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[thaipulse]

djc45, on 2007-01-27 03:13:04, said:

the cost of a one year multi entry visa will work out cheaper in the long run and if you re enter just befor you year is up you get an exit date 90 days from your last entry so in effect nearly 15months on a one year multi

DJC45 -

Is this right? I have a single re-entry non-immig b visa for teaching that is to expire march 31 2007. If I leave and return just before March 31st - they will give me a 90 day visa that doesn't count toward my 30 day -30 day -30 day tourist visas I can get when this non-imm b expires?

That'd be great news - can everyone get that? Anyone done it yet?

[aussimike]

Sunny Valentine, on 2007-01-27 08:19:49, said:

aussimike, on 2007-01-27 08:04:48, said:

Good point as more than 45% of visitors to thailand are actually here on business -- meeting, incentives, etc - not the normal tourist -

Could you let us know from where you gathered this percentage?



Sunny

i do believe that TAT's figure are accurate = they have enought people working in their stats depart, so i hope they are though they might be a full year behind in producing them and they get the head counts from Thai Immigration - not just random counts on they own behalf - these are also broken down into length of stay - money spent per head per day - quite detailed information - this is what is used but all related agencies -
Also are you aware of the definication of a tourist according the the UN - its a person who travels away from home and stays more then one nite and less than one year ---

[wabisabi]

I also experienced the counting of days, I just could not believe it. After three months, two trips to Immigration, and three Thai embassies, it was properly explained that it is NOT the number of stamps on your passport, but the total number of days. If this was only clarified on the Immigration or Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

Agreed that this new policy is very inefficient, especially for Thai Immigration. The problem could possibly be solved with a 60-90 day visa on arrival and/or a multiple entry visa to be purchased outside of Thailand. It is still my understanding that it is not possible to get a multiple entry tourist visa for Thailand anywhere.

It baffles the mind.

[AndyCanfield]

sydmike, on 2007-01-25 09:44:33, said:

The immigration official ... added up the days.

This is great. They leave you flexibility in how you arrange your time. My plan "B" is to spend two weeks in Thailand, two weeks outside of Thailand. Seems like it will work. I've been worried about that.

Of course, make it easy for them. Hand the officer a spreadsheet showing every in date, out date, and duration, and the duration sum, including page number references into your passport.

Won't be long before the computer adds it up.

[icecubes]

djc45, on 2007-01-27 03:13:04, said:

the cost of a one year multi entry visa will work out cheaper in the long run and if you re enter just befor you year is up you get an exit date 90 days from your last entry so in effect nearly 15months on a one year multi

With all due respect I don’t see how travelling to your home country to obtain
A one year multi entry visa would be cheap.
I would put the cost at over a thousand pounds.
Including the Air line ticket.
Accommodation for 2 days minimum, this could easily become three days.
(trying to do it all in a day, would be a bit mad)
Taxis, bus or train train tickets to and from the consulate and back to the airport.
Or even a hire car.
Food for two days.
Cost of the visa.
I would put that at over a grand, not so cheap form my point of view.
I bet I have missed some other expenses out.

BTW, this could end up 5 days with the flight times, so Thailand has lost
5 days of money I would have spent in the country.
but I do feel if people are travelling back to there home countries for a visa
More money will go down the plug hole, for Thailand. as they will stay even longer one or two weeks to say hello to friends and family. (More money lost) (smart move that one)

It’s a similar thing with people travelling out to get double and single entry visas in
Countries close to Thailand. The money is still going out of Thailand.
Amazing Thailand.

i do feel this 30 stamp thing will get reviewed at some point in time.
Have a nice day.

[PeaceBlondie]

thaipulse, on 2007-01-27 08:40:56, said:

djc45, on 2007-01-27 03:13:04, said:

the cost of a one year multi entry visa will work out cheaper in the long run and if you re enter just befor you year is up you get an exit date 90 days from your last entry so in effect nearly 15months on a one year multi

DJC45 -

Is this right? I have a single re-entry non-immig b visa for teaching that is to expire march 31 2007. If I leave and return just before March 31st - they will give me a 90 day visa that doesn't count toward my 30 day -30 day -30 day tourist visas I can get when this non-imm b expires?

That'd be great news - can everyone get that? Anyone done it yet?

