Most eyes in Thailand looked west this week as the much anticipated invasion of Ukraine by Putin’s Russia began on Thursday. 

Most eyes in Thailand this week looked west as Putin’s Russian invasion of Ukraine began Thursday.

Many people in Thailand, particularly Thais themselves, are largely oblivious to events outside their borders, outside of Asia, smugly assuming it won’t affect them.

This conflict – the extent of which remains to be seen – will test that indifference, test that casual complacency.

We don’t have the answers. To be honest, I didn’t think it would come to this. I thought it was all a political risk and Putin was going to back down after scoring a few diplomatic victories.

The comparisons with the Second World War are worrying. How many believed in the late 1930s that Hitler would not attack, as a spurious claim that Germany had responded to the insurgents as a pretext for the invasion of Poland.

We all know how it turned out.

What Putin is up to after years of NATO expansion rhetoric will hopefully become clearer in the coming days and weeks without too much bloodshed.

Certainly the warnings of Western politicians have turned out about money.

Thais are likely to react more with the continued rise in fuel prices, the extra effects on tourism after the pandemic, travel restrictions, rising gold prices, that sort of financial thing.

Few could spot Ukraine on a map, even if they could locate Europe!

In Thailand for the past seven days it all seemed trivial by comparison. : On Thursday we saw a record number of daily Covid cases that broke previous 2021 records. When the PCR tests confirmed the ATK tests, the figure was supposed to be 45,000+.
Deaths are on the rise but still low – we need to get used to this threat, take advice and trust that the government in Thailand will believe its rhetoric and learn to live with the virus.
Let’s face it, we are all fed up with the restrictions and parents are still going crazy with little kids who don’t go to school for most of the two years!
Health Minister Anutin said Thailand could do it no matter what. Dr. Yong predicted at least 100,000 cases a day.
The street carnage continued – and some – with the site centered around several inches of column on frightening death and destruction.
In Pattaya, an expatriate cyclist died after being hit by a pickup truck. Other incidents showed Thailand’s penchant for gruesome images of blood and bodies on the streets.
One of the most read stories of the week posed a question as to why so many foreigners fall off balconies in Thailand.

Yes, some balconies are absurdly low for many tall Westerners; I remember how we forbade older teenagers to participate on school trips.

But many foreigners come to Thailand – retired or in love – convinced that the problems they left behind will magically disappear.

Nonsense. Your problems follow you around and I sincerely believe that most balcony falls were not pushed but skipped, due to severe mental health issues looking for a quick, free and instant way out.