"Life Goes On!" - Kobkarn confirms tourism to continue unabated

[geriatrickid]

This is not a  promotion of tourism. Rather it is an announcement that the country continues to operate and that  bonafide cultural and sporting events scheduled will continue. It is good for people to remain active and this is a solid reasonable  decision by the government.  The guideline is  mature, responsible activities will be allowed. Idiot events  involving half naked drunks, fisticuffs and debauchery  will not be tolerated.  If the sexpats and drunks are unhappy, I agree that they can  go to Cambodia.

[poohy]

Re the slogan!?

Didn't someone get in trouble for saying the exact same thing a week ago?

 

One rule for the rich and one for the others it seems!

[TheLobster]

No fireworks at New Year - expect candles nationwide, say TAT

 

Mixed messages?

 

[geriatrickid]

2 minutes ago, TheLobster said:

No fireworks at New Year - expect candles nationwide, say TAT

 

Mixed messages?

 

 

No. The mesage is very clear.  Respectful sober activites are permissible.

This is a commonsense  middle of the road approach

[gk10002000]

On 10/26/2016 at 10:02 PM, Watchout4 said:

when she says " the welcome for foreign tourist would be the usually warm one " , does that include the foreigners who work and pay taxes here for many years , or are they going to continue to make life for them more and more complicated ? Has somebody ever heard of a country where you need to report every 90 days when you got a one year , multiple entry visa plus a valid work permit and a fixed address ?

  .  The 90 day reporting is absurd.  Kudos to those that have put up with it all these years.

[Puwa]

On 10/27/2016 at 8:41 AM, Thaidream said:

Frankly- I find the slogan the Minister is using rather coarse and not keeping with the solemnity of what has happened. While Thailand wants tourists to come- there is a much better way of pointing that out.

I think it's a poor translation of a Thai saying, "We must keep walking forward," which sounds less cavalier.

[digibum]

On 10/28/2016 at 1:00 AM, sambum said:

 

"Don't move to Thailand and then complain about the immigration laws that you fully accepted when you decided to move there."

 

A point that needs to be made is that the Immigration laws that people fully accepted when they moved here are NOT the same Immigration laws that are in place now!   

 

The 90 day reporting requirement that the person I was responding to was complaining about has been around for a long time.  

 

But really the bottom line is that he's not a citizen of Thailand.  You follow whatever rules they come up with.  Immigration laws in every country, Thailand or your own, change.  People have to deal with those changes.  

 

If you don't like the rules, leave.  Don't hijack a thread about tourism to complain about expat immigration requirements.  That in itself shows that the person doesn't have the emotional maturity to live in a place like Thailand.  

 

They made a bad bet betting on Thailand.  Thailand's immigration laws have always been:

 

a.  Constantly in flux.

 

b.  Rarely friendly towards foreigners.  

 

If you then decided, "Hey, I'm going to sell all my stuff and move to Thailand and accept a job with barely livable wages" well, accept some responsibility for making a bad decision instead of crying like a school girl who skinned her knee about it.

 

Sorry, I have no sympathy for people who move to Thailand and then want to change it to their liking.  I might have respect for them if they picked up a protest sign and did something about it.  But I have zero respect for people who piss and moan in bars and on message boards about their bad lot in life that they themselves created.  

 

 

 

 

[digibum]

5 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

  .  The 90 day reporting is absurd.  Kudos to those that have put up with it all these years.

 

Why kudos?  

 

Putting up with it is a choice.  Most people aren't putting up with it because their in Thailand doing noble work.  They're in Thailand for selfish reasons (as most people are).

 

I think the 90 day reporting requirement is absurd as well and that's partially why I chose not to put up with it and moved.  I should be the one receiving kudos for standing on my principles instead of rolling over like a subservient dog.  

[sambum]

5 hours ago, digibum said:

 

The 90 day reporting requirement that the person I was responding to was complaining about has been around for a long time.  

