JoeyMac

Because it's hard to prove the meter was off once a passenger has left. In this instance if a report is made, the authorities can demand to see the video of day. If they can't produce a video it's a good as guilt. In China there are regular stops to make sure taxi drivers have their videos on. If not, they are banned .

So the issue is she put taxes up on business to pay more national insurance. She didn't put up taxes for the population, she didn't put VAT so we pay more, she didn't put up fuel tax, etc Am i rite ? And she has put up spending (very moderately) on education and health. This has caused a crash ?

Bring back Rishi !!!!

Seems to be some major ignorance on the subject. Spoke to a British guy in Pattaya today about these grooming rape gangs ... He seemed to be oblivious the media and politicians on the right are bringing up cases from around 2008-2010. He was like 'Eh ?!?!!?' He had been totally brain washed to think something was happening now. He was like 'are you sure?" He realised how thick he had been sounding and walked off. he still wants immigrants banned.

The mafia that control the taxi drivers in Bangkok, and the islands need to be taken on. They are the reason nothing is ever done. When you start getting headlines like this that are making international news only then will the authorities learn. They are actually harming investment. Eg, malls like Icon Siam are massively reliant on taxi drivers. But people are just aghast by the rip of manners they have. Even when the mall checks cab will use meter, they simply go out of the mall and tell customer that traffic is too much and they need extra fees, or forget to turn meter on, or other sorry excuse. Anything but to use that damn meter. The meter for cab drivers in Thailand is kryptonite. The solution is simple. Follow China's example. Have every taxi with a camera in their car. This would make it easier to check all incidents from authorities. Penalty for not having a camera on, or it not working is just as valid as admitting guilt to any issue and further consequences (like having a license removed) should be implemented. But they won't do that will they.

I have an infinity for the UK, even though the vast majority of people from there (that visit Thailand at least) are extremely racist in the views they hold, which is very unfortunate. Can someone explain to me why they could not build this bullet train HS2 properly, and why did expenses go out of control ? Why are we constantly hearing about the decline of the UK? What are they doing wrong. Ever since the banking crisis they seem to have never recovered, and have switched from one crisis (Brexit, covid, Liz Truss) to another. Why? Is the population in the UK pretty thick that they are voting for some of the wrong people, a lack of investment in education maybe?

Phuket has alot of natural beauty to be premium, but sadly let down by the desire to flog it with cheap tourists. The seemingly desperation to lure in visitor numbers at any expense, has had unfortunate results with the type of visitor they are attracting. Pattaya is what it is .... it's close to Bangkok for a starters. It too though has been wrecked by becoming little India.

There were no visa reforms. They basically just ordered all visas to be abandoned and doors open to anyone. Absolutely scandalous. I give it a year before there is uproar from locals.

Genuine questions ... who is in charge and making these decisions in basically opening the borders ? Is there any opposition to this in the Thai political sphere?

There should be an immediate return to visa restictions placed on Indian passengers, back to 14 days. Quality over quantity is what Thailand needs at this moment.

I think it's quite obvious the whole thing from the return, to having a PM that wasn't a family member to faciliate that return, to then conveniently being removed so family member becomes PM is all rather convenient. Everyone knows it. But sadly China most likely are okay with PM being back, and the public have grown tired of just fighting after covid.

Locals in Japan are in uproar regarding the sheer volume of tourists. The same scenes will come to Thailand too, especially in light of how Russians have basically started to live here and raised rent prices so locals are forced out. Japan though attracts high spend tourists from Europe, Americas. Thailand has opened up to Indians ... which is rather grim.

Everyone knows this. Everything from the start has been a game played, to the former PM, then conviently loses his position.

The problem with indian society is most boys born are reverred. So they grow up spoilt. It's similar in China too. Entitlement is in their DNA due to the upbringing, hence a big lack of empathy. Society in India is aware of this, and by the time parents learn their sons are spoilt brats they are adults and nothing can now be done to rectify. Because of this entitlement many women are often victimes of abuse of all sorts in India, and as a result the vast majority of women take up conservative lifestyles, stay at home, which means men rarely get to interact with women, never mind dating. So when these indian men come to Pattaya it feels like Disneyland for them. The issue is budget for them. As they are low rent tourists. So the technique the employ is to find a Thai lady who will accept them (not always easy as Thais are very racist towards Indians), and then bargain to take the whole group of them (often 5 plus men). The vulnerable Thai lady will often take up the option as she has to pay the bills, and the men get a bargain. It's seedy and disgusting behaviour if you ever witness this in Thailand. They have destroyed many good nightlife areas in Bangkok, as better tourists go elsewhere. Apparently they are now planning to bring indian ladies to dance here in Pattaya, so let's see how that goes.

