The Beer Bar

Well some news for West Australians at least, Thai airways has announced they are returning direct flights to Perth on March 31st and it looks like daily flights. All bodes well for a mid year return to the land of smiles, hot bodies and stiff dicks for me The link below says the 27th but Thai quoted 31st on Facebook Thai airways returns to WA

Watching some Jimmy Carr on YouTube better around 15:23 and one from British TV should be moved to some other area for modesty sake: Better not post it. Search "naked carrot in a Box 8 out of 10 cats"

From VN Express Airlines are scrambling to launch direct services between Southeast Asian tourist hubs and China, the world's largest tourism market before Covid broke out. Cambodia Airways on Saturday began flights between Phnom Penh and Chongqing, China’s most populous city with a population of over 31 million, the Khmer Times reported. The twice weekly service is on Mondays and Saturdays. The carrier also flies to Beijing, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Macau, Sanya, Jinan, Jieyang, and Haikou. Cambodia attracted 498,250 Chinese visitors in the first 11 months of last year, or 10% of all foreign arrivals. Singapore-based Jetstar Asia recently launched a …

From Pattaya News The Pollution Control Department (PCD) has issued an urgent warning regarding the hazardous levels of PM 2.5 particulate matter in the air, impacting 20 provinces across Thailand. The alert calls for immediate action to address and mitigate the severe air quality crisis that poses significant health risks to millions of residents. The provinces on high alert include major urban centers such as Bangkok, Pathum Thani, and Nonthaburi, as well as key industrial regions like Samut Prakan and Samut Sakhon. In a statement, the PCD has outlined a series of steps that need to be taken to combat the escalating air pollution levels. These measures …

From Thai PBS World The “30-baht Plus” health care scheme, under which only an ID card is needed to get access to medical care at state hospitals, private hospitals, clinics and pharmacies which join the program, will be launched in eight more provinces in March, Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew said today in Roi-et province. The minister, along with other key members of the Pheu Thai party, among them Paetongtarn Shinawatra, chair of the National Health System Development Committee and the Prime Minister’s Secretary-General Prommin Lertsuridej, are in Roi-et this morning to check the readiness of medical facilities joining the program, before its official…

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon The Thai tax authority has announced, in its fiscal report for last year, the scooping up of a total of 395 billion baht (circa US$11 billion) in personal income taxes. This was in addition to huge sums raised via value-added tax on sales and corporate or company taxes. Thai Revenue, as is well known, is taxing assessable overseas income, no matter when sent to Thailand, starting on January 1 2024. Foreigners and Thais who believe they have tax to declare should include their overseas taxable income during 2024 on their tax form for 2025. Significantly, the Revenue also reports that the number of people filing personal inco…

Don't give up on us baby RIP Hutch

Excerpted from MSN Much like the old saying “row when the tide comes in,” the Thai government is gearing up to boost tourism in the New Year. To achieve this goal, they have lowered taxes for alcohol and entertainment establishments. The Economic Times reported that Thailand officially approved tax reductions for alcohol and entertainment businesses on the 2nd. Chai Wacharonke, a spokesperson for the Thai government, stated, “This decision aims to breathe new life into the tourism industry,” and added, “The tax cuts for alcohol and entertainment businesses will remain in effect until the end of the current year.” Thailand has implemented several tax adjustm…

From The Nation Loading... Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit has ordered interprovincial bus operator Transport Co and other relevant agencies to urgently address all issues raised about the Bangkok Bus Terminal. This order was in response to complaints raised by Move Forward Bangkok MP Suphanat Minchaiynunt after he visited the terminal in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district. Suphanat listed the following problems: …

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon What to expect in 2024 The Thai government is committed to tourist expansion and more visa hurdles are likely to fall in the next few months. Already, only in Bangkok and potentially in Phuket, some visa extensions can be applied for online and there are likely to be more similar projects in provincial immigration. The bothersome 90 days reporting and the notification of address after arrival in the country are likely to remain with us, partly as a consequence of visa retraction. Rumors in 2023 that all expats will soon be required to have their own medical insurance appear to have retreated. Fears that your immigration record…

From Bangkok Post Health officials are looking to tighten preventive and control measures after finding higher rates of syphilis and gonorrhoea among young people, says Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew. Continues at https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2715383/alarm-sounded-over-syphilis-infections

Anyone have any info /experience on India or better ,Nepal gay for pay Scene? Some of these Nepalese guys are cute I wonder about places such as GOA What's the experience there ?

