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Nine nations possess nuclear weapons. If we were to follow your illogical line of thinking, tassojunior, then any one of them would be given carte blanch based simply on the fact that they have nukes. Brilliant!

In a situation like this, I prefer to go with Churchill or Patton.

And do you recall what happened about three weeks later? Japan surrendered to the allies, thus avoiding an invasion of its homeland, savings hundreds of thousands on both sides. And while on the topic, less not forget the Soviet's role in the episode. Prior to the nuclear bombings, Japan's leaders were privately making entreaties to the publicly neutral Soviet Union to mediate peace on terms more favorable to the Japanese. While maintaining a sufficient level of diplomatic engagement with the Japanese to give them the impression they might be willing to mediate, the Soviets were covertly preparing to attack Japanese forces in Manchuria and Korea. So Uncle Joe passed on an opportunity to avoid the Japanese catastrophe in order to gain some more of the spoils of war.

Duplicate post

If you really were serious about "wanting to see as few people killed as possible" one would think you'd would be calling on Putin to get the hell out. Instead, you're trying to justify why he went in. Sorry, my friend, but that sure sounds like an apology. By the way, you avoided the question you cited in your post: are you better off now than before Putin started his invasion?

Apologists for Putin need ask themselves one question at this point: are you better off today than before the invasion?

From Channel News Asia JAKARTA: Travellers from abroad can enter Indonesia’s Bali island quarantine-free starting on Monday (Mar 7), said Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Pandjaitan. Speaking at a virtual press conference, Mr Pandjaitan said the government decided to make Bali quarantine-free given the COVID-19 situation in Indonesia, where the caseload has subsided and the fatality rate is considered relatively low. The Monday announcement was brought forward by a week. Earlier, the government planned to allow foreigners to enter Bali quarantine-free from Mar 14. To travel quarantine-free, travellers must have received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result taken before the departure and upon arrival, proof of a minimum four-day hotel booking in Bali as well as health insurance. They must also take another PCR test on their third day in Indonesia. Also from Monday, tourists from 23 countries entering Bali’s Ngurah Rai airport can obtain a visa on arrival instead of needing to apply for a visa pre-departure. Citizens of Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, Australia and the United States are among those eligible for the scheme. The government hopes the programme will help revive Bali’s battered economy.

From The Thaiger One public health official says Thailand has a “secret weapon” to bring back tourists… It’s cannabis. Some experts and officials hope that decriminalising marijuana, alongside declaring Covid-19 as endemic, will help tourism in Thailand bounce back to pre-pandemic levels. The public health official made the statement over the weekend at a medical marijuana conference at Surin’s Rajamangala University of Technology. Many experts and officials discussed the benefits of decriminalising the plant, not only for health purposes, but also for the economy. However, while cannabis cafes and shops have been popping up all over Thailand, the products won’t cause a ‘high’ as cannabis extracts with more than 0.2% of the psychoactive component tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, remain illegal. With Thailand the only country in Asia to partially decriminalise marijuana, Thailand has a “secret weapon” to lure in tourists after the pandemic subsides, according to Secretary of the Public Health Commission Chatchai Trakulrungsi, who spoke at the conference. Chatchai compared strains of Thai cannabis to “jasmine rice” in light of their uniqueness, which could be a big selling point on the global stage. He also claimed that nine out of 10 tourists want to try marijuana in some form or another (we have no idea where he got this information). T

So you're advice is to wait 11 years so the Putin can have a well-deserved "honorable" exit? And you think Putin plans to leave the Ukraine? There's one Russian we understand all too well. His intentions to invade the Ukraine were predicted with complete accuracy despite his denials.

If Putin succeeds in this venture, he'll be wildly emboldened. His next target will be Poland, encouraged because all he had to do was raise the specter of using his nuclear arsenal to get NATO to cower. He figures if it worked once, why not play that card again. Day after day over the next weeks and months, from the safety of our living rooms, we'll have to bear witness to the human carnage. And we'll do so knowing that it could have been avoided. If NATO checkmated the bear by placing a formidable force inside Ukraine before the invasion even got under way, it would have put Putin in the position of having to risk killing not only Ukrainians but also British, American, German soldiers and a host of others. Stop and consider how effective Ukraine forces have been on their own. Imagine now how the tide would turn if 50,000 NATO troops--and their superior firepower--also confronted the Russian columns. If NATO had the opportunity to go back in time a month or so, I think it would opt to poke the bear.