 

But really the bottom line is that he's not a citizen of Thailand.  You follow whatever rules they come up with.  Immigration laws in every country, Thailand or your own, change.  People have to deal with those changes.  

 

If you don't like the rules, leave.  Don't hijack a thread about tourism to complain about expat immigration requirements.  That in itself shows that the person doesn't have the emotional maturity to live in a place like Thailand.  

 

They made a bad bet betting on Thailand.  Thailand's immigration laws have always been:

 

a.  Constantly in flux.

 

b.  Rarely friendly towards foreigners.  

 

If you then decided, "Hey, I'm going to sell all my stuff and move to Thailand and accept a job with barely livable wages" well, accept some responsibility for making a bad decision instead of crying like a school girl who skinned her knee about it.

 

Sorry, I have no sympathy for people who move to Thailand and then want to change it to their liking.  I might have respect for them if they picked up a protest sign and did something about it.  But I have zero respect for people who piss and moan in bars and on message boards about their bad lot in life that they themselves created.  

 

 

 

 

 

"Sorry, I have no sympathy for people who move to Thailand and then want to change it to their liking"

 

I wasn't referring to the 90 day reporting - I agree that has been around for a long time, and I totally accepted that when I first came here. And I am sick to death of the old "if you don't like it go home" argument! What I (and countless other "moaners" are complaining about) are the apparently senseless changes that have taken place over the last few years, which are required by one Immigration Office, but not another. What is wrong with wanting a bit of uniformity in the system? Why should one  Immigration Office demand that a retirement extension will only be given on production of a Medical Certificate showing results of Chest XRays, and blood tests for syphilis, tuberculosis etc, while one of the heads of Immigration says that there is no such requirement in the Regulations? There are many such discrepancies throughout the system, but we are not allowed an opinion on this according to your logic, which is a sort of "put up and shut up" attitude.

 

And as for "hijacking" a thread about tourism, apparently I am a "long stay tourist" according to a seminar in Chiang Mai :- 

 

"Perhaps you missed the report on the seminar in Chiang Mai where those that were working/retired here were referred to as 'long-stay tourists."

 

Consequently I feel entitled to post my opinions, whether you like them or not. I am not about to leave "because I don't like it", and as for picking up a protest sign, thank you very much for your advice, but I don't fancy being incarcerated for a bit of "attitude adjustment" thank you very much! 

Edited October 29, 2016 by sambum

[digibum]

2 hours ago, sambum said:

 

"Sorry, I have no sympathy for people who move to Thailand and then want to change it to their liking"

 

I wasn't referring to the 90 day reporting - I agree that has been around for a long time, and I totally accepted that when I first came here. And I am sick to death of the old "if you don't like it go home" argument! What I (and countless other "moaners" are complaining about) are the apparently senseless changes that have taken place over the last few years, which are required by one Immigration Office, but not another. What is wrong with wanting a bit of uniformity in the system? Why should one  Immigration Office demand that a retirement extension will only be given on production of a Medical Certificate showing results of Chest XRays, and blood tests for syphilis, tuberculosis etc, while one of the heads of Immigration says that there is no such requirement in the Regulations? There are many such discrepancies throughout the system, but we are not allowed an opinion on this according to your logic, which is a sort of "put up and shut up" attitude.

 

And as for "hijacking" a thread about tourism, apparently I am a "long stay tourist" according to a seminar in Chiang Mai :- 

 

"Perhaps you missed the report on the seminar in Chiang Mai where those that were working/retired here were referred to as 'long-stay tourists."

 

Consequently I feel entitled to post my opinions, whether you like them or not. I am not about to leave "because I don't like it", and as for picking up a protest sign, thank you very much for your advice, but I don't fancy being incarcerated for a bit of "attitude adjustment" thank you very much! 

 

Unless you are also @Watchout4 and have forgotten you're posting under a different screen name, you're responding to things I didn't say to you.  @Watchout4 was the one who couldn't contain his complaining about the 90 day reporting requirement past five responses to the OP.  That's what I'm responding to.  I'm responding to the massive body of people on TV who can take any subject and make it about their own personal immigration problem(s).  

