End of the road: Thailand tightens up rules on foreign tourist vehicles

[webfact]

End of the road: Thailand tightens up rules on foreign tourist vehicles
By Coconuts Bangkok


Mae Hong Son Loop in northern Thailand. Photo: Flickr user Alexis Gravel

BANGKOK: -- Thailand is tightening up rules on foreign tourists bringing vehicles into the country to cut down on the number of foreign vehicles on the roads.

The Land Transport Department will ban foreign tourists driving motorbikes and motor homes into the country as it seeks to enforce order, the Bangkok Post reported.

Tourists wanting to drive cars into Thailand will have to apply for permission through Thai tourism operators at least 10 days in advance of their trips.

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2016/03/15/end-road-thailand-tightens-rules-foreign-tourist-vehicles


-- Coconuts Bangkok 2016-03-15

[Briggsy]

The Chinese ambassador will summon the Thai minister and have this quashed or rescinded. The Thais cannot challenge their colonial masters.

[Chang_paarp]

It is all about the rivers of gold. Nothing more, nothing less.

[Briggsy]

Try taking any vehicle into China and see how far you get.

The Thais have been quite generous on this point up to now.

Edited March 16, 2016 by seedy
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[Charly2007]

Thailand doesn't really have big problems it its country....

[riki]

we not make money out of them so ban them

[shirtless]

No revenue in this , they must save Thailand , its not about the money its the happiness factor that counts here.Thai htels are not happy with this market.

[Bluespunk]

So, unless they are going to ban all hiring of motorbikes by tourists, why are motorbikes being banned?

[Morakot]

"However these regulations will not apply to vehicles from Laos, Malaysia and Singapore as Thailand has pacts with these countries on international car travel".

Its about reciprocal rights and making sure there is a framework for these vehicles. Thise countries pay nominal amounts and insurance to have their cars enter Thailand.

Thailand has been very generous in letting Chinese vehicles in. Try taking a Thai car to China or Vietnam and you'll be turned back. China requires advanced permission, a chinese drivers license and even if you have all of those things, you'll need to find a spare seat with an authorised Chinese tour guide for the entire trip....and they cost.

Taking your car to Vietnam? No, can not, no right hand drive vehicles allowed.

Want to take your car to Cambodia? (which I've done a few times now). Fine, but pick the right border where the might let you cross, and forget about getting insurance. There is none.

While I'd love to see more Chinese cars here (great for tourism!) if they are uninsured, or in this case under insured, then you are asking for trouble.

Hopefully this forces the Chinese to talk and allow a genuine freeflow of cars into China as well.

Thank you for shedding light onto this.

[chainarong]

Who thinks up this stuff...........?

Thai folk in my country can drive where they like, in what they like....................

Why has LOS a ploblem............?

Good question , Money

[trainman34014]

No problem for the Chinese, who will drive to other local countries and spend money there instead of Thailand.

[DipStick]

So, unless they are going to ban all hiring of motorbikes by tourists, why are motorbikes being banned?

a

Read it again it's stated tourists driving motorcycles INTO Thailand

[NickJ]

Why the ban was addressed in another thread a few weeks ago. The Chinese are crapping up the tourist locations with there motorhomes. Bringing there own place to stay and there own food. Now....not known for being the neatest people on the planet, and seeing or reading about how they use public toilets some would see this as a plus.

I dont think it has anything to do with road safety this being the deadliest place in the world to drive and all.

Bottom line is the money they are not spending on hotels and for food.

[stickylies]

I like the Chinese. Eat and spit and binge and smoke all at the same time.then leave pay no tip and follow the flag. Love it. The Chinese are the future 555...

[Bobotie]

I like the Chinese. Eat and spit and binge and smoke all at the same time.then leave pay no tip and follow the flag. Love it. The Chinese are the future 555...

I will bet the chinese dont whinge as much as the farangs do

[Thian]

I can't understand why Thai are allowed to drive vehicles in Europe, USA, Japan with a Thai driverslicense. They even can't use the indicators and don't know any trafficrule at all.

[cgphuket]

I will miss the rich Singaporeans on their rental BMW's. Will be fun to see them riding rental scoopy's

[Bluespunk]

I will miss the rich Singaporeans on their rental BMW's. Will be fun to see them riding rental scoopy's

From the OP:

"However these regulations will not apply to vehicles from Laos, Malaysia and Singapore as Thailand has pacts with these countries on international car travel."

