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

[DUNROAMIN]

Finally, Thais are looking after the "Farangs" welfare. Last thing I need when visiting a Temple is to be knock out by falling equipment or scaffolding. Well done.

Apparently, for Thai nationals its enter at your own risk, your not important.????????????‍♂️

[GAZZPA]

Just now, elliss said:

 

       Sad .

 There are some farlangs / aliens , who look upon Thailand as their home .

    What a fool believes ...

It's simple really, they put all their eggs in the Thai basket abandoning their homes so they have nowhere to go, they are stuck in Thailand. So no matter how obvious it gets that things are bad they will never admit to themselves they made a bad decision, therefore they will defend Thailand no matter how obvious the evidence is.

[mindfulness]

12 hours 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? 

 

 

Calm down it’s not a real deal one. It’s just a commercialised one. 

However one comprehends the principle 

[GAZZPA]

1 minute ago, mindfulness said:

Calm down it’s not a real deal one. It’s just a commercialised one. 

However one comprehends the principle 

see if you can make a sentence from these words,,,, sand, the, head, bury, in, your,,,,

[jerolamo]

Buddhist temple can not ban a buddhists foreigners or not. I'm buddhist and foreigner how can it be possible a buddhist temple to ban me ?

Wat Pho temple is definitely not a buddhist temple OR people who decide this ban of human life, and also because they are foreigners are not buddhists or don't know nothing about buddhist laws. Buddhist by the idea of Siddarta Gautama (or first writing from Ananda) can not be racist.

Very simple to understand.

What's happening in Thailand ?

I was thinking this country to be buddhist from the top level.

It will quickly change i think, because buddhist's mongs will be sad to not follow the buddhist way of practice and respect the very first laws of Buddha.

[pixelaoffy]

racist country .... nothing more to be said

[mindfulness]

11 hours ago, rvaviator said:

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

 

 

Maybe they were fearing someone may be a spy ????

[GAZZPA]

19 minutes ago, jerolamo said:

Buddhist temple can not ban a buddhists foreigners or not. I'm buddhist and foreigner how can it be possible a buddhist temple to ban me ?

Wat Pho temple is definitely not a buddhist temple OR people who decide this ban of human life, and also because they are foreigners are not buddhists or don't know nothing about buddhist laws. Buddhist by the idea of Siddarta Gautama (or first writing from Ananda) can not be racist.

Very simple to understand.

What's happening in Thailand ?

I was thinking this country to be buddhist from the top level.

It will quickly change i think, because buddhist's mongs will be sad to not follow the buddhist way of practice and respect the very first laws of Buddha.

Thailand has slide downhill a long way in recent years.

 

[Pferdlkrantz]

Don't know how one defines "Government Run" bus companies but the following is an account of my experience today, Friday:

North Pattaya Bus Station (Roong Reuang Coach Co. so assume it is not "Government run).  Buy ticket, no problems.  Instructions on entering waiting area are standard: masks everywhere. Seating is alternate window and aisle per row.
Morchit bus station.  Booked a further ticket (Nakhonchai, again probably not G-R), asked for passport, supplied, no issues with being a Farang.  Screens are in place as normal, about 50% of the booth operators were not wearing masks but masks were prevalent otherwise. 
In short, no issues. 

I find it strange that the edict has not been delivered to non G-R companies. 

[jerolamo]

10 minutes ago, GAZZPA said:

It's simple really, they put all their eggs in the Thai basket abandoning their homes so they have nowhere to go, they are stuck in Thailand. So no matter how obvious it gets that things are bad they will never admit to themselves they made a bad decision, therefore they will defend Thailand no matter how obvious the evidence is.

You may be right for many of them, but you can not for all of them. You can also said exactly the oposit and same, you may be right for some of them, not for all of them.

Can you admit this reality ?

Sure, fact is that farang coming in Thailand for his Buddhist and King story. It would be so sad to see Thailand change this way. But, we stay foreigner out of our country.

