Phuket visa run van wipeout: 3 dead, 7 injured

[madusa]

On 21/12/2016 at 7:05 AM, SunsetT said:

Ive never understood why Thailand makes its guests do this!!! Only the neighbouring countries benefit with their visa fees and what we must spend while we are there. Thailand gains nothing from it.....It defies logic as so many other things do here.

To understand why you must cross the border to renew your visa you first need to know that all these immigration rules were made by the Farangs when they colonized us (Brown Asians who they looked down and classified as second class citizens- yes it's a fact ok?) Although Thailand was not colonized Thailand has to follow what the neighbor countries are doing so they can be on equal footing. (In terms of their citizens having similar rights to stay in foreign countries).

The purpose of getting you out of the country to renew your visa is to make sure you are out of the country they can then refuse you entry if they wanted to (- noted they don't even have to explain the reason of refusal of re-entry visa do you know that? Don't believe me, ask any good lawyer they will tell you.)

Those Americans in China leave China to go to Korea or Japan to renew their visa for re-entry to China may suddenly find that they can't get their re-entry visa because China is now at war with America. (with Trump good chances of war with China).

I hope you get the point. You Farangs made the rules we didn't we just adopted the system. We were told this is how thing works. Why are you complaining?

[pommy pete]

The last one I did from Pattaya the driver was going at crazy speed, a young American guy (ex military) made the driver stop and told him if he continues to drive like that he was going to get dumped off  the bus in the middle of nowhere and the he would drive the bus back to Pattaya. The Thai driver had no one to back him up as we all agreed with the American. Result a very pleasant drive back to Pattaya and a very scared and pissed off driver. 

[doggie1955]

I took a Visa Van once!..... and I will never do that ever again. Be smart and take a VIP bus or just fly.

[HTC]

Sad news as always.

 

I used to run a fleet of 140 vehicles in Oman where driving culture can be equally bad.

 

We had in vehicle monitoring systems fitted with GPS, audible warning systems and live speed limiting. The IVMS was fitted with a SIM card that sent live data to a journey manager who monitored all trips live.

 

Speeding event's were recorded with sanctions for bad driving. All roads were geofenced to give varying speed limits. Events of harsh acceleration and harsh braking were also recorded to gauge driver behaviour. We also knew if people were wearing their seat belts.

 

Scheduled breaks were implemented to combat fatigue.

 

Oh, and minimum driver experience was checked at employment with performance reviews later.

 

Zero fatalities in 7 years of operation.

 

Just saying that systems are available at affordable prices. But will the Thai government implement these rules and technology. I fear not in the forseeable future.

 

We can only hope and take care of ourselves at the moment when we use the roads here.

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and replies have been removed. 

[stevenl]

Sad news as always.
 
I used to run a fleet of 140 vehicles in Oman where driving culture can be equally bad.
 
We had in vehicle monitoring systems fitted with GPS, audible warning systems and live speed limiting. The IVMS was fitted with a SIM card that sent live data to a journey manager who monitored all trips live.
 
Speeding event's were recorded with sanctions for bad driving. All roads were geofenced to give varying speed limits. Events of harsh acceleration and harsh braking were also recorded to gauge driver behaviour. We also knew if people were wearing their seat belts.
 
Scheduled breaks were implemented to combat fatigue.
 
Oh, and minimum driver experience was checked at employment with performance reviews later.
 
Zero fatalities in 7 years of operation.
 
Just saying that systems are available at affordable prices. But will the Thai government implement these rules and technology. I fear not in the forseeable future.
 
We can only hope and take care of ourselves at the moment when we use the roads here.

GPS and monitoring is already compulsory for yellow plated cars upon new registration.

Sent from my ROBBY using Thaivisa Connect mobile app

[Soupdragon]

11 minutes ago, stevenl said:

GPS and monitoring is already compulsory for yellow plated cars upon new registration.

Sent from my ROBBY using Thaivisa Connect mobile app
 

 

I'd like to read about that. Could you post a link to your source please.

