Foreign Ministry not keen on allowing visa-free entry to Indians, Chinese

[snoop1130]

Foreign Ministry not keen on allowing visa-free entry to Indians, Chinese

By THE NATION

 

Foreign Ministry building, Bangkok

 

The Foreign Ministry is reportedly against the proposal to grant Indian and Chinese travellers visa-exempt stay for 14 days, citing concerns over national security and social impact. 

 

A Foreign Ministry source said this offer should be made to countries whose citizens pose less of a risk. 

 

This proposal was made by the Tourism and Sports Ministry and will be discussed in the Cabinet on August 20. 

 

The unnamed source said that since both China and India have a huge population, their nationals were prone to entering Thailand illegally to either make a living or to protect themselves from natural disasters in their own countries. 

 

The source cited regular reports about Chinese and Indian nationals being caught working illegally on tourist visas. 

 

Meanwhile, the Association of Thai Travel Agents reportedly played down the concerns, saying visa-exempt stay would be a huge boon for Thailand’s tourism industry.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30375011

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-08-19

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[madmen]

Good move !

[RotBenz8888]

8 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

A Foreign Ministry source said this offer should be made to countries whose citizens pose less of a risk. 

Falang land!

[ThomasThBKK]

common sense prevailed

[donnacha]

What security risk?

Surely the Indians won't fail to submit their TM30's?

[donnacha]

I do sometimes wonder if the Thai authorities will ever recognize that it was a mistake to torpedo their reputation, built up organically over half a century, as an easy-going destination for Westerners.

Just this week, I was talking to a friend making his first visit to S.E. Asia. He will be using Kuala Lumpur as his hub because, somehow, he heard that Thailand are no longer happy to have Westerners coming in and out of Bangkok - he wants to visit Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam but has now arranged it so that he will have to make only one entry into Thailand. I have not said anything to him, but his understanding is that if you leave Thailand and then return a week later, you can be put in a cell and flown back to your home country.

I do not know how representative my friend is of casual Western travelers, but awareness of Thailand's anti-Western sentiment is clearly filtering into that mainstream. That represents a truly massive destruction of hard-won, irreplaceable brand value.

I understand the political reasoning - the Chinese government will never ask awkward questions about democracy - but it seems short-sighted to apply pressure to one group who have been reliably pouring money into your country for decades, in favor of other groups who may not ever actually deliver the five-star visitors that the Thai elites dream of.

I like Thailand, but it is not a five-star destination. For all the lovely things about Thailand, there are very real trade-offs. That's fine with me, because I am not a five-star guy. Thailand was, for decades, the right trade-off for me and many other westerners seeking a break from the world of 9-to-5 and competent driving.

I know that there are Chinese and Indian multi-millionaires, lots of them, but why would they come here? If you have real money, there are far better destinations. I am pretty sure that, at the end of this grand switch, the Thais will end up with roughly the same amount of tourists on roughly the same budgets, but will far less stability and long-term durability.

The real insanity is that they could have continued attracting tourists from both the West while simultaneously developing these new markets. Why jettison their existing market?

[Traubert]

'An unnamed source said.......'

 

Ok.

[Mickc]

28 minutes ago, donnacha said:

The real insanity is that they could have continued attracting tourists from both the West while simultaneously developing these new markets. Why jettison their existing market?

Because this statement alone reflects a common sense business approach that requires forward planning, and conservation. A skill that at times is severely lacking in the land of smiles.

[Justgrazing]

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The Foreign Ministry is reportedly against the proposal to grant Indian and Chinese travellers visa-exempt stay for 14 days, citing concerns over national security and social impact. 

Whaaat .. but , but the Indians were gonna be riding to the rescue of Pattaya only a week or so a go .. Patt's'll be in tears when this gets out .. 

[holy cow cm]

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

A Foreign Ministry source said this offer should be made to countries whose citizens pose less of a risk. 