If in my country politic becomes fascist or commercial only (who deny many Buddhist thinking laws), i will be sad (and i am because of that in my own country who is not Buddhist), but i still love my country.

In fact, what ever some humans are sadly racists or fascist, not all of them are like that, and in Thailand, large majority of people i sse are not racist, fascist or capitalist. Most of them are respectful, what ever color or religion or country you are coming from. Even if some people act the bad way (because of stupidity or miss-understand the culture there), Buddhist just stop speaking and move far from them. They will never become negative or stupid because of that. That is fundamental mind thinking of Buddha from the very beginning of buddhism.

It is a fact that also, some people have low power, low IQ, low karma. Some people are little. That's it. No one is perfect.

May i choose to stop to love Thailand because of some people who have authority becomes xenophobe ? Sure not, i'm not the one to put all of them in a same black bag.

But if i can not stay Thailand because i'm farang what ever good i did there, never mind, i will leave Thailand as long as the law ban Buddhist foreigner, i will not force to be accepted. I'm a good guy... where ever i go.

It will be writing in this part of Thailand story that a new way of buddhism start in Thailand... a way of thinking who deny fundamental laws of buddhism.

Look to Myanmar not so long times ago... some Mong spoke the way for population to kill muslim... are they really buddhists ? No, definitely not... because they deny the fundamental way of Buddha. But do you think all people there want to kill someone ? Sure not.

The real problem, where ever you go, is when some low mind thinking people start to get a power. Next of that, good people paid the big price, cry, prey, hope... and the story is writing, humanity will remember.

But please, don't push all of  them in the same bag. I can talk about my own experience and tell you that people in Thailand who want to ban foreigner from temple or think as racists are very very rare. Most of them (the big majority) are very clean.

[GAZZPA]

3 minutes ago, jerolamo said:

You may be right for many of them, but you can not for all of them. You can also said exactly the oposit and same, you may be right for some of them, not for all of them.

Can you admit this reality ?

Sure, fact is that farang coming in Thailand for his Buddhist and King story. It would be so sad to see Thailand change this way. But, we stay foreigner out of our country.

If in my country politic becomes fascist or commercial only (who deny many Buddhist thinking laws), i will be sad (and i am because of that in my own country who is not Buddhist), but i still love my country.

In fact, what ever some humans are sadly racists or fascist, not all of them are like that, and in Thailand, large majority of people i sse are not racist, fascist or capitalist. Most of them are respectful, what ever color or religion or country you are coming from. Even if some people act the bad way (because of stupidity or miss-understand the culture there), Buddhist just stop speaking and move far from them. They will never become negative or stupid because of that. That is fundamental mind thinking of Buddha from the very beginning of buddhism.

It is a fact that also, some people have low power, low IQ, low karma. Some people are little. That's it. No one is perfect.

May i choose to stop to love Thailand because of some people who have authority becomes xenophobe ? Sure not, i'm not the one to put all of them in a same black bag.

But if i can not stay Thailand because i'm farang what ever good i did there, never mind, i will leave Thailand as long as the law ban Buddhist foreigner, i will not force to be accepted. I'm a good guy... where ever i go.

It will be writing in this part of Thailand story that a new way of buddhism start in Thailand... a way of thinking who deny fundamental laws of buddhism.

Look to Myanmar not so long times ago... some Mong spoke the way for population to kill muslim... are they really buddhists ? No, definitely not... because they deny the fundamental way of Buddha. But do you think all people there want to kill someone ? Sure not.

The real problem, where ever you go, is when some low mind thinking people start to get a power. Next of that, good people paid the big price, cry, prey, hope... and the story is writing, humanity will remember.

But please, don't push all of  them in the same bag. I can talk about my own experience and tell you that people in Thailand who want to ban foreigner from temple or think as racists are very very rare. Most of them (the big majority) are very clean.