That refers to a multiple entry visa, not to a single entry. Many of us stretched a one year multi-entry out to 14 months, but we had multi's.

[falux]

tijnebijn, on 2007-01-25 15:14:37, said:

I think it is madness no matter what.
If it is such a huss,and if they want to change the code ,what they did for visa free enrty.
Why not just give a 2 or 3 month visa free to all farangs.A lot of them will extend there holidays.
Like malaysia where you get a 60 or 90 day free stay.A lot of problems finihed ,and what do you think about all the time consuming work the imm has got to do,still bananarepublic over here.I love it don't understand me wrong ,just getting tired too many right now....

Ever wondered why the tourist visa has a bad reputation? Because hundreds, if not thousands use them to live and work here, without bothering to pay taxes. I don't think that's Ok, and I'm glad to see Thais take action. If you knew what trouble my company and me go through every year to get me that Non-B visa, you'd know why I think it's a good thing.

[astral]

thaipulse, on 2007-01-27 09:40:56, said:

Is this right? I have a single re-entry non-immig b visa for teaching that is to expire march 31 2007. If I leave and return just before March 31st - they will give me a 90 day visa that doesn't count toward my 30 day -30 day -30 day tourist visas I can get when this non-imm b expires?

That'd be great news - can everyone get that? Anyone done it yet?

If you have a single entry visa and you are a teacher, then you should have a work permit and
then you can extend your visa for one year based on the work permit.

To get another 90 days Non Imm B visa you will have apply at an overseas consulate, and you may well
find that path blocked................

Working without a Work Permit and correct visa will land you in the IDC, not a pleasant place!!

[tropo]

falux, on 2007-01-27 09:11:06, said:

Ever wondered why the tourist visa has a bad reputation?

Bad reputation with who?

Edited by tropo, 2007-01-27 09:25:19.

[brahmburgers]

Here's the formula for Thai visas:

complicated system + subjective interpretations by imm.workers + intentional difficulty ingrained within the regulations + bias toward well attired foreigners + mutable regulations, depending on which Thai consulate/embassy one deals with + language barrier = a system that, even with an large busy website devoted to it, with hundreds of intelligent (debatable, perhaps) participants trying valiantly to decipher it, is still a tangle of mutable weirdness.

Hello Thai Immigration Dept bosses! Please, please, please implement (at least) a remotely fair-minded system that's not aggravatingly complicated, hopelessly hamstrung by subjective interpretations and changes day by day. There's nothing to be gained by instating a system that discriminates against single people, against people under 50, and well-meaning foreigners who would gladly contribute positively to Thailand. Each foreigner that's turned away by the byzantine giordian knot of visa ridiculousness, is a loss to Thailand of roughly 1 million baht per year of outside money. Economists tell us that each baht spent in Thailand circulates approx 6 times before it's socked away in banks or real estate, So if (for example) half a million foreigners decide to live elsewhere (rather than grapple with endlessly complicated regulations), that's roughly 108 trillion baht of outside money that doesn't get brought in to and spent in Thailand. Money isn't everything, for sure, and contributions by foreigners to good causes (volunteers, English teachers, goodwill gestures, charities) could arguably be more valuable for the Thai people in the long run.

[kiakaha]

hagler, on 2007-01-27 07:17:38, said:

Gives you 3 years multiple entry and no visa requirements to all countries that are members of APEC ( that includes Thailand).

Incorrect. Only gives you entry to APEC countries that participate in the APEC Business Travel Card scheme. 17 out of 21 countrys currently participate.

http://www.businessmobility.org/key/ABTCAr...sMarch2006.html

[iang]

[/quote]
Mike why on earth are you putting yourself through all this ? if you are regularly coming here for genuine business purposes and you have
an Austrian passport plus you don't have any criminal record - you should be eligible for an APEC Buiness Travel Card.
This will solve all your problems plus you get to use special lanes at immigration - in some countries it's the diplomatic channel Lane !
I must warn you it will take up to a year to get all your clearances for all 17 participating countries ( the People's Republic of China
takes athe longest ) but you could get an interim card in far shorter time. for places like Thailand they usually only take 8 to 10 weeks
to give you their clearence. I'm telling you in your situation it would be a real investment !
[/quote]

Yes, the APEC Business Travel Card is a good solution and a very useful thing to have for many countries. However the procesing time is sooooooo long! I applied for one on Sep 06 - many countries have already approved me, however Thailand is one of only 2 or 3 that is still outstanding after nearly 5 months of waiting! Approvals from Thailand I was told, have slowed down following the events of last Sept! For a bone fide business person, I guess the wait is inconvenient, but does not really matter as other visa options are legitimately available. This is not though a rapid solution to anyone's visa problems. Hopefully will all be finalised before my non-imm B expires in 3 months though!?!?

