Mr Meeseeks

1 hour ago, Youlike said:

Back to the good old days of buying sexy dvd in phantip me thinks!

 

Sad for the ones in quarantine , what can they do now all day?

They used to sell child porn in Panthip, along with the normal stuff.

Filthy reprobates. 

1 hour ago, Scot123 said:

Really! Which part? The 320baht a day, the 12 hour shifts for cleaners or the fact that people are being tested for Covid before they fly and are Covid free then go stay in a hotel yes a hotel and not a quarantine hospital and then mysteriously have Covid after their second test whilst in quarantine or even developing symptoms after they are out of quarantine!!! Or when they tested the gym in one if these hotels they found Covid!!!!! YES Thailand is magical, it can be surrounded by land bordered countries on all sides with high levels of Covid yet its trustworthy and honest military government says its Covid free (obviously if you do not test for it you will not find it) it must be true!!! But hay I only lived in Thailand for about 17 years what would I know about Thailand and how the deal with village deaths and records they do not keep. Old-die-temple-burn no autopsies....

You are only deluding yourself mate. 

Go and have a lie down and try to reconcile yourself to the fact that Thailand has done remarkably well in dealing with the crisis while the US and UK have failed miserably. 

Chok dee! 

1 hour ago, Scot123 said:

You would need to be mad going into an obvious Covid rich environment and expects thai cleaners on their 320baht a day working 12 hours to clean to hospital standards. Thailand is full of Covid the same as those countries on their border are. Don't test dont find. But if it makes you feel superior in your tiny minds Thailand has no Covid just dirty foreigners. 

Patent nonsense.

3 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

There are quite a few foreigners arriving in LOS that are Covid positive .

And that is with the borders still closed ... what will happen when they open the borders ?

Hopefully that won't happen until a vaccination is available. 

9 minutes ago, EricTh said:

This is just another one of those plans that will never materialise.

 

The government is too xenophobic of foreigners buying their properties; where else in the world are foreigners banned from buying land?

New Zealand, among a host of other countries.

49 minutes ago, quake said:

There is no need to treat us like criminals.

that maybe ok for you, but not me.

In what way are the Thai authorities treating you like a criminal?

And if you feel that way, why on Earth are you here?

It must be ok for me, as I am still here and loving life in Thailand, love the people, the culture and the country.

We are all responsible for our choices after all and we all knew what this place was like when we rocked up here.

33 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Why would this be a worry to them, and shame on you for insinuating that the majority of those married, married a poor Thai woman from the sex-trade.  It is actually very insulting.  However, when you look at the Sin-Sod issue, many are using their daughters to enhance their own lives, but not all.  At the end of the day, it is not like your own country, and when you decide to retire or move here to be with your spouse you should try hard to blend into society by at least learning the language.  Your worry that exploitation from foreign men with a large disparity in wealth and education is an issue, can be said for many countries and, even my own where a person making a decent living marries someone from a poorer family and thus picking them and their family out of poverty.  Yet in our countries those migrants that marry can after a time move to said country, obtain citizenship, and obtain the knowledge in a form of security with knowing that they can stay without having to report to the Government.  On top of that they can buy land, buy property, and build a business and work in it without having the very many restrictions that Thailand has.  Having said all of this, and knowing what the countries restrictions are about, I still chose to move and live here.  So I guess it would be my fault the Thai Government takes advantage of this and, can at anytime send me packing.  Never invest more than you can walk away from, and a Plan B or C is always needed.

It's not my worry at all, so you can stop shooting the messenger.

However, exploitation of poor Thai women is the reason and that reason has been stated by the Thai authorities numerous times for the lack of options for residence of foreign men and was recently the excuse for the (now rescinded) law in Cambodia that foreign men over 50 were prohibited from marrying local women.

A quick Google will bring up many articles about foreigners exploiting Thai and other South East Asian women and specifically Chinese and Korean men marrying poorer Thais.

Remember, these men often mistreat and abuse their Thai partners as well.

You will note that if you marry or are with a decent Thai woman and go for the PR interview your chance of passing the 'test' and obtaining PR increases markedly, in comparison to marrying or being with women with sex-industry backgrounds, prison tattoos on their hands, poorer education etc. 

It's a judgmental world out there and the Thais at that interview are looking at you and scrutinising every facet of your life here. Remember, they are wondering whether you are worth importing after all!