Of course not everyone is bad, I don't have a racist attitude towards anyone. The problem is that the hatred stems form the top in the government and it runs down through society. I lived in Thailand for around 7 years and I saw a very clear decline in respect for foreigners and it certainly lost it's "land of smiles" reputation that the Thai tourist authority tried to build all those years ago. For a Buddhist such as yourself there are other countries who practice Buddhism without the other nonsense. I wish you luck in whatever you do or wherever you go.

 

 

[pixelaoffy]

8 minutes ago, jerolamo said:

You may be right for many of them, but you can not for all of them. You can also said exactly the oposit and same, you may be right for some of them, not for all of them.

Can you admit this reality ?

Sure, fact is that farang coming in Thailand for his Buddhist and King story. It would be so sad to see Thailand change this way. But, we stay foreigner out of our country.

If in my country politic becomes fascist or commercial only (who deny many Buddhist thinking laws), i will be sad (and i am because of that in my own country who is not Buddhist), but i still love my country.

In fact, what ever some humans are sadly racists or fascist, not all of them are like that, and in Thailand, large majority of people i sse are not racist, fascist or capitalist. Most of them are respectful, what ever color or religion or country you are coming from. Even if some people act the bad way (because of stupidity or miss-understand the culture there), Buddhist just stop speaking and move far from them. They will never become negative or stupid because of that. That is fundamental mind thinking of Buddha from the very beginning of buddhism.

It is a fact that also, some people have low power, low IQ, low karma. Some people are little. That's it. No one is perfect.

May i choose to stop to love Thailand because of some people who have authority becomes xenophobe ? Sure not, i'm not the one to put all of them in a same black bag.

But if i can not stay Thailand because i'm farang what ever good i did there, never mind, i will leave Thailand as long as the law ban Buddhist foreigner, i will not force to be accepted. I'm a good guy... where ever i go.

It will be writing in this part of Thailand story that a new way of buddhism start in Thailand... a way of thinking who deny fundamental laws of buddhism.

Look to Myanmar not so long times ago... some Mong spoke the way for population to kill muslim... are they really buddhists ? No, definitely not... because they deny the fundamental way of Buddha. But do you think all people there want to kill someone ? Sure not.

The real problem, where ever you go, is when some low mind thinking people start to get a power. Next of that, good people paid the big price, cry, prey, hope... and the story is writing, humanity will remember.

But please, don't push all of  them in the same bag. I can talk about my own experience and tell you that people in Thailand who want to ban foreigner from temple or think as racists are very very rare. Most of them (the big majority) are very clean.

Umm.. anyone get through that, and understand any of it?

[DavisH]

22 minutes ago, pixelaoffy said:

racist country .... nothing more to be said

Not different to the US then...

[DavisH]

2 minutes ago, GAZZPA said:

Of course not everyone is bad, I don't have a racist attitude towards anyone. The problem is that the hatred stems form the top in the government and it runs down through society. I lived in Thailand for around 7 years and I saw a very clear decline in respect for foreigners and it certainly lost it's "land of smiles" reputation that the Thai tourist authority tried to build all those years ago. For a Buddhist such as yourself there are other countries who practice Buddhism without the other nonsense. I wish you luck in whatever you do or wherever you go.

 

 

I've been here 20 years and have seen no significant change. I've never had a Thai I didn't know say a bad word against me. never even been refered to as a farang. Maybe its the prople you choose to associate with.

[GAZZPA]

2 minutes ago, DavisH said:

I've been here 20 years and have seen no significant change. I've never had a Thai I didn't know say a bad word against me. never even been refered to as a farang. Maybe its the prople you choose to associate with.

more like your denial, things are getting worse, undeniable in my opinion and judging by the mass exodus of ex pats the opinion of many.

[Fairynuff]

15 hours ago, RandolphGB said:

You couldn’t make this stuff up.

