Burma Allows 100 Tourists To Cross Back To Thailan

[george]

Burma allows 100 Thai and foreign tourists to cross back to Thailand

MAE SAI: -- Burma Saturday allowed some 100 Thai and foreign tourists who were left stranded on Burma on Wednesday to cross the border back to Thailand.

The tourists were left stranded after the border checkpoint was closed following the coup Tuesday night.

Burmese officials contacted Mae Sai immigration chief Pol Col Jessada Yaisoom at 6:15 pm to receive the tourists back.

Thai officials crossed the bridge at the border checkpoint to take back the tourists and their relatives also waited for them at the immigration office.

-- The Nation 2006-09-23

[chuchok]

That's very nice of them.

[geoffphuket]

But nothing about those stuck on the wrong side of the border at Ranong

[deminister]

That might now actually be the RIGHT side of the border.

[Pui]

Whatever, it can't be a good image for tourism. Especially coming up to the cool season. As if the coup alone isn't enough to put people off. The idea of being stuck in Burma... Not to mention the new visa rules. “Amazing Thailand”

[lukamar]

“Amazing Thailand”

Now it's officially "Unforgettable Thailand". When they announced that earlier we did not know how appropriate the new phrase would be.

[khall64au]

“Amazing Thailand”

Now it's officially "Unforgettable Thailand". When they announced that earlier we did not know how appropriate the new phrase would be.

Unbelievable!!! Always makes for the best Travel Tales ....

[nasa]

Good to hear that. Just when will the border will be open again.

[jdinasia]

“Amazing Thailand”

Now it's officially "Unforgettable Thailand". When they announced that earlier we did not know how appropriate the new phrase would be.

Unbelievable!!! Always makes for the best Travel Tales ....

We live in an interesting country during interesting times khall!

[dotcom]

30 day visa runners got a little more than they bargained for huh?

[jdinasia]

30 day visa runners got a little more than they bargained for huh?

Probably ------

as did Thais shopping in Burma ...

as did standard foriegn tourists .....

as did people with non-immigrant visas that were making a 90 day run ......

are you always this way dotcom?

[bigbob44]

Hi,

I was wondering if this whole problem going on in Bangkok is going to affect tourist from visiting Thailand?

Are they allowing Tourist to come into Bangkok airport and then travel about the country without any fears?

I was planning on going to Pattaya,Thailand in late October of this year, so I really want to make sure it's going to be ok to go!

Bigbob.

[jdinasia]

Hi,

I was wondering if this whole problem going on in Bangkok is going to affect tourist from visiting Thailand?

Are they allowing Tourist to come into Bangkok airport and then travel about the country without any fears?

I was planning on going to Pattaya,Thailand in late October of this year, so I really want to make sure it's going to be ok to go!

Bigbob.

No problems at all so far ... come on and have a great vacation

[number6]

30 day visa runners got a little more than they bargained for huh?

Probably ------

as did Thais shopping in Burma ...

as did standard foriegn tourists .....

as did people with non-immigrant visas that were making a 90 day run ......

are you always this way dotcom?

come on the visa runners are not proper tourists and anyone who goes into another country without funds needs their head examining - ok their might have been the odd real tourist but

they would not be caught with nothing on them - [snip - Admin2]

[jdinasia]

30 day visa runners got a little more than they bargained for huh?

Probably ------

as did Thais shopping in Burma ...

as did standard foriegn tourists .....

as did people with non-immigrant visas that were making a 90 day run ......

are you always this way dotcom?

come on the visa runners are not proper tourists and anyone who goes into another country without funds needs their head examining - ok their might have been the odd real tourist but

they would not be caught with nothing on them - [snip - Admin2]

Riiiiiiiiiight .....

WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND would cross the border from Mae Sai with lots of cash? Many visitors to Chiang Rai go over for a bit of shopping .... and many Thai people. Since you are not allowed to travel out of the immediate area inside Myanmar you are not even able to make your way to Yangon or Bagan and fly out!

for your first 2 years living in Thailand you made 90 day runs ..........

Personally I have had all sorts of visas .... and even no visas .... is it that the folks that are visa-runners are typically younger than retirement age that bothers you?

No matter what ..... it sucks for people to be stuck for days in a place they were not expecting to be staying at ... with no way to leave ... and no knowing when they will be allowed to leave!

[lukamar]

anyone who goes into another country without funds needs their head examining - ok their might have been the odd real tourist but

they would not be caught with nothing on them -

That's not true. Last time we went over the border, at Mea Sai, it was a spur of the moment family thing, there were 5 of us. I bet we didn't have an average of 1000 bt each. and my wife and I probably had 3500 of it.

[capt_canada42]

30 day visa runners got a little more than they bargained for huh?

