'Foreign Tourists' Must Pay 40 Baht to Visit Wat Chedi Luang, Chiang Mai

[Bung]

Pay to get in then be confronted by all the other money makers inside.

Statue of a child monk with a donation box. Narak.

Old monk giving blessings and trying string around wrists.

"money tree"

Various donation boxes scattered around.

I even saw at wat doi suthep many individual donation boxes for other temples.

They must spend a good deal of their day arranging donation money. I'm rapidly losing all respect for Thai Buddhism...

[useronthenet]

Wat Chedi Luang is a large and important temple, people have to pay to go into large and important churches in the UK and it's sometimes over twenty Pounds, not 40 baht. And even if entry to a UK church is free, assuming it's not locked (!) the cost of upkeep is passed on to the tax payer via things such as the Chancel Repair Bill, the cost of which is borne by the tax payer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chancel_repair_liability

But, the charge must apply to all, not just foreigners. The temple is then being racist which is a non-buddhist trait.

[hatewaitin]

If they changed it to 40baht for all I would probably go easily, I am a firm believer in equality for all.. Same goes for the parks and entertainment venues. In my country it's the same price no matter where you are from.

[puukao]

No worries my friends, I just gave them 400,000 baht so the next 10,000 farangs will be free!!!!!

[gandalf12]

When temples become commercialized.

First Wat Pra Sing now Wat Chedi Luang.

Soon they will all charge, which is ridiculous in my opinion.

Money should come form the heart trough donations.

Maybe these big tour buses full with Chinese could make some sort of a collection before entering the temple compounds.

Religion is free and so should it be to go and pray at any church or temple.

Also for the abbot if he want to make money he should consider the tour operator contracts run is from November till end October and are already send out for 2017..

So operators visiting this temple can not inflate their prices any more and will skip the temple, which mean even lesser donations.

40 bath is not a lot , but for a bus with 40 persons it adds up.

I will be looking forward to see how this greedy story ends.

Nonsense, the entrance fee into UK cathedrals and greater churches ranges from ten to twenty Pounds not 40 baht!

And is that only charged to foreigners?

No. You are not allowed to discriminate in the UK

[chiang mai]

Wat Chedi Luang is a large and important temple, people have to pay to go into large and important churches in the UK and it's sometimes over twenty Pounds, not 40 baht. And even if entry to a UK church is free, assuming it's not locked (!) the cost of upkeep is passed on to the tax payer via things such as the Chancel Repair Bill, the cost of which is borne by the tax payer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chancel_repair_liability

But, the charge must apply to all, not just foreigners. The temple is then being racist which is a non-buddhist trait.

Neither you I nor anyone else on TVF makes or controls policy regarding dual pricing in Thailand, you knew it was an aspect of life when you came here and things haven't changed since you arrived, accept it or leave are the only two choices. Personally, I have other things I would rather devote my time to than whether or not somebody else is not paying 40 baht for something that is purely optional. Out.

[chiang mai]

I actually feel strongly principled against people who can't read or understand a basic headline and then try to hide their lack of education by arguing about an irreverent subject.

You do not understand what the subject is: the article tells us of the recent decision to introduce a 40 baht fee for foreign tourists, the fact that Thai people do not have to pay that fee and the issue of dual pricing in Thailand has been around for years and years and years and that is NOT what the article was written about. Are you clear now!

[theoldgit]

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[alien365]

I personally enjoy going to temples in Thailand. They are great places for relaxation and contemplation. I don't agree with dual pricing but if I ever went to this one I would just give 40 baht less to the family for making merit.

[hansnl]

When temples become commercialized.

First Wat Pra Sing now Wat Chedi Luang.

Soon they will all charge, which is ridiculous in my opinion.

Money should come form the heart trough donations.

Maybe these big tour buses full with Chinese could make some sort of a collection before entering the temple compounds.

Religion is free and so should it be to go and pray at any church or temple.

Also for the abbot if he want to make money he should consider the tour operator contracts run is from November till end October and are already send out for 2017..

So operators visiting this temple can not inflate their prices any more and will skip the temple, which mean even lesser donations.

40 bath is not a lot , but for a bus with 40 persons it adds up.

I will be looking forward to see how this greedy story ends.

Nonsense, the entrance fee into UK cathedrals and greater churches ranges from ten to twenty Pounds not 40 baht!

However, if you come to pray, it is free.

[whatproblem]

Every business needs to make money ,that's what they are

[tomyumchai]

yes farang, too many thai people come in now to give us free money and it make floor dirty. you you must to pay for fix what our people break..... and also pay money into mercedes fund boxes....

[Truscott]

I actually feel strongly principled against people who can't read or understand a basic headline and then try to hide their lack of education by arguing about an irreverent subject.

You do not understand what the subject is: the article tells us of the recent decision to introduce a 40 baht fee for foreign tourists, the fact that Thai people do not have to pay that fee and the issue of dual pricing in Thailand has been around for years and years and years and that is NOT what the article was written about. Are you clear now!

