New condo buyers offered visa and Elite Card but stranded expats are left out in the cold

[webfact]

New condo buyers offered visa and Elite Card but stranded expats are left out in the cold

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

The Thai media once again spouted optimism from the authorities at stimulating the economy by offering long term visas via Elite cards to buyers of condos of ten million baht up.

 

Thai Rath even repeated that those who invest a million dollars in property can get a work permit and all this will bring in 20 billion baht to the economy.

 

But this is in stark contrast to many existing condo owning expats who are stranded abroad and can't even get get back to their lives and investments in Thailand.

 

Thaivisa has been inundated with cases of the stranded after we published one case recently and asked for those in similar positions to come forward with their stories.

 

One such person in England is a  retiree who had been working elsewhere in Asia before the pandemic struck and now finds himself unable to get back to Thailand from the UK despite having 13 million baht of assets in the country including a valuable and now empty property in Bangkok.

 

He expressed his frustrations and feelings that he has "been excluded from the life I planned and invested heavily in".

 

This person has made their life around Thailand for more than three decades but was recently told by the TAT in London that the prevalence of the virus in the UK made any applications to come back from there pointless. 

 

Other people with property and a whole range of personal and work  issues who are stranded abroad through no fault of their own have also expressed their frustrations.

 

Many were obliged to leave Thailand at the start of the pandemic due to bereavements and health issues. They didn't want to go but had to.

 

For them, people who love the kingdom and have contributed extensively to the life and welfare of the Thais and their country,  these moves to encourage foreign investment are a slap in the face.

 

They feel abandoned and unwanted and where there were only positive feelings in the past, negativity is starting to creep in. 

 

Thaivisa will be highlighting their plight in a series of articles in the coming two weeks as no one in the Thai media are speaking up for them.

 

Thaivisa plans to take their concerns forward to the Thai authorities to highlight the injustice for those who have invested heavily both financially and personally in Thailand.

 

Source: Thai Rath

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-10-15

 

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[ezzra]

Contradicting confusing and mixed up signals that we we're getting from all those talking heads, no unison, no uniformity, every person with something to say gets up and say it, correct or incorrect that's doesn't seems to matter to them...

[Mr Meeseeks]

Pretty clear that they don't want foreigners coming in at the moment and that is both justifiable and understandable given current circumstances and public opinion.

 

When will these people learn that they are only temporary visitors for purposes other than tourism and plan accordingly? 

 

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

14 minutes ago, webfact said:

and now finds himself unable to get back to Thailand from the UK despite having 13 million baht of assets in the country including a valuable and now empty property in Bangkok.

Who buys property to live in, in a country where they have no right to reside?  ????

 

 

Edited October 15, 2020 by Mr Meeseeks

[Grumpy John]

"It sucks to be on the outside looking in"  That's a homeless hungry person looking in a restaurant window.  I am guessing here but now the folks in Britain who want to come back have the same feeling....just not necessarily hungry! ????  

[RotBenz8888]

I now the pain, I was stranded abroad for 6 months away from my family. I hope they'll relax the rules for those who have their life in Thailand, many who do not fit in any of the groups currently eligible for CoE. 

[ukrules]

The current situation should be a warning to anyone considering buying anything.

 

If you can't access your property for what might be a year, is it really yours?

 

[Kadilo]

“Thaivisa plans to take their concerns forward to the Thai authorities to highlight the injustice for those who have invested heavily both financially and personally in Thailand“

A step in the right direction.  

[Kadilo]

It shows their complete contempt for the those that invested their savings and retirement funds already and then want to attract more  by offering sweeteners. 
 

It is sadly a stark warning to anyone like myself who thought Thailand was their future retirement home. Some times you need to see it to believe it. 

 

 

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

1 minute ago, Kadilo said:

It shows their complete contempt for the those that invested their savings and retirement funds already and then want to attract more  by offering sweeteners. 
 

It is sadly a stark warning to anyone like myself who thought Thailand was their future retirement home. Some times you need to see it to believe it. 

Was knowing your visa is temporary for a year and you have to report every 90 days to disclose your whereabouts not evidence enough?

[darksidedog]

Expecting a sensible and coordinated approach on anything from the Thai authorities is a waste of time. Foreigners to their mind are simply not important. The fact that we add so much to the economy is a point they can't get their heads round and long term, this is going to bite them in the you know where.

[Kadilo]

43 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

Expecting a sensible and coordinated approach on anything from the Thai authorities is a waste of time. Foreigners to their mind are simply not important. The fact that we add so much to the economy is a point they can't get their heads round and long term, this is going to bite them in the you know where.

If not financially, then this image projected that foreigners are not important will bite them from all angles once they want to attract back tourism. Add the current demos in the mix and Thailand’s image is not looking so good. 

