anddy

That's so funny! Technically, you are probably right, they shouldn't be able to visit. Practically, however that probably hasn't even occurred to them because the whole sandbox regulation package is for foreign visitors, and Thailand is not a foreign country. Hence, those rules to not apply. but a separate set of rules that basically says "Thais can visit if fully vaccinated. Period."
As for trying to make sense of the list and the placement of individual countries, the sensible posts in this thread make it clear that that is an entirely futile undertaking. TiT. Case in point:
It would be crazy anywhere else, but it's par for the course in Thailand, we all know that. 

Thailand just put itself under high risk category, so thailand citizen not allowed to visit phuket?

I guess part of the reason might be that not all dirty deeds and dodgy dealings are criminal offenses. And in business dealings, things can be absurdly complex and evidence gathering very difficult. Just my 2 cents. I'd rather see him actually, physically behind bars sooner than later!

Fascinating stuff, thanks for posting @PeterRS!
the link provided to the article has some error in it, here is the correct one: http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue9/jackson.html
Funny side observation: at the very bottom of that article it says "This page [...] is best viewed in either Netscape 2 or above, or Explorer 2 or above." A piece of web history there  
 

In addition, the Phuket sandbox tourism model could be paused on short notice if infections spike to 90 cases per week. Lol
This alone is enough to make me not book anything yet. 

As Anddy says above, the PM's plan to reopen the country is more idea than actionable plan.
From Bangkok Post
New conditions set for reopening
The plan to reopen the country comes with conditions, with a major requirement that only provinces that have vaccinated 70% of their population will be allowed to open completely, according to a Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) meeting.
In addition, the Phuket sandbox tourism model could be paused on short notice if infections spike to 90 cases per week.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Wednesday announced a 120-day deadline for the country to reopen to international tourists and the return of normal business conditions.
However, at a CCSA meeting on Friday, the body noted the mid-October goal for reopening might not be achieved nationwide.
"We learned from our first failed attempt to reopen Phuket to tourists last year that such a plan should have mutual agreement from the local community. The provincial government should make the evaluation on whether the province is ready to open to international tourists," said Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn.
Mr Yuthasak said 18 airlines are ready to fly to Phuket, offering roughly 200 flights. The number of booked seats stands at 6,789, but the TAT estimates it will rise to 9,000-10,000.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2134799/new-conditions-set-for-reopening

I was perhaps wrong to make the comparison. Whilst Taipei has huge numbers attending and often any photograph will incorporate  many dozens of marchers, I have certainly seen, shall I say, stragglers near the end where any photo would only include a few. So, yes, it is a subjective comment.
To the list of two qualifications, I would also add that a large majority of the organisers must be Thai - and not merely students. There will be a lot of bureaucracy to get through for liaison with the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority on things like permits, police approvals and so on. That requires at least one person with an understanding of diplomacy and some degree of knowledge of how that gets done - no doubt quietly and behind the scenes if it is to be successful.
I have often wondered why Thailand's attitude to sex changed quite dramatically during the 20th century. It seems to have been a very free and easy country in the 19th century. One visiting American in the 1880s was "shocked almost beyond endurance at the nudity of the people." adding "not until Siam is clothed need she expect a place among the respectable, civilised nations." Another visitor around this time, a British school inspector J. G. D. Campbell was horrified at men's sexual behaviour. He put it down to the climate. "In the hot regions of the earth, sensual indulgence is far more prevalent!" These two upholders of western morality were no doubt referring to the habit of Thai ladies not to wear tops and to the frequency of heterosexual sex rather than gay sex. But there are written accounts that gay sex was certainly practised even at Court and by at least one Supreme Patriarch.
As attitudes to sexuality changed, at some point a law was introduced making sodomy a crime, suggesting that there was at the highest level an attempt, at the very least, actively to discourage homosexuality. Even when that law was repealed in 1956, for several years the media ran a very public campaign to out known homosexuals. I suspect it was probably around this time that public attitudes towards homosexuality as a whole began to change radically.
As for government actions/inactions, the Human Rights Foundation published an interesting paper in 2015. Among its findings, the Thai government has failed to -
1. implement laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in all areas of public life;
2. protect LGBTI people against widespread discrimination in employment, thereby affecting their right to work and their right to emjoyment of just and favourable working conditions
3. take measures to reduce discrimination against LGBTI people in the health care system
4. protect LGBTI students against widespread bullying and harassment in the education system, thereby affecting their right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.
https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CESCR/Shared Documents/THA/INT_CESCR_CSS_THA_20028_E.pdf
Given the above, it seems clear that organising any major gay Pride event will face a great many hurdles.