We don’t need to....they’re doing a grand job of it themselves 

[whaleboneman]

Take this opportunity to better ourselves. Feel what racism is like when we are on the receiving end. Try and empathise with people of colour that have been treated poorly for ages. We have been denied entry to a temple. We aren't allowed on a bus.

How does that make us feel? It can't even compare in any way to systematic racism that people have endured for years.

[GAZZPA]

16 minutes ago, whaleboneman said:

Take this opportunity to better ourselves. Feel what racism is like when we are on the receiving end. Try and empathise with people of colour that have been treated poorly for ages. We have been denied entry to a temple. We aren't allowed on a bus.

How does that make us feel? It can't even compare in any way to systematic racism that people have endured for years.

That's a very good point, even worse back then. The only thing I would say is that I was never one of those people, I have grown up in an age of acceptance, for race, sexual preference and gender. Those days should be well behind us all by now, racism against anybody should be in our past as a species and for most it is I am happy to say. Of course there will always be people who discriminate against people for whatever, however the majority of the world has moved on..

 

Thailand is behaving terribly and should be ashamed,, but they are not, that is the problem.

[ianezy0]

15 hours 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

 

The whole point of this latest spat is too hopefully be rid of the racist felang. A bit like yourself??
Maybe you could enlighten us as to why the Thais should be privileged to your existence in the Kingdom.

[greeneking]

2 hours ago, Pferdlkrantz said:

Don't know how one defines "Government Run" bus companies but the following is an account of my experience today, Friday:

North Pattaya Bus Station (Roong Reuang Coach Co. so assume it is not "Government run).  Buy ticket, no problems.  Instructions on entering waiting area are standard: masks everywhere. Seating is alternate window and aisle per row.
Morchit bus station.  Booked a further ticket (Nakhonchai, again probably not G-R), asked for passport, supplied, no issues with being a Farang.  Screens are in place as normal, about 50% of the booth operators were not wearing masks but masks were prevalent otherwise. 
In short, no issues. 

I find it strange that the edict has not been delivered to non G-R companies. 

Calm, rational and informative.

Very welcome.  There are problems, but no need to flee from an impossibly 'racist' situation just yet.

The Thais I see remain kind, helpful and friendly.  Is it just me?

[Stargeezr]

These Wats or temples are places of worship for the Thais and other Buddhists.

  One point you all may be missing is a big one. When you have visited a temple, did you 

notice the people who are cleaning up the place, or keeping the grass cut, the flowers and

plants and trees watered? Have you seen people in the kitchen areas or even people doing

laundry and other such activities? These people are volunteers, not Monks. That is also

why Thais are not being restricted to the temples. Just a thought for the complainers

who may have not known this situation.

Geezer

Edited June 12, 2020 by Stargrazer9889
error

[Soikhaonoiken]

Racesim in its highest form, totally discussting 

[bodga]

16 hours ago, ezzra said:

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

i'd willed my entire estate also, oh well

[bodga]

3 hours ago, DavisH said:

I've been here 20 years and have seen no significant change. I've never had a Thai I didn't know say a bad word against me. never even been refered to as a farang. Maybe its the prople you choose to associate with.

i refuse to  associate with proples????

[GAZZPA]

1 hour ago, greeneking said:

Calm, rational and informative.

Very welcome.  There are problems, but no need to flee from an impossibly 'racist' situation just yet.

The Thais I see remain kind, helpful and friendly.  Is it just me?

no its not you, most people are normal and decent. The problem is that the anti-foreigner message starts with the Thai government and runs through society. So whilst you will obviously go many days without incident, sooner or later you will when the message from the countries leaders is so clearly xenophobic. Don't ignore it and pretend it is not there, it is and many, many people have experienced it.

[Donutz]

33 minutes ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

These Wats or temples are places of worship for the Thais and other Buddhists.

  One point you all may be missing is a big one. When you have visited a temple, did you 

notice the people who are cleaning up the place, or keeping the grass cut, the flowers and

plants and trees watered? Have you seen people in the kitchen areas or even people doing

laundry and other such activities? These people are volunteers, not Monks. That is also

why Thais are not being restricted to the temples. Just a thought for the complainers

who may have not known this situation.