[LivinLOS]

djc45, on 2007-01-27 02:40:27, said:

I just can not understand why so many people who visit Thailand frequently just don’t get the one year multi ‘0’entry visa come in and out as many times as you like with no problems 90 days at a time

Because the criteria for a non O are people who are married to a Thai or over 50 (or education or a couple of other lesser used ones)..

Simply visiting friends and family is no longer a valid reason although some consuls still incorrectly (in the eyes of the embassys) give these out. If you dont have a friendly consul or you are not in the above (IE all the young retired single) what do you do ??

[midas]

ramidin, on 2007-01-27 02:29:43, said:

ramidin, on 2007-01-27 02:24:35, said:

midas, on 2007-01-26 22:14:42, said:

sydmike, on 2007-01-25 09:44:33, said:

This is my first post so please be gently.

I come to Thialand every month (from Aistralia) as part of a business consulting group in IT services. I spend from 2 to 30 days in Thailand but usually 5 to 12 days. Have been doing this for 4 years and have always used the 30day Visa on arrival.

I have been waiting to see how they are going to enforce the 90 out of 180 day limit of stay usng the 30 day visa on arrival as Icould be affacted.

Arrived last night at the airport (25th JAN), nearly 4 months into the new system. Thought it may have been automated - how wrong I was.

The immigration official lokked at my passport and saw the mant entries to Thailadn in the past - she asked me how many days I had spend in Thailand since the 1st of October and I said "about 60". She then went through the passport and identified all the entries and exits since the 1st of October 2006. She added up the days and came to 64 - therefore I was not granted a 30 days visa but a visa which expires in 26 days.

So a few points to note -

- The enforcment of the 90 in 180 days is as per expected and was fair as per the guidelines I understood.
- The is no elcectronic system to automatically calulate the days used or left in the 180 days period.
- The days are counted as per entries in the passport - if you have two passports then I asume you could use two to stay on two lots of "90 out of 180" and be here the whole time - although illegally.
- It is VERY time consuming - it took a good 15 minutes for her to go through my passport and annoyed the people waiting behind me in the line.
- Adding to the time was the issue that typically Thai immigration officers do not put stamps in a chronoloigal order so she had to go thriugh my passport from page 1 to page 64 to check for all entries from Oct 1.

Cheers,


Mike

Mike why on earth are you putting yourself through all this ? if you are regularly coming here for genuine business purposes and you have
an Austrian passport plus you don't have any criminal record - you should be eligible for an APEC Buiness Travel Card.
This will solve all your problems plus you get to use special lanes at immigration - in some countries it's the diplomatic channel Lane !
I must warn you it will take up to a year to get all your clearances for all 17 participating countries ( the People's Republic of China
takes athe longest ) but you could get an interim card in far shorter time. for places like Thailand they usually only take 8 to 10 weeks
to give you their clearence. I'm telling you in your situation it would be a real investment !

Mike

Get yourself a multple entry Non_B business visa, most home country consulates turn them round over night with a minimum of fuss.

It is worth the application once a year................

I am sorry ramidin but I have to disagree with you ! There are many reasons why an APEC Card
is far superior to a Non_B business visa :-
1. cost-saving
I cannot remember how much I paid for my last Non B but I'm sure it was around 2,000 thb for just one year ?
The APEC card only costs $155 for 3 years ! i.e. $50 A$ a year !

2. spread the cost over many countries
And then once you have it you can visit all these countries without having to pay a single cent in any more visa fees
for these countries as well :-


Brunei Darussalam
Chile
Hong Kong (China)
Indonesia
Japan
Republic of Korea
Papua New Guinea
People's Republic of China
The Philippines
Malaysia
Peru
Singapore
Chinese Taipei
Thailand
Vietnam


next week I am going to Vietnam where I would otherwise have paid at least 2,000 THB
for a single entry visa to the country alone. Similarly last year I saved a lot on visa fees to China so Mike
shouldn't just be thinking of saving visa fees in Thailand alone. if he wants to go
to the Olympic Games next year he would be able to do so using his
APEC card at no extra cost !


