[Warning against traveling to Thailand]

20 hours ago, LiamB80 said:

I arrived 7 months ago in Thailand and tested positive for covid on the first pcr test while in asq. They moved me to a hospitel where I stayed for the next 14 days. I was never asked to pay anything upfront. Only provide my insurance information. I recovered and was released and no hidden fees costs or insurance reimbursements were required. I walked out of there not paying a dime except what I paid for insurance before arriving.

Which insurance company, and how much did it cost?

[Pattaya introduces its five-year strategy to develop the city as the ‘Tourism City of the Future’]

So they started 3 years ago, and the plan will take another 5 years. What is going to be their excuse as to why the plan failed and how many years will it take to scrap this plan and request more money to spend on another new plan that will be successful. If they want tourism to return to it's halcyon days of the past it's actually w am quite simple. Just go back to the old requirements. No covid19 testing for fully vaccinated travelers, drop the hotel quarantine, drop the mandatory insurance that doesn't pay anyway, and bring to an end to 90 day reporting if you are living at the same address. Computers and phone apps allow officials to know where you are (just ask Google or Facebook) Keep things simple.

 

[‘10,000 Thai tour guides out of jobs’]

With Chinese tourist numbers down 86%-99% depending on whose numbers you want to quote I am quite certain there will be no illegal Chinese tour guides working in Thailand for at least the short to medium term. 

[UTCC calls for tourism stimulus, swift budget disbursement to boost GDP growth]

If only the Thai government made things easier for ex-pat retirees who live in Thailand through low season and high, who spend on an individual basis more than any vacationing tourist. Retirees should be appreciated and recruited, to not made to jump through ridiculous hoops that serve no purposes. 

[A dry wet season - does catastrophe loom?]

Catastrophe is a certainty as far as I am concerned, but I stop well short of Thailand becoming a net importer of rice. Thailand may suffer a drought and water shortage but enough of Thailand will get sufficient rain for a poor crop and exports will drop dramatically. It is possible that this is the drought that forces Thailand to adopt "best" water management practices and perhaps they will bring in consultants and start a holistic whole country water management program. We shall see. Until then it will be Bangkok first, Pattaya second. Phuket third, and who cares about anywhere else I am afraid.    

[What birds are these and why are they there ?]

My guess is storks, and probably bringing babies. 

[Almost expelled at DMK]

1 hour ago, nightfox said:

So your saying you been visiting Thailand and entering under Visa-Exempt entry (free 30 day stamp) about 6-8 times per year for the past 15 years and why you are being almost expelled?????......Are you that naive? IF a Thai or any other citizen was to enter Canada 6-8 times a year without the proper visa and say to immigration I'm just a tourist, don't what do you think immigration would grill them about their stay and raise their suspicious about their intention just like any boarder control any any country?......So why do you think Thailand is any different?

You are mistaken regarding Canada. An American can come and go as they please to Canada. No restrictions on the number of times in a year. Just don't work. Canada also has a 10 year family visa. Meet the conditions, (basically healthcare insurance, and family living in Canada) and stay up to 10 years, (also renewable) come and go as you please.

[Elite visa not known by Nong Khai border officials]

No surprise. When I flew into BKK a year ago and presented my passport with a multi entry tourist visa the immigration officer questioned it, saying he had never seen one before, He called over someone else, he had never seen one either. He then called over a supervisor. He gave the all good and I was stamped in. The multi entry had replaced the triple entry a couple of years earlier but I guess they were still not seen that often. 

[Lighting of Fires In Residential Areas]

Like speeding, it's only against the law if you get caught and then given a fine. Until then it is only a recommendation. 

[New dual track train line to slash travel time between Bangkok, Hua Hin and southern Thailand]

14 hours ago, Mitkof Island said:

And how many Thais will be able to afford this? Second many foreigners will just fly cheaper and faster. This will be the biggest boondoggle in Thailand's history.

According to the information provided 90% of the current Bangkok to Chumphon passengers are tourists and it is a fast train not a high speed bullet Train. No need for the ticket prices to increase significantly. More money should be made by the efficiencies of a dual track system.

[Proof of Funds on a Tourist Visa]

10 hours ago, davidupatterson said:

Thanks, everyone. That's crystal clear. 