Geezer

And how does that legitimize charging entry or banning foreigners who want to make merit at a temple? Those foreigners want to leave a donation, buy gifts etc like Thai Buddhists but are either denied or also charged an entry fee. And a non-buddhist Thai who wants to walk around for some selfies can do so no questions asked...  Doesn't sound right to me.  These temples in question aren't abiding Buddhism. They are being xenophobic, and possible racist (filtering people out at the entry based on looks). 

[Donutz]

6 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

They could of course drop the fee if that really was the reason. Makes no sense whatsoever

That's what some places do: lower or no fee. I have been to a few museums in Thailand that normally charged a fee but because half the places was closed were temporarily free to enter for all.  The 'we don't allow foreigners because they are all tourists (err??) and these tourists wouldn't get their money's worth' is an other silly excuse. 

[GAZZPA]

3 hours ago, rob63 said:

Usually the police walk....they tried to avoid charges against the 4 police officers again until BLM got involved.

 

In relation to the no foreigners sign....most foreigners are sexpats for which regional travel is not a necessity. The majority are also high risk due to having close contact with a high volume of prostitutes (varies according to pension income). I certainly would prefer to sit next to a Thai instead of an infected falang. Btw, no offense intended to sexpats.

Not sure about the state of the police or the fact that they usually walk,, i will take your word for it, thats terrible and glad they have been pushed into dealing with it.

 

Well I lived in Thailand for 7 years and I was not a sexpat., my foreign friends were not sexpats, the foreign people I worked with were not sexpats. I agree there are many but not all. forgive me but you seem to have been infected by Thai prejudice stating that most expats are sexpats and therefore they are mixing with hookers and will all be infected,, so they must be banned... Do you see how what you are saying sounds? By the way you are a foreigner right, so using your logic Thai people should avoid being next to you,, right? Or did the "no foreigner" sign exclude you? I think you need to think this through a bit more, your theories are a bit of a mess,, no offence.

 

[hotchilli]

21 hours ago, webfact said:

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

The not so hidden racist face of Thailand... social media worldwide will pick-up on this, I hope people will vote with their feet when borders re-open.

[UncleE]

21 hours ago, jonclark said:

No - these messages are the result of people not being able to understand the rules, underpinned by ignorance, fear and just poor comprehension of what the government has been doing. 

 

Most restaurants with the silly social distancing procedures have misunderstood similarly - I can walk into a restuarant holding my wife's hand, but we need to have a plastic screen between us when we eat to stop the spread of Co-vid 19  - The screens are meant to seperate people who are not part of the same family group. If we are holding hands, a screen when we eat has no health merits at all. 

I think the content of the news feed in ThaiVisa is very helpful.   Although the quoted response is a more or less positive one.   There are way too many cynical responses from folks who seem hell bent on slamming Thailand.

 

I've lived here for 30 years and during that time also lived part time in my home country as well as others.  I have decided to call Thailand my home because overall it's a great place to be.   

 

• I think Thailand is generally fair and Thai people are generally very friendly to foreigners.   
• Anyone who thinks their home country is better should leave immediately and chalk their negative feelings etc up to having been ignorant and unable to cope with living in a foreign culture or simply being underfunded.
• And those who have bad experiences generally bring it on themselves by failing to comply with laws, being derelict and inconsiderate of their actions.
• If they don't like it here, just leave.

 

Finally it is important to consider what the op quoted implied about Thai people simply being less educated (or maybe they implied it's the foreigners who post the nasty comments) and if anyone doesn't like any of this they should volunteer to be a teacher so the younger Thais have a better chance in life.  Thai people are taught to maintain the normal and follow orders.  It's just the way it is.

 

So screw all the negative comments and chill out.  Anyone who's not happy really should just leave.

 

Cheers