Ivor the Engine
Nowhere man
Good questions, Les.
Maybe the other (beautiful) places have less 'influence' (corruption) with China, for these people to be able to flout the rules.
FARANG LIVES MATTER
- Thread starter Wanderer
- Start date
Maybe the other (beautiful) places have less 'influence' (corruption) with China, for these people to be able to flout the rules.
Rice
Resident Smart Arse
Phuket is also the most corrupt location in Thailand. Just that Pattaya is that much bigger on a scale Phuket wins.
These Chinese are desperate to money launder nothing more nothing less. That's the need for the trip.
Coffee
You chose a custom title
What, they're going to bring USD$Millions to the Currency Exchanges and commercial banks to convert into THB ?
Deerculler
Surin relic
If communism and China is so good and honest. How come there is so much corruption in China?
Ivor the Engine
Nowhere man
The only portal for obtaining the much needed US$ is Hong Kong. That is why they are now invading it. Taiwan will then be next IMO.
Rice
Resident Smart Arse
You are very naive. Their methods are very sophisticated and nefarious, they have to be. It is illegal to bring money out of China the CCP will shoot you and take your assets for them selves.
Hong Kong has been mostly now been cut off as an avenue for them. In the CCP's haste they have destroyed Hong Kongs financial system.
Greedy hedge funds are keeping China a float with USD by buying up high yield Chinese sovereign bonds. What could possibly go wrong?
Deerculler
Surin relic
I doubt that China will invade Taiwan. They know they did the wrong thing in Hong Kong. China will just wear Taiwan down, China does not want a war with the rest of the world.
The CCP is a bully and know they would not win.
There are big problems within the CCP at the moment. The President is not popular with many of those from within the party.
Wait and see.
The CCP is a bully and know they would not win.
There are big problems within the CCP at the moment. The President is not popular with many of those from within the party.
Wait and see.
Rice
Resident Smart Arse
But he made himself president for life! So how do they remove him from office then?
.The truth is he has gone all Chairman Mao on them and it is not good for making money. I mean lining their pockets. The night of the long knifes is coming.
It truly is the game of thrones. They will be waiting until hell freezes over to wait for Taiwan to just give up. China has showed 1 country 2 systems is nothing but a lie.
Night Stroker
Surin Legend
Removal can expediciously be done by mean of an intracranial injection of lead at 90 degrees to the occiput via a 9mm or 7.62mm syringe.
Wanderer
Surin Dinosaur
Illegitimi non Carborundum
OK - I hope to be on an aeroplane from London to Thailand on October 22nd.
For 6 weeks the whole thing has taken over my life. Crazy beyond belief and totally unfair and unnecessary.
I think it is worth giving a start to stop summary, listing the problems and lessons learned, because some of them are not going to go away, even if and when Covid does.
1) I left Thailand in June when my 1-year multi-entry visa ran out and there was the "unofficial" Sunday EVA air flight that came empty from Taiwan.
Before leaving I was assured that the Thai Government Officer Medical Insurance that I had (via my wife) gave me everything I needed for coming back. I organised a certificate for it, with an authorised translation into English. THAT ASSURANCE PROVED TO BE WRONG. What is correct in Thailand is not necessarily what is understood at the London Embassy.
2) Because the multi-entry non immigrant O visa has been stopped, I applied for a 1-year O-A visa. £150 plus £40 for Medical Certificate, plus £25 for No Criminal Record Certificate and booked an appointment at the Embassy. There is no visiting access to the Embassy other than prior appointment for "Delivering a Visa Application" which has been done on line anyway and they have the only copy. Cost of travelling to London for that £100.
THANK GOD I WENT TO THE EMBASSY. Otherwise the application would have been refused - full stop.
3) The Visa application form is not fit for purpose! Only one small file can be scanned in for answering each section. Not only must everything be pre-scanned but your scanner must be set to minimum quality because ONLY SMALL SINGLE PAGE SCANS ARE ALLOWED! As an example, I have two pensions, but I could only give one as financial evidence. There is no facility to add any extra pages or to make any helpful explanations. That is ludicrous.
