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I don't think Greta is a running for Miss Congeniality. She wants to scare the shit of us in the same way Act Up activists sought to do 30+ years ago when young men were dying of AIDS in alarming numbers. They didn't want us to like them but they did want us to listen. To their everlasting credit, many did. The messenger isn't the problem. History repeatedly reminds us that it was our reluctance to hear the message. The headlines in the media are frequently dominated by people demonstrating for one cause or another. Whether it's the cost of healthcare, threats to the environment, lack of political freedom or human rights, nuclear proliferation or a myriad of other issues, it's always easier to defend the status quo than to give their arguments their do. Speaking truth to power is rarely a risk-free activity. It invariably makes the comfortable uncomfortable.

From MSN British families are sending elderly relatives with dementia overseas to Thailand in a small but growing trend. Researchers visiting private care homes in Chiang Mai have found eight homes where guests from the UK are living thousands of miles away from their families, because suitable care in their home country was impossible to find or afford. “Thailand already has a long history of medical tourism and it’s now setting itself up as an international hub for dementia care,” said Dr Caleb Johnston, a senior lecturer in human geography at Newcastle University. Some of the facilities are British-run; some are Thai-run but with substantial investment from British citizens; and some are Swiss-run. All have the backing and support of the Thai government. “The government and private investors are very active in cultivating this as part of their economic development,” Johnston added. There are an estimated 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK. Local authority residential care costs up to £700 a week, with private care around £1,000. There are no prescribed staff-to-guest ratios in the UK but, with annual staff turnover exceeding 30% and 122,000 job vacancies, levels in state and private facilities tend to be around 1:6. In Thailand, in contrast, 1:1 around-the-clock residential care with fully-qualified staff – in award-winning facilities that look like four-star hotels – costs around £750 a week. Johnston spent nine weeks in Thailand along with Prof Geraldine Pratt, head of geography at the University of British Columbia, interviewing families and staff in residential care homes. Paul Edwards, the director of clinical services at Dementia UK, said: “I can well understand people choosing this option, given the state of anxiety about care in the UK. “It’s an emerging market that I can see becoming more popular because our failing and ailing system – which no politician is even trying to find a solution for – causes fear for those whose loved ones have to use it.” “It’s an emerging market that I can see becoming more popular because our failing and ailing system – which no politician is even trying to find a solution for – causes fear for those whose loved ones have to use it.” Nonetheless, those who take their loved ones abroad talk of the distress in having to choose between the physical, emotional and financial hardships of caring for them in the UK and outsourcing their care to the other side of the world. Continues at https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/families-sending-relatives-with-dementia-to-thailand-for-care/ar-BBYT7lT?li=BBoPRmx

Excerpted from South China Morning Post Cathay Pacific to scrap many JFK flights Cathay Pacific is poised to offer unpaid leave to staff as it struggles to cope with the financial damage caused by more than seven months of anti-government protests in Hong Kong and a boycott by mainland Chinese customers. As it stands, the measure is voluntarily but some employees are being encouraged to take up to a month of no-pay leave, with Cathay Dragon pilots among the first, the South China Morning Post reported. Flights to New York's John F. Kennedy (JFK) airport appear to be set for some of the biggest cuts, according to Cathay's booking schedules. From late October, it would fly only 11 times a week from Hong Kong. In the summer peak, it operates as many as 28. In recent months, Cathay deferred delivery of new aircraft this year and planned to accelerate the retirement of older planes, froze hiring of non-essential staff, deferred non-critical spending and scrapped its annual 13th-month companywide bonus. Tourist arrivals into Hong Kong for November, the most recent figures, fell by the most in 16 years — by 55.9%. There have been double-digit falls in visitor numbers since August. To shore up its collapsing customer base with transit passengers Cathay has been cutting its fares. It has also filled up planes by giving away economy class travel to its employees for almost nothing. https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3045605/rise-chinese-only-prostitution-catches-philippines-surprise

Thanks for your fine reporting. You enjoyed a good introduction to the city and acquitted yourself well. The above experience caught my attention. I'd never feel obliged to pick up on an off's suggestion to visit another venue. It's one thing if you asked him what he wanted to do but when a guy volunteers plans for your evening I'd be a bit suspect of his intentions which should be to concentrate on you. Taking him to some place to eat, I agree, is a good practice but if you aren't in agreement on his choice feel free to select someplace predictable like Foodland where you'll both be comfortable and well fed at reasonable cost.

