uberfarang
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Posts posted by uberfarang
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17 minutes ago, checkered flag said:You sound like an entitled western tourist who doesn't want to make a real contribution to Thai society. Thais are always very welcoming and friendly. You don't understand that this isn't acceptance.
Entitled to what? As a tourist, my utility isn't to contribute to the society but to the economy by bringing in foreign currency. I will happily be spending elsewhere, where tourists are welcomed.
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2 minutes ago, checkered flag said:I counter your question with mine. What does Thailand gain by letting them stay? I ask the same question ever night when I wash the dishes.
What does any country has to gain by having tourists? That shouldn't be very hard to answer. Even a small contribution to the economy is a contribution. We are not taking Thais' jobs, we are helping some of them keeping theirs.
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3 hours ago, 2 is 1 said:I don't understand why they should continue amnesty! If you not work here, be under 50, whitout Thai wife/kids, don't have Elite Visa. You normaly not stay here long time like now! How many do visa run's many times/year and where they get they money to "help" this coundry!? If you are not in group what i mention before, then you not give much to this country! You are normal tourist who use system's loophole for your own benifit! You can take your backpack and move that to other coundry, nobody cry's a river for that! Bye bye ????
Even if they are just "normal tourist who use system's loophole", in the current situation, can Thailand afford "better" tourists?
International tourism is dead and won't recover anytime soon, all governments willing to limit the damages to their economy should try to retain the few tourists they have left.
I can understand why the junta would want to clear out foreigners, I'm still not clear about what would be the benefits to other members who keep telling everyone to go home.
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24 minutes ago, PatrickC said:
I certainly won't attack Thailand for it. Every country is corrupt in a way. What do you think is driving all these Covid shut downs? Politicians who want to get re-elected and are appealing to scared voters. Is that not a form of corruption?
Wasn't attacking them either. I just didn't know it was widely accepted. A few weeks ago when I saw the agents' offers of "volunteer visa" without volunteering, it just seemed like a scam to me and thought the agent would keep the money or issue a fake stamp. How naive and misinformed I was.
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1 minute ago, checkered flag said:
Go for an Elite Visa. It sounds right for you.
I'm still living in Japan, so unless we expect the pandemic to last 5 years, that seems like too much of a commitment.
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5 minutes ago, checkered flag said:
I'm confused because on one had you state you don't meet the financials and on the other you say Thailand desperately needs your money. In reality Thailand wants tourists (when the threat of Covid19 is gone) who have money to spend and have fun.
My wife's friend traveled back to Boston last month without a problem.
Where did I say I didn't meet financial requirements? I'm certainly spending more than what the retirement visa is asking, I'm just not old enough to qualify.
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37 minutes ago, herfiehandbag said:
I couldn't agree more. However, I think we must accept that the new visa arrangements, with quarantine and insurance, are crafted to allow"new visitors, or more properly, new money. A consortium have exerted their influence to set up a scheme whereby a limited number of high spending tourists will be allowed to enter the country for longish periods.
The keyword is indeed "high spending tourists", and although it is not how the official announcement presents it (same for the misleading clickbait news articles popping everywhere about that) but if you read between the lines, they are really just targeting really big spenders, If the maths are correct they expect each of them to spend between 200,000 and 1,000,000 bahts per month... Considering how cheap are the hotels now, I wonder where one should go to spend that much.
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3 minutes ago, PatrickC said:
By asking what does Thailand gain by kicking people out, you're trying to apply logic in illogical times.
However to answer your question, I'd think there would be legitimate concerns that if Covid does outbreak in Thailand, that these stranded tourists might become medical liabilities if they get sick. This would far outweigh any dollars they bring in.
I also think that the govt would gain a "tough" image, which it probably wants. So there are gains.
The dollars which stranded tourists bring in, I've argued before here, are a tiny drop in the ocean.
Whether I agree or not with the govt's decision, the point is, many posters here seem to think Thailand needs to take care of them. It doesn't.
I'd actually be in favour of the Thai govt regularizing people, and at the same time making them pay Thai taxes. This seems logical. However never ending extensions of the amnesty is not logical.
On the whole don't disagree with your point, but I also don't think endless amnesty extensions solve anything. Ideally they should regularize. Instead they chose to kick out. Like it or not, that is their decision to make.
Fair points. I'm not even asking for extended the amnesty either, but at least provide paid extension of tourist visa. I would even have been okay to pay for one year (but not five) of elite visa.