 

And that country is? The Vatican city?

 

As it stands, all of us as it feels have been demonized so it really cannot be any of our previous home countries of where we are from. As it feels now is as being perceived as an undesirable criminal being ostracized for looking left, or then looking right as the bank account may not meet their high rolling standard. Or on a more superficial line, heavily scrutinized and badgered by the immigration because...…... ? Xenophobic or a feel that of superiority.

 

Yeah I understand that the Thai race is more superior and greater to all the other races. I just keep on forgetting it as my brain is not as good as it used to be. Maybe I need to read Moby <deleted> again. Or was that to watch the series of Flipper again? Such a contemplation.

Edited August 19, 2019 by holy cow cm

[JHolmesJr]

Thailand 2020 vision statement...a newspaper kiosk, vindaloo cafe and a tailor at every street corner.

[losworld]

yeah but why would they listen to the foreign ministry when the big brass knows best... get those belching tour buses started and open a few more 711s.... yeahaw!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Selatan]

In the past, Malaysia used to give visa exemption to Chinese tourists and Malaysia's tourist numbers were even higher than Thailand's back then. But the Malaysian authorities later removed that privilege when they realised that a huge number of Chinese "tourists" had failed to leave, and so Thailand's tourist numbers overtook Malaysia's. 

 

Why would the Malaysian authorities worry about the presence of illegal Chinese immigrants when there were far higher number of illegal immigrants from other countries, numbering in the millions, working illegally in Malaysia? Well, we have racial politics in Malaysia to blame for that. The ethnic Malays certainly fear the Chinese more than the Indonesians, Bangladeshis and the Burmese because of the dominance of the Malaysian Chinese in the economy.

 

But, now that China has become far richer than in the past, I wouldn't be surprised if Malaysia may once again grant visa exemption to Chinese tourists in the near future if the economy goes down.

[MacMan2000]

4 hours ago, donnacha said:

I do sometimes wonder if the Thai authorities will ever recognize that it was a mistake to torpedo their reputation, built up organically over half a century, as an easy-going destination for Westerners.

Just this week, I was talking to a friend making his first visit to S.E. Asia. He will be using Kuala Lumpur as his hub because, somehow, he heard that Thailand are no longer happy to have Westerners coming in and out of Bangkok - he wants to visit Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam but has now arranged it so that he will have to make only one entry into Thailand. I have not said anything to him, but his understanding is that if you leave Thailand and then return a week later, you can be put in a cell and flown back to your home country.
 

 

Great post, Thanks !

 

It is really amazing how they can't make the connection between the way they treat the long term\frequent visitors to repercussion it will have on the casual tourists.

 

When a country acts in a way that is precived as unjust to one of your fellow countryman, people will generally blacklist this country on thier next travel plans..

 

They can't dance on both wedding..

You can't treat expats like criminals, and then expact their countryman to come here and spend money.

 

 

 

 

 

[BuckBee]

Should be offering EU US Oz citizens 90 days visa exempt, just limit back to back to 2 and after that need setv and funds proof.

Lot of the westerners who floated around for 6 months or couple years spent fair bit of money and also encouraged friends and others to visit via social media appeal .

Really has taken a massive down turn, malaysia and vietnam taking lot of those numbers, changes to thailand is massive from expat areas of silom to esplanade railway market to pataya and beyond .... indians and chinese will be considerable more hassle and less profits ....
Junta has killed the golden goose and that fat leech general rolex got the last of the golden eggs stashed in his safe next to a borrowed patek philippe  .

[donnacha]

2 hours ago, BuckBee said:

Should be offering EU US Oz citizens 90 days visa exempt

Could not agree more with everything you said.

The magical ability to boost their tourist industry and economy is right there in their hands: allow the people who already have the "Thailand habit" to stay for longer.

The rule should be 90 days visa exempt for all advanced nations, but let people come in and out, so that Thailand can once again be a safe hub for all S.E. Asian tourism, possibly saving Thai Airways from bankruptcy along the way.

