“The Stranded”: Highlighting the plight of expats unable to return to Thailand. #6 Foreigner in hoop jumping nightmare before prison-like Thai state quarantine

[webfact]

“The Stranded”: Highlighting the plight of expats unable to return to Thailand. #6 Foreigner in hoop jumping nightmare before prison-like Thai state quarantine

 

FILE PHOTO: Reuters

 

Today we present the last in our series about people who have been locked out of their lives in Thailand through little fault of their own. In our previous features we have looked at teachers, retirees, property owners, charity workers and many others.

 

Their stories have had similar themes featuring people who committed time, resources and money. Many dreams have been left in tatters at least temporarily. Many have developed negative feelings towards a country they previously held in high regard. They have not fallen out of love with the Thai people – indeed many have families and loved ones in the kingdom - but are now increasingly suspicious of the authorities and their motives. 

 

Thaivisa intends to take their cases and concerns forward in the hope that those authorities, at the highest level, might have a rethink and reassess the role, commitment and contribution shown by many non-Thais towards Thailand.

 

In this story, however, we look at a 60 year old British retiree who jumped through the onerous hoops and managed to make it back to Thailand and who went through the state quarantine at a hotel in northern Bangkok.

 

He said that he felt like a prisoner and was tempted to give up.

 

"Mr R's" story comes as the first batch of Chinese tourists arrived in Bangkok from Shanghai yesterday on the much vaunted STV visa. They also face quarantine in Bangkok.

 

Here is Mr R's story:

 

“I have been living in Pathum Thani (a province north of Bangkok) almost 8 years married to a Thai school teacher and have one daughter nearly aged 7.

 

“In February this year my 87-year-old mother who lives alone since my father died almost 10 years ago was taken ill so I booked a flight as the pandemic began. I looked after her for around 9 weeks until she got so bad and had to be admitted to hospital.

 

“She spent 4 weeks in hospital and wasn’t expected to recover. Near the end of the 4 weeks the hospital called me and said they needed to send her to a home for just comfort care as they were not expecting her to survive more than a few weeks and bearing in mind there wasn’t any hospital visiting due to coronavirus.”

 

However, Mr R’s mother surprisingly improved and by mid-July she was feeling much better having started eating properly and having regained many of her faculties.

 

Mr R continued: 

 

“In all this time I had many fights with the authorities about her health care and I lost count of how many times I had to pick her up off the floor including the shower and even attending to her personal needs. But now she was well on the way to a full recovery my thoughts were getting back to my family in Thailand. 

 

“I had thought by the time we got to September, my return flight date, the pandemic would have improved and I would be able to travel back as normal.

 

“But as time went on, I could see this wasn’t going to be the case and was sure my return flight would be cancelled, so after reading about repatriation flights I decided that was going to be the only option.

 

“With the help of my wife still in Thailand I gathered all the documents I needed to send to the Thai Embassy in London and I managed to log in on a website to book my flight.”

 

After a great deal of difficulty, he was able to book a flight date.

 

He continued:  

 

“Then I had to book a quarantine hotel and buy Covid insurance but wasn’t getting any communication about my flight from Thai Airways so it was all a bit confusing to say the least and very stressful on top of all the problems I had with my mother. 

 

“Eventually I had everything in place and the Thai Embassy issued a Certificate of Entry certificate. As this was all a new process finding a place to do the Covid test within 72 hours of flying was also a nightmare then trying to get the timing right as there wasn’t any guaranteed return time on the test.”

 

Further problems occurred with confusion over the expected time to arrive at the airport adding further stress to departure.

 

“The flight went well,” Mr R went on, “but it was a dry flight and every seat was occupied so no social distancing but on arrival I was told to social distance as we left the plane despite sitting shoulder to shoulder for 12 hours!

 

“Once off the plane as you get to the end of the escalators there were rows and rows of chairs. We all had to take a seat and people with all the PPE came and checked our documents then called us one at a time for many more checks that took three more hours”.

 

He was escorted to his waiting transport to the hotel (in Chaeng Wattana in northern Bangkok). What followed was more like prison than a hotel and the 14-day quarantine cost 57,000 baht.

 

Mr R explained:

 

“Before arriving at the hotel, we stopped at a hospital for the first of three Covid tests, then at the hotel I was taken in the back way and had to use the service lifts.

 

“My food was waiting for me on a table outside the door in a plastic box and wasn’t looking very appealing. All food was left outside and they just rang the bell when it was delivered. 