Some will argue that's basically what those "volunteer visa" are, sorry for being new to this game, I didn't know corruption was the way to do things here, my loss ????
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8 hours ago, PatrickC said:Be that as it may, this is simply not Thailand's problem. They're not obliged to offer you any further amnesty to suit your personal circumstances.
I'm sure many here have sympathy with your situation, however to expect Thailand to come to your rescue - why would they? And why should they?
You might have nothing left in your country of citizenship, however you might also have no choice but to return at this stage. I don't see international borders opening up until 2022.
Agreed. My situation is not Thailand's problem and to be fair it's a "first world" problem in comparison to what Thailand's tourist industry is facing. I'm not the one who needs rescue.
They are the one needing the tourists, not the other way around. Nobody is desperately in need to travel to Thailand. But Thailand is in desperate need for their dollars. So please tell me how does Thailand benefit from kicking me and other "stranded" spenders out? I have plenty of yens to spend on short term accommodations and restaurants and would happily keep doing that until the borders open again.
I'm ready to leave, bought my ticket weeks ago (for the 3 time), it's not my GDP that is getting wrecked. A pity that Thailand doesn't want to benefit from the $ spent by "long-term tourists" already inside the country, but instead spend time crafting schemes to attract new ones. It's also a pity that many fellow members of TVF cannot comprehend that either.
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7 hours ago, ehgnyc said:
Cambodia and Japan have come to an agreement to allow each other's expats to return. To hope that Thailand and Japan will do the same is quite reasonable. Good luck!
I called the embassy again, when this happens (apparently this might be coming soon) only Thais will be illegible, not foreign passports.
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58 minutes ago, Letseng said:Why can't people return home? Yes, there are a few countries where flights are difficult or non- existent. Anybody from Europe can return. But it may be more of a "don't want to" as many never were genuine tourists.
Why do you assume "home" is always someone's birth country?
Many were living/working in countries that have closed their borders to their foreign residents. Have you watched the news in 2020?
I have nothing to go back to in my "home" country, I've been living in Japan for a decade, my apartment, bank accounts and all my stuff is there, and still no way to get back in. My most likely chance to get back is via a travel/business bubble between Japan and Thailand. They are definitely not letting anyone from Europe fly into Japan this year so going back to Europe before that would make it even harder.
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15 minutes ago, JackThompson said:
Exactly. But all countries should just issue the silly letters, anyway. How hard is an automated-email reply with a pdf in it?
I don't think the reasons are technicals. When I asked my embassy in March, they said that such letters didn't exist, that embassies cannot decide who stays in the country, and that it was fake news spread on social media, even though I told them that immigration show me letters of other applicants...
I'm not sure what are their reasons to refuse or accept. Maybe they don't want to lose face either by admitting the covid situation is out of control in their country, and if there are flights, there is no reason to let you stay longer.
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59 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:I dont get why everyone appears to be so negative about this visa, I have 6-8 friends cheering about it.
They can come back to Thailand, they can be here in 2 weeks time, they can quarantine at home, they can stay 9 months.
It coincides with Thai airways starting up charter flights from the major places.
If your friends are from Taiwan, Korea, or some of the very few countries (if any) that Thailand considers to have "the covid situation under control", then good for them. Otherwise they can stop cheering, they won't be eligible either I'm afraid.
With their 1 billion bahts spending per month for 1200 tourists (if there was no typo in those articles), they are clearly targeting some rich (Chinese?) VIP. It makes no sense to make so much noise if the goal is just to let in average joes. A few weeks ago they were targeting 200,000 new tourists for the rest of the year, now they are down to 3600? Hope they really spend that much to compensate for the hundreds of thousands that are about to leave.
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They spend time crafting a new tourist visa to bring 1000 people/month while hundreds of thousands are still inside their borders.
It seems that their only goal is increasing the number of "new tourists", extending the stay of existing tourists won't increase this shiny counter so they don't seem to care.
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2 hours ago, JacksSmirkingRevenge said:Send an email to this address with the subject "Please let me stay"
Write why you should be allowed to stay and why Thailand should extend the amnesty. They'll forward it the people who make decisions. The more emails, the better.
Shouldn't it be Thailand the one sending us "please stay" letters? They keep saying how badly they need tourists to come back with schemes like "Phuket model" or "winter visa". We are already here, spending bahts and covid-free. Aren't we a better demographic than what they try to attract with their crazy resort quarantine requirements?
I'd happily pay for a one year legit visa (not the bribe-like volunteer visa) but my only option is elite, and I don't really feel like commiting for 5 years. I have my ticket back but I'd rather stay, waiting for another u-turn.