If our former employers had followed that line of thinking, we'd all have been out of work at an early age.😉

From The Thaiger Thailand has always been popular as a country to come to live and retire. Many foreign retirees could come to Thailand and live a pretty good life. However, since the exchange rate has tightened up and the covid 19 pandemic, how has that effected retirees living in Thailand? Tim sits with Ben Hart from Integrity legal to find out more about Retirees and Retiring in Thailand. https://thethaiger.com/news/national

This is an example of enhanced digital media , a method used to manufacture video for advertising or--in this case--propaganda purposes.

Yes, they very well may when Vietnam reopens to international tourism on March 15. Cambodia reopened last October. I don't know if Vietnam is necessarily cheaper than Cambodia. With the rouble depreciating by the moment, I can understand why that will be a major consideration for Russian tourists.

Maldives or the Seychelles I think are more family and couples oriented and not exactly affordable. Christianpfc has a blog site where he has reported on his recent long-time stay in Cambodia. As I recall, he found it affordable, relatively safe but not on a par with Thailand. I believe he used the apps a lot.

From The Thaiger / CNN Russians were the most visible travellers heading to Thailand post February 1, 2022, when the Thailand Pass Test & Go option was rebooted. Even with its 2 days of pre-booked SHA+ quarantine and PCR tests, along with US$50,000 Covid insurance (which has since been reduced to $20,000), the Russian travellers were delighted to jump on a plane and take the long trip to the much warmer Land of Smiles. That situation has now radically changed and the world is reverberating to the full impact of Russia’s aggression and the invasion of Ukraine. Now there’s a mere trickle of daily flights between Russia and either Suvarnabhumi or Phuket in Thailand. Whilst much of the rest of the world have said ’nyet’ to the arrival of any planes from Russia, Thailand is still allowing them to arrive. But even if the planes are still coming (albeit in vastly reduced numbers), the pressure of world sanctions, bans and the plunge of the Russian Ruble has already made the decision for any potential Russian travellers. Now, the latest data from ForwardKeys, shows that the Russian invasion of Ukraine, now into its 9th day, has prompted an instant spike in flight cancellations to and from Russia, worldwide. On the day after the first tanks rolled into Ukraine, every booking that was made for travel to Russia was outweighed by six cancellations of existing bookings. Russians escaping their bleak winter and heading to sunnier destinations were suddenly cancelling their trips. The cancellation rates between February 24 – 26 were Cyprus (300%), Egypt (234%), Turkey (153%), the UK (153%), Armenia (200%), and Maldives (165%). Bookings for March, April and May were already reaching 32% of the pre-Covid levels of travel for outbound Russians. They were heading to Mexico, Seychelles, Eygpt and Maldives. And Thailand. The outlook for Q3 this year was looking even stronger. All that Russian travel enthusiasm has now collapsed and, given the harsh economic weapons thrown at Vladimir Putin, his banks, his ‘friends’ and his citizens, any recovery will be a long, long way down the track. Even if there was a swift and unexpected reversal of the Ukraine situation, Russia has already been dealt a fatal economic blow – in just one week the country been turned into a pariah state and much of the rest of the world seems happy to punish the entire country for Putin’s violence. For countries like the Seychelles, Maldives and Cyprus, Russian arrivals represented a high percentage of their international arrivals. In Thailand that was about 8% of the total tourist mix. And, whilst the Chinese are still in China for at least the rest of this year, the loss of the Russian travel market probably represented an even higher percentage of tourists that won’t be coming to Thailand in 2022. The world travel industry will be further hit by rising airfares (due to the sharp surge in oil prices), cancellations of routes (across Eastern Europe), a higher resistance to international travel (for perceived safety reasons) and a lingering instability in world politics. While the Thailand Pass is still seen by many potential travellers as a significant barrier to their choice of Thailand as their next travel destination, and the Russian and Chinese traveller-tap turned off, Thailand’s immediate travel future looks bleak. And this follows nearly 2 years of border closures, false restarts, over-hyped TAT arrival projections and the former Thai tourism workforce heading home to find other work. The loss of the Russian travellers underscores a critical need for the Thai government to quickly modify the Thailand Pass, or scrap it completely. With so many other factors now making international travel difficult, Thailand will have to rethink their short to medium term tourism strategies to retain its share of the international travel market. Of course there is no comparison of the humanitarian tragedy underway inside the borders of Ukraine at this time, but Russia’s aggression will likely have much more long-term, and far-reaching, effects than the clear and present danger it poses on the Ukranian nation right now.