3. saving time at airports

this is excellent because no matter how big the lines are at immigration desks
anywhere you just breeze through the APEC lane or in Beijing for example the lane
for diplomatic passport holders. I can tell you you will save an incredible amount of time.

Because Mike is an Australian passport holder I just think he may as well enquire with the
department of immigration in Canberra to see if he's eligible - it won't cost him
anything to enquire and if you can get it it's worth its weight in gold !

[s.pylos]

LivinLOS, on 2007-01-27 10:05:20, said:

djc45, on 2007-01-27 02:40:27, said:

I just can not understand why so many people who visit Thailand frequently just don’t get the one year multi ‘0’entry visa come in and out as many times as you like with no problems 90 days at a time

Because the criteria for a non O are people who are married to a Thai or over 50 (or education or a couple of other lesser used ones)..

Simply visiting friends and family is no longer a valid reason although some consuls still incorrectly (in the eyes of the embassys) give these out. If you dont have a friendly consul or you are not in the above (IE all the young retired single) what do you do ??

You go back home and pass away slowly in London's fog... like I'll be doing soon...

[sandy]

[LivinLOS]

The important factor thats being missed in these discussions of non O's and APEC cards..

Some immigration points are now counting a tourist visa as being part of the 90 days in country total when all along immigration had said that it was only the visa waiver days to be counted.. This seems to also apply to some SEA consuls issueing practice for tourist visa's also.

Many people simply dont fit a non O or non B profile (wealthy single people under 50).. Without a visa class for them then counting 60 day tourist visa's as part of the 90 amount is a big problem.

I lean towards this being the occasional badly informed immigration officer rather than the rule but thats no help when stood in front of him.

[kiakaha]

[quote name='midas' post='1105300' date='2007-01-27 10:08:57'][quote name='ramidin' post='1104832' date='2007-01-27 02:29:43'][quote name='ramidin' post='1104827' date='2007-01-27 02:24:35'][quote name='midas' post='1104587' date='2007-01-26 22:14:42'][quote name='sydmike' post='1101049' date='2007-01-25 09:44:33']This is my first post so please be gently.

I come to Thialand every month (from Aistralia) as part of a business consulting group in IT services. I spend from 2 to 30 days in Thailand but usually 5 to 12 days. Have been doing this for 4 years and have always used the 30day Visa on arrival.

I have been waiting to see how they are going to enforce the 90 out of 180 day limit of stay usng the 30 day visa on arrival as Icould be affacted.

Arrived last night at the airport (25th JAN), nearly 4 months into the new system. Thought it may have been automated - how wrong I was.

The immigration official lokked at my passport and saw the mant entries to Thailadn in the past - she asked me how many days I had spend in Thailand since the 1st of October and I said "about 60". She then went through the passport and identified all the entries and exits since the 1st of October 2006. She added up the days and came to 64 - therefore I was not granted a 30 days visa but a visa which expires in 26 days.

So a few points to note -

- The enforcment of the 90 in 180 days is as per expected and was fair as per the guidelines I understood.
- The is no elcectronic system to automatically calulate the days used or left in the 180 days period.
- The days are counted as per entries in the passport - if you have two passports then I asume you could use two to stay on two lots of "90 out of 180" and be here the whole time - although illegally.
- It is VERY time consuming - it took a good 15 minutes for her to go through my passport and annoyed the people waiting behind me in the line.
- Adding to the time was the issue that typically Thai immigration officers do not put stamps in a chronoloigal order so she had to go thriugh my passport from page 1 to page 64 to check for all entries from Oct 1.