[richard_smith237]

This doesn't seem too harsh on the surface... Its just 40 baht...

What's difficult to swallow is that its 'tourists only' who are expected to pay. IF this was everyone it would seem less about money and more about the maintenance.

As such, I see this as another simple way to squeeze the tourist and profit a little more.... it's a money making facade, one which is spreading.

However, on the bigger picture 40 baht isn't much - but what it does do is shine a light on the underlying attitudes towards tourists... Money Money Money... but what do we expect? In every country Tourism is all about the money and not much else, some countries just do it better.

[cmsally]

When it comes to temples it seems that each one , even if part of a city's history, is closely controlled by a small group of people. They pretty much get to control the whole show. I can think of a number of temples which have just torn down perfectly good buildings in order to build new ones. These are not temples particularly on the tourist trail but they certainly don't seem short of the odd Baht. It wasn't long ago that the abbot of another well known temple in Chiang mai was kicked out because of misconduct and misspending, so it can happen anywhere.

I am a big supporter of Buddhism as a philosophy but when transplanted into Thai religion it gets very messed up. Shades of Burmese Days sometimes leaves you to wonder if the country suffers from an enormous all encompassing guilt complex.

[gandalf12]

As i have previously stated monks are only interested in money.

How can we make more, forget about all the donations they con out of local people.

More money, charge the foreigners get all we can.

Do the temples record all the moneies they get?

Do they pay tax on moneies received?

Temples now are about greed not piety.

Monks, hmmmm Catholic priest seem to be a fair bit richer... ????

Don't let facts get in the way of an anti Thai ranter.

Do churches pay tax on the money from the collection tins?

The Catholics spend a fortune of their tax free money on lawyers to defend themselves against thousands of cases of child rape and cover ups.

But let's bitch about forty baht instead and whether or not they are paying tax on it.

So because there are other robbers in the world you think it makes everything ok? Yes the Catholic church is one of the richest if not the richest organizations in the world. How the Pope can stand up and talk about giving to the poor when the Vatican has priceless paintings and objects is unbelievable. But that is a different argument. Buddhism is about ridding oneself of earthly belongings not using it as a money making machine.

As we have seen of late many Wat' s have vast fortunes but I don' t see them helping people who have nothing do you? Because things happen it doesnt make it right.

[Tiffer]

When temples become commercialized.

First Wat Pra Sing now Wat Chedi Luang.

Soon they will all charge, which is ridiculous in my opinion.

Money should come form the heart trough donations.

Maybe these big tour buses full with Chinese could make some sort of a collection before entering the temple compounds.

Religion is free and so should it be to go and pray at any church or temple.

Also for the abbot if he want to make money he should consider the tour operator contracts run is from November till end October and are already send out for 2017..

So operators visiting this temple can not inflate their prices any more and will skip the temple, which mean even lesser donations.

40 bath is not a lot , but for a bus with 40 persons it adds up.

I will be looking forward to see how this greedy story ends.

Nonsense, the entrance fee into UK cathedrals and greater churches ranges from ten to twenty Pounds not 40 baht!

And is that only charged to foreigners?

No. You are not allowed to discriminate in the UK

Up until I moved away from Bath, England, local rate payers had free access to local authority parks and museums. We simply had to show proof of address.

[timber]

A business degree is becoming more important than enlightenment for a Buddhist in Thailand.

[soalbundy]

As i have previously stated monks are only interested in money.

How can we make more, forget about all the donations they con out of local people.

More money, charge the foreigners get all we can.

Do the temples record all the moneies they get?

Do they pay tax on moneies received?

Temples now are about greed not piety.

Monks, hmmmm Catholic priest seem to be a fair bit richer... ????

Don't let facts get in the way of an anti Thai ranter.

Do churches pay tax on the money from the collection tins?

The Catholics spend a fortune of their tax free money on lawyers to defend themselves against thousands of cases of child rape and cover ups.

But let's bitch about forty baht instead and whether or not they are paying tax on it.

I am no friend of the Catholic church, just the opposite but facts are facts, the Catholic church with its many social programs throughout the world relieves the government of doing their duty towards the poorer parts of their populations,the UK and the rest of Europe included. Yes tax them by all means but the government will have to step in to take up the slack which they don't want to do which is why they aren't taxed. The temples also perform a social duty towards the poor,providing shelter and food to the very poor,taking in orphans etc.

Edited June 3, 2016 by soalbundy

[Alwyn]

40 baht is hardly going to break the bank is it? A lot of people here seem to be confused. The fee is for foreign tourists, not foreign people wanting to engage in "religious beliefs". And as for dual pricing, do you think Thai tourists really want to go into a Wat to nose around? There will be a cost involved to places, especially after coach loads of Chinese go visiting! Seems to me, the only people bothered about this are expats living here who will never visit anyway, far more interesting to invest 40 baht in a beer Chang at the local mud hut! I paid for myself and my daughter to visit Hexham Abbey not so long ago and it was a lot more than 40 baht. If I was going in to worship, no cost.