From Bloomberg News Thailand to Ease Capital Outflow Rules Again, Governor Says Thailand’s central bank will take further steps to ease restrictions on capital outflows in coming months as it tries to curb gains in the baht, Governor Veerathai Santiprabhob said. The Bank of Thailand plans to increase the amount of proceeds exporters can hold overseas, liberalize foreign-currency deposit accounts and take steps to enable insurance companies to invest more abroad, Veerathai said in an interview Wednesday at his Bangkok office. The Bank of Thailand has been struggling to rein in the baht after it gained almost 6% against the dollar over the past year, making it the best performer among Asian currencies. The appreciation has hurt exports and curbed tourism, denting two key industries in the trade-reliant economy. The baht weakened immediately after the governor’s comments Wednesday, and was up 0.1% against the dollar at 30.314 as of 8:40 a.m. Thursday in Bangkok. “All in all, we think the baht has appreciated too much,” the governor said. “People might say it has been the best-performing currency, but in Thailand we’re not happy about it. When the baht is not moving in line with fundamentals of the economy, it should not be considered the best performer.” The central bank already has taken several measures to counter the baht’s gains: It cut interest rates to a record low last year, imposed measures in July to counter short-term inflows, and in November relaxed rules to spur outflows. “It seems that the Bank of Thailand is able to control the baht now,” said Jitipol Puksamatanan, chief strategist at Krung Thai Bank Pcl in Bangkok. “I believe that it would restore the relationship between the baht and other Asian currencies, to support exports.” Veerathai outlined additional steps that will be taken: in the next 1-2 months, increase the amount of proceeds exporters can hold overseas to $1 million per lading bill, from the current $200,000 cap, a step that will cover about 80% of Thailand’s exports in the first half of the year, liberalize the foreign-currency deposit account framework so individuals and local companies can keep foreign currency in Thailand relax rules so insurance companies can invest abroad more easily https://finance.yahoo.com/news/thailand-ease-capital-outflow-rules-103127485.html

Forget about Greta and start worrying about Lilly Meet Thailand's answer to Greta Thunberg. She's only 12, but her passion is already paying off https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-01/meet-thailands-answer-to-greta-thunberg/11817228

From Coconuts Bangkok Bangkok’s water supply is likely to continue tasting and smelling nasty for another four months, but is completely safe to drink, officials said The brackish water that’s been flowing in Bangkok for about one week due to severe drought conditions is still within acceptable water quality standards, according to Health Department Director Panpimol Wipulakorn. According to Panpimol, the sodium levels of Bangkok’s water supply – ranging from 100 milligrams to 150 milligrams per liter – are still below the 200 milligrams considered acceptable for drinking by the World Health Organization. Bangkok’s surprisingly potable tap water took a foul turn just before the New Year due to higher salt content. The drought ravaging the kingdom means lower water flow and increased salinity in the Chao Phraya River. The Health Department warned people to reduce their salt and sodium intake in the meantime. Those with kidney problems and high blood pressure should be exceptionally cautious about consuming the salty tap water. https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/bangkoks-tap-water-to-remain-stanky-until-may/

From Reuters BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand opened its first full-time clinic specialising in traditional and alternative cannabis-based medicine on Monday, as part of a move by the government towards developing a medicinal cannabis industry. "This is a pilot clinic, because we cannot produce enough doctors with expertise in cannabis," Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, told reporters at the opening ceremony in Bangkok. Patients will receive treatment free of charge for the first two weeks, he added. Thailand, which has a tradition of using cannabis to relieve pain and fatigue, legalized marijuana for medical use and research in 2017 to boost agricultural income. There are already around 25 cannabis clinics attached to general hospitals around the country but, unlike the newly-launched pilot clinic, they operate for just a few days a week due to a lack of specialised staff. The largest producer of medicinal cannabis is currently the health ministry's Government Pharmaceutical Organization. Kasetsart University's director of medical cannabis research, Natakorn Thasnas, told Reuters that the university would supply 2,200 kilograms of cannabis leaf to the ministry. Cannabis production, cultivation and sale has been limited to licensed Thai producers for the next four years to protect the domestic industry. Currently, only hospitals and research facilities are allowed to apply for cannabis production and extraction licenses, but the government is reviewing regulations to enable Thai businesses to apply for permits. Last year, Thailand dropped cannabis and hemp extracts from its narcotics list and proposed a draft law that would allow each household to grow six cannabis plants. Four types of drugs, containing different combinations of cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psycho-active ingredient in cannabis, were given to patients to treat migraine, insomnia, neck pain and muscle stiffness, the ministry said in a statement. https://news.yahoo.com/thailand-rolls-cannabis-clinic-based-073519777.html

