Russian Elites Are Transforming Thailand’s Biggest Island as They Become More Unwelcome in the West

[KhunLA]

1 minute ago, Hakuna Matata said:

Yes, they are all buying Education Visa, bribing corrupt immigration officers in Thailand. It's high time for the Government to reconsider this kind of visa. Something is fundamentally wrong with Thailand ED visa.

Any different than non Russian expats using Ed visa, or agents to skirt the visa requirements.

 

All sounds a bit hypocritical to me.

 

Where's me signature ... ????

[stevenl]

13 minutes ago, Hakuna Matata said:

Those young Russian people in their 20's and 30's are mostly children of corrupt government officials with lots of money in their pockets. Money laundering in Thailand!

Must be low ranking officials then. What I see is they're working online, coming out in the weekends. No money in their pockets.

10 minutes ago, Hakuna Matata said:

Yes, they are all buying Education Visa, bribing corrupt immigration officers in Thailand. It's high time for the Government to reconsider this kind of visa. Something is fundamentally wrong with Thailand ED visa.

Yes, buying ED visa. Bribing, why when they can legitimately obtain ED visa?

[Airwolf]

10 minutes ago, Hakuna Matata said:

Yes, they are all buying Education Visa, bribing corrupt immigration officers in Thailand. It's high time for the Government to reconsider this kind of visa. Something is fundamentally wrong with Thailand ED visa.

They just need to implement a quota limit per nationality. 

[LivinginKata]

17 minutes ago, Hakuna Matata said:

Yes, they are all buying Education Visa, bribing corrupt immigration officers in Thailand. It's high time for the Government to reconsider this kind of visa. Something is fundamentally wrong with Thailand ED visa.

Getting harder to 'buy' an Ed Visa. Limited places at the schools and Immigration only accept a quita.

 

I can tell from our quests that it's not so easy as a number have run out of Visa time and left Thailand.

[nickmondo]

4 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Can someone explain to me how you can tell they are Russian, or any nationality unless in conversation with them.

 

We were on Phuket this year, and I saw/met one couple.  Only knew they was Russian, as the Aussie at the pool asked him where he was from.  

 

Although, with that observation, I can honestly say, more than 33% of the int'l tourist I met on Phuket were Russian.

 

Talked with 1 Iranian, 1 Aussie couple, and 1 Russian couple.

 

Since I'm an expat, wife/Thai, we don't count as int'l tourist.

 

So I can honestly say Phuket is being overrun with Iranians, Aussies & Russians ????

the woman wear hankies on their heads

the fat men wear budgie snugglers, speedos

they all stand on the beach with hands on hips, and turn 90 degrees every few minutes to get an even tan.

they stand in the shallow sea in a circle

miserable looking gits

push past people in any queue, especially in 7

 

[Rimmer]

A troll post has been removed

[KhunLA]

10 minutes ago, Airwolf said:

They just need to implement a quota limit per nationality. 

To say that about Muslims or Blacks would be racist.

 

Why not internment camps ... mind boggling.

Y'all showing your colors.

 

Peace Out

[thecyclist]

4 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Can someone explain to me how you can tell they are Russian, or any nationality unless in conversation with them.

 

We were on Phuket this year, and I saw/met one couple.  Only knew they was Russian, as the Aussie at the pool asked him where he was from.  

 

Although, with that observation, I can honestly say, more than 33% of the int'l tourist I met on Phuket were Russian.

 

Talked with 1 Iranian, 1 Aussie couple, and 1 Russian couple.

 

Since I'm an expat, wife/Thai, we don't count as int'l tourist.

 

So I can honestly say Phuket is being overrun with Iranians, Aussies & Russians ????

If that is true, then Pattaya is very different from Phuket. Pattaya is overrun by Indians. The number of Russians is way down from a couple of months ago. And don't hear much Aussie English spoken here. The Chinese are back, but still a far cry from pre-Covid levels. 

[stevenl]

3 minutes ago, thecyclist said:

If that is true, then Pattaya is very different from Phuket. Pattaya is overrun by Indians. The number of Russians is way down from a couple of months ago. And don't hear much Aussie English spoken here. The Chinese are back, but still a far cry from pre-Covid levels. 

Same on Phuket.

[bristolgeoff]

Cambodia has the chinese down sth,no one wants to go there and  leave for other parts.Phuket is heading the same who wants to go there if it is all russian control,just more expensive when it happens

[fredbe]

Just now, visarunner said:

The Russians don't interfere with other Tourist's, they just stay within their community, at least this is what I observed.

Because a lot of them doesn't speak english

[MurakamiX]

Sneaky Russians, or as my Ukrainian friend calls them, orcs. 

[Montnoveau]

5 hours ago, ChipButty said:

They have money and loads of it

So it should actually read "Russian criminals" instead of "...elite".

[RichardColeman]

4 hours ago, visarunner said:

The Russians don't interfere with other Tourist's, they just stay within their community, at least this is what I observed.

Probably true, until they get drunk which tends to be quite often by reports on here and start trashing things

[JimTripper]

5 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Can someone explain to me how you can tell they are Russian, or any nationality unless in conversation with them.