Cheers,


Mike[/quote]


Mike why on earth are you putting yourself through all this ? if you are regularly coming here for genuine business purposes and you have
an Austrian passport plus you don't have any criminal record - you should be eligible for an APEC Buiness Travel Card.
This will solve all your problems plus you get to use special lanes at immigration - in some countries it's the diplomatic channel Lane !
I must warn you it will take up to a year to get all your clearances for all 17 participating countries ( the People's Republic of China
takes athe longest ) but you could get an interim card in far shorter time. for places like Thailand they usually only take 8 to 10 weeks
to give you their clearence. I'm telling you in your situation it would be a real investment !
[/quote]
[/quote]

Mike

Get yourself a multple entry Non_B business visa, most home country consulates turn them round over night with a minimum of fuss.

It is worth the application once a year................
[/quote]


I am sorry ramidin but I have to disagree with you ! There are many reasons why an APEC Card
is far superior to a Non_B business visa :-
1[u]. cost-saving[/u]
I cannot remember how much I paid for my last Non B but I'm sure it was around 2,000 thb for just one year ?
The APEC card only costs $155 for 3 years ! i.e. $50 A$ a year !

[u]2. spread the cost over many countries[/u]
And then once you have it you can visit all these countries without having to pay a single cent in any more visa fees
for these countries as well :-


Brunei Darussalam
Chile
Hong Kong (China)
Indonesia
Japan
Republic of Korea
Papua New Guinea
People's Republic of China
The Philippines
Malaysia
Peru
Singapore
Chinese Taipei
Thailand
Vietnam


next week I am going to Vietnam where I would otherwise have paid at least 2,000 THB
for a single entry visa to the country alone. Similarly last year I saved a lot on visa fees to China so Mike
shouldn't just be thinking of saving visa fees in Thailand alone. if he wants to go
to the Olympic Games next year he would be able to do so using his
APEC card at no extra cost !


[u]3. saving time at airports[/u]

this is excellent because no matter how big the lines are at immigration desks
anywhere you just breeze through the APEC lane or in Beijing for example the lane
for diplomatic passport holders. I can tell you you will save an incredible amount of time.

Because Mike is an Australian passport holder I just think he may as well enquire with the
department of immigration in Canberra to see if he's eligible - it won't cost him
anything to enquire and if you can get it it's worth its weight in gold !
[/quote]

Also bear in mind that you cant legally work in Thailand if you enter with your APEC card.
You would still have to enter on a Non-Immigrant Visa and then obtain a Work Permit.

Likewise for other countries and their respective regulations regarding working.

PS: Just to validate the info I have put forth in this thread, I have an APEC card and a Non-Imm B and WP.

Edited by kiakaha, 2007-01-27 10:55:47.

[Darkling]

LPCustom69, on 2007-01-27 02:26:15, said:

My understanding is after 90 days in Thailand, you have to leave the country for 90 days. It seems like they treated you fairly. Better to upgrade to a legitimate visa, and avoid the potential BS.

keenok, on 2007-01-26 05:29:23, said:

now i really am getting pissed off with the inconsintencies here. i have just been to immigration in jomtien to extend my tourist visa. visa history since october 1st is:
oct 29 enter on 30 day visa exempt at suvarnabhmi
nov27 exit at nong khai (30 days up)

dec 4 enter at nong khai on tourist visa (60 days given,expire on 1 feb)
jan 26 extension at jomtien(30 day extension given to expire on3 mar)
the officer told me he could grant me a further 7 days in case of emergency,otherwise at the end of my extension i will have to leave for 3 months!!!!!. this makes no sense to me at all. theyre making it up as they go along i think.its going to be the same old story ,its going to be up to the INDIVIDUAL you deal with and how they interpret it.

Are they also counting the days that you have not been in the Country towards the 90 days that you have to be out?

[rexall]

LivinLOS, on 2007-01-26 15:08:02, said:

keenok, on 2007-01-26 12:29:23, said:

now i really am getting pissed off with the inconsintencies here. i have just been to immigration in jomtien to extend my tourist visa. visa history since october 1st is:
oct 29 enter on 30 day visa exempt at suvarnabhmi
nov27 exit at nong khai (30 days up)

dec 4 enter at nong khai on tourist visa (60 days given,expire on 1 feb)
jan 26 extension at jomtien(30 day extension given to expire on3 mar)
the officer told me he could grant me a further 7 days in case of emergency,otherwise at the end of my extension i will have to leave for 3 months!!!!!. this makes no sense to me at all. theyre making it up as they go along i think.its going to be the same old story ,its going to be up to the INDIVIDUAL you deal with and how they interpret it.

