Reports: Thai-Cambo border check points closed to visa runners with immediate effect

[Kitsune]

Invalidity pension.

Many on this forum would question why, as someone on a disability pension, you would choose, and I quote, " to live in a 3rd world, banana republic run by a military junta". Of course, they are the disgruntled few who have never managed to enjoy their lives in Thailand.

I don't think I said "3rd world", it's an obsolete term.

When I came 15 years ago it was a totally different place.

Hence my despair to see it turn this way.

[Stoker58]

Invalidity pension.

Yeah, rich then. Well if Thailand doesn't want to give you a long term visa - and it's their country after all - go somewhere that's more welcoming to rich retired foreigners. Malaysia has a much better attitude. Come back and visit Thailand whenever you feel like it.

Do you have any idea of what an invalidity pension is ?

A pension for being an invalid, I assume. Enough money to go off and live indefinetely in Thailand it would appear.

[IMA_FARANG]

The Thai police have issued (yesterday) a new arrest warrant for a non-European foreigner who they suspect was possibly one of the "masterminds" in the bombing.

They suspect he is in Cambodia, and he is going to try to return to Thailand by crossing a land border with a new, quite possibly fake or forged Thai visa.

That's what all the commotion is about, and why things are so disrupted right now.

I suspect, one way or the other, this will all be sorted out soon.

As that British WWII poster said." Keep Calm And Carry On".

[yellowboat]

Oh wise one, since when is doing a 30 day visa run illegal? It's a loophole that's allows people to stay here. But not illegal as far as i know.

A retirement visa cost has no relevance to people under 50, and you forgot to add the 800,000 baht you must have in the bank.

5 year visa! So you want something that does not exist, while telling people to go home who are following the law that does exist?

Thailand Elite Visa gives you five years.

Cambodia gives you a residence visa for B12,500 a year . The basic elite card comes in at B500,000 for five years. Cambodia is a 1/4/ of the price.

That's about right 4 times less things to do and 4 times less food to eat.

And that where the opportunities are, unless you do not have the energy or sense of adventure.

[Kitsune]

it's just that until now I always wanted to play by the book.

Now I have learned my lesson, I will do like everyone else, pay an agent to get me a visa and criticize everyone on a tourist visa.

[Stoker58]

Invalidity pension.

Many on this forum would question why, as someone on a disability pension, you would choose, and I quote, " to live in a 3rd world, banana republic run by a military junta". Of course, they are the disgruntled few who have never managed to enjoy their lives in Thailand.

I don't think I said "3rd world", it's an obsolete term.

When I came 15 years ago it was a totally different place.

Hence my despair to see it turn this way.

Blimey! You've been living in Thailand for fifteen years and you're still not fifty? So you got an invalidity pension for life when you were about thirty? Blimey!

[chrissables]

If you're over fifty you can get a retirement visa. If you're under fifty you should be at home working, not loitering around in Thailand.

Obviously pi##ed off you are still working or worked too late in life to enjoy your time before getting to 50!

[DP25]

If you're over fifty you can get a retirement visa. If you're under fifty you should be at home working, not loitering around in Thailand.

I am under 50 and unable to work, do you want to kick me out?

If you're unable to work how do you live in Thailand? Are you rich?

Thailand isn't expensive. Any westerner should be able to afford a year or two of living in Thailand without working. Many a lot longer than that. You don't need to be rich.

Edited September 13, 2015 by DP25

[chrisinth]

No idea what all the fuzz is about. Get a legal visa, i.e. retirement, b, or marriage visa! Stop whining if they clamp down on cheap Charly flip flop and Batik clothes wearing idiots (working illegally as tour guides, touts, dive masters, drug dealers, fraudsters, forgers, etc.) who think that doing a visa run every 30 days will flawlessly work forever. I pay a lot of money to keep my tax papers, visa and work permit in order, pay employees, their social insurance, etc.... Why should anyone else have it the easy, illegal and cheap way?

Why would a tourist be in the slightest interested in the above? Although i am sure there are some people working illegally in Thailand on visa exempts, and others who think it is cheaper (?) to stay in Thailand for extended periods by this method, they are in a minority in the big picture when put against tourists.

And just for clarity, i don't have a horse in this race, i also work legally here with the correct visa & WP, but realize that not everyone can meet the requirements for retirement, not everyone is married and not everyone can be employed. Most of those that stay for longer periods are on tourist visas and obviously better at mathematics towards budgets than those on visa exempt trying to stay long time.......................

[theguyfromanotherforum]

If you're over fifty you can get a retirement visa. If you're under fifty you should be at home working, not loitering around in Thailand.

Sounds like another jealous beer hugging sexpat to me

[mochafan]

No more illegal tourists doing back to back border runs.

If you intend to stay in Thailand for an extended period you must apply for the correct visa.

why do you care?

[Stoker58]

If you're over fifty you can get a retirement visa. If you're under fifty you should be at home working, not loitering around in Thailand.

Obviously pi##ed off you are still working or worked too late in life to enjoy your time before getting to 50!

I quit work for good at 47 and thanks to the UK housing boom I'm rolling in it.

[chrisinth]

Invalidity pension.

Many on this forum would question why, as someone on a disability pension, you would choose, and I quote, " to live in a 3rd world, banana republic run by a military junta". Of course, they are the disgruntled few who have never managed to enjoy their lives in Thailand.

I don't think I said "3rd world", it's an obsolete term.

When I came 15 years ago it was a totally different place.

Hence my despair to see it turn this way.