 

If the topic is the BTS extending the Shukhumvit line at some point someone will jump in and find a way to make this about their immigration gripes.  

 

That was what I quoted and followed up on.  You seem to have interjected yourself into that and are now defending yourself to things I said to @Watchout4, not you.  

 

But to address your points, yes, it would be nice if the Thai immigration department could get its act together.  But it has NEVER, EVER, EVER been a smooth running operation with clear guidelines.  Ever!!!  

 

Yes, the rules may have been X when you arrived and are Y now but one of the hallmark traits of Thai immigration is constantly changing and contradictory rules.  

 

If that bugs you to such a degree that it impacts your ability to carry on a conversation without feeling the need to somehow interject your complaints about how the Thai immigration system works, for your own peace of mind, you should probably leave.  

 

Ultimately every expat in Thailand has the following choices that I would consider to be rational responses:

 

• Stay and accept things as they are
• Leave and find another place that is more accommodating
• Stand up for your rights and try to change the system

Thailand is not your country and you have no right to live there other than the rights the government affords you.  That will always be the case for an expat.  So accept that, leave, or fight for your rights.  

 

I fully understand the consequences of the last option but, again, moving to a country where you're afraid to demand basic rights afforded to immigrants in many other countries is your own poor choice.  So the only two other logical and reasonable options are to accept it or leave.  

 

If you choose to stay and get angry about it, sorry bro, I can't feel sorry for you.  You're on the path to bitterness and unhappiness.  Exactly the opposite of what you probably thought you were getting when you decided to retire in Thailand.  

 

If you're not willing to take charge of your own situation, why should anybody else care?  

 

And it doesn't matter what they call you in a seminar.  Do you have a long-stay tourist visa?  Based on your comments about medical requirements, I suspect not.  You're simply trying to find an excuse to equate your gripes with tourism so you can find another opportunity to share with the world your complaints by hijacking a tourism conversation.  

 

Listen, you rolled the dice moving to Thailand and lost.  Just like at a casino, complaining about it isn't going to get your money back.  And the more you complain the more annoying you become to everyone around you who understands how the rules work (in that they don't work and have never worked) and accepts them.  

 

[sambum]

On 10/29/2016 at 4:47 PM, digibum said:

First of all please accept my compliments for a well thought out and well constructed reply, if a bit lengthy and a tad sarcastic and arrogant in places. It made a pleasant change to at least understand the points that someone is making!

However, whilst I appreciate the fact that you were replying to someone else (@Watchout4) this is a Forum, and as such anyone who reads your posts are entitled to reply to them, either in disagreement or agreement - that is the point of a Forum - not a bandstand for 2!

 

The main point that I was making was not to hijack a post about tourism with a complaint about Immigration, but you seem to think that is my sole purpose in life - which is indeed not the case:-

"If that bugs you to such a degree that it impacts your ability to carry on a conversation without feeling the need to somehow interject your complaints about how the Thai immigration system works, for your own peace of mind, you should probably leave."

 

The point that I am making is that when I first came to Thailand, I happily accepted the Rules and Regulations as they were, and indeed my first visit to an Immigration Office was actually quite a jolly affair, and actually commented to my friends on the experience. (As previously I had only had contact with the mostly stony faced  Immigration officials at airports) However,  you have obviously had more contact than me in such affairs, and if they suddenly change the rules overnight regarding a certain procedure, you "put up and shut  up" or move on somewhere else - correct? (P.S. I have a "Retirement" Visa (Non O?) )

 

I, on the other hand, if not happy with those changes, and feel aggrieved enough, will resort to complaining about it - not with a placard or banner, but to possibly discuss with other people the whys and wherefores of the changes,  because there may be some reason for those changes that I can not see, but someone else can - hence, a Forum where people can exchange views and opinions. 

