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@PeterRSYou are right in that these are the ones we know about. Jupiter Boy has Covid as does at least 20 of his friends. None of them are counted in the numbers as they are given at home testing and they stay there to recover. I would estimate the number is 10 times the reported numbers.
@Vessey What you find is paradise.   I have had so many boys message me on apps and want to stay with me or visit me. Yesterday, I had sex with one of the hottest guys in years. As I worry about Covid, I was as careful as possible. But, I had to see him and I did. Amazing and sweet. He is stuck here from another country and can't return yet. That leaves his free time (all the time) for doing nothing and Bangkok is boring. He said he liked being with me as he has someone to talk to and he thinks if he can stay with me more, I'd be open to letting him fuck me and he said his dick was magic. I laughed. He had me at liked.
@bucky13 I love the optimism and I know it will be glorious when you return!
@kokopelli Glad you got the vaccine. Stay safe and return as soon as you can!

Oh Lord but I feel the same frustration, although, in comparison to some of you, I was lucky in that I was there for New Year 2019/20, so its only been an 18 month gap for me, but I had become so accustomed to being able to visit once or, more usually, twice a year at times convenient to me, that the uncertainty over my next trip gnaws at me day by day, week by week, and month by month as this pandemic rumbles on and Thailand's vaccination programe still looks woefully inadequate.
In theory, now I am both retired and double vaccinated, I could go back tomorrow and face the 14 day quarantine/sandbox, so what is holding me back?
The answer is my concern as to what I would find if I did go back now, with the mass restrictions, bar closures and so many boys gone back home.
In truth I am perhaps still rather naively hoping that there will be a time when everything will just go back to normal, and the Pattaya I arrive back at will look and feel the same as the Pattaya I left in January 2020.  However, in all probability that will never be, not quite the same anyway, and I just have to come to accept that, and be prepared to 'take it as I find it' as I did on my very first visit back in 2009. 

After feeling so safe and glad to be in Thailand during the first year and a half of the pandemic I am now increasingly terrified as the number of infections and deaths have soared since the beginning of April and worsen daily. I am isolating in my condo. The only ray of hope for me is that I at least have an appointment at a hospital in Bangkok to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine in just over a week's time. We can but hope that things will improve over the next six to nine months in Thailand, but at the rate they are struggling to vaccinate people here I am seriously concerned. 

The gay scene has not left Thailand.
While the physical manifestations of it have temporarily retreated, the gay scene certainly continues to exist in the consciousness of Thais and foreigners alike.
Gays certainly do not suddenly become non-gay because their favorite venues are not available at the moment. Their inclinations and desires persist.
Our identities exist in our minds, and for a while longer we'll have to be content to live off those memories. And for those still in the country, the gay scene--as mentioned above--is accessible electronically.
Even if the hi-so proponents may wish to sweep "sex capital of the world" from the narrative of guide books, the gay scene will continue because it's an irrepressible force of nature: the nature of men who have sex with men.
One of the pleasures of international travel is that gay men still understand how to find like-minded individuals, even if there's a lack of venues. And beyond looking on line, there's always the eyes. Isn't that how we spotted other gays before any of the electronics existed? If you walk down Silom, or just about any crowded road, and can't find a local guy who may be interested in sex--or at least getting to know you, you're probably not paying attention.
Despite the naysayers' claims, Thailand is not suddenly about to reverse form. Bangkok is not going to become London; Pattaya not St. Kitts.  Even the Tourism Authority (TAT) acknowledged Thursday that getting tourists back to Bangkok is job one:
"The worsening Covid-19 situation in Thailand has led the Tourism and Sports Ministry to reconsider the country's reopening strategy, admitting some target destinations are still marred by soaring infections. However, the ministry insists on reopening Bangkok by this year as the capital is the heart of the tourism industry in Thailand."
There are gloomy days ahead. Opening plans will be delayed. But the government is all too well aware that it must get the doors reopened. The transportation infrastructure and hospitality sector haven't gone away. More important, tourists from across the globe have not forgotten why they want to return.
When the great cities of the world get back into the tourism business, they, too, know that what made them so damn successful in the first place is something that should not be tampered with. Whether it's Rio, Paris, New York, London, Tokyo or Bangkok, tourists will want more of the same. Count on it.
 

