Caldera

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

I could see Thai Elite start offering 100kb per year membership, but not any cheaper. 

I think it would need to be more expensive (120k ?), otherwise it would kill their 5-years offer. Personally, I think it would be a popular option for those who don't want to commit longer and those who just want a hassle-free sabbatical etc. But their background checks which already seem to take a long time might be a stumbling block with even more applications.

8 minutes ago, Mangkhut said:

I current passport is issued Dec 2015 and I have been visiting Thailand 1-2 times pr year and spending 2-3 months pr year in the country. No visas though, just VE and extensions and a couple of visruns in Mae Sai.

That should work in your favor - that's the history of a genuine tourist. It probably also helps that the previous SETV was issued in your home country.

3 hours ago, Mangkhut said:

OMG - so it means Im not likely to get a visa there.....

How about Vientiane? Is it difficult to get a visa there and how long is the appointment line ftm?

You're a border line case as far as their SETV policy is concerned, so if I were you, I'd give it a shot since you are in Savannakhet anyway.

Do you have any previous Thai stamps in your passport before arriving in October?

Please report back how it goes!

So they continue to admit Chinese incoming travelers, but tell Thais not to travel to Japan and Singapore. That, in combination, makes little sense to none.

They're barking mad. In related news, there's severe water shortage (so it would be wise not to splash more water than "necessary") and a coronavirus threat (so it would be wise to limit traveling around).

Oh, and factories are closing and workers are getting laid off. So it might be wise to help people find a new job quickly instead of giving them more holiday time to p1ss away their severance pay 

Giant Ibis sells cross-border bus tickets from Bangkok to Siem Reap. You can buy a ticket online. Whether or not your airline would accept such a ticket, I don't know.

That's a good start. Next we'll need a self treatment guide so that those of us who are unfortunate enough to get infected can treat ourselves at home instead of overwhelming the hospitals. What do I need? A can of oxygen, some tubes to suck out excess fluids from my lungs? Anything else?

That doesn't sound very credible if it really was a random attack and not a result of a prior altercation.

It's been a while since an arrest of a REAL foreign criminal has been reported. Too busy hunting for those petty offenders?

7 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

Nice to know I am free of the 3rd stage of Syphillis,

Indeed, congratulations. ????

5 hours ago, 007 RED said:

In these cases the system uses what is called a fuzzy match, that is to say if the first couple of letters are the same it suggests that this may be a match.  It is not always correct and that is why when the possibilities are shown to the Immigration Officer, it is his/her decision (with the photo of the holder) to link the passports.

Apparently, once a match is (or isn't) confirmed by the first IO you encounter entering with a new passport, that is final. I could see an enterprising point of entry selling NOT matching passports as a feature, but maybe nowadays a positive fingerprint match obsoletes such a manual decision?

1 hour ago, tlandtday said:

They could well be carrying it without symptoms and may never get symptoms but may pass this along.  Secondly it is a green light for anyone having it in china and fearing arrest to head for thailand. 

Look, I'm all for banning new arrivals, but if someone on a tourist visa has been in Thailand for two months, I don't see how granting them an extension for another month would pose any danger. If they had the virus in the first place (with or without symptoms), they wouldn't be contagious for that long.

Nothing to see here. I really wished those gossipy busybodies would just stop breathing and die.

14 hours ago, ukrules said:

I believe they're not allowed to simply say no to an extension of stay request that is in order.

This is a bit like saying that they cannot deny entry unless one of the conditions stipulated in the immigration act for denial is met. Even if true from a legal point of view, they can always just make something up and the applicant would have no recourse (in reality).

With that in mind, I find it intriguing that local immigration offices haven't joined the "stay too long" frenzy. If it was an immigration-wide policy, as some on here like to claim without ever providing any proof, that simply would be different.

I've just extended my visa exempt entry to help ease the burden. I hereby invite Thai tourism officials to pay me a visit in order to prostrate themselves before me.

And then I woke up and realized that this won't happen, because I'm not Chinese.

Extending the holidays to lift the economy - only in Thailand! When will all the extra money spent during the extended holidays be earned?

I think "capricious" generally describes the actions of Thai officials, high and low, best.

While I share the skepticism that Thai officials might not be telling the truth, I think it has to be said that it would be impossible - in Thailand - to keep a major outbreak secret. Nurses and doctors use Facebook and Line just like any other Thai, and unlike the Chinese government, their Thai counterpart cannot outright delete posts they don't like (only threaten action later). The Korat mall shooting is a perfect example for that.

I don't think that they have the situation under control, mind you. I just think that they've been quite lucky so far.

What Cambodia got was more like a slight slap on the wrist, not as bold a move as some had predicted.

The "nice guy" didn't seem nice at all, to be honest, more like a complete and utter PITA.

OP, how much money did you show? And when's your flight out, 63 days after your arrival? What did you write on the arrival card with regards to length of stay?

They really don't seem to like extensions (of tourist visa and visa exempt entries, to be clear) at some airports. Those IOs who process these extensions, on the other hand, quite literally dole them out like candy (at 1900 baht a pop), hardly ever seems anyone to be questioned or denied by them. They don't seem to have the same rule book.

Congratulations! Looks like he has deserved it and fits in well.

If they're already in Thailand and want to stay longer, I think there's nothing wrong with that. By the time they apply for an extension, the incubation period would already be over, so keeping them around is less dangerous than admitting new arrivals from China.

Well if I were staying in my home country and had planned to go on a holiday to Thailand, I would probably have cancelled my trip as well. It's not just the fear of getting infected, there are a few other aspects that matter:

Can you enjoy yourself and have a carefree holiday in the current situation? Probably not.

Does your travel insurance cover you in case you get infected? Many if not most of them seem to exclude outbreaks such as this one.

Would you get adequate medical care? What if hospitals get overwhelmed? How and when would you be able to get home, considering that there might be travel restrictions and quarantine requirements?

All things considered, best to stay put for peace of mind!