UPDATE: Thousands of Russians flee for Thailand to avoid Ukraine war call-up as they ‘take over’ top resorts

[owl sees all]

22 hours ago, giddyup said:

"Have no intention of returning home?" Can expect Immigration to be busy catching all the overstayers.

Can't mess with those Russians. They have nukes.

[mikebell]

Surely the easiest way for Immigration to suss out the illegals, is to check the manifest of incoming flights from Russia.  All will have bought return tickets.  Then IOs can check the outgoing flights for discrepancies and compile a list of missing names to be circulated.  This is Bonanza time for Immigration Officers.

[geisha]

22 hours ago, ezzra said:

Surprising that there isn't numerous Russian business set up already like restaurants, real estate, visa agents and alike, but i know they will come very soon.

Seem to me that there are a lot of Russian places opening up, restaurants, laundries , agencies, even a massage lady told me her business was bought by a Russian man. They openly work in certain big condo complexes like the one I won’t mention not far from Jomtien night market. They might have work permits or Thai company style business, elite ? Or the new long term visa ( forgotten name) but it’s obvious they are settling in and not snowbirds.

[BangkokReady]

23 hours ago, webfact said:

draft dodgers

Shouldn't really use this term as it's kind of negative.  I don't think anyone would blame someone who is trying to avoid being conscripted and sent to die in an illegal war.

[featography]

23 hours ago, giddyup said:

"Have no intention of returning home?" Can expect Immigration to be busy catching all the overstayers.

''The flood has led to a home price boom as wealthy middle- class arrivals rent or buy to stay indefinitely on residential visas.''

What da-hell is a residential visa?!?

[geisha]

17 hours ago, LivingNThailand said:

not the 20+ year olds  I saw at Phuket immigration last week.

And what about the Russian children ??? Do they not have to be schooled ? Seems to me each family has 2/3 kids tagging on !!
And insurance ???  
i also think the Russians wanting to leave have been planning this for quite a while. I remember last year on Kata beach, groups of Russians talking earnestly for hours on end. One Russian restaurant had long queues outside .This exodus was planned. 

[parafareno]

thailand should put a cap on how many russkies can come at the same time...that is it....too much of them on thailand...why they dont move to azerbajdzan or some other <deleted> country...why thailand...and where do they get the money.....

[LivingNThailand]

1 minute ago, geisha said:

And what about the Russian children ??? Do they not have to be schooled ? Seems to me each family has 2/3 kids tagging on !!

I have neighbors that work at 2 of the larger private schools around our neighborhood and another that has a small private school.  They have to be very selective on the Russian children because of the language problems, they don't want to slow down the other students.  And if the children don't speak and understand English then they become disruptive in the classroom.  There is not enough positions in the private schools for all the Russians that apply.  They are being turned down.  I have no idea what / where these kids are being educated.  I guess no where?  Not a good thing in the long term.

[toofarnorth]

22 hours ago, Smokey and the Bandit said:

Quite so, they could of at least put a few of the pretty Russian girls in the pic?

Spot on , my thoughts too.

[Grumpy one]

22 hours ago, NoshowJones said:

Why a photo of that disgraceful, disgusting fat slob?

Russia's finest specimen  of a human  

[wombat]

Phuket to be renamed "Little Russia"

[NoshowJones]

On 3/18/2023 at 10:18 AM, Henryford said:

I doubt the guy in the first photo would be much use on the front line.  How can under 50s stay for any extended period.

"I doubt the guy in the first photo would be much use on the front line." He would not be any use in the lady bars or massage shops either, unless he was very very rich, imagine some poor girl with that on top of him.???? 

[NoshowJones]

20 hours ago, LivingNThailand said:

Happened to a couple I new about 6-7 years ago.  They didn't want to spring for the 800,000 in the bank so kept coming in as tourists every 90 days.   One day coming in to Thailand the IO told them that it was their last time as tourists.  So they had to cough up the 800,000. 

Obviously no one told them about agents.

[CH1961]

On 3/18/2023 at 10:30 AM, dddave said:

could bring a large water bottle down and fill it in the lobby machine, then leave it there while you went out, picking it it up when you returned. 

You was this i**ot ????

This is a water filling station and not a water-bottle-storage-station ⚠️

 

Fill it and leave, simple as that. 

