Thailand Elite Card embroiled in scandal over suspicious Chinese businesses

[webfact]

PHOTO: Visatogo

 

By Peter Roche

Thailand’s tourism and sports minister has responded to allegations that members of the Elite Card program have been linked to dodgy Chinese businesses – the same Chinese and Chinese businesses that are being linked to the ongoing ‘Tuhao’ investigation.

 

Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says he’s asked the Royal Thai Police to look into the claims, saying they will potentially “affect Thailand’s tourism sector and overall reputation”.

 

Tourism operators have suggested the Elite Card application process be linked to international police so that criminal checks can be carried out. Phiphat says that as part of the current process, Thailand Privilege Card, which operates the Elite Card program, sends applicants’ personal information to the Immigration Bureau and the Department of Consular Affairs, who carry out criminal checks.

 

According to a Bangkok Post report, the tourism ministry has introduced extra pre-screening measures, such as checking the status of members and appointing new sales agents every 2 years, who are responsible for verifying applicants’ qualifications.

 

“If any of them are reported acting illegally, the minister will urgently withdraw those memberships.”

 

Responding to claims that the Elite Card is being sold for inflated prices overseas, Phiphat says neither the ministry nor TPC can be held responsible for what happens abroad.

 

Meanwhile, the president of the Phuket Tourist Association says TPC should have a digital database linked to international organisations like Interpol. Thaneth Tantipiriyakij says this could be used to carry out criminal checks and might stop suspicious individuals from applying.

 

Thaneth says the Elite Card is a popular option among high-spending visitors from places like Europe, Australia, and China, adding that Phuket regularly welcomes such groups since Covid travel restrictions were lifted.

 

Source: https://phuket-go.com/phuket-news/national-news/thailand-elite-card-embroiled-in-scandal-over-suspicious-chinese-businesses/

 

-- © Copyright Phuket GO 2023-02-01

 

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[2baht]

29 minutes ago, webfact said:

Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says he’s asked the Royal Thai Police to look into the claims, saying they will potentially “affect Thailand’s tourism sector and overall reputation”.

Here we go again, is nothing beyond corruption anymore?

[ukrules]

They face the usual problem faced by authorities around the world.

 

People only become branded criminals once they've been convicted.

 

It specifically states in the terms and conditions that anyone applying for the Thailand Elite visa is not eligible if they have been sentenced to 1 year or more in prison, unless it's for negligence in which case I guess they are eligible for the visa - which is a little odd.

 

If the Chinese in question has been sentenced to more than 1 year and they find out about it they will revoke the membership and visa.

 

Some of the biggest gangsters out there have a squeaky clean record.

[BobBKK]

and the knock-on effect is delays with extensions and transfers

[n00dle]

Of course it was.  

[richard_smith237]

So some criminals got a Thai Elite visa.... 

 

Is this any different to criminals getting any other kind of visa ???....  

 

 

 

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says he’s asked the Royal Thai Police to look into the claims, saying they will potentially “affect Thailand’s tourism sector and overall reputation”

That's putting it softly, and on the back burner.

[humbug]

Now we have the political hit pieces trying to distract from all the recent bad press about police, who are also immigration police, and big coincidence, elections near by, so lets blame Elite who are the Sport/Tourism department

 

no sir, it's not the police or immigration police, it's the other pesky department, they are to blame for all these grey area Chinese, well actually it's the men in green, who signed full belt and road agreements, signed in 20 national strategy to align itself with Chinese laws secretly, and allowed the Chinese to have a greater influence in media reporting

 

But hey lets all go back 15 years and blame a Taksin creation, especially if we ever have another election, the men in green's parties will be spanked by Taksin's family party and Thanathorn's party, well that's if they ever allow a fair election this year or next, or whenever

[ignore it]

And just like that the prime market for the Elite Visa was gone.

[John Drake]

1 hour ago, humbug said:

and allowed the Chinese to have a greater influence in media reporting

Two or three years ago, a lot of Thai media outlets ceded their foreign news reporting to Xinhua.

[steven100]

so now it's underhanded activites within the Thai elite card, tour guides ripping of tourists at floating markets and the RTP caught again extorting money from tourists both here and in Pattaya this week ....

Where will it stop ?   or it won't stop as there are to many fingers in the till ...

 

Thailand .... the land of thiefs.  

[JayClay]

2 hours ago, BobBKK said:

and the knock-on effect is delays with extensions and transfers

Because?

[Peabody]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Responding to claims that the Elite Card is being sold for inflated prices overseas, Phiphat says neither the ministry nor TPC can be held responsible for what happens abroad.

Surely the cars are numbered. Only allow the proper Thai bureau to issue them. Prohibit resales. Number not in system = void. 

[Orinoco]

Oops , Could be pants down 2. coming soon

Amazing Thailand. 

 

 

[klauskunkel]

What scandal are we on now? I'm losing track.

[klauskunkel]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Responding to claims that the Elite Card is being sold for inflated prices overseas, Phiphat says neither the ministry nor TPC can be held responsible for what happens abroad.

Is he serious? Are the cards controlled by some General?

[alyx]

Confused !!!

It is my understanding that there is a police check on applications...at least when they started the program it was clear there would be one ( maybe run the name through Interpol or other branches) and a positive check would lead to the rejection of the application.

 

If alleged criminals who have the financial means, want to enter the country (actually not restricted to this one ),  then there are many investment programs 

 

As for the inflated membership cost, those who fall for it definitely do not know how to use a computer as simply typing "Thailand Elite" brings the official website where the prices are well advertised

 

That being said, the exact advertised amount must be transferred to te Company's account. If more money is paid, it is to the agent and. that is, by definition, their job: to be paid for a service, hence not related to Thailand Elite.