[holy cow cm]

It is a total slap in the face to the already invested people or retired visa people Thailand is locking out. They should plainly allow all of them to walk through the 14 day quarantine and then get back to their homes here and on with their Thailand life. So rude and uncaring. 

[Pib]

 

Quote

“Thaivisa plans to take their concerns forward to the Thai authorities to highlight the injustice for those who have invested heavily both financially and personally in Thailand“

 

I expect the Thai authorities public response will be, "Wow....first I heard of these problems facing farangs....someone should do something....but it won't be me."

 

[2 is 1]

5 minutes ago, holy cow cm said:

It is a total slap in the face to the already invested people or retired visa people Thailand is locking out. They should plainly allow all of them to walk through the 14 day quarantine and then get back to their homes here and on with their Thailand life. So rude and uncaring. 

I agree whit you , but have to remember that Thailand change all the time they visa rules. And current situation force them to do something new! Yes it's not looking nice if watching back in time, but time is much different than last year and before that.

[khunpa]

Rule no. 1: Only invest in what you can feel comfortable to lose and walk away from.

 

That goes for love-/family life, condo purchases, business setups... basically EVERYTHING here.

 

If you can't do that, then expect to end up disappointed. If not from Covid, then for sure one day, when you get old, sick and run out of money. 

[Mr Meeseeks]

Just now, khunpa said:

Rule no. 1: Only invest in what you can feel comfortable to lose and walk away from.

 

That goes for love-/family life, condo purchases, business setups... basically EVERYTHING here.

 

If you can't do that, then expect to end up disappointed. If not from Covid, then for sure one day, when you get old, sick and run out of money. 

Absolutely. 

 

This is the first most basic principle you must learn on arrival to Thailand and recite it as a daily mantra so you never forget it. 

[holy cow cm]

2 minutes ago, 2 is 1 said:

I agree whit you , but have to remember that Thailand change all the time they visa rules. And current situation force them to do something new! Yes it's not looking nice if watching back in time, but time is much different than last year and before that.

Come on! They could easily accommodate all the foreigners locked out who have their lives here. These foreigners also help the general economy in a way, but their attitude is all about greed and sucking in new money which is ok, but they really need to accommodate everyone. I am happy and was lucky as I just got back from a quick trip to the Philippines before the door shut, but then I knew and watch the door the whole time on my 4 day trip.

[metisdead]

A troll post has been removed.

 

Inflammatory posts have been removed. 

Edited October 15, 2020 by metisdead

[Henryford]

Only a fool would invest a single baht in Thailand now.

[ravip]

3 minutes ago, Henryford said:

Only a fool would invest a single baht in Thailand now.

There are many of them on this planet.

[JonnyF]

They're clearly not interested in people who have invested in the past. They only want new investors. Once they have these people's money, they too will be ignored in search of new investors. Rinse and Repeat. 

 

The message here is fairly clear. Invest in Thailand, but don't expect anything in return.

[khunpa]

24 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Absolutely. 

 

This is the first most basic principle you must learn on arrival to Thailand and recite it as a daily mantra so you never forget it. 

 

Example:

 

In a few  hours, I am heading off to the hospital to pay a bill of nearly THB 300.000 for my wife's operation. Although knowing the outcome, I yesterday called her family members (some of who I have previously helped) to ask if they would be interested to chip in.

 

Of course no one could find any money right now, as the general opinion is: "The farang with the money-tree, will sort it out"

 

There are two ways to react to this:

 

1. Get angry and end up going mad.

2. Accept the reality, stay happy and remember the basic rule.

 

The funny thing is, that I am sure the family members still think I would help them when they one day are in trouble. They will like most Thais have to learn the hard way ????

 

Edited October 15, 2020 by khunpa

[Kadilo]

If you “knew the outcome” and the “basic rule” then why did you waste your time asking. 
 

Could it be that you know that sometimes the outcome is not always the same. 

Edited October 15, 2020 by Kadilo

[khunpa]

1 minute ago, Kadilo said:

If you “knew the outcome” and the “basic rule” then why did you waste your time asking. 
 

Could it be that you know that sometimes the outcome is not always the same. 

 

Well, it is only in bad times you see the true value of your surroundings. So thought it would be a good time to see who would step up and who would not. As you say, I might have ended up being surprised. I wasn't ????