Each tourist should have a maximum of 6 months within any 365 day period. So, you could bounce in and out, getting a 90-day stamp each time and use as much or little of that as you want, but if you have already been present in the country for, say, 4 and a half months, you would only get a 45-day stamp.

No tourist could stay for more than 90-days in one visit or six months in one year. That would eliminate the possibility, which seems to worries immigration officers so much, that the tourist is secretly living in the country or taking a Thai job.

Within those lines, there should be no question of anyone being denied entry. The publicity around each denial sends a ripple that further erodes the credibility of Thailand as a major air hub. The uncertainty is the damaging thing.

The flexibility of such a system would once again establish Thailand as a relaxed destination and easy choice.

Instead, they continue to move in the opposite direction. 60-day single-entry tourist visas from the UK embassy now require bank statements proving a certain level of income, flight tickets, and your hotel booking. None of that was required when I got mine last year. It is insanely restrictive for a simple, short-term, single-entry tourist visa. I am now pretty much restricted to a 30-day visa waiver entry plus 30-day extension. The next shoe to drop will be mandatory insurance. Thailand is making less and less sense as a destination.

Am I crazy to think that there were a considerable number of people who liked to spend their winters in S.E. Asia and primarily Thailand?

Regular people on relatively normal incomes would put aside money throughout the year so that they could spend three months having a nice, relaxed time in sunny country with nice food and the occasional massage while their friends at home dealt with dreich weather and winter gloom.

They wouldn't spend a fortune, but it was real money, going into the Thai economy and creating jobs.

To get there, they would have one hell of a long plane journey and, beyond a certain age, that really takes it out of you. For a lot of people, going to all that hassle for just a month or two and returning before the winter has ended simply isn't worth all the hassle.

I wish there was some way to sit down with whoever is making these decisions and help them see that what they are breaking will not be as easy to replace as they imagine.



 

Edited August 19, 2019 by donnacha

[otherstuff1957]

9 hours ago, donnacha said:

What security risk?

Surely the Indians won't fail to submit their TM30's?

Actually, it looked as though the majority of people in the TM30 line at Chang Wattana recently were Chinese, Indian and Burmese.  There were 120 people ahead of me when I got my number and only 5 or 6 were Farang.

Edited August 19, 2019 by otherstuff1957

[donnacha]

2 minutes ago, otherstuff1957 said:

There were 120 people ahead of me when I got my number and one 5 or 6 were Farang

If that any sort of reflection of current farang levels in Thailand, it is truly shocking. We really are on the way out ☹️

[mok199]

9 hours ago, madmen said:

Good move !

Please explain why ??

[Sonhia]

What are the main reasons tourists visit Thailand, more so than.any other country within SE Asia? In my opinion the answer is very easy to find and clear to see, THE SEX INDUSTRY, which is illigal but allowed to continue. I wonder why...

 

Let's be honest,  is it really for temples? Food? Smiles? Harmony? Relaxation? Cheapness (NOT ANY MORE), polluted seas / beaches with the most dangerous roads in the world plus highest gun related crimes not forgetting human plus animal rights violations etc etc etc..!

 

Thais have had it far too good for far too long, becoming very arrogant and rasist whilst demonstrating a lack of respect in their HIGH HORSE approach plus handling toward foreginers.who, let us not forget, have been for decades and still are, the main bread and butter for Thai nationals..

 

Thailand resembles to me much the same as many other run down S E Asian.countries, so what is the attraction of the place? Personally, I see none anymore because Thai have finally altered  my opinion of both them plus the place, to one of dislke. When I think  I, as have many thousands of FARANG, have wasted years of efforts plus a lot of money on a nation.of people who simply look at me as just another ATM, a low life tourist scum, I cannot help but feel bitter.

