More than 100,000 foreigners staying illegally in Thailand

[connda]

God I love it. All those illegal aliens in the US screaming for instant citizenship, while those going through the proper channels are going to get the shaft.

Listen up Thailand -- I Want Citizenship Now!!! (wait a minute....I'm here legally and I process my paperwork through the proper channels. Doing that, I couldn't even qualify for citizenship in the US)

[hawker9000]

It's not just about deciding whether to come (as a tourist), or not. For many, it's instead about whether to come to Thailand to actually stay & live or retire (or not). This sort of blatantly exploitive tax, along with the scams, and the crime, and the two-tier everything, and the growing corruption, and the changing thai attitudes towards foreigners, as well as their own dissolving culture, traditions, and values, are what the "prospective" expat takes into consideration before he starts committing his assets. None of the above constitutes much of an inducement, no matter what the already-invested have to say about it: THEY'RE the biased ones here. They have houses, condos, families, businesses... They're committed and well past the point of mulling it over and studying the situation on a pre-decision basis. This tax isn't the whole story for sure, but it IS a sign & a symptom of what the future holds in store for Thailand's foreign "guests".

[hawker9000]

It's not just about deciding whether to come (as a tourist), or not. For many, it's instead about whether to come to Thailand to actually stay & live or retire (or not). This sort of blatantly exploitive tax, along with the scams, and the crime, and the two-tier everything, and the growing corruption, and the changing thai attitudes towards foreigners, as well as their own dissolving culture, traditions, and values, are what the "prospective" expat takes into consideration before he starts committing his assets. None of the above constitutes much of an inducement, no matter what the already-invested have to say about it: THEY'RE the biased ones here. They have houses, condos, families, businesses... They're committed and well past the point of mulling it over and studying the situation on a pre-decision basis. This tax isn't the whole story for sure, but it IS a sign & a symptom of what the future holds in store for Thailand's foreign "guests". You might have been a "nice farang man" before. Now you're just a gringo. Millions just like you. Learn to live with it. SWAT dee!

Edited October 28, 2013 by hawker9000

[FarangTalk]

I remember when this 500baht fee was mooted. Their excuse was for health insurance and anyone who was already covered, would be exempt. Now the goal posts have been moved and they are coming up with any excuse as it's a money making scheme - in other words, an official rip off that will go with some of the ones you get when you hit the tourist areas.

Does anyone actually believe if you had no health insurance and were involved in a serious accident that required operations and being flown back to your country of residence/home country, the Thai authorities would foot the bill because you paid the 500 baht tax?

Exactly and this was repeated by many of the better informed expats and visitors on the other thread.

Anyone who thinks otherwise is only fooling themselves.

When this tax comes into effect I will recoup the 500thb by avoiding tipping even minimal amounts and by further limiting my purchases while in country.

Sent from my SM-N900 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[malcyx]

That's a lot of Baht .. 10 billion a year ..

according to BKK Post .. 22 million tourists last year.. I rounded it down to 10 billion ..

that's 100k for each illegal each year ..

Now if every illegal paid the fee of 20k tomorrow n got deported they would raise only 2billion ..

good business id say ..

[Thai at Heart]

This policy sounds very anti-ASEAN. I wonder how ASEAN feels about this?

Responding to my own question, I emailed ASEAN and asked this question and they said....

"Thanks for your email and sharing info on the above development. I understand that this was started by the hospital bill left by tourists visiting Thailand.

In ASEAN, under ASEAN tourism agreement Article 2(3) (http://www.asean.org/news/item/asean-tourism-agreement-2), Member States should phasing out travel levies and travel taxes on nationals of ASEAN Member States traveling to other ASEAN Member States. With this putting travel taxes on nationals of ASEAN Member States are discouraged. With this, hope Member States would stick to what has been agreed earlier, at least for ASEAN nationals."

Basically, my ASEAN contact said Thailand should not apply this policy to tourist from other ASEAN countries.

Waive visa fees for Chinese but put in an arrival tax.

Does anyone see what is going on here?

China is not considered an ASEAN country therefore Article 2(3) would not apply to China.

I.e. it's a cheap sop for the Thais to tell the Chinese they have got a visa waiver. But instead they have to pay an entry fee.

Wow, these Thais. They are smart and if course the Chinese tour companies are going to be so dumb and fall for this. As my grandma used to say, they really just think these guys just got off the banana boat.