I know several Western men whom have applied and been refused and when they ask me why despite their best efforts it is very difficult to explain to them that their lifestyles and choices of partner have a lot to do with it.

As for me as I said I worry not and the best gf's I have had over the years have been from bars and I still enjoy a bg's company over the hi-so's and other 'decent' women I sometimes find myself forced to socialise with.

37 minutes ago, gunnerterry said:

  That's right many people (including myself) are married to a Thai, have families, property in the wife's/husband's name and have been here many years but we have to 'jump through numerous hoops' to get a yearly visa! How about an easier residence status for those of us in this category, we probable will spend/have spent millions over the years towards the Thai economy! 

How much easier can it get than going to the Thai Embassy or Consulate, getting a visa, coming to Thailand, sticking some money in the bank and then applying for a yearly extension?

If you really want residency status it is available but you have to speak Thai and have paid tax for three years. Again, and as discussed before, this is really only for those of us desirous of immigrating here and assimilating. It is not for those that pour scorn on the locals at every opportunity, refuse to integrate and can't speak a lick of the local language.

6 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

20 years ago I married in Thailand, we relocated to UK for the first 5 years.

My wife was given a 2 year visa issued in Thailand to come to the UK.

At the end of the 2 years all we had to do was prove that we were still together, this was done with dual names on bank accounts and utility bills.
This was then posted to the office [no visit required] she was given residency status, no more visa's, no visits, no checks nothing... and no costs involved.
It's a shame Thailand cannot follow suit and give people some respect instead of fleecing them at every opportunity.

We returned here to live and 15 years later on a retirement visa I'm still doing 90 day reports like someone out on probation.

While I understand the sentiment behind your post I am yet to read one valid reason why married or retired men should receive automatic permanent residency status? 

Most can't speak Thai, have no interest in integrating to the country or culture, many don't ever even eat the local food, etc?

Reminds me of the enclaves of different cultures that have sprung up in the UK with absolutely no interest in British values, culture and integration.

I think the biggest worry from the Thai authorities is exploitation from foreign men with a large disparity in wealth and education from poor Thai women, often working in the sex-trade.

Anyway it is easy enough for married and retired persons to stay in Thailand, albeit temporarily, on a year to year basis, so we can't really complain.

Sorry, this is one area where I stand solidly with the Thais on their immigration policy.

1 minute ago, DrTuner said:

Even the PR requires a visit to police every 5 years. What guarantees it is truly permanent? TiT, safe to assume nothing that is promised is delivered as promised.

Which is why subsequently obtaining citizenship is probably the way to go. 

Not for everybody and it takes time but once you get that Thai ID card you've got your foot in the door. 

Just now, Ketyo said:

With 10M investment in a new property or a fixed interest account or a Thai government bond you can already get an investment non-B visa. It allows you to stay indefinitely. Just renew the visa every year and do the 90 day report. 

 

So what does this new concept give people that is different? Does it apply to any condo old or new...  or what?

There is nothing indefinite or permanent about Non-Immigrant B visas. 

2 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Anyone with 10 million baht to invest doesn't worry about visas. Just buy an elite one or get someone to do it for you yearly.

Permanent Residency is not that great a thing anyway. 

I agree with your premise on worrying about visas but it's two different schools of thought for me. If you are thinking to emigrate to Thailand properly then direct to citizenship or obtaining PR then citizenship is essential. Thus PR is important. 

If not, and you consider and recognise your status as a temporary visitor only, with no desire to integrate, then PR is unimportant. 

1 hour ago, Destiny1990 said:

They should quickly buy a 10 million bht condo to stay longer !

What if they already own one? ????

20 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Looks like Bangkok Airways has found a new way to stay afloat instead of going bankrupt like Thai Airways.  If you have a spare 100,000 baht lying around you can get an Elite flight card and travel free domestically the entire year.  Maybe the Thai Airways needs to do something similar.....

https://www.bangkokair.com/eng/elitecard

I fly round trip about 24 times per year domestically on Thai Smile and it costs about 80 to 100k THB.

No way on Earth I am giving an airline money up front in this climate.

How long until all foreigners in-country have to go and get tested?

43 minutes ago, garygooner said:

Small wristband for Chinese. 

Large neckband for farangs. 

 

There are unconfirmed reports of new outbreaks of COVID-19 in Xinjiang and Sichuan provinces according to social media sources.