From Malay Mail PUTRAJAYA, March 5 ― New air Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTLs) involving Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia will begin on March 15, 2022 as part of joint efforts to reopen international borders. Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong said fully vaccinated travellers will be allowed to travel the designated routes without being required to quarantine upon arrival. Wee said that as for Thailand, designated airlines from both countries will be allowed to mount up to six flights daily on the Kuala Lumpur-Bangkok route and up to four flights daily for the Kuala Lumpur-Phuket route while additional routes may be added subject to mutual agreement by both countries. On Cambodia, he said designated airlines from both countries will be allowed to operate up to two flights daily on the Kuala Lumpur-Phnom Penh route while additional routes may be added subject to market demand. He said the related standard operating procedures (SOP) and health protocols will be released by their respective agencies soon and travellers are expected to comply with the protocols responsibly in order to enjoy the VTL facility.

Moses, I can appreciate that you have a personal view on the Ukraine. But you're surely aware of what your megalomaniac leader is doing to your own country. Attempting to legitimize his actions with a photo array is an exercise in futility. In my book, all Nazis are crazy by definition regardless of where in the world they emerge. Just as crazy as the man who started this war. I accept that you personally know, and speak with, many ethnic Russian refugees who work in an around Moscow. I ask you to accept that most of the world believes that what is happening is an unnecessary and unwarranted tragedy that will end in utter disaster for Russia and the Ukraine, and to some degree for the rest of the world. Readers have come to know you as a good man. But even good men sometimes get the story wrong for any number of reasons.

You can find similar photos of crazies in any major city across the globe. It's not just the Ukraine that's for sure. Moses, your Siam Guides business has a fine reputation with members here. I personally think it's a mistake to get into the propaganda business, especially at this moment in time. You've contributed timely information on many topics from time to time. Please don't allow this to become a mirror of "Brink of War."

Insurance requirement of $20,000 raises questions From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon he latest medical insurance rule for foreign visitors requires cover of only US$20,000 (640,000 baht), reduced from US$50,000 from the beginning of March 2022. The health ministry stated that the lower rate was to encourage international visitors, although it did caution the sum might not be enough. Meanwhile Tourist of Authority of Thailand website recommended that the detail on the insurance document should be checked carefully as inpatient and quarantine provision can vary a great deal. TAT also stressed that the policy could be from Thai or foreign-based companies. The latest rules apply to all Test and Go applicants except Thai nationals or work permit foreigners covered by Thai social security regulations. But ambiguity still surrounds the whole matter. A popular Thai-based option is the multi-company Thai General Insurance Association website https://covid19.tgia.org, popular because costs are reasonable and the age of the applicant is immaterial up to 99 years. The cost is based only on the country of departure. For example, 30 days cover for Covid-only illness from UK is 3,700 baht or about 85 pounds. However, the website’s drop-down box currently restricts applications to 30 days only and still specifies US$50,000, not US$20,000. Some other Thai and foreign-based insurers are advertising policies based on the newly-specified US$20,000. But some have an age limit below 70 or 75 years, whilst others charge extra for compulsory cover for loss of baggage, delayed flights and so on. The important thing is for entrants to Thailand to read policy offers in detail before committing themselves to payment. The better policies allow for cover up to 12 months ahead. Once in Thailand, most visas and permissions of stay do not require either Covid-specific or comprehensive health insurance to obtain an extension of stay at an immigration office. The exceptions currently appear to be O/A annual retirement, nine months Special Tourist Visa and O/X ten years. Foreigners holding these particular options or extensions of stay should contact their local immigration office as each has considerable discretion.