 

We were on Phuket this year, and I saw/met one couple.  Only knew they was Russian, as the Aussie at the pool asked him where he was from.  

 

Although, with that observation, I can honestly say, more than 33% of the int'l tourist I met on Phuket were Russian.

 

Talked with 1 Iranian, 1 Aussie couple, and 1 Russian couple.

 

Since I'm an expat, wife/Thai, we don't count as int'l tourist.

 

So I can honestly say Phuket is being overrun with Iranians, Aussies & Russians ????

they are large and sit by the pool all day.

[Bkk Brian]

2 minutes ago, JimTripper said:

they are large and sit by the pool all day.

You can tell the women easily by the filler injection in the lips

[goldenbrwn1]

5 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Can someone explain to me how you can tell they are Russian, or any nationality unless

Hot chick with a bloke batting wayyyy above who needs someone with a fashion or dress sense  to pick his clothes out for him.

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand has long been a top destination for tourists. But one group in particular is now flocking to Phuket, the country’s largest island: Russian elites.

TAT only see them as tourists... wait for the reality to set-in.. when Russians start running the place.

[VBF]

31 minutes ago, stoner said:

even more crazy....i'm going there to open a cannabis shop. 

You'll need some!!!

[fulhamster]

1 hour ago, CANSIAM said:

Are you using the 800k method at immigration for your long stay ? what do most of the ‘elites’ use ? 

Agents ?

[Andrew65]

5 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Can someone explain to me how you can tell they are Russian, or any nationality unless in conversation with them.

 

We were on Phuket this year, and I saw/met one couple.  Only knew they was Russian, as the Aussie at the pool asked him where he was from.  

 

Although, with that observation, I can honestly say, more than 33% of the int'l tourist I met on Phuket were Russian.

 

Talked with 1 Iranian, 1 Aussie couple, and 1 Russian couple.

 

Since I'm an expat, wife/Thai, we don't count as int'l tourist.

 

So I can honestly say Phuket is being overrun with Iranians, Aussies & Russians ????

My old Swedish friend and I used to try guessing where farang were from, just by looking (and listening) Socks & sandals "probably British" ????

 

I found the hardest to be eastern Europeans due to their unintelligible languages! ????????

[Dickie Dee]

6 hours ago, phetphet said:

What makes them all so elite?

Elite is Russian for criminal. 

[zzzzz]

41 minutes ago, bristolgeoff said:

Cambodia has the chinese down sth,no one wants to go there and  leave for other parts.Phuket is heading the same who wants to go there if it is all russian control,just more expensive when it happens

i dont see the Russians controlling anything

as far as tourists around,  Mostly Indians and middle easterners ( they love to sit on the horses on the beach while looking at their phones while a thai guy leads them)

 

Quote

...i'm going there to open a cannabis shop. 

i'd say than u have zero business sense
already to many, prices have dropped alot and the new government will reverse the policy in place

[John Drake]

1 hour ago, Hakuna Matata said:

Yes, they are all buying Education Visa, bribing corrupt immigration officers in Thailand. It's high time for the Government to reconsider this kind of visa. Something is fundamentally wrong with Thailand ED visa.

If they're all so elite and everything, why don't they go for the Thailand Elite Visa, especially since they're so rich?

[JimTripper]

5 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

My old Swedish friend and I used to try guessing where farang were from, just by looking (and listening) Socks & sandals "probably British" ????

 

I found the hardest to be eastern Europeans due to their unintelligible languages! ????????

When a guy is real comfortable at the pool showing his tan off to other guys I know he’s European

 

if he’s overweight and avoids eye contact and says nothing and had thong swimwear he’s Russian at the pool

 

if he is under a tree or umbrella he’s Thai

 

if he’s drinking a corona extra and has a brown stain on his underwear, that’s a Mexican

[bradiston]

Any overspill, they'd be welcome in amongst the Koh Chang archipelago. Smaller islands, tiny police force, no immigration office except on the mainland.. Quick exit to ex Russian colony, Cambodia.  What's not to like?

[Grahamlil]

Shame on you Thailand, the reason why they are coming to Thailand because nobody else will take them

Look what the Russians are doing to the rest of the world

SHAME ON YOU FOR NOT SUPPORTING THE UKRAINE 

 

[Seeall]

6 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I suspect the Russians have something to do with the new project just coming up out of the ground in Rawai they flattened half the property along the beach front, looks like a huge project for Rawai, 

yes I wondered same... its huge, prime land.....   upmarket resort sure... but one downside... its not a good swimming beach, i guerss big pools and look beach no need swim there lol

[Grahamlil]

Everywhere i have been on vacation which has included Russians has been awful, they are miserable, greedy & suck the atmosphere out of the place  

[Whateveryas]

The Russian people whether tourists or coming to stay, are welcome in Thailand by the owners of the country. 

the Thai people did not ask the westerners to offer their opinion. 
 

So please all of you farangs, including me : 

 

If You don’t like it , then be silent or leave . 
 

the Thai know what is good for them.