 

[rupert the bear]

i made the mistake of investing in this place,im here but i cant leave as i cant return,so a version of events.it means i cant work or visit a family member whos ill.in the future when this lifts i will sell up and leave.i do actually own 100% my property its just the mkts slow right now.the problems the govt reaction on all levels.the lack of any rights for foreign people even if u r married or have children ,have invested in a business that provides tek and employment.i feel this gov is more incompetent nationalistic and corrupt than others,even thais as shown by the demos have had enough and are saying what they think for possibly the first time,fascists usually pull the nationalistic card as a last ditch attempt to stay in the game.i do feel its time eu/usa/uk/japan pulled the rug from under them.this gov is looking to china as a blueprint to stay in control ad infinitum as has cambodia and laos.obviously thats not in ours or most thais interest.we see eu and usa has taken a hard stance on putin poisoning his enemies and a soft tack on china who have millions in the camps,so looking for moral guidance in that direction is not hopeful but unlike russia and china thailand is heavily reliant on the eu thru japan set of countries for just about everything.its in those countries best interest to safeguard their citizens rights and also help the thais to throw off this fascist shroud.leadership should come from the usa but theyve always used thais fascism or ignored it ,see the military govs during vietnam war and the previous reaction to govt massacres.usa is going thru a political quagmire the last god knows how many yrs with bush obama trump and now this election fiasco so a lack of competent leadership once again.so it looks like people must make their own minds up so when the cuffs come off IMO i think we will see westerners and their businesses leave in large nos to be replaced by greed control IE PRC unless thais can push the status quo out the door.

[richard_smith237]

The treatment by Thailands Government of those foreigners with existing ties to Thailand has been nothing less than absolute abhorrent and despicable. 

 

There is no reason whatsoever to prevent the return of anyone with proven ties to Thailand.

 

Realistically, there is no reason whatsoever to prevent anyone from travelling to Thailand if they are prepared to meet the test and quarantine requirements. 

 

I’m astounded by the continued stupidity of the illogical decisions being made by those in positions of decision making power - the solutions is so very very simple.

 

- Open Thailand up to anyone wishing to travel to Thailand if they are willing to quarantine for 14 days. 

 

 

All this talk of US$1M investment, travel bubbles etc is utterly moronic - Those in these meeting making the decisions and announcements have failed to see the 'trees for the forest’ and seem blinded by utter idiocy when they could make some extremely easy choices which present no downside.

 

 

 

 

 

[khunpa]

9 minutes ago, rupert the bear said:

i made the mistake of investing in this place,im here but i cant leave as i cant return,so a version of events.it means i cant work or visit a family member whos ill.in the future when this lifts i will sell up and leave.i do actually own 100% my property its just the mkts slow right now.the problems the govt reaction on all levels.the lack of any rights for foreign people even if u r married or have children ,have invested in a business that provides tek and employment.i feel this gov is more incompetent nationalistic and corrupt than others,even thais as shown by the demos have had enough and are saying what they think for possibly the first time,fascists usually pull the nationalistic card as a last ditch attempt to stay in the game.i do feel its time eu/usa/uk/japan pulled the rug from under them.this gov is looking to china as a blueprint to stay in control ad infinitum as has cambodia and laos.obviously thats not in ours or most thais interest.we see eu and usa has taken a hard stance on putin poisoning his enemies and a soft tack on china who have millions in the camps,so looking for moral guidance in that direction is not hopeful but unlike russia and china thailand is heavily reliant on the eu thru japan set of countries for just about everything.its in those countries best interest to safeguard their citizens rights and also help the thais to throw off this fascist shroud.leadership should come from the usa but theyve always used thais fascism or ignored it ,see the military govs during vietnam war and the previous reaction to govt massacres.usa is going thru a political quagmire the last god knows how many yrs with bush obama trump and now this election fiasco so a lack of competent leadership once again.so it looks like people must make their own minds up so when the cuffs come off IMO i think we will see westerners and their businesses leave in large nos to be replaced by greed control IE PRC unless thais can push the status quo out the door.

The government has a lot more challenges than a few foreigners stuck in their own country.

 

Political instability, Job-less people, Not tourists and a Crashing-down economic ... just to name a few. No wonder they have not really gotten to fix the issue with the stranded foreigners yet.

 

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

17 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

The treatment by Thailands Government of those foreigners with existing ties to Thailand has been nothing less than absolute abhorrent and despicable. 

If a foreigner has a legitimate reason to enter they will be allowed in. 

 

The only group not allowed in as far as I am aware are 'retirees' as they are considered high risk. 

 

What constitutes 'existing ties'? 

[kwonitoy]

Why all the angst about treatment of foreigners?

 

Thai politicians and bureaucrats don't give a rat's patooy about Thai people, why should they care about falangs?

It does not matter to them how much money we bring in, they don't care.

You show up in a private jet and a billion baht bank account they'll smile, give you a TEMPORARY visa and ask how long are you staying and when are you leaving please?

foreigners as always are just one stamp in your passport from being out the proverbial door