Thais Only: Bus companies, Bangkok temple bans foreigners citing COVID-19 restrictions

[rkidlad]

32 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

There won't be any TAT spin, as both decisions are short-term Covid related.  Wat Po have already clarified their notice, by claiming it's just to keep numbers down while the temple is being repaired. Most bus companies do not have the restriction, and the foreigners ban will be lifted once the Emergency decree ends, or sooner.

 

But it certainly boosts Richard Barrow's already high profile, and gives expats an excellent opportunity to get angry!

Yes, I can imagine it now. Going to a temple with my missus, her mum and dad, her brothers and sister and niece and nephew. As we enter the temple, they tell us, “sorry, no foreigners allowed. We are trying to keep the numbers down cos we’re doing repairs”. 

Of course I’d have no problem with that. I’d probably joke with temple staff that had I been foreign of Asian origin; I’d probably have walked right in no problem. But as they can see I’m clearly not, my ethnicity would surely be a problem during “repairs”. 
 

We’d all have a right laugh and I’d tell them I can’t wait til the emergency decree is over so I can come back. 

 

[JCP108]

Welcome to the new normal.

[petedk]

54 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Not very likely!  If foreigners were banned from the beaches, gogos or massage parlours it might! One temple and  few Govt. bus companies with silly policies isn't going to change anything.  

We have a friend who owns a Spa-Beauty Clinic and she told me that they will not be accepting foreigners as customers. 

 

I asked her why not. Her reply was "we are afraid of foreigners. They are dangerous and can have Covid-19"

 

How many other small businesses will do something similar?

[ezzra]

Oh what a pity and i was just about leaving a huge donation to said temple... Oh well...

[bangkokfrog]

19 minutes ago, rkidlad said:

Yes, I can imagine it now. Going to a temple with my missus, her mum and dad, her brothers and sister and niece and nephew. As we enter the temple, they tell us, “sorry, no foreigners allowed. We are trying to keep the numbers down cos we’re doing repairs”. 

Come on! Khun Anutin probably has it right. We dirty farang visitors (we are all classed as visitors even if we have Thai families and have lived here and contributed to the economy for decades) don't bathe regularly enough or wear face-masks and so are likely to spread germs all over the restoration work. I only hope he and those responsible remember this when there are none of us left and someone has to turn off the lights. 

Edited June 12, 2020 by bangkokfrog

[Ventenio]

4 minutes ago, franzs said:

Wile the Thais are very strict on wearing face mask in public, foreigners think this rule is not written for them.

100% wrong.  I've seen thousands of people not wearing masks, even at the market.  You are seeing what you want to see....which is fine, and next time take pictures of only those absolutely horrible, disgusting farangs who we hate even more than ourselves (lol, not possible for some).  yes, I KNOW what foreigners think as well....they think they can be the worst people, break laws, destroy culture, destroy the world, ruin it for me....

 

oh, those farangs.  i'm glad i'm a buffalo.

 

oh wait

[time2093]

Its just one bus company out of dozens that wont let you ride on their bus. Plenty other bus company's in Thailand that will take a falangs money.

[JonnyF]

15 minutes ago, franzs said:

I am a 30-year resident in this country, have a Thai family and they keep me up to date.

You sound like the farang equivalent of Uncle Tom. Feel free to make excuses for their discriminatory policies, and make sure to keep bowing and scraping as you do so.

[holy cow cm]

1 hour ago, bluesofa said:

They were allowed on the navy aircraft carrier when I wasn't, at an open day at Sattahip.

 

Yes and I was with a Thai group and got to the hanger bay and then was quickly kicked off and out by some Thai navy low ranking D-head  because I was a foreigner. Thing is a piece of junk anyway. Not impressed. 

 

I would hope the USA does not let anything of them on the boats during fleet week or the ones that are retired and tourist attractions. The more I see and feel this xenophobia attitude from them is the more it installs hatred in me towards them. Not normal Thai people for the moist part but the ones who feel they are all that and hold some sort of entitlement of connection.

[kotsak]

52 minutes ago, BobbyL said:

It has no impact on me, however this is just yet another shocking indictment around the lack of thinking in this country.  Something so simple is like a Darwin-esque idea for a lot people in this country. This could have been handled in a far better way to avoid this problem. 

 

Thailand has been built on foreign tourists yet it seems to be becoming more and more happy to breed xenophobia. Could you imagine St Paul's Cathedral or Saint Agustin having signs saying, 'English only' or 'French only'. 

