Thailand news - Russian citizens will get an extension of their visa-waiver from, currently, 30 days to a full 90 days - a slap in the face of other nationalities who have been long-term visitors of Thailand. A Swedish woman is in a Koh Samui after a motorcycle accident, again insurance is the problem.

 

India will decide on granting same-sex marriage rights to its citizens today, and the Thai prime minister is busy driving his Tesla to work to ingratiate himself with Tesla officials ahead of business discussions next month, arrived in Beijing yesterday and will meet with presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping during his visit.

 

Tim Newton Today is a daily take on Thai and regional news and issues of interest to expats and foreign tourists.

 

 

Completely unfair................if roll this scheme out......roll it out to all the 'developed nations'

 

 

Hopefully we all get 90 day visas.

It begs the question, which Russians are 'allowed' by their employers to have a 90 day holiday.....NONE.

 

So the main beneficiaries of a 90 day visa will the unemployed, drug dealers, thugs and draft dodgers.........glad I live in the middle of rice field (for once)

Great news for the Russian mafia in the country.

Had discussions with locals in Bali. The Russian community brought some troubles to the island. Of course, there are decent Russian tourists coming. But there are also plenty of illegal workers with shady practises who moved there since the war began.

 

Let's see how it goes in the next 2 weeks. If the 90 days exemption stays restricted to Russians, I will make sure my tourist money will go into Filipino pockets instead of Thai ones.

More complications to the process.  More queues.

Russia has invaded another country for land grab, killing thousands in doing so, now Thailand is doing Russians citizens a favour to stay in LOS longer.................   

They shouldn't even be here.......................

    

57 minutes ago, El Matador said:

  I will make sure my tourist money will go into Filipino pockets instead of Thai ones.

Should Thailand revise their projected earnings for this quarter? ????

' I will make sure my tourist money will go into Filipino pockets' 

 

The Philippines has very easy long stay requirements. You can actually enter either Visa Free, or with a 60 day tourist visa and extend up to a maximum of 36 months. You then leave, re-enter and start the process again. I have 2 American friends who have been here 4+ years. 

 

I have had a Retirement Visa (SRRV) for 9 years and have NEVER visited an immigration office. You get a Resident card which lasts 2 years, then you renew thru the retirement association

4 hours ago, Will B Good said:

It begs the question, which Russians are 'allowed' by their employers to have a 90 day holiday.....NONE.

Holiday - no, but many Russian companies now allow to work remotely (for example IT companies, travel companies tarificators, web designers, accountants, any back office managers etc etc). 

4 hours ago, biggles45 said:

' I will make sure my tourist money will go into Filipino pockets' 

 

The Philippines has very easy long stay requirements. You can actually enter either Visa Free, or with a 60 day tourist visa and extend up to a maximum of 36 months. You then leave, re-enter and start the process again. I have 2 American friends who have been here 4+ years. 

 

I have had a Retirement Visa (SRRV) for 9 years and have NEVER visited an immigration office. You get a Resident card which lasts 2 years, then you renew thru the retirement association

Right. I've been in Manila for 10 days. The visa system here seems like a dream compared to the Thai one. That being said, Bangkok beats Manila in many aspects (infrastructures, food, etc.) although you can appreciate the city better overtime once you understand how it works. But a clear preference towards Russian citizens from Thailand would make me stop thinking about Thailand for a while (although I doubt they will do that foolish move). That would be a big middlefinger towards Westerners.

On 10/17/2023 at 11:32 AM, gt162 said:

Hopefully we all get 90 day visas.

No Visa involved for the Russians.......

On 10/17/2023 at 12:40 AM, Will B Good said:

It begs the question, which Russians are 'allowed' by their employers to have a 90 day holiday.....NONE.

This is where you are mistaken. A lot of jobs in Russia, especially up north, are seasonal. Think mining, oil/gas, farming, etc. Even the construction industry almost shuts down during the winter months. The people who work in these fields do have a few months off. Then you have all of the remote workers.