What?  Do something that actually makes sense?  Surely you jest . . .
Unfortunately many of the decisions, rules, and schemes they come up with to deal with this crisis are knee-jerk reactions made by people incompetent to deal with this in the first place.  I'm no more competent than they are.  I admit it.  The problem is they won't admit it. 
I have no idea who would be competent.  Nobody has ever had to deal with a crisis like this before, especially in a modern mobile society.  Nobody has the magic solution.  But I wish they would be more proactive and fully think through their ideas before they impose them.

At the moment hotels would be desperate for clients so they would allow just about anything just to get some business. They'd probably even turn a blind eye if you decided to have sex at the breakfast table!
A fat sausage and a couple of eggs, anyone?
 

A Thai friend of mine’s dismissive comment on sauna mania:  “Office girls!”

right, being close to somebody with little of material  possessions and still seeing him having happy life clears our mind to a great degree and when we will be gone , whoever will be cleaning our house will be happy that there's so little work to be done dumping all that to Royal Cartage provided trash container

Strangely, this is true and I think also gives me a clearer perspective on what is important in my life.
Since I have known Bangkok Guy my interest in material possessions has declined.
Let's not take that too far, I am still quite materialistic.
But I now find myself comparing an acquisition with what the same money would mean to Bangkok Guy and the majority of times deciding that the object I am contemplating will not in fact increase my happiness. 

In a relationship you have to.
However, before doing so it is necessary to have some understanding of what motivates the other person - their desires, fears and frame of reference. Given the cultural and language gap I clearly do not have 20:20 vision on Bangkok Guy. However, I think (possibly incorrectly) that I have enough visibility to be comfortable trusting him. What makes me comfortable is:
* He is very grounded and straightforward. No games or make-believe. If he says something then, assuming he knows what he is talking about, it is so.  
* His objective in life is not a personal one but a group one - to contribute to his family. Because of this he is not personally grasping. My usefulness is to help him contribute to his family, not to provide glittery gifts. The only times he requests anything it is a family issue. Any clothes or travel is my offer to him and he enjoys this - just watch him Shopping - but it is nothing he has asked for. The only time he has hinted that he would like something personal was the dragon charm, but that was for the luck not the gold because luck is always useful to help you contribute to your family.
* When we are together it is clear that I am to be looked after. This may be because it is only natural to look after a water buffalo so it continues to be productive. It may be affection, after all it is possible to feel affection for the family water buffalo. It may be a little romance. Bangkok Guy has a romantic heart. He likes the attention I pay him as much or more than anything I give him. A shirt is nice, but when I admire him in a shirt, that is really satisfying. The most satisfying is when I pay him thoughtful little courtesies which show I am thinking of him.
* We amuse each other. I enjoy his sense of mischief but beyond that his continual combination of niceness/straightforwardness/optimism somehow tickles me. Watching him process life though this lens continually makes me smile. Somehow, I amuse him. I quite often see him watching me with a look of quiet amusement. I have no idea what about me amuses him. Possibly I simply process life in a way that amuses him. The point is, he feels like a friend and because friends see each other more clearly than lovers, there is a better basis for trust. 
All this may of course be wishful thinking and a melange of misinterpretation. Still, I will trust, because without trust nothing is possible. 
 
    
  

Thanks; I love this post, not only because it's  Covid-free  but because so much of it resonates  profoundly with those of us who in LTRs and are consequently struggling to ensure that our loved-ones are coping. 
 I understand your decisions to help BG. I expect you have heard the warnings- silent or otherwise- not to be taken-in, exploited, abused and so on.  We give,  sometimes  generously, but the amount of happiness and relief that our money provides is worth it. I've never gone hungry because of P; I've never said, "No, that new shirt is beyond me at the moment..." and so on.  I tell him- and it is true- that giving money to him gives me happiness. And as a Buddhist, he appreciates this fully,  perhaps beyond my  understanding.
The money I have I saved by missing  four trips  has  certainly helped P..... a new smart TV, a new motor cy,  the re-seeding of his small-holding and a spirit house the size of a Bangkok temple ....well almost.... not to mention the other  day-to day expenses, none of which I have missed. He has done well out of lockdown! 
 
