Titan1962

It will slowly start to come back,the hotels will start getting bookings leading to more restaurants opening up. Business will change hands and things will be different for awhile. But once the virus is under control and the tourist can come and go as before. The bars will open and the girls will return. My guess 2 to 3 years if things improve with the virus and free travel. Phuket is one of those places that the young people love,bars,weekend girlfriends,beaches and the freedom to do the stuff you can’t in your home country. The only thing I hope the Thai government don’t do is allow tourists in too early without proper screening. They need to protect the the Thai people first. I know a lot of thais are struggling,but they are resilient people. The last thing the country needs is to be put back into lockdown. 

Well things are certainly getting back to normal in a hurry. Next video please.

3 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

No

Thanks Joe.

Well any amendment to the TM30 is a step in the right direction,but still confused I am. My wife and I own our home in Chiang Mai,she submitted the TM30 to inform immigration that I live at the property she owns arghhh. We have been considering doing a road trip to Sukhothai,Tak,Hua hin,phuket and back,about 6 weeks in total. Upon our return to our home in CM does she need to re submit the TM30 to tell them I am back at home and my permanent address. 
The other amendment could be,people that live here on a permanent basis like myself,Retirement visa should only need to inform immigration once you change your permanent address. Taking one less drama out of the equation.

We all know what the problem is,lack of education and infrastructure to handle the waste. These coastal communities that rely on tourism should invest in some beach cleaning equipment with some funding from the government. Thailand has some beautiful beaches,but due to the lack of cleaning they are terrible. Get them out there before the tourists arrive,clean up the beaches and make them beautiful. We can all blame someone else for our problems. But in the end you need to do what’s best for you and the community you live in. Arrived in phuket for a holiday,first beach I pulled up at was Karon. Driving along the road looking at the shops and restaurants,getting glimpses of the ocean through the small sand dunes was really nice. Decided to pull over go for a walk along the beach and then grab a meal. After walking to the beach took one look at it and thought is this it,absolute <deleted> for a beach in a tourist area. Rubbish everywhere,logs,branches,plastic bottles. Did a quick you turn and <deleted> off,the amount of money the phuket authorities must have made over the years must have been huge. Yet no real thought or planning went into maintaining one of their best assets.

This is just the beginning,they have to get their money back from somewhere. But I see this happening in most of the countries affected by the virus. The VAT will be added to most things but in small amounts as not to anger the locals. A few satang here a baht or two there,but starting  with the big companies like they are is a good thing. But when those companies pay it will only get passed onto the consumer.

Open up Thailand to the people of Thailand and let them have their freedom. Allow social gatherings and go about business as usual. If Thailand becomes free of the virus that’s great news,but it has been shown that people entering the country from overseas could trigger another outbreak. Look after your own backyard first,as for the school holiday people don’t need that right now. 

7 hours ago, a3tsw said:

I bought some bitcoin back in 2017. I still can’t figure out how to transfer back to my bank account.

easy to buy , not so easy to get your money back , that has been my experience, would love to hear from anyone who has managed to get any money back to their account.

my advice therefore would be to invest a minimal amount, say 1,000baht , then attempt to get it back to your account... good luck with that!!

You cannot transfer BTC to your bank account.

You need to register with a crypto currency exchange first. They will ask you for your details,including passport or some sort of id. Once accepted you can upload a photo of your bank account details,the bank account can only be yours. Once you have done that transfer your BTC to the exchange and put it up for sale at whatever price you decide. 
once it’s sold you will have money in your account,then transfer that to your bank account. Sounds a bit confusing,but once your account is open it’s straight forward. The most frustrating part will be opening your account at the exchange. Use Bitkub.

Depends on your brain’s capabilities,mines <deleted> so it’s a big no for me. Left school at 15 because of learning capabilities,mainly retaining information. But got a job and busted my ass my whole life to get where I am today. Some are quick learners and can retain information at the drop of a hat. Some are not so lucky,but life is what you make of it,and mine has been great so far. Yes I would love to be able to speak Thai,especially with my partners mom and dad. But that ain’t going to happen,most places a frequent here in Thailand have staff that can understand basic English so all’s good with a bit of finger pointing and smiles. The other places like fresh fruit and veg markets,the partner does the talking. 
I can speak the absolute basic stuff like a tourist and that’s about it. But I do understand how much easier life would be if I could speak Thai, but still happy and living the dream.