4) The interview was in the basement, with a long screen as in a bank with one robotic lady handling visas. No chairs, one stood there opposite herself.
"YOUR VISA IS REFUSED BECAUSE YOU HAVE NOT SUBMITTED THE CORRECT INFORMATION"
(i) You do not have Covid Insurance. It must say "Covid-19 Value $100,000. It must be for 1 year". Twice I got her to go to her boss. NO!
(ii) Your finance info is no good. They did not understood my annual P60 form. I gave them a copy of my Govt Pension info. Still no good. I gave them a copy of bank statements from the past 12 months with the two pension payments highlighted for each month. YES OK
(iii) Your Police Certificate is only the basic one. (I have no idea what she was talking about). I suggested that a detailed one would still say I did not have a criminal record. Special dispensation from her boss - YES OK.
(iv) They agreed to keep my passport and application "on hold" while I got the 12-months Covid insurance.
5) My wife made calls in Thailand.
(i) The Govt Officer people said the Embassy was wrong, they should accept it. No they could not send a letter because there was no need. The Embassy should know.
(ii) Thai Embassy HQ said that special tourists would be coming and they would need Covid Insurance for their 9 months. The answer to "he is not a tourist" was "It is up to the Embassy" and the phone as put down.
FORGET ASKING FOR HELP FROM THAILAND AUTHORITIES.
6) Covid-19 insurance from Thai companies.
(i) the cheap Covid-only offers around in March/April are now no more. The only remaining ones require you to have already been in Thailand for 6 months.
(ii) Many Thai companies offer general medical insurance with Covid-19 highlighted. The price/month increase steadily in 5-year age bands. Some companies have an age limit of 65, some 75. For 71-75 a typical price is maybe £400/month - £4800 for the year!
(iii) I am 76. I could get no insurance. For once I got an answer on the Embassy visa phone line, just before 5.00pm closing. Their comment - MAYBE YOU CHANGE TO APPLY FOR SINGLE ENTRY VISA
(iv) Separately my wife made calls in Thailand. April Insurance which had refused me, told her they would provide insurance £300/month, age 71-80. LESSON- ASKING IN THAILAND SPEAKING THAI GIVES DIFFERENT AND BETTER ANSWERS WITH COMMERCIAL COMPANIES. I did not wish to pay that money, and haven't.
7) Certificate of Entry
Separately I had applied for the Cert of Entry, which used an email application system.
The confusing auto reply asked me for things I had already sent. Therefore I emailed specifically asking whether my Govt Officer Medical Insurance had been accepted for this. Their answer was that I only needed Flight details and Quarantine hotel to get my Cert of Entry.
I then wrote asking why it was ok for C of E but not for Visa - no answer whatsoever.
THEREFORE DO NOT EXPECT ANSWERS OR LOGIC FROM THE EMBASSY
8) Single Entry Non-Imm O-visa, cost £60, valid 90 days.
(i) I sent in a new application. No acknowledging email this time. I emailed asking what was happening. A response - please send urgently original copy of marriage certificate. What? Their instructions ask for all foreign language documents to be translated into English.
I explained that the original was in Thailand but a copy had always been accepted and sent it.
That was what they wanted - the embassy people have poor grasp of English language.
(ii) After a few days my passport came in the post with a 90-day visa. That alone was a surprise because I had paid £8 for a Special Delivery. Signing for its receipt wouldn't work on the postie's machine. No tracking info, no security. BEWARE THIS
(iii) Either I am dreaming or the single-entry visa used to say 6-months validity for max 90 day in Thailand, use within 3 months of issue. Not any more. It is now 3 MONTHS FROM DATE OF ISSUE. Mine is October 1st to December 31st.
You are advised to apply at least 15 days before a flight, you do 15 nights quarantine. You have maximum 2 months use.