Probably ------

as did Thais shopping in Burma ...

as did standard foriegn tourists .....

as did people with non-immigrant visas that were making a 90 day run ......

are you always this way dotcom?

come on the visa runners are not proper tourists and anyone who goes into another country without funds needs their head examining - ok their might have been the odd real tourist but

they would not be caught with nothing on them - [snip - Admin2]

....most of the old timers here travel on minium money back and forth across the border because it is no big deal also many of them are older living on small pensions or income.

Most people carry enough money to do the job leaving most of their income with their wives and family.

Edited by Admin2

[pukkagent]

I can't believe that happened to those poor people! I did the Ranong thing once, and I'd never do it again. That was for my 90 day visa, and now I'm out of the country for a few weeks, going to Greece, etc. then back home in Thailand soon :-)

I think the Thai officials shoot themselves in the feet in so many ways. This sort of thing doesn't directly affect them, but it'll affect touirsm for the people who are depending on a better high season, after some places are still picking up after what's happened in the Tsunami. In phuket, I know for a fact, they're working round the clock in some places.

It'll not stop me going back to my little house, but I think it's very unseemly the amount of 'insurgents' who've happened to have been killing ministers, and related parties in the last few months, or attempting to do them serious harm or injury. It's really sad, because on the whole, I think Thailand is wonderful.

[swain]

Does this mean that Mae Sai is back in biz or was this a one time shot. Let them go home then lock it back up?

[stao]

Does this mean that Mae Sai is back in biz or was this a one time shot. Let them go home then lock it back up?

10 years ago I paddled an inflatable canoe from Mae Sai to Chiang Saen many times & noticed "other" means of crossing that border.

~ 500 meters up stream from the bridge crossing in Mae Sai there was a cable barge which operated in the evenings ferrying people back & forth.

Also note during the low water season the river is very shallow in several locations and can be crossed without swimming.

Wonder how the Thai Immigration would do if one showed-up & stated "most sincere apologies however had to cross the river without checking-out of Burma so here I am"...

[Huckenfell]

Burma allows 100 Thai and foreign tourists to cross back to Thailand

MAE SAI: -- Burma Saturday allowed some 100 Thai and foreign tourists who were left stranded on Burma on Wednesday to cross the border back to Thailand.

The tourists were left stranded after the border checkpoint was closed following the coup Tuesday night.

Burmese officials contacted Mae Sai immigration chief Pol Col Jessada Yaisoom at 6:15 pm to receive the tourists back.

Thai officials crossed the bridge at the border checkpoint to take back the tourists and their relatives also waited for them at the immigration office.

-- The Nation 2006-09-23

I am getting a little confused by all this ! Did they all get their visas renewed ?

[sossn]

I am totaly confused about the Visa laws i can understand the stopping of people who dont pay for a visa and come in under a free 30 day stamp and keep doing visa runs.

I have enquired abt tourist visas and have been told you can get one entry permit of 90 days or duel entry of 60 days duration but also read they are not allow multiple entry visas my question is if a peron has a single entry thai visa of 90 days can he leave thailand go to Vientianne or Penang and get a new tourist visa as i have a daughter in thailand that i have to have DNA tests done and challenge bureaucracy to bring home and i know 90 days will not be enough time any advice would be greatly appreciated

[sbk]

I am totaly confused about the Visa laws i can understand the stopping of people who dont pay for a visa and come in under a free 30 day stamp and keep doing visa runs.

I have enquired abt tourist visas and have been told you can get one entry permit of 90 days or duel entry of 60 days duration but also read they are not allow multiple entry visas my question is if a peron has a single entry thai visa of 90 days can he leave thailand go to Vientianne or Penang and get a new tourist visa as i have a daughter in thailand that i have to have DNA tests done and challenge bureaucracy to bring home and i know 90 days will not be enough time any advice would be greatly appreciated

Please see this thread regarding this issue. You may find your answer there.

[The Snark]

Does this mean that Mae Sai is back in biz or was this a one time shot. Let them go home then lock it back up?

10 years ago I paddled an inflatable canoe from Mae Sai to Chiang Saen many times & noticed "other" means of crossing that border.

~ 500 meters up stream from the bridge crossing in Mae Sai there was a cable barge which operated in the evenings ferrying people back & forth.

Also note during the low water season the river is very shallow in several locations and can be crossed without swimming.

Wonder how the Thai Immigration would do if one showed-up & stated "most sincere apologies however had to cross the river without checking-out of Burma so here I am"...

Brilliant. Violating an assortment of laws, possibly getting blacklisted and unknown if you are wanted in the foreign country for criminal offenses.

[tartempion]

Does this mean that Mae Sai is back in biz or was this a one time shot. Let them go home then lock it back up?

10 years ago I paddled an inflatable canoe from Mae Sai to Chiang Saen many times & noticed "other" means of crossing that border.