 

However, just a quick question for you in closing, as my typing skills have deteriorated over the years and I feel the desperate need for a glass of amber fluid! If you took up a position with a Company, and you accepted the conditions of employment that you were offered, and after a few months the company began changing those conditions for the worse, would you seek to discuss the changes with your Employer, or just "put up and shut up" (i.e. immediately get another job)?

 

 

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Edited October 30, 2016 by sambum
Additional text

[TheLobster]

 

Quote

 

No fireworks at New Year - expect candles nationwide, say TAT

 

Mixed messages?

 

 

On 10/29/2016 at 3:30 AM, geriatrickid said:

 

No. The mesage is very clear.  Respectful sober activites are permissible.

This is a commonsense  middle of the road approach

 

I think most people disagree. I visit Thai visa to get a general view from members. I think we've got the gist of your view, no need to post excessively.

Edited October 30, 2016 by TheLobster

[Johpa]

On 10/27/2016 at 0:23 AM, NongKhaiKid said:

Shameless marketing .

 

I believe, and if you read these announcements regularly you will agree, that shameless is Khun Kobkarn's middle name.

[digibum]

3 hours ago, sambum said:

I, on the other hand, if not happy with those changes, and feel aggrieved enough, will resort to complaining about it - not with a placard or banner, but to possibly discuss with other people the whys and wherefores of the changes,  because there may be some reason for those changes that I can not see, but someone else can - hence, a Forum where people can exchange views and opinions. 

 

However, just a quick question for you in closing, as my typing skills have deteriorated over the years and I feel the desperate need for a glass of amber fluid! If you took up a position with a Company, and you accepted the conditions of employment that you were offered, and after a few months the company began changing those conditions for the worse, would you seek to discuss the changes with your Employer, or just "put up and shut up" (i.e. immediately get another job)?

 

See, the part I don't understand is the complaining.  To me, complaining is pointless and a wasted use of one's time and energy.  If you were complaining to someone who had the power to change something, then complaining has a use but to a bunch of other expats in the same or similar situations yields nothing of value.  

 

I'm a big believe in the power of choice.  You can choose to do nothing and complain which changes nothing or you can choose to do something that yields a different outcome.  

 

I understand that in Thailand most people are too scared of the Thai government to stand up for themselves and protest for their rights like they might feel entitled to do in the US or UK.  But you still have other choices.  You can leave.  And by not leaving you are making the choice to put up with it.  That's a choice.  So, to then complain about a choice you have made, and to complain to a group of people who have no ability to change the situation, just seems pointless.  

 

You ask what I would do.  I have quit several jobs over my career when the company I joined was no longer the company I was working for.  Twice I left companies within the first three or four months after starting because the company had dramatically changed the scope of the job between the time I had accepted their job offer and the time I started.  

 

I choose to only work in jobs that I find rewarding in some way.  That's non-negotiable for me.  

I know that sounds arrogant but it's a choice I made many, many years ago.    

 

So, I simply can't imagine being in a position where I have no choices other than to complain.  I wouldn't move to Thailand without having backup plans just in case Thailand crossed a line I wasn't willing to accept.  

 

On the other hand, as someone who has lived in Thailand, and full well knew how stupid the system was before I moved there, I did laugh off most stuff.  

 

You can accept things in defeat or you can accept them because you realize that it's not that important.  To me, wasting a day at the immigration office was simply not worth the emotional energy that it took to get upset by it.   If you can solve the problem, sure, put the time and effort in.  But if you can't change the system, getting upset seems as useful as getting upset that Bangkok is humid.  

 

 

 

 

[NongKhaiKid]

5 hours ago, Johpa said:

 

I believe, and if you read these announcements regularly you will agree, that shameless is Khun Kobkarn's middle name.

The poster girl for how many in the junta think, or don't think as the case may be.

She's ridiculous at the best of times but in the current situation she's a disgrace..

Bet she's not spoken to far less loses her job.