NOTE -- This article takes a comprehensive look at many factors that will affect Thailand's economy in the new year, including banking, tourism and housing. It may be of greater interest to expats and long-stay visitors. One thing that stood out for me was the remarks about the banking industry. I interpret this to mean higher user fees in all categories, a trend that has expanded in the past few years. Excerpted from Bangkok Post Even though the chief executives of top Thai companies expect the country's 2020 economy to continue to be stuck in the slow lane, they are optimistic that the growth pace will improve from last year, albeit at a muted canter. Banthoon Lamsam, Kasikornbank's chief executive, paints a bleak outlook for Thailand's economy and banking industry in 2020. "Given the likelihood of low growth everywhere, including Thailand, there is no growth story to sell to potential investors," he said at a recent analyst meeting. "Banks' ability to make a profit is weaker than 20 years ago. Things are getting tougher, such as making loans and gaining fee income -- the sorts of things we've enjoyed over the past couple of decades." Non-interest income growth is shrinking, and financial institutions have struggled to find replacements in recent years. Net fee and non-interest income used to be big items in the income pile but have dwindled every year, Mr Banthoon said. KBank predicts the Thai economy to expand by 2.7% this year, up from 2.5% projected for 2019. Both years' growth, if the forecasts hold, are below growth potential of 3.5-4%. Aswin Techajareonvikul, chief executive of Big C Supercenter Plc, the operator of Big C hypermarkets, said that although Thailand's GDP is below that of many regional peers like Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, the group remains confident in the economy's long-term ability to recover to healthy growth and become a leader again. Big C is expanding via small retail outlets (Mini Big C) to better reach customers in Bangkok and major cities nationwide, as well as investing in IT facilities and big data to better understand consumer lifestyles and varying needs. Preecha Ekkunagul, chief executive of Central Pattana Plc, the SET-listed property and retail developer under Central Group, said economic prospects for 2020 are stronger than in 2019 because there are no additional negative risks this year. Supattra Paopiamsap, chief executive of residential developer Pruksa Real Estate Plc, said the best the property market can hope for in 2020 is flat growth. The market slowdown could continue as many volatile factors remain. "Several negative factors are still present this year. The main one is negative sentiment," she said. "In reality, the situation is unlikely to be as bad as people imagine, but they are not confident." The number of international tourist arrivals in 2020 is expected to grow by 5-7% regardless of external factors, said Chairat Trirattanajarasporn, president of the Tourism Council of Thailand. To reach this target, the industry must find effective solutions to maintain positive momentum and support the overall economy. One is attracting quality tourists who spend more while travelling, Mr Chairat said. https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1829659/vision-from-on-high#cxrecs_s

Here's the surf-and-turf special at a high-end NYC steak house that goes for $175 (which exceeds the 5,000 bht Babe gets for a few hours) Here's Babe I leave it up to each reader to determine which memory will linger longer

From Bangkok Post The recent global cost of living survey sees Bangkok for the first time among the top 50 most expensive cities in the world due to the baht's appreciation. The index was announced in December last year by ECA International, which publishes cost-of-living data for over 480 cities around the world to help companies calculate proper allowances for their employees working abroad. Bangkok has leapt 43 places to 47th while its Asean counterpart Singapore ranks 13th. Ashgabat, Tokyo, and Zurich are the priciest cities in the world respectively. In line with the findings, people on the street interviewed by the Bangkok Post lamented that the city is becoming increasingly unaffordable. Continues at https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/special-reports/1829034/folk-in-capital-struggling-to-stay-afloat#cxrecs_s

Even if readers have never visited Bangkok, they can get the feel and true flavor of Silom thanks to your reports. You've mastered the balance between what to include and what to leave to imagination. Having met Van when he stopped by our table at Maxi's a year ago, it was clear that he holds you in much esteem. Those familiar with reports of your earlier trips are familiar with him and how you've looked out for him over time. And, as you show above, he has been looking out for you. We can count ourselves lucky if we meet a young man like Van in our travels. I think you returned home with no regrets because you left few stones unturned. If someone caught your fancy, you gave them a chance--as the wait staff at Freshboys can attest. And allowing us to sit in on your off with Babe was the dessert. Thanks for the memories.

