Opinion
The Thaiger Opinion Columns
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Sponsored Blue Tree Lagoon in Blue Tree Phuket is the safe and sensible choice for a tropical getaway
Phuket is an island with endless beauty. But recent news of venomous animals like Blue Dragon and jellyfish sightings on the island’s natural beaches have raised safety concerns for beach-goers. So, what should you do if you want to spend...
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Paradise by the dentist’s drill
Article by guest author and featured on Substack, by Willing Life I decide to book a flight to tropically beautiful Thailand, known as the land of smiles. I think, to add to my beautiful smile, why don’t I get a problematic wisdom tooth drilled out on the first day I’m there. I mean, it’s not really a holiday in paradise…
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From war heroes to war zeros: The unjust treatment of Julian Assange
We live in a world where war criminals are celebrated, worshipped, and praised while those who hold them to account are vilified, abused and thrown in prison, as in the case of Julian Assange. We live in a world where George Bush and Tony Blair can lead the United States, United Kingdom, and allies into an illegal war in Iraq…
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Andrew Tate’s first serious interview since his release racks up 5 million views in just 24 hours
Internet personality Andrew Tate, known for his controversial statements and actions, has blown up YouTube with his first ‘proper’ interview since being released on house arrest alongside his brother, Tristan. And who better to conduct the interview, none other than the rising media superstar, Patrick Bet-David. Patrick and his Valuetainment media company were the first to interview Tate after being…
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A question that matters: What is a woman?
The question that had so many politicians stumped recently, a question that five years ago would make you think, why are you asking me such an obvious question? Well, it’s not 2018 anymore and the definition of a woman is no longer based on chromosomes and one’s ability to menstruate and mother a child. As we see in the recent…
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Can the BBC ever recover from their latest humiliation?
The supposedly politically neutral British national broadcaster has taken the humiliating action of offering a grovelling apology to their politically biased football presenter, Gary Lineker. This action is likely to enrage a significant portion of the BBC’s reluctant license payers, many of whom are now likely to reconsider renewing their TV License if they weren’t already. The BBC charges every…
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Victims of romance scams ‘at their wits end’
Most victims of romance scams in Thailand are women in their 40s. Middle-aged women are the main targets of criminal gangs who prey on those who have taken the questionable step of seeking true love online. Online fraud, including romance scams, has become a serious problem in Thailand, judging by the number of complaints filed with the Royal Thai Police.…
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No chance of parole for Bangkok’s imprisoned gorilla
After the latest round of public outcry, authorities claim for the umpteenth time that little can be done about gorilla Bua Noi, 33 years old, confined to a small cell in a Bangkok shopping mall. According to Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa, the owners are free to continue doing as they please with the beast they have kept…
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Not so smug now – expat life in the grip of Truss
If you are British, and an expat, one of the few things you used to feel smug about was the government “back home.” The nutters may occasionally take over the asylum, but it’s a good strong asylum, fit for purpose. Mother of parliaments. The United Kingdom doesn’t usually have generals taking charge, water cannons in the streets, movie-star presidents or…
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Goodbye, adios, good riddance Thailand Pass – OPINION
From today, July 1, there is no more Thailand Pass. The digital online pre-travel registration for people coming into Thailand has had a checkered history and left a bad taste in the north of many foreigners, and Thais, who have had a poor experience with the digital gateway. After the launch of the Phuket Sandbox on July 1, 2021 –…
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Back to the future – the resistance to taking off masks in Thailand | OPINION
Walking along the streets of Bangkok this morning I may as well be in a time loop. There was only one person not wearing a mask as I walked to breakfast. Me. Everyone else, everyone, was wearing a face mask, just like over the past 2 years and 2 months. It was 7.30am, it’s not as if it was busy.…
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From Pattaya with Love, or How To Win Friends and Taser People!
A training session held last week on Wednesday, June 22, on Jomtien Beach has convinced anyone that public relations are not a strong characteristic in the ranks of the Pattaya Police. Thanks to Adam and The Pattaya News for the video and pics. The display was an apparent demonstration of the skills of Pattaya police to be able to handle…
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Flip a coin – bumpy ride for the crypto-faithful
The following is a news opinion and NOT financial advice. If you’re into trading or investing in cryptocurrencies you already know it’s been a rocky ride. Just one roller coaster crypto-ride – Bitcoin – stands out since it hit a peak on November 8 last year. And has tanked 70% of its perceived value since. Today the online crypto-gurus are…
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Thailand tourism, innovate or die – OPINION
Red flags are flying in Thai tourism circles as the expected wave of international travellers is failing to materialise in the expected numbers. With the post-April 1 and Songkran ‘surge’ out of the way, the daily arrivals have been ‘flat’. So the TAT say they’re pivoting their marketing to short-haul tourism as the long-haul markets and traditional travellers to Thailand…
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Thailand’s nightlife can officially open from Wednesday but this will be too late for many businesses
Warnings yesterday from the Thai government health officials as they urge business operators of Thailand’s nightlife – bars, karaoke bars, clubs and the larger massage premises – to “follow strict precautions” against Covid when they re-open next month. That’s next Wednesday. We’ll get back to the absurdity of that warning a bit later. 31 Thai provinces, 14 now reclassified as…
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Where Thai locals go for a happy ending
Thailand has a numerous amount of convenient and simple places to go to if you want a quick lovemaking session. There are literally hundreds of “erotic entertainment venues” in the Land of Smiles that locals like to frequent. It’s not because they dislike areas such as Soi Cowboy, Nana Plaza, or Patpong in Bangkok, or the walking streets of Phuket…
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Political fallout from the Bangkok governor election – OPINION
The winner of the Bangkok Governor election wouldn’t normally get so many headlines except that this election did, and there’s a few reasons why, and some take aways for everyone after the results became apparent yesterday. Really, the polls have been so clear on this election, the actual poll ended up a mere formality. Although the Election Commission has not…
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Thai government unleashes the fear machine for Songkran – OPINION
Today a popular English-language news outlet led with a story that quotes Dr Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, DG of the Department of Health, who claims the public health ministry is forecasting daily Covid infections could hit 100,000 after Songkran this year. The Thai public health ministry, headed up by Minister and deputy PM, Anutin Charnvirakul, has taken a random stab in the…
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Can we say good-riddance to the Thailand Pass on July 1?