More than likely to much weight and riding the breaks.

I know Thailand relies heavily on tourism,but they need to look after their own backyard first. Keep the borders closed until they are certain they have the situation under control. Yes there are businesses and people suffering,but if they open up too soon and they get a second wave and need to shut down again,all hell will break loose. 
As for tourists coming here,would you want to come here for a holiday and be in quarantine for two weeks. I don’t think we will see things get back to anywhere near normal for at least 2 to 3 years. It will be a gradual return to normal,but the hardest hit will be the business that totally rely on tourist or let’s say the spots the foreigners eat at and the entertainment venues. Most Thais do not frequent these places because of the cost involved, But with the close relationship Thailand has with China,anything is possible.

You are handing out money to the unemployed,instead pay them to fix up all the issues that couldn’t be done because of the tourists. Like putting the cables underground around Bangla road,make the beaches better. Get the water issues rectified,increase dam capacity,if the virus had not arrived phuket would have run out of water. Sort out the issues with the taxi mafia in Patong and surrounding areas so tourists are not getting ripped off when they return. Set standard prices for trips like the buses have. It will be a few years before things start to return to normal so make it a better place for locals and tourists.

Invest in some beach cleaning equipment like they have on the Gold Coast,gets done every morning by one person. Definitely go ahead and put rubbish catchers at the creeks leading to the beach. Oh and put some of those things they call rubbish bins at the beaches,I don’t mean one every 2 kms. But it does go to show that it isn’t all the filthy foreigners contributing to this <deleted>. Put some signs up that leaving rubbish behind will result in a 1000 baht fine, I am sure your officers would make a fortune. At least pay their wages and put some left over money into beautification projects. Oh here I go again,forgetting where I am. 

Yes we have one,a Phillips bought from homepro.

love the thing as we don’t have an oven..

We use it all the time for making French fries,a few drops of cooking all makes a big difference.

We also use it for cooking chicken legs,chicken breast and pork. (No oil needed).

You can roast veg like potato,pumpkin and beetroot. Just slightly rub them in oil,makes them crispy.

The misses uses it to cook them little hotdogs and Chiang Mai sausage.

If you have a small condo or kitchen without a oven they are definitely worth having.

Drawback,small cooking compartment,but for one to two people you are definitely ok.

One other note if you use to much oil you will get a lot of smoke coming out the vent. Not recommended. Certain foods with a lot of oil in them will do the same thing.

Like a few posts have stated already,check out you tube.

Mine due on the 12 May,went yesterday to CM immigration. Lots of people there but used the drive thru service,in and out in 5 minutes. This drive thru is definitely a step in the right direction,no getting numbers and having to stand in line. Just sat in the car at the drive thru window while the officer completed the registration. That being said,I decided not to wait and take any chances on what might happen if I didn’t do it. We all know how difficult immigration can be,so decided not to give them any excuses. Anyway all done for another 90 days,plus a nice little outing from the home.

Just remind them your partner called them all 30 yrears ago,and asked them to help pay off the loan to help mom and dad. But also mention that they all refused to help. Because it’s family and things might get ugly,offer them their share of the value of the property at what it was worth 30 years ago. Let’s say the valuation on the property was 1,000,000 baht,the parents owed 600,000 baht. Give them a share of the 400,000 baht the mom and dad owned. Better off trying to keep some sort of peace,as we all know how crazy Thais get when money is involved.

17 minutes ago, JAG said:

She is not saying that she is skint is she? She has decided to close her business. However profitable it may have been, it won't be now, nor for the foreseeable future. So she has closed it.

I did not say she was skint,I said she should have enough money to see her out. I know I could live quite happily on that sort of money. 
There will be lots of business closing down,she was lucky to have been in a very profitable business. She probably made the right decision,things will take years to get back to any sort of normality.

Hopefully They will do it in stages according to your Visa type. Leave the people that live here permanently until last. That way they can clear the backlog of temporary visas holders,then catch up on the rest. No point in having a cluster #$&* like before.