14 minutes ago, Chivas said:

Sorry totally disagree. These guys are pushing the boundaries utterly deliberately you know it I know it and more importantly immigration knows it

Get em out....

I actually agree with you, in that some are pushing the boundaries, however in the current state of things what is the downside for anyone to let them stay until Thailand has come up with a usable solution?

Getting them out doesn't help anyone, does it?

Posts using copyrighted content from Bangkok Post have been removed:

 

26) The Bangkok Post and Phuketwan do not allow quotes from their news articles or other material to appear on Thaivisa.com. Neither do they allow links to their publications. Posts from members containing quotes from or links to Bangkok Post or Phuketwan publications will be deleted from the forum.

 

Some inflammatory posts, troll posts and the replies about have been removed. 

15 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

No, because the USA can't handle the pandemic properly.

What did they do wrong?

11 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

Your totally missing the point, obviously on purpose. Currently the world is in a Pandemic, it was not in 2016 and 2017. Strange times call for strange measures.

"Your totally missing the point, obviously on purpose."... from your perspective milky. How are you working out what I am-or am not doing  intentionally.?

What I objected to in your post was that you were advising the usual hate Thai stuff....go tell people not to come here, they don't treat you right. Thais are not fair to us...etc...

When they have far exceeded what your own country is doing, (and many others) have you looked at the OZ gov webb site lately. in April (when Thailand was extending time for Visas.) Oz was saying you must go when your Visa expires. You have to leave Oz to extend your visa

--------------------------------------

 

Your visa is expiring or has expired

Leave Australia

 

You can leave Australia at any time.

We expect you to leave Australia if your visa has expired. Follow these steps when you arrange to leave Australia. You must leave Australia if:

• your visa has expired
• you cannot apply for a new substantive visa within Australia

Find out more about your options if you have a genuine humanitarian or protection concern.

If your visa has expired

If you do not leave Australia when your visa has expired, there may be consequences for you..

 

 

Contrary to what many have to say, I believe I have been treated kindly and with understanding by Thai Immigration and the Thai Government. Covid-19 is a situation unprecedented in the lives of all now alive, and everyone is playing it by ear. This is a time for compassion and understanding, and that is what Thailand, as well as most other countries, have shown to tourists, students and other non-citizen visitors.

 

Similarly, I have seen nothing but kindness and friendliness from Thai people. Yes, I have always worn a mask since asked to do so. Yes, I practice social distancing as required. I've also spent, over these six months, on my hotel, food, entertainment, transport, shopping and donations. Every business with which I have dealt seems delighted to have my custom.

 

I have also seen the ongoing decline of the Thai economy, with yet more businesses shuttered each and every day, more people added to the ranks of those living rough, and I have seen and read about the surge in suicides. Covid-19 and its effects are not going to go away anytime soon, and things will get much worse before they get better.

 

I am of two minds re amnesty. It seems counterproductive to spend countless time and energy concocting schemes that will bring in a tiny number of visitors, while asking some 150,000 Covid-free folks already here spending money, to leave. I also understand the desire to control one's borders and whomever is inside those borders. Had the amnesty crowd been causing all sorts of problems, I might weigh in on the side of asking them to leave. Since they are not causing problems, but instead are a net benefit to the Thai economy and people, perhaps unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures, which means allowing ways these visitors might stay. By granting extensions as generously as they have, Immigration seems to agree to some extent.

 

Yes, most could have gone home and taken their chances in lands who have not handled the pandemic anywhere near as well as Thailand. A good many chose to stay as long as the authorities allowed, and now seek extensions and visa changes that will ideally add more time in country. I now have time to receive my Thai Elite Visa without having to leave the country. These various means of remaining hurt absolutely no one, and help many.

 

Some will not be able to extend, and of course some will choose to overstay. The laws will deal with them, though it would seem to make more sense to give those here and contributing to the economy a simple way to stay.  Overstay or extension, however, is a matter of concern only to the Thai authorities, not anyone with some silly ax to grind who somehow feels slighted by benefits afforded to others.

...On a personal level, I'm starting to take peeks here and there to Laos as an alternative destination, afterall let's face it; most of the girls we interact with in the seedy/raunchy areas of the country that are being employed in the nightlife/adult industry ...

 

If you think that you can play 'hanky-panky' with Lao women in Laos, you'll either end up in prison or paying $$$ for your troubles!  It's against Lao law for foreigners to engage in sexual relations with a Lao citizen before marriage.......

 

If you can't keep your tackle in your pants, you need to find a Thai, Chinese or Vietnamese woman here in Laos - better safe than sorry!

