Cabinet to consider special tourist visa next week: TAT

[NoshowJones]

3 hours ago, iamariva1957 said:

Absolutely correct! overhaul The entire system. Remove at the very least 50% of the financial requirements so those extra funds can actually be freed up to spend .  Or do away with then entirely and go back to the old system which proved easier and brought folks in. Okay... add a negative 19 test prior to leaving and administer another later while in country? Possible and not cost prohibitive. Just an idea for the vacant logic and common sence government  departments

Common sense government??????? Are you forgetting that these are soldiers with only military academy education who forced their way in? Of course the old way will bring in more tourists and money and jobs for the people, but these soldiers are only interested in themselves.

[P100]

5 hours ago, Mavideol said:

and the "great ideas" keep coming, as I said before, they should revise/restart/reset ALL their visa requirements and then we talk

Couldn't agree more. Why are retirees still "tourist visa" holders on one year visas? How cam someone retire for the rest of his foreseeable life if the country only gives him a 1 year visa. Just insane. Now they want the long stayers but they did nothing for them the last 20 years! I am so amazed, Thailand. "Once the world is ready, we will meet again" save the money for the tv spots and invest it in reeducating the Thai population to be welcoming towards those who feed them.!

[Blumpie]

The captain is drunk again.  Sailing the ship, no idea what is going on.  

Anyways...

2k thb for a visa every 90 days.  That's rather expensive.  Now add on the COVID insurance.  That's expensive.  Now add in a minimum 14 day quarantine at a government approved hotel with meals.  That's expensive.  Now add in a minimum 14 day quarantine when returning home.  That's expensive.  

Now add in a flight that gets cancelled at any time for any reason.  That's expensive.  

Now what if you get COVID abroad?  Getting home?

Look, it's easy to look at the glass half empty and lord knows we're all guilty of it but this proposal is entirely ludicrous.  

Edited September 10, 2020 by Blumpie
Squirrels

[Destiny1990]

For me this feels like mustard is coming after you finished  ur meal.

[rumak]

3 hours ago, shackleton said:

Well cant see Tourists coming for 90 days first do their 14-21 days in quarantine 

Then apply for further 90days up to 270days

Who are these Tourists

figments of imagination !        

[NoshowJones]

3 hours ago, SteveB2 said:

A pragmatic approach to living with COVID needs to be developed similar to living with all other risks of death or injury we already accept in our daily lives.

 

We can't seriously worry about a handful of COVID infections during the last 3 months and yet ignore 60 people PER DAY dying on the roads, or similar numbers dying from cancer (from cigarretes) and heart disease(numerous causes)

 

Logically, we should be comparing like with like ... or death rates with death rates.

We need to develop critical thinking not herd thinking.

 

Consider:-

 

1. It is obviously stupid to care about a few COVID infections against a background of zero COVID deaths.
2. It is obviously stupid and irrational to not worry about 60 dreaths on the road, similar numbers of cancer/heart disease deaths every day and yet somehow worry about not even 1 COVID death per day during the last 6 months.

Things need to change - The population needs educating.

 

A massive overeaction has occurred in many countries world wide - the sooner governments own up to this mistake and correctly inform their populations, then the sooner we will all be out of this mess. 

You cannot educate stupidity and lack of common sense.

[JackThompson]

4 hours ago, Oldie said:

They don't put your money in a shoebox. The banks give it to people as credit and they will spend it. Perhaps not for booze and ladies ????

That's not how fiat-currency works, though.  When you take out a loan, they type "new money" into existence into a computer - upon which that "invented" money plus "interest" (which does not yet exist) must be repaid over time.  It's an ever-expanding ponzi-scheme, requring the money-supply to increase forever (hence, inflation) to keep up with the principlal + interest payments. 

 

The money in "savings accounts" is entirely lost to the economy.  Investment-type accounts (stocks, bonds, etc), which directly fund business creation/expansion, are productive. 

 

This is why visa/extension rules which only consider "savings accounts" as investment-money, and insane rules for those showing income, are self-defeating.

Edited September 10, 2020 by JackThompson

[rumak]

3 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

A massive overeaction has occurred in many countries world wide - the sooner governments own up to this mistake and correctly inform their populations, then the sooner we will all be out of this mess. 

this excerpt is actually from SteveB2  post.   which i thought was a good one ! 

 

the big problem seems to be that what a few of us see as logical and common sense seems to put

us in the  "crazies" group.      Keep trying steve,  its a hard battle 

[JackThompson]

  

3 hours ago, Chiang Mai Bill said:

And I wonder what the proportion of 'over-90-day visitors' is compared to the 10-, 14-, and 21-day tourists are? I bet they spend more money than the '90-dayers' -- the short-stayers pay and go on sight-seeing trips, rent cars, bikes, etc.!