Hold on.. Did he give a 7 day extension or did he grant the 30 day until March 3rd ??

You should be ok being on a tourist visa and non visa exemption but the whole mess is looking shaky.. No clear cut policy beween border and airport immigrations, local consuls, incountry immigration, etc..

If I read the story correctly, you were given a 30 extension as expected, and then the officer helpfully told you that only one additional extension, for 7 days, would be granted. As to not being able to return for 90 days, I think the officer was misinformed or speaking carelessly. Unless there is something new we don't yet know, there is no limit at this time with the number of sequential tourist visas that may be issued (buy a consulate). Of course, if th gov is still upset by the numbers of foreigners spending time in the Kingdom, is would be a relatively simple matter to shut the valve on unlimited sequential tourist visas, limit or stop issuing them in the regional consulates. Are you saying that if you turn up at a border or the airport with valid 60 visa, you will be turned away?

I still fail to understand what the fuss is all about; hoards of dirty foreigners, prowling around the country unsupervised, doing gawd knows what, corrupting the local population, getting into all sorts of mischief no doubt! But, then again, there is lots of stuff I don't understand, and we have been over and over and over it in these threads! Sigh!

Aloha,

Rex

Edited by rexall, 2007-01-27 11:37:22.

[Sunny Valentine]

aussimike, on 2007-01-27 08:43:22, said:

Also are you aware of the definication of a tourist according the the UN - its a person who travels away from home and stays more then one nite and less than one year ---

Hey, didn't know there was an "official" definition of a tourist around! Maybe that could put a stop on the mumblings of those holier-than-thou-dogooders here that constantly moan around "You stay here more than six weeks so you can't be a tourist!" once and for all?

FYI: I am over 50, married to a Thai wife, and in poosession of a work permit.

But some 25 Years ago I udertook a long holiday, almost three Years, around the Americas, Australia, and Africa. Longest stay in one Country was over 10 month (with "Visa runs"). I had the time and the money, did not work, so I considered myself (and still do in retrospective) a tourist.

Sunny

[paulmw]

AsiaCheese, on 2007-01-27 01:29:10, said:

keenok, on 2007-01-26 09:18:55, said:

what really adds to the confusion is that if the officer sees the days on tourist exempt visa and tourist visa as both counting towards the 90 days, why did he give me another 30 days??

The common factor is the word "tourist" - whether it's a (tourist) visa-on-arrival or a tourist visa stamped into your passport by a Thai embassy or consulate. That's my experience from applying for a 2-month tourist visa & wanting another one within 6 months -- the lady at the consulate said that she could only issue a 1-month visa as the second one (meaning: I might as well do it on a visa-on-arrival, which is free).

So: it seems as though any sort of visa below a non-immigrant is considered a tourist visa and thus counts towards 90 days within 180...

Uncool.

Sorry for being a bit thick this morning (Leo)
Are we now saying the law is 60 day tourist +30 day extention =90days & your out for 6 months as well.
So what is the point in paying for a visa & extention if thats the case

[homeless007]

Hi guys

This Aussie was nice enough to write a report and inform us of the fact that and how they enforce these idiotic new laws and all he gets from most of us is a lecture of some kind.
This Forum reflects very much the kind of people (Tourists & Expats) living here in the "Land of Smile".... I better stop here or some of you might get a heart attack...
Keep defending this "lovely" country with it's "pristine" culture....Or open your eyes...watch the kind of people roaming the streets of Pattaya, Bangkok(Tourist areas), work for at least a year with the so lovely hosts in this country and most of all, don't lie to yourself....it is all an illusion..

Below a copy of one of many letters to Pattaya Mail....I did now write it...

