Expats sought to help Thailand’s tourism industry in its hour of need, end to dual pricing mooted

[Stoker58]

Thailand doesn’t “need my help”, it “wants my money”.

never mind all their different departments, it would go a long way towards showing respect if they simply passed a law making price gouging based on nationality illegal.

[Fairynuff]

It's taken a pandemic to make them realise that we actually have value, then let them prove it by giving us LOWER rates than Thai people to make up for all the past rip offs.

[Truth Will Set You Free]

It’s so funny how the Thai government looks at Expats in a time of need. There’s 2 million here in Thailand? Where are they?  There is a lot of things they can fit to bring back people but they are picking and choosing them accordingly and carefully.
 

(1) Why is the baht so low and not tourist? They got the baht at a rate so low that I only change when I need more to spend on my needs. I gave up helping others cause it want be long before I be needing help and who here in Thailand is going to help me.
 

(2) Since I am on this subject of help, has I the only one notice, what happen to all the people that did not have food when there was lockdown? The long lines and charity organizations giving out food and other things? They disappeared as if it was a new beginning. I see more people on the street now selling food than anyone needing food. There are 69 million people in this country. Just how many of them are poor and was in those food lines? Nothing was publish on what impact it had on the people in the Province. I did not read or see anything. 
 

(3) As for the 2 pricing, that will never change. I don’t even go to these places anymore. You seen one, you seem them all. Plus it tells the world of what the Thai’s think of them before they come into the country. No other country I know of change 2 prices because you have the money to pay. If I knew what I know now, I would not have went then. 
 

(4) Immigration has step up to start enforcing their laws. I do not have a problem. What I have a problem  with, they don’t want us here whether you want to admit it.  Here are some interest things people have overlooked: 

 

(a) They have allowed property companies to sell Condos, Gated Communities and businesses which will keep income (maintenance Fees and rental fees) coming in the country, but they do not want you to live here as a retiree. Is this why you see the building going to sh it after 5-10 years.  Investing in a country that only wants you here to pay your money to the long sharps does not help the poor. 
 

(b) They don’t want you traveling the county without they knowing you whereabouts, as if you are a criminal, so they have you come check in every 90 days. That include being married to a Thai unless that has changed. What other country allows you to retire, but you must check in every 90 days.  Sorry not to mention, you must tell them you are going to Bangkok if you live in Pattaya. Bottomline if you go outside the Province you reside you must report it. 
 

(c) They want you to have 5x + the money in a bank that is not even required by any other Asian country. Plus they tax you after they give you .00001% interest. What would happen if the (2 million?) expats Would take all their money out and only have the monthly required going to the bank. I wonder how strong would their banking system be when it comes to lending? 
 

Well Thailand, God said you will weep what you sow.  I will still respect your culture and follow your laws, but I will let others know what they will face if they decide to come this way. You not the only country with beaches and bars...........

[paul1804]

I think this is time to work together, you cannot live in the past so put previous grievances behind us and work towards improving the situation for the future. It will take sometime to alleviate the dual pricing system, the government should come out and condemn the practice, this would be a good starting point. Farangs need to be a little less critical and stop posting personal insults about Thai leaders in particular. We are guests in their country and whilst there is a lot of truth in the posts they don’t help working towards a harmonious atmosphere. We need to try to convince the current government that by changing their immigration policies to 21st century thinking and get rid of the crazy paper work that is a nightmare for us both would be a sensible start. Make short and long term residency easier and the country will reap the rewards with increased faring residents, increased employment and so on, it would have a domino effect in reverse. 
 I lived in Papua New Guinea for 37 years, a third world country with difficult immigration and residency policies but once you complied you were good for three years and the renewal was almost a formality. 
For long term residents here what does the ninety day reporting achieve? why so much paper work, it should be 100% electronic, can you imagine how much paperwork Thai immigration have to store, have they ever thought how many trees need to be cut down to support this last century policy which is so unnecessary, labor intensive and inefficient. 
A united voice now in these hugely difficult times is the perfect time to start dialogue, make it better for Thais and us farangs that choose to live in this desirable country. Getting Thai tourism onside would be a great start and their most recent post is handing out the olive branch so take it and improve the situation as best we can.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[holy cow cm]

9 hours ago, bodga said:

i dont  have  a  tv,  i have  a  brain instead

I have 4 TV big screens. Front room, 2 bedrooms and the kitchen. I also have a brain, and this is why I can watch Thai TV as I understand what is said, can speak the language and understand their culture on the whole. Keep on using your big brain there on the computer.

[holy cow cm]

3 hours ago, Silent Number said:

Hey. I have only been here 10 years so maybe I don’t know as much as you.You think.As for your comment about making friends on here it’s a forum for opinions not a dating site.If it’s friends your looking for get a pen pal.What I posted was my opinion and the opinion of some other posters who aren’t disgruntled expats with nothing but negativity to post about their place they chose to live over their country of origin for whatever reason.But maybe I will think about not upsetting sensitive people such as yourself. 

Not sensitive. Just stated the facts. Disgruntled, Nope! Pros and Cons of living anywhere and even though it is wonderful to live here it is true that we are not given a fair shake and treated equal. But it is just the way it is. My family do not like many things about things here as well. Just a part of life. Have a good day! 

[curious297]

Most S.E Asian countries offer free residency, bank mortgages, loans, not having to leave the country for BS visas after living their country for X years. I've lived in Thailand for 16+ years and still feel like I am only a tourist. I have houses, a business, employ 20+ thais, pay my taxes, my son has been going to a British standard school for the last 12 years and now studies in Bangkok, not cheap. Between myself and my wife, we support the thai economy more than most thais will ever and yet I fear, 1 wrong paper work, one late reporting and I can not only lose my working visa resulting in not being allowed to work in my own company but also I can be thrown out of Thailand at any time.

 

Regardless of my large monthly contributions to Thailand,s economy I have absolutely no feeling of security here. As witnessed during this pandemic, many types of expats are not allowed to return, even those with families and business's to run. We are left to defend for ourselves and then told we must yet again pay over priced rooms for quarantine, ridiculous insurance policies and almost impossible paperwork demands. We are told we are "Dirty", to "Go back home" and all the time we are looked down at by the local authorities especially at immigration. Last year, I witnessed one immigration office throw papers and passport at my wife and shouted to "Go" because she missed a 1 paper! This does not include the same immigration officers charging for services which are listed as a free service. Let's not forget the extortion and 2 tier pricing of foreigners when applying for many government services. I recall the many demanded under table payments requested by Thai's municipality when building my company under the disguise of "if you need it, you will pay more for it. The inflated taxes when importing items that when I send my Thai worker to collect the goods, the taxes are many 1,000 THB cheaper! It all starts when no government service prices are listed for all to see  or hidden behind thai script, leaving us expats wide open for Thailands corrupt practices.

 

I know many expats like me are in the same position and feel the same way. When Thailand stops treating us long term, money spending, Thai family supporting, expats as expendable burdens on the society, we might think differently when it comes to spending our hard earned money.

 

The fact that the Thai government has given permission to double charge us not only for our entertainment but for hospital services as well, police harassment with trumped up fines and penalties, Immigration showing no respect to us expats that allow them to keep their jobs, I have absolutely no encouragement to help. 

 

[0815]

22 hours ago, keith101 said:

We might well be interested if Immigration didn't make life so hard for us expats . I would like to travel around the country but they insist on knowing where we are all the time and with all the reports they want from us i just go to the supermarket .

How does Immigration make your life hard when travelling in the country ?
The hotel makes the report for you when you check in.
TM30 is not necessary to make anymore after you returned from another province.
So what is "making life so hard" when you travel ?

[0815]

22 hours ago, Airalee said:

Sample hotel price now vs high season in November.

 

when I see this kind of <deleted>...I stay home.

 

Spend every dollar like it’s a vote.

 

High Season This November 

 

 

Current “low season” price

Great offer. Let's GO! ???? 
Luckily they are not all same.
I use to go often to a little resort in Pai.
A superior room in high season was 1100THB. 
They contacted me a few days ago: Low Season extended to December - Superior Room 700THB.

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Disagree. Only taxpayers should get local rates. 

 

Temporary visitors here for purposes other than tourism pay the tourist rate. 

 

My reason: they don't contribute taxes that pay for the upkeep and staff manning the facilities. 

We pay VAT tax when we spend.... 

[BigStar]

1 hour ago, Fairynuff said:

It's taken a pandemic to make them realise that we actually have value, then let them prove it by giving us LOWER rates than Thai people to make up for all the past rip offs.

Exactly. Reparations for all that farang sufferin' & oppression!

 

Don't forget the free beer, too.

[dwcrist]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, let tourists pay slightly higher rates. Residents, including Thais and expats, should be charged a reduced fee. 

[BigStar]

58 minutes ago, curious297 said:

Most S.E Asian countries offer free residency, bank mortgages, loans, not having to leave the country for BS visas after living their country for X years.

Which S.E. Asian countries offer all that free stuff?

[Rancid]

19 hours ago, bluesofa said:

Reminds me of someone in my neck of the woods who had exactly the same experience.

He couldn't cope with the idea of having to pay a bribe for the same reason, after he'd employed Thais and kept everything legit.

He let his girlfriend run the business into the ground and went to live in Cambodia, after more than ten years here.

Corrupt officials wanting bribes is nothing new, in fact the bulk of the Thai population also has to exist with the same parasites.

[bluesofa]

1 minute ago, Rancid said:

19 hours ago, bluesofa said:

Reminds me of someone in my neck of the woods who had exactly the same experience.

He couldn't cope with the idea of having to pay a bribe for the same reason, after he'd employed Thais and kept everything legit.

He let his girlfriend run the business into the ground and went to live in Cambodia, after more than ten years here.

Corrupt officials wanting bribes is nothing new, in fact the bulk of the Thai population also has to exist with the same parasites.

I don't disagree. Just that this guy apart from being tight, really couldn't accept he was being screwed over and left the country rather than pay.

[HaleySabai]

Is there really 2 million expats in this country?.....geez!

[0815]

22 hours ago, rkidlad said:

I remember a good friend of mine went to immigration to renew his work permit. They kindly informed him that he didn't do his TM30 (this is when the whole issue was brought in) and he had to pay a fine. Not only did he have to pay a fine, he also had to wait for hours to hand over the money. He's been here over 10 years, married with a kid and working and paying taxes. He was furious and decided to travel to places like Vietnam, etc, a few times instead of weekends at the beaches here. 

 

I also remember the meeting with immigration at the FCCT forum. They simply didn't have any good answers for why they were trying to enforce this ridiculous law. I remember one officer smugly replied, "don't travel, then" when asked how people could find time to do the TM30 on a Monday after a weekend away to Pattaya, etc, when they have jobs and responsibilities. It felt like a complete abuse of their authority and just one abhorrent cash grab.

 

Now, I'm not the sort of person who isn't going to travel because I wanna vote with my money. If I wanna go on holiday or have a weekend away, I will. But asking me to travel to help them? No chance. I'd have quite happily done it had they just left me alone. I wasn't looking for any favours or special privileges. I just wanted some basic decency to be shown and not be treated as a criminal. 

 

I have sympathy for people who work in the tourist industry. I have absolutely zero for Thailand's tourism chiefs. Som nam na. 

 

 

 

 

Since when would immigration renew a work permit ?

[rkidlad]

5 minutes ago, 0815 said:

Since when would immigration renew a work permit ?

That's what you took from my post? 

[Saint Nick]

17 hours ago, DaftToPutRealName said:

Ah the Nescafe, CP Sausage, Grabfood delivery, lazada and BTS guy!

As soon as Nyla and Lucy Thai are at it, i might pay attention!

[Saint Nick]

Oh Thailand...for all the years I stayed here, I was "just a guest" and did "not understand Thailand"!

My opinion on literally everything was not needed or wanted and you made me jump through hoops, so I could stay here - you know...because I am a "guest" and you are such great hosts!

And now...suddenly... you need my participation, to safe your country?

Come on- you are Thais!

You are better than that...and better than us!

Why don't you pull yourself up, by your ******* boot-straps?

 

[quake]

1 hour ago, Rancid said:

Corrupt officials wanting bribes is nothing new, in fact the bulk of the Thai population also has to exist with the same parasites.

And the bulk of the Thai population would jump at the opportunity to become one of these parasites ASAP. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[johnarth]

one thing about, you can laugh and say what you like, but China is still pulling the strings on the price of the Thai baht, why, China owns Thailand just try to buy something in Thailand that is not made in China and of course the high speed trains from Bangkok to China, the Chinese government and army are going to love that, an old Aussie saying a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

[kamma]

On 8/4/2020 at 2:08 PM, zaZa9 said:

Im actually surprised at the figure of 2 milliion. I new farang numbers were a lot , but didnt think it was that many. Just think of the profits in Re-entry Permits !

Many in this thread are confused with the expat figures. The over 2 million expats are not all Western 'farangs'.

 

The number is actually more like 2.6 million and in fact of that 2.6 million only about 200,000 are from Europe and N. America, less than 8%.

 

And of those 200,000 'farangs' roughly 70,000-80,000 are retirees. The rest are on work or various other visas.

 

The self importance of the 'farang' here is off the scales!!

Edited August 5, 2020 by kamma

[Fairynuff]

I’m currently at sai yok, the Lawa Cave has a pricing policy which is a relative bargain at 100 baht for Thais and a snip at 300 for foreigners. Needless to say we didn’t go.

[johng]

3 hours ago, Saint Nick said:

As soon as Nyla and Lucy Thai are at it, i might pay attention!

These 2 are good too !!!

[newcomer71]

All of a sudden we're useful? My answer is $od-0ff... Learn to respect people first, then we'll see... 

Make me feel welcome, then we'll see.

Abolish those draconian immigration laws and double prices and then we'll see. Till then, tell your freaking embassies to process repatriation speedy instead to use expat to milk money. The whole bunch of those govmt stooges is a disgrace.

[trainman34014]

They can get stuffed until they give us a level playing field with Thai's.   I won't be losing any sleep over their lost business or lending them my Hanky !

[TKDfella]

6 hours ago, paul1804 said:

I think this is time to work together, you cannot live in the past so put previous grievances behind us and work towards improving the situation for the future. It will take sometime to alleviate the dual pricing system, the government should come out and condemn the practice, this would be a good starting point. Farangs need to be a little less critical and stop posting personal insults about Thai leaders in particular. We are guests in their country and whilst there is a lot of truth in the posts they don’t help working towards a harmonious atmosphere. We need to try to convince the current government that by changing their immigration policies to 21st century thinking and get rid of the crazy paper work that is a nightmare for us both would be a sensible start. Make short and long term residency easier and the country will reap the rewards with increased faring residents, increased employment and so on, it would have a domino effect in reverse. 
 I lived in Papua New Guinea for 37 years, a third world country with difficult immigration and residency policies but once you complied you were good for three years and the renewal was almost a formality. 
For long term residents here what does the ninety day reporting achieve? why so much paper work, it should be 100% electronic, can you imagine how much paperwork Thai immigration have to store, have they ever thought how many trees need to be cut down to support this last century policy which is so unnecessary, labor intensive and inefficient. 
A united voice now in these hugely difficult times is the perfect time to start dialogue, make it better for Thais and us farangs that choose to live in this desirable country. Getting Thai tourism onside would be a great start and their most recent post is handing out the olive branch so take it and improve the situation as best we can.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice sentiments but a long way from reality.

[bristolgeoff]

they could learn alot from the expats living  there.thailand should be fairer to them and tourist.in visa,s and other things.that is why people are leaving after many years to they neighbours or else where

[Grace at Echo Lake]

What a load of garbage!  I just left Thailand after about 5 years as a working, paying, involved expatriate (a week ago).  It's clear that expats are not wanted in Thailand anymore and the government is doing what they can to use the COVID-19 ruse as a cover for helping us leave.  Most of the international flights contain passengers leaving Thailand for repatriation reasons - since nobody can get back into  the country.  It's a shame that the people just allow this....