 

Yes, I know the old saying TIT, but if this place wants to be taken seriously these things shouldn't be happening. What happens if a white foreigner living here is a Buddhist and would like to go and pray at the temple? 

 

 

Reminded me Bruce Lee movie Fist of Fury with a sign at the entrance of a park in Shanghai, in 1940’s during the Japanese occupation.

 

 

[franzs]

1 hour ago, gunderhill said:

Good  to see FLM, Farang Lives matter and then again Thai  Lives don't, of  course its total BS  from the temple , however I'll make sure I never visit that temple and let everyone else i know,not that it'll make any difference to their  coffers when the locals will no doubt  supply them with unlimited funding for their "worthhy causes" ie themselves.

 

This message has just been posted on Wat Pho Facebook page: “Due to restoration in progress on the Reclining Buddha & paintings inside the building [we are] not allowing access to non Thai nationals, it was decided that for the safety of tourists we would restrict access.” 1/2

 

 

 

it looks like you think every single Thai ist waiting for you.

 

In the near future there will be not so many farangs in Thailand around, because the farangs living of the western tourists will move on, no more business, bars will be closed for a long time. No Thai will buy from a farang real estate broker,  boiler rooms will be easier to control with less farang around.

 

 

I see here a refreshing beautiful future for Thailand

 

 

[owl sees all]

22 minutes ago, bangkokfrog said:

Come on! Khun Anutin probably has it right. We dirty farang visitors (we are all classed as visitors even if we have Thai families and have lived here and contributed to the economy for decades) don't bathe regularly enough or wear face-masks and so are likely to spread germs all over the restoration work. I only hope he and those responsible remember this when there are none of us left and someone has to turn off the lights. 

Well, why don't we use the platform of TVForum to boycott certain Thai things and 'attractions'. Starting with that ridiculous croc' farm in Pattaya. When the movement gains strength we will have real influence.

 

'Power to the farang'.

Edited June 12, 2020 by owl sees all

[franzs]

8 minutes ago, rkidlad said:

I’ve seen plenty of locals not wearing face masks or wearing them around their throat or under their nose. We recently saw the ‘health minister’ eating lunch with 10+ people while not social distancing. 
 

If you believe that it’s acceptable for a country to discriminate against people based on their ethnicity, I can only assume that you believe the same is acceptable in your own country. Anything less would be pure hypocrisy. 

 

Thailand is my country after 30 years, but looking to Europe where I was born, the infected and dead number still high

but everybody wants to go on vacation to the beaches of Spain, Italy, Croatia Greece,

lets see how the case number look in autumn

[brewsterbudgen]

1 hour ago, JonnyF said:

Yes, because short term discrimination is fine. Great point.

Not fine at all.  But an unfortunate fact of life here.  

[soi3eddie]

After 2 months of NO foreign arrivals in Thailand it is becoming clear that some sectors now beleive they do not need us or our money. Time will tell how much worse this will get. Question is would they allow Burmese, Cambodian or Laos passengers on their busses and into the temples? What about the Chinese when they come back? Will there be discrimiation between white and yellow skin? It is clearly about more than money now.

[WineOh]

I truly hope that not a single hard working western tourist comes back here once things return to normal.

 

this country does not deserve tourists of any kind and should now be treated in the same way the west treats all totalitarian regimes. Sanctions, sanctions sanctions!

 

if we are not respected by the locals and those in power then why the hell should we do any kind of business with them??? Spend your cash elsewhere when the world opens up, Thailand just aint worth it anymore.

[SooKee]

Funny how they were a lot, LOT more welcoming to foreigners when other countries were sending teams to help rescue their kids trapped in the cave! How quickly they forget.

 

"Amazing Thailand - Welcoming Foreigners Only When It Suits"

 

#ThailandTrueColours

[quake]

Dirty Falangs

[Logosone]

4 minutes ago, franzs said:

 

Thailand is my country after 30 years, but looking to Europe where I was born, the infected and dead number still high

 

I don't think you're from Europe, you're from Thailand.

 

Any European would be put "dead number is still high", however Thais often miss out whole words because they don't speak English very well.

 

You're a Thai pretending to be European.

[kimberizi]

Personally Im affronted with the racism against foreigners. Face masks are not required in public places only when you enter a business as far as I know. Its a slippery slope. At some point in the future I believe that the government will change the property ownership laws and disenfranchise all foreigners that currently own property. When you start down this discrimination path and see little or no resistance then they become more bold and before you know it the gig is up.

[WineOh]

7 minutes ago, SooKee said:

Funny how they were a lot, LOT more welcoming to foreigners when other countries were sending teams to help rescue their kids trapped in the cave! How quickly they forget.