9) Flights
(i) Thai repatriation flights for which I had registered have disappeared with no explanation. In theory there is a Sunday Thai Airways flight - single fare was near £700 in September. I am sure there were listings for this month a bit cheaper than that but they have disappeared and there is no explanation. Thai Nationals wanting free quarantine in Thailand have to use the Thai airways flight. They do not have insurance complications or anything like that. I guess they must be fully booked. FOREIGNERS NOT WANTED ON THAI AIRWAYS.
(ii) On the other hand Emirates have a daily flight, change in Dubai, £476 single, a bit more Fri/Sat. At this time you also get 31 days free Covid-19 cover value 150,000 Euros, therefore better than Thai authorities require and covering all quarantining. (But 31 days, not the whole period of a visa.). The flight is fully flexible up to 2 years at no charge for changing it, £100 for cancellation. EMIRATES WERE BRILLIANT IN MAKING MY BOOKING. Efficient, clear, knowledgeable and pleasant. I have changed it already. I CAN RECOMMEND EMIRATES.
10) ASQ Quarantine hotels.
(i) there are now 77 on the list in Bangkok, varying from 28000 to over 100,000 THB for the 15 night package. Plus 4 hugely expensive ones in Phuket/Pattaya. The Buriram one is no longer provided as it was for VIPs and members of the football club only !!!
(ii) This is 15 nights in solitary confinement until maybe the last couple of days. The package is arranged through a Private Company which is Government owned (according to ThaiVisa info) but hotels can put their own additional provisions and requirements. IT IS ESSENTIAL TO SEEK OUT CUSTOMER FEEDBACK AND EVEN BETTER FOR YOUR WIFE TO CALL THEM. Cheaper ones are rooms without windows, inferior food and poor service, maybe all three - 15 days in a prison cell and you are paying a lit of money for it !!!!!!!.
(iii) The system is compromised yet again. To quote one newly listed hotel which I know well. The 50,000 THB listed price was for Thai Nationals only. "The Government has asked us to help the Thai people by charging less, and so it is 57,000 for Foreigners". And, "yes there is a big window but we have been asked to cover it with netting so that it cannot be opened, because people may get stressed and want to commit suicide". Unbelievable.
(iv) I have booked a hotel I never heard of called The Vertical Suite. 60,000THB, much bigger room than normal, separated between living and sleeping areas, good customer feedback, pleasant to my wife on the phone. Hopefully I will be able to find out.
OK - I hope to be on an aeroplane from London to Thailand on October 22nd.
For 6 weeks the whole thing has taken over my life. Crazy beyond belief and totally unfair and unnecessary.
I think it is worth giving a start to stop summary, listing the problems and lessons learned, because some of them are not going to go away, even if and when Covid does.
1) I left Thailand in June when my 1-year multi-entry visa ran out and there was the "unofficial" Sunday EVA air flight that came empty from Taiwan.
Before leaving I was assured that the Thai Government Officer Medical Insurance that I had (via my wife) gave me everything I needed for coming back. I organised a certificate for it, with an authorised translation into English. THAT ASSURANCE PROVED TO BE WRONG. What is correct in Thailand is not necessarily what is understood at the London Embassy.
2) Because the multi-entry non immigrant O visa has been stopped, I applied for a 1-year O-A visa. £150 plus £40 for Medical Certificate, plus £25 for No Criminal Record Certificate and booked an appointment at the Embassy. There is no visiting access to the Embassy other than prior appointment for "Delivering a Visa Application" which has been done on line anyway and they have the only copy. Cost of travelling to London for that £100.
THANK GOD I WENT TO THE EMBASSY. Otherwise the application would have been refused - full stop.
3) The Visa application form is not fit for purpose! Only one small file can be scanned in for answering each section. Not only must everything be pre-scanned but your scanner must be set to minimum quality because ONLY SMALL SINGLE PAGE SCANS ARE ALLOWED! As an example, I have two pensions, but I could only give one as financial evidence. There is no facility to add any extra pages or to make any helpful explanations. That is ludicrous.
4) The interview was in the basement, with a long screen as in a bank with one robotic lady handling visas. No chairs, one stood there opposite herself.
