For persons like me who are younger than most, married for almost 2 decades with children, the MEnon O was ideal. Before a certain group came in 2015, it was easy to get at places like savvanakhet too..
Indeed I wish it was returned with the specific use to those who have put in the time, say ohh i dont know 10 or 15 years, as a qualifier to use it, like the other vip visas where you dont just cherish money, but family and societal structures, not broken families and still, weeding out those they worry of abusing it...and, keeping those that dont.
Now i have to pick the lesser of 2 evils, leave, or put up with scruff at immigration...and there is no valid reason for this. As a person from a richer country im not trying to live off the poor state in thailand, nor could they offer me something of equal value as my state. This equalizing of people as if an african or chinese has the same validity of circumstances as a european or japanese, american or singaporean.
What exactly is driving this....ohhh thats right, the pretend rich country with vast swathes of those desperate to leave it, with their culture of corruption and criminality who have no problem doing whatever it takes, who this government is scared of putting a foot wrong for fear of their toilet paper money not being invested.
Maybe if this is how this proud thai government is going to sell its country up river, then its better to leafe before it turns into Laos.