exactly

I'm pretty sure you can see that statue from BTS train approaching Sala Daeng station on it's way from Siam 

it's worth noting in this context that gay rights activists and supporting folks piggybacked on the youth's democracy and reform movement last year and had contingent at the rallies and had lists of political demands of their own. I saw that as a good thing. 
I find @PeterRS suggestion to have a pink dot-like event in a park rather than a march rather appealing. It would still have visibility and also a more relaxed, festive vibe enabling way more interaction between participants and the public. A march is just a march, that can be watched as a spectacle but that's about it. 
I also wonder who that is.... A precise location of the statue would enable to find out without violation board rules (which I'm sure is the reason for not naming the person, being from a certain family)

not only is all that absurd, it is also counterintuitive. Wouldn't you expect preferential treatment for commonwealth countries by giving them the indexation, and not giving it to non-commonwealth countries? That would seem at least somehow logical (though not justified in any shape or form). Looks like absurdity squared...

not only is all that absurd, it is also counterintuitive. Wouldn't you expect preferential treatment for commonwealth countries by giving them the indexation, and not giving it to non-commonwealth countries? That would seem at least somehow logical (though not justified in any shape or form). Looks like absurdity squared...

Yes to both - I mean "not" to both! Thanks for pointing this out.
I realise my view on the Max is extreme. After all, without "electronic sorcery" Concorde would never have got off the ground and I looked forward to my one flight with a lot of excitement. But when I flew supersonic, the airliner had been safely flying passengers for 25 years and its cockpit crews were both unanimous in their praise for it and proud to be flying it. On the other hand, it was a complete airliner designed totally from scratch. To save cash and nor lose ground to Airbus whose Neo narrow body family, Boeing rejected a complete redesign for the 737 and instead yet again adapted that original 1960s low to the ground body.
As I understand it, had Boeing simply lengthened the landing gear so that the fuselage sits higher off the ground, the engines could have been positioned under the wings and the problems and need for the MCAS system might have vanished. But a longer undercarriage would not have fitted into the existing wheel wells in the fuselage. So the struts would have had to be placed further out on the wing, thereby necessitating an a complete wing redesign which Boeing rejected on cost grounds. The problem was partly "solved" with some sort of telescopic strut. Another band aid solution!

There must be a "not" missing in that sentence
 
Why would you make an effort to fly that particular aircraft after it had just crashed? Or is that sentence also missing a "not"?
 
On the 737max, I agree with you about that odd engine/wing constellation, which is the root cause of all that has happened with the crashes. If I understand things correctly it was this design that gave rise to the need for that faulty MCAS system, meaning without the MCAS the plane is nowhere near airworthy. Now I understand that electronic safety and other support system are of great benefit and reliability, but using them in a manner of  electronic sorcery to make a non-airworthy plane fly at all is not really a trustworthy concept to me. I hope I'll be able to avoid this model in the coming years. 

There must be a "not" missing in that sentence
 
Why would you make an effort to fly that particular aircraft after it had just crashed? Or is that sentence also missing a "not"?
 
On the 737max, I agree with you about that odd engine/wing constellation, which is the root cause of all that has happened with the crashes. If I understand things correctly it was this design that gave rise to the need for that faulty MCAS system, meaning without the MCAS the plane is nowhere near airworthy. Now I understand that electronic safety and other support system are of great benefit and reliability, but using them in a manner of  electronic sorcery to make a non-airworthy plane fly at all is not really a trustworthy concept to me. I hope I'll be able to avoid this model in the coming years. 

yup, that and only that is really the key takeaway from that speech and offers some hope for future developments. 
Specific promises, such as "will open in October" are pretty meaning- and worthless. As you correctly point out, timetables have to be flexible, not by  choice but by necessity. A million things could derail that promised opening, plus it might be just as fraught with red tape and uncertainties as the Phuket Sandbox. Therefore, I am personally unable to bank on it for my return to Thailand from a tentatively considered trip to Germany over the summer  

Then again, let's not even assume that the signed "contract" was between Thailand and the vaccine manufacturer. I shall entertain the possibility that it could have been between the ministry and some local representative of the vaccine manufacturer specifying no details of price or delivery date (mere minor details, you understand), but setting down the most important aspect of any purchase: the percentage commission to be diverted to certain bigwigs. 

It must have been the weight of the iPad that he was apparently holding when he fell overboard!

That Sandbox will have the same fate as the "Special Tourist Visa", it's a non-starter. It is so complicated and still has so many restrictions, nobody will do it. So typical. They think - quite correctly - that many people are longing for a nice beach vacation, and Thailand and Phuket are clearly popular. But wanting to come doesn't mean accepting all and every burden the Thais think they can just heap on the potential tourists. 

yes it would, though I hadn't really considered that (yet).
Plus i wonder how the bureaucratic part about vaccination would work out in that case, i.e. get an "official" vaccination certification. Neither place can really issue that, not having administered both shots themselves. Could lead to headaches when traveling maybe? I would and will make sure my vaccination will be entered properly in my yellow vaccination book, but will that be sufficient? If an electronic one becomes the norm, could I get that and how?
Besides, in Germany I could easily get Pfizer or Moderna, which would be quicker than AZ, so no need to try the two-country strategy.
The 16 week gap in Thailand was done to stretch supplies to allow more first shots to be given faster, same rationale as the UK did a while ago. It may actually be a good thing from a virological/immunological point of view, as a longer gap leads to better protection. So shortening it, as you are looking to do @spoon, may not be such a good idea...

