News Forum - Thai PM defends plan to spend 100 million baht on New Year’s Eve celebrities

[HolyCowCm]

Feelings of the younger generation is to support more local Thai bands that have been ignored left to hang high and dry by them from their Covid management. Consensus is these 2 figures are too wealthy already, and no one cares about opera as it is an illusion of trying to create something of false hi-so-ness for here that no one backs or knows or cares about..

[HolyCowCm]

2 minutes ago, Soidog said:

Im going to nick that quote. Spot on. That is a major issue in some western countries, where handouts become greater than payment of some jobs. 
 

Yeah but that is for immigrants in other countries and for here no one gets it whether foreigners or the homies. 

[AlexPTY]

piece of cake, they spent more buying the sand for Jomtien beach

[Bluesofa]

9 hours ago, RobMuir said:

Maybe he should cancel them and he could sing some of his songs and encoring with his smash hit "Bringing happiness to the people".

I couldn't find a version of Prayut singing it with English subs that is strictly required on this forum.

But I did find this English version of it for members to sing along to 

Those lyrics - 'pledging with honesty'     I had to go and change my wet underpants after hearing that.

These are the votes for the European judges: "Nul points"

[RobMuir]

9 minutes ago, Bluesofa said:

I had to go and change my wet underpants after hearing that.

You would have heard the Thai version hundreds of times. Shameless. I think he actually believes himself though.

I hate when that happens, it is worse though when you think you are only going to fart but end up sหittiนg yourself. 

[Poolie]

11 minutes ago, Bluesofa said:

Those lyrics - 'pledging with honesty'     I had to go and change my wet underpants after hearing that.

These are the votes for the European judges: "Nul points"

Incontinence is a bit embarrassing, innit? Try blaming the wonky hand wash taps.

[Faraday]

5 minutes ago, Poolie said:

Incontinence is a bit embarrassing, innit? Try blaming the wonky hand wash taps.

Thanks for the tip...

 

 

[Bluesofa]

2 minutes ago, Faraday said:

7 minutes ago, Poolie said:

Incontinence is a bit embarrassing, innit? Try blaming the wonky hand wash taps.

Thanks for the tip...

The phrase 'taking the p!ss' springs to mind.

[Marc26]

10 hours ago, Changnam43 said:

Last time I checked it didn't cost 1.5 million US dollars to get a girl from Issan to sing a song.

 

The girl from Isaan is probably giving them a discount, she could likely could get more elsewhere for NYE

 

BUT......I would be shocked if she didn't donate any money she gets back to Thailand. Or at least a good chunk of it......

[Poolie]

14 minutes ago, Bluesofa said:

The phrase 'taking the p!ss' springs to mind.

Try the phrase 'going for a p***' 'cos forewarned is forearmed.

[DiJoDavO]

12 hours ago, Changnam43 said:

 

And why an Italian opera singer? 

With every choice they make to attract foreigners, they never ask foreigners for advice, and then come up with this. 

They always try to meet expectations of what they think is the stereotype foreigner they are trying to attract, but it always fails, because no one thinks in the way they expect foreigners to think. 

They probably have the idea that all over the west, people are blasting Andrea Borcelli on high volume 24/7 with a glass of wine and anything that sounds rich. 

I mean, he's not bad or something, but the choice is so random

[HiuMak]

7 hours ago, DiJoDavO said:

With every choice they make to attract foreigners, they never ask foreigners for advice, and then come up with this. 

They always try to meet expectations of what they think is the stereotype foreigner they are trying to attract, but it always fails, because no one thinks in the way they expect foreigners to think. 

They probably have the idea that all over the west, people are blasting Andrea Borcelli on high volume 24/7 with a glass of wine and anything that sounds rich. 

I mean, he's not bad or something, but the choice is so random

Might be Prayut's favourite

[HiuMak]

19 hours ago, Shade_Wilder said:

Wow, those are some interesting responses; I am surprised it has caused such a reaction.

I think it is quite a good idea to get Lalisa as she is the number one pop star in the world at the moment (or at least close to that; I don't really follow it) and that doesn't seem like an unreasonable amount of money as international pop stars are generally expensive (so I've heard!).

The opera singer we could do without.

But, if it were the 90's and U2 or the Hip or the Stones or Britney or Madonna or some other global pop star were playing and you had the cash, wouldn't you have gone? I would have. And, even if it doesn't attract a lot of people physically at the concert, it will attract a LOT of eyeballs on all the Social Media sites; that is some heavy-duty advertising.

If Thailand is to re-open, it needs to tell people. 

A concert by Lalisa will have the world's youth talking about Thailand.

