Thai PM wants all tourists to wear wristbands - we're not opening the floodgates

[actonion]

1 hour ago, darksidedog said:

They really need someone with an ounce of common sense to stop all of these ridiculous ideas before they make fools of themselves every single day.

Too late 

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

That means all foreign tourists allowed in under the special tourist visa must wear GPS wristbands so that their movements can be closely tracked.

I missed that the first time, but I'd expect that it was successfully put into practice long stay visitors would also be banded. Visitors includes expats, married and retirees.

[Rimmer]

An off topic inflammatory post has been removed

[AbeNormal]

1 hour ago, Jack Mountain said:

GPS is one-way so how can they track? SIM card

you are correct, these devices will need a sim card to constantly upload data, they will need to be charged like a smartwatch or phone, GPS requires quite a lot of battery, add to that the GSM data connection and you are looking at something the size of a house to make it through one day, this is all total nonsense, not to mention it would need to be waterproof

Edited September 30, 2020 by AbeNormal

[KhunKenAP]

Best to carry a copy of your passport, visa and arrival card. Anyone looking like a foreigner, will be stopped if not wrist band. Police State!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ThailandRyan]

1 hour ago, Chivas said:

If anyone hasn't yet grasped that Thailand with its enormous financial reserves can keep the borders closed for decades should they so choose, then you have now

 

You can come in but the restrictions will be so onerous that no one will. Thank you for your past custom x

If that's true why are they about to take out a trillion THB loan. I think the financial reserves are smoke and mirror, and the 4 banks on the hotseat have already moved most of what was there overseas.

[Jingthing]

2 minutes ago, KhunKenAP said:

Best to carry a copy of your passport, visa and arrival card. Anyone looking like a foreigner, will be stopped if not wrist band. Police State!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

May need an original.

Yes assuming this won't be required of expats. Thais in general will learn of this madness and suspect every foreigner without the band as possibly criminal. I'm here but under these conditions I wouldn't advise either tourists or new expats to come (if they could). This is just too much. Maybe wait a few years until the madness passes.

[ThailandRyan]

57 minutes ago, luckyluke said:

 

Many years ago I visited regularly the Dominican Republic.

 

Every tourist/customer got a wristband in the all-in hotels.

No wristband, no free drinks/food.

 

I am prepare to wear again a wristband here.

 

I already wear one  a few years ago, when  

 

my Thai wife gave me one, to show  support to King Bhumibol.

I think your confused they want to track you, not give you free food as a reward for wearing it...lol

[Flying Saucage]

There are other people in the rich elite who are tired of losing billions of Baht of revenue due to the isolation of the country. But it s Prayut and Prawit who do not want tourists in the country now. They are the ones who create the hassles and keep to borders closed as much as possible. Because it is for their own financial benefit.

 

These current schemes of "reopening the country" are only made to appease the other side, to make them believe that the government cares of the tourism industry, while the real plan is to ruin the industry. There is a hidden agenda going on between Prayut, Prawit and their Chinese friends. And it's really easy to understand.

 

China uses the Covid crisis as part of their road and belt initiative. They pay currupt governments in the region to ruin their country, to make it a bargain for Chinese investors. Now in Thailand, they do not want foreign tourists here, because this would be against their plan to destroy the tourist industry here. And also, they want to keep the number of foreign observers as low as possible while they do it.

 

It's so cheap for China to buy a whole country, when they have the right friends in power there. It costs only a few million dollar and a handful of luxuary watches.

 

The wristbands are only one more hassle to reduce the number applicants for these toursts schemes. But you can bet that these Chinese investers who will be the first coming with their own private jet, will not have to wear the wristbands.

 

Edited September 30, 2020 by Flying Saucage

[Damual Travesty]

I prefer an armband with the world foreigner in Thai written upon it, or I suppose one of those electronic leg bands that will report my whereabouts at all times; with an accompanying Phone app of course.

[Peter Denis]

49 minutes ago, luckyluke said:

Many years ago I visited regularly the Dominican Republic.