 

Thanks for sharing your experiences with Bangkok Guy.
What impressed me is that you give him the benefit of the doubt. You show him that you trust him and trust can turn what some may think of as a transaction into a relationship.
Seeing him, talking with him obviously brings you joy. You can purchase pleasure but you can't buy joy.
If we resort to applying litmus tests out of fear of being hoodwinked, we're going to miss out on a lot of what makes all the difference in our lives.
They years are passing all too quickly for me now. But with that compression of time I've come to know what I want to value in the time I have in front of me.
Wishing you luck until you and Bangkok Guy reunite.

Corresponding with Bangkok Guy over the last several months has given me a little insight into how hard Covid is making life for poor Thais (Bangkok Guy is straightforward about his economic status as he is about everything “I am very poor person”).
Back in April I noticed a ring on his wedding finger.
“You marry lady! How many children you have!”
“Nooo” he replies, rolling his eyes at such a silly suggestion. Falang can be so silly.
“No? Then you marry hot muscle boy from Jupiter!” Bangkok Guy likes the buff Jupiter guys.
“Nooo”, this time with head down slightly bashfully as for some reason his attraction to Jupiter muscle studs is secret. 
Then, looking at me bright with mischief, “You give me”.
“I?”
“Yes, give me dragon but risky, people steal, so get ring”.
Last trip I gave him the money to buy a fat gold dragon charm on a red cord bracelet. The serious business of comparison Shopping had run us out of time to buy one before the shops shut, so I gave him the cash. I had not seen him wearing it. Now all is explained, sort of.
Bangkok Guy is not one to make things up, so if he says risky then it is risky. Possibly economic stress is leading to desperate acts in the poorer parts of Bangkok he inhabits. He is not a fantasist, so I doubt he just went and bought a ring in a haze of self-delusion. However, as a safer way to carry gold, a ring is a nice rationalization for a little bit of wish-fulfillment.
“Ok” I smile. He beams. I have acknowledged the ring as from me, even though he knows it does not signify that the full requirements of his fantasy are met.
Then for a week I can’t contact him on Line. I email. He does not have his iphone anymore, but email is ok. I don’t ask for an explanation and don’t offer to buy an iphone and so we correspond by email, which is not as good as seeing him.
In May, panic. Fully fledged. It is the famous time-payment tractor again. His market has been closed so he does not have the money for his contribution. His mother also does not have her contribution. If the payment is missed they will lose the tractor and it is the final payment. His desperation is real. He has been contributing to paying this thing off for about 7 years. When I met him he was a student and I suspect dancing was his way to earn the money to contribute to the tractor. In the past he has shown me financial documents, so I don’t think the tractor is a more sophisticated version of ‘buffalo me die’.  Although, with the documents, it could be a very sophisticated version.
I ask what the balance due is. Much less than I expected. I send the cash.  
His emotion is something I have not seen from him before. He is a calm, cheerful, balanced guy.
“You save my life” along with a photo of the paid bill.
By late June I am getting tired of not seeing him, so I ask if he would like an iphone.  
“Thanks you. I want but it’s not necessary because expensive”.
How to interpret that? He is careful with money, but I don’t think that is the answer. Maybe he wants the money but not an iphone? Maybe an iphone is at risk of being stolen?
My guess is that the money would be appreciated but an iphone is at risk of being stolen and is also just not a need when other needs are more pressing.
I have a trip booked early in the New Year and had intended to surprise him with the cash to buy his great aunt’s plot of land. I decide he probably needs it now and send it to him out of the blue, explaining what it is for.
Bangkok Guy’s thanks are effusive. He is off to the Provinces. There is a great sense of relief.
My guess is that he wanted to get the heck out of Bangkok but felt obliged to stay to try to scrape up some additional income to contribute to the family. I don’t think he will use the cash to buy the land for himself. My guess is that it will be used to contribute to the family, enabling him to get out of Bangkok and return home while retaining face.
He is also fulfilling his part of our deal and praying for the success of my business “I wish your business better and better”. Remind me to ask my accountant about expensing Bangkok Guy as Head of Celestial Outreach.
So now I have a very happy Bangkok Guy who apparently has my ring.