From Thai PBS World The Chao Phraya River is the main artery of Bangkok. In the old days, it was where everything happened, full of life and culture. So, the river’s banks were where everyone wanted to settle when they moved to Bangkok. Walk-A-Tif introduces you to the foreign traders and diplomats who settled along the banks of this mighty river and traces their histories. Starting at the Kudeejeen community, this is where Portuguese settled about 250 years ago, during the Thonburi period. One of the icons of this community is the Santa Cruz Church, which was built around 1770AD, when Christian Portuguese settlers migrated here after the dissolution of Ayutthaya kingdom. It was then the main Catholic Church in Bangkok and served as the seat of the Apostolic Vicariate of Siam until 1821, when Assumption Cathedral was completed. This is where we can find Thai-Portuguese food and desserts, such as Kanom Farung or Kudeejeen Portuguese cake, Portuguese chicken curry noodles and Portuguese custard tarts. Even though this community is known as the Portuguese community, according to an expert, the people who first settled here were actually Thai and Chinese. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Predee Phisphumvidhi, Faculty of Liberal Arts at Mahidol University, said that “This was not originally a European community. It was established by the Chinese as (you can see) there is a Chinese shrine here. Both Thai and Chinese have been here from the beginning, and Europeans moved here to live with them. They choose to live here because, in the past, the government official in charge of international trade lived in this neighbourhood. The name of this community is still Kudeejeen, as it was then.” The next stop on our trip is the Talad Noi neighbourhood, which was established more than 200 years ago. The market was also originally settled by the Portuguese following the fall of Ayutthaya. As Bangkok’s first port, this place was also where Chinese immigrants landed, including Hokkien and Hakka ethnic groups. The church which typifies legacy of the Portuguese community is Holy Rosary Church, a Gothic-style building which has been an iconic structure in the Talad Noi neighbourhood for more than 120 years. Its Thai name, Wat Kalawar, is said to have been taken from the Portuguese word “Calvario” or Calvary, the site where Jesus Christ was crucified. Dr. Predee said the Holy Rosary Church is quite unique and different from many other churches because it is strongly influenced by the Chinese community in Talad Noi as Holy Rosary Church is a Catholic church, but it is located in a Chinese community. So there is a lot of uniqueness here, such as the Mass held in Chinese, decoration with Chinese art and design and Chinese lettering in the church. The architecture is beautiful, with cultural traces, and they still maintain a lot of interesting traditions today. Assumption Cathedral is also a landmark, which reflects the influence of the Western settlement along the river. It is the principal Roman Catholic Church of Thailand and the centre of the Archdiocese of Bangkok. The original building was the result of a request from a French missionary, Father Pascal, in 1809 and the work of a French architect, which saw the cathedral completed in 1821. It was named Assumption in honour of the Assumption of Mary. The cathedral hosted both Papal visits to Thailand, by Pope John Paul II in 1984 and Pope Francis in 2019. Dr. Predee said “This is the headquarters and the centre of the Roman Catholic administration in Thailand. Even though the church was built in the postmodern era, it is very big, exquisite and decorated with elegant and holy installations. It is a truly huge Cathedral.” In the same neighbourhood, there is also a mosque and a temple. This is said to be a symbol of cultural wealth. Father Anucha Chaiyadej, Director of the Catholic Church’s media relations in Thailand, said that the diversity here does not bring conflict, but peace and happiness. Ultimately, it brings a wealth of culture. by Kitipat Chuensukjit

The poll was taken by the same folks who count election ballots 😉.

