JoeyMac

The damage done to Phuket is irreversible. I remember a college lecturer at my university talking about the dangers of over tourism. It all makes sense now. A beautiful place, now nothing but some shoddy beaches, no infrustructure that will suffice for cheap Indian tourists, and Russians escaping war.

He has almost 140,000 in 2 months deposits from me.

I'm being quoted 3000 to have my a/c cleaned. There are 3 of them. It's not really the money aspect, it's the fact i feel i'm being taken advatage of here. 'get your bed sheets cleaned professionally', 'get the property cleaned and show reciept' - i can clean my property myself.

Embarassing.

Even agent now saying we should clean a/c, have the whole room cleaned with reciepts and even get bedding cleaned. Totally taking the mick. Agreement only says 'a/c must be kept in good condition'. No where does it state 'clean a/c before returning'. We've had the a/c cleaned so many times on our own, the last just a few months ago. Been taken advatage of with the deposit being held. This is not a backstreet condo, but high end condo in the heart of Sukhumvit with a major developer behind it.

I was given a PDF document. I have yet to use it as i'm still in Thailand. I am obviously talking about travelling and immigration guys. The idea i have to travel around with 2 passports is pretty annoying.

Eh ? since when. My last a/c clean guy said no need for a clean for at least 6 months.

Dayam so i have to carry my old passport around for the next 10 years?!

I have the new DTV visa, and partner has a working O visa. When we renew our passports, what happens to these visas. Will we just forever need to carry our old passports with us, or do we transfer the visa to the new passport ? Plz assist.

Hi just had a rather curious email for a condo we have in Suukhumvit. Agent says when we hand the condo back we must have the a/c cleaned, and a full clean of the room including all bedsheets washed. Now it's not a major issue, and of course we will clean the appartment. But cleaning the a/c ? Nothing written in the contract about this arrangement. Is this norm? Just concerned as they have two months rent from us as a deposit.

But at what cost to local infrustructure? Policing, roads, etc . Zero dollar tourists, or low spending Indian tourists are more likely to cost the state money than bring in any money. Remember then by being labelled as 'mass cheap tourist destination' you then turn away tourists.

Same every year. Promise to seek quality tourism over volume of numbers. Do nothing. Repeat Revenue from tourism down (from peak) due to attracting low spending tourists, despite high visitor numbers. The solution appears to be allow even more low spending tourists to make up for the loss - Thai logic. Meanwhile the visitor experience for any sort of quality paying tourist will be awful.

Insanity. The infrustruture can barely cope with 40 million. Lunacy. Their logic is that despite revenue being down, if they increase the numbers then revenue will catch up. But what about the impact on local communities, infrustructure, the ecological disaster, etc

Srettha had an opportunity to reset tourism. Previous administrations have talked about cleaning up tourism and attracting a better class. But nope - he falls back to cheap mass tourism. Just pack them in, forget the enviromental impact, just pack them in like sardines.

There is good and bad eggs in all cultures. I see many Brits who really hit the benefit system hard - does that mean they are all that way inclined? No. Where as my local experience is the immigrants in the UK work very hard. Even the governments own findings say migrants bring in a massive net contribution to the economy to the UK. Can some mix in more, yes sure. But why does it matter? The vast majority of Brits in Spain and Thailand make very little effort to mix, learn the language, or intergrate. I love the mix of foods and cultures in the UK, it can make it a great place. But the ignorant racists are looking at the wrong people to blame. Immigrants aren't the reason you are paying sky high interest rates, or your public services are not properly funded.

Conservation ?!!? This is the guy who has literally flooded THailand with cheap mass tourism, opened the borders to mass cheap tourism - at a huge ecological and enviromental cost. The irony must surely not be lost on him.

PM Strettha panic ridden decision to allow Chinese and Indians to flood Thailand with cheap mass tourism, killed of any hopes of high quality spending tourists. So lazy, lacking any skills to clean up tourism all gone - instead tried and tested cheap mass tourism is the fall back. No attempts to even diversify the economy, instead the Thai population will be hooked on this cheap mass tourism. Proof in the puddings - revenue from tourism is down, despite more and more tourists arriving. Restaurants complaining lack of visitors. The type of Chinese coming to Thailand are the cheap variety, NOT THE ELITE - they head to Europe, which is the dream. Disgusting decision. Cost the country billions in lost revenue from visa fees. Inexplicably allowing INdians free entry was perhaps up there with one of the worst decisions in Thai history, because they saw revenue from indian tourists - yes but at what cost ? The infrustructure can barely cope as it is. Utter lunacy, to the compound all that by letting them stay long term !!!!

Judging by my facebook profile, Indians are going crazy for this visa. You have to remember there is not a single other country in the world with this kind of soft entry for Indians, and i am talking about even some third world countries won't let indians just fly in like this, never mind staying here for 5 years. They're coming here to work too. Absolute bat mental policy from Srettha and his cronies.

Did my DTV application a few weeks ago. They requested further documents today, including my flight ticket. However, during that time i have changed the dates on my flight to a few weeks later to the date i put on the application. Any thoughts on whether this is going to create an issue ? Would a cover letter be enough ? Or is this going to create issues?

Ex pats? You mean immigrants ?

Genuine question, and please don't get defensive, but why are the British immigrants here (and i'm talking universally 100%), really hate immigration in the UK. They no longer live in the UK, they have no say in it. They rarely visit, other than sorting their pension or whatever social credits come their way. Yet it's their main topic of subject - without question the one subject that gets them passionately away from sipping their 10th pint of larger of the day. Why are they so racist? Why concern is to them what happens with immigration there? Even if you try to reason with them - they themselves are immigrants (and not really the top notch educated type with their beer louting and sex tourist tendancies) in another country. They don't mix and intergrate into Thai (or Spanish society), but they are here in another culture - yet you'd think they'd be a little more worldly in their thinking. But nope. It's really bizarre to witness, and quite frankly utterly disgusting. Racists the lot of them.

He must love it the position, the fame. He clearly doesn't need the money (but when is enough for these people?) His tenure either tells you he has no power, or worst of all has no ideas, another Thai leader who is completely out of his depth. Otherwise he has done nothing for Thais. I mean what is his solution to the crisis in Chiang Mai with the pollution? Please tell me. You would not see such a crisis like this in a developed nation to allow the citizens to suffer like that. What about the crippling inequality you see in Thai society? You would think he would want to be out there implementing strict measures to help people. What's he doing about the environmental issues? How is he improving education standards? He seemed proud to let in draft dodging Russians, then went to Europe to say 'let Thai's in visa free' - despite Europe being massively hit by the Ukraine War. He has no idea about diplomacy. Totally out of his depth. He loves holidays and tourism, hence his only solution to anything is MORE TOURISTS MORE TOURISTS PLEASE MORE TOURISTS.

I've seen many Thai leaders come and go, including the military. This guy has to be the worst. He does nothing. Lives in some surreal bubble not connected to the reality on the ground.

Anutin has clearly shown his hand and shown Srettha is weak. If he plays it wise he will be the next leader.

Thailand had a little mini shot of what would happen when you let lose immigration and long term visas on a developing nation with the Russians in Phuket. You've seen illegal work shoot up, crime, anti social behaviour, and Russians colonising areas of Phuket. Worst of all for Thai people they've driven up rents. To then want to repeat that on a mass scale is a scandal. This is what i would expect from a leadership which lacks experience, and is working as though they are real estate agents (no surprise the leader is a property tycoon).