NOTE -- Massage shops aren't the only targets of immigration police. Excerpted from the Daily Mail Olympic cyclist arrested in a Thai gym and forced to spend four nights in filthy jail after police receive tip-off he was working without a permit An Olympic cyclist spent four days in hell after he was arrested in a Thai gym and held in a filthy immigration detention centre. Marc Ryan, 37, who has two Olympic bronze medals for New Zealand under his belt, was arrested earlier this month at a gym in Bangkok. Police alleged Ryan had been working illegally at the Bangkok Get Fit cycling studio after being tipped off that foreign coaches were working without the proper visas. The cyclist was then forced to sleep on the floor of a crowded detention centre with nearly a hundred other people for days - fearing he would never return home. Ryan had moved to Thailand two years ago and held a working visa. But after changing jobs, Ryan had to apply for a different visa and had stopped working between August and October while the application was processed - but authorities believed he was working illegally. Ryan then faced a court hearing, pleading guilty as he had featured on marketing campaigns for the company. He was fined NZ$250 (bht 5,026) and was due to return to New Zealand but learnt he had to spend another two nights in the detention centre. The 37-year-old is able to return to the country but says he's in no rush. During his time at the gym, Ryan trained professional cyclists as well as running fitness classes. The 37-year-old is able to return to the country but says he's in no rush. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7832371/Olympic-cyclist-Marc-Ryan-held-detention-centre-four-days-work-visa.html

From Khaosod English BANGKOK — Most retailers, except for a major convenience store chain, stopped giving out plastic bags for free at the beginning of 2020, giving Thailand a head start on green new year’s resolutions. Grocery shoppers said Thursday they were adjusting to the big retailers’ ban, which was promised by the environment ministry back in September. TV stations were also told to blur images of plastic bags. It is the most ambitious attempt to curb single-use plastic products in a country blamed for polluting the environment with massive amounts of plastic waste. Siranee Kheedsoy, a shopper at Big C Saphan Kwai, had to wait for her son to bring a backpack to retrieve her cartful of goods. The familiar green plastic bags were nowhere to be seen. Thailand, like Fiji and Mexico City, rolled out its ban on plastic bags in retailing businesses on New Year’s Day. More than 90 major retailers and plastic manufacturers have signed onto the government’s plastic reduction scheme, which is the first step towards the complete ban of single-use plastic bags by 2021. Throughout 2019, several retailers offered smaller, flimsier measures to reduce plastic use, such as charging a baht per bag or promising to not automatically offer bags, but still give them for free if asked. The ubiquitous 7-Eleven stores are adopting a more flexible approach. Plastic bags are still given for customers who purchased hot food or bulky items. A cashier said the management still let plastic bags to be given since they understood that people need some time to adapt. Tops supermarkets, a chain popular with middle-class customers, have implemented the ban. Shoppers at a branch on Nang Linchi Road either brought their own totes, purchased reusable bags at the cashier, or stuffed packages of crackers into their own bags. http://www.khaosodenglish.com/life/2020/01/02/nationwide-plastic-bag-ban-forces-customers-to-adapt/