Edited March 15, 2016 by Bluespunk

[willyumiii]

I don't think anyone has been permitted to bring a vehicle into Cambodia for a long time...even from Thailand.

Edited March 16, 2016 by seedy
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[stickylies]

I like the Chinese. Eat and spit and binge and smoke all at the same time.then leave pay no tip and follow the flag. Love it. The Chinese are the future 555...

I will bet the chinese dont whinge as much as the farangs do

they couldn't care less. they come here feeling superior and laugh with the peasants known as thai people. they flat roll the place, don't look back and leave without any mental burden when their trip is finished. they don't care about thai customs such as wai'ing, greng-jai, smiling, etc. they come here under their own RULES not the thai rules. and the best part is, the thai can't even call then "stupid farang" or "farang keenok" or the alltime classic "hey hansum man" LOL

Edited March 15, 2016 by stickylies

[bbbrobin]

Well, I'm a Canadian who lives in Cambodia, and has a Cambodian-registered bike. On 20 March I start a trip with two friends on Thai-registered bikes up through KH to Laos, through Laos, and into Thailand, where they return to Chiangmai, and I return home to Sihanoukville. Guess my part of that has changed, and I'll have to ride back through Laos, spending ALL my money there, instead of in Thailand. It won't be that much, so I guess Thailand won't miss it. Not like turning away a few thousand Chinese, if I understand these comments correctly.

Here's the irony. What my friends and I REALLY wanted to do was travel through Viet Nam in a loop back through Laos, etc etc, which, as I'm sure everyone on this site well knows, the Vietnamese PTB won't let you do without spending a lot of money. blah blah blah. The trip up through Laos was our second choice.

I'd be interested to know exactly when Gen Prayuth's latest little idea for making his tourist businesses "happy" starts, a crucial detail left out of the articles attached.

[phoenixdoglover]

Agree the ban on motorcycles has no explanation. Possibly just a gift to the scooter rental guys.

[happydude303]

They should think about banning some of there own vehicles , the <deleted> state of them , I mean so many are far from road worthy it's unreal [emoji12]

[Thechook]

All about reciprocal rights. When does Thailand think about reciprocal rights? My Thai wife owns land in Australia but I can't in Thailand.

Edited March 16, 2016 by seedy
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[Lupatria]

I guess the famous bike weeks (real money making machines) will not be that crowded anymore...

[hansnl]

May one wonder if this decision does not clash with all kinds of international conventions signed by Thailand?

[monty1412]

OK , I know there have been some significant issues with long convoys of Chinese cars and camper vans and the assorted issues with camper vans parking en masse at tourist attractions and popular spots and then just dumping their rubbish and worse... no need to go into further details.

The inclusion of motorbikes in this does make one scratch ones head and wonder why but the main motorcycle traffic into Thailand is from Malaysia and Singapore and they aren't affected here ....... however once again it is great example of " Ready Fire Aim"..... I wish the Land Transport Office in coming up with this would have devoted the same energy to regulating and cleaning up the minivan taxi/ transport industry here .... especially in the hot spots ( Phuket/ Krabi/ Samui)....the threat to tourism and pure data on numbers of people killed by this largely unregulated and lawless association of Minivan transport companies and their ill trained, often over tired and quite often drugged to the eyeballs drivers is immense.

Barely a week goes by when you don't read about minivan skidding off the road and the associated carnage and all of us have seen the breakneck speed at which allot of these drivers go at .......... This tightening up on rules here is a soft option .. why ?? .. because they can actually enforce it via border control/ immigration..... tackling the real issues that Land Transport should be looking at well that might have to come another day .....

Ps. before anyone comments I have seen the recent press re restricting the minivans in their long haul scope some but alas without solid training, education, vehicle safety checks and monitoring systems in place this is akin to Canute and the waves .

[Chao Lao Beach]

Thailand is tightening up rules on foreign tourists bringing vehicles into the country to cut down on the number of foreign vehicles on the roads.

I thought that Asean was meant to encourage exactly what they are banning? Anyone know?

[AJBangkok]

The concept of a motor home must have thai immigration up in arms considering you have to put your address on your entry card and advise immigration every time you change your address.

[cumgranosalum]

There may be many excuses given, but the main reason is Xenophobia.