GeorgeCross

10 hours ago, KhunFred said:

Some are even suggesting that the monthly income method should end and only the wealthy should be granted the right to live here. 

wouldn't surprise me, they didn't want backpackers or the unmarried/jobless/NOT WEALTHY under 50s either

36 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

young farangs are turned back at the city limits.

 

 

 

lol - actually its not a bad scene at weekends after 12pm - cat/polo area seen some good nights 

try connections bar on soi 94 (early) and (late) samsam bar/panama in bintabaht area

3 hours ago, quandow said:

How do pirate sites like these make a profit?

they sell advertising

1 hour ago, sweatalot said:

I am surprised this even needs mentioning

- but wait: TIT

progress ????

4 hours ago, sanemax said:

Ant time a Foreigner visits another Country , its quite possible that immigration will ask him a few questions .

   Why do you feel that your friend should be allowed to travel the world without any I.O.s asking him any questions ?

if he's western, westerners CAN travel the world without being asked questions

well, i suppose with the exception of iran, iraq, north korea, china, russia and ... Thailand ????

1 hour ago, marqus12 said:

the world is small now ... everyone knows what's going on here

this is a very good point when i first come here the only info around was in a Lonely Planet guide

24 minutes ago, KhunFred said:

They created and perpetuate the system. They should know better than anyone that there is little choice for us, therefore, no one is laughing. Plus, your suggestion that the price is only 1900 baht and "a little leg work" is outdated. WIth the end of embassy letters, we have reached the end of the road in terms of options for renewal of extension of stay. They planned it this way and they are poised to reap the monetary rewards.

we still have the money in the bank option i believe.

its simple, effective, costs 1900 baht and once approved means a years worth of worry free sleeps.

On 11/24/2018 at 3:36 PM, BritManToo said:

Base it on VISA, 90 day reporting, immigration corruption, TM30 nonsense ....... Thailand is a loser.

Base it on mysterious foreigner deaths ..... Thailand is a loser.

Base it on dual pricing ....... Thailand is a loser.

 

Vietnam and the Phillippines are way easier now.

But cannabis may change all that.

only if the doctors here hand it out like they do benzo's.. ????

On 11/21/2018 at 4:46 PM, moe666 said:

You were doing great until you glossed over the reason Russians stop coming failing to mention that it was economic down turn in Russia and nothing to do with Thailand or any of there policies. European and American down turn still hasn't totally recovered from 2008 although it does appear to be about over. The fact that a few people are refused entry because of an appearance of living here with the stamps and multiply tourist visas is not one of the pressing concerns of the occassional tourist who probably knows nothing about that particular crack down. 

very true but its not the visa issues my friends get galled by its things like 'leave your vape at home', 'get an int'l driving license', 'everything's closed now at 12', etc, etc..

- they are like <deleted> happened to free and easy Thailand??

On 11/21/2018 at 10:35 AM, CALSinCM said:

In a free market, the MOU is your feet.  If you don't like the price - walk away.

its not a free market when all the vendors collude to set pricing - thats a cartel in a tourist trap

3 hours ago, shackleton said:

The Brits need to make the most of their spending power  before Brexit

on holidays to Thailand ect 

after they exit  quite a few will be staying at home 

lol - in ya dreams

i'll think they'll find the UK police take quite a dim view of the (alleged) death of a policeman

they definitely wouldn't be stalling

so i'm just going to call BS on this article

26 minutes ago, cmsally said:

A lot of the Northern Hemisphere tourists would stay longer in winter if the visa situation was more accommodating.

yep totally agree with this, long stayers aside there is a huge amount of northern europeans wanting to escape the winter but SETV restrictions (so mum you have to travel to laos then .. then .. to renew lol) and restrictive METVs put a dampener on things for them.

1 hour ago, bubba said:

 

But an investment portfolio transaction statement is quite simple - far simpler than tax returns.

 

If I sell a share asset, it is in English and looks something like this:

 

Date: XX/XX/XXXX

 

Sold: XXX shares at XX per share.

 

Total proceeds: XXXX

 

 

 

one thing is for sure if you cannot convince us good luck convincing immigration..