[AlQaholic]

The sharp curve is solely to be blamed.....

[solstan]

42 minutes ago, Soupdragon said:

 

I'd like to read about that. Could you post a link to your source please.

Not yet but will bee - this is from ThePhuketNews where they referred to BP that we are not allowed to quoute.
It was published in January 2016.
 

Meanwhile, the Land Transport Department has issued an announcement that all passenger buses which register from Jan 25 this year must be fitted with a GPS.

Buses which already have a GPS installed were required to link their system with that of the Land Transport Department by the end of this year.

By the end of 2017, all vehicles used for public transport – buses, vans and taxis – must be equipped with a GPS, Mr Sanit said. Town minibuses and tuk-tuks were exempt.

And the announcement, the text above were from an article.

( http://thainews.prd.go.th/website_en/news/news_detail/WNOHT5901220010002 )

 

[stevenl]

45 minutes ago, Soupdragon said:

 

I'd like to read about that. Could you post a link to your source please.

My sources are people who bought a new van and had to register. Only allowed with GPS tracking and monitoring.

[sendintheclowns]

copy that photo to the PM, to emphasize the suggestion for an intelligent re-writing of the visa run rules? Then again, there's the risk of being charged with demonizing (i) Thai drivers, (ii) the immigration rules and (iii) the whole sodding lot. Happy Christmas and remember,  we could be stuck in (anywhere currently being bombed the crap out of).

[HTC]

The other thing to note is a proactive approach. Simply having IVMS and GPS fitted is not enough.

The data needs to be downloaded and examined regularly with swift action on bad driving behaviour.

[sendintheclowns]

23 minutes ago, solstan said:

Not yet but will bee - this is from ThePhuketNews where they referred to BP that we are not allowed to quoute.
It was published in January 2016.
 

Meanwhile, the Land Transport Department has issued an announcement that all passenger buses which register from Jan 25 this year must be fitted with a GPS.

Buses which already have a GPS installed were required to link their system with that of the Land Transport Department by the end of this year.

By the end of 2017, all vehicles used for public transport – buses, vans and taxis – must be equipped with a GPS, Mr Sanit said. Town minibuses and tuk-tuks were exempt.

And the announcement, the text above were from an article.

( http://thainews.prd.go.th/website_en/news/news_detail/WNOHT5901220010002 )

 

 

 

and the purchase of the GPS systems will be supervised by the same committee that bought the bomb sniffers??? RATFLOL

 

[Maggusoil]

Mini vans as viable transport. Negative. Avoid at all costs.

[stevenl]

1 hour ago, HTC said:

The other thing to note is a proactive approach. Simply having IVMS and GPS fitted is not enough.

The data needs to be downloaded and examined regularly with swift action on bad driving behaviour.

I agree with you monitoring would be good, but I would not want the government to monitor the way you were doing. Private companies doing it that way would be excellent though.

[bruceamstutz]

23 hours ago, steve187 said:

lost control on a bend in the wet, so not his fault. - how was he to know vehicles slide in the wet on bends

 

Of course he lost control because he was doing 90 in the rain and most likely worn out tires..... 

[Anon999]

23 hours ago, Old Croc said:

Another tragic accident caused by the weather, not the driver.

Rubbish. If you are a driver, let alone a professional driver, you should know that in heavy rain that vehicles can easily slide on greasy roads and they always occur after a period of dry weather (water on top of rubber), aquaplane and then there is the factor of possibly bald tyre(s)? Don't blame the weather that's just an excuse.

[Old Croc]

1 minute ago, Anon999 said:

Rubbish. If you are a driver, let alone a professional driver, you should know that in heavy rain that vehicles can easily slide on greasy roads and they always occur after a period of dry weather (water on top of rubber), aquaplane and then there is the factor of possibly bald tyre(s)? Don't blame the weather that's just an excuse.

sar·casm

 

1. the use of irony to mock or convey contempt.

   derision, mockery, ridicule, scorn, sneering, scoffing; More irony; cynicism

[Old Croc]

I've just read another bus full of tourists has rolled over near Surat Thani.

