STV: Not a single Chinese person actually applied for a special visa - TAT supplied "list of names"

[webfact 82,715]

STV: Not a single Chinese person actually applied for a special visa - TAT supplied "list of names"

 

Picture: Siam Rath

 

Further revelations have emerged about the much delayed arrival of the first group of Chinese tourists.

 

Some 120 Chinese were supposed to have been arriving in Phuket last Thursday until an eleventh hour reason - the Vegetarian Festival - was given for the delay by the head of Thailand's security council. 

 

The charter flight was virtually taxiing on the runway, it was claimed. 

 

But now it has been revealed that the TAT had only supplied a list of names of those interested in coming to Thailand as part of the Special Tourist Visa (STV). 

 

The onerous regulations that potential visitors must follow has led to the scheme being ridiculed online.

 

Foreign ministry spokesman Natthaphanu Noppakhun told the Thai media that NOT ONE Chinese person in Guangzhou had actually applied for an STV at the consulate there. 

 

He said that everything was in place to process the visas had they done so.

 

Siam Rath reported in their headline that the foreign ministry was doing everything by the book following all the requirements laid out in the emergency decree still in place in Thailand. 

 

Thaivisa notes that it appears in their gung-ho haste to make it appear that Chinese tourists were ready to come, the TAT appear to have overplayed their hand.  Their list looks like just an expression of interest rather than a commitment to get all the paperwork and pay all the money for a visit to Thailand. 

 

There is a mountain of paperwork and vast expense and many have said the scheme is a non-starter, even if it is just a test run for reopening the country.

 

Meanwhile Natthaphanu said that 22,000 CoE (Certificates of Entry) have been processed worldwide from those gathering paperwork to return to Thailand. 

 

These include applications from work permit holders, teachers, students, spouses of Thai nationals, experts, the sick and businessmen.

 

He said that the process is now going online and being trialled in the UK, Netherlands and Hong Kong. 

 

Thaivisa notes that the CoE is only one bit of the paperwork. 

 

Source: Siam Rath

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-10-12

 

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[petermik 17,837]

Yet more BS from TAT....more like Fred Karnos Circus than a responsible government department...

[ezzra 44,155]

The thing is, because of their skin color, you can't tell if a Thai has a red face or not, but i'm sure that there are more than a few and some even with eggs on their faces...

Edited October 12, 2020 by ezzra

[Thaiwrath 37,059]

6 minutes ago, webfact said:

The onerous regulations that potential visitors must follow has led to the scheme being ridiculed online.

You have<deleted> your tourism industry, and people will look for alternative, more accommodating destinations !

Congratulations !  

[Phuketshrew 9,519]

3 minutes ago, ezzra said:

The thing is, because of their skin color, you can't tell if a Thai has a red face or not, but i'm sure that there are more than a few and some even with eggs on their faces...

Yes, it seems that loss of face is selective and can be countered by simply spinning out more lies ....

[connda 18,027]

No doubt all of the global millionaires dying to come to Thailand in their Gulfstream Jets will save the day for the tourism industry of Prathet Thai.  <cue Chart Thai> 

[soi3eddie 1,984]

A telling reveal of the appetite of travellers who may wish to come to Thailand. Was it the onerous paperwork, Covid-19 tests or the quarantine that put people off? Here lies a lesson for the Thai authorities if they think that huge numbers of "tourists" can't wait to return to Thailand. Better for the Thai authorities to first allow all long term visa (non-immigrant or extension) holders to return under easy terms. Tourism for fun is not going to happen for at least another year.

[ExpatOilWorker 5,156]

12 minutes ago, webfact said:

Meanwhile Natthaphanu said that 22,000 CoE (Certificates of Entry) have been processed worldwide from those gathering paperwork to return to Thailand. 

Since April about 40,000 foreign nationals and about 80,000 Thais have enter Thailand each month. Surely they have processed more than 22K CoEs???

 

 

Jan-Sep 2020 Arrival-Departure.xlsx

[Brunolem 7,186]

So there never was any flight cancellation, because there never were any passengers...which explains, by the way, why no refund was offered to the (virtual) visitors.

 

One wonder why foreigners would accept to jump through so many (expensive) hoops in order to go in holiday, especially the Chinese who don't lack places to visit within their own country.

 

The TAT has to understand that a door, border in this case, is either opened or closed, but it can't be both at the same time...

[KhunKenAP 2,253]

Does this not fall under Fake News, put out by TAT. Should they not be charged and imprisoned for making Thailand look bad? Better check the numbers from the other countries. I did not think people anywhere would be that stupid to pay all that money and go through the hassle to obtain a STV, just to spend 14 days in quarantine.

 

Think they need to change the name and not use the "STV" acronym, sounds like a sexually transmitted disease.

 

The latest from TAT is they expect Thailand to make over 1 trillion baht in 2021. Need to fire the lot!

[tomazbodner 3,625]

So I said in another thread that this failed because they were still searching for 149 people to join that 150 strong group of visitors. Turns out they were still looking for ALL OF THE 150!

 

This is certainly looking promising for the near future of Thai tourism.... NOT.

[NCC1701A 54,022]

Where have all the tourists gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the tourists gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the tourists gone?
Thais ripped them off, every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Edited October 12, 2020 by NCC1701A

[Surelynot 9,930]

Odd that we all kind of knew this from the start and yet it still comes as a shock to have it confirmed......."Amazing Thailand"......LOS........ Land of Shys***s

[farang85 46]

China is a fair-weather friend .  

[ChipButty 16,268]

Expect more lies soon, The reason for the delay is they did their 14 days quarantine in China so they are free to go anywhere when they get to Phuket, sounds reasonable to me