Onrai

On 9/21/2020 at 1:04 AM, joecoolfrog said:

Who is actually saying that Thailand controlled Covid well , apart from the Thai government ?

Yes they imposed lockdowns ( but not earlier than pretty much every other country ) and they have completely isolated themselves.

That however simply puts them on a par with most of their neighbours.

There was zero initial testing so nobody has a firm idea ( well perhaps some but they are not talking ) of the initial impact of the virus , either in terms of deaths or infections . Testing was never ramped up to any great degree , so impossible to know how many were infected unknowingly , or still may be .

The closing of the borders has had a huge economic impact , devastatingly so in some sectors , yet the financial support has been minimal.

There seems to be no realistic effort to alleviate this problem , the government has spread fear and seems itself paralysed by it.

All in all a very average performance , maybe a C- , certainly need to do better.

20 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

Sex with a prostitute is like paying somebody to laugh at your jokes, it does not really count and she probably hates you anyway

Talking to a psychiatrist is like sex with a prostitute without the sex.

California legalized marijuana 2018. It sounded like a great idea. Unfortunately there are always unintended consequences. While it was illegal small communities with few job opportunities flourished with the influx of pot dollars. It was small business and the profits went to the small growers and back into the community. Now it is legal the market has tanked. Big companies have entered the picture and depressed the market. Registering to grow legally, permit fees, paying taxes and government intervention have made it unprofitable for the small grower to stay in business. The state wants their cut-so in that sense it is good for legalization. It certainly wasn’t any windfall for the small grower. 

While the parallels may not be exactly the same the dynamics are similar. If it benefits big business and government at the expense of the working girl I’d vote for the girls to keep as much money as possible.

Ostensibly the intention of ThaiVisa forum is, among other things, a forum to announce the latest visa rules. While many, particularly the global moderators, have the best intentions the forums of the last week have confused rather than clarified the 30 day visa extension issue. Last week everyone weighed in on whether amnesty would be extended or not. Nobody knew and everyone had an opinion. Monday the 21st the conversation had morphed into you could get a 30 day extension but only if you had not already applied for one and they were only available in half a dozen, hard to reach, border location. Mae Hong Son and Nakhon Ratchathani come to mind. On Tuesday the Phuket News reported the Phuket Immigrations was issuing 190 tourist visa extensions a day. (Note- this contradicts what was reported on Monday). Wednesday it was reported that 15 day extensions were being granted and the other 15 days were under consideration. (Note this contradicts what was reported on Monday and Tuesday).Today people are reporting that they cannot get their 30 day extensions in Koh Samui. Peppered in with this ever changing story line we have to read through all the white noise on the website- the posters that chastise those that haven’t got their visa, the anecdotal accounts that  subtract rather than add to the topic, and the various comedians that think everything is a joke. My conclusion- each immigration office can and will act independently and is able to change the rules on a weekly or daily basis. I have my visa and am not in the fray.  I do feel compassion for all those that are trying to get their extension before the deadline. Dazed and confused. 

4 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Their success will continue unabated as long as they continue to severely limit testing.

That is what Trump is saying. More testing, more reported cases. Stop testing and the numbers will go down. Of course this fails to address the issue of who is infected and contact tracing but who cares if the numbers appear lower.

8 hours ago, genericptr said:

Given the absolute shambles tourism is currently in, I still can't believe they're going to send all these tourists home without even offering some alternative visa.

 

What's the explanation for this behavior?

Good question. On the one hand-why not keep the 150,000 tourists that are contributing to the economy? However, how are people who intending on staying a week or two surviving after they’ve been here 5 months? Few planned for a long term stay and many could be running short of funds. 

If they let in the 1200 people/month on the special visa program they will probably be able to monitor and contain reinfecting the population. The question remains how long can the country survive without tourism? Arguably any business related to tourism is already in serious jeopardy and cannot sustain a lockdown forever. 