 

"Initial investigations found that heavy rain in the area had caused the road surface to become slippery."

 

Case solved.

[SunsetT]

5 hours ago, madusa said:

To understand why you must cross the border to renew your visa you first need to know that all these immigration rules were made by the Farangs when they colonized us (Brown Asians who they looked down and classified as second class citizens- yes it's a fact ok?) Although Thailand was not colonized Thailand has to follow what the neighbor countries are doing so they can be on equal footing. (In terms of their citizens having similar rights to stay in foreign countries).

The purpose of getting you out of the country to renew your visa is to make sure you are out of the country they can then refuse you entry if they wanted to (- noted they don't even have to explain the reason of refusal of re-entry visa do you know that? Don't believe me, ask any good lawyer they will tell you.)

Those Americans in China leave China to go to Korea or Japan to renew their visa for re-entry to China may suddenly find that they can't get their re-entry visa because China is now at war with America. (with Trump good chances of war with China).

I hope you get the point. You Farangs made the rules we didn't we just adopted the system. We were told this is how thing works. Why are you complaining?

 

 

"all these immigration rules were made by the Farangs when they colonized us".....

......Where is your evidence for this? Please quote your sources for this claim.

 

In any case Thailand is an independent sovereign country which can change any rules previously made by Farangs , can it not? The government changes immigration rules and makes new laws almost every day....Does it not?

 

....It is undertandable to make people leave to obtain new visas, but Thailand illogically makes u leave every 60 or 90 days even when they have already granted you a visa for 6 or 12 months, or even 10yrs, if the  proposed new 10 yr visa is introduced.

Edited December 22, 2016 by SunsetT

[madusa]

On 21/12/2016 at 9:28 PM, SunsetT said:

Thailand is an independent sovereign country which can change any rules previously made by Farangs , can it not?

 

....But Thailand illogically makes u leave every 60 or 90 days even when they have already granted u a visa for 6 or 12 months, or even 10yrs, if the  proposed new 10 yr visa is introduced.

It is all very well saying Thailand is a sovereign country that they can change the rules. When we come to diplomatic relationship between countries throughout the world, the Thai embassy will do what your country (let's say Britain) does. The British embassy will want me to get out of Britain and re-enter again (except those with asylum status or other special cases which are exception).

So the Thai Embassy will do the same thing to the British. Yes, this is what embassies do. They don't want to lose out, well, to put it in a crude way.

If your country says the Thais don't have to do visa run they just go to nearest immigration office and get their passports stamp then YOU in Thailand don't have to do the visa run. You know the famous Thais saying, "Same, Same".

[LivinginKata]

3 hours ago, Anon999 said:

Rubbish. If you are a driver, let alone a professional driver, you should know that in heavy rain that vehicles can easily slide on greasy roads and they always occur after a period of dry weather (water on top of rubber), aquaplane and then there is the factor of possibly bald tyre(s)? Don't blame the weather that's just an excuse.

 

'professional driver' ... in Thailand that's an oxymoron ...

Edited December 22, 2016 by LivinginKata

[fabphil]

Theyre just plain areshole drivers, ive  got no doubt in my mind that he was speeding, my daughter recently went their for her honeymoon, first thing she wrote was the hair raising drive to the hotel from phuket airport, needless to say i rang and   emailed the hotel ( movenpick ) to express my feelings on their hired drivers...theyre just kamikaze drivers...

[lungnorm]

19 hours ago, KarenBravo said:

 

All very true, but the food................

Macca's ,KFC and Jollibee taste the same everywhere. No I'm just kidding, wouldnt eat that Franken food ever. Thai food is not to my liking but I do like Pad duk Foo, and Tod mon Pla. Food here is crap but I never eat out I try to eat good home cooked food and never buy any processed food from supermarkets.