"I had a strange dream"

Dear Sirs,
I had a strange dream last night. I dreamt that US Ambassador Boyce held a news conference to announce:
A. Thai citizens no longer will be allowed to purchase property in the US.
B. Thai travelers to the US will be allowed to remain in the US for only 90 days, and will be prohibited from return visits for 90 days.
C. Thai investment in the US stock market will be subject to a 30 percent “Reserve” penalty.
D. Thai visitors will be charged up to 400 percent of the normal fee for entry into national parks, privately owned parks, restaurants, etc.
E. Thai citizens seeking medical care in the US must pay cash up front or large amounts of gold jewelry in escrow.
F. All traffic regulations will be suspended during the holiday season. Stop lights will only be meant as a suggestion.
G. All official documents regarding these new acts will be published only in Greek.
H. Thais who are unhappy with the foregoing new policies are encouraged to go to Cambodia.
I thought it a bizarre dream. Then I realized that the US Embassy doesn’t give a hoot about the concept of reciprocity in international relations.
Sadly, the Thais also seem reluctant to face reality, determined to press on unfettered by facts or informed opinion. I recall a comment allegedly made by a senior Thai leader, “Take from the West everything and give back nothing”. The average Thai seems immersed in this philosophy. A fish doesn’t know when it’s wet.
Sincerely,

Arthur Lee Gordon
Retired FSO
Pattaya

Keep smiling folks.....But this will not change anything for the better....The rest of the world is laughing!

Disillusioned... :

[midas]

homeless007, on 2007-01-27 12:03:05, said:

Hi guys

This Aussie was nice enough to write a report and inform us of the fact that and how they enforce these idiotic new laws and all he gets from most of us is a lecture of some kind.
This Forum reflects very much the kind of people (Tourists & Expats) living here in the "Land of Smile".... I better stop here or some of you might get a heart attack...
Keep defending this "lovely" country with it's "pristine" culture....Or open your eyes...watch the kind of people roaming the streets of Pattaya, Bangkok(Tourist areas), work for at least a year with the so lovely hosts in this country and most of all, don't lie to yourself....it is all an illusion..

Below a copy of one of many letters to Pattaya Mail....I did now write it...

"I had a strange dream"

Dear Sirs,
I had a strange dream last night. I dreamt that US Ambassador Boyce held a news conference to announce:
A. Thai citizens no longer will be allowed to purchase property in the US.
B. Thai travelers to the US will be allowed to remain in the US for only 90 days, and will be prohibited from return visits for 90 days.
C. Thai investment in the US stock market will be subject to a 30 percent “Reserve” penalty.
D. Thai visitors will be charged up to 400 percent of the normal fee for entry into national parks, privately owned parks, restaurants, etc.
E. Thai citizens seeking medical care in the US must pay cash up front or large amounts of gold jewelry in escrow.
F. All traffic regulations will be suspended during the holiday season. Stop lights will only be meant as a suggestion.
G. All official documents regarding these new acts will be published only in Greek.
H. Thais who are unhappy with the foregoing new policies are encouraged to go to Cambodia.
I thought it a bizarre dream. Then I realized that the US Embassy doesn’t give a hoot about the concept of reciprocity in international relations.
Sadly, the Thais also seem reluctant to face reality, determined to press on unfettered by facts or informed opinion. I recall a comment allegedly made by a senior Thai leader, “Take from the West everything and give back nothing”. The average Thai seems immersed in this philosophy. A fish doesn’t know when it’s wet.
Sincerely,

Arthur Lee Gordon
Retired FSO
Pattaya

Keep smiling folks.....But this will not change anything for the better....The rest of the world is laughing!

Disillusioned... :

But what has this got to do with Mike who was an Australian businessman travels here
once a month and just wants to know the most practical way to end to the country
temporarily ?

[Incobart]

hi,

as I understand it, there is maybe a lot of wind for nothing. The officer just told him : if the 90 days of your touristvisa are over and you still in the country you can get another 7 days (kind of imergency regulation for not being illegal here in that case) = same for a 30 day visa on arrival, you can go to immigration and ask for a few extra days in case of immergancy.

Nothing stands him in the way to leave the country at the end of his touristvisa to get a new one or to do 3 visaruns.

there are only 2 cases in this treat where an officer said something wrong, but its not a new regulation.
refering to 1) counting the touristvisa days 2) the man with B-visa staying to long...

or do I seeing it wrong ..?

[Tammi]

astral, on 2007-01-25 20:01:24, said:

sydmike, on 2007-01-25 10:44:33, said:

- It is VERY time consuming - it took a good 15 minutes for her to go through my passport and annoyed the people waiting behind me in the line.
Mike

I bet you were popular............

Multiple queues is a nonsense anyway.
A single queue and multiple outlets is much more efficient,and practiced by immigration in many countries now.

Don Muang had this the last couple of times I came in. It was great.