Very good for you TotallyOz, if only Pattaya could provide access to any vaccine for expats, particularly for those of us over 60 with underlying conditions, but that appears to be a fading fantasy as the Moderna vaccine most of us have registered for at various hospitals has decreased in number from the projected 10 million doses to 5 million and now 3.9 million maybe arriving at some point in October or thereafter. Sigh.

There are probably gangs in most major cities. Many are violent. It may come as a surprise that there are deadly rivalries between student gangs in Bangkok - notably Technical Colleges. When I say "deadly", that is precisely what I mean. Few if any tourists and residents will be aware of them but they are to be found near at least one major shopping mall – MBK. This report from Channel News Asia formed the basis of a TV documentary shown some months ago. It is almost frightening.
 
BANGKOK: Vocational student Kamonwich Suwanthat was interning at a multinational logistics company and was a few months away from graduation. His parents were certain his education would change the family’s fortunes. Until then, the 24-year-old was also helping his mother to make ends meet by selling noodles at her roadside market stall on most nights. That was where, on Oct 12, a stranger shot him four times, point-blank, and fled. The fourth-year student bled to death in front of a crowd and his mother. She did not realise it then, but his place of study was the reason he was targeted — by a school gang.
The three students arrested a month later told the police they had no personal dispute with him, and gave this statement: “He was chosen simply because he can be killed in the same way his schoolmates killed our senior.” They were from the Pathumwan Institute of Technology located just one kilometre from the victim’s school, the Rajamangala University of Technology Tawan-ok, Uthenthawai Campus.
Deadly violence between vocational students with a potentially bright future is common in Thailand. In Bangkok alone, there are years when more than 1,000 cases of brawls have been reported by mid-year. And the rivalry that cost Kamonwich his life is a seven-decade, tit-for-tat grudge between two schools in the same neighbourhood as the MBK Centre, the giant shopping complex popular with tourists.
“Once I knew it was a school rivalry, I knew the (shooter) couldn’t be anyone else but a student from the institute nearby,” said Thai Rath TV crime journalist Nattapong Riabsantia . . .
When Thai youths leave high school, they are separated into general or vocational education tracks. Those who pick the latter enrol at one of Thailand’s 416 vocational institutes to learn trade-specific skills. Pathumwan Institute of Technology is one of them. The 87-year-old school trains future mechanics, technicians and electricians, among other trades. Despite its notoriety, this is where 19-year-old Nim chose to study electrical engineering “because what I learn will allow me to find work back in my hometown”.
Her first semester, however, shows how the troublemaking can start. She signed up for a welcome camp that turned out to be a hazing experience — a rite of passage centred on loyalty to the school that brought the students together. These camps, organised by the seniors without official sanction, are common in many Thai colleges and last mostly a week to a month. But at Pathumwan Institute, there can be such activities for the whole semester. Nim (her nickname) gave up after two weeks. But those who endure get a “special’ T-shirt with the school crest, which they wear like a badge of honour. And that invites danger.
Benz, a fourth-year senior, said: “When we wear a school shirt with a logo, it’s very easy for us to spot who wants to fight or who wants to have power over us.” To students like him, however, the school crest is a way to gain respect.
Fees for vocational colleges are heavily subsidised, so they attract students from poorer areas that rely on agriculture. They often must leave their families living outside the city but get a chance to be initiated into a tight-knit fraternity. “Being part of this helps me to overcome an inferiority complex,” admitted Benz.
Third-year student Pae added: “We’re like family. The minute I step in, someone will greet (me) and ask if I’ve eaten … ‘Do you have money for food? I’ll give you money.’”
As new members learn to beware of students from a long-standing rival school, it is often their sense of loyalty and belonging that drives them to acts of violence.
Pathumwan old boy and former army soldier Sompode Subpradit would know. He was expelled from the school 50 years ago for taking part in violent brawls. Now that he is retired, he “always” visits the school, and the students see him as an elder brother. Having listened to them, he said: “Sometimes the love and bond between friends and juniors is the reason for the violence. “If a junior student is attacked by a student from the rival school, the seniors would be sad and would take revenge to protect the school’s pride.”
Over the years, the authorities have tried all kinds of measures to stop school gangs, from sending offenders to army boot camps to discipline them, to holding outreach programmes. Even a nationwide oath of peace, taken by almost a million vocational students in honour of King Bhumibol Adulyadej when he died in 2016, has not ended the inter-school violence.
At Pathumwan Institute, students have worn a standard vocational college uniform since 1975, which many other colleges have also adopted. This uniform does not have the school logo, making its students indistinguishable from others. They are also told to be cautious, and the rules do include not allowing them to wear the school’s logo or colours outside the school grounds, in a bid to prevent rival students from identifying them. But it is clear that there are renegades flaunting their school crest. And the Thai police continue to enter the fray to stop the bloodshed.
“Typically (from past cases), students use knives to stab each other. They’d grab the rival’s neck and stab him,” said Suppression Squad Leader Sarun Ausub from the Pathumwan District Police Station. “If we (the police) aren’t there to check on them, they may stab each other to death. That’s happened before.” A clash in August 2017, for example, which happened outside the MBK Centre, left one student dead after he was stabbed. Since then, the police and both schools have come together with a plan to stop these brawls . . .
The Kingdom faces a shortage of technical and vocational workers. And violence among schools only pushes parents to steer clear of vocational education for their children, even though for some, their livelihood from farming now brings dismal returns.
Pae is one of those from a rural area. He has been suspended for one and a half years for staring rival students down. But he has not given up on studying, “no matter how rebellious” he is. “It’s my dream to study here,” he said. “I’m poor. My mother is poor. If I don’t try, I won’t be able to survive.”
Kamonwich, on the other hand, lost that chance simply because his profile — most likely picked out via social media — was similar to a Pathumwan old boy who was killed while selling food with his aunt.
Mr Nattapong, who interviewed Kamonwich’s parents, said: “I could tell they were so sad from their eyes, because they’d just lost the son who’d have one day been a tower of strength for the family. “I’ll never understand (why vocational students fight). I can’t believe they kill each other because of reasons that are nonsense. The students shouldn’t die like this, because some of them really want to study peacefully."
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/cnainsider/shopping-haven-mbk-bangkok-thailand-deadliest-school-rivalries-11547204

