'I gave up a long time ago': Australian stranded for nearly a year in Thailand

[tomazbodner]

44 minutes ago, wprime said:

 

Going to NZ is different, Australia has imposed quarantine capacity limits. If they exceed the limit you can't board and you get a credit voucher. This doesn't apply to transit passengers.

Weren't all transit flights through Taipei also banned a couple of weeks back?

[Catkiwi]

25 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

 

Welcome to my reality for the last 5 years.

 

Yes had a good win on BIN today, albeit I sat on it since February last year, opened up my trading account this morning and nearly fell over when it the green number was big, I couldn't hit the SELL button fast enough but managed to sell at $3.29 not to long after the opening, a good 10% plus gain for the year, too bad I didn't buy more not too long ago when I actually thought of it, it was at $2.62 about a week ago when I was thinking about it, I usually buy in chunks of 50k otherwise it's not worth it, but with the current times, I have to admit, I have been sitting on my hands as the share prices climb back up.

 

Looking forward to making some good trades in 2021 like the times pre Covid, but I feel better not trading at the moment, no need to as I have enough reserves to keep me going for 5 years, but do love the thrill of a good trade.

And you thought that everyone needed to know this...what a bloody hero albeit, evidently such a reluctant and humble hero. 

[tomazbodner]

2 hours ago, djayz said:

Layovers or leftovers? 

Kae doesn't look like a "leftover." That is, assuming you read the original article.

[mommysboy]

3 hours ago, hamleknoi said:

I came from Australia on the 2nd of March. I had a return ticket for the 30th which was cancelled, and then there were 3 options which quickly became either cancelled or overbooked. I've been here since. But I'm not complaining. I have a trading account and make more than enough to pay for myself.

 

Have vs Have not.

 

We have to find a way to survive. He does sound a bit unlucky on this occasion.

[Bruce Aussie]

Aussie Aussie.

????❤????????

[smedly]

4 hours ago, Lacessit said:

What would you do in his position, rob a bank

move out of the hotel - claim refugee status and move to a migrant camp

 

he should have left on the flight offered to him

[EricTh]

I smell something fishy here. If he has no money, how did he survive in Thailand for one year? 

 

No friends or family to help him return back to Australia is also fishy. How did he fly to Hong Kong in the first place to do his 'business'?

[EricTh]

1 hour ago, dcnx said:

My mate has been trying to get back to Australia since the lockdown. It’s not as simple as some of you brainless tossers think.

Really? Australian citizens can return back to Australia the same method as how Thai return back to Thailand. 14 day quarantine and covid free cert before flight. So what's so difficult for a citizen?

 

https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/covid-19/covid-19/returning-australia

 

You cannot come to Australia unless you’re an Australian citizen, permanent resident or in an exempt category

[hamleknoi]

8 minutes ago, EricTh said:

I smell something fishy here. If he has no money, how did he survive in Thailand for one year? 

 

No friends or family to help him return back to Australia is also fishy. How did he fly to Hong Kong in the first place to do his 'business'?

You really need to pay attention to the words in the article.

He lives off his GF and he left Hong Kong for Thailand before the whole covid thing gained traction.

 

5 minutes ago, EricTh said:

Really? Australian citizens can return back to Australia the same method as how Thai return back to Thailand. 14 day quarantine and covid free cert before flight. So what's so difficult for a citizen?

 

https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/covid-19/covid-19/returning-australia

 

You cannot come to Australia unless you’re an Australian citizen, permanent resident or in an exempt category

It's been stated more than once in this thread. Australia has a cap on the amount of people allowed back in. It went from 8000 to 4000 in July, and in November there were more than 35,000 people registered for government-organised flights. That's only the registered ones. There are many more not on the list. The board of airline representatives in Australia estimated 100,000.

That's why flights are cancelled. Because the government won't allow them to fly in. Considering the very high price of tickets, many people don't want to risk throwing large amounts of money in the toilet when the likelihood is that their flight won't happen. Each stopover is an additional risk of a connecting flight being cancelled. Not to mention having to do a new PCR test each time they are hoping to fly home.