It all sounds like a good idea to me.

Thailand is always quick to celebrate. Telling people with a big bang in the middle of a pandemic? They should get their priorities right.

[NidNoi]

9 hours ago, DiJoDavO said:

With every choice they make to attract foreigners, they never ask foreigners for advice, and then come up with this. 

They always try to meet expectations of what they think is the stereotype foreigner they are trying to attract, but it always fails, because no one thinks in the way they expect foreigners to think. 

They probably have the idea that all over the west, people are blasting Andrea Borcelli on high volume 24/7 with a glass of wine and anything that sounds rich. 

I mean, he's not bad or something, but the choice is so random

I think people would prefer to watch beautiful folkloric Thai dances depicting the different traditions and characteristics of the  provinces. During the previous monarchy there were fantastic festivals with gorgeous costumes. These shows attracted thousands of spectators.

Foreigners don’t come to Thailand to see Bocelli. It will be just a bonus for people who happened to be in Phuket for NYE. Nothing more, nothing less.

[Bob20]

5 minutes ago, Jamey27 said:

It will be in Phuket where 80% of the population is vaccinated and where vaccinated foreigners will be partying. How long are you people going to live in fear of a virus with a 99.8% survival rate??

Your assumption would be correct if tourists could fly into Phuket and would remain isolated on the island. 

However,

1) as you've seen in the sandbox, even when attempted to isolate an area it goes massively wrong

2) the quoted official vaccination levels are time after time proven wrong

3) it's not about the vaccinated people. They are protected. It is about anyone (vaccinated or unvaccinated) contracting the virus and transporting it to the rest of the country to areas with low vaccination levels. What tourism (domestic and international) does, is create movement and close gatherings, ideal to spread the virus.

[Bob20]

Just now, Jamey27 said:

So again how long are you going to live in abject fear.. that’s a serious question too. I mean this plandemic has been going on 2 years, when is enough going to be enough?? It’s time to start living again. I am starting to despise you people who want everyone to wallow in misery because you’re deathly afraid of a virus that has a 99.8% survival rate. The parts of the country with low vaccination rates aren’t the places that tourists go anyway or very few. Some of you people need to get a grip on reality 

Could people in 1942 say "enough is enough, we'll go outside and ignore the bombs and deportations?" When you're fed-up, it doesn't mean the problem is gone.

If you are serious with your question, then the serious answer is:

Contrary to what you say, the areas with low vaccination rates are absolutely part of the places where tourists go. Only look at Chiang Mai, 30% vaccinated and the number of infections already exploding since the Bangkok weekend travellers have been coming again (since interprovincial travel bans were lifted). And you seem to have no idea how movement works. Workers travel to tourist areas from the countryside, get infected and take it home to their parents and grandparents. Did you forget about Songkran?

When the country as a whole is vaccinated to a high level, then you can say it's reasonably safe. You don't just protect yourself and then selfishly ignore everyone else who is less lucky because you've had enough of restrictions.

That is the reality. 

[Malc-Thai]

3 hours ago, Jamey27 said:

Just out of curiosity but how long are you people going to live in abject fear of this virus? That’s a serious question too. Most western countries have already vaccinated 60-80% of their populations, Thailand while slow is making sure that the tourist spots have 70% vaccination rates. So what is the problem with opening? When will the time be right? Summer? Next October? January 1 2023?? Studies have shown that transmitting covid outdoors is 0%. There’s ways to open up and do it safely and allow people to enjoy nightlife and have a good time. If you’re so afraid then stay indoors and watch the tube…

You maybe getting mixed up with western countries at 60-80% fully vaccinated population, compared to a few areas in Thailand that's been so called fully vaccinated. By all means open up but after when everyone that wants a vaccine can get it..

[Stefan]

The idea of spending some money in marketing is great. Andrea Bocelli could attract some Western Tourists, Lalisa could attract Asians. 

But this things need to be organized. In order to have a direct marketing effect one needs 6 months. Enough time to spread the word, including  all details, and sell Tickets, rooms, flights etc. 

The effect will be limited to New Years Eve. Nobody will come to Thailand because there was a concert . . .  

[Soidog]

6 hours ago, Jamey27 said:

Just out of curiosity but how long are you people going to live in abject fear of this virus? That’s a serious question too. Most western countries have already vaccinated 60-80% of their populations, Thailand while slow is making sure that the tourist spots have 70% vaccination rates. So what is the problem with opening? When will the time be right? Summer? Next October? January 1 2023?? Studies have shown that transmitting covid outdoors is 0%. There’s ways to open up and do it safely and allow people to enjoy nightlife and have a good time. If you’re so afraid then stay indoors and watch the tube…

It’s a fair question @Jamey27 and I’ll explain my position on this. 
 