[Xanthe]

9 hours ago, ukrules said:

Some of the biggest gangsters out there have a squeaky clean record.

Totally agree. How many years Pablo Escobar had squeaky clean records? Probably decades. 

[Caldera]

Unlike with most other Thai visas and extensions, there's a screening process in place for Elite visa applicants. How thorough that is is anyone's guess, it might turn out to be just a time-consuming paper pushing exercise.

[jacko45k]

1 minute ago, Caldera said:

Unlike with most other Thai visas and extensions, there's a screening process in place for Elite visa applicants. How thorough that is is anyone's guess, it might turn out to be just a time-consuming paper pushing exercise.

I heard they filter out anyone who was ever on overstay.... but considering the application comes with a substantial monetary payment, I suspect it to be less thorough than say a marriage extension!

[BobBKK]

On 2/1/2023 at 4:01 PM, JayClay said:

Because?

Because they are checking everything because of this scam. Normally it takes me 10 to 15 minutes this week over an hour and I was lucky. The visa company told me expect 3 hours or more. 

[JayClay]

13 minutes ago, BobBKK said:

Because they are checking everything because of this scam. Normally it takes me 10 to 15 minutes this week over an hour and I was lucky. The visa company told me expect 3 hours or more. 

Sorry, my bad. I thought you meant that normal extensions (retirement, marriage etc) were going to take longer to process.

 

I guess it could very feasibly have an impact on Elite extensions which, considering the amount one pays, is very unfortunate.

[humbug]

On 2/1/2023 at 3:34 PM, John Drake said:

Two or three years ago, a lot of Thai media outlets ceded their foreign news reporting to Xinhua.

Yes, this is going to cause so much biased reporting that one cosequence is more animosity towards non-chinese foreigners, already the walk past someone, who instantly puts their mask on, stinks of thinking they are a higher status and especially towards Westerners, you dirty foreigner, you beneath me, how dare you walk near me, 

 

Without a functioning rule of law, or even green shoots of a functioning rule of law, it's becoming a place to have hugely thick skin

[humbug]

On 2/2/2023 at 9:08 AM, Caldera said:

Unlike with most other Thai visas and extensions, there's a screening process in place for Elite visa applicants. How thorough that is is anyone's guess, it might turn out to be just a time-consuming paper pushing exercise.

The process is immigration getting your passport details from Elite, checking, with whoever or whatever history and which ever databases they should be checking, and then green lighting the okay, for Elite to then issue an appoinment for that person to then go to immigration and have the visa affixed

 

 None of this has anything to do with Elite, the actual checking the persons details

 

 

[humbug]

On 2/1/2023 at 8:21 PM, klauskunkel said:

Is he serious? Are the cards controlled by some General?

 

On 2/1/2023 at 4:08 PM, Peabody said:

Surely the cars are numbered. Only allow the proper Thai bureau to issue them. Prohibit resales. Number not in system = void. 

Don't forget some of the reporting is terrible or just nasty, and is not honest

 

Any member, whether the card new or person buys a resale, has to be okayed by thai immigration, they receive each persons passport details to check, then get back to Elite to say person is okay, then Elite organize an appoinment for new member to go to thai immigration, and immigration affixes the visa in the passport

 

Everything else is just hyped up lies to scare the local thais reading this and thinking something completely different happens, it doesn't, all of us have or will go through the same process, whatever the country,

 

the only difference will be if thai immigration actually check with countries to see their past non-criminal or whatever, maybe some countries are way to corrupt like China to be honest, and that's a very big maybe, because it seems thai immigration don't even do that much checking

[ukrules]

4 hours ago, humbug said:

the only difference will be if thai immigration actually check with countries to see their past non-criminal or whatever, maybe some countries are way to corrupt like China to be honest, and that's a very big maybe, because it seems thai immigration don't even do that much checking

They can check for convictions in Thailand from Thai courts but there's no way they can do that with ANY other country unless they have a data sharing agreement in place - there are no such agreements.

 

If they wanted to see any criminal history then they would do the same as with the visas which require a 'police check' - they don't do this, not at the moment anyway.

 

A country almost never hands over such private information to a foreign government, not in the open anyway - a notable exception to this rule is the US and Canada where they routinely deny entry to each others countries based on misdemeanour convictions even if they're decades old.

 

[mania]

On 1/31/2023 at 7:55 PM, 2baht said:

Here we go again, is nothing beyond corruption anymore?

Anymore?

Same as it ever was actually

 

Since we have been in Thailand we have seen corruption pretty much everywhere

Including & not limited to...

Doctors

Lawyers

Police (obviously)

Monks

Teachers

Business large & small

Government workers from Immigration thru Land Tax/ Property Sale office

The list is long & instead probably better to list the non-corrupted if & when I ever find one ????

[Mr Meeseeks]

21 hours ago, humbug said:

the only difference will be if thai immigration actually check with countries to see their past non-criminal or whatever, maybe some countries are way to corrupt like China to be honest, and that's a very big maybe, because it seems thai immigration don't even do that much checking

They don't and can't check with your home country. 

 

If that were a requirement or they did actually want to check, you would need to request and produce a criminal record check from your home country yourself, as you have to do in all Thai Permanent Residency (PR) applications.

[Mr Meeseeks]

3 hours ago, mania said:

Anymore?

Same as it ever was actually

Correct, the entire country is corrupt to the core.

 

Which unfortunately affects some people that would otherwise be moral or good in their actions.