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Good news, IO is finally aware of the prolongation of the amnesty. I went to CW today to transfer my stamp to a new passport, they turned me away saying I don't need to apply and can show my two passports when i leave and I'm covered until July.
Initially they seemed worried that I didn't report for my "under consideration stamp" but then when they saw the new "permission to stay" (it was for some reason stamped in the middle of the passport) they said it was all good.
So seems like we're covered even if we had the special extension, but for those who still haven't converted their under consideration stamp to a proper permission to stay, maybe they still need to go first. In doubt I'd recommend going, it's was really empty, 0 people before me, my number was call as soon as i walked in.
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2 hours ago, theVenerable said:
Took my passport in today, they didn't even stamp it, just said I'm OK until 31st July if I can't leave the country before then.
At last.awesome, which office was it?
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This is the reference of restrictions by country, and frequently updated:
https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/international-travel-document-news/1580226297.htm
As you can see, there are almost no country that allows non resident to come in.
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4 hours ago, Finlaco said:
@uberfarang @CodeCoded this happened at Chang Wattana?
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2 hours ago, ubonjoe said:
No need for them anymore.
Then why a few members reported as recently as today that they were told at the immigration to bring an embassy letter next time?
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Thanks for the feedback. You're not the first one to report that so despite what others keep saying, it's starting to be clear that the amnesty does not apply to people who got under consideration stamps. I was told before (in Bangkok's office) that my case isn't covered by the April 30 amnesty and I doubt it will be by the July 31's, if it's just an extension of the previous order.
What is very concerning is that if they expect us to bring an embassy letter, how are we gonna get it? Are they gonna force us to report every week to the immigration just to get more under consideration stamps while other tourists can just enjoy the amnesty?
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14 minutes ago, timoti said:
It just seems they dont know what they are doing. Even the second person asked another girl and they talked about it a bit and then said yes you have to come in. Otherwise she also said don't come.
I wonder why people are getting a second "under consideration" stamp, it should be a "permission to stay until". Anyway if the under consideration says you have to come then you better go. That's what I will do until the officer tells me I don't have to.
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Just now, Tanoshi said:
Yeah, and those few in that position mostly had permissions of stay expiring before 26th March, so are in a small group not covered by the Ministerial announcement and Immigration aren't sure what to do in these situations, so continually grant an 'under consideration stamp'.
They in my opinion should be dealt with under section 3 of Immigrations previous Memo prior to the Ministerial amnesty.
My permission of stay expired on March 30 so I should have been covered. But when I went with my under consideration stamp on April 11 I was told to come back April 29 with another embassy letter. I understand there's a grey area for people whose POS expired before March 26 but in my case it should be clear, at least in theory, and yet, the IO doesn't seem to know what to do about it.
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6 minutes ago, CodeCoded said:
Hey
So I've posted about this as someone with first hand experience - but I am slightly different in that I got my under condiseration stamp whilst on my another visa extension denied, 7 days to leave Thailand situation.
Regardless - I got Under Consideration on the 1st April (was meant to leave Thailand on the 3rd I think but had letter from Consulate), they gave me 20 days Under Consideration, so on 21st April went there again, got given another 10 days Under Consideration. Now I have to go back 1st May. This makes it 30 days in total which from what I have and cross-referencing, seems to be the legal time they have to see this Under consieration out before they can you approve a Visa.
There is one other member of this forum who is going for their 3rd time on the 27th April (he only oddly got 3 days extra on his stamp on second visit, rather than 10) so I'm seeing how it goes with him (hope he updates)
Otherwise...just do what the stamp tells ya - go visit IO on that date, and ain't nothing's gonna change that.
My rent runs out on 2nd May for a much in-demand place I'm at...- so do I pay for another month hoping I get amnesty...or risk losing my place because I worry about the outcome of my second visit to IO on 1st May? So we're all dealing with consequences of this but I'm making sure I do things by the book and following the order of my stamps.
A trip to the IO is not much for me and the consequences of checking far outweigh the not knowing.
That's all I can assist with for now and remember - I was on a 'Visa's run out, have 7 days to leave grace period' when I got my UC so situation most likely not 1:1 with yoursI'm fine going to the IO, the problem is that they told me to come back with an embassy letter, which the embassy does not issue because they think the amnesty covers everyone.
Thailand let 180.000.000.000 baht fly away ?
in Thai Visas, Residency, and Work Permits
Posted
Of course. Never intended to overstay my welcome here.