From Bangkok Post Baht’s sudden drop shows battle lines drawn The baht plunged as much as 1.8% on Thursday, the biggest decline since 2007, to 30.226 against the dollar in early Asia trading. That almost erased all the gains it made in the past three sessions. "It’s likely to be central bank intervention given that the central bank has mentioned that they’ll be fighting against baht strength," said Mingze Wu, a foreign-exchange trader at INTL FCStone in Singapore. It may also have been due to traders betting the baht will strengthen overextending their positions, he said. The currency appreciated almost 9% in 2019, the best performer in Asia, as its large current-account surplus lured investors seeking haven assets during an intensifying US-China trade war. Authorities have battled markets to keep gains in check, taking measures including interest-rate cuts and easing rules on outflows. Liquidity in the currency market is normalising even as the baht remains volatile, Bank of Thailand assistant governor Vachira Arromdee said on Thursday. There still remains sharp fluctuations in the baht as the market adjusts to the buying and selling of dollars, she said. The central bank remains concerned about the baht’s appreciation and is ready to consider additional measures, according to minutes of its Dec 18 rate meeting released on Thursday. The government also weighed in, with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha saying on Thursday that the need for new currency measures is being considered. A joint commission between the central bank and the finance ministry has also been formed to tackle the issue, Gen Prayut added. The country's reserves and current-account surplus are key factors luring investors to the baht. The central bank’s foreign-cash pile stands at $222 billion, while the current-account surplus was $3.38 billion in November. Policy makers need to encourage overseas investments by local investors to trim the current-account surplus, said Stephen Innes, chief Asia market strategist at AxiTrader in Bangkok. Domestic investors’ risk bias is to stay at home and the barrier to change that behavior is “massive,” he said. https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1827524/bahts-sudden-drop-shows-battle-lines-drawn

Offering to increase the tip may well produce the desired result.

From Coconuts Bangkok It’s Friday afternoon and Ratchani Cheausuwan is tired. She’s been standing all day, selling selling snacks with her one usable arm. At the end of the other, her withered right hand is clenched in a permanent fist. Now she’s waiting for school to let out. The passing children will be her last chance to earn a few baht to keep her daughter’s children fed and in school. Things weren’t always like this. Her daughter used to dance for foreigners in the neon glow of Soi Cowboy, bringing home thousands of baht, worth about US$150 every week. Now she’s broken too. Her first husband died young, and the second abandoned them after serving time in prison. “To put it plainly, she lost it,” Ratchani, 56, said. “She stopped taking care of her kids. She just lived in her own world; she doesn’t deal with other people. She refuses to acknowledge anything and left me to shoulder all the responsibilities. Even her children, I have to pay for their school expenses. I have to pay 40 baht every day for them to travel to school.” Her debts are insurmountable and growing. But any chance for the children to live unbroken lives means she has no choice but to push past the exhaustion and despair. Multiply her story and its variations across the tens of thousands living in Bangkok’s largest slum, where such daily uncertainties and fears have been amplified by government plans to evict them all and “erase” their community to make way for a riverside mall. When Ratchani was born in the early 1960s, the Khlong Toei community wasn’t the destitute sprawl it is today. The port it grew up around for the past decade was in its heyday. The lure of jobs had led many to accept an open invitation to settle the land under an incentive program that saw few pay rent. Now just blocks away from the capital’s toniest bars and restaurants, Khlong Toei then was hardly considered Bangkok. Ratchani was about 15 when she ran away from an abusive home in the lesser developed On Nut area and followed her heart to a boyfriend living in Khlong Toei. Self-reliance is a through line to her life learned early and painfully. “When I gave birth, he didn’t come. He didn’t care,” she said of the boyfriend upon the birth of their son, who died five years ago of heart disease. “He said something like, “If you can take care of him, good. If not, just send him away.’ He was really cruel; he didn’t care about my feelings at all.” Five years later, she remembers having to steal a towel from the hospital to carry her newborn daughter back home, alone. “The hospital had to give me traveling money,” she said. “I didn’t even have a blanket to wrap around my baby.” A decade ago she moved into a small, rundown residence on two floors in one of Khlong Toei’s several distinct communities. It’s there she supports the four of them by waking up at 4am to get the children to school and make her way to her stall. “At about 5am, I start traveling to where I sell snacks. I don’t get home until nearly 7pm because I have to clean and wash up,” she said in a recent interview at her home. Despite repeating those 15-hour days five times a week, Ratchani still often comes up short, forcing her to borrow money from friends or loan sharks to get by. One of Bangkok’s 50 districts, Khlong Toei, or “pandan canal,” was named for the plant that grew along its banks. The Port Authority owns the land where the community is located, and many consider that fact the end of discussion when it comes to evicting upward of 100,000 people living there. But that concept of land ownership is a relatively modern development established after the community was settled. When the Siamese capital moved from Ayutthaya to Bangkok over two centuries ago, all land was owned by the king, who could lend, grant or gift it for use. Many of today’s neighborhoods and streets began as such royal gifts. Up through the mid-20th century, Thailand had abundant land and scarce labor, and people were allowed to take possession of unused land by cultivating it, wrote David Feeny, professor emeritus of economics at Canada’s McMaster University. Ownership rights based on use and exploitation were left intact when modern property laws involving titles and deeds were written in 1954, just as families were encouraged to settle around the Bangkok Port, which had opened a few years prior between two sharp bends of the Chao Phraya River. Thailand’s rice boom led to the port’s construction being funded by the World Bank, and nearly all trade passed through it for decades. But even a large expansion couldn’t keep pace with demand, and the opening of a deep-sea port southeast of the capital at Laem Chabang heralded its decline. Those who settled there to work the docks included immigrants from Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and what was then Burma. They formed close-knit supportive neighborhoods, according to research by the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Today’s campaign to erase the slum, as one transport official put it, is the latest in a cycle almost as old as the community. Three years after land-ownership laws were written, in 1957, the port authority sought to force out the dwellings to build a market and other buildings. It succeeded in relocating over 100 households had from what’s called the Lock 6 area to Lock 12. The residents then organized against the expulsions, petitioning the prime minister and physically blocking demolition of homes. Similar efforts were pushed back in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1983, residents departed voluntarily from some land for the port to develop under a 20-year land-sharing agreement under which claims of both landowner and settlers were recognized, according to Global Perspectives on the History of Squatting. Continues at https://coconuts.co/bangkok/features/khlong-toei-rising-anxiety-and-unity-in-bangkoks-biggest-slum/ NOTE -- A related tread can be found at:

