‘Russian-only’ businesses in Thailand’s Phuket spark backlash

[Dazinoz]

Been like that awhile. Remember walking down Bangla Road (before living here) and a Russian lady came up to me and pointed up to a second floor window and said see lovely Russian lady. I said I come to Thailand to see Thai ladies not Russians,

[jaideedave]

1 hour ago, Trip Hop said:

I stand to be corrected but I'm pretty sure that the occupations reserved for Thais only apply to employees.  When I briefly looked into it years ago regarding my industry, I couldn't work unless it was for a foreign company carrying out a major contract in Thailand and I was classed as a key worker, which they would only allow a few.  I could on the other hand though, open up a company in my industry as long as I only employed Thais and a minimum of 4 in order to get a work permit for myself?

"I couldn't work unless it was for a foreign company carrying out a major contract in Thailand and I was classed as a key worker" 

Years ago I worked for Amerda Hess O&G outside Udon as 'Foreign" contractor Safety Officer.

I also worked for Chevron briefly offshore in the Gulf. They looked after all the work permits etc.

Those jobs are all gone these days. The good old days.Maybe some specialist gigs available but that's about it. 

[traveller101]

58 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

What "fact" is that?  Obviously, it is not a fact, there are only six countries that have banned Russian visitors.  Three others have issued bans only to Russians on tourist visas.

As of 30 August 2023, several European countries have temporarily suspended the issuance of visas to russian citizens. 

Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkise, UK.

Sorry for nitpicking - but your "facts" are incomplete as well as out of date.

 

 

[Liverpool Lou]

10 minutes ago, traveller101 said:

As of 30 August 2023, several European countries have temporarily suspended the issuance of visas to russian citizens. 

Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkise, UK.

Sorry for nitpicking - but your "facts" are incomplete as well as out of date.

As are yours!

[SuperSaiyan]

1 hour ago, malibukid said:

cowards and creeps. send them back to the super creep.  he needs them for American F16 practice

All the Ukrainian men currently in Germany and other EU countries are about to be sent back. It will look amazing seeing German police escorting Ukrainian males back while the other immigrants will be placed in 5 star hotels!

[Ironmike]

It's high time that the immigration police start to round up these people that are working here illegally and ship them all back behind the iron curtain so Putin who they voted into power can use them for shooting practice 

[SuperSaiyan]

24 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

Actually the statistics on arrivals say that the ratio is about 50 to 1 in Russians to Ukrainians.

Link?

[Spock]

So long as the Russians largely confine themselves to Phuket I don't particularly care as it's an area of Thailand I have no desire to ever again visit.

[hotandsticky]

1 minute ago, Spock said:

So long as the Russians largely confine themselves to Phuket I don't particularly care as it's an area of Thailand I have no desire to ever again visit.

Logical, if slightly selfish, reason.

[mberbae]

The same is true in Pattaya these days except the foreigners are Indian.

Tens of thousands are there, with their own clubs and massage parlors.

TAT might want to take these things into account when offering super

special promotions to a select few countries.

[Rimmer]

An off topic troll post has been removed, please see our Community Standards

[MarkyM3]

43 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

Actually the statistics on arrivals say that the ratio is about 50 to 1 in Russians to Ukrainians.

Chasing The Sun is a Russian apologist based on previous posts I've seen so no surprise the facts they state probably don't equate with reality...

[Ben Zioner]

They should swim them back to their toxic fatherland.

[Cake Monster]

Thailand welcomed all the Russians fleeing from Putins War

Well ! Now they have got them

Be careful in the quest for Money

[JBChiangRai]

32 minutes ago, SuperSaiyan said:

Link?

Statista.com

 

Actually I researched this about 5 months ago when I read an article that Russians and Ukrainian’s were causing trouble, it was a biased article, at the time none of the arrests were Ukrainians.

[BE88]

2 hours ago, Modern Coding said:

Ugh... wait... foreigner owning business here in Thailand: hair salons, taxi firms,... aren't they supposed to be restricted to the Thais only??

 

I thought only Thais would be allowed to run these sorts of business, so how could Russian get the permits to run Thai-only businesses??

And please don't come with the common brown envelop explanation: the Labor Department has become very strict with this!

 

Regarding people working illegally: in that case, the Russians would have gotten their visa and work permits removed by the authorities. I mean, every foreign business owner knows that you need to have at least 4 Thais registered per foreign owner or employee, declare them every month for the Social Security and so on, yearly audit, half-year financial statement and so on... everything getting stricter...

 

So if the Russians in Phuket are running business illegally, how come they have not been kicked out yet?? I must have missed something...

Yes you missed the Russian mafia.

[Ty Hareways]

3 hours ago, bobbin said:

That, and the fact that Russians are not welcome as tourists in most of the world..

 

Sucks to be a global troublemaker.