14 hours ago, samsensam said:

 

you wont get covid because of thailand, you'll get it because the usa is making a right hash of managing the pandemic...

In what way has the U.S. mismanaged it?  Lot’s of other countries.... Italy, Spain, Brazil and others have been hit really really hard also. 
   The U.S. has had far far less than the two million deaths that was originally predicted. 

I applied for extension To current Non O took almost two days, each of the three I.O. inspected all the doc:s and bank book I submitted, I am now awaiting consideration so that all the officers in BKK can review the same doc's, in the mean time I have been advised of a home visit, first ever, in 10 years, so they certainly are not making things easy, unless of course money changes hands. I don't do that.

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thai Immigration are warning foreigners in Thailand to make sure their visa status is in order ahead of the end of the visa amnesty.

 

Foreigners who have been stranded in Thailand due to COVID-19 have until 26 September to renew their visas or leave the country.

 

Anyone found to be in Thailand on an expired visa from 27 September, normal overstay penalties will apply, Immigration has warned.

It just seems strange that with Thailand locked down to tourists the Thailand government is essentially trying to kick out people who are already here and spending money.  At the very least given the difficulties getting flights to home countries, immigration should make an easy expedited extension available. 

Is'nt Thailand just wonderfull, trying to kick out people when there are no scheduled flights in or out of the country. I'm sure many would love to get out now in the present xeno climate.

Just now, smudger1951 said:

Is'nt Thailand just wonderfull, trying to kick out people when there are no scheduled flights in or out of the country. I'm sure many would love to get out now in the present xeno climate.

There are flights out of the Country and there has been throughout the pandemic 

3 minutes ago, Thomas J said:

It just seems strange that with Thailand locked down to tourists the Thailand government is essentially trying to kick out people who are already here and spending money.  At the very least given the difficulties getting flights to home countries, immigration should make an easy expedited extension available. 

I am quite certain that there are no tourists left in Thailand , the people who came here as tourists back in January , would have all gone home by now .

   The people who are left in Thailand are the ones who live here on short term visas

15 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

Immigration laws and that you had 6 months to sort something out.

Archetypical answer of an apparatchick and bureocrat.

Considering the deplorable state of of Thailand's Tourism industry and millions of their employees now destitute and unemployed, logic and common sense would dictate keeping the purchasing power of 150000 tourists available in the country.

Can be done with simple amendments to existing law or the introduction of new laws to accommodate the current situation to the advantage of Thailand and their people.

It's not a novel idea, laws are changed frequently everywhere to take account of different circumstances ......

Except the 10 Bible commandments.

 

Please spare me the predictable nonsense along the lines of 

we are only guests in this country and if you don't like it, feel free to leave.

Thank you

2 hours ago, Miami007 said:

Wear a mask, stay away from crowds and you will be fine in the USA...  More than 99% of us are healthy...

This is not a "the sky is falling" situation in the USA

 

In fact because your government doesn't get Corona under control and Thais regard you as a public menace now. 

Just follow the rules in the transit area and the airplane, regardless of what everybody else does. 

Hmmm, why do they call themselves "immigration" when there is hardly any immigration accepted in Thailand???...they should call themselves the "visa police"...

16 hours ago, genericptr said:

That's how it feels to me also. This whole experience leaves me with a bad taste in mouth for Thailand. If I get CV-19 and fall seriously ill when I return back to the USA on the 24th I'm going to be pretty angry I can imagine. All because I "overstayed my welcome".

Are you aware that the US Embassy Bangkok is issuing free letters to any American citizen that will allow them to apply for a 30-day extension of stay from 27 September to 26 October for 1,900 baht at Thai Immigration?

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=dFDPZv5a0UimkaErISH0S3NVAXsxQaZEpst3lGhanZ5UMTZNNE5TUDM3SEhHOFhHV0MzOEk5UVlaWS4u&fbclid=IwAR1cn6JswPw0KTYpNiFv17TLi4rNXwp-RAtEmytmUB_-No-9jGhiDBx8_xI
 

8 minutes ago, CorpusChristie said:

I am quite certain that there are no tourists left in Thailand , the people who came here as tourists back in January , would have all gone home by now .

   The people who are left in Thailand are the ones who live here on short term visas

I am wondering who is still here. If you have a job and family and other important things in your home country you would do everything to go back. So what kind of people are these? 

7 minutes ago, CorpusChristie said:

I am quite certain that there are no tourists left in Thailand , the people who came here as tourists back in January , would have all gone home by now .