 

Looks like she'll need 40k per person if arriving with a 60-day tourist visa (for her and her son). She's gotten a tourist visa visa in the Philippines before, and as some of you said....the PH immigration gave her a much harder time leaving than Thailand immigration did entering. 

 

That brings up another, unrelated question: Can the PH immigration really stop her? If she has all of her paperwork in order, why wouldn't she be allowed to leave the country? Seems like a violation of rights to me. Can they really stop her, or is giving her a hard and interrogating her just meant to intimidate? 

Yes, they can stop her and often do stop women and deny their departures. All to do with the UN pushing anti-human trafficking agenda. That and the morality police of the Philippines. Has your partner ever been married before? (You say partner and not wife) I am sure you are well aware there is no divorce in two countries in the world, Philippines and Vatican City. If she has not been married I would guess she will not have any problems. If she has been married and she has not had the marriage annulled (difficult, expensive, and time-consuming) I think she may well be given a difficult time. That said, if she has traveled to Thailand before I doubt she will have a problem. If she has been married and the marriage has not been annulled she should not admit to going to see you if questioned. She should just say she is going on vacation to Thailand with her son. 

[One observation]

I read this and shake my head. I don't view the insurance requirement as a means to push long stay expats out at all. I view it as a way to squeeze vast sums of cash out of expats while providing little or to no insurance. The profits will be astronomical. Just look at the proposal to charge tourists a 100 baht insurance fee to cover the 300 million hospitals claim to be stuck with when tourists don't pay their bills. According to the government, it will bring in 3.6 billion baht. I am fine with it and if I were a tourist and was hurt/injured I would just point to the fee and let the hospital know the Thai government will be covering the cost with my 100 baht insurance fee charge. Probably the way the Thai government should be doing it. No worries about scooter renters having accidents without a license etc... you are covered. The same goes for bus/van accidents, you are covered. Note, this is accident insurance, not health care coverage. 

[Facts and questions about TM30 and TM28]

The TM 30 rules are clear and simple. You must report your place of residence must within 24 hours of arrival at that address. Whether it be a condo, house or hotel.

Fact 1/ The TM30 reporting rules are interpreted differently from immigration office to immigration office. Fact 2/ The TM3o rules are enforced differently from immigration office to immigration office. Fact 3/ If you never have to have any interaction with an immigration ie. No extensions of stay, no residence certificate, etc... the TM 30 is like speeding. No issues as long as you are not caught. In short, if you will have an interaction with your local immigration office, report within 24 hours and get clear instructions from them on how they interpret and enforce the requirements. But understand, these may change without notice at any time.

[Will I have problems re-entering?]

You might want to consider a METV in the future. Then you are good for six months with just border bounces.

[Kwanchai breaks title drought in Chiang Mai]

Great to hear that the drought has broken in Chian Mai. 

[Relocating to Vietnam ?]

I had a slightly different take. Yes the beer/alcohol is cheap, western type condos being built like crazy and that should bring down the rental prices which were substantially higher than Thailand for western level airconditioned type apartments, food was excellent and more Big C's being built so lots of western type foods available (but not to the same extent as Thailand). The Vietnamese were very friendly but little English is spoken outside tourist areas. I found the driving far more civilized and safer than Thailand. Everyone wearing helmets, driving much, much slower, and using an I see you, you see me, respect approach. Yes, it appears more disorganized but everyone keeps an eye out and respects everyone else. The horns are just quick beeps to alert other drivers to their presence in a blind spot. Not long honks of anger at someone driving like an idiot. I had no trouble crossing the street, just move steadily across making eye contact with traffic. I ride my scooter in Thailand and in Vietnam and it is easier and safer in Vietnam. The nightlife is definitely quieter, more clandestine. I never saw any, but I have been told it is readily available. I have made three trips to Vietnam and enjoyed them all. I think Vietnam is a definite option for retires leaving Thailand unless you enjoy the wall to wall "nightlife" Thailand has on offer. Just my opinion.

[Immigration won't accept my TM30 registration]

They are not really interested in the TM 30 and your location. They are interested in collecting the fines from not doing a TM 30 report. I'm not joking, I really believe this and a report like this just proves my thoughts. 

[Do you have a 'Go Bag': How quickly are you prepared to leave?]