OPINION “Hopefully, and essentially, there has to be a radical Thailand Pass-ectomy.” July 1 seems so far away as the rest of the world has moved on and opened up, with many SE Asian destinations also dispensing with many of their Covid-arrival procedures already, or in the next month. Whilst the rest of the world has established new travel lanes…
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Travel in 2022 – how Russia is reshaping the world’s travel industry
Russians were the most visible travellers heading to Thailand post February 1, 2022, when the Thailand Pass Test & Go option was rebooted. Even with its 2 days of pre-booked SHA+ quarantine and PCR tests, along with US$50,000 Covid insurance (which has since been reduced to $20,000), the Russian travellers were delighted to jump on a plane and take the…
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Thailand’s long road back to ’normal’
OPINION Thailand is lagging behind the rest of the world with its turn tackling the Omicron variants of the coronavirus. The sudden surge, peaking, then dropping numbers of cases that define the waves of Omicron around the world have had their peaks at different times, in different countries. For the world, the peak was on January 21, for the US…
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Bangkok is back – Thailand’s capital roars back to life
OPINION Before the pandemic, Bangkok was the most-visited city on the planet – a thriving hive of energy and activity which attracted over 22 million international visitors per year. Then, without warning, it all went quiet. Now, following the reboot of the Test & Go re-entry into Thailand on February 1, 2022, Bangkok is back. The city is welcoming the…
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Thumbs down for Thailand’s Test & Go Version 2
Test & Go V2.0 has received a universal thumbs down by Thaiger readers and viewers. Or just about anywhere else in the online comments space. The rebooted, and slightly more complicated, Test & Go option, part of the three-part Thailand Pass online re-entry program, was relaunched on Thursday for travellers arriving after February 1. Initially launched on November 1, and…
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Intentionally catching Omicron is a really stupid idea
OPINION “Why not just catch Omicron and get it over with? It’s a mild cold and will boost immunity, right?” Not a day goes past when the opinion is expressed widely, and often, on various social media around the world, where they mix their school biology classes with various theories on the internet and come up with a “cunning idea”.…
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OPINION: Test and Go, up and gone, where to from here Thailand?
OPINION A crazy day in The Thaiger office as we pushed out all the latest Test & Go Thailand Pass info as fast as we could, translated and checked. I forgot a number of important meetings as we knew people wanted to know what was happening with the Thailand Pass. We wanted to know too as we are also directly…
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Bangkok is back – Thailand’s capital roars back into gear
OPINION Before the pandemic, Bangkok was the most-visited city on the planet – a thriving hive of energy and activity which attracted over 22 million international visitors per year. Then, without warning, it all went quiet. Now, following the long-awaited reopening of Thailand’s borders on November 1, 2021, Bangkok is back. The city is welcoming the world’s travellers once again,…
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Will Thailand’s nightlife survive another 2 months of closure?
OPINION On Friday morning we were talking up the speculation that Thailand’s bars would be permitted to reopen on December 1. It had been a strong rumour, verified with countless politicians and police. Surely, with all the open flouting of the current alcohol ban, the government had just given up and were ready to reopen the bars, officially. The daily…
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Banking on a Shinawatra revival – Pheu Thai kicks off their 2023 election campaign
No surprise, despite some conservative media painting it as a shock political move. The official announcement of Paethongtan Shinawatra’s role at in the Pheu Thai election machine as “chief adviser in participation and innovation” has been spoken about for the past month. The return of a ‘Shinawatra’ – the former fugitive PM’s youngest daughter no less – will re-focus additional…
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Killing off retirement opportunities in Thailand – OPINION
OPINION Quite clearly the Government has simply not thought through the impact of the insurance provisions imposed by the Thailand Pass on “budget tourists” and likewise on current and prospective retirees in Thailand. The sobering reality is that it is well nigh impossible for individuals, 70 years and above, to obtain health insurance other than at exorbitant rates. The insurance…
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Phuket hoteliers looking to winter wonderland to bolster the Sandbox
by Bill Barnett from c9hotelworks.com As the Phuket Sandbox program continues to be the international gateway for overseas travellers to Thailand, island hoteliers are looking at what the winter season could look like. Traditionally a legacy market, many visitors during this period are called ‘snowbirds’ and are from Northern and Eastern Europe. Snowbird travellers are long-stay visitors, with a key…
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OPINION: Why restaurants are so f**ked
Article by Guest Blogger Joelle Parenteau (This article contains some strong language that may offend some people) Covid 19 is about to kill restaurants by the thousands. This pandemic is the ultimate pressure test and restaurants are failing hard. Think about it: when we come out of this, your favourite food spots might not be there any more. Why are…
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