 

Thai do not respect me plus tousands of other non Thai for the combined contributions made, with mostly good intentions,, to a nation of people that once had jack, who now simply mock and look down on many FARANG in their smile at your face, but put the knife in the back, brash mannerisms. 

 

Attempting to make a silk purse out of a pigs ear just does not work. Thai should consider looking at themselves plus their enviroment, which they alone created. Both are far from being hospitable, polite or paradise.

[British Bulldog]

10 hours ago, donnacha said:

I do sometimes wonder if the Thai authorities will ever recognize that it was a mistake to torpedo their reputation, built up organically over half a century, as an easy-going destination for Westerners.

Just this week, I was talking to a friend making his first visit to S.E. Asia. He will be using Kuala Lumpur as his hub because, somehow, he heard that Thailand are no longer happy to have Westerners coming in and out of Bangkok - he wants to visit Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam but has now arranged it so that he will have to make only one entry into Thailand. I have not said anything to him, but his understanding is that if you leave Thailand and then return a week later, you can be put in a cell and flown back to your home country.

I do not know how representative my friend is of casual Western travelers, but awareness of Thailand's anti-Western sentiment is clearly filtering into that mainstream. That represents a truly massive destruction of hard-won, irreplaceable brand value.

I understand the political reasoning - the Chinese government will never ask awkward questions about democracy - but it seems short-sighted to apply pressure to one group who have been reliably pouring money into your country for decades, in favor of other groups who may not ever actually deliver the five-star visitors that the Thai elites dream of.

I like Thailand, but it is not a five-star destination. For all the lovely things about Thailand, there are very real trade-offs. That's fine with me, because I am not a five-star guy. Thailand was, for decades, the right trade-off for me and many other westerners seeking a break from the world of 9-to-5 and competent driving.

I know that there are Chinese and Indian multi-millionaires, lots of them, but why would they come here? If you have real money, there are far better destinations. I am pretty sure that, at the end of this grand switch, the Thais will end up with roughly the same amount of tourists on roughly the same budgets, but will far less stability and long-term durability.

The real insanity is that they could have continued attracting tourists from both the West while simultaneously developing these new markets. Why jettison their existing market?

Well put, well said .... if you have money, the closest you'll get to Thailand is renting a Yacht or Catamaran in Phuket for a week ... as a resident of Vientiane, I also recall the days when hords of Indians would come across the bridge at Nong Khai, stay in 50c accommodation 10 in a room, waiting 3 days or so to get the 3 month B Visa's so they would go back to various hospitals and alike and act as orderlies ... the Thai woke up to themselves then and ban all that, those 50c hotels still lay dormant around Vientiane. It seems to me the authorities concerned have short memories

[ChipButty]

Couple of Indians arrived in Phuket International the other day were getting refused entry 

[miamiman123]

We want those people who want 150 baht massages! That’s what I’m talking about! 

[MartinKal]

10 hours ago, donnacha said:

I do sometimes wonder if the Thai authorities will ever recognize that it was a mistake to torpedo their reputation, built up organically over half a century, as an easy-going destination for Westerners.

Just this week, I was talking to a friend making his first visit to S.E. Asia. He will be using Kuala Lumpur as his hub because, somehow, he heard that Thailand are no longer happy to have Westerners coming in and out of Bangkok - he wants to visit Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam but has now arranged it so that he will have to make only one entry into Thailand. I have not said anything to him, but his understanding is that if you leave Thailand and then return a week later, you can be put in a cell and flown back to your home country.

I do not know how representative my friend is of casual Western travelers, but awareness of Thailand's anti-Western sentiment is clearly filtering into that mainstream. That represents a truly massive destruction of hard-won, irreplaceable brand value.

I understand the political reasoning - the Chinese government will never ask awkward questions about democracy - but it seems short-sighted to apply pressure to one group who have been reliably pouring money into your country for decades, in favor of other groups who may not ever actually deliver the five-star visitors that the Thai elites dream of.

