets, and shophouses that were—and still are—home to immigrant families from China, India, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. They settled along its banks as early as the 19th century to trade in teak, cloth, gems, and spices. For most people, the river’s twists and turns connect the modern Thai capital with its historical contours. For me and my immigrant family, the Chao Phraya is a link to the country I call home. Amid its riverside communities are smaller khaek neighborhoods, immigrant enclaves which get their name from the Thai word for guest or visitor. Khaek also refers to Thai Indians. That’s me. Born in a riverside neighborhood to Sikh Indian parents in 1969, I grew up in Bangkok and now live in Chiang Mai, Thailand, about 450 miles north. Although my family left its banks in the 1970s, the river keeps luring me back. Each time I’m in Bangkok, I hop a ferry to the old amulet market at Maharaj Pier and slurp lod chong Singapore (bubble noodles in sweet coconut milk) in Ratchawong, where my family lived. These days the riverside neighborhoods are a little timeworn, but my old stomping grounds are now being rediscovered and revived by artists and entrepreneurs. And, the Chao Phraya, always central to my story, is once again the center of Bangkok. Bangkok—a portmanteau of ban or bang (village) and makok (plum), the settlement’s former name—became Siam’s new capital in 1782, when King Rama I laid the foundation for the Grand Palace in a wide westward bend in the river. Modeled loosely on Ayutthaya, the kingdom’s former seat 67 miles upstream, the palace is located on a section of a wide moat that feeds into a network of canals or klongs. This earned Bangkok the nickname, “the Venice of the East.” At the Museum Siam, near the palace, antique maps and sepia-tinged daguerreotypes show how the new capital’s riverside evolved. In the late 19th century, King Rama V courted international trade and commissioned Neoclassical palaces and residences along the water, including the circa-1888 Old Customs House. The striking Palladian pile, once the first stop for ships entering Bangkok, is being redeveloped into a boutique hotel. Charoen Krung Road—the city’s first paved street, running parallel to the river—was added in 1867. French, Portuguese, and Chinese sailors who’d been trading with Siam since the 16th century were joined by British, Indian, and Middle Eastern merchants, who settled in communities south of the Grand Palace between the water and Charoen Krung Road. By the time my grandfather, Hakim Singh Sachdev, a Sikh Indian from Punjab, sailed up the Chao Phraya in the 1920s, the river port city was in full swing. Chinese junks, Siamese barges, and European ships ran rice, spices, and teak up and down the river. On its banks, Bohra Muslims trafficked in glass and block-printed textiles and Indians traded cotton fabrics milled in England. Narrow wooden sampans held floating markets that plied the canals. While most Indian immigrants settled in Phahurat, or “Little India,” my grandfather put down roots in neighboring Ratchawong. There, in a bustling zone of warehouses and tradespeople from around the world, he built a thriving textile business in a shophouse a hundred yards from Ratchawong Pier. Despite Thailand’s famously warm and welcoming nature, my grandfather and his fellow immigrants were often called khaek or farang (European foreigners), underscoring their outsider status. My grandfather’s generation didn’t seem to notice. Coming of age in the 1960s, my father shirked his conservative Sikh upbringing and the khaek sobriquet. He embraced the laidback Thai temperament, hobnobbing with local politicos and foreign correspondents at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel’s Bamboo Bar and changing his Punjabi name—Sinderpal Singh Sachdev—to the Thai Surin Sachasinh. Continues at https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripideas/bangkok-rediscovers-the-magic-of-its-legendary-river/ar-AAUWzyQ