How to grease the wheels in advance for one’s future shot at a hearing …

From The Nation Both Thailand and China have decided to waive visa requirements for their citizens permanently from March 1, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin announced on Tuesday. He was speaking after the Cabinet acknowledged China’s gesture and agreed to reciprocate in kind. “China's move has helped boost relations and offers opportunities for tourists of both countries," Srettha said. He added that the Public Relations Department and related agencies have been tasked with publicising that Thailand is ready to welcome Chinese tourists.

From The Nation After a mishap on Tuesday, Eastern Bangkok Monorail Ltd (EBM), which operates the Yellow Line monorail line, has adjusted their train timetable from departing every 5-10 minutes to every 30 minutes throughout the service hours (from 6am to midnight). In its announcement on Wednesday, EBM advised commuters to adjust their travel time accordingly. They also apologised for the inconvenience. The sudden adjustment came after an incident on Tuesday evening, in which a wheel fell off a Yellow Line train and hit a taxi on Thepharak Road in Samut Prakan province. Nobody was injured by the…

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/judge-rules-former-clerk-who-refused-to-issue-same-sex-marriage-licenses-must-pay-260-000-legal-expenses/ar-AA1mmZYn?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=d031c1408f594fd4970ccb689f59e8d7&ei=26 A federal judge has ruled that former Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis must pay over $260,000 in attorney fees and expenses following her court case relating to her refusal to issue marriage licenses to a same-sex couple. Davis was briefly jailed in 2015 for her refusal, and she was subsequently taken to court. Courts have also ruled that she must pay $100,000 in damages to the two men she had refused to work with. Davis' attorneys are expected to …

If they're serious about this then they'll simply make it easier for tourists to come and go with a minimum of inconvenience. But bureaucracy is a hard thing for bureaucrats to forego. This comes across more as lip service to their goal than actual solutions. From National News Bureau of Thailand The government is focusing on the tourism sector to generate 3.5 trillion baht this year, promoting Thailand as a year-round destination. In 2023, the country welcomed over 27 million tourists, led by visitors from Malaysia and China. From January to December, tourist numbers reached 27.25 million, in line with government targets. Malaysia, China, South Korea, Indi…

Foreign tourists, reported to be of Indian nationality, engaged in a violent brawl with Thai people right on Pattaya Beach Road early today, sending shockwaves through the city just one day before its New Year’s celebration. For those interested, the video of the incident. Keep in mind, although nobody was seriously injured and the video is not graphic, extremely sensitive viewers should use caution. https://fb.watch/pd1DYdAKjL/?mibextid=Nif5oz On December 28th, 2023, at dawn, local residents and joggers running along Pattaya Beach captured the shocking incident on video, which quickly went viral on Thai social media. The roughly one-minute clip depicted Thai and…

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon The tweak in the Thai Revenue rules, affecting both Thai and foreign tax residents, means that income derived from assessable foreign sources is to be taxable from new year’s day 2024. The exact impact and scope remain fog-bound, but it is no exaggeration to say that the move has put the cat firmly amongst the expat pigeons who spend six months or more in the kingdom in a calendar year. The fiscal move may indeed be aimed at wealthy Thais with offshore bank accounts or profits from overseas businesses, but the typical expat risks being trapped in the crossfire. The Thai tax authority is still mulling the detail. Officers kn…

A bit early I know but I shall be sound asleep when the old goes out and the new comes in so I would like to wish everyone a happy new year and may 2024 be the best yet, I'm looking forward to my long awaited return to Thailand some time in 2024 (it's just a matter of when).

From The Thaiger The escalating conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, hasn’t deterred Thai labourers from seeking employment in Israel’s farmlands. Their decision to remain or return to work in Israel is primarily driven by the substantial financial benefits they can accrue. Satid Prom-u-narot, 37 years old, highlighted the stark disparity in wages between the two countries. “On average, I can earn about 600 baht for about two hours of work in Israel. To get that amount in Thailand, I would need to work for a full day. I may even earn less,” he stated. Although Satid’s camp was attacked by militants, he and his fellow Thai worke…

Looks like getting there is a bit of a hidden experience

I'm feeling nostalgic for some old tunes. Fancy listening to this.

From MSN / Bangkok Post Airfares are expected to gradually fall next year due to an increase in licensed airlines and a higher number of aircraft in the air transport sector, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT). The CAAT said on Tuesday night that eight airlines had recently received air operator licences from the transport minister (Suriya Jungrungreangkit) and were planning to deploy a total of 60 airplanes throughout 2024. According to the aviation authority, five of the eight airlines are domestic. They include Ezy Airlines (formerly known as Landarch Airlines), Pattaya Airways, P80 Air, Really Cool Airlines and Siam Seaplane. W…