Versus BUYING cars, bikes, renting long-term accomodations and/or building homes? 

 

Package Deals have small profit margins, and use hotels/restaurants that offer the worst employee-pay.  Those working in the tourist industry report that those using them are not polite and don't tip.

 

Contrast to longer-staying Westerners, who patronize varied mom-and-pop restaurants and guest-houses, where the working-conditions and pay are far superior.

  

2 hours ago, Fairynuff said:

... Those wishing to “stay a long time” aren’t really tourists.

...

"Not really tourists" kept thousands of business open, which were shuttered when Thailand Immigration blocked them staying - wave after wave of closures with each "crackdown."  

 

They are still "not really tourists," but now keeping businesses open in Vietnam, Cambodia, the PI, Latin America, etc.  They didn't "go home" as ordered by the IOs at Thai airports, like they were "supposed to."

 

 

[Rockbottom]

And I'm guessing when the first Covid case is traced to a foreigner, the country will go on suicide watch.

[Ty Hareways]

If 'quarantine' is in with this special visa,they may as well call the meeting off now. 

[JackThompson]

3 hours ago, tonray said:

What incentive do I have then to keep 800k in Thailand bank, buy worthless insurance and jump thru hoops for 12 months when apparently it may be possible to get 9 months with a quick trip to a neighboring consulate ? SMH

Good point.  Is why they will tack-on some crazy requirements like "must get it from your passport-country" - plus who knows what financial proofs. 

But when you actually get here, Immigration will disregard the financials you already proved to the MFA for your visa.  And maybe you stayed for a few months the last time you visited (albeit 100% legally).  For this excuse, they will arbitrarily deny entry - because their brown-envelopes don't come from the MFA, unlike those which accompany a high % of in-country extensions.

[Bender Rodriguez]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Meanwhile, 6.7 million foreign tourists were expected this year

how many did already came and how many still expected from NOW ?

[tribalfusion001]

1 hour ago, djuiiy said:

for 3 weeks now i've been saying November is the reopening of Thailand. I'm still sticking with it. I've seen nothing to suggest Thailand will be closed in November.

They will open when a vaccine arrives and us infected westerners have been vaccinated prior to departure. Astrazeneca looks like being ready early next year, roll out will start with the vulnerable and then the rest of the population.

 

Until then 2 week quarantine in Asia.

[ICELANDMAN]

3 hours ago, John CS said:

Desperate to try an implement Control using the Covid scam

96% of population will not have averse effects from virus, only aged people with co morbidities actually.

Why not open country and deal with sick people, why not, because it does not control.

I agree maybe this is instructive for Thai government judgment

[NorthernRyland]

1 hour ago, Dart12 said:

Their is about to be a 2nd wave (media created I'm sure).  

Normal flu season is coming and people are going to freak the f*** out. Anyone that dies who recently had a fever will be counted as a COVID death. The numbers will be staggering. New lock downs will be imposed on large metro areas. Not looking forward to it one bit.

[JackThompson]

19 minutes ago, tribalfusion001 said:

They will open when a vaccine arrives and us infected westerners have been vaccinated prior to departure. Astrazeneca looks like being ready early next year, roll out will start with the vulnerable and then the rest of the population.

 

Until then 2 week quarantine in Asia.

The flu-vaccine is approximately 50% effective - and there is long-standing vaccine-work on that type of virus.  Corona-virus vaccines are new. 

 

But assuming it works, why not just vaccinate vulnerable Thais (who want it), and then everyone vulnerable is safe, no?  No reason to care if visitors take it, or the general population, who is unlikely to even know they had covid, if they get it.

Edited September 10, 2020 by JackThompson

[ThailandRyan]

7 minutes ago, genericptr said:

Normal flu season is coming and people are going to freak the f*** out. Anyone that dies who recently had a fever will be counted as a COVID death. The numbers will be staggering. New lock downs will be imposed on large metro areas. Not looking forward to it one bit.

Here in Thailand Really?, not sure your talking about Thailand, as Flu season started in June and goes through October.  This country is still basically shut down, and has all but to flip the switch and its back to the way it was in April, without so much as a peep from the people as there is still an emergency decree in force.

[rumak]

6 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

The flu-vaccine is approximately 50% effective - and there is long-standing vaccine-work on that type of virus.  Corona-virus vaccines are new. 

 

But assuming it works, why not just vaccinate vulnerable Thais (who want it), and then everyone vulnerable is safe, no?  No reason to care if visitors take it, or the general population, who is unlikely to even know they had covid, if they get it.

