The Expats, the TM 28/30 and other tales....

[swissie]

Resident Farangs, exiting Thailand having to re-file upon their return, this I can understand.
But not when it comes to travels inside Thailand.

In a nutshell: Thai-Immi needs to know where the Farang spent the last night while travelling within Thailand!
- The last time such complete surveillance took place, was in the old "Sowjet-Union".

- What would be the public outrage, if an Expat-Farang, residing in France (for example), he or the hotel would have to report to authorities, whenever he has not spent the night at his home address?
- Not even a "refugee", having ended up in Europe, is subjected to such "complete surveillance".

I AM AMAZED: Farang residents in Thailand seem to regard this as just another additional "inconveniance". This "inconveniance" being handled differently from one Immi-Office to the next on top of it.
I have no doubt, that a majority of Expat Farangs would be willing to hop thru 3 burning rings of fire in front of an Immi-Office while whisteling the Thai National Anthem, just to secure another 1 year extention in Paradise.
But then, as long as the cost of living is only 1/3rd compared to back home, the sky is blue, the beaches are pristine and.....(there is another reason for an Expat to stick around, but at the moment, I can't think of what it is, but I don't think it's the temples.....).

Finally: The TAT has discovered, that Tourists spend far more (per day) as the average Expat. (35 millions expected next year. To the best of my research, there are only between 400 to 600'000 Expats living permanently in Thailand.) Dwarfing the "spending-power" of 35 million tourists by far.) Resident Farangs, being a "minority-group" in the first place, but engaging 90% of the entire immigration-apparatus. The current 1 year-extension scheme may well be classified as an "Discontinued-Model". I venture to predict, that 5 years from now, only Farangs able and willing to join the "Elite-Program" will be eligible to remain in Thailand on a permanent basis.This may serve as a good reason to postpone any major investments in Thailand.

At such a point, I don't think that an impressive performance, by jumping thru 3 burning rings of fire in front of an Immi-Office while whisteling the Thai National Anthem will be of much help.
Be prepaired. Things are changing faster in Thailand than in your home-country.
Cheers.

[transam]

I live my life from day to day, if I spent my life worrying about what "may" happen that wouldn't be much of a life...

[brewsterbudgen]

To make matters even more confusing, not all Immigration offices require a TM30/28 to be completed, including the main office in Bangkok!

[Kwasaki]

[starky]

Pristine beaches? Lol

[Been there done that]

2 hours ago, transam said:

I live my life from day to day, if I spent my life worrying about what "may" happen that wouldn't be much of a life...

Thought Thaivisa was your life 

[transam]

9 minutes ago, Been there done that said:

Thought Thaivisa was your life 

It most certainly is part of my retirement life  , and very thankful for it.... After an adventurous life l did worry about coming to LOS with all that stuff gone...But it turned out a smile a day worked great for me, the change in direction and taking into account I ain't a youngish rascal anymore seems to have worked out OK...Hope the same happens to you and others..We must rock on if we can......

[Dan5]

I think that the vast majority of expats just ignore the requirements you talk about and its rare that anyone gets caught. And if you do happen to get the caught the fine isn't very much.

[hansnl]

I am afraid the spending of expats living in Thailand is undervalued.

Say 500,000 expats, spending an average of 50,000 baht per month, is per year 300,000,000,000 baht.

 

Your idea the expat community alone is occupying 90% of the time of the immigration police is rather beside the truth.

The expat community is taking in not yet 10% of the immigration's time.

And is paying for it.

It has been said by a provincial governor that every expat brings a job or two for the local community.

 

And face it, what the TAT says is not really trustworthy, is it?

 

I was told that there are around a million expats living in Thailand, around 35% are not too effluent, and some weeding out is going on.

The rest is bringing too much into the country to loose them.

A fact very well known by the authorities.

[12DrinkMore]

57 minutes ago, hansnl said:

around 35% are not too effluent

[Oceanbat]

1 hour ago, hansnl said:

I am afraid the spending of expats living in Thailand is undervalued.