I was at the International Hospital in Pattaya this morning for my three monthly check on my diabetes only to find that the hospital will no longer accept bookings for the Moderna vaccine. Sigh. We were told to register with the hospital which holds our records. So by the look of things I shall struggle to even access the vaccine in October.

This is for UK citizens living overseas. In Canada, a Commonwealth country, UK pensioners do not receive indexation of their NI pension, yet in the USA they do. I chose the locations simply to illustrate the absurdity of the situation.

I was so grateful and full of praise for Thailand in it's handling of the pandemic for over a year, so few deaths and infections. Now? The arrogance and incompetence of the junta has now come to bite us. If I could afford it I would be on a plane, any plane, back to the UK to access the vaccine. Instead I face isolating myself, not meeting with my friends, until we eventually get access to the vaccine in Thailand, which will be October/November at best for the first dose, at no doubt a hugely inflated cost for farang. I don't care that I will have to pay for it. I do care, very much, that I will be isolated for the next four to five months if I want to stay alive.

I started working with a financial planner about 15 years ago and it was one of the best things I ever did. I've been contributing to my workplace's retirement investment scheme which has a 5% matching contribution and that has accumulated quite nicely over the years. But for the rest of my money the financial planner has been very helpful in figuring out where to invest given my risk tolerance and needs. He's good for making sure I don't make any rash moves when things start going south, but I'm also a quite rational thinker so I don't let emotion take over. Having him layout the projections for the future in a relatively conservative way has been very eye-opening and I expect to retire earlier than I had expected to and should have more than enough money to last the rest of my life. It also helps that I work for the federal government which includes a very good pension given how long I've been working there. I know I've been very lucky, but I think I've made pretty good decisions - partly on my own and partly thanks to his advice. Depending on what you need services like this don't necessarily cost a lot and they can pay off. If you have the time to invest in learning about all of this stuff you can do it on your own of course.

