Starting up tourism, visa amnesty and repatriation flights, Thailand is just messing around
Thailand wants tourists to return to the country, but in the meantime the government is dealing with ambiguities, confusing messages and contradictory messages.
The government program aimed at kickstarting economic recovery by starting up tourism is complicated and has many limitations. The capacity to admit no more than 14.000 to 16.000 foreign visitors in a year is just a drop in the ocean, hardly worth talking about.
Strangely enough, Thailand has a rather diffuse approach to immigration policy. Instead of nurturing the group of foreigners already in the country, they are being hounded with reports that the visa waiver would expire this month. Thailand has now extended the amnesty on visa extensions until October 31, but why are you chasing foreigners away on one side only to let them in through another door?
There are already 150.000 foreigners in the country who will have the means to travel and enjoy Thailand without any security risk in the coming months. There is also a tendency to ignore retirees who are a lucrative source of income for the country, a steady income that has been eroded by heavy-handed and archaic immigration policies. If ever there was a time to overhaul and modernize the country's immigration office, it is now.
The Immigration Bureau estimates that more than 150.000 foreigners will need to renew their visas that expired after March during the national lockdown. The agency extended the grace period three times to Sept. 26. Foreigners were warned to renew their visas or leave the country to avoid the possibility of fines, deportation and blacklisting. But as the Sept. 26 deadline approached, immigration offices were overwhelmed by large numbers of foreigners requesting postponements, forcing officials to work overtime on weekends.
The crisis has been averted for now, but the travel industry is questioning why the government is not encouraging foreigners who are currently living in the country and free of Covid-19 to stay and explore the country. They are a captive audience and treating them well would send a positive message. Critics are calling on the government to think twice and make sure they send a much kinder message to the foreigners already in the country.
Travel restrictions
Thailand also doesn't have the best record when it comes to dealing with travel restrictions amid the Covid-19 pandemic, especially when it comes to Thai citizens stranded abroad. In the UK, thousands of Thais have their names on waiting lists for repatriation flights that are limited to about 200 passengers per trip. There are only three direct repatriation flights a month for Thais from the UK. If a flight is full, potential travelers have to start all over again. Back to square one, they have to add their name to a new waiting list for the next round of monthly flights with no guarantee that they will be able to go home now.
National carrier THAI Airways announced today that flight TG916 will fly to London three times in October to pick up Thais stranded in the UK. Since July, the airline has operated 10 repatriation flights from the UK, bringing home about 2.500 Thais. That is clearly not enough.
While there is much talk about reopening borders and easing travel restrictions for foreign tourists, little is said about the plight of Thai citizens abroad seeking to return home. They are running out of money and their visas have expired. In short, the Thai government likes to be proud of the low number of infections, but it does not have its affairs in order on many other files.
Source: TTRweekly.com
'Thailand is messing around': I have not yet come across a more apt summary of Thai 'policy'.
In my view, one could find a reasonable balance between protection against the virus and the needs of the tourism industry by admitting in principle anyone who is willing to self-quarantine at their own expense.
All this is Thailand in its entirety. On the one hand, the Thai government wants to congratulate itself, gain international fame that they keep corona out so well, on the other hand, they cannot do without tourism from outside. It was thought that they could manage by urging their own people to do domestic tourism in particular. For the sake of convenience, she forgot that the population is now acting on its own, only the well-to-do are still able to drive around, but that this group already camps in Huahin on weekends. It is much too late to save cabbage and goat now, and you only shoot yourself in the foot. Who still wants to go to Thailand where the outdoor life has completely fallen, the shopping malls lose their luster, the beaches are empty and the hotels are uncomfortable. And then all that hassle with imposing a “numerus fixus” on the extremely small number of visitors that may be admitted: who would come up with the idea of admitting only 16000 tourists? A number like that is absolutely useless. Are the hotels getting cosier? The beaches crowded? Does the atmosphere come back in the shopping centers? Nice and free and happy strolling around nightmarkets? I maintain: Thais can only think wishfully, are unable to set up a proper analysis or define a solid plan of action, and find consensus only in the view that ignoring a problem means that the problem will be solved.
