Open doors to foreign businesspeople, industry panel advises

[Mr Meeseeks]

There are plenty of incentives available for the right type of expats.

 

Those that revel in the p4p bar scene, circumvent laws, dodge about on entry stamps and refuse to assimilate at all into the local culture are an endangered species.

[grobec]

5 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Malaysia was colonised, Thailand (arguably) never was.

 

Big difference in mindset as regards to what foreigners are allowed to do and how they can remain. 

 

However, the incentives to set up a business in Thailand are much more appealing than Malaysia outwith the entertainment and tourism sectors, IMHO of course.

Check the history books. If not for UK Thailand  might have become part of Vietnam, and more certainly a French colony. Isaan was gobbled up before U.K. made a deal to protect their access to Burma and Malaysia.

im not a Brit by the way, so just sayin’

[spidermike007]

6 minutes ago, thairookie said:

China is considered non-risky countries ?  Where did the virus come from ?  How did Europe and the rest of the world catch the virus ?

 

The Thai dictionary does not have a translation of Wuhan City ?

At this later stage, it has nothing to do with where the virus came from. You can call the virus anything you want, from the Wuhan virus, to the Trump virus (has it spread anywhere else in such a virulent manner?). Does not change a thing. China got this under control, it appears to have remained under control, and at 83,000 cases, and 4,634 deaths, it appears to be a minor thing compared to 2,066,400 cases in the incredibly toxic (virus wise) US, with 115,000 deaths to date, and still climbing.

 

The countries that will be shunned the most, will be the US, Brazil, Russia, the UK, Spain, Italy, India, Peru, Germany, Iran, and a few others. Americans such as myself, will be the most radioactive people on the planet, for the next year or two, no doubt. 

[bolt]

For returning Foreign visa holders, retiree other marriage etc

1. Quarantine at home (self)
2. Quarantine at hotel own expense

What’s it going to be?

[bkk6060]

4 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

So if your plane leaves North America on a Sunday night, how will you get your testing done 48 hours before departure?

?

Hospitals are open 24/7 last time I checked.

Go to one and pay and get a test..

[tomauasia]

7 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Perfectly logical  - I hope to see Tests become readily available for those with plans to travel. Currently many countries are only offering Covid-19 tests to key workers. I hope to see this change as more test become available and tests become reliable. 

 

Tested again upon arrival, again, perfectly logical.

14 day self isolation, again not as severe as government isolation, tolerable for the near future, but not for those who want a two week vacation or travel in and out regularly for work. 

 

However, this is about ‘reviving the economy’, what business traveler is going to come to Thailand and self isolate for 14 days so he can have meeting?

The only people who will self isolate are those returning to their homes and to their families, which under the current climate ought to involve self isolation anyway (to protect family).

 

When I arrived in the UK (on a repatriation flight from the UAE as I couldn’t get back to Thailand) I self isolated for 14 days, at the time, I thought that was what we were meant to do, and also what I thought I ought to do to protect family in the UK. It only actually became regulation this week !!

 

 

I am unable to get back to Thailand (currently in the UK) and I hate the idea of not being able to get back. 

If we could ’take a test before travelling’ and ’take another test on arrival’ then there is no need for the secular travel / tourism arrangements. But, I also get it - the Tourism industry needs revival and Thailand doesn’t want to risk further outbreaks, those countries which have higher numbers of Covid-19 present higher risk. 

 

What does irk is that this virus broke out in China, possibly as early as August (according to latest reports), yet China did nothing until late December. The world is paying the price while China seems once again free to travel !

 

 

Additionally: I thought this report was somewhat xenophobic, however, when reading with balance and without the chip on my shoulder that I can’t get home to my Wife and Son I realise that the suggestions make sense. 

 

 

The above comments are of course avoiding the debate on whether a lockdown is necessary at all now we have a truer handle in the impact of Covid-19. 

 

 

All <deleted>... Test l can do right now. Foreign business people ????????????. With no foreigners there lol. I just brought a new 120.000 Baht standup scooter. What did the uselesd Chinese goose buy. Im not even in Thailand lol. Shop licence holder for ZERO scooters says. China don't contribute. I brought 3 so far. The THAI owner is rich. He agrees absolute bad governance and nobody wants there racist beliefs. Business people ???????????? Open the airport muppet with pre flight test self quarantine and stop your racist attack or your country be boycotted 

[tomauasia]

4 hours ago, baansgr said:

The onus is on you to have the testing done...change the flight time

Correct to easy 

[DLock]

17 minutes ago, tomauasia said:

All <deleted>... Test l can do right now. Foreign business people ????????????. With no foreigners there lol. I just brought a new 120.000 Baht standup scooter. What did the uselesd Chinese goose buy. Im not even in Thailand lol. Shop licence holder for ZERO scooters says. China don't contribute. I brought 3 so far. The THAI owner is rich. He agrees absolute bad governance and nobody wants there racist beliefs. Business people ???????????? Open the airport muppet with pre flight test self quarantine and stop your racist attack or your country be boycotted 

 

What?