[SunsetT]

2 hours ago, madusa said:

It is all very well saying Thailand is a sovereign country that they can change the rules. When we come to diplomatic relationship between countries throughout the world, the Thai embassy will do what your country (let's say Britain) does. The British embassy will want me to get out of Britain and re-enter again (except those with asylum status or other special cases which are exception).

So the Thai Embassy will do the same thing to the British. Yes, this is what embassies do. They don't want to lose out, well, to put it in a crude way.

If your country says the Thais don't have to do visa run they just go to nearest immigration office and get their passports stamp then YOU in Thailand don't have to do the visa run. You know the famous Thais saying, "Same, Same".

I think this is absolute rubbish! If you are granted a visa to visit the UK for 3 months you can stay for 3mths. If u r granted a visa for 6mths or 1year you can stay for that period of time. No one is made to 'get out of Britain and re-enter again' as happens in Thailand.

 

[evadgib]

1 hour ago, SunsetT said:

I think this is absolute rubbish! If you are granted a visa to visit the UK for 3 months you can stay for 3mths. If u r granted a visa for 6mths or 1year you can stay for that period of time. No one is made to 'get out of Britain and re-enter again' as happens in Thailand.

 

Reminds me of a heated discussion on road safety with a flustered prosecutor on Samui more than a decade ago which ended with him landing what he thought was a knockout blow:

 

"The reason so many British are injured is because they drive on the right in London  (snigger, snigger 'aren't they stupid'  )

 

He lost face big time when I tactfully pointed out the 'WH Smith' (British newsagent/Stationer) on the back of the plagerised copy of UK's highway code that he was brandishing at the time :)

Edited December 22, 2016 by evadgib

[Old Croc]

1 hour ago, SunsetT said:

I think this is absolute rubbish! If you are granted a visa to visit the UK for 3 months you can stay for 3mths. If u r granted a visa for 6mths or 1year you can stay for that period of time. No one is made to 'get out of Britain and re-enter again' as happens in Thailand.

 

You're a little confused as to how tourist visas work.

Visas generally have an authorised stay period, and a validity date before which the tourist must enter. Visas could be for a single or multiple entries. On each entry the visitor will be granted a stay of the authorised period. The long validity date and multiple entries are usually issued for the convenience of visitors who have a genuine reason to enter often. Tourist visas anywhere are not meant to be defacto residence visas.

After several consecutive entries, many countries may decide you are not a genuine tourist and refuse entry. Thailand is extremely generous to visitors who use a tourist visa to effectively reside here. If you're one of these you should be thankful Thailand allows you to do so.

If you want a continuous long stay visa they are available at a price.

 

[gdgbb]

On 21/12/2016 at 2:52 PM, whatproblem said:

What's the chances that the driver gets more than 1000 fine?

 

Turns out he was fined B140,000 more than B1,000. 

 

Some of the usual, unoriginal and tedious suspects will now have to change their mantra from "B500 fine and a slap on the wrist?"  to "B150,000 fine and a slap on the wrist?"

[stevenl]

 
Turns out he was fined B140,000 more than B1,000. 
 
Some of the usual, unoriginal and tedious suspects will now have to change their mantra from "B500 fine and a slap on the wrist?"  to "B150,000 fine and a slap on the wrist?"

I think your maths are a bit off.

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[madusa]

On 22/12/2016 at 0:56 AM, SunsetT said:

I think this is absolute rubbish! If you are granted a visa to visit the UK for 3 months you can stay for 3mths. If u r granted a visa for 6mths or 1year you can stay for that period of time. No one is made to 'get out of Britain and re-enter again' as happens in Thailand.

 

Yes, what you said is true, but finally when my visa runs out I still have to go to France and then return with to get stamp again.

Of course the British immigration doesn't do stupid thing like asking you to do what is unnecessary like in Thailand. Nevertheless when your visa runs out you still have to go out of the country don't you?