Bangladesh Complains Over Tough Thai Visa Rules

[george]

Vexatious restrictions on visa for Thailand came as a shock

BANGLADESH: -- Restrictions on granting visas to Bangladeshis willing to visit any other country appear to be becoming stricter every day. Some countries are imposing vexatious and ridiculous conditions on such visits. Most of them do not provide explanations for such newer restrictions.

It is understood that some countries like the United States and Europe imposed those restrictions on most countries including Bangladesh in order to check immigration from unwanted countries.

But vexatious visa restrictions imposed by Thailand on Bangladesh shocked our people because of the good relationship developing between the two countries. Thailand, once allowed free entry of Bangladeshis. Now they have doubled the visa fee from Taka 500 to 1200 for a transit traveler and from Taka 700 to Taka 1500 for a regular visitor. Besides the period for issuing visa has been increased from seven days to 15 days. Visa applicants are to submit host of papers and information that is often intriguing and embarrassing. They are to submit even the cheque books in addition to bank statements, which even the businessmen find too embarrassing and harassing.

These changes were effected from August last. Suddenly people have been forced into unforeseen difficulties.

The fact is that people nowadays travel not for pleasure only. But mostly on business or even getting better medical treatment. Thailand under Prime Minister Mr. Thaksin Sinawatra has been playing a leading role for helping regional cooperation in trade and business. Such an irritating and time consuming process of issuing visa will hurt genuine travelers than illegal immigrants. Illegal immigrants do excel in illegal and devious ways.

Curiously, the restrictions were imposed only after the two countries agreed to expand relations and efforts are underway to build a road to link the two countries. Thailand also offered to allow 110 new Bangladeshi items to enter Thai market. Thailand has a huge market in Bangladesh. In fact, Dhaka is a net importer of Thai goods.

In this background, the imposition of harsh restrictions befuddles everyone. Specially so when such complications over visa do not advance the interaction among businessmen and the benefit of business.

Some surmised that Thailand might have imposed the restrictions to check “unwanted job-seekers from Bangladesh.” But this excuse appears to be without substance in that the issue can be easily tackled if there is proper monitoring within the country.

When contacted senior officials of our foreign ministry and commerce ministry they said that they were looking into the issue. They expressed ignorance over the fact that visitors from Bangladesh are facing discrimination even by the Thais. Unfortunately, our ministries are ignorant of many developments.

We value special relationship between Thailand and Bangladesh. We genuinely feel that Bangladesh and Thailand can make mutually beneficial relations grow stronger and stronger. It is not correct that too many Bangladeshis go to Thailand in search of work. We certainly do not want illegal immigrants from Bangladesh should create problems for a friendly country like Thailand.

We earnestly hope that this humiliating and cumbersome visa issuing process should be avoided through discussions between the governments of Thailand and Bangladesh in a spirit of friendly cooperation.

--The New Nation. Bangladesh