"YOUR VISA IS REFUSED BECAUSE YOU HAVE NOT SUBMITTED THE CORRECT INFORMATION"
(i) You do not have Covid Insurance. It must say "Covid-19 Value $100,000. It must be for 1 year". Twice I got her to go to her boss. NO!
(ii) Your finance info is no good. They did not understood my annual P60 form. I gave them a copy of my Govt Pension info. Still no good. I gave them a copy of bank statements from the past 12 months with the two pension payments highlighted for each month. YES OK
(iii) Your Police Certificate is only the basic one. (I have no idea what she was talking about). I suggested that a detailed one would still say I did not have a criminal record. Special dispensation from her boss - YES OK.
(iv) They agreed to keep my passport and application "on hold" while I got the 12-months Covid insurance.
5) My wife made calls in Thailand.
(i) The Govt Officer people said the Embassy was wrong, they should accept it. No they could not send a letter because there was no need. The Embassy should know.
(ii) Thai Embassy HQ said that special tourists would be coming and they would need Covid Insurance for their 9 months. The answer to "he is not a tourist" was "It is up to the Embassy" and the phone as put down.
FORGET ASKING FOR HELP FROM THAILAND AUTHORITIES.
6) Covid-19 insurance from Thai companies.
(i) the cheap Covid-only offers around in March/April are now no more. The only remaining ones require you to have already been in Thailand for 6 months.
(ii) Many Thai companies offer general medical insurance with Covid-19 highlighted. The price/month increase steadily in 5-year age bands. Some companies have an age limit of 65, some 75. For 71-75 a typical price is maybe £400/month - £4800 for the year!
(iii) I am 76. I could get no insurance. For once I got an answer on the Embassy visa phone line, just before 5.00pm closing. Their comment - MAYBE YOU CHANGE TO APPLY FOR SINGLE ENTRY VISA
(iv) Separately my wife made calls in Thailand. April Insurance which had refused me, told her they would provide insurance £300/month, age 71-80. LESSON- ASKING IN THAILAND SPEAKING THAI GIVES DIFFERENT AND BETTER ANSWERS WITH COMMERCIAL COMPANIES. I did not wish to pay that money, and haven't.
7) Certificate of Entry
Separately I had applied for the Cert of Entry, which used an email application system.
The confusing auto reply asked me for things I had already sent. Therefore I emailed specifically asking whether my Govt Officer Medical Insurance had been accepted for this. Their answer was that I only needed Flight details and Quarantine hotel to get my Cert of Entry.
I then wrote asking why it was ok for C of E but not for Visa - no answer whatsoever.
THEREFORE DO NOT EXPECT ANSWERS OR LOGIC FROM THE EMBASSY
8) Single Entry Non-Imm O-visa, cost £60, valid 90 days.
(i) I sent in a new application. No acknowledging email this time. I emailed asking what was happening. A response - please send urgently original copy of marriage certificate. What? Their instructions ask for all foreign language documents to be translated into English.
I explained that the original was in Thailand but a copy had always been accepted and sent it.
That was what they wanted - the embassy people have poor grasp of English language.
(ii) After a few days my passport came in the post with a 90-day visa. That alone was a surprise because I had paid £8 for a Special Delivery. Signing for its receipt wouldn't work on the postie's machine. No tracking info, no security. BEWARE THIS
(iii) Either I am dreaming or the single-entry visa used to say 6-months validity for max 90 day in Thailand, use within 3 months of issue. Not any more. It is now 3 MONTHS FROM DATE OF ISSUE. Mine is October 1st to December 31st.
You are advised to apply at least 15 days before a flight, you do 15 nights quarantine. You have maximum 2 months use.
9) Flights
(i) Thai repatriation flights for which I had registered have disappeared with no explanation. In theory there is a Sunday Thai Airways flight - single fare was near £700 in September. I am sure there were listings for this month a bit cheaper than that but they have disappeared and there is no explanation. Thai Nationals wanting free quarantine in Thailand have to use the Thai airways flight. They do not have insurance complications or anything like that. I guess they must be fully booked. FOREIGNERS NOT WANTED ON THAI AIRWAYS.