First of all I’m not in abject fear. I personally have little to fear and never really did. I’m not in the high age group and fit and healthy. Im fully vaccinated and protect myself with basic controls such as keeping out of busy enclosed places and wearing a mask on public transport. Due to the nature of Covid, where you can be contagious but not know it, unfortunately this means I do test myself before visiting my elderly parents. 
 

However, I do have many friends, some elderly with underlying health conditions in Thailand I would not wish to see die 10 or more years too early. Thailand is getting to a position where it can and should open but it’s not there yet. It’s population is only 35% fully vaccinated and many with Sinovac which is not so great with the Delta variant. When Thailand had zero Covid it made sense to protect the Thai people in tourist areas from incoming foreigners. Now the risk is endemic in the population. As such, any increased movement of people around the country simply give the virus the opportunity to spread. 
 

In my home country of the U.K. the population is now 85% vaccinated and have started a booster program as the elderly people who were vaccinated more than six months ago are finding their protection is falling. Back in August the country was about 65%-70% fully vaccinated and took the decision to fully open. Over the past two months we have seen what fully opening does to a population where 65%-70% is fully vaccinated. That’s twice Thailand’s current rate by the way. We have seen case numbers rise from 1,000 a day to 50,000. Deaths rose from 5 a day to 150 a day. I would not wish that to happen to Thailand. It’s clear that activities like bars, restaurants and especially nightclubs and enclosed bars are the big problem areas. While many such venues in Thailand are outside bars and restaurants; which is a massive help, too many nightclubs, massage parlours, Ago-go bars aren’t. Schools incidentally are also a massive problem as nearly all kids don’t have the vaccine and can carry the virus home to multi-generation households in Thailand. All that said, I do think the outdoor living, the open air bars and restaurants and the hotter weather, all work in Thailand’s favour. People travelling on tour boats, sitting on the beach and using swimming pools is very low risk
 

I fully appreciate the need to get things moving and it has always been a balance of economy and healthcare. For me, this just all feels about 2-3 months too soon. It’s just a pity that the vaccination didn’t start 2-3 months earlier and then things would feel a lot safer. The worse thing that could possibly happen to the Thai people and the economy, is to open up and then have massive Covid clusters in tourist areas (both Thai and foreign areas I mean) and then have to reimpose restrictions. That would kill people and kill the economy. 
 

Believe me when I say this is not fear. This is experience the world has gained over the past two years nearly. I’m not aware of any country that has fully opened with 35% fully vaccinated and high percentage with Sinovac. I’m also not aware of any country that has fully opened up and not seen an increase in cases, even with very high rates of vaccination. The only country that seems to be confusing the hell out of people is India. There is clearly something significant going on there??

If I was making the decisions, and I’m glad I’m not,  I would do the following:

Open the country but significantly restrict numbers allowed in indoor restaurants and massage parlours etc. 

No indoor bars or nightclubs should be allowed to open at this time.

Vaccinate as quick as possible. Cut the paperwork for approvals etc and get doing 1 million a day or more.  
 

Prepare for an increase in case numbers, hospitalisations and deaths. 
 

And finally, Pray! 
 

[BJoe]

If only this money (plus the submarine money) had been spent on reliable vaccines 12 months ago, much of the problems currently being experienced would be considerably less.

[Manu]

On 10/26/2021 at 6:15 AM, Thommo said:

I am sure it will be a great help to the Khlong Toei District people and others living in similar condtions in Thailand

That's a complete different story. Name me one single country that takes care of all their poor people?

[billywillyjones]

18 minutes ago, Manu said:

That's a complete different story. Name me one single country that takes care of all their poor people?

So I guess it is alright because some other countries might do it?

[Bob20]

1 hour ago, Jamey27 said:

You’re comparing WW2 to this virus? I had to stop reading at that because the stupid was overwhelming 

No, I'm saying a problem is not gone because some people had enough of it.

But keep shooting at every post.

Chances are that eventually you'll say something intelligent just by coincidence

[Malc-Thai]

1 hour ago, Jamey27 said:

Just stay home then and live your miserable existence sacred 

I'm having a fantastic life ..I'm not scared at all, I'm just exceptionally unselfish.. maybe you should be the last in the line with health issues waiting for a vaccine .. then you might think more of others  on this subject

[Bob20]

4 minutes ago, Malc-Thai said:

 

1 hour ago,  Jamey27 said: 

Just stay home then and live your miserable existence sacred 

 

St.Malc? Is it really you? On a forum?