Indeed, Thailand in its entirety. You put it neatly, but the Thai policy is completely unbelievable and seems (partly) aimed at being able to congratulate oneself nationally that they have been able to preserve the Thai population for a pandemic that is making victims everywhere worldwide.
Why is it unbelievable? First of all, because it is not statistically possible, unless you are completely isolated, such as in Antarctica. But that's not Thailand. Not before the pandemic, not during the pandemic and not after the pandemic. It is very plausible with all the incoming people from home & abroad, that the Corona virus has already arrived in Thailand before the (worldwide) alarm was sounded. In Asia, even more than in the West, many Chinese travel in the region (completely logical, of course, given China's location and importance in Southeast Asia and also in Thailand).
Secondly, there is little or no testing in Thailand. Really tested, not the “how are you feeling” questionnaires accompanied by a cursory temperature check. And what you don't measure, you don't know (register). People will die all over Thailand from Corona and what is simply written off as “old age”.
Thailand is largely (approximately 20%) dependent on tourism. Household debt is very high in Thailand; new cars, new TVs, new motorcycles are often financed. Many households have a loan from the state with their land as collateral to build or renovate houses, buy machines, etc. These debts are largely paid by the income of family members who work in tourism (which I also ladies of easy morals, because they also provide an important part of the family income, especially in the Isaan). The consequences of the loss of income should be clear. In short, Thailand CANNOT do without mass tourism and it does not have to.
The Thai policy to keep tourism out is sustainable in the short term, but from next year many tourists will have to come again in order not to let the Thai economy run completely into the soup. The question is how many tourists would want to come to Thailand at all, even if Thailand wouldn't put any obstacles in their way. But restrictions such as mandatory ASQ, even if it were to go to 7 days as suggested, will not help.
It is for Thailand, but also for us, to hope that a well-functioning medicine or vaccine will soon be available, because if this takes too long, Thailand will be in big trouble!
Dennis
totally agree with you. Is checked every day for temperature at the tesco the 1 day 32.2 degrees and at the competition 34.9 and sometimes you have to do it yourself which most people don't do and just keep walking. Live at the temple asn in the small community near pretchukirican. A death every day and today even 3 you really thought that they are being tested for Covid 19. No, because of old age
Yes Denise.
Regarding the testing policy worldwide, I find this website interesting:
https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus-testing
And in particular the graph:
https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/covid-19-daily-tests-vs-daily-new-confirmed-cases?time=2020-09-20&country=BEL~THA~NLD
On 20 September (now the most recent data available for NL):
– Belgium with 11,5 million people did almost 36.000 tests and found 1425 infections
– The Netherlands with 17 million people x performed more than 26.000 tests and found 1558 infections
– Thailand with 70 million people did 1.000 tests and found 5 infections
In Thailand, therefore, there is hardly any testing and we will have to wait for the mortality figures to be able to make a reasonable estimate of the number of deaths due to it. COVID-19.
As usual, the poorest part of the population is hit hardest by the virus and the measures against it.
Is it known whether those 1000 tests also include the tests of the SQ and ASQ detainees?
(I think the number of deaths may actually be lower because there's less traffic.)
From the graph I understand that it is all COVID tests on that day, so including the tests on arrived returnees and tourists.
Perhaps/hopefully you are right that there are far fewer road deaths.
The embassies also make a nice contribution to this bag. One has completely different criteria and conditions than the other to return. Let's think this is Thailand.
It can get even crazier: Prayuth wants foreign tourists to wear a track & track GPS strap. So a corona check in advance, all kinds of forms and a 'fit to fly' statement (a waste of money), then 2 weeks in expensive quarantine (such a hotel costs more than I spend on my holiday, and if you are unlucky the rooms in the lower price range are already full, then it all adds up). And how will the population rule if they see someone with such a band?