[Wilsonandson]

Tourists would stay away from Thailand at the moment.  Thai people nationwide are in a mourning period.  Vacation is supposed to be uplifting and fun.  Tourists would not like to be in that kind of environment.

A bit like a holiday in Yorkshire at the moment. Wet and miserable.

[Caveat Emptor]

Thailand is quite understandably in deep mourning and seems to expect that everyone else should be too.

[DM07]

1 hour ago, Caveat Emptor said:

Thailand is quite understandably in deep mourning and seems to expect that everyone else should be too.

Thailand always expects everybody else to trod along, with what they say.

Tolerance in Thailand, is a one way street!

[tukkytuktuk]

Thailand always expects everybody else to trod along, with what they say.
Tolerance in Thailand, is a one way street!

Asian culture not just Thailand, if you don't join in your an outcast, if you do your welcomed.

[JAG]

A bit like a holiday in Yorkshire at the moment. Wet and miserable.

?:):)

[sambum]

16 hours ago, digibum said:

 

See, the part I don't understand is the complaining.  To me, complaining is pointless and a wasted use of one's time and energy.  If you were complaining to someone who had the power to change something, then complaining has a use but to a bunch of other expats in the same or similar situations yields nothing of value.  

 

I'm a big believe in the power of choice.  You can choose to do nothing and complain which changes nothing or you can choose to do something that yields a different outcome.  

 

I understand that in Thailand most people are too scared of the Thai government to stand up for themselves and protest for their rights like they might feel entitled to do in the US or UK.  But you still have other choices.  You can leave.  And by not leaving you are making the choice to put up with it.  That's a choice.  So, to then complain about a choice you have made, and to complain to a group of people who have no ability to change the situation, just seems pointless.  

 

You ask what I would do.  I have quit several jobs over my career when the company I joined was no longer the company I was working for.  Twice I left companies within the first three or four months after starting because the company had dramatically changed the scope of the job between the time I had accepted their job offer and the time I started.  

 

I choose to only work in jobs that I find rewarding in some way.  That's non-negotiable for me.  

I know that sounds arrogant but it's a choice I made many, many years ago.    

 

So, I simply can't imagine being in a position where I have no choices other than to complain.  I wouldn't move to Thailand without having backup plans just in case Thailand crossed a line I wasn't willing to accept.  

 

On the other hand, as someone who has lived in Thailand, and full well knew how stupid the system was before I moved there, I did laugh off most stuff.  

 

You can accept things in defeat or you can accept them because you realize that it's not that important.  To me, wasting a day at the immigration office was simply not worth the emotional energy that it took to get upset by it.   If you can solve the problem, sure, put the time and effort in.  But if you can't change the system, getting upset seems as useful as getting upset that Bangkok is humid.  

 

 

 

 

I think we have almost done this subject to death, and I suspect that other posters feel the same, so let's wrap it up and put it to bed shall we?

 

Thank you for your answers regarding your employment - exactly the answer I expected, but before you left your jobs, surely there was some attempt at compromise? Or I suspect that you may say that they moved the goalposts and you moved on? That is why I decide to stay here - I accept that some things are changed, sometimes to my disadvantage, but as I have already said, there may be some underlying reason for them that I can not see - I don't just pack up and take off because I don't like it.   

You have your stand point  - you can leave, or put up with it and there's no point in complaining to others. 

I have mine -  I stay here and accept that some things that are changed are not to my liking, but I reserve the right to discuss and debate them with others - either on this Forum, or over a coffee or a glass of beer in my local bar. I have not "burned my bridges" and I do have back up plans in case everything goes awry here, but on the whole, I am happy here. Contrary to your assumptions regarding my situation, I do not complain endlessly about my lot, but you have spent an awful lot of time complaining about other people complaining - if you get my drift!

 

Anyway, I see no point in further discussion on this one, so thanks for your input, and "Have a nice day"! 

Edited October 31, 2016 by sambum
Grammar