We have seen the wisdom of the USA reopening to jump start the economy while Covid-19 was still out of control. Trillions of dollars wasted, 200,000+ dead and an economy in tatters. I don’t envy any leader that has to choose Between dollars or deaths. 

2 hours ago, JimGant said:

OP, are you blaming Chiang Khan's misinformation -- or Phuket's?

I take responsibility for making the mistake and not going to the Thai immigration website to verify what was required to renew my retirement visa. However, neither the information Chiang Khan Immigration  provided or the sign in front of the Phuket immigration office correctly stated the requirement. 

6 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

OP you have discovered one key reason to read Thai Visa regularly (and why it is called that).  I scan the Visa forum each day precisely to stay up to date as Thai Immigration does change its requirements and practices without much publicizing

Agree with you 100%. 

2 months before applying  and 3 months following receipt of your retirement visa is not intricate detail it is clear and concise prose. As I said immigration agreed the sign was not accurate which is the reason they made an exception in giving me my visa. 
Not sure why you insist on maintaining something Is too intricate in detail when a 10 word sentence makes it abundantly clear.

4 minutes ago, 473geo said:

5. "However the deposit must be in the account before and after"

How long before, how long after? Show me where it says 2 months before and 3 months after.

15 minutes ago, 473geo said:

Well the sign does state in the account before and after, would one really expect intricate detail on a sign such as this?

There is nothing on that sign that says the 800k has to be in the bank  2 months prior and 3 months after obtaining the retirement visa. Not sure if English is your native language but it clearly omits the requirement. Immigration officer agreed after reading the sign which is why they ordered a new sign. The translation was inaccurate.

27 minutes ago, JimGant said:

checklist was accurate and COMPLETE. Are we supposed to double check every Thai government edict for its accuracy? In light of this case, it might be a good idea -- and I'm sure Onrai will in the future.

 

Now, is there anyone out there who tried to renew their OA retirement extension and didn't know they needed Thai insurance? Please report in so that members can smirk and feel good about calling you stupid

Please read the the sign at the Phuket Immigration office. The immigration screening officer pointed it out to every single person to read, myself included. Unfortunately the sign is inaccurate and nowhere does it specify the 800k 2months before, 3 months after requirement. 

5 hours ago, OJAS said:

So precisely when did you obtain said checklist from Chiang Khan then? Before 1st March 2019 when the change was made, maybe??

I got the checklist Sept 2019. If I could figure out how to up load it on my iPad I would. Did I mention it is all written in Thai, not English?

5 hours ago, OJAS said:

So precisely when did you obtain said checklist from Chiang Khan then? Before 1st March 2019 when the change was made, maybe??

5 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Could I ask how they determined this?

I had to provide my up-dated bank books, a print out of my bank activity from the date of my last retirement visa and a letter from the bank certifying my bank balance was 800,000+ baht. From the bank book and bank statement they could see I had not maintained 800,000 for the required 3 months after the visa was isssued.

23 hours ago, Mama Noodle said:

Way later. I’ve had more vaccinations than I care to remember, even got an anthrax one, malaria meds etc, but no smallpox scar. 

Look harder. You have one. 

18 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I don't believe in vaccination.

Refused my first vaccination (TB) aged 13, only had one since then.

Been everywhere in the world, caught nothing worth worrying about.

Hardly ever catch flu, but oddly my vaccinated friends seem to often catch it.

Have you ever wondered what that crater shaped scar on you arm is? That is from a small pox vaccine.

Never met anyone who didn’t have a small pox scar.

That is an impossible question to answer in any meaningful way. Let’s do a little experiment- Thailand is 1.3 times the size of California. Is California safe. Is Los Angeles safe? Is San Francisco safe?

I can’t even generalize about San Francisco. There are parts where I would go in the day time and never at night. There are homeless from Union Square to the Tenderloin to Market street. You walk streets stepping over used needles, human waste and drug addicts nodding in the street. You are not safe from panhandlers and people stealing to support their habit. 

On the other hand Golden Gate Park, Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown and North Beach are probably considered safe. 

Do people ever ask is California safe to travel to? I doubt it.