Re: Global Troublemakers- surely anyone with even half a brain knows that the worlds biggest troublemakers are America????

Fun Fact: i'm neither pro-Russia nor pro-Ukraine.

[SuperSaiyan]

3 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

Statista.com

 

Actually I researched this about 5 months ago when I read an article that Russians and Ukrainian’s were causing trouble, it was a biased article, at the time none if the arrests were Ukrainians.

 

Thanks for a domain name, you could have added wikipedia.org as well.

[JBChiangRai]

Just now, SuperSaiyan said:

 

Thanks for a domain name, you could have added wikipedia.org as well.

I exceeded the number of free lookups when I went back to get the page.

[ChipButty]

Judging bye the amount of Russians I see with babies if they had the babies here in Thailand are the allowed Thai citizenship? 

[daejung]

2 hours ago, itsari said:

Thailand should sell Phuket to the Russians .

USA bought Alaska from the Russians so all is possible 

and USA bought Louisiana from France ????

[SuperSaiyan]

Just now, JBChiangRai said:

I exceeded the number of free lookups when I went back to get the page.

I have domains as well! Google.com is always a good one.

 

Anyway, I tried to find such a statistic you mentioned and there is none.

[Marco51]

2 hours ago, FarangJon said:

Phuket is cheap? Maye 20 years ago 

make that 30 plus. 20 years ago the red songtau mafia already extorted 100 Baht from tourists where 10 Baht would be the real fare.

[BE88]

1 hour ago, Purdey said:

Lots of people can afford to stay longer. Most dictionaries say simply Someone who visits a place for pleasure and interest, usually while on holiday. There is no definition that includes the amount of time spent. Don't make stuff up without evidence.

 

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/tourist

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tourist

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/tourist

You are right because I have been on vacation in Thailand for ten years with a non-immigration visa and it is because I have to go to immigration office every three months to renew my tourist visa.

[Shocked farang]

2 hours ago, Modern Coding said:

Ugh... wait... foreigner owning business here in Thailand: hair salons, taxi firms,... aren't they supposed to be restricted to the Thais only??

 

I thought only Thais would be allowed to run these sorts of business, so how could Russian get the permits to run Thai-only businesses??

And please don't come with the common brown envelop explanation: the Labor Department has become very strict with this!

 

Regarding people working illegally: in that case, the Russians would have gotten their visa and work permits removed by the authorities. I mean, every foreign business owner knows that you need to have at least 4 Thais registered per foreign owner or employee, declare them every month for the Social Security and so on, yearly audit, half-year financial statement and so on... everything getting stricter...

 

So if the Russians in Phuket are running business illegally, how come they have not been kicked out yet?? I must have missed something...

Yes, you're missing something! Welcome to LOS! 

[JBChiangRai]

8 minutes ago, SuperSaiyan said:

I have domains as well! Google.com is always a good one.

 

Anyway, I tried to find such a statistic you mentioned and there is none.

Lots of statistics out there on top arrivals by nationality, Russia is No.1, Ukraine doesn’t even appear in the list.

[Denim]

2 hours ago, itsari said:

Thailand should sell Phuket to the Russians .

USA bought Alaska from the Russians so all is possible 

No need. Putin will annex it for free next year.

 

Still, better that they are all concentrated  in one place than scattered around the provinces.

 

Few foreigners  at all where I live so locals still very friendly. 

[PETERTHEEATER]

3 hours ago, patongphil said:

Just might head off to Bangla for a bit of blonde, blue eyed action!!!

Be warned. Barbie doll knees don't have joints.

[bbko]

2 hours ago, Modern Coding said:

Ugh... wait... foreigner owning business here in Thailand: hair salons, taxi firms,... aren't they supposed to be restricted to the Thais only??

 

I thought only Thais would be allowed to run these sorts of business, so how could Russian get the permits to run Thai-only businesses??

And please don't come with the common brown envelop explanation: the Labor Department has become very strict with this!

 

Regarding people working illegally: in that case, the Russians would have gotten their visa and work permits removed by the authorities. I mean, every foreign business owner knows that you need to have at least 4 Thais registered per foreign owner or employee, declare them every month for the Social Security and so on, yearly audit, half-year financial statement and so on... everything getting stricter...

 

So if the Russians in Phuket are running business illegally, how come they have not been kicked out yet?? I must have missed something...

As the OP said "Russian-only businesses have sprung up, often run through Russian language apps and staffed by people working illegally, so they are contacted through Russian apps/sites, offering under the table services (hair/nail salon at home, private unmarked car for taxi service, & other easy to conceal jobs. 

[spidermike007]

I recently spent time on Phuket. My least favorite part of the trip was the preponderance of Russians. Most of them are unpleasant. I don't know if it is rudeness, arrogance, or a simple lack of civility and manners. Theirs is a culture with truly barbaric origins, after all.