You would almost hope that in addition to the late Songkran, they now also have a nice April 1 joke and we read in the newspaper tomorrow that they really aren't that crazy. However, I fear that all kinds of departments and people think in their own way, blinders on and apparently under the line think that Thailand is the absolute place to be on earth and people are willing to undergo any torture to relax in Thailand .. uhh, their spend pennies. 5555
See: “Thai PM wants all tourists to wear wristbands”
https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1185116-thai-pm-wants-all-tourists-to-wear-wristbands-were-not-opening-the-floodgates/
The typical problem “Thailand”. People know next to nothing about the history, very little, about what is happening abroad, and see what is happening in Thailand as the only correct one.
As an international food man: Thais at the 2-yearly international fairs such as SIAL and ANUGA: even before the fair is over, they already run back to the plane instead of going on a 'spy tour' for a few days and see what's happening here. A Thai export lady came to Europe for 20 years, but never seen more than airport, hotel, bus, exhibition stand, Thai restaurant and back again.
How can one ever get any idea how the foreigner - WITHOUT pink Thai glasses - reacts?
“Thai Kitchen, the kitchen of the world”… what a huge self-overestimation.
Ditto tourism: knowledge close to zero.
If Thailand is such a bad country to go to, why would you want to go there?
Thailand is what it is, every country has its own rules.
If you want to visit the beach of Phuket or the mountains of Chiangmai, you will have to follow the government regulations.
The Thai population is under control through an intricate network, why should it be any different for foreigners?
The same applies to me, I am convinced that if I did strange things in the village, it would end up in a government file somewhere.
Even without a bracelet.
Thailand WAS a very nice country. I've been coming here since 1980.
But it's getting less and less fun because of these rules.
If you have to wear a GPS strap like a prisoner, I won't go there anymore.
Thailand is a beautiful country, I have friends and family living there. However, the government is miserable and that is quite an understatement. I would like to go to Thailand but not with absurd rules. Fortunately, most announced hot air balloons are often quickly shot down again. The GPS tracking is also an old-fashioned plan. that was already left out last year and quickly shot down. I think that the officials who came up with that now saw their chance to pull the plan out of the drawer again. You won't get such a bond on me (maybe I'll consider it for at least 1 million THB 555).
An intricate network of control? How will that Thaichana tracking app fare since its introduction? Don't think that's actually happening. The ladies and gentlemen civil servants are masters in setting up bureaucratic monstrosities, piece of paper here, report there, form X, don't forget the appendix Q and Z in triplicate. And then store everything in a warehouse never to look at it again.
If miraculously the people in power manage to activate George Orwell's 1984, I will unfortunately not set foot in my beloved Thailand. My appreciation therefore for the Thai people who make themselves heard that they do not like such practices because the country would certainly not be better off.
You apparently don't know much more than just what happens in Thailand, what are you actually doing here, the current government really rules with all sorts of strange leaps and bounds. Apparently no one has any idea what is going on in their own country, one wants a lot of tourists quickly and, because that means money in the pocket, see Chinese who are allowed to come here, especially rich ones, the export policy that needs to be overhauled, the latest idea of drug cultivation. And so on, very little happens in the end, no one really knows, there is even talk of changing the economy, what then? The people are gnawing on bones, the young people are protesting and striking, the country is almost flat. What does Mr. Ruud want to do about this? Ideas??
Greeting with a wink.
Moderator: Please keep the discussion to Thailand.
That wasn't what I meant
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1991191/shorter-quarantine-if-tourist-test-succeeds
Maybe I'm the odd one out, but I wouldn't have any problem with a GPS tracker like that.
My preference is an app on the mobile phone and then immediately all those 90 days of notifications, tm30 posturing are over. But knowing TH it will not be less but only extra.
Thai Embassy also has something special:
4 things must be validated by a notary before applying for a OA visa! (Certificate of conduct, medical examination for prohibited diseases, extract birth register and extract population register)!
Not seen at multiple Thai embassies in other countries