Say 500,000 expats, spending an average of 50,000 baht per month, is per year 300,000,000,000 baht.

 

Your idea the expat community alone is occupying 90% of the time of the immigration police is rather beside the truth.

The expat community is taking in not yet 10% of the immigration's time.

And is paying for it.

It has been said by a provincial governor that every expat brings a job or two for the local community.

 

And face it, what the TAT says is not really trustworthy, is it?

 

I was told that there are around a million expats living in Thailand, around 35% are not too effluent, and some weeding out is going on.

The rest is bringing too much into the country to loose them.

A fact very well known by the authorities.

The vast bulk of expats are Japanese i thought.

OB

Edited August 10, 2017 by Oceanbat

[jippytum]

Keeping a check on visitors to your country may be a bit overdone in Thailand but I wish my country had a tighter immigration control

regarding immigrants.

[Destiny1990]

25 minutes ago, jippytum said:

Keeping a check on visitors to your country may be a bit overdone in Thailand but I wish my country had a tighter immigration control

regarding immigrants.

Yes but immigrants,refugees and tourists are not the same thing.They just turn tourists off with obstacles for staying longer.

[hobobo]

1 hour ago, 12DrinkMore said:

I'll second that!

[brewsterbudgen]

Keeping a check on visitors to your country may be a bit overdone in Thailand but I wish my country had a tighter immigration control
regarding immigrants.

In my country (the UK) controls on non-EU immigrants are very tight and likely to get tighter post-Brexit.

[Kwasaki]

1 hour ago, jippytum said:

Keeping a check on visitors to your country may be a bit overdone in Thailand but I wish my country had a tighter immigration control

regarding immigrants.

Yep so do l but let the tree huggers in the UK carry on until civil war starts. 

[brewsterbudgen]

Yep so do l but let the tree huggers in the UK carry on until civil war starts. 

The Brexit wars? "Remoaners" vs "Little Englanders"?

[dotpoom]

9 hours ago, transam said:

I live my life from day to day, if I spent my life worrying about what "may" happen that wouldn't be much of a life...

A man after my own heart......couldn' t have put it better myself.

[tryasimight]

5 hours ago, hansnl said:

I am afraid the spending of expats living in Thailand is undervalued.

Say 500,000 expats, spending an average of 50,000 baht per month, is per year 300,000,000,000 baht.

 

Your idea the expat community alone is occupying 90% of the time of the immigration police is rather beside the truth.

The expat community is taking in not yet 10% of the immigration's time.

And is paying for it.

It has been said by a provincial governor that every expat brings a job or two for the local community.

 

And face it, what the TAT says is not really trustworthy, is it?

 

I was told that there are around a million expats living in Thailand, around 35% are not too effluent, and some weeding out is going on.

The rest is bringing too much into the country to loose them.

A fact very well known by the authorities.

I think you might want to redo your maths. 25,000,000,000 is the correct answer. Roughly 1/10 of what you calculated.

 

Assuming 35,000,000 visitors each spending 100,000 baht each (not a lot when on holiday) then the resulting revenue from tourism is 

3,500,000,000,000  . On these numbers expats contribute about 0.7% of all 'foreign'income. Not a real lot is it?

[JohnLick]

1 hour ago, tryasimight said:

I think you might want to redo your maths. 25,000,000,000 is the correct answer. Roughly 1/10 of what you calculated.

Where did you study? A year has usually 12 months, not one.

 

Maybe that's why your calculation is 'exactly' 1/12

[Retiredandhappyhere]

40 minutes ago, JohnLick said:

Where did you study? A year has usually 12 months, not one.

 

Maybe that's why your calculation is 'exactly' 1/12

You beat me to it!

[Get Real]

On 2017-08-09 at 9:07 PM, swissie said:

I AM AMAZED:

Yep! Me too. Just fill in the form and be happy. Make the reports and be happy.

[Destiny1990]

12 minutes ago, Get Real said:

Yep! Me too. Just fill in the form and be happy. Make the reports and be happy.