I like Thailand, but it is not a five-star destination. For all the lovely things about Thailand, there are very real trade-offs. That's fine with me, because I am not a five-star guy. Thailand was, for decades, the right trade-off for me and many other westerners seeking a break from the world of 9-to-5 and competent driving.

I know that there are Chinese and Indian multi-millionaires, lots of them, but why would they come here? If you have real money, there are far better destinations. I am pretty sure that, at the end of this grand switch, the Thais will end up with roughly the same amount of tourists on roughly the same budgets, but will far less stability and long-term durability.

The real insanity is that they could have continued attracting tourists from both the West while simultaneously developing these new markets. Why jettison their existing market?

It seems that Thailand is moving into closer relations with the two regional powers. China is the world's number 1 economy in PPP and India will be number 2 within a decade. That's the marketing focus.

[bluesofa]

9 hours ago, Justgrazing said:

Whaaat .. but , but the Indians were gonna be riding to the rescue of Pattaya only a week or so a go .. Patt's'll be in tears when this gets out .. 

Riding to the rescue - with Chief Sitting Bullsh!t

[GAZZPA]

Just now, Sonhia said:

What are the main reasons tourists visit Thailand, more so than.any other country within SE Asia? In my opinion the answer is very easy to find and clear to see, THE SEX INDUSTRY, which is illigal but allowed to continue. I wonder why...

 

Let's be honest,  is it really for temples? Food? Smiles? Harmony? Relaxation? Cheapness (NOT ANY MORE), polluted seas / beaches with the most dangerous roads in the world plus highest gun related crimes not forgetting human plus animal rights violations etc etc etc..!

 

Thais have had it far too good for far too long, becoming very arrogant and rasist whilst demonstrating a lack of respect in their HIGH HORSE approach plus handling toward foreginers.who, let us not forget, have been for decades and still are, the main bread and butter for Thai nationals..

 

Thailand resembles to me much the same as many other run down S E Asian.countries, so what is the attraction of the place? Personally, I see none anymore because Thai have finally altered  my opinion of both them plus the place, to one of dislke. When I think  I, as have many thousands of FARANG, have wasted years of efforts plus a lot of money on a nation.of people who simply look at me as just another ATM, a low life tourist scum, I cannot help but feel bitter.

 

Thai do not respect me plus tousands of other non Thai for the combined contributions made, with mostly good intentions,, to a nation of people that once had jack, who now simply mock and look down on many FARANG in their smile at your face, but put the knife in the back, brash mannerisms. 

 

Attempting to make a silk purse out of a pigs ear just does not work. Thai should consider looking at themselves plus their enviroment, which they alone created. Both are far from being hospitable, polite or paradise.

Agree 100%. it is already more challenging due to the exchange rate to visit or live in Thailand. Add the unwelcome feeling it just isn't worth it. I can't think of reason to visit anymore, and I believe many are holding onto the "good old days" but now realising its pretty much over. The leaving of many will continue. There are quite simply better places to go now.  They dont want farangs in their country, fair enough, they will soon get their wish.

 

[Srikcir]

2 hours ago, otherstuff1957 said:

There were 120 people ahead of me when I got my number and only 5 or 6 were Farang.

Recently had similar experience, 60 ahead of me and 2 were Farang (also with their Thai spouses).

[Dumbastheycome]

3 hours ago, donnacha said:

If that any sort of reflection of current farang levels in Thailand, it is truly shocking. We really are on the way out ☹️

lol. Or is it that the majority who were not westerners in that queue were moving about for various reasons whilst the few farang indicated the more static  lifestyle the majority have?

[moonseeker]

TH will have a very hard time bringing back Westerners. Too many better options for quality travelers. Pity for the once nice country. MS>

[Ketyo]

Maybe they have looked at Cambodia and seen what can happen when the door is opened to people from <deleted>hole countries with huge populatations of poor uneducated people....