Now there you go again !  Trying to present a rational way to deal with this covid thing . 

  tsssk tsssk

[vermin on arrival]

20 minutes ago, genericptr said:

Normal flu season is coming and people are going to freak the f*** out. Anyone that dies who recently had a fever will be counted as a COVID death. The numbers will be staggering. New lock downs will be imposed on large metro areas. Not looking forward to it one bit.

I respectfully disagree. I think the flu season will be mild since the people who would have died from it were killed by covid. Some give this as part of the reason for the heavy death toll for covid, the mild flu season of 2019. They are testing out the wazoo now, so don't know if they will be counted as covid tests, but maybe. It remains to be seen how bad the second wave will be. Since people are hyper focused on this, it will be a cause for major anxiety even if it is not that bad.

Edited September 10, 2020 by vermin on arrival

[NorthernRyland]

7 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Here in Thailand Really

In the USA big time and yes I imagine Thailand also. Flu season isn't in the winter here? That's news to me. Actually I still don't know a single person who has gotten any illness at all since January except for my brother who got very mildly sick (BKK/Feb) and another women here in CM who had a sore throat for one day. Actually this is the first year I've never been sick with the flu even. Very strange times.

[vermin on arrival]

1 minute ago, genericptr said:

In the USA big time and yes I imagine Thailand also. Flu season isn't in the winter here? That's news to me. Actually I still don't know a single person who has gotten any illness at all since January except for my brother who got very mildly sick (BKK/Feb) and another women here in CM who had a sore throat for one day. Actually this is the first year I've never been sick with the flu even. Very strange times.

In Thailand it's in the rainy season.

[NorthernRyland]

3 minutes ago, vermin on arrival said:

Since people are hyper focused on this, it will be a cause for major anxiety even if it is not that bad.

that's basically my reasoning. It will be panic but not deaths. Someone at work gets a fever and sore throat and the whole office freaks out and sends them home for 2 weeks minimum. They may even start to shut down schools again as kids are unlikely to follow all the regulations properly. Everyone is so on the edge right now it will be easy to unnerve them.

[ThailandRyan]

2 minutes ago, genericptr said:

In the USA big time and yes I imagine Thailand also. Flu season isn't in the winter here? That's news to me. Actually I still don't know a single person who has gotten any illness at all since January except for my brother who got very mildly sick (BKK/Feb) and another women here in CM who had a sore throat for one day. Actually this is the first year I've never been sick with the flu even. Very strange times.

Yes the US Flu season is coming, but the Flu season in Thailand is during the wet months which start in June and end normally the end of September and can spread into October.

https://www.bumrungrad.com/en/health-blog/june-2015/thailand-flu-season-treatment-care-bangkok-jci-best-hospital

[metisdead]

Some posts using trolling memes have been removed. 

[tribalfusion001]

28 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

The flu-vaccine is approximately 50% effective - and there is long-standing vaccine-work on that type of virus.  Corona-virus vaccines are new. 

 

But assuming it works, why not just vaccinate vulnerable Thais (who want it), and then everyone vulnerable is safe, no?  No reason to care if visitors take it, or the general population, who is unlikely to even know they had covid, if they get it.

Jeez, you need to be cynical and think about it. Astrazeneca has contracts with the UK, EU countries, Australia and India, mass roll out is needed for them to make lots of profit and the governments will make loads too. The cost of the dose from Astrazeneca is £2 to £3 per dose, which isn't much for a vaccine and you can bet governments will sell for £10+, flu jab in the UK is £10+, so maybe £15 for covid-19.

[holy cow cm]

I have lots of friends who want to come and are able to come right now, but they will not and cannot do 14 day quarantine because they still work, and some because being trapped like a rat in a trap is not their idea of having fun and spending big bucks. Even if ur ya 30 day holiday 14 days is 1/2 of that and wasted. 

[NightSky]

Does the 'special' visa allow you to go swimming without being arrested, bullied and deported?

 

 

[ThailandRyan]

13 minutes ago, tribalfusion001 said:

Jeez, you need to be cynical and think about it. Astrazeneca has contracts with the UK, EU countries, Australia and India, mass roll out is needed for them to make lots of profit and the governments will make loads too. The cost of the dose from Astrazeneca is £2 to £3 per dose, which isn't much for a vaccine and you can bet governments will sell for £10+, flu jab in the UK is £10+, so maybe £15 for covid-19.

The latest is that AstraZeneca has placed the vaccine trials and production on hold due to the issue of side effects.

https://www.statnews.com/2020/09/08/astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine-study-put-on-hold-due-to-suspected-adverse-reaction-in-participant-in-the-u-k/

Edited September 10, 2020 by ThailandRyan

[onebir]

1 hour ago, JackThompson said:

"must get it from your passport-country"

This is what China does (you have to get tourist visas in your country of citizenship or demonstrate some form of residency).