4 hours ago, NamKangMan said:

 

Thanks for the link.  It's more informative.  I do note it's over 2 years old.

 

Here's a more recent article.  You will see Chinese numbers are down, as well as revenue from them.

 

I agree the Chinese come here in big numbers.  However, I dispute the majority of these Chinese tourists spend the amount, per day, in USD, that the graph in your article indicates.  I say this even retrospectively, for 2016.

 

The "zero baht tourists" debate is a little off topic, but should be mentioned.  I would like to know if the flights and accommodation are included in the daily spend figures.  In any case, if the daily spend it spent in Chinese businesses Eg. restaurants, hotels etc, then the profits are repatriated back to China, with very little remaining in the Phuket / Thailand economy, except for some employment for cheap 300 baht minimum wage Thai staff. 

 

Now, as I mentioned, I do see the odd wealthy Chinese here, but question if they spend soooooooo much here, as to make up for the vast majority of Chinese that spend sooooooooo little here.

 

https://www.thephuketnews.com/thailand-tourist-arrivals-still-climbing-69021.php

 

The top 10 tourist arrivals markets comprised of: China (-14.89%)

 

Of all the 10 revenue markets just two recorded declines in September. China generated B36.8bn in revenue, down 11.49%

 

 

i think when they calculate the spend it includes hotel charge and also flight averaged out per day. so package stays can look quite high averaged out

46 minutes ago, fforest1 said:

Has any one here actually read the many many requirements for a Smart Visa?...They made sure your average expat has no chance of getting one... 

 

 

i have hence my post above - they just don't get it, its a souped up H1-B style visa which is not needed because they already have an easy to acquire non-b and boi fast track work permits.

another opportunity missed

On 11/16/2018 at 11:06 PM, Psychic said:

Sadly, I think the average Thai actually does want us here.

The owner of the local shop that I go to so often that the wife calls her "my girlfriend" wouldn't be happy if I left.

The guy I pay to take care of the garden and share a beer with afterwards doesn't want me to leave.

Likewise the family run restaurant we visit for some noodle soup and a beer.

The Thais I paid to build our house, the local suppliers of building materials, big shops like Thai Watsadu who got at least 3 million in revenue.

Nissan Thailand who I bought my truck from.

I could go on.

None of these people or entities want me, or people like me, to leave Thailand.

While we may not be the preferred high spenders that the Bangkok elite desire we continually pump money into the local economy.

Do you know how much these people will gain from high end tourists or the Chinese bus riders.

Precisely zero.

I get all the arguments about the near destitute farangs that will burden the system.

But this is an incredibly small percentage of expats.

Most of us are financially independent though not wealthy.

We contribute much more to local economies than we will ever take out of them.

We pay for education of Thai children.

 And on the whole we add to the Thai economy without burdening it.

I am not sure where this push to make it more difficult for long stay farangs is coming from.

I read TV almost daily and I don't see any kind of crime wave from retirees and married farangs.

Maybe there are multiple unreported incidents of bad behaviour I am not aware of.

Maybe it's a kind if racist xenophobia, certainly the pictures I see of black people targeted by Immigration suggests that. But maybe there are a lot of African criminals here.

Certainly there doesn't seem to be a problem with a million Burmese/Cambodian/Lao people here who, almost certainly, beyond providing cheap labor contribute far less to the Thai economy than western expats.

As always I am confused by policy decisions here.

My friend who lives well, has 3 golf memberships, lives in a 15 million baht condo relies on an income statement.

He probably spends less than 65000 every month.

Last year he bought a new SUV for about 1.5 million.

He is fully capable of putting 800K in the bank but chooses to earn about 80K abroad.

Do you really want to put an individual like that in a position where he cannot extend his visa by any recognised means because his embassy pulls off the immediate withdrawal of income letters he has used for the last 18 years?

That's what you want to do to a 78 year old man who has poured 10's of millions of baht into the Thai economy?

Lots of bananas here.

????

 

sorry i'm confused, which is it, he has the money but too much of a 'big face' to deposit it or he doesn't have it?

he certainly has a recognised means to stay if he does.

he'll just have to get over himself to sort it.

so much for the BJ anti-corruption clean-up

this country never fails to disappoint me ????