Certainly agree but it doesn't look like it's going to happen anytime soon. When the FAA inspected Thai operations in February it found 26 areas that failed to meet "Category 1" standards required to start new flights into or out of US. The most likely route Thai would seek first would probably be LAX-BKK which clocks in at 7,186 nautical miles (just over 16 hours duration). To do it, Thai would need something like the Airbus 350-ULR (ultra long range) type that has a max rage of 9,700 NM. The Boeing 777-300ER (extended range) equipment Thai currently has in its 80-aircraft fleet has a max range of 7,370 NM. That may be cutting it a bit close for comfort. https://thepointsguy.com/news/thai-airlines-wont-be-launching-flights-to-the-us-anytime-soon/

From ABC News BANGKOK -- Thailand should brace for serious water shortages when the hot season begins in March after a year with unusually little rainfall, one of the country's top water management officials said Monday. Retention of water by dams in upstream areas of the Mekong River also is seen as contributing to record-low water levels in the river, affecting the region's ecology. Somkiat Prajumwong, director-general of Thailand's Office of National Water Resources, said the river will experience record-low levels, after already recording new records this past year. His agency is warning people along the Mekong to beware of river bank slides and prepare for serious water shortages in March and April, when temperatures in Thailand usually peak. Tests of China's new upstream Jinghong dam on Jan. 1-3 are expected to lead to a drop in the the Mekong's water level by as much as 1 meter (3.3 feet) along eight northern and northeastern Thai provinces, said the water resources agency. Restrictions on water use from some Thai dams were imposed by late December, according to a report in the Bangkok Post newspaper. It quoted the head of Thailand's Royal Irrigation Department, Thongplew Kongjun, as saying that water from the Ubol Ratana and Chulabhorn dams was being reserved for consumption and ecological conservation, rather than for growing crops, because of their low levels. The Mekong River Commission already warned that severe to extreme drought was expected to hit Thailand and Cambodia at least until January. The regional agency, to which Laos and Vietnam also belong, blamed insufficient wet season rainfall, an abbreviated period of monsoon rains and unusually high temperatures and evaporation caused by El Nino, a cyclical climate phenomenon originating with warming water in the Pacific Ocean. The commission said in a paper issued at its annual meeting in November that the long-term prognosis was bleak, as the Lower Mekong Basin for the past few decades “has been experiencing severe drought hazards with serious economic losses due to damages of agricultural crops, negative impacts on the environment, and effects on people's livelihoods.” The issue involving dams was vividly illustrated about a month ago, when the Mekong River acquired an aquamarine color due to the water becoming clear and reflecting the sky, replacing its usual yellowish-brown shade that is due to the sediment it normally carries downstream. Experts blamed the large Xayaburi hydroelectric dam upstream in Laos that began operating in October for causing the color change. The dam blocks much sediment from moving farther downstream, which accounts for the water becoming clear, Pravit Kanthaduang, a fishery official in Thailand's Bueng Kan province, said earlier this month. Less sediment means less nutrition for plants and fish in the river, threatening the ecological balance, he said. https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/thai-official-warns-water-shortages-due-weather-dams-67979976