 

“This continued until the all clear with yet another Covid test a week later. On the day after arrival nurses came to my room and checked blood pressure and heart rate, I had a thermometer in my room and had to take a photo of the readings twice a day and send on LINE. 

 

After a final Covid test came back clear I was allowed food on plates with metal cutlery and allowed to leave the room for ONE hour a day at an arranged time and was escorted.

 

“Every day I was alone with no real contact except the internet and phone. You go to bed and the only thing you have to look forward to is 8am breakfast after that just waiting for 12pm lunch then 6pm dinner.

 

“I don’t really know the right word to describe how I felt but it wasn’t a good feeling at all”.

 

“I left the quarantine hotel on the 7th of September and after just 15 mins in a taxi I was home; it felt wonderful to get out of the hotel, but I felt like I had been a prisoner and many a time I felt like walking out but I knew if I did I wouldn't be allowed to stay in Thailand. 

 

“When I got home it took me at least a week to adjust from my six-month ordeal”

 

So what was the financial cost?

     

“My original return fight was already paid for so all I had to do was get myself to the airport, but Covid changed all this. A new flight just one way was as much as I paid for my original return flight, about 30,000 baht. Covid insurance was another 30,000 baht. Hotel for the quarantine was 57,000. The Covid test and fit to fly certificate in the UK were about 8,000 baht.”

 

Mr R concluded: 

 

“At no time in the UK through all the hoop jumping did I feel confident I would actually be on the plane going home. I told all my family and friends I wouldn’t be happy until I was in my seat having boarded the flight.  

 

“I was talking to others on the flight and they agreed exactly with me.”    

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-10-21

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

 

RELATED:

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"The Stranded": Highlighting the plight of expats unable to return to Thailand: #4 Injustice for property owners

 

"The Stranded": Highlighting the plight of expats unable to return to Thailand; #3 Charity workers and volunteers

 

"The Stranded": Highlighting the plight of expats unable to return to Thailand; #2 Retirees

 

"The Stranded": Thaivisa highlights the plight of expats unable to return to Thailand: #1: Teachers

[RotBenz8888]

8 minutes ago, webfact said:

 Thai state quarantine

Sounds more like he'd stayed in a Alternative State Quarantine. Slightly different. 

[ukrules]

4 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

Sounds more like he'd stayed in a Alternative State Quarantine. Slightly different. 

Yes, believe it or not this is the luxury option, I wonder what it's like in the actual state quarantine.

[JCauto]

18 minutes ago, ukrules said:

Yes, believe it or not this is the luxury option, I wonder what it's like in the actual state quarantine.

If it's like Cambodia, then the answer is "better, cheaper, with more delicious food and less restrictions."

[Mr Meeseeks]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

people who have been locked out of their lives in Thailand through little fault of their own

I would suggest that leaving at the start of, or during a global pandemic is entirely their own fault.

[Mr Meeseeks]

12 minutes ago, JCauto said:

If it's like Cambodia, then the answer is "better, cheaper, with more delicious food and less restrictions."

Cambodia has better food than Thailand? ????

 

Better than Thailand? What is your criteria to measure that?

Healthcare? No.

Quality of life? No.

Pollution? No.

Cleanliness? No.

More freedom of expression? No.

Public transport? No.

Infrastructure? No.

 

Thailand beats Cambodia on nearly every criteria with few exceptions and I am speaking as someone who loves the country and have been over 100 times since 1998!

 

[kingofthemountain]

I am sorry but i don't feel a lot of sympathy for this Mr ''R''

 

he sounds a little bit too selfish from my point of view and i personaly find his decision

to abandon her poor old mom alone and sick pretty questionable to say the least

i hope he will survive to the financial cost and stress of his return to his ''family''

[Crusader]

I know of a few who were in cheaper quarantine than Mr. 'R' and it was not nice.  Food was almost always cold and very small portions (not allowed to order in from outside). A couple of very boring and time-wasting weeks to say the least.

[Crusader]

I know of a few who were in cheaper quarantine than Mr. 'R' and it was not nice.  Food was almost always cold and very small portions (not allowed to order in from outside). A couple of very boring and time-wasting weeks to say the least.  

[ChipButty]

Sounds like purgatory to me, No Dial A Pizza No Beer 

[new2here]

I get it that being in “quarantine” regardless of its Alternative (ASQ), State (SQ) or other forms, is never going to be “fun” per se, but to me, to frame it as akin to prison, jail or the like, is just excessive and to me gives the article a loss of credibility. 