[Johnsy]

How to drive foreigners/tourists out of your country lesson 101. Charge 10 times as much as Thai's, assault rape and murder tourists, charge more give less, discriminate against tourists, blame foreigners/tourists for endemic social problems etc etc.....

[soalbundy]

How to drive foreigners/tourists out of your country lesson 101. Charge 10 times as much as Thai's, assault rape and murder tourists, charge more give less, discriminate against tourists, blame foreigners/tourists for endemic social problems etc etc.....

and yet they still come, cant be all that bad,let's not exaggerate, i have lived here 11 years and have never been scammed robbed or beaten.

[gandalf12]

40 baht is hardly going to break the bank is it? A lot of people here seem to be confused. The fee is for foreign tourists, not foreign people wanting to engage in "religious beliefs". And as for dual pricing, do you think Thai tourists really want to go into a Wat to nose around? There will be a cost involved to places, especially after coach loads of Chinese go visiting! Seems to me, the only people bothered about this are expats living here who will never visit anyway, far more interesting to invest 40 baht in a beer Chang at the local mud hut! I paid for myself and my daughter to visit Hexham Abbey not so long ago and it was a lot more than 40 baht. If I was going in to worship, no cost.

You obviously not been in Thailand very long or you would know it refers to anyone who is not Thai. Maybe you need to learn a bit more about Thailand as your post demonstrates very limited understanding of the country.

[Alwyn]

40 baht is hardly going to break the bank is it? A lot of people here seem to be confused. The fee is for foreign tourists, not foreign people wanting to engage in "religious beliefs". And as for dual pricing, do you think Thai tourists really want to go into a Wat to nose around? There will be a cost involved to places, especially after coach loads of Chinese go visiting! Seems to me, the only people bothered about this are expats living here who will never visit anyway, far more interesting to invest 40 baht in a beer Chang at the local mud hut! I paid for myself and my daughter to visit Hexham Abbey not so long ago and it was a lot more than 40 baht. If I was going in to worship, no cost.

You obviously not been in Thailand very long or you would know it refers to anyone who is not Thai. Maybe you need to learn a bit more about Thailand as your post demonstrates very limited understanding of the country.

I don't know how you reach that conclusion from a one paragraph comment? I lived in Thailand for 16 years and have been together with the same lady for 13 of those years. She is a devout Buddhist and spends one month each year in a Temple making merits. So, I probably know a little bit about Thailand, not necessarily Thais though.

[happy chappie]

Imagine the outcry if the uk made all foreigners pay to go in a church.i was in a taxi in the uk yesterday and the Indian driver asked what's it like in Thailand.i told him about the racism that us farangs have to put up with and he was gob smacked.i think 40 baht ain't too bad for an hours tourist entertainment but all should pay.

[Kasset Tak]

There are many churches in Europe that charge tourists but not worshipers, two examples are St. Mary's Basilica in Krakow and St. Nicholas Chhurch in Prauge. Another example that's in Thailand is Wat Yai in Phitasanulok, they have a sign saying entrance fee 40 Baht but it's applied to tourists and not people who go there to pay respect to Phra Phuttha Chinnarat. So basically, if you go to the temple/church as a tourist then pay for it but if you go there to pray then its free.

[CcCowboys]

Yes some churches charge and I consider it to be a disgrace as well

Think you are missing the main point here. These churches don"t have big signs outside saying

Christians: Free

Catholic: Free

Buddhist: $ 10

Pretty racist if you ask me.....

[Loaded]

It's Tourism and not Buddhism

[Redline]

Wat Chedi Luang is a large and important temple, people have to pay to go into large and important churches in the UK and it's sometimes over twenty Pounds, not 40 baht. And even if entry to a UK church is free, assuming it's not locked (!) the cost of upkeep is passed on to the tax payer via things such as the Chancel Repair Bill, the cost of which is borne by the tax payer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chancel_repair_liability

I'm sure they get plenty of donations. The main issue is: It goes against all Buddhist teachings!

[Scouse Twoccer]

"...begin charging ‘foreign tourists’ 40 baht entry to cover the costs of care and repair of the temple,..."

Ah, so this implies Thai visitors leave it pristine, no damage, care or repair required. No doubt came to this conclusion after visiting some beaches and other popular sites.

No such implication was made at all.

You need to bear in mind that, probably without exception, Thai visitors to any temple, not just this one, will always make some kind of monetary donation and it would never be as derisory as 40 baht. Foreign visitors would most likely never do that. They may buy the odd souvenir but would not make any direct financial contribution to the temple. Why shouldn't they be asked to contribute also?

Edited June 3, 2016 by Scouse Twoccer