 

"Amazing Thailand - Welcoming Foreigners Only When It Suits"

 

#ThailandTrueColours

Absolutely spot on mate.

they have the collective memory of a flea.

Edited June 12, 2020 by Liverpoolfan

[Traubert]

1 hour ago, cyril sneer said:

I expect the Chinese will still be allowed in

Hurray!

 

Buddhism is the predominant religion in China anyway, did you know that?

[owl sees all]

4 minutes ago, Traubert said:

Hurray!

 

Buddhism is the predominant religion in China anyway, did you know that?

No! I'm informed.

 

And there's me thinking it was Jesuitism.

[mr mr]

59 minutes ago, petedk said:

1 hour ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Not very likely!  If foreigners were banned from the beaches, gogos or massage parlours it might! One temple and  few Govt. bus companies with silly policies isn't going to change anything.  

We have a friend who owns a Spa-Beauty Clinic and she told me that they will not be accepting foreigners as customers. 

 

I asked her why not. Her reply was "we are afraid of foreigners. They are dangerous and can have Covid-19"

 

How many other small businesses will do something similar?

great business model to follow !!

[rvaviator]

1 hour ago, bluesofa said:

They were allowed on the navy aircraft carrier when I wasn't, at an open day at Sattahip.

 

I was there last time in December ... big bus of Chinese visitors .. All refused entry on the ship ... Thai only ????

 

 

[Walker88]

37 minutes ago, franzs said:

 

 

it looks like you think every single Thai ist waiting for you.

 

In the near future there will be not so many farangs in Thailand around, because the farangs living of the western tourists will move on, no more business, bars will be closed for a long time. No Thai will buy from a farang real estate broker,  boiler rooms will be easier to control with less farang around.

 

 

I see here a refreshing beautiful future for Thailand

 

 

Actually, you won't see it..,..that refreshing beautiful future for Thailand.

 

Within a few years it's likely all the retirees and Elite Cardholders who are farang will be asked to leave. Disagree? It's but a baby step from "foreigners (who have been only in Thailand for at least 3 months) are a Covid-19 danger" to "all farang are banned from Thailand, even if you have a visa allowing you to stay" and 'Your marriage to a Thai woman is hereby null and void, and because of her error in judgment, she is refused a passport to leave Thailand to go with you when you are persona non grata in Thailand".

[Justgrazing]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

 

On Thursday, state enterprise Transport Co., confirmed to Khaosod English that foreigners are not allowed to use their services at this moment in time

given the number that end up on their roofs or side in a ditch that might be seen as a result .. 

[Peterw42]

Richard Barrow, the same guy that was posting a couple of pictures of army trucks and telling everyone there was another coup happening.

 

This is nothing more than a temple closed to tourists for renovation, its closed to "all" tourists, its still open for Thais to visit as a temple, to pray, to make merit etc. Foreigners visit a temple as tourists, Thai visit a temple as Buddhists.

 

As The OP quotes Richard Barrow:

 

Richard later tweeted that a message posted on the Wat Pho Facebook page that said foreigners had not been permitted entry for their own safety and that the temple had been closed to tourists due to restoration work which is currently taking place.

 

 

[mr mr]

9 minutes ago, Walker88 said:

Actually, you won't see it..,..that refreshing beautiful future for Thailand.

 

Within a few years it's likely all the retirees and Elite Cardholders who are farang will be asked to leave. Disagree? It's but a baby step from "foreigners (who have been only in Thailand for at least 3 months) are a Covid-19 danger" to "all farang are banned from Thailand, even if you have a visa allowing you to stay" and 'Your marriage to a Thai woman is hereby null and void, and because of her error in judgment, she is refused a passport to leave Thailand to go with you when you are persona non grata in Thailand".

good thing my thai wife and son worked their baws off for 5 years to gain canadian citizenship eh ? 

[soi3eddie]

32 minutes ago, kimberizi said:

Personally Im affronted with the racism against foreigners. Face masks are not required in public places only when you enter a business as far as I know. Its a slippery slope. At some point in the future I believe that the government will change the property ownership laws and disenfranchise all foreigners that currently own property. When you start down this discrimination path and see little or no resistance then they become more bold and before you know it the gig is up.

That would depend on which "government". It was never like this until after 2014. Things could possibly change for the better once the new and younger, well educated opposition movement rises to power and ousts the corrupt dinosaurs who have been in power for to long. I'm hoping it will happen sooner rather than later.