 

Sure, you’re alone - and that’s the whole purpose - and your contact with the outside world is very very limited... also, that’s the purpose... but it is (only) for 14 days.. 14 days is what it is.. it’s not a weekend, but it’s not a month either.. it’s 14 days.. no more, no less... i recall my father being in a fairly serious auto collision years ago and has was totally bed-restricted for nearly 3 weeks— very much like how ASQ/SQ is today - and i wouldn’t have framed it as a form of punishment, jail or prison..

 

Could the hotels perhaps do more to make the experience better?  Sure, i’m positive there are things that could be done to relieve some of the pressures of being confined, but still complying with CCSA rules... 

 

For one, i might think more thought goes into the F&B part... and if temperature is an issue, then spread out feeding times to allow staff time to deliver meals quicker from the kitchen... or use something like a hot box... i think there are things that could be done here 

 

but in totality, i think using the jail, prison or the like as the term or even as an off-the-cuff comparative, to me, makes me loose credibility in the overall objectiveness of the article itself.  

[richard_smith237]

1 minute ago, new2here said:

I get it that being in “quarantine” regardless of its Alternative (ASQ), State (SQ) or other forms, is never going to be “fun” per se, but to me, to frame it as akin to prison, jail or the like, is just excessive and to me gives the article a loss of credibility. 

 

Sure, you’re alone - and that’s the whole purpose - and your contact with the outside world is very very limited... also, that’s the purpose... but it is (only) for 14 days.. 14 days is what it is.. it’s not a weekend, but it’s not a month either.. it’s 14 days.. no more, no less... i recall my father being in a fairly serious auto collision years ago and has was totally bed-restricted for nearly 3 weeks— very much like how ASQ/SQ is today - and i wouldn’t have framed it as a form of punishment, jail or prison..

 

Could the hotels perhaps do more to make the experience better?  Sure, i’m positive there are things that could be done to relieve some of the pressures of being confined, but still complying with CCSA rules... 

 

For one, i might think more thought goes into the F&B part... and if temperature is an issue, then spread out feeding times to allow staff time to deliver meals quicker from the kitchen... or use something like a hot box... i think there are things that could be done here 

 

but in totality, i think using the jail, prison or the like as the term or even as an off-the-cuff comparative, to me, makes me loose credibility in the overall objectiveness of the article itself.  

Agreed, it’s more ‘solitary confinement’ by necessity - the necessity being ‘if you want to see your family anytime soon’.

 

Overall quarantine wasn’t so bad as a necessity, but I wouldn’t do it by choice as a tourist.

[richard_smith237]

4 minutes ago, new2here said:

but it is (only) for 14 days.. 14 days is what it is.. it’s not a weekend, but it’s not a month either.. it’s 14 days.. no more, no less...

Erm... 15 nights to be precise ! 

[sammieuk1]

Sounds like you should be paid 125k for doing it! not in a million years just to get here for me ???? 

[sambum]

2 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

I would suggest that leaving at the start of, or during a global pandemic is entirely their own fault.

What is it with you people? Did China say "Right, at the start of February, we are going to spread a virus that will quickly become a "Global Pandemic"?

 

A bit like saying that you have to go home from the bar at 10 pm, because after that is when Covid comes out!

[Migrosmarket]

Sorry but this is pathetic.

 

Quarantine (also known as isolation) means....... no contact other than by phone/internet. Same in all countries.

 

Moan about the price by all means but you knew what to expect by the time you decided to come back.  

 

Seems to me all "The Stranded" made poor decisions at some point and expect someone else to take responsibility.

[swerve]

Mr. R is a whiner.

[eastendanto]

2 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

I would suggest that leaving at the start of, or during a global pandemic is entirely their own fault.

love the empathy shown... one day one of your loved ones may be in a similar position to this person's mum and you will have to make

a decision,  lets see how you react then....

[from the home of CC]

it's a worldwide pandemic, time for you all to get over yourselves..

[khunjeff]

Sorry, but did I miss the part where this gentleman was "stranded", which was supposedly the subject of this series? He went abroad, and was able to do paperwork to get back to Thailand when his family emergency was over. I understand that the procedures are annoying and probably don't serve much purpose, and that quarantine is boring, overpriced, and not terribly pleasant, but Thais have to go through most of the same rigamarole (other than the insurance and pre-flight Covid check). This just doesn't seem to be in the same category as the other "stranded" reports.

[Mr Meeseeks]

45 minutes ago, eastendanto said:

love the empathy shown... one day one of your loved ones may be in a similar position to this person's mum and you will have to make

a decision,  lets see how you react then....