 

[LivingNThailand]

3 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

Obviously no one told them about agents

Brits.  Too cheap. ????

[Will B Good]

2 hours ago, jesimps said:

It was in several papers yesterday.

Residential visas?........Probably all the papers just took a freelancers report and copied it then

[NoshowJones]

2 hours ago, Northstar1 said:

Fact is a large percentage of Russian people are for the war!

just remember, Putin ain’t shootin!

I wish nothing but horrendous suffering to every Russian man woman and child!

"Fact is a large percentage of Russian people are for the war!"

and you know that for sure?

Personally I do not think that is the case.

[Jumbo1968]

On 3/18/2023 at 10:04 AM, LennyW said:

The sensationalist Sun again, this is nothing new, droves of Russians have been coming here for years, Na Jomtien has been an annex of Russia for a long time now!!

Not in numbers they are now, I have been here 10 years and never seen so many, I was on the beach on Koh Larn and we were surrounded by Russians. The Sun does go for sensationalism that’s why they sell so many, I personally wouldn’t use it for toilet paper.

[NoshowJones]

12 hours ago, gk10012001 said:

Expect a lot of foolery with the Elite Visa systems?  1,000,000  1 million Thai Baht for the 20 year visa.  I can see many people come up with that money, but then, how do they support themselves? 

Anyone who can afford to lose all that money on Elite Visas, will certainly be able to support themselves, and much more.

[Jumbo1968]

Strangely enough Thailand has just signed an extradition agreement with Russia, is draft dodging illegal, Russia could in effect ask for Thai Police to arrest them if Russia provided names which when they go to immigration could be arrested theoretically ?

[Henryford]

1 hour ago, BangkokReady said:

Shouldn't really use this term as it's kind of negative.  I don't think anyone would blame someone who is trying to avoid being conscripted and sent to die in an illegal war.

But according to Putin it was Ukraine that invaded Russia haha

[Jumbo1968]

1 minute ago, Henryford said:

But according to Putin it was Ukraine that invaded Russia haha

And Putin has convinced some of the Russian population they did.

[owl sees all]

2 hours ago, BangkokReady said:

Shouldn't really use this term as it's kind of negative.  I don't think anyone would blame someone who is trying to avoid being conscripted and sent to die in an illegal war.

An 'illegal war'?

 

And there was me thinking it was a 'Special Military Operation'. Must get out more.

[Smokey and the Bandit]

3 hours ago, mikebell said:

Surely the easiest way for Immigration to suss out the illegals, is to check the manifest of incoming flights from Russia.  All will have bought return tickets.  Then IOs can check the outgoing flights for discrepancies and compile a list of missing names to be circulated.  This is Bonanza time for Immigration Officers.

So we should soon be seeing lots of pictures of Russians on overstay, with 7 or 8 immigration officers behind them?

[Chongalulu]

On 3/18/2023 at 10:45 AM, d4dang said:

Biz booming for Ladyboys?

The one pictured looks like she’d be way more capable on the front line than most of the Russians pictured ! ???? 

[Chongalulu]

There’s an arrest warrant issued  by ICC against Putin for war crimes . Given I’ve had to pay double for my accommodation in Phuket next week vs last year he should be made to appear at The Hague for that alone ! ???? 

[smew]

most of these sheep putin followers alcoholics would be a detriment to the russian army any way.. go back to russia join army and Ukraine will win the war sooner 

[JimTripper]

On 3/18/2023 at 2:42 AM, soalbundy said:

 He's fit, he can still walk, I presume the girls will charge him by the kilo.

Not if they suffocate first.

[still kicking]

7 hours ago, LivingNThailand said:

I have neighbors that work at 2 of the larger private schools around our neighborhood and another that has a small private school.  They have to be very selective on the Russian children because of the language problems, they don't want to slow down the other students.  And if the children don't speak and understand English then they become disruptive in the classroom.  There is not enough positions in the private schools for all the Russians that apply.  They are being turned down.  I have no idea what / where these kids are being educated.  I guess no where?  Not a good thing in the long term.

I have neighbours in Oz who live here for 40 years and can't speak a word of English kick all them out?

[zzaa09]

6 hours ago, wombat said:

Phuket to be renamed "Little Russia"

Ukraine already has this distinction. 

The deep cultural assimilation has been in evident for centuries.