Im good at saving money but not good at investment. I should learn the investment routes soon but kept delaying it. Plus, i cant seems to shake off losing my hard savings when the stocks didnt do well. I have one stock only and havent sell mine since the IPO. It is profitable and still giving me dividen. I like reading about investments but the more i read, the more hesistant i get lol.

In my post two above, I mentioned the sale of the mother's house as "clearly several thousand pounds." Apologies - it should have read "several hundred thousand pounds."

The health issue is so vital for retirees and so relatively uncertain. From my 40s I had a wonderful health plan paid for by my employer. Everything was paid for and it was worldwide. But even before I left, I knew I could not take it with me, as it were. And even had that been possible, there was no way I could have afforded the premiums. So before I had to give up that policy, I very stupidly took advice from someone in one of the chat rooms by going to an acknowledged "expert" in medical insurance. And I assure you, everyone said he was "THE expert". End result. I got a plan that was much more suited to a future in Thailand. So for a couple of years I had two policies as I knew that after 65 I would have difficulty finding any cover.
I was extremely stupid. i did no research on the insurance company. It was large and based in the USA. I had checked on likely future premiums for ten years and was satisfied. But I did not check the company. t was then fighting several law suits and had a reputation for pulling in clients close to retirement and then raising rates very quickly. For three years all went well even after I hit one of the 5 year milestones when premiums usually increase more significantly than usual. But over the next two years the premium went up first by 25% and the next year by 50%! I was near incandescent with rage. I spoke to the company and especially to the broker who had sold me the policy. All put their hands up and said "not our fault". So after age 65 I had to try and find another insurer, move back to the UK or self insure. Thankfully I found another company here in Thailand and have what I consider a very good plan at decent rates.
But the reason I quoted from @Ruthrieston's post concerns the possible introduction of the 40,000 baht outpatient requirement. This to me seems the height of utter nonsense. I dropped outpatient treatment from my policy and will save around 37,000 baht annually. It made no sense since my policy has a 40,000 baht excess. Why pay 40,000 that just to claim 3,000? So I have a separate bank account with plenty of funds to cover outpatient treatment and any other additional medical costs. But will the Immigration Department and its medical advisers see the sense in this? Of course not! TIT.

I had not realised this topic would result in such a variety of interesting posts and suggestions. Having chatted yesterday with another guy here who knows the unfortunate pair, we have tried to put together a timeline of what happened up to the point where their cash seems to have disappeared.
They both retired around 1998. We expect they must then have been 65. One had received a large amount from the sale of his recently deceased mother's house. No idea of the amount, but clearly several thousand pounds. They had decided that rather than spend their retirement in the UK, they would move to Singapore. Both knew the city state and so must either have worked there or visited more than once.
Singapore must have seemed an ideal place. It was still suffering the effects of the 1997 Asian Economic crisis, property prices had fallen and like all Asian currencies, apart from the Chinese RMB and the Hong Kong $, the Singapore $ had dropped close to 25%. We expect they arrived there around late 1999. They spent a year in a serviced apartment and then planned to buy somewhere. But in late 2000 the financial world went into a tailspin with the bursting of the dot.com bubble. Many portfolios took quite a hit. As a result, the pair decided their cash pile might not last in Singapore and they needed to find somewhere less expensive. They did not know Bangkok and so moved into a serviced apartment on Saladaeng (not the one above Zanotti restaurant - a cheaper one between there and Silom near Senso massage) for year while they checked locations to purchase.
They purchased a large flat (too large which was a major mistake) in a residential district about 2 kms from Silom. I now realise they moved in at the start of 2002. But property in that area was not expensive, especially for larger apartments. So they must have assumed they got a good deal. But the next curveball as Spoon so accurately describes it occurred just a year later. SARS in early 2003 hit Asian stock markets hard - far more so than the rest of the world. Although they had recovered by around the end of the year, had anyone sold assets during that downturn, their cash pile would have been effectively reduced. Fast forward to the worldwide depression of 2008 when just about everyone suffered financially - many badly.
The future outlook for those living off savings inevitably was bad, the more so with interest rates falling close to zero and remaining there for many years. We suspect they must at that time have seen the writing on the wall as far as their long term future in Thailand was concerned. But they could not sell their property as values had crashed. So they hung on presumably for as long as they could. At that stage we guess they could have just upped sticks, taken the financial hit and returned to the UK. But if you are getting close to 80 and know that the world has recovered from similar crises in the past, perhaps they reckoned waiting it out would be the best thing.
Clearly it was not. Yet they waited till around 2013 before putting the condo on the market. We have no idea who they entrusted the sale to but it took three years before they found a buyer. By then the asking price had dropped by more than 25%. Their next mistake was moving into another large apartment so close to the city centre at a rent that they perhaps thought they could afford. Even with some savings and with somewhere around 10 million baht from the sale in their accounts, not moving into a much smaller and cheaper apartment further from the centre was some kind of madness. Within 5 years their cash had all but run out. And yet, how did they run through such an amount of cash so quickly? As I mentioned earlier, something must have happened between renewal of their visas in May last year and having to start borrowing from friends just to stay alive only a few months later. We still do not know how a seeming 1.6 million baht to renew visas disappeared.
In the thread title, I used the word "sad". I believe that is because I knew the pair and I knew them to be good, decent people who lived quite frugally and were good neighbours. Perhaps I should have left that word out. I feel very badly for them now and their future must seem bleak. But it is certainly a cautionary tale. All the advice offered above about the amount of cash anyone requires for retiring in Thailand is so apt. It is likely to be a lot more than at first thought, the more so if you live into your late 80s or 90s. Placing all ones financial eggs in one uncertain basket is not at all a good idea. Some back-up is vital.