Yes, I have my passports, credit cards, house cash, cell phones, medication, handy to grab and place in my backpack. Grab some clothes, (shirts, and shorts). I can be out the door in 30 seconds in the case of a fire with everything important, two minutes if it wasn't so urgent as I would also want my laptop and a few other items. 

[After the Purge is Complete, Will CM be Better or Worse for Those Retirees Who Remain?]

I believe Thai authorities are making a huge mistake. Expat retirees in Thailand bring in a huge amount of money. Even those on the marriage extension of stay at 400,000 baht are bringing in a big chunk of foreign currency. How many tourists spend 400,000 baht while in Thailand. The problem is the TAT is more interested in numbers and spend per day. That makes a Chinese tourist spending 6,000 baht a day, on a four-day junket a "high-quality" tourist. The TAT should be looking at total spend in Thailand not daily spend, but that doesn't play into there narrative of look what a great job we are doing. I don't know how the expat exodus from CM will make things better for those who stay other than maybe those who stay will be appreciated more, but just as likely is that they will be resented as part of the group that left, deserting Thailand and causing businesses to lose money. 

[Manhunt launched for American over ‘seastead’ fiasco]

When you play with the bull, sometimes you get the horns. The back peddling will now begin in earnest. 

[Philippines 2019 for new expats]

On 4/8/2019 at 9:37 PM, balo said:

I think the murder rate is higher in the PH than other countries in Asia. Correct me if I'm wrong. 

 

"In 2014, the Philippines has a murder rate of 9.84 per 100,000 people, with a number of 9,784 recorded cases. The country also has the highest rate of murder cases in Southeast Asia in 2013, with a rate of 8.8, followed by Thailand."

 

Numbers for 2016 : 

 

 

 

 

A red herring as far as I am concerned. Most people whether in Thailand or the Philippines are concerned are killed by someone they know, usually from the same country/ethnicity. If you are trying to compare death rates add in death on the road and I think Thailand would lead by a significant margin. 

[TM30 for SETV extension at CW required?]

The rules and laws may have been around for years but the enforcement from one immigration office to another is what has changed. Just note it is not the apartment complex/building that reports you to immigration for your TM30 in is the owner of the apartment or yourself as the housemaster with a rental contract/lease. Just hoops to jump through and opportunities to bring in money for the immigration office. 

[Tourist Visa Extension denied at Immigration Office due to missing tm30 slip]

12 hours ago, JustAnotherHun said:

As owner of my condo and on retirement I never provided a TM30 to Jomtion Immi.

But as you say, it's surely a good idea to do so because things can change from one day to the other here

The problem is the rules/enforcement keep changing. This is my third one year stay in Thailand using triple entry/multi-entry TV's. On the first about 6 years ago, I did all my extensions and on all my interactions with immigration for proof of residence certificates, extensions, etc. there were no issues. On my second one year trip about 3 years ago they were starting to enforce the TM 30 rules and when I turned up after 60 days to get my first extension I was told to file a TM30. I jumped through the hoops filed the TM 30, no fine, not a problem and I was informed I would not need to file another TM30 while I was at the same address.  For the rest of the year even after leaving the country to get another tourist Visa in Vietnam, I didn't file another TM30, and there were no issues doing my 30-day extension. This year my landlord did my TM30 and dropped off my notice slip to me. For the next nine months, no problems. I picked up proof of residence certificates for drivers licenses, did my extensions using that same TM 30 slip. Then I went in on April 3rd to do a final 30-day extension before returning home. All of a sudden my "receipt of notification" slip was no longer valid. They wanted a new TM30 (yes I had left the country to Vientiane so spent one night in another address, as I had before) and I could see what was coming. A 2000 baht fine, and a waste of time jumping through hoops to get the paperwork and then having to pay 1900 baht for the extension. So I took the other option and did a Cambodian border bounce. 30 more days, and then flying home. I don't need anything from immigration so no need to file another TM30. The rules may change or be the same and just the enforcement changing. Either way, a pain in the ass and I just want to follow the rules as best I can. I will know for my next trip, that is if I come back. I really enjoyed Vietnam, and the Philippines is easier to get to with a direct flight and much fewer visa headaches. 

[Wilting in this heat]

The lagoon pool at the condo is lovely. Between that and the condo aircon, no problem. 

[Proof of onward travel]

If you have a tourist visa you won't need an onward ticket.