Every tourist/customer got a wristband in the all-in hotels.

No wristband, no free drinks/food.

I am prepare to wear again a wristband here.

I already wear one  a few years ago, when 

my Thai wife gave me one, to show  support to King Bhumibol.

 

11 minutes ago, luckyluke said:

...

don't understand what confused you in my post 52.

We have all our personal limits of which we are prepare to undergo to be able/allowed to stay here.

I wear before wristbands for different reasons, so I am prepare to do it again.

Of course I can easily understand that you and certainly others, are not prepared to accept this, and will prefer to leave the country.

 

You are fully entitled to your opinion and stating that you have no objections to wearing a wrist-band.

But imo the STV tourist tracking device cannot be compared with a ClubMed 'free drinks and snacks' wristband or a Bumibol memorial wristband.  The latter are innocent free-consent devices, while the PMs suggestion was to make that STV armband-device compulsory. 

Such a 'Watch Out I Am a Recently Arrived and Possibly Dangerous Farang' device, will stigmatize the bearer and undoubtedly create fear and resentment towards them with lower-educated Thais grateful that PM is imposing measures to protect them from the Dirty Farangs.

 

[Donutz]

Please tell me this is, like the belated Songkran, a belated April Fools. Or that the PM found a new job better suited for him: comedy. 

 

Or are they really that far gone? Is it contagious??

[Logosone]

Singapore is already doing this.

[sammieuk1]

No mention of the cost of wristbands but sure to be ridiculous ???? 

[luckyluke]

2 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

Such a 'Watch Out I Am a Recently Arrived and Possibly Dangerous Farang' device, will stigmatize the bearer and undoubtedly create fear and resentment towards them with lower-educated Thais grateful that PM is imposing measures to protect them from the Dirty Farangs.

 

 

Interesting approach.

 

But so far everything is speculations.

 

However I wonder what the majority of us will do, if effectively it will become reality.

 

Based on 20 years experience here, my opinion is that after winning and being outraged, the majority will once again abide.

 

I hope this will stay a the state of proposal ( like the many others ), and will be forgotten in a while.

[ThailandRyan]

8 minutes ago, Logosone said:

Singapore is already doing this.

Only while they are in the 14 day quarantine of home stay outside of a government facility. After that not at all.  The tourists the good general is alluding to wearing them will wear them the entire time they are here in Thailand, not just quarantine. 

 

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/covid-19-gps-tracking-device-for-travellers-to-singapore-on-stay-home-notice-outside-of

Edited September 30, 2020 by ThailandRyan

[Grumpy one]

I can see the benefit of these wrist bands

Anyone can now see who the tourist is and overcharge accordingly 

[OumarhindaOunsingha]

Welcome to Orwell's '1984'! 

[OumarhindaOunsingha]

2 hours ago, Surelynot said:

With yellow stars?

Pink ones.

[Mavideol]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Everyone on the STV plan must agree to comply with the conditions set out by the Thai government. 

does that include the group of (7) seven Chinese millionaires arriving in private jets ? NO, that's what I thought 555

[kotsak]

Endlösung, TIT style..

 

Edited September 30, 2020 by kotsak

[bluesofa]

51 minutes ago, AbeNormal said:

you are correct, these devices will need a sim card to constantly upload data, they will need to be charged like a smartwatch or phone, GPS requires quite a lot of battery, add to that the GSM data connection and you are looking at something the size of a house to make it through one day, this is all total nonsense, not to mention it would need to be waterproof

Yes, but it's Thai nonsense.

Hence A-nut-in here's comment about dirty ferangs not showering, 'cos the waterproof version wasn't a success.

[bluesofa]

51 minutes ago, KhunKenAP said:

Best to carry a copy of your passport, visa and arrival card. Anyone looking like a foreigner, will be stopped if not wrist band. Police State!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The police state - usually on standby.

[jonclark]

It is easy to see why these wristbands are required from Prayut point of view. 