A (farang) friend of mine got an appointment some weeks ago through the Thai registration app, because a Thai person (forgot how they relate) put him in as "family". First it was supposed to be at the Siam Paragon vax center, but later he could move it (within the app) to BNH Hospital, where the farang friend is regular patient anyway, so very convenient. Friend went to BNH about a week ago to inquire about the appointment, and yes indeed it was in the system and the lady confirmed it. Will wait and see what happens when the day comes....
I'm not eligible under the foreigner application website yet. So being able to register will take some more time, and the actual appointment will presumably not be before late July, or even August. In which case I'm thinking I'm better off waiting for October and get the Moderna shot then, because for AZ they do a 16 weeks (!!) gap here, so a July/August 1st shot will have the second in November/December! Would be the same with a 1st Moderna shot in October. And of course even better with J&J.
And while I wait for October, an opportunity may arise to go to Germany and come back fully vaxxed with more reasonable hassle than under the stupid Phuket Sandbox model. 

Shortening here doesnt mean to 3 weeks like pfizer or moderna, but more like below 12 weeks, as compared to the fixed 12 weeks as default. Plus it is merely a request and not a commitment, as the process of vaccine here are all automated in the apps, and we need to confirmed our availability once we received the appointment. So moreso this request is for priority access to the vaccine when it is available. Given the delay delivery news we just recieved today, as our next batch of vaccine shouldve come from thailand factory, i figured ill just submit a request and decide later when i do get my second dose date. 

Thats one way to get ahead, marry a thai! Lol.
AZ gap is 12 weeks here in malaysia, but i just learned from the news that it is possible to request for shorter interval through email. Sent my request and hope theyll read the email lol. Although, AZ first dose gave a really good protection for those already at 76% efficacy, justifying the second dose to be delayed for potentially longer protection. So personally, if given the choice of a firm date AZ earlier, id choose this compared to a unconfirm date of other vaccine in the future. I actually did choose AZ here, but it was a simple choice as otherwise my queue is practically much later, and might get either pfizer (which i prefer) or sinovac (which i rather not, mainly due to current restriction on travel bases on vaccine type rather than the vaccine itself, as i dont mind sinovac if i can go travel to places i want).
Your last point is valid too, waiting means u can also take the vaccine in germany, and once phuket sandbox expand to bangkok, its a no hassle for u too as its pretty much staying in bangkok for u. Although, would taking your second dose of AZ in germany a possibility too? 

"a friend who had too much, of course it didn't allow it. Went to a counter and through it went with no issue, no fee"
Yep you're right there Anddy and that also was my own experience too.   
We have all at some point i'm sure carried out the inadvertent ( or intentional) turning up at the desk with one or two ( or 10 ! ) Kilos "over" and either turned up early in the hope of sweet talking the check in operator, hoping that as it was the start of the check in that they were feeling lenient or just didn't care. Or perhaps knowingly timing it so that we were verging on "late" and so knew the staff would be busy just trying to get everyone checked in and ON the plane and so we knew / or hoped they wouldn't stop / charge us anything - or it has even been known for people to slid a foot under the weighing scales to save a few kilos even ( not me, I read about it in a magazine once just Im sure :-). For me I can say that such rouses worked probably about 75% of the time or more even perhaps.
Now however, with the advent of the introduction of these infernal machines this means that there's ZERO tolerance for even just a one Kilo over AND as Anddy had said all payments MUST now be made at the machine with your credit card BEFORE a boarding card will be spat out at you.
This then results in ridiculously long queues forming of people either totally disgruntled at being charged at all, or for whatever reason perhaps finding themselves unable (or unwilling) to pay the ( granted ridiculously high) "over at the desk" charges!  Either way these machines are not a good thing and we should all rise up and take a wrecking screw driver to each and every one of them we find before they become "the norm" !  :-)
This is one machine that the luddites may have had a point about !!! :-(   
 And yes, before anyone says it 'yes of COURSE we could all just turn up with the correct baggage limits, all correctly weighed and pre-checked" - but a) sometimes that's hardly that it sounds when returning from holiday at least and mainly.......sure where would be the fun in THAT !  

Well @anddy I did indeed speak too soon.
A friends Thai wife saw a post on the internet that all vaccine appointments not made on the official app were being cancelled - my appointment was made at an outreach clinic of the local hospital where my details were entered manually on a register.
We went to the vaccination site this morning to find out if I was on the register - and of course I wasn't.
A lady member of staff there played about on her computer and said she had made me an appointment for August 5th which is considerably later than my original June 23rd.
Frustrating but TIT I'll find out if I'm going to be jabbed in 8 weeks time.