daveAustin

Russia-China-Iran-Burma etc etc. I would expect nothing less of the low lives that run this country to buddy up with these stalwarts. Sad.

I could believe it if the Chinese really get fed up.

All countries have an inbound tax applied to tickets, Thailand included. This is a money-grabbing add-on, they say to help pay the medical bills from all the millions of supposed non-paying sick tourists blah blah. The exempted list should include any long stayer, not just those with work permits. I am not a F tourist.

Onward booking and the like come with a valid pnr… they are cancelled later. Op will likely not get asked in any case since they have a return ticket. Those that get asked at check in are typically one-wayers.

So did you pay up or stay in la la land? Should’ve tried to knock them down to a grand. Last time I bounced Malay borders (legit multi O) was around 2015 and had issues then, with them first saying it wasn’t legit, then having to get the 20k + massive line etc. Understand certain categories struggle with visa options but having to rely on bouncing land borders is asking for it nowadays. Forget that it may not be written in law (albeit seem to remember an unenforced requirement back in the day), unless you have the gift of the gab and powerful ‘friends’ on tap, the law is what the guy with your passport in his hand says it is.

Nothing but sickness, mayhem and angst for everyone else.

Damage is done. This character should stick to pushing weed. What a donkey.

Dear me. I’d be happier with a full lockdown to keep ‘that place’ out! Instead of targeting the guilty party, they bring everyone down to the lowest common denominator.

Thai health expert says ????????????

Idiots! JUST require China to do this. Everyone else has been through this bs to the nth degree!

Agreed about covid as a thing, but we’re talking about the place that designed and spread this F thing. They will unleash their sickly citizens here and people will die.

Yuck! They will come here and do their thing. These a holes in gov will profit, as will a few others, but Thailand will be all the poorer for it. They are not wanted.

After all the hardship Thailand has endured; all the death, lockdowns, loss of wages and inconvenience, this utter pleb wipes it all away in one stroke! He should put them all round to his house!

Yes I agree. Or at least open to those that are parents to Thais. The Thai gov is always whinging about the burden to the tax payer/hospitals if tourists or expats get sick and can’t pay in full, and yet they rake in vast amounts of coin from them. As do other countries of course, but still! Op should be commended for helping his friend in his worst hour, where many would look the other way. There is always Gofundme. Hope things work out as best they can.

No, it is the few in comparison. The article speaks for Thailand as a whole, while not many locals benefit from Chinese tourists like they do from regular ones. Many do not want them here.

Has it, or just the few that might profit from it?

Never had that sort of experience here. Indifferent immigration maybe, but even then generally positive. Have you ever flown to the States?

So they’re exactly the same? Would it help if the question was ‘which one is worse’? That’s easy, it begins with a P. ???? Seriously, at least in Phuket you don’t have to go far to get away from the sh*te and see a nice beach or get up in the hills. Pattaya is just one ugly M F for miles!

Let em all in at your peril, Thailand. Whatever.

Well they’re right; if you’re miserable why hang around? CM has always been busy—you’re too used to covid days and likely also long in the tooth. I left around 10y ago, and yes one of the reasons being getting busy. But your rant on tourists causing accidents… F a doodle doo! You do realise Thailand has one of the worlds worst road traffic accident statistics? They do very well all by themselves, including where I live which has very few tourists. Others whining about smoke who don’t even live there… it’s one of the best places for temperatures / clear skies at this time of year. Seriously, op, rather than stress & whine about legitimate visitors living their lives and having fun, all the while raising your blood pressure, just move on because the tourist situation will only burgeon from now, esp with Beijing lowering its guard.

Do Thais visit India then? ???? In any case, Mr Ganja won’t be happy about this ????

Glad it's working out for you. Pretty stressful with one's passport and stay on the line no doubt. Find it strange that folks delight in the misfortune of others, as evidenced by some of the replies. I don't use an agent but it doesn't bother me that others do. Who cares? Do they really deserve all the grief of losing a passport because they do?

B*gger the tests; just stick them all in compulsory quarantine for two weeks. Let em have it. Excuse the cynical tone, but they and theirs screwed the world through dubious, sickly habits. On top of crowded, loud tourist spots will be rammed airports, clogged beach roads and pricier hotels. Lock the place down for another couple years. They will not be missed by most.

Indeed, like banning them! Guaranteed there will be a huge surge of covid here akin to a second wave. “On one flight, which landed at the city's Malpensa Airport on 26 December, 52% of passengers were found to be positive for Covid, la Repubblica reports.”

Not necessarily. Some IOs (typically females it seems) can just be horrible arrogant b******s... because they can I guess. After 20 something years of dealing with Thai immigration, have only had this kind of nonsensical attitude from the one, who was well known in this particular southern office for kicking off for no reason, full on bipolar style. The office received so many complaints (and likely also embarrassed her colleagues) that she was moved on/made inactive and today the place is borderline pleasurable. I would just keep going back in there over and over again with ears closed and bore the cow into submission.