(ii) On the other hand Emirates have a daily flight, change in Dubai, £476 single, a bit more Fri/Sat. At this time you also get 31 days free Covid-19 cover value 150,000 Euros, therefore better than Thai authorities require and covering all quarantining. (But 31 days, not the whole period of a visa.). The flight is fully flexible up to 2 years at no charge for changing it, £100 for cancellation. EMIRATES WERE BRILLIANT IN MAKING MY BOOKING. Efficient, clear, knowledgeable and pleasant. I have changed it already. I CAN RECOMMEND EMIRATES.
10) ASQ Quarantine hotels.
(i) there are now 77 on the list in Bangkok, varying from 28000 to over 100,000 THB for the 15 night package. Plus 4 hugely expensive ones in Phuket/Pattaya. The Buriram one is no longer provided as it was for VIPs and members of the football club only !!!
(ii) This is 15 nights in solitary confinement until maybe the last couple of days. The package is arranged through a Private Company which is Government owned (according to ThaiVisa info) but hotels can put their own additional provisions and requirements. IT IS ESSENTIAL TO SEEK OUT CUSTOMER FEEDBACK AND EVEN BETTER FOR YOUR WIFE TO CALL THEM. Cheaper ones are rooms without windows, inferior food and poor service, maybe all three - 15 days in a prison cell and you are paying a lit of money for it !!!!!!!.
(iii) The system is compromised yet again. To quote one newly listed hotel which I know well. The 50,000 THB listed price was for Thai Nationals only. "The Government has asked us to help the Thai people by charging less, and so it is 57,000 for Foreigners". And, "yes there is a big window but we have been asked to cover it with netting so that it cannot be opened, because people may get stressed and want to commit suicide". Unbelievable.
(iv) I have booked a hotel I never heard of called The Vertical Suite. 60,000THB, much bigger room than normal, separated between living and sleeping areas, good customer feedback, pleasant to my wife on the phone. Hopefully I will be able to find out.
Last edited:
Wanderer
Surin Dinosaur
I paused to do something else, got time expired and lost the rest - bugger, bugger....
11) Certificate of Entry
Last weekend the Certificate of Entry system changed, without any warning ir information, from an email based one to an on-line one similar to the visa one.
Therefore when I sent my ASQ quarantine hotel info as the last remaining item, I got an automated reply saying we don't accept emails any longer. So...
(i) I sent an annotated email quoting the correspondence from early September and particularly highlighting that they said that once I had a visa I only needed to add the flight and ASQ details, but that I would now fill in the new form as a separate application and would they please look at both sets of information. I knew they would see it.
(ii) The new on-line C of E form is better that the visa one but there are strange quirks again. I could not add my UK mobile phone number unless I put +44 and the number all with no gaps. 0044 did not work and it took some time to find the right answer. For my Thai number no country code can be used and again no gaps. Uploaded scans can thankfully be larger size but only the section allowing for family details, marriage certificates etc allows more than 1 file - in this case 10. I therefore added every extra scan I thought would be of use into this section including details of the Emirates Covid Insurance, my Govt Officer Insurance, my Thai ID card and such. The covid insurance section allowed for only one page.
(iii) The form disappears for initial approval, then you go into the form from the start again and are asked to put in flight and ASQ on new pages.
(iv) Then you are sent a 6 figure code. To check progress you again have to go through the first pages as if you are starting a new application then you press the progress button and fill in details including your 6-figure code. When it tells you your application is approved you then can print off your C of E certificate. DOING ALL THIS IS THE ONLY WAY OF CHECKING PROGRESS AND GETTING ACCESS TO YOUR CERTIFICATE OF ENTRY WHEN GRANTED.
12) The UK System
We have to supply a Fit-to-Fly certificate and more importantly a Covid-19 Certificate issued within 72 hours of the flight departure.
(i) You cannot get the test done on the NHS. Testing purely for travel purposes is banned because of the overwhelming need for genuine cases to be tested and you daren't try to beat the system because results are taking a few hours or a few days.
