Good morning,

It’s an ill wind and so on: private hospitals are charging people as much as 8,000 baht to test whether they have the H1N1 virus – that’s around US$250 and equivalent to about 45 days’ work at minimum wage levels (which vary somewhat around the country). Even public hospitals are charging up to 4,000 baht – guess who is going to suffer most from this, then and the reason why the full impact will never be known. Another 95 cases were confirmed yesterday, making a total of 405 individuals, although no one has yet died (according to reports).

Apparently, organizing an online lottery is no longer immoral and so corrupt as to warrant the investigation into a prosecution of the entire cabinet – now that the meat puppet Abhisit is in nominal charge, it is now a perfectly legal thing to do. Super-rich child of enormously privileged elite PM Abhisit said he did not agree with gambling – well, he would, wouldn’t he?

While I wrote that last paragraph, the number of H1N1 cases has now risen to 518.

Thai SMEs are more pessimistic than their regional counterparts when it comes to anticipating an increase in economic conditions. Only 21% believe there will be a recovery before 2011. Job losses are continuing – Bangkok Solar Co announced 200 yesterday and the inexorable increases continue – unemployment is likely to peak next year (although some say it will be before the end of this year).

My article ‘Street Vendors in Bangkok Society’ has been published by the Asia Chronicle and is available here.

Back tomorrow at some stage. I’m due to fly to Singo tonight.

Forest first – three certain points, I’m marking them up already.