I wouldn't be complaining on here about having to jump through hoops to get back to Thailand during a global pandemic, that's for sure.

 

I don't see what the guy's problem is, his mum is better and he's back in Thailand? End of.

 

Seems like he's just having a whinge.

[georgey]

While I have great sympathy for this guy as regards the problems with his mother, having been through that quite recently myself, I'd have to say the rest of it is absolutely ridiculous. There's a very wide choice of ASQ hotels, 90% available 6 weeks ago, when i applied. I paid a similar price to him. Food was bad but edible. Yes it was lonely, as others have said by definition. OK, so I had a couple of hundred films on a hard drive, but even without that, you can order books online. Or pay for Netflix on your laptop assuming an unsmart TV. Overall the experience (particularly leading up to arrival at your hotel) is quite stressful, but IMO this article was pathetic. 

[Mansell]

Comparing it to a prison is ridiculous. It is two weeks, not two months or two years. Some people sound like cry babies. I got arrested once and imprisoned in Morocco not knowing when I would be released, and the only food was if it was brought to the prison by somebody outside, a friend. One guy in there didn’t have a friend, his teeth were falling out from malnutrition, eventually the Red Cross or Red Crescent got him out. Also visited a prison in Nicaragua. Over a hundred people in one cell, and doubling up sleeping on a concrete bunk with no mattress or blanket. So don’t whine to me about two weeks knowing you’ll soon be with your wife. Don’t show this one to the Thai government, they will probably laugh and It will destroy any of the good work you are doing for the real people stuck outside the country. Two weeks with food and television and internet...Sob Sob Sob!

[teacherclaire]

1 hour ago, from the home of CC said:

it's a worldwide pandemic, time for you all to get over yourselves..

...that had the roots in fregging China. If they would have given more information about the disease to give other countries time, things would be different.

 

  

[BusyB]

23 minutes ago, Mansell said:

Comparing it to a prison is ridiculous. It is two weeks, not two months or two years. Some people sound like cry babies. I got arrested once and imprisoned in Morocco not knowing when I would be released, and the only food was if it was brought to the prison by somebody outside, a friend. One guy in there didn’t have a friend, his teeth were falling out from malnutrition, eventually the Red Cross or Red Crescent got him out. Also visited a prison in Nicaragua. Over a hundred people in one cell, and doubling up sleeping on a concrete bunk with no mattress or blanket. So don’t whine to me about two weeks knowing you’ll soon be with your wife. Don’t show this one to the Thai government, they will probably laugh and It will destroy any of the good work you are doing for the real people stuck outside the country. Two weeks with food and television and internet...Sob Sob Sob!

 

That's pretty much what I was thinking. Having spent time in a military nick I know which I'd rather have. At least in ASQ you can decide when to switch your own light out.????

 

My sympathies for his problems with his mother, I really do hope she fares well. My mother is late 80s and I made a trip to the Midlands last year because I was worried her guy was about to keel over. I came away more worried about her. (They're both still quite active though fortunately.)

 

And I also hope TV doesn't use this story as an example with the authorities ... it'll totally undermine their case.

 

It's quarantine dammit. Not holiday. Only interesting for long stayers like me. Except I'm stuck out of country right now. Which is also my choice. Could wing it on an O-A, but changed all my plans instead, won't be out under current circumstances till late next year.

 

But I think for the price, they could do m u c h better with the food. These are hotels dammit!

 

 

 

[elliss]

3 hours ago, ChipButty said:

Sounds like purgatory to me, No Dial A Pizza No Beer 

 

       Can do . 

           Grab , and Panda , deliver to the monkey house ..

 

[Myran]

Jesus Christ, what a whiny crybaby.

[elliss]

47 minutes ago, teacherclaire said:

...that had the roots in fregging China. If they would have given more information about the disease to give other countries time, things would be different.

 

  

       Given that the Chinese Doctor who discovered the Covid-19 virus .

        Was visited , and threatened by the Chinese authorities / police ..

        My  experiences of visiting China , the best part was leaving ..

[khunjeff]

26 minutes ago, elliss said:

 

       Can do . 

           Grab , and Panda , deliver to the monkey house ..

 

The rules don't allow people in ASQ to bring in alcohol or to receive commercial food deliveries.

[gamini]

So he had a difficult journey getting back. At least he got back. Doesn't he realise that a lot of Australians and other nationalities are having a far worse time not being able to get back to their own countries with no money nowhere to stay and all sorts of problems.