 

If you paid 120,000 for a Zero Scooter, you were ripped off. I paid about 55,000 baht for my 10X and the 11X was only 110,000...but 60mph on a scooter is scary...

 

But that's besides the point, how is the decision to test people before they arrive a "racist attack".

Edited June 11, 2020 by DLock

[CLS]

1 hour ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Malaysia was colonised, Thailand (arguably) never was.

 

Big difference in mindset as regards to what foreigners are allowed to do and how they can remain. 

 

However, the incentives to set up a business in Thailand are much more appealing than Malaysia outwith the entertainment and tourism sectors, IMHO of course.

So that‘s why Thais are so xenophobic and uneducated?

 

Wait till Thais have to emigrate to surrounding countries to make a living? But then it‘s too late to reassess your stance.

[JusticeGB]

When I traveled for business I normally spent a maximum of 2 or 3 days abroad.  I certainly wouldn't go on a business trip to meet people who I needed to see for a couple of days but have to spend 14 days in quarantine before I could meet them.  My time was too valuable for that.

[raccos21]

How serious is this CoViD-19?

[Traubert]

That's not Thailand though.

[ponder]

5 hours ago, baansgr said:

The onus is on you to have the testing done...change the flight time

It would be better to take the test a week or even two before flying, as people are going to re-tested on arrival, and this would allow the virus to incubate if they have it.

[gunderhill]

3 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

In many ways they are victims of their own success in controlling the spread of the virus.

 

In my moments of  boredom and waiting for my Wife outside a  7/11 in Bangkok I counted the amount of  times the girl  on the door  checking temperatures  touched her mask in a  5  minute  period.

Astonishingly 67  times, this included her face, mask, ears, nose and her  hands  all over the entrance  door.

I suspect this is  more or less the norm for  many, making masks useless.

Funny though watching her check a man twice with her head  scanner as he went in  bought something then out  immediately   u-turned straight round after exiting and went back in. Maybe he'd  caught something in those precious few  minutes?

Better  still the masks at half  mast just over the mouth.

[superal]

3 hours ago, hobz said:

Gotta love that china is considered a low risk country

 They stopped eating bat soup?

and live mice , donkey , fish , monkey , yes all alive 

[Yme]

Expect when it comes it will be similar to what Cambodia announced Tuesday. Not particularly attractive, a bit of a gamble, and expensive.

Quote

Heralding that the days of being able to catch the (currently suspended) 6.30am AirAsia flight from Bangkok to Phnom Penh and be home in time for breakfast is now a thing of the past, the current process will require a minimum of 24-hours to complete inbound Cambodia clearance procedures.

 International travel in the age of COVID-19: Cambodia leads the world with user pays system

[vermin on arrival]

4 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Cambodia announced yesterday a number of strict rules and requirements to control foreign arrivals. 

 

https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50732293/cambodia-requires-foreigners-to-pay-for-covid-19-test-quarantine-treatment-services/

 

No one will risk travelling there at the moment as you'll be quarantined even if you test negative if you have travelled on the same flight as an infected person, and the costs will get expensive, of that have no doubts.

I just read the article about the costs involved. No one will travel there with those requirements. No visa bounces will be possible unless a travel bubble is set up.

 

"The letter said a foreigner must pay $5 for a single trip between airport and waiting center, $100 for a COVID-19 test, $30 a day for staying at a hotel or at a waiting center to wait for the test result, and $30  a day for three meals.

It added that if anyone of the passengers is tested positive for the COVID-19, the rest of the passengers in the same group will be quarantined for 14 days, and each of them will be required to pay 100 dollars for one test and 84 dollars a day for hotel or quarantine facility, meals, laundry and sanitary services, doctors and security service.

According to the letter, for COVID-19 positive patients, each of them will be required to pay 100 dollars for one test (maximum four tests) and 225 dollars a day for hospital room, medical treatment service, meals, and laundry and sanitary services.

It added that the cremation service charge for a dead body is $1,500.

For the issuance of a health certificate on COVID-19, a foreigner is required to pay 100 dollars for a lab test and 30 dollars for the certificate, the letter said."

[rupert the bear]

so it appears illogical.why?they state a 14 day self quarantine.so how can they conduct meetings visit factories and so on?they say that they must not use public transport IE BTS.if theyre in quarantine??how is it possible?why are business men allowed but ordinary mortals not especially people with valid visas such as long stay,spouse and retirement visas ,once again nonsense.how are business people less prone to the corona virus than the rest of us so therefore able to travel?if we all have reached them same criteria we all have the same rights.PRC nationals shouldnt be allowed in for several reasons,PRC knowingly and willingly spread it causing economic ruin and suffering in the world and they had consistently lied on the issue so why should we believe them now.the PRC have acted in an illegal manner by supressing hk people ,we should express solidarity with them not reward a blatenly aggressive fascist govt.

Edited June 11, 2020 by rupert the bear
typos

[joecoolfrog]

3 hours ago, thairookie said:

China is considered non-risky countries ?  Where did the virus come from ?  How did Europe and the rest of the world catch the virus ?

