JomtienExile

So, to return to my question: Can someone suggest a reputable Thai health insurance company which meets the standards the government is now setting? 

That company seems to be offering insurance *only* for COVID-related illness, not for anything else. Does that meet the requirements of the Thai government?

Can someone suggest a reputable Thai health insurance company which meets the standards the government is now setting? 

I am in Australia in the same situation. I do not expect to be able to return to Thailand on my Non-O Retirement visa any time soon, if ever. I agree with those who have said this visa will probably be scrapped. So I am applying for an OA visa through the Embassy in Canberra and for the STV through Thai Long Stay. I will take whichever comes through first. But first the Thais have to decide which countries they will issue any visas at all to. I expect Australia will be approved long before the UK given the COVID situation in the two countries.

Also, there is no point asking Richard Barrow since he doesn't respond to emails despite repeated requests.

Thanks for that advice. @ubonjoe I see you are a moderator. Could you delete the photos of my passport which I posted in this thread yesterday? Kop khun krab. 

I feel I should delete the photos of my passport which I posted yesterday, but there doesn't seem to be any means of doing that. Is that so?

Yes, I understand that there is no Thai law saying that things have to make sense to the western mind ????
So I will inquire at the embassy about the Non-OA visa and see what they say, and wait to learn what is happening with the STV.
Thanks for your assistance.

"You could apply for a Non-OA visa that will be valid for one year from the day it issued and will allow unlimited one year entries until it expire."
 

If they are willing to give me a one year visa, why not just allow me to enter on the visa I already have?

I am not married.
Perhaps you can clarify which of those visas this is.

I'm sorry to appear dense, but I don't follow this. I already have a Non-O Non-Immigrant Retirement visa, plus a multiple re-entry permit valid until next June. But as I understand it these have been suspended since April. Is your advice that I should now apply for a Certificate of Entry based on that visa, rather than apply for the STV or any other new visa?

Polaky, could you clarify this? "I think op is better off with applying for an oa rather than an stv."
The only visa categories I can see at the Thai Embassy website are the 60-day tourist visa (no use to me), the non-immigrant B (not applicable to me), and the STV. What do you mean by "oa"?

Thanks for all these replies, particularly those which are on-topic ????
* I have tried contacting the Thai embassy in Canberra, but they are very hard to communicate directly with. I will try again this week. 
* I agree that I would rather not deal with Long Stay, but they seem to have the STV franchise. No doubt it is run by some general's brother.
* Yes Home Affairs have clarified that people leaving Australia for three months will get an exit permit. That's why the STV is more useful for Australians than a short-term tourist visa. 
* I have seen reports both that the STV is for 3 months renewable twice, and for 9 months renewable twice. Either is fine with me. Once I'm back in Thailand I can work how long I want to stay and then negotiate that.

I'm interested to know if anyone (other than Chinese) have made any progress in applying for the 9-month Special Tourist Visa (STV). I returned to Australia from Thailand in March and have been stuck here ever since. (I own a condo in Jomtien and have a non-O retirement visa plus re-entry permit, plus I have a Thai bank account with more than B500k in it.) I emailed the Thai Long Stay company on 30 September, but got no reply. I tried phoning them but they did not answer their phone. I got an email from them on 8 October asking for my passport details and the location of my nearest Thai consulate. I sent these, and also told them that I am happy to meet any conditions they set, including testing, hotel quarantine, police checks, health insurance, tracking etc. I got another email on 21 October which said: "Thank you very much for sending us your information. Your information has already been registered in our system. Once we are able to officially start processing your application, we will update you as soon as possible." Has anyone got any further with them than this? I believe the hold-up is that Long Stay have not yet received from the Thai government a list of countries whose citizens will be eligible for the STV, but that they are expected to decide this before the end of this month. Can anyone confirm that?