[mtimmu]

More than 100,000 foreigners staying illegally in Thailand

My my...If this was the United States, staying in Thailand illegally would be the quickest way to obtain citizenship!!!. ...

in my homecountry....many have applied to get social welfare , they have escaped from their own countries and illegally stayin safe ...and then the rest is history to feed their 9 viwes and 800 relatives

[Ianatlarge]

If there are 100k overstaying, is it really a problem? Maybe number 1,000 on Thailand's list of problems. 500 baht — really, what a ridiculous number. What is a "quality" tourist? No deadbeat sex tourist farang? Why not just allow people to enter the country? Singapore, 90 days, free, on arrival, 5 minutes. What does Sing know that Thailand does not? How much of this 500 baht will not end up in someone's back pocket?

[dbrenn]

The question is whether quality tourists would still want to come to Thailand, given the invasion of Chinese package tourism and the jaded state of former beauty spots?

Edited March 22, 2016 by dbrenn

[MaeJoMTB]

Once again the classic Thai definition of quality = rich(er). Those who can afford to pay must be of better 'quality' as they are richer.

You're wrong,

Quality tourist = Asian tourist.

[KhunFred]

Yes, and pumping a boatload of money into the Thai economy.. The stultifying ingratitude of the Thais has not yet hit bottom.

[Percy P]

On 10/22/2013 at 8:47 AM, ratcatcher said:

Presumably, this means that all persons re-entering the country after a "visa run" will be, as usual, classified as 'tourists' and be expected to pay B500?

Correct. It's only tourists money that's keeping Thailand afloat

[Anythingleft?]

Correct. It's only tourists money that's keeping Thailand afloat

Is that a joke or a serious comment?

Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

[Sonhia]

The way things are going, illigal tourists are probably doing more good than harm. Ask most Thai and most may reply with "Business no good. NO customers". 

 

Foreigners legal or not get nothing for free in the land of rip-offs. Illigal overstayers still pay and help prop a declining economy, and as for attracting quality tourists, what a joke! research the numbers, look at the obvious pollution, filth, lawlessness and so on within Thailand. 

 

Usual Thai fickelness... Yet more greed and smoke screens. 

 

Those civil servents held with conducting thier positions legally, should not have been so illigal and greedy in their actions. 

 

What gets me is the feeling that I should be grestful I'm in Thailand getting ripped-off, treated as an idiot, spoken to in many cases in a very negative and unfriendly fashion by Thai.  Land of frawns... 

 

If it were not for my dependants, I would not stay in such a place. 

 

 

[ozmeldo]

I thought BJ took care of all these scousers and the number was at zero??

 

I'm lost trying to understand how introducing a b500 fee on entrance is that on a waiver? visa? B visa? O visa?!! will bring better quality tourists. The only thing it might do is discourage lesser quality tourists. As usual, the logic fails.

 

Quality tourists will never come to Thailand. It's a place where you get robbed, scammed, beaten and even murdered. They go to Florida, Caribbean or southern Europe. Travel the world... Japan, New Zealand...Next time you are entering or exiting have a look at the motley crew.

 

We should all save for the +70 yos developing plans for departure.

 

I guess if you're married with children, living upcountry in a shotgun shack and teaching for 28k you're not doing many trips abroad.

 

This really has potential to suck the westerners out of the country, including perhaps not international teachers but the remainder of decent EFL teachers in Thailand. The Thai will all start speaking English with that annoying Filipino accent and wherever they go in the world be initially branded as Filipino losing their cultural indentity and identifying as "the sick man of Asia". Already happened in Indonesia.

 

 

 

 

[ozmeldo]

On 10/24/2013 at 2:46 PM, oldthaihand99 said:

It's peanuts for most Westerners & first world countries' citizens who can afford to travel by air and stay in hotels.

No doubt the funds would dissuade the poorer riff raff from coming to LOS & be used to weed out overstayers & other scum already in the Kingdom, thereby making Siam a more attractive destination for higher quality tourists.

It's not peanuts for a family of six arriving from India.

[dabhand]

20 minutes ago, ozmeldo said:

It's not peanuts for a family of six arriving from India.

The original article is from 2013.

[blackcab]

As the OP is from 2013 and the 500 baht fee didn't materialise, I think we can safely close this thread now.

 

Closed.