 

For the past 6 months he has been able to use Co-vid 19 to crank project fear to volume 11; create and extend a state of emergency and as a consequence people are now utterly pertrified of catching co-vid 19. Which is why Thailand has been so successful in its containment of the virus. 

 

An unfortunate casualty of this is that the tourist dollar has dried up completly as co-vid as forced multiple countries to come up with a range of containment measures - which actually played into the hands of prayut and project fear.  So now the good PM needs to find a way to dial down project fear amongst the locals, getting tourist back in to prop up a failing economy,  whilst still seeming to be in control and a strong, wise and powerful PM. And constant GPS monitoring of tourist is the way to go. Basically all tourist will be clean and tracked so do not worry we are watching them all, is his message to the country. 

 

Will tourists agree to this... I think you would find pretty much all of the western tourist will say no, asians maybe, it depends on how authoritarian their home countries are. 

[farang51]

Let's take a deep breath. We have one source which may have misinterpreted what was said. Also, even if he did say that he wants foreigners to wear a wristband with GPS, it may not be more than a wish.

Should it be mandatory, count me out. I am willing to stay 15 days in quarantine. I am willing to pay extra for flight, hotel, and insurance. I am willing to install an app on my mobile (don't they still want that in malls?). However, a wristband; no way.

[DavisH]

2 hours ago, tonray said:

How would they know who the tourists who are supposed to wear bands are vs the expats who are already here ? I could make a band out of Chang poptops is that would help.

Be prepared to carry your passport or a copy everywhere. 

[tomazbodner]

3 minutes ago, farang51 said:

Should it be mandatory, count me out. I am willing to stay 15 days in quarantine. I am willing to pay extra for flight, hotel, and insurance. I am willing to install an app on my mobile (don't they still want that in malls?). However, a wristband; no way.

 

You got it all wrong.

 

For rich people coming to Thailand, the Thai government has made a deal with Apple to give every tourist a free Apple Watch as a token of gratitude for visiting the country.

 

Tourism Authority of Thailand Public Relations Media Department Press

Edited September 30, 2020 by tomazbodner

[jonclark]

57 minutes ago, KhunKenAP said:

Best to carry a copy of your passport, visa and arrival card. Anyone looking like a foreigner, will be stopped if not wrist band. Police State!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Right so after a visa amnesty for however many tens of thousand stranded foreigners, the arrival of plane load of wristband wearing chinese is going to cause all police to check foreigners for wristbands. Honestly???

[androokery]

48 minutes ago, Flying Saucage said:

There are other people in the rich elite who are tired of losing billions of Baht of revenue due to the isolation of the country. But it s Prayut and Prawit who do not want tourists in the country now. They are the ones who create the hassles and keep to borders closed as much as possible. Because it is for their own financial benefit.

 

These current schemes of "reopening the country" are only made to appease the other side, to make them believe that the government cares of the tourism industry, while the real plan is to ruin the industry. There is a hidden agenda going on between Prayut, Prawit and their Chinese friends. And it's really easy to understand.

 

China uses the Covid crisis as part of their road and belt initiative. They pay currupt governments in the region to ruin their country, to make it a bargain for Chinese investors. Now in Thailand, they do not want foreign tourists here, because this would be against their plan to destroy the tourist industry here. And also, they want to keep the number of foreign observers as low as possible while they do it.

 

It's so cheap for China to buy a whole country, when they have the right friends in power there. It costs only a few million dollar and a handful of luxuary watches.

 

The wristbands are only one more hassle to reduce the number applicants for these toursts schemes. But you can bet that these Chinese investers who will be the first coming with their own private jet, will not have to wear the wristbands.

 

Highly unlikely. You're giving these clowns way too much credit. When it comes to opening up for tourism they don't have an overarching goal or a secret agenda or some nefarious scheme together with Chinese Yellow Peril overlords. Thailand's leaders are simply driven by fear.

[Mavideol]

2 hours ago, darksidedog said:

They really need someone with an ounce of common sense to stop all of these ridiculous ideas before they make fools of themselves every single day.

wishful thinking  555