U can go to Dong Muang line ups and explain to the Chinese and the Russians tourists exactly how to fill in etc so no more delays at immigration  because all is crisp and clear!!

[TMNH]

Oh for God sake....countries are so <deleted> paranoid..of people entering a foreign country to do harm. Worry about your sex tourism Thailand. idiots.

[brewsterbudgen]

Oh for God sake....countries are so paranoid..of people entering a foreign country to do harm. Worry about your sex tourism Thailand. idiots.

I don't think they need to worry about sex tourism. They'll keep coming!

[Thai Ron]

On 8/10/2017 at 1:31 PM, hansnl said:

I am afraid the spending of expats living in Thailand is undervalued.

Say 500,000 expats, spending an average of 50,000 baht per month, is per year 300,000,000,000 baht.

 

Your idea the expat community alone is occupying 90% of the time of the immigration police is rather beside the truth.

The expat community is taking in not yet 10% of the immigration's time.

And is paying for it.

It has been said by a provincial governor that every expat brings a job or two for the local community.

 

And face it, what the TAT says is not really trustworthy, is it?

 

I was told that there are around a million expats living in Thailand, around 35% are not too effluent, and some weeding out is going on.

The rest is bringing too much into the country to loose them.

A fact very well known by the authorities.

Ridiculous mathematics.

I don't know why a group of people who are ostensibly here to take advantage of lower living costs feel the need to delude themselves as to their value to the host economy.

Many of these people would be firmly in the low-income bracket at home yet they think a flight and a long-stay visa based on an piffling income of $2000 a month propels them into hi-so territory.

 

My advice to all these people is just be happy, enjoy your life and stop this endless pursuit of "status" and "recognition".

[jayceenik]

"piffling income of $2000 a month"  !! LOL

"low-income bracket at home" !!!! LOL LOL

 

YES! YES!

Thailand should only let in true hi-so well-off landed gentry tourists and certainly not give low-income bracket farang retirees with piffling incomes long-stay visas.  

It's truly schocking that the farang hoi polloi come to live in Thailand to take advantage of lower living costs and, more outrageous even, delude themselves as to their value to the host economy !!   

[Get Real]

On 2017-08-11 at 1:56 AM, Destiny1990 said:

U can go to Dong Muang line ups and explain to the Chinese and the Russians tourists exactly how to fill in etc so no more delays at immigration  because all is crisp and clear!!

Nope, I can´t do that. Instead I recommend learning to understand forms and english. That will help a lot. On the other hand. A person that needs help can always ask an immigration officer. Let´s also put it simple. The wait is not that long. It´s just something new that everybody is making popular to complain about.

[Destiny1990]

4 hours ago, Get Real said:

Nope, I can´t do that. Instead I recommend learning to understand forms and english. That will help a lot. On the other hand. A person that needs help can always ask an immigration officer. Let´s also put it simple. The wait is not that long. It´s just something new that everybody is making popular to complain about.

u don't make any sense.

[Get Real]

57 minutes ago, Destiny1990 said:

u don't make any sense.

Ok. Trying as hard as I can to make it easier for you. Let´s divide it all into pieces.

As I wrote "Instead I recommend learning to understand forms and english. That will help a lot."

Simply means that a form in english is easier filled in by people that knows the language. No matter if you are russian, algerian or any other nationality. The form is in english so you just need to know it.
Only that might help minimize the time it all takes.
 

Further i wrote "On the other hand. A person that needs help can always ask an immigration officer."
The meaning with this is that what you don´t know, you just have to find out. The best way of doing that in this situation must be to ask the people that knows. In this case the immigration officers.
Here is another factor that can minimize the time for people that might have a problem with that.

 

Going on with next one "Let´s also put it simple. The wait is not that long."

I mean, this is just my plain view on this seemingly mighty problem. What is really the big differens of 2 or 4 hours when you are on vacation?

 

The last part "It´s just something new that everybody is making popular to complain about."

This also regards to everybody that always has to complain. What is best in reality? Have a laugh the few extra hours some things might take, or get upset about it?