This is a good story and thank you for sharing it.
One factor to consider is that one or both of these men may have been suffering from dementia, undiagnosed as they seem to have been rather socially isolated. Or perhaps one of them had undiagnosed mental illness such as bipolar disease, one of the symptoms of which is recklessness with money. Perhaps the other man didn’t know how, or didn’t have the strength, to handle his friend’s increasingly poor decisions. I wonder about this especially because of the sudden loss of income, which suggests they may have fallen for scammers who prey on vulnerable older people. Likely we will never know, but before judging too harshly, we might want to consider these or other possibilities. 
All of which suggests that the best investment we can make in old age is not financial; it is social. I think of my miracle 98 year old mother still living independently in Massachusetts, USA. Her sons are loving and supportive but not nearby. She couldn’t manage without the support of neighbors and friends she cultivated over the years. Not to mention her cat and her garden. So everyone make sure you have people around who care about you and keep an active mind.  You will need them both when the inevitable decline comes.

Basically I agree with you. But I think you have to remember that regulations do change from time to time and there was a major change in the retirement visa extension requirements early last year. From 800,000 baht in the bank for 3 months prior to renewal which could thereafter be spent over the next 9 months, Immigration decided (for reasons I still do not understand) that the 800,000 had to be in the bank for 5 months during which it could not be touched and thereafter 400,000 must remain untouched for 7 months. In other words, at least 400,000 has to be locked up for life, as far as I can see. That is a pretty radical change considering many older people never had the level of pensions most younger people nowadays save or are forced to save towards. Anyone in their mid-80s who contributed to the UK National Insurance scheme for the required 40 years and started taking the pension at the age of 65 has it frozen at that level. My guess is that for those two guys that probably amounted to less than £75 (3,290 baht) per week each.
Also, there may come a time, especially when you are in your 80s or older, when you cannot return home because there is simply no home to go to. Remember the case of the 92 year old who was put on a flight to Switzerland not so long ago? He could not meet the new retirement visa requirements and was deported. He had absolutely no relatives and no place to stay in Switzerland. Yet he was Swiss and so that is where he was sent. What he did once he got there, I hate to think.
I have no home in Britain. No house, no apartment, no income apart from a basic British pension which would certainly not enable me to rent even a small apartment or get me into a care home. My brother and sister are about my age and may die before me. I don't have an extended family like many others, although i am certain my niece would look after me. At least i have an apartment here and savings in the bank.
But as gaybutton writes, it would be useful to know what financial disaster befell these two guys so quickly. When people run out of cash, it is usually the case that they can predict that probably years ahead. So they can plan accordingly. From what we know, it seems these guys were caught almost completely unawares.
On a separate matter, thanks to 10tazione for finding my earlier post. Renewed apologies for repeating most of the tale.