Walter Punsapy 🇺🇸🇹🇭

@straits_times @grok, what’s the source of the yellow dust?

Yellow dust keeps air quality ‘bad’ across South Korea bit.ly/4mLyAgk

@grok @Thenationth @grok, how long are these government bonds? 10 or 20 years? Who bought bonds in 2020 or 2021 to assist with COVID help? Were they repaid? If debt ceilings continue to rise, does that mean the debt isn’t being repaid?

When governments borrow—like Thailand's proposed THB500 billion emergency decree—they issue bonds or debt sold to investors, banks, pension funds, or foreign buyers. The cash comes from those lenders immediately. Taxes (and other revenues) repay it later, plus interest. It's not "money printing" unless the central bank buys the debt directly (rare here, as BOT is independent). This isn't drawing from a pre-existing emergency fund with a set balance. It's new borrowing authority to build reserves amid tight Treasury cash, energy risks, and super El Niño—similar to COVID-era decrees. Actual amount borrowed may be less than THB500B.

@Thenationth @grok, where does the money come from when the government borrows? Taxes? Money printing? If it is an emergency fund, how much is in this fund currently?

@ThaiEnquirer When any of these initiatives complete, I will clap 👏 Until then, it's like every promise in the past 10 years. It is what it is.

Transport ministry accelerates single-ticket system, revives Landbridge, and pushes EV bus rollout The Ministry of Transport is accelerating three major flagship policies: a nationwide single-ticket transit system, the revival of the Landbridge megaproject, and an expanded rollout of electric buses (EVs), Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said. Phiphat said the Single Ticket Act has already passed the Senate, with secondary legislation required to be completed within 180 days after publication in the Royal Gazette. The Rail Transport Act is also already in force. The government aims to fully integrate rail, bus, and boat systems by the 2027 New Year, allowing passengers to use one ticket across all modes, supported by feeder services linking local routes to mass transit stations. On infrastructure, Phiphat said the ministry is reviving the Landbridge project, which would connect the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean via Thailand, citing geopolitical tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea as a key driver. The project, previously studied by the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP), will proceed under a 100% public-private partnership (PPP) model. The government has begun preliminary talks with investors from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to help operate port facilities and develop the project into a regional logistics hub. On clean transport, the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) has ordered 1,520 electric buses (EVs), scheduled for delivery starting in March 2027. To speed up deployment, the ministry plans to lease around 800 available EV buses from private operators for immediate use while finalizing pricing and contract terms. Phiphat said the ministry is also pursuing a broader infrastructure plan, including completion of Rama 2 Road (M82) and the Rama 3–Dao Khanong Expressway, improved safety measures and lighting upgrades, and a full trial opening of the M6 motorway (Bang Pa-in–Pak Chong) during the 2027 New Year holiday. Future phases include Phase 2 double-track rail projects, a high-speed rail link connecting three airports, and further expansion of national transport connectivity under the ministry’s long-term investment pipeline. #Thailand #LandBridge #แลนด์บริดจ์

@business @bkkdude Will never happen.

Thailand will press ahead with a plan to link the Indian and Pacific oceans, after tensions over the Strait of Hormuz highlighted the strategic value of key shipping routes, a senior minister said bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

@Thenationth Tough words 🤔

PM Anutin Charnvirakul has drawn a hard line in Chiang Mai, declaring that Thailand will refuse agricultural imports from neighbouring countries if they are produced through burning. The Prime Minister said governors must lead from the front, legal action against forest burners will intensify, and the government will push ahead with the Clean Air Bill as northern Thailand battles wildfires, haze, drought and flood risks. In Doi Saket, he also inspected “wet forest” firebreak technology and told frontline crews their lives come first — a message that turned the visit from policy talk into a direct signal on how seriously the government now wants this crisis handled. #TheNationThailand #TheNation #Anutin #wildlife #cleanairbill nationthailand.com/news/general/4…

@PravitR Agreed, spending increases must be weighed against past expenditures and outcomes. More spending and further investment is warranted when progress is qualified.

Very worrying. Instead of raising debt ceiling, why doesn’t gov't cut spending on bloated bureaucracy —reduce budgets across ministries where officials work inefficiently, cut unnecessary mil & war spending, & reduce # of cabinet members, MPs & senators? x.com/i/status/20461…

@jacktla Get off my lawn boomer. Say wha? Okay 👌

Walked over & picked up my phone to tweet some joke about how I'm going senile but now as I'm typing this I can't remember what it was.

@ThaiEnquirer @grok, are the fires originating from the extreme heat or crop burning? Can you find relevant data to support?