[Salerno]

3 hours ago, DavisH said:

That many? Where did you get that number from?

 

Worldwide, not just Thailand.

[EricTh]

6 minutes ago, hamleknoi said:

You really need to pay attention to the words in the article.

He lives off his GF and he left Hong Kong for Thailand before the whole covid thing gained traction.

 

It's been stated more than once in this thread. Australia has a cap on the amount of people allowed back in. It went from 8000 to 4000 in July, and in November there were more than 35,000 people registered for government-organised flights. That's only the registered ones. There are many more not on the list. The board of airline representatives in Australia estimated 100,000.

That's why flights are cancelled. Because the government won't allow them to fly in. Considering the very high price of tickets, many people don't want to risk throwing large amounts of money in the toilet when the likelihood is that their flight won't happen. Each stopover is an additional risk of a connecting flight being cancelled. Not to mention having to do a new PCR test each time they are hoping to fly home.

 

Where's the official website from the government that states there is a limit per month?

 

[Salerno]

29 minutes ago, EricTh said:

I smell something fishy here. If he has no money, how did he survive in Thailand for one year? 

 

If you read the article you would know.

Quote

Mr Peck is living off the meagre salary of his local girlfriend after running out of his savings and superannuation.

 

[hamleknoi]

Just now, EricTh said:

 

Where's the official website from the government that states there is a limit per month?

 

Not only did I quote it earlier, but you can  use google for 5 seconds if you'd really like to know. I mean, there's countless articles about it as well.

From the Australian Bangkok embassy website: "International arrival caps will be reduced from 15 January 2021.". So even worse.

[RichardColeman]

7 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

When the pandemic struck and Thailand closed its borders in March, Mr Peck had no job and no way to get home.

I flew back to my own UK in March last year. I did not want to leave the wife and daughter - but I had health issues I needed to deal with in June 2020 in the UK. I could see the writing was on the wall in February. Amazes me how so many so called smart people cannot understand the news and interpret it for their own good.

[Blumpie]

3 hours ago, dcnx said:

My mate has been trying to get back to Australia since the lockdown. It’s not as simple as some of you brainless tossers think.

It's not just Australians in Thailand.  There are people trapped all over the world right now.  

[Soikhaonoiken]

8 hours ago, Pilotman said:

stay here, plenty of 'layovers' available for a young man

No money.... No honey.. ????

[chrisandsu]

6 hours ago, Catkiwi said:

And you thought that everyone needed to know this...what a bloody hero albeit, evidently such a reluctant and humble hero. 

I think he might be waiting for you to ask him for his sterling advise and he will happily gamble your money . 

[metisdead]

Some off topic posts and replies have been removed.

 

An inflammatory post has been removed. 

[happyaussie]

I was in a very similar situation beginning early March. Booked and paid for 4 different flights over 6 months. Each was cancelled and I am still trying to get some refunded.

 

I finally returned to Australia in November aboard a repatriation flight organized by the Australian Embassy. 

 

I found the Australian Embassy in Bangkok very helpful. And trust me, that's a big call coming from me. I have a very low regard for Australian politics and politicians. 

 

In a nutshell, anyone saying they've been left stranded at this time should take responsibility for their actions. 

 

[Ventenio]

nobody has compassion for anyone!!!!   while people die from COVID.....we ridicule everyone.  i imagine the average person spends 88% of their life hating others. lol  

 

feel bad for this guy.   we don't know his story, but we assume he's lazy, broke, dumb, and deserves everything bad.

 

i remember Thai people asking me over and over and over last year....."you are not working, how can you live??  how can you eat?   how can you stay in a hotel by yourself?"

 

i told them.............."ah, this is why I came to Thailand."   Then I rambled about selling a business back home and they didn't understand so I smiled.