   The people who are left in Thailand are the ones who live here on short term visas

I believe you are correct. However these 'tourists' lets call them are spending money on accommodation, food etc. Currently the Thai government is desperate to get tourists to go to Thailand. How many will go there on the long stay visa, remains to be seen. What is the downside of letting the present 'tourists' stay a 'bit' longer, until something can be worked out. Who loses letting them stay?

A warning just as the visa agents start to bombard Facebook with expensive visa options approved by their friendly immigration office.

16 hours ago, genericptr said:

Given the absolute shambles tourism is currently in, I still can't believe they're going to send all these tourists home without even offering some alternative visa.

 

What's the explanation for this behavior?

dislike and  prejudice against people from other countries.

 

 

6 minutes ago, Thumbs said:

A warning just as the visa agents start to bombard Facebook with expensive visa options approved by their friendly immigration office.

Law and order

32 minutes ago, sanuk711 said:

"Your totally missing the point, obviously on purpose."... from your perspective milky. How are you working out what I am-or am not doing  intentionally.?

What I objected to in your post was that you were advising the usual hate Thai stuff....go tell people not to come here, they don't treat you right. Thais are not fair to us...etc...

When they have far exceeded what your own country is doing, (and many others) have you looked at the OZ gov webb site lately. in April (when Thailand was extending time for Visas.) Oz was saying you must go when your Visa expires. You have to leave Oz to extend your visa

--------------------------------------

 

Your visa is expiring or has expired

Leave Australia

 

You can leave Australia at any time.

We expect you to leave Australia if your visa has expired. Follow these steps when you arrange to leave Australia. You must leave Australia if:

• your visa has expired
• you cannot apply for a new substantive visa within Australia

Find out more about your options if you have a genuine humanitarian or protection concern.

If your visa has expired

If you do not leave Australia when your visa has expired, there may be consequences for you..

 

 

I am working out what you are doing, intentionally or not,  by the fact that you are making stuff up!

I didn't say "What I objected to in your post was that you were advising the usual hate Thai stuff....go tell people not to come here, they don't treat you right. Thais are not fair to us...etc... "

I am merely pointing out that under the present unprecedented conditions it would make mores sense for the Thai government to let the present 150k 'tourists' stay until a workable solution is found to replace them with, lets say actual tourists. Nobody loses.

I am not talking about what other counties are doing. What they do is up to them of course, but some are being more lenient.

1 hour ago, smudger1951 said:

Is'nt Thailand just wonderfull, trying to kick out people when there are no scheduled flights in or out of the country. I'm sure many would love to get out now in the present xeno climate.

Plenty of outbound flights if you would care to look.

17 hours ago, fangless said:

How many are still betting on another extension to the "amnesty" now?

About 150,000 at a rough guess.

16 hours ago, mlkik said:

You are a tourist and nothing more. You have had a good run and it is time to go home. If you want to come back then get a visa fit for purpose.

Why should we feel sorry for you ? 

What is your point really ?

 

The majority of foreigners staying in Thailand are in fact tourists, be it short-or long term !

If there is 150k tourist that needs to extend, lets do the math.?

 

150,000 / 40 days (8 weeks or two months notice) =  3,875 per day / 8 hours of work = 484 person per hour. 
 

Plus some of those days were holidays......

 

You still think they gave everyone enough notice?  They put their foot in their mouth when they said how many needed to extend.

9 minutes ago, Truth Will Set You Free said:

If there is 150k tourist that needs to extend, lets do the math.?

 

150,000 / 40 days (8 weeks or two months notice) =  3,875 per day / 8 hours of work = 484 person per hour. 
 

Plus some of those days were holidays......

 

You still think they gave everyone enough notice?  They put their foot in their mouth when they said how many needed to extend.

They expect that only tourists who have an approved reason to stay here will try to extend. I doubt that all 150.000 will belong to this group. 

 

17 hours ago, genericptr said:

Given the absolute shambles tourism is currently in, I still can't believe they're going to send all these tourists home without even offering some alternative visa.

 

What's the explanation for this behavior?

Stupidity, plain and simple. No common sense at all.

17 hours ago, mancub said:

1 year overstay for bt20k and only a 1 year ban seems like a good deal !

If you surrender.........................

1 hour ago, sanuk711 said:

I don't think so Eidhoven, his first comments were that their are to many hoops to jump through for the 1,900 baht Visa---I didn't agree , as there are only 2 main ones for that visa....be over 50 and have required money in the bank. The next was the great expense for an agent that only well heeled people can afford.

If he is finding 300---375 quid for staying another year a great expense, then yer I am in disagreement with him.

 

I'll leave it to them to clarify their meaning. ????