This graph has nothing to do with what we are talking about. You are pointing out a graph of those with indian backgrounds in the USA and how well they are doing. Most of these Indians are born in the USA, educated in the USA, and have grown up there for multiple generations now. The Indian visitors that go to Europe and USA are hardworking, middle / upper class indians. Many have been there for a few generations now - hindus and Sikhs. The vast majority of Indians you see in Thailand are the bottom of the barrel, Budget travellers, sex tourists, horrific hygene, public urinatung, littering everywhere and the most horrific set of tourists you can find. So you pointing out a graph of how well Indians are doing in America is pointless. They are Americans (with an indian background). For the middle class Indian and Chinese, there dreams are to travel to Europe or the USA. None of them have aspirations to travel to Thailand. So you end up with budget travellers who will go whichever country will let them in, often on package deals, with everything paid for.

Many abuse the system. Little grasp of English, some elderly, their families simply put them down as needing wheel chair assistance. This automatically means they get taken to their gate and onto the plane, despite having no such issues walking up. It's abused massively, and i am surprised no one ever makes an issue out of it.

Indian behaviour i've noticed. 1) As soon as the tyres of the planes hit the ground, they get up grab their bags and head to the door. Despite pleas to remain seated they take no notice. The irony being most of the low cost carriers just turf you onto a bus to the terminal, so you gained no advantage. 2) The vast majority of these men are sex tourists, if you go by their behaviour in Pattaya and Phuket. Yes some come as families and they are the types of tourists Thailand should try and encourage, not these groups of single men. The indian tourists you get in Europe and America are the upper class. 3) For many it's their first international holiday, and bring some bad habits with them - like trash on the floor, the dreaded urinating on walls. My worst experience was when a mother told her child to just urinate in the pool (i can speak some hindi). A man nearby bought up some phlegm and just spat in the pool too. Another was passing by and decided to wash his sweaty face in the pool. 4) Thai's do not like Indians, and look down on them. They are very racist towards them if you can speak some Thai. 5) Whilst not as bad as chinese tourists around a buffet they come close for panicking the food will run out. 6) If a tour included food option, they will constantly complain about when food is coming. They will make sure they eat enough for 3 days. 7) They do not shop in any fancy malls. You go to any major mall, one thing you will notice how rare it is you see an indian. 8 ) They hit 7/11 and just completely ransack the instant noodle of the shelves.

We've seen protests in Europe and other asian countries to stop over tourism from the locals. I was in Japan and locals were furious. Same in many SPanish and Italian cities. I give it a year before the locals start to get annoyed and protest. You simply can't have this number of people visiting, it is not sustainable.

The Rich in I have news for you ... the billionaire or rich Indians aren't coming to Thailand. Like the Chinese, the well off citizens there dream of heading to Europe or western countries. The type of visitor attracted to Thailand are low rent. They are there on a budget. And now arriving in huge numbers because they are perhaps one of the only countries that are allowing them in. There is no country even in Africa that let Indians in visa free. Mark my words in a few years they will out number Chinese for visitor numbers.

You would need 10 indians to replace a decent spending foreign tourist. No wonder the roads are blocked in parts of Pattaya with heavy traffic. You then turn away the high spending foreign tourist. No one is going to holiday in a region that is spiked full of low spending Indians on their first holiday. There was simply no need to stop the restrictions on visas. You go into Terminal 21 or Central there and there are no Indians in there. They are notorious low spenders, especially the ones heading to Thailand. The galling issue is India have offered Thai citizens no free visa, so i am curious as to what bilateral relationship they are talking about ? Thai logic is to look at the numbers of arrivals, and TOTAL spend - as opposed to spend per visitor.

Think i won't be going back to Pattaya anytime soon then.

I think you need to address the issue of her giving land to her brothers. You need to put a stop to that.

India doesn't even give Thai's a reciprocal visa free entry. Yet Thailand is rolling out the red carpet for them.

Allowing so many Indian tourists is damaging to wanting to have 'quality high spending tourists'. Indians make up for very low spend tourism. But their numbers are massive, and for many it's the first ever holiday (as no one else lets them in so easily) and you get ensuing poor behaviour. You will never find them in malls for one ... look around next time.

Bali was a paradise back in the 80's and 90's ... such a beautiful place. It is now a dump, that is solely for cheap tourists who go for a drink up. With Thailand's beautiful islands they could attract quality tourists ... at least keep away cheap mass tourism. But nope, they simply have done the opposite. Income from tourism is down, so the Thai solution is to get even more numbers in. The experience from tourists is awful.