(ii) Thai requirements are that the Covid-19 test must be by the RT-PCR method, which means sending to a laboratory for analysis, probably in London, then the results certificate has to be returned. Simpler and newer methods could have been done locally . Hence I changed my flight to a Thursday. Luckily I found Southdowns Private Healthcare, which is only a few miles away were offering the service - cost £210 !! (also with the Fit to fly certificate). NO CHOICE BUT TO BOOK IT AND PAY THE MONEY.
Quite how people could get the certificates for a Sunday evening Thai flight I can't explain.
12) CONCLUSIONS
It has been a never-ending nightmare, but hopefully a result.
DO NOT LEAVE THAILAND UNLESS YOU REALLY HAVE TO.
DO NOT TRY TO GO TO THAILAND UNLESS YOU REALLY HAVE TO, AND YOU ARE WILLING TO SPEND AROUND £2500 TO DO IT.
It is unfair, unpleasant and unnecessary and surely cannot continue like this. Can it?
The Thai Authorities are in a mess with no joined up writing, no awareness and no openness. This week's fiasco regarding the Chinese tourists says it all.
The London Embassy creates an unbelievably bad image of Thailand as a country.
It makes no sense.
I hope it changes, but how and when?
I hope all the above can be of use to others.
11) Certificate of Entry
Last weekend the Certificate of Entry system changed, without any warning ir information, from an email based one to an on-line one similar to the visa one.
Therefore when I sent my ASQ quarantine hotel info as the last remaining item, I got an automated reply saying we don't accept emails any longer. So...
(i) I sent an annotated email quoting the correspondence from early September and particularly highlighting that they said that once I had a visa I only needed to add the flight and ASQ details, but that I would now fill in the new form as a separate application and would they please look at both sets of information. I knew they would see it.
(ii) The new on-line C of E form is better that the visa one but there are strange quirks again. I could not add my UK mobile phone number unless I put +44 and the number all with no gaps. 0044 did not work and it took some time to find the right answer. For my Thai number no country code can be used and again no gaps. Uploaded scans can thankfully be larger size but only the section allowing for family details, marriage certificates etc allows more than 1 file - in this case 10. I therefore added every extra scan I thought would be of use into this section including details of the Emirates Covid Insurance, my Govt Officer Insurance, my Thai ID card and such. The covid insurance section allowed for only one page.
(iii) The form disappears for initial approval, then you go into the form from the start again and are asked to put in flight and ASQ on new pages.
(iv) Then you are sent a 6 figure code. To check progress you again have to go through the first pages as if you are starting a new application then you press the progress button and fill in details including your 6-figure code. When it tells you your application is approved you then can print off your C of E certificate. DOING ALL THIS IS THE ONLY WAY OF CHECKING PROGRESS AND GETTING ACCESS TO YOUR CERTIFICATE OF ENTRY WHEN GRANTED.
12) The UK System
We have to supply a Fit-to-Fly certificate and more importantly a Covid-19 Certificate issued within 72 hours of the flight departure.
(i) You cannot get the test done on the NHS. Testing purely for travel purposes is banned because of the overwhelming need for genuine cases to be tested and you daren't try to beat the system because results are taking a few hours or a few days.
(ii) Thai requirements are that the Covid-19 test must be by the RT-PCR method, which means sending to a laboratory for analysis, probably in London, then the results certificate has to be returned. Simpler and newer methods could have been done locally . Hence I changed my flight to a Thursday. Luckily I found Southdowns Private Healthcare, which is only a few miles away were offering the service - cost £210 !! (also with the Fit to fly certificate). NO CHOICE BUT TO BOOK IT AND PAY THE MONEY.
Quite how people could get the certificates for a Sunday evening Thai flight I can't explain.
12) CONCLUSIONS
It has been a never-ending nightmare, but hopefully a result.
DO NOT LEAVE THAILAND UNLESS YOU REALLY HAVE TO.
DO NOT TRY TO GO TO THAILAND UNLESS YOU REALLY HAVE TO, AND YOU ARE WILLING TