Tourists on the new Special Tourist Visa will have to arrive on charter flights

[Nout]

1 minute ago, treetops said:

This guy did.

 

https://www.khmertimeskh.com/706336/private-individual-organises-charter-flight-from-cambodia-to-get-stranded-uk-tourists-home/

 

Yes a person can. But the point is every individual does not have to charter their own flight for the purposesof coming to Thailand under the new scheme. The charter is handled by an organization, agency, club etc and tickets are issues as per normal. In normal times the chartering of aircraft was done for purposes of price reduction.

[Blumpie]

3 hours ago, Dexxter said:

 

 

In the meantime, I am locked at home 23 hours a day, can only go out for an hour but must remain within 5Km of my home, and have a curfew between 9pm and 5am. $1650 fine if caught outside. Police everywhere. If I try to leave Melbourne and visit the countryside it is now a $5,000 fine!!! Most interstate borders in Australia are still closed. All international travel is banned indefinitely. Thailand opening up for a few "elites" means nothing here.

 

 

That is absolutely brutal!  

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

4 hours ago, Dexxter said:

When Australia opens its international borders again, and gawd only knows when that will be, then I will be importing my Thai wife back to Australia, cancelling my Bangkok condo contract and saying bye-bye to Thailand for good. I was already <deleted> off with all the bureaucratic <deleted> building up before the CCP virus, so all these additional hurdles are the final straw. Perhaps in 5-6 years we might do a 3 week holiday in Thailand, but even my Thai partner prefers New Zealand or Europe, and there is a lot of Australia left to explore. Then again, the whole tourist issue might be a moot point if China decides to start a war over the South China Sea or Taiwan in the next 6 months. Then we would really have something serious to worry about.

 

In the meantime, I am locked at home 23 hours a day, can only go out for an hour but must remain within 5Km of my home, and have a curfew between 9pm and 5am. $1650 fine if caught outside. Police everywhere. If I try to leave Melbourne and visit the countryside it is now a $5,000 fine!!! Most interstate borders in Australia are still closed. All international travel is banned indefinitely. Thailand opening up for a few "elites" means nothing here.

 

Melbourne and it's 5.5 million inhabitants are going bankrupt over less than 10 deaths a day, most of whom are 70, 80 and 90 year olds in aged care homes who already were on the brink of death from other conditions. The world has gone crazy!

Melbourne should ask for a twin-city agreement with Pyongyang !

[androokery]

4 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

So in reading the paper we can not link to this morning I found this quite interesting as it is also needed for the STV, and then again nothing makes me laugh harder then the ridiculousness of there resolve to not have tourists really arrive.

 

The article has a qoute by Dr Chakrarat Pittayawonganon, director of the Bureau of Mental Health Strategy under the Department of Disease Control, (DDC).  In his interview he stated that Tourists wanting to visit Thailand on the new Tourist Visa, must also have quarantined in their country of origin.  Additionally they must also have health insurance for international travel, and a specified minimum amount of money in their bank account, while also having a record of not visiting crowded places prior to their departure.  During the domestic quarantine, those prospective tourists must also have been tested twice for Covid-19 at the beginning and end of the domestic quarantine process in there home country, and If both tests are negative for the virus, they will be allowed to travel to Thailand.

 

I am flabbergasted that they want this as well as the local ASQ quarantine upon arrival.  You just can not make this garbage up.  Who in there right mind will travel with those types of requirements.  

 

Maybe I am reading to much into the article and this good doctor is confused as well.

I read it as a suggestion for an alternate way to get tourists back into Thailand, not as a new list of requirements for STV. As a new proposition it’s hilarious, as an added list of requirements it’s horrifying. 

[androokery]

4 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

So in reading the paper we can not link to this morning I found this quite interesting as it is also needed for the STV, and then again nothing makes me laugh harder then the ridiculousness of there resolve to not have tourists really arrive.

 

The article has a qoute by Dr Chakrarat Pittayawonganon, director of the Bureau of Mental Health Strategy under the Department of Disease Control, (DDC).  In his interview he stated that Tourists wanting to visit Thailand on the new Tourist Visa, must also have quarantined in their country of origin.  Additionally they must also have health insurance for international travel, and a specified minimum amount of money in their bank account, while also having a record of not visiting crowded places prior to their departure.  During the domestic quarantine, those prospective tourists must also have been tested twice for Covid-19 at the beginning and end of the domestic quarantine process in there home country, and If both tests are negative for the virus, they will be allowed to travel to Thailand.

 

I am flabbergasted that they want this as well as the local ASQ quarantine upon arrival.  You just can not make this garbage up.  Who in there right mind will travel with those types of requirements.  

 

Maybe I am reading to much into the article and this good doctor is confused as well.

I love the bit about having a record of not visiting crowded places prior to departure. Is the gps log of my phone OK? Or should I ask the government to write me a certificate? Are they asking me to board a flight from a secluded desolate area?

[ThailandRyan]

27 minutes ago, androokery said:

I love the bit about having a record of not visiting crowded places prior to departure. Is the gps log of my phone OK? Or should I ask the government to write me a certificate? Are they asking me to board a flight from a secluded desolate area?

If it wasn't so ridiculous that this could even be a thought of someones, I would start to cry at the lunacy of these folks.

Edited September 19, 2020 by ThailandRyan

[MRToMRT]

4 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

So in reading the paper we can not link to this morning I found this quite interesting as it is also needed for the STV, and then again nothing makes me laugh harder then the ridiculousness of there resolve to not have tourists really arrive.

 

The article has a qoute by Dr Chakrarat Pittayawonganon, director of the Bureau of Mental Health Strategy under the Department of Disease Control, (DDC).  In his interview he stated that Tourists wanting to visit Thailand on the new Tourist Visa, must also have quarantined in their country of origin.  Additionally they must also have health insurance for international travel, and a specified minimum amount of money in their bank account, while also having a record of not visiting crowded places prior to their departure.  During the domestic quarantine, those prospective tourists must also have been tested twice for Covid-19 at the beginning and end of the domestic quarantine process in there home country, and If both tests are negative for the virus, they will be allowed to travel to Thailand.

 

I am flabbergasted that they want this as well as the local ASQ quarantine upon arrival.  You just can not make this garbage up.  Who in there right mind will travel with those types of requirements.  

 

Maybe I am reading to much into the article and this good doctor is confused as well.

I nearly upped my full English this morning when reading the unmentionable article. 

After another read though its yet another really poorly OR carefully worded piece of "journalism". Read it again but as stand alone sentences and don't let your mind follow the flow of the "piece". I think it may be a plan for low risks countries OR a future easing plan. 

My base feeling is that the "rules" for the current group of 11 must apply to the STV applicants initially.

Sometimes I think the rags write these things in a purposefully misleading way for political bias or financial gain.

[belfast3]

3 hours ago, Nout said:

Charter flights used to be very common in UK. They were organised by travel agents called bucket shops. Charter flights are much cheaper than regular flights. As is not uncommon on this forum a lot of comments are based on ignorance ,   hysteria and a desire to to find fault and seek failure in Thai endeavors. So to clarify. Individuals travelers to not charter a flight. An organization does so and then sell the tickets.  The buyer/travelers are not part of the charter process they just buy a ticket in the normal way.

The total daily intake on the STV is ~40 people (globally) - how many of those 40 people are going to be travelling from the same destination on the same flight? 1, 2? Which organisation is going to run a chartered flight for such a low number of people? Even if they did - who's paying for it?

[Rancid]

6 hours ago, steelepulse said:

Indeed, the world has gone crazy.  I was watching an interview with a Swedish gov't health official from April.  Back then he was saying he didn't know how these countries that locked down would ever come out of it, unless they wanted to keep their borders closed for years.  What wise words indeed as now the countries that think they have things under control by closing their borders ( state borders there in Oz) are only delaying the virus coming and prolonging the agony of all those that are unemployed, homeless, and broke.  Nice job fearmongers.  

 

Amazing how a virus that has an ifr between .2-.3 % ( that's 2 or 3 people out of 1000 that get the virus) has now caused the world to go crazy and politicians to seize more and more power.  

 

There's no way to keep a virus out forever, so what's the plan?  Those in power really don't have a plan to open their borders and get on with life.

I think its all being extended for the benefit of the vax industry, they already own WHO, no doubt throwing a few more dollars around to propagate lock downs is a very small investment vs return. Why else would politicians tank economies?

[NanLaew]

7 hours ago, Dexxter said:

Melbourne and it's 5.5 million inhabitants are going bankrupt over less than 10 deaths a day, most of whom are 70, 80 and 90 year olds in aged care homes who already were on the brink of death from other conditions. The world has gone crazy!

I take it you are only 69 years old?

[spidermike007]

Each administration here has the fatal hubris to believe that it has once and for all climbed to the top of the mountain and can see everything as it is, from the highest and most objective vantage point possible.

 

 

[farang51]

1 hour ago, belfast3 said:

The total daily intake on the STV is ~40 people (globally) - how many of those 40 people are going to be travelling from the same destination on the same flight? 1, 2? Which organisation is going to run a chartered flight for such a low number of people? Even if they did - who's paying for it?

It shouldn't be a problem; they would probably be able to fill up a couple of flights per month from a handful of countries. The passengers will pay, and it may even be cheaper than ordinary scheduled flights.

[86Tiger]

7 hours ago, steelepulse said:

Indeed, the world has gone crazy.  I was watching an interview with a Swedish gov't health official from April.  Back then he was saying he didn't know how these countries that locked down would ever come out of it, unless they wanted to keep their borders closed for years.  What wise words indeed as now the countries that think they have things under control by closing their borders ( state borders there in Oz) are only delaying the virus coming and prolonging the agony of all those that are unemployed, homeless, and broke.  Nice job fearmongers.  

 

Amazing how a virus that has an ifr between .2-.3 % ( that's 2 or 3 people out of 1000 that get the virus) has now caused the world to go crazy and politicians to seize more and more power.  

 

There's no way to keep a virus out forever, so what's the plan?  Those in power really don't have a plan to open their borders and get on with life.

Boom!

 

The virus has to run its natural course just like every disease ever inflicted upon mankind.  Lock downs are simply delaying the inevitable.  From the very beginning we were told lock downs would flatten the curve, not eliminate the curve.

 

I believe the powers that be all around the world are realizing the data proves more every day they have really screwed up and don't know how to get out of the whirlwind.  Admit they were wrong and populations will turn on them for driving economies in the ground, killing livelihoods and destroying futures so they just keep driving forward to maintain control.

 

Most countries are in a well of a mess no matter how they go from here.   Panic is a powerful thing....

[superatoz]

On 9/17/2020 at 9:38 AM, Forza2002 said:

Charter flights won't be cheap. By the time you add in compulsory 14 quarantine hotel, flights, CV19 insurance, other admin costs you are probably looking at min. $5K before you even start your holiday on day 15...

this is really dumb  , i wonder what they  are thinking 

[ThailandRyan]

41 minutes ago, superatoz said:

this is really dumb  , i wonder what they  are thinking 

Thinking about the money they will be earning for steering everything under one umbrella, there own, where they have full control.

[Spacegoat]

Let's not waste our time to discuss it, as it doesn't worth discussing at all. Which countries have no new case on earth? What people can organise charter flights to Thailand? Obviously this is a scheme designed for the cash rich Chinese from Mainland China...

[OumarhindaOunsingha]

On 9/17/2020 at 8:07 AM, Flying Saucage said:

I think you are 100% right with this.

 

But I like to add that very likely there is much more to it. They cannot be so stupid to believe that this scheme will work, they cannot be so stupid to believe that it will help the economy in any way, except maybe some rich friends among the elite who own some of the quarantine hotels.

 

I am sure that they create this scheme WILLFULLY TO BE IMPRACICABLE! The real point is, I assume, that they DO NOT WANT TOURISTS ANYMORE for now.

 

Keep in mind the close relations between the Thai junta government and China. Keep in mind the watches of the little general. For me, it seems obvious that this scheme is made only to appease the populace for a while and to show the Thai tourism industry that they are doing something to help, while in reality their plan is to ruin the industry willfully, to make it a cheap bargain for Chinese investors, plus a few rich Thai investors of their clique. A win-win-win situation for the junta, some others in the elite, and especially the Chinese. That's one reason also why the create all this panic and paranoia regarding Covid.

 

After the outbreak of the pandemic, China quickly realised the opportunities resulting from it. So, they had a talk with their Thai junta friends then, and this is the result now.

 

Your post, NanLeow, fits well into this plan. 

 

I assume some more luxury watches are on the way to Thailand right now.

 

 

 

But nearly all Asian countries are shutting down as much as Thailand - or even more. Actually it s a global phenomenon. So, if what you say holds  true, then this corona thing will be an opportunity to exploit nearly all businesses in the world by the oligarchs... And is this corona hysteria then also created by these oligarchs, you think? Just some thoughts... 

[OumarhindaOunsingha]

On 9/17/2020 at 9:05 AM, Hockeybik said:

Oh, oh...and only on odd number Tuesdays and Fridays, except if is it's a full moon on Thursday and the moon must be in Aquarius... and you have to have 800,000 baht in a Thai bank. Unf'ingbelievable.

"Un-be-f'ing-lievable" sounds better, imho ???? 

[OumarhindaOunsingha]

On 9/17/2020 at 10:27 AM, Xaos said:

Its ridiculous how they made that graphic when they count money how much they will get per tourist lol... 

 

This visa requirements are too strict plus quarantine. 

 

It cost 5000$ to come to thailand now from use with visa etc... From ppl reports. 

 

Why would anyone come here? For example if u got 18GBP flight from UK to Corfu Grece and hassle free. 

 

Thais are deluded. 

This is faaaaaaarrr too much! For a virus with a mortality rate of approximately 0,3%. Stanford Uni, Harvard, etc., all newer studies show 0,1-0,4%. Seasonal flu is 0,1. So, in my opinion, all the above requirements are totally out of proportion with the "danger" of the virus. Why are governments so crazy? 

This year, so far, worldwide, number of deaths:

 

Covid19: 950,000.

Influenza: 351,000.

Hunger: 6,468,000.

In the traffic: 970,000.

HIV/AIDS: 1,208,124.

Malaria: 704,900.

Suicide: 770,666.

Smoking: 3,592,600.

Alcohol: 1,797,000.

 

My point here being, that the corona certainly doesn't seem to be anything special. It appears to be within the normally accepted frame of deaths. Also, we now know for sure that nearly all corona deaths had serious underlying diseases and were old people. 

It appears to be hysteria. Look at the numbers for flu and traffic. Then why not also shut down the world economy because of flu? And stop all traffic in the world? I do not understand it. Could protect the elderly a bit, and at most make a covid test before and after arriving Bangkok, but that should be enough. It is far from deadly enough to let governments give people so many problems...

[OumarhindaOunsingha]

Folks, Thailand just don't want to open up to tourists, yet. Trust me, if they wanted to open to tourists while securing the non-spreading of the corona, they could easily do that. Maybe not the same number of tourists as before the whole covid thing, but maybe 20 or even 50 percent of it. It could be made a highly effective, productive, streamlined system - requiring a negative test before entering the plane, make agreements with tons of cheap places in and around Bangkok to have the tourists in quarantine for 10 days (enough!), then yet another negative test, and then a minimum 3 or 6 months' visa stamp. This could be engineered, it could be coordinated, on a big scale, if Thailand really wanted. And if this easy, lots would come, sure. But they don't do this. And of course it is because they just don't want it. It is not that difficult to get lots of tourists into Thailand and still secure a non-spreading of the virus. Not if they really want. So, maybe they are just happy to get a break from the many tourists...

[OumarhindaOunsingha]

On 9/18/2020 at 1:01 PM, uncle_tom said:

Firstly, make a sane and measured assessment of the risk from Covid

 

That tells us that:

 

1) It's here to stay. Corona type viruses don't normally exhibit the senility that weakens influenza. Waiting for it to go away is not an option. Attempts by countries to eradicate the bug have failed, there are clearly factors in the environment that are hosting the bug and re-seeding new infections.

 

2) There is unlikely to be an effective lasting vaccine. As anti-bodies in those that have had the bug are attenuating rapidly, so it can be expected that any vaccine will also be very short lived. Waiting for a vaccine is therefore likely to be a fool's errand.

 

3) 80% of people have little or nothing in the way of symptoms after infection. The few who get it badly are now being effectively treated at moderate cost. Of all the people currently dying in the UK, fewer than one in a hundred has had a positive Covid test, and of those the majority were dying for other reasons. It is no longer a serious mortal threat.

 

4) Fears that Covid might cause enduring disability, notably lung-scarring, now appear unfounded. The scarring suffered by some people after infection is now healing.

 

Conclusion: We have to live with it and it's not going to noticeably affect the population's life expectancy. The great majority of people suffer symptoms that are far less debilitating than from flu.

 

Given that scenario, Thailand has to make a choice. Either

 

a) Terminate the tourist industry permanently,

 

or

 

b) Resume it immediately

 

There is nothing to be gained from delay.

 

However the Thais need to rid themselves of the delusion that tourism is a peripheral and expendable part of their economy. Losing it will cause immense economic hardship, especially to the poorest, and probably civil unrest.

 

- So the answer to your question is the simplest one: Just get back to normal without delay. 

EXACTLY my thoughts! all these restrictions worldwide make little to no sense! Best comment yet on here!!

[OumarhindaOunsingha]

On 9/19/2020 at 3:48 AM, steelepulse said:

Indeed, the world has gone crazy.  I was watching an interview with a Swedish gov't health official from April.  Back then he was saying he didn't know how these countries that locked down would ever come out of it, unless they wanted to keep their borders closed for years.  What wise words indeed as now the countries that think they have things under control by closing their borders ( state borders there in Oz) are only delaying the virus coming and prolonging the agony of all those that are unemployed, homeless, and broke.  Nice job fearmongers.  

 

Amazing how a virus that has an ifr between .2-.3 % ( that's 2 or 3 people out of 1000 that get the virus) has now caused the world to go crazy and politicians to seize more and more power.  

 

There's no way to keep a virus out forever, so what's the plan?  Those in power really don't have a plan to open their borders and get on with life.

It is so sick, all. Totally irrational. That is the real problem: irrationality. The politicians appear to ignore science. The question is: why??

[OumarhindaOunsingha]

On 9/19/2020 at 7:47 AM, HiSoLowSoNoSo said:

Melbourne should ask for a twin-city agreement with Pyongyang !

Pyongyang wouldn't accept. Melbourne has too many restrictions! ???? 

[Eddy Ozark]

Wake up, stop dreaming. This is not going to happen.

[michel7752]

On 9/19/2020 at 9:58 AM, belfast3 said:

The total daily intake on the STV is ~40 people (globally) - how many of those 40 people are going to be travelling from the same destination on the same flight? 1, 2? Which organisation is going to run a chartered flight for such a low number of people? Even if they did - who's paying for it?

For an international charter flight to be profitable you need at least 200 people. This means around 6 charter flights per months. Big question: who will be the countries who can organize domestic quarantine, tests etc. and have Corona under control? Answer: China and Taiwan.

The hidden plan is to bring in only those 2 nationalities. The ultra wealthy Chinese elite in Bangkok has won once again.

 

Forget about India, Middle East, US and Europe.

Edited September 20, 2020 by michel7752

[androokery]

4 hours ago, OumarhindaOunsingha said:

Folks, Thailand just don't want to open up to tourists, yet. Trust me, if they wanted to open to tourists while securing the non-spreading of the corona, they could easily do that. Maybe not the same number of tourists as before the whole covid thing, but maybe 20 or even 50 percent of it. It could be made a highly effective, productive, streamlined system - requiring a negative test before entering the plane, make agreements with tons of cheap places in and around Bangkok to have the tourists in quarantine for 10 days (enough!), then yet another negative test, and then a minimum 3 or 6 months' visa stamp. This could be engineered, it could be coordinated, on a big scale, if Thailand really wanted. And if this easy, lots would come, sure. But they don't do this. And of course it is because they just don't want it. It is not that difficult to get lots of tourists into Thailand and still secure a non-spreading of the virus. Not if they really want. So, maybe they are just happy to get a break from the many tourists...

The quarantine part, even if shortened to 10 days, requires an awful lot of manpower. As does the testing. I don’t see how you can ramp that up to 8 million visitors per year, much less to almost 20 million as you suggest. 

[djuiiy]

if this scheme is real then i think they will find 1,200 tourists per month willing to pay high prices, fill in lots of paperwork and sit in prison for 2 weeks. 1,200/month is less than 0.05% of the normal influx, and there's certainly at least that percentage of immigrants desperate enough to get in.

[VBF]

10 hours ago, OumarhindaOunsingha said:

It is so sick, all. Totally irrational. That is the real problem: irrationality. The politicians appear to ignore science. The question is: why??

Makes one wonder if some of the "off-the-wall" conspiracy theories, especially about NWO etc might have some truth in them after all.... ????

[Maestro]

On 9/17/2020 at 10:27 AM, Xaos said:

Its ridiculous how they made that graphic when they count money how much they will get per tourist lol... 

 

This visa requirements are too strict plus quarantine. 

 

It cost 5000$ to come to thailand now from use with visa etc... From ppl reports. 

 

Why would anyone come here? For example if u got 18GBP flight from UK to Corfu Grece and hassle free. 

 

Thais are deluded. 

 

I cannot find this image or the text shown in the image about the Special Tourist Visa (STV) anywhere on the website www.thailongstay.co.th

 

https://www.google.com/search?as_q=&as_epq=special+tourist+visa&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&lr=&cr=&as_qdr=all&as_sitesearch=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thailongstay.co.th&as_occt=any&safe=images&as_filetype=&tbs=

 

I'd be grateful id somebody could post the link to the corresponding web page.

 

[Badrabbit]

They are targeting 300 rich tourists per week as they dont want the dirty poor Farang to return, 300 per week for the whole of Thailand! Phuket might get a few which won't want to drink in the likes of Bangla road etc, we can assume that any bars that have survived so far will close, Phuket and this country is sinking fast, many of us dirty not rich Farang are struggling to make ends meet, when will it all end?