From Channel News Asia TOKYO: Japan Airlines Co Ltd and ANA Holdings Inc cancelled all flights to and from Europe on Thursday (Mar 3) and cancelled or rerouted flights on Friday as well, citing safety concerns following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. ANA also started to cancel some flights due to run on Saturday. The airlines, which normally use Russian airspace for their Europe flights, join a growing number of carriers that have cancelled or rerouted flights between Europe and north Asia in the wake of the crisis. "We are continuously monitoring the situation, but given the present situation in Ukraine and the different risks, we have decided to cancel flights," a JAL spokesperson told Reuters. ANA Cargo's website said the suspension of flights was due to the "high possibility of its operations not being able to overfly Russia due to the current Ukraine situation". Airlines from the European Union and Canada have been banned from Russian airspace in response to their curbs on Russian airlines, but Japan has not made a similar announcement to date. ANA and JAL operate about 60 flights per week through Russian airspace between Tokyo and London, Paris, Frankfurt, and Helsinki, according to a spokesperson for flight tracking website FlightRadar24.

Those lucky enough to be in the city we love may find this exhibition worth a visit. From Coconuts Bangkok After years roaming the capital to document its architectural glories, many of which now only exist in photographs, a photographer will bring them to a downtown gallery. At Something Was Here: The Fading Memories of Bangkok Modern Architecture, Weerapon “Beer” Singnoi will exhibit photographs of roughly 20 buildings around Bangkok, including Scala theater, which was hastily demolished last year despite promises it would be preserved amid a public outcry. “I hope that this exhibition will raise questions about how we can preserve our architectural heritage,” Weerapon said. “Before something becomes forgotten, how can we balance development and conservation?” It’s a topic Weerapon knows well: He has been archiving such buildings via his Foto_momo project for the past five years. His other photos for the exhibition buildings focus on Bangkok’s concrete cathedrals to versatility and function that defined Bangkok’s midcentury, post-war Thai Modernism, an era being rapidly demolished. Other buildings to be featured are the Indra Regent Hotel, Dusit Thani Hotel (RIP), and Hua Lamphong, aka the endangered Bangkok Train Station. The event is a collaboration between Foto_Momo and its Dutch inspiration, Docomomo, aka the Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites, and Neighborhoods of Modern Movement. Something Was Here will run March 15-27 on the third floor of the Bangkok Cultural and Art Center. The contemporary art gallery is connected to BTS National Stadium by skywalk.

Commentary from Channel News Asia LONDON: Hong Kong’s airport has been a spooky place through much of the pandemic as traveller numbers have dwindled, leaving cavernous arrival halls devoid of their usual bustle. The rest of the world is now opening up to international travel but in Hong Kong, which has some of the toughest COVID-19 quarantines in the world, the airport remains largely empty of incoming passengers. The city has for many years claimed the title of the busiest airport in Asia and is set up as a vital air bridge to the rest of the Asia Pacific for those coming from Europe, and a passage for business travellers into south China, the country’s economic nucleus. But last Tuesday, when leader Carrie Lam said that the ban on flights from nine countries would stay until at least April 20, a now-unremarkable trickle of 229 passengers arrived, down from the typical tens of thousands daily before the pandemic. IS HONG KONG STILL FINANCIALLY ATTRACTIVE? The local government says that the isolation is necessary as it races to control an Omicron outbreak and keep the city in line with Beijing’s zero-COVID policy, but airline bosses in Asia said that the measures are not only having a disastrous impact on business. “A lot of airlines are thinking very hard about the future for Hong Kong — do we still need to fly to Hong Kong?” a North American airline executive said, adding that it was becoming “career suicide” to continue to advocate their head office for flights to be sent to the Asian financial hub. “I’m quite worried Singapore will replace Hong Kong not just as a financial centre but also as an aviation centre,” the executive said, pointing to Singapore Airlines’ move late last year to add new routes, including to Vancouver and Seattle. Singapore’s Changi Airport and Seoul’s Incheon International Airport have overtaken Hong Kong in terms of traffic, and many airlines, including Lufthansa, British Airways and Air France, have paused direct flights to Hong Kong altogether. The situation could worsen because of the war in Ukraine. Finnair said, over the weekend, that it could be economically unviable to continue to fly to Asia.