~ 500 meters up stream from the bridge crossing in Mae Sai there was a cable barge which operated in the evenings ferrying people back & forth.

Also note during the low water season the river is very shallow in several locations and can be crossed without swimming.

Wonder how the Thai Immigration would do if one showed-up & stated "most sincere apologies however had to cross the river without checking-out of Burma so here I am"...

Brilliant. Violating an assortment of laws, possibly getting blacklisted and unknown if you are wanted in the foreign country for criminal offenses.

Brilliant????

A friend of mine married a waitress he met in a Mae Sai guest house.

She was Burmese and worked there illegally, did not dare to walk around at night, scared from thai police. Do ya think she was the only burmese illegal working over the border???

How he got maried is an other long almost funny story.

I can see many people crossing the border just far enough away from that bridge....

[tomallison]

As per tartempion's and other comments. I live near Mae Sot, and only a few hundred metres from the (official controlled) bridge crossing to Myanmar there are boats in which the Thai/Burmese people seem to cross the river at will.

[pascharay]

30 day visa runners got a little more than they bargained for huh?

Probably ------

as did Thais shopping in Burma ...

as did standard foriegn tourists .....

as did people with non-immigrant visas that were making a 90 day run ......

are you always this way dotcom?

come on the visa runners are not proper tourists and anyone who goes into another country without funds needs their head examining - ok their might have been the odd real tourist but

they would not be caught with nothing on them - [snip - Admin2]

Riiiiiiiiiight .....

WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND would cross the border from Mae Sai with lots of cash? Many visitors to Chiang Rai go over for a bit of shopping .... and many Thai people. Since you are not allowed to travel out of the immediate area inside Myanmar you are not even able to make your way to Yangon or Bagan and fly out!

for your first 2 years living in Thailand you made 90 day runs ..........

Personally I have had all sorts of visas .... and even no visas .... is it that the folks that are visa-runners are typically younger than retirement age that bothers you?

No matter what ..... it sucks for people to be stuck for days in a place they were not expecting to be staying at ... with no way to leave ... and no knowing when they will be allowed to leave!

dotcom probably had a perfect attendance record in school too.

I've stayed at the mai Sai guesthosue and gone over the border with a couple of thousand baht for shopping. Left the rest in the safe deposit box. I guess that's a crime for dotcom.

If you were stuck then you could ahve walked up the river a few hundred meters and swam across to thailand. Thus making you a wetback. Oh, sorry, dotcom would disapprove of this.

Opps

[jdinasia]

I can't believe that happened to those poor people! I did the Ranong thing once, and I'd never do it again. That was for my 90 day visa, and now I'm out of the country for a few weeks, going to Greece, etc. then back home in Thailand soon :-)

I think the Thai officials shoot themselves in the feet in so many ways. This sort of thing doesn't directly affect them, but it'll affect touirsm for the people who are depending on a better high season, after some places are still picking up after what's happened in the Tsunami. In phuket, I know for a fact, they're working round the clock in some places.

It'll not stop me going back to my little house, but I think it's very unseemly the amount of 'insurgents' who've happened to have been killing ministers, and related parties in the last few months, or attempting to do them serious harm or injury. It's really sad, because on the whole, I think Thailand is wonderful.

Ummmmmmmmmmm

Thailand didn't close the borders and strand people ...Myanmar did.<the rest is off topic>

MaeSai is still closed

Edited September 24, 2006 by jdinasia

[astral]

A happy ending to an awkward situation.

Interesting the reality about the numbers was somewhat less than the sensational headline of the Phuket Gazette.

anyone who goes into another country without funds needs their head examining - ok their might have been the odd real tourist but

they would not be caught with nothing on them -

This a rather cras generalisation.

My Thai wife and I have crossed the border at Mae Sai, along with her brother and his family, for a few hours to visit the markets.

I doubt we had all that much money in our pockets, a few 1000 baht.

As others have pointed out it is not a good idea to go with too much money, in case you are robbed.

It is one of the advantages of Thailand that we can cross the various borders with the minimum of formality.

It also broadens the mind to see how the people in other countries live.

[jdinasia]

A happy ending to an awkward situation.

Interesting the reality about the numbers was somewhat less than the sensational headline of the Phuket Gazette.

anyone who goes into another country without funds needs their head examining - ok their might have been the odd real tourist but

they would not be caught with nothing on them -

This a rather cras generalisation.

My Thai wife and I have crossed the border at Mae Sai, along with her brother and his family, for a few hours to visit the markets.

I doubt we had all that much money in our pockets, a few 1000 baht.

As others have pointed out it is not a good idea to go with too much money, in case you are robbed.

It is one of the advantages of Thailand that we can cross the various borders with the minimum of formality.

It also broadens the mind to see how the people in other countries live.

Not sure about the Phuket Gazzette numbers since ------ this article refers to ONE border crossing only! (and not Ranong)