From the BBC Thai cave rescuer dies from year-long blood infection A member of the rescue team that saved 12 boys and their football coach from a flooded cave in Thailand last year has died from an infection he picked up during the operation, officials said. Petty Officer Beirut Pakbara, a Thai Navy Seal, contracted a blood infection during the rescue at Tham Luang cave. Beirut was under medical supervision but his condition worsened and he died on Friday, a statement said. Another rescuer, Saman Gunan, died during the operation. Saman, a former Thai Navy Seal diver, had been delivering air tanks and was on his way out of the cave complex when he ran out of air and lost consciousness. A statue of him was later erected near the cave's entrance. Beirut was buried on Friday in his home province of Satun in a ceremony according to Islamic funeral rituals, officials said. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50931695

From Coconuts Bangkok Economic decline is blamed for a popular check-in venue in Hua Hin’s decision to close its doors next month after over a decade of operation. Plearnwan Hua Hin, a retro-themed community mall, has announced that Jan. 31 will be its last day open to visitors. “Due to the economic downfall and losses the company has suffered, we must close Plearnwan,” read a statement sent to shop vendors. “The closure will be effective from Jan. 31, and to thank everyone, we’ll waive the rental fee through January ….” Plearnwan Hua Hin, the name of which came from “Play and Learn in the old days (wun wan),” opened in 2009 on Phet Kasem Road in Hua Hin. Drawing inspiration from late-‘50s Thailand, the vintage-style market offers a nostalgic trip back in time with rusty mailboxes, old pinball machines and antique cars as well as wood-timber cafes, shophouses and an outdoor cinema. he Plearnwan brand will live on with its spinoff Plearnwan Panich in Bangkok on Soi Thonglor 13, The Street Ratchada and Lhong 1919. https://coconuts.co/bangkok/lifestyle/bye-bye-plearnwan-hua-hin-retro-market-to-close-forever-next-month/

Although I can't date it exactly (probably circa 2003 or thereabouts), Thaksin's so-called "social order" campaign conducted a well orchestrated raid on Babylon with the media in tow. I was in town at the time and missed it by hours. This was at at period when the sauna was enjoying the height of its popularity with a cross section of locals and visitors. This extravaganza bears all the same trappings.

When reading about raids like this, I'm inclined to ask: who benefits?