 

The Thai dictionary does not have a translation of Wuhan City ?

When the dust has settled and the investigations have concluded , China may not be considered a particularly safe country.

That however will be moot for Thailand , it will welcome the chinese tourists with open arms , what other choce does it have now ?

[natway09]

They are starting to become a bit pendantic about this.

They need to open all businesses in Thailand at the start of July  & let them trade for one month normally without any easing of International travel first.

It looks like the virus has fizzled out internally whilst only yesterday the WHO reported the largest 

worldwide daily numbers of contagen , so opening up anything internationally is dangerous due

to cross contamination in particular through non restricted airports 

 

[Grumpy John]

Man was I wrong!   I thought the article was about making it easier for foreigners to own and run a business here.   You know,  like allow a foreigner 51% or more ownership in his business or allow the businessman to own property Or not have to go through the rigmarole of annual work permit.  ????

[finnishmen]

i hope ALL foreigns stop busines and pressure thai goverment change first visa law normal good then start busines again, but not make busine now because visa law not have good for expats and foreign who invest money thailand and want stay make busines and help thailand economy and million thai can be job, foreigns need understand, goverment need change vise or money not move to thailand neweer again. idiot foreign if make busines now because thais not want foreign money and no want foreigns in thailand because made idiot stupid visa law, any normal country not have same, totally stupid monkey plan and made visa law. need change. all foreigns need stop all busines and stay 7 million thai not job, better then king and goverment can hear what wery important peoples want .

[Jimbo53]

5 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Cambodia announced yesterday a number of strict rules and requirements to control foreign arrivals. 

 

https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50732293/cambodia-requires-foreigners-to-pay-for-covid-19-test-quarantine-treatment-services/

 

No one will risk travelling there at the moment as you'll be quarantined even if you test negative if you have travelled on the same flight as an infected person, and the costs will get expensive, of that have no doubts.

Cambodia Arrival Requirements.

[vermin on arrival]

1 hour ago, Yme said:

Expect when it comes it will be similar to what Cambodia announced Tuesday. Not particularly attractive, a bit of a gamble, and expensive.

 International travel in the age of COVID-19: Cambodia leads the world with user pays system

And at the same time, EU is looking to open to travelers from outside of Europe on July 1, only restricting people from high risk areas.

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tamarathiessen/2020/06/10/europe-travel-eu-welcomes-tourists-july-1-borders-reopen/#77f4c523fe66

[Mr Meeseeks]

1 hour ago, Grumpy John said:

Man was I wrong!   I thought the article was about making it easier for foreigners to own and run a business here.   You know,  like allow a foreigner 51% or more ownership in his business or allow the businessman to own property Or not have to go through the rigmarole of annual work permit.  ????

Businesses can be 100% foreign owned, if they qualify for BOI approval. 

 

The rules are geared towards attracting the types of businesses that Thailand needs and limiting the proliferation of businesses that local Thais can own and operate.

 

Why on Earth would they level the playing field to help foreigners encroach further in sectors where they would put the Thais at a disadvantage such as hospitality or entertainment?

 

Again, work permits are easy if you do it properly, I am in and out in 20 minutes at the one stop shop in Lumpini Tower once a year, hardly a "rigmarole" and I never see the inside of an Immigration building, as my PA and HR take care of all the reporting, and the agent files all the paperwork.

[connda]

It's much more entertaining to watch Thailand destroy its economy over a flu. 

[connda]

13 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Businesses can be 100% foreign owned, if they qualify for BOI approval. 

 

The rules are geared towards attracting the types of businesses that Thailand needs and limiting the proliferation of businesses that local Thais can own and operate.

 

Why on Earth would they level the playing field to help foreigners encroach further in sectors where they would put the Thais at a disadvantage such as hospitality or entertainment?

 

Again, work permits are easy if you do it properly, I am in and out in 20 minutes at the one stop shop in Lumpini Tower once a year, hardly a "rigmarole" and I never see the inside of an Immigration building, as my PA and HR take care of all the reporting, and the agent files all the paperwork.

Good for you  <virtual pat on the back> 

[scorecard]

8 hours ago, Cali farong said:

I haven’t seen anything mentioned about the$100,000 Covid 

insurance requirements.  Has that been canceled?

 

Good question, also like to get an update on this item...

[vermin on arrival]

8 hours ago, Cali farong said:

I haven’t seen anything mentioned about the$100,000 Covid 

insurance requirements.  Has that been canceled?

If the changes in Cambodia's requirements is a barometer, then expect the Thai requirements to become even more onerous.

[Prince77]

"to let tourists from non-risky countries like Taiwan, Vietnam and China" this starts to annoy me! China! Where this hoax comes from - and even being aware of full outbreak of the virus, Chinese tourist flooded Thailand during chinese New Year. Why? Because they fc...g paid for their trip and even if they were fully aware that they were sick - they never, ever would have canceled the trip because they have paid for it!

 

That in regards to the responsibility of that people - they will sell poisened food if they can make a dollar.

 

It is ridiculous to consider China a low risk country!