PM Heads to Chiang Mai Monday as Air Pollution Worsens Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is set to lead a team of senior ministers to Chiang Mai on Monday to step up efforts to tackle worsening forest fires, cross border haze, and air pollution in northern Thailand, as satellite data shows thousands of new hotspots across the region. The prime minister, who also serves as interior minister, will travel with key cabinet members and relevant agencies after attending a budget policy seminar, aiming to closely monitor the situation and accelerate response measures on the ground. Data from the Suomi NPP satellite using the VIIRS system recorded 3,174 hotspots across Thailand on April 18, with the majority located in protected forests (1,678 points) and national reserved forests (756), followed by agricultural land and other areas. The wider region is also affected, with Myanmar reporting 3,204 hotspots, Laos 1,668, Vietnam 396, Cambodia 304, and Malaysia 80. Officials said Monday’s meetings in Chiang Mai will focus on coordinated action across environmental, agricultural, and public health sectors, including stricter controls on burning practices, possible restrictions on imports linked to crop burning, and expanded support for wildfire suppression efforts. #Thailand #AirPollution #ฝุ่น #ฝุ่นพิษ

@antoniogm For sure, lack of hope and ambition leading my path into the latter half of life. I do look back and treasure the good times and not dwell on the less-than-stellar bits.

Old age is when memories and regrets start to outnumber dreams and ambitions.

@jacktla For my friends who have 3, they just love raising children. But, OMG, they can’t stop boasting about their offspring’s individual accomplishments—which is so wonderful and I love that they are sharing 😄

One interesting thing about the discussion surrounding plunging birth rates around the world is that in some upper middle class socioeconomic circles for people who have 3 kids rather than 2 it sometimes feels like a flex lol.

@okaythenfuture @TheMindScourge True words 🤔

@TheMindScourge America isn’t a real society anymore so of course no one cares. The only thing that binds Americans together is commerce and prosperity, But those are very thin bonds to tie a people.

I’m not seeing very much America’s 250th celebratory merchandise It’s too bad, really. But patriotic themed products are extremely red-coded and MAGA brained now

@dougboneparth Someone had to say it 😅

So if Iran decides to blockade our blockade of their blockade, we will just have to blockade their blockade of our blockade blockading their blockade.

@The_PattayaNews Normally, Thailand averages 38 fatalities per day. Now, during holiday, only 32 deaths daily. Wow. Still feels like too many. @grok, where does Thailand rank in traffic accidents and fatalities amongst other nations. Consider data from the past 0-2 years only.

Now You Know: Thailand has reported 95 deaths over three days of the Songkran festival so far in road accidents...but it's below last year's numbers and below the daily non festival average, showing improvement say analysts.

@jacktla Just don’t finish it all in one sitting 🧐 Right?

Gas is expensive now so picked up twice as much stuff as usual today. - Butter chicken - Prawn biryani - Garlic naan - Raita - Nem nướng cuon (Vietnamese summer rolls) - Beef ho fun noodles w egg Sunday take-out food crawl in Los Angeles' San Gabriel Valley. 🍽️ 🚙

@lmc8710 Does this condition increase as we age?

신경과 전문의입니다. 4월이 되면 전체적으로 환자분들이 컨디션이 안 좋아집니다. 겨울 내내 멀쩡하던 분들이 "봄만 되면 이래요"라며 오랜만에 다시 내원하는 경우가 많죠. 두통, 어지럼증, 가슴 두근거림, 까닭 없는 피로. 식곤증에 알러지 비염까지. 큰 일교차가 원인 중 하나입니다. 체온을 일정하게 유지하려면 혈관을 쉼 없이 수축시키고 이완시켜야 하는데 이는 자율신경의 역할입니다. 여기에 꽃가루와 미세먼지가 면역을 건드리고, 낮이 길어지면서 24시간 생체리듬도 흔들리게 됩니다. 특히 남들보다 예민한 분들의 자율신경은 이 시기에 조금 더 흔들릴 수 있습니다. 환절기에는 너무 무리하지 말고 좀 더 자기 관리에 힘써야하는 시기입니다.

@rwayne brAVo 👏

为什么日本出不了DeepSeek？ 因为日本AI发展的太早，别人还处在AI 日本已经跨越AII、AIII、AIV 达到AV水平了

@WR4NYGov 💯 on FSD in Thailand. The scariest part of it all is that nation accepts this. Accidents happen waaaaay too often here without any remedial steps to address the problems. It’s blind acceptance 🙁

Omg Thailand. This is hard to watch. Big trucks need FSD ASAP.

@TomWrightAsia Southeast Asia’s Epstein Files 😂

COVER UP: Thailand seizes $650M from criminal mastermind Benjamin Mauerberger, but the politicians who gave him cover remain untouched. Using billions from scam centers, drugs, and human trafficking, Mauerberger executed a total state takeover. 1/2🧵

@Ajarncom @ThosMajor Very true and wise words.

@ThosMajor Everyone here is taking a flyer. I've never heard that expression... but I know exactly what it means. None of us know what the future holds. All we can do is hope for the best.

I'm guessing most expats won't have enough set aside for 'expensive, long-term care' as you put it. So they take their chances. What's the alternative option? And how do you 'cut your losses'? - return to a country you have no ties to anymore?