Brad88

48 minutes ago, webfact said:

In an upbeat assessment Jaturon said that the Certificate of Entry (CoE) is now easier than ever to get and can all be done online.

Easier still is saving my money, time, and energy by choosing not to take advantage of either this "easier" option or any of the ludicrous schemes to bring in tourists while maintaining the ASQ. Let the powers-that-be come up with all the "targets" they want. I'm targeting my sanity by staying put until there's a truly attractive offer.

34 minutes ago, webfact said:

And it could be next year's hot season - March at the earliest - before there are any major changes allowing mass tourism.

Pick a month...any month...it doesn't matter. Grab the chalk and write this on the blackboard a thousand times, Mr. Pipat: "Mandatory quarantine = no tourism."

Hopefully one of these months they'll figure out that doing the same thing over and over again means getting the same result again and again. Sigh...it looks like Thailand will need to import a lot of chalk!

3 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

t all begins with interest of the world outside, which is lacking. The incentive is 0.

This raises another ability, intercultural competence, that would be worth investigating on a Global Proficiency Index. Developing foreign language competence is one aspect of intercultural competence, of course. But also uncovering the other knowledge, attitudinal, and skill dimensions that connect to intercultural competence would be illuminating, as well. According to several models, attitude is the starting point for intercultural competence and this includes attitudes of openness, curiosity, and respect for cultural differences. From this perspective, where might Thailand rank?

46 minutes ago, webfact said:

'Why has Thailand not got the praise it deserves for containing Covd-19?'

To answer this personally...I have been put off by endless policy changes that favor some nationals and not others in the name of containing Covid-19 in Thailand. I have been put off by disparaging remarks towards certain foreign groups by people in charge in Thailand in the name of defending Covid-19 policies here. I have blown time, energy, and money while attempting to actually come to Thailand when Thai bureaucratic incompetency resulted in these efforts being for naught. If Thailand can develop an equitable, transparent, and accountable policy for containing Covid-19 then I will gladly offer praise.

6 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

If you are a high quality tourist and not a sex tourist, what exactly does Thailand have to offer, that you couldn't find in other countries that are safer and cleaner?

My answer: Meaningful relationships with the good, decent Thai people with whom I have cultivated strong connections with in previous visits as a tourist/traveler. I like many things about Thailand culturally speaking on the surface, but it is the deeper connections with the people who I have symbiotic relationships with that still most give me that magnetic pull to want to come back. However, that desire to re-connect is trumped by the BS policies...so I'll wait for clearer skies before returning. There will be no shortage of comical policy changes with immigration before then, of course.

35 minutes ago, webfact said:

Thailand has relaxed issue of tourist visas, says TAT

Well, there was some relaxing related to the STV in Japan last month where I live. However, according to the Royal Thai Embassy, Tokyo website: "As of 1 November 2020, Japan is not under Thailand’s list of low COVID-19 risk countries. Therefore, tourists from Japan cannot enter Thailand. Kindly monitor the Embassy’s announcement for future update." I would suggest that if tourists are wanted then it is probably a good idea to let them into the country as a first (and probably important) step in the process.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

The PM will meet with local business leaders and listen to their ideas on how to open tourist island to more visitors

My suggestion would be for the PM and his associates to fly to another country and then come back into Thailand while undergoing the 14-day hotel quarantine, doing all the COVID tests, going through all the paperwork procedures, etc. to experience what it would be like to be a tourist in accordance with their current plan first. Then, they might gain some useful insight to make things more "open" for "visitors" that could potentially attract real tourists to come... .

41 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Government policy .........

Thailand closed to most foreign tourists for the next 2 years.

Any bets on how many times the "government policy" will change over the next 2 years...?   ????

15 hours ago, webfact said:

Some are angry at the way they have been treated and question the attitude of the Thai authorities to people who have invested heavily in Thailand in good faith.

They have a right to be angry and a right to be heard. Attitude is the starting point for intercultural competence and the Thai authorities have shown, through their highly ethnocentric actions and words towards foreign people, that they have a considerably low level of intercultural competence.

I neither live in Thailand nor understand the Thai judiciary system. However, if I were in your boyfriend's situation, in addition to weighing the helpful advice of others here on the Forum, I would also consult with a competent lawyer in Thailand to be certain about my options. Wishing you luck moving forward.

The sarcastic little devil inside me is suggesting that headband trackers be placed on these policy makers. Then again with “tourism” policies like this there is no need to track a head that is hibernating in an anal cavity.

Seriously though, I read these policies and realize that as a tourist with autonomy that Thailand is simply not on the map of potential destinations for now.

This option to enter Thailand on this tourism visa for the potential of a longer-term stay would have appealed to someone like myself, actually. But I would have been entering to do research first and some tourism second.

Originally, I was trying to enter on an ED visa. After going through all the procedures to enter, I was refused because the ED visa now only is for students and not for researchers in education as it was before. I could not have known this change, however, as the online requirements were exactly the same as when I had received this same visa before the COVID situation. Wasted time even applying.

Lesson learned: the penalties for my canceled Thai Airways flight (plus having to wait one year for the refund), fees for canceling the health insurance, misery dealing with Thai bureaucracy, and uncertainty of even being allowed in on this new program just became a huge turn off. As much as I would love to enter Thailand now, the hassle of it all is just not worth it. Honestly, the juice isn’t worth the squeeze… .