From Los Angeles Times Cheap health care and decent living standards cited HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — When John Rockhold drew a low number, No. 12, in the 1971 draft lottery, his adolescence in the San Fernando Valley forever changed. Seeking to avoid the Army, he signed up for the Navy just after graduating from Granada Hills High School. As an enlisted petty officer, he spent months operating boats that dropped off SEALs at night along long and humid Vietnamese shorelines where American troops were trying to stop the communist north from taking over the south. More than 58,000 U.S. service members died in the war, and since it ended in 1975, innumerable American veterans have returned to Vietnam, seeking understanding, forgiveness or reconciliation. Now some are coming for more mundane reasons: inexpensive housing, cheap healthcare and a rising standard of living. After his military career, Rockhold worked as a defense contractor, operating mostly in Africa. He first returned to Vietnam in 1992 to work on a program to help economic refugees. He settled in Vietnam in 1995, the same year the United States and Vietnam normalized relations. He married a Vietnamese woman in 2009. In fact, he liked it so much that he persuaded his mother to move to Vietnam from Santa Maria, Calif., also in 2009. “She came for the wedding, and decided to stay,” he said with a laugh. She lived in Vietnam until her death in 2015 at 94. Rockhold, now 66, sits on several boards and is raising two children, 10 and 9, with his wife, Tu Viet Nga. The children were born via caesarean section; the procedure, including a four-day hospital stay, cost about $1,200, far less than it would have in the United States. The family lives in a 20th-floor condominium overlooking the Saigon River and the sprawling city beyond. They bought the four-bedroom, three-and-a-half bathroom unit, measuring about 1,840 square feet along with a separate veranda, for about $250,000 in 2011. Rapid growth in Vietnam and its Southeast Asian neighbors has created a situation that would have been unthinkable in the past: Aging American boomers are living a lifestyle reminiscent of Florida, Nevada and Arizona, but in Vietnam. Monthly expenses here rarely exceed $2,000, even to live in a large unit like Rockhold’s, including the help of a cook and a cleaner. The neighbors are friendly: A majority of Vietnamese were born well after the war ended in 1975, and Rockhold says he has rarely encountered resentment, even when he talks about his service as a combat veteran. The vast majority of the owners in his apartment building are members of Vietnam’s burgeoning urban middle class; many work in government or in education, and can afford to take vacations abroad. He estimated that no more than 1 in 5 residents in the 25-floor complex are foreigners. “The Vietnamese were extremely nice to me, especially compared to my own country after I came back from the war,” Rockhold said at a coffee shop recently inside a polished, air-conditioned office tower that also houses a restaurant and cinema. In semi-retirement, Rockhold keeps busy: He helps Vietnam import liquefied natural gas, and is involved with a charity that provides solar energy to low-income households. His wife’s family farm is about a 45-minute drive from where he once saw combat. “It didn’t ever pass my mind that 30 years later I was going to own some of Vietnam,” Rockhold said with a chuckle. Vietnam has relaxed visa rules to lure American retirees like Rockhold, along with their savings. Geopolitics are a factor; Vietnam has seen spillover benefits from the economic boom in China but also has an ambivalent relationship with its far larger and more powerful neighbor, with which it fought a brief war in 1979. Expatriates tend to consider Vietnam more hospitable than China; Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, retains a cosmopolitan character. Vietnam has joined other Southeast Asian countries to lure retirees from wealthier parts of the world. Cambodia, another nation that struggles with the legacy of United States military intervention, is also attempting to attract American retirees. The country’s per capita GDP is about $1,400, and for that sum, an expatriate can easily pay a month’s rent, energy costs and a housekeeper’s wages. Sri Lanka, where a brutal civil war ended in 2009, is issuing renewable two-year visas to retirees 55 and older if they can support themselves and have at least $15,000 in a local bank account. A typical expatriate cost of living is $1,000 to $2,000 per month. Historically, the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia were more common destinations for American retirees. But a higher cost of living, especially in coastal areas like California and New York, has pushed many farther afield. Rockhold, the Navy veteran, said that healthcare has vastly improved in Vietnam. Also, he said, “This is one of the safest cities in the world; petty pickpocketing is almost unheard of.” Remarkably, he said, some of his friends are Americans who never served in Vietnam. “The cost of living is so low,” he said. “It’s a communist country, but if I blindfolded you and put you in downtown Saigon, you wouldn’t know it.” https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-12-25/americans-are-retiring-to-vietnam-for-cheap-health-care-and-a-decent-living-standard

From Bangkok Post Operators of homestay and home-sharing premises will soon face much higher commercial property tax than buy-to-let homeowners who pay residential rates, the Finance Ministry says. However, the new rules have sent many confused land and property owners into a panic, particularly in Bangkok. They received a letter from local administrative organisations and district offices informing them of their property type ahead of the enforcement of the new tax legislation. To quell homeowners' unease, the Finance Ministry and related agencies have agreed to group buy-to-let homes and condominiums under residential use, which is charged below the rate for commercial use under the new land and building tax to be implemented in August next year, according to Lavaron Sangsnit, director-general of the Fiscal Policy Office. This is because the authorities believe these properties are rented for long-term residential purposes. But homestay operators and home-sharing hosts like Airbnb will reap no windfall from the Finance Ministry's decision to apply the land and building tax rate for residential purposes to buy-to-let homes. Homestay and home-sharing activities are considered short-term rentals for commercial use, so these operators will be subjected to the commercial rate, Mr Lavaron said. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1824284#cxrecs_s