That i can agree with....................

[Kitsune]

Invalidity pension.

Many on this forum would question why, as someone on a disability pension, you would choose, and I quote, " to live in a 3rd world, banana republic run by a military junta". Of course, they are the disgruntled few who have never managed to enjoy their lives in Thailand.

I don't think I said "3rd world", it's an obsolete term.

When I came 15 years ago it was a totally different place.

Hence my despair to see it turn this way.

Blimey! You've been living in Thailand for fifteen years and you're still not fifty? So you got an invalidity pension for life when you were about thirty? Blimey!

,

Who said I have been invalid since I arrived here?

Why are you so interested in me?

[kiwikeith]

Would be nice of the authorities to let visa runners know before possibly finding themselves in trouble.

What a mess of a country.

This makes me feel much safer when flying.

[brewsterbudgen]

No more illegal tourists doing back to back border runs.

If you intend to stay in Thailand for an extended period you must apply for the correct visa.

If they are tourists how is this illegal?

He is not referring to tourists. He is referring to the loads of people abusing the system and working illegally in Thailand or trying to live here for extended periods without valid long stay visas (i.e. retirement visas, marriage visas, work permits).

However he wrote "illegal tourists". Back to back border runs have been a legal way of extending your stay in Thailand.

[Stoker58]

If you're over fifty you can get a retirement visa. If you're under fifty you should be at home working, not loitering around in Thailand.

Obviously pi##ed off you are still working or worked too late in life to enjoy your time before getting to 50!

Filthy rich. Haven't done a days work since I was 47.

[Kitsune]

If you're over fifty you can get a retirement visa. If you're under fifty you should be at home working, not loitering around in Thailand.

Sounds like another jealous beer hugging sexpat to me

Yes,since new younger Farangs arrived, they lost most of their appeal with women lol...

[Kitsune]

Would be nice of the authorities to let visa runners know before possibly finding themselves in trouble.

What a mess of a country.

This makes me feel much safer when flying.

For how long?

[SaamBaht]

This is like a never ending story. Ever since I can remember visa runners have had trouble from time to time. One thing that has remained constant with their troubles is change in policy and change back and lack of enforcement and then strict enforcement.

I have trouble accepting unconfirmed reports as being a significant change in long term policy that anyone would be able to count on.

Sounds like a non story.

[Stoker58]

If you're over fifty you can get a retirement visa. If you're under fifty you should be at home working, not loitering around in Thailand.

Sounds like another jealous beer hugging sexpat to me

Yes,since new younger Farangs arrived, they lost most of their appeal with women lol...

Teetotal and happily married. So how do you get a lifetime invalidity pension in your early thirties? PTSD?

[amerasianex]

This branch of police. Do not care at all about the visitor industry. I've seen their paws single handedly desimate the economy. The fact that the laws change with the wind. Make foreigners not want to invest in Thailand.

[amerasianex]

Just one more example of how much Thailand v as lies its visitor industry.

Imagration laws are making foreigners stop investing in Thailand

The laws always change

It makes even visiting Thai l and stressful.

Some how dont see the average visa runner investing anything in Thailand

The laws are not always changing, the enforcement might, but the laws dont

[billd766]

Thailand just keeps biting itself in the ass. If these visa exempt crossing are legal why stop them? Always blame the foreigner for Thailand problems. If your immigration people weren't so corrupt you wouldn't have the problem you have. Just wait and see tourist numbers will drop and TAT will say that it will not affect tourism. BS

Do you actually KNOW the difference between a person who has a legal tourist visa and someone who doesn't, but relies on border runs?

The tourist is legal simply because they went to the trouble of getting a visa, whereas the other .........

[tingtongfarang]

I have a friend who is at this moment on the way to cambodia on a 30 day extension, will he be allowed to cross the border?

He has to intention to return, just part of the mass exodus which seems to be happening.

[elviajero]

If if was due to bombing, they would close ALL borders.

A terrorist can easily change his journey to another border.

Of course it's due to the bombing. You're applying common sense, but how often do Thai authorities make questionable decisions following big news events like this.

[SpeakeasyThai]

Thai Immigration, they're clueless. No wonder people are not coming here anymore. Sometimes i wonder just what goes on inside a Thai mind then i realise i have just wasted 1 minute of my life trying to work it out.

[SOTIRIOS]

...didn't they say 'an immigration officer was paid' to let one of the suspects in....

...so that could happen at ANY entry point....couldn't it.....

[Artisi]

No more illegal tourists doing back to back border runs.

If you intend to stay in Thailand for an extended period you must apply for the correct visa.

If they are tourists how is this illegal?

Very simple as genuine tourists don't arrive at the border at 10 am,depart and return 1 Hr later to re- enter every 30 days or so. There is a major difference between genuine tourists and long term visa runners. It's not rocket science and immigration certainly know the difference.

[amerasianex]

Just one more example of how much Thailand v as lies its visitor industry.

Imagration laws are making foreigners stop investing in Thailand

The laws always change

It makes even visiting Thai l and stressful.

Some how dont see the average visa runner investing anything in Thailand

The laws are not always changing, the enforcement might, but the laws dont

You cant come to Thailand without money so virtually every visitor has money. visa border runners have money and Yes the laws have changed substantially in the past 15 years. No visa was necessary at all 15 years ago you could do as many border runs as you wanted. And many more foreigners lived here permanently and invested freely because they were not afraid of loosing their investment. That is not the same today. And the housing and real estate markets have suffered greatly