 

 

[Straight8]

People like him ignored the plea to get back before the pooh hit the fan, but chose to ignore it. Now its seems it's everyone's fault but their own.

 

Others did the smart thing are got the Foook out asap, and I'm ot just talking Thailand.

 

 

[Straight8]

14 hours ago, Pilotman said:

There are far worse places to be 'stranded'.  Enjoy it mate. 

What with, no money, no job ?????

[thedemon]

10 hours ago, wprime said:

 

Going to NZ is different, Australia has imposed quarantine capacity limits. If they exceed the limit you can't board and you get a credit voucher. This doesn't apply to transit passengers.

 

True and I understand that NZ also now has a similar quota system in place. But the flights I quoted were departing 3rd July and the caps you are referring to were introduced on July 13th.

 

The story says the guy has been stuck in BKK since March. What about flights in March, April, May and June?

[chrisandsu]

1 minute ago, thedemon said:

 

True and I understand that NZ also now has a similar quota system in place. But the flights I quoted were departing 3rd July and the caps you are referring to were introduced on July 13th.

 

The story says the guy has been stuck in BKK since March. What about flights in March, April, May and June?

He met a girl and fancied an extended holiday . That’s what happened . It’s happened to hundreds of thousands before him and the majority on this forum . It’s toy town until you run out of funds and then it goes downhill very quickly . 

[heybuz]

12 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

 

Queensland for example ????

spoken like a true victorian

[Stargeezr]

People who did not see the future with this Corona virus, and stayed in Thailand do not

get a lot of sympathy from me. I got out of Thailand in March, and many of my

friends got back to Canada, in April.  I was shocked to see how ill equipped the airports

in Canada were on my arrival, and even into April, but people did start to take this virus seriously 

and got more cautious, and the protective equipment were seen a lot more. When I see how bad the cases

become over the Summer, and hear of people who claim that they just could not get out, I become

very suspicious of just how hard they tried over the last several months. I just do not buy

the stories of no flights available for this long of time.

Geezer

[vandeventer]

14 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Wonder when the Go Fund me page will go up.  Nothing in the article indicates he has any family in Australia or any friends who are wanting to help him get home.  I do feel for him, as it has become a nightmare just in the last few months to return whence you came.  Now with the pre flight Covid tests being required, limited Quarantine locations, and other rules that certain countries have in place with the new mutated strains of Covid.  The better question is, what can he possibly do to get home if he does not raise funds. I just wonder what was left out of the story and why he did not return last summer before the restrictions fully went into place.

It's really not that easy to get out of Thailand to get to Australia. I have a friend that is 82 years old and in bad health and he had 5 cancelled flights from the Australian embassy. On his 6th ticket he got out. You would think it would be harder to get into Thailand that to get out of Thailand?

[chainarong]

At the being of the pandemic, the Australian Feds put out warnings to come home, they gave plenty of warning advice, so much so China laughed at them for closing the international borders. 

They've cut back expat arrival numbers again due to the UK and Sth African virus strain cropping up like mushrooms from return Expats.

If its any consolation,  you are with a whole heap of expats from au still stranded o/seas . Emirates has cancelled all flites into Australia, except into Perth, because of cost, Thai Int has a flight once a week in and out of Sydney.

[tandor]

14 hours ago, Pilotman said:

There are far worse places to be 'stranded'.  Enjoy it mate. 

...agree..he's young, single, no ties (but sharing on a meagre salary of AU$10000 per month), with both feet in paradise...he is better off than a lot of us retirees here!

If its that urgent, he could, borrow the money, by a small yacht and island-hop his way home..what an adventure that would be!

[Lacessit]

44 minutes ago, Straight8 said:

People like him ignored the plea to get back before the pooh hit the fan, but chose to ignore it. Now its seems it's everyone's fault but their own.

 

Others did the smart thing are got the Foook out asap, and I'm ot just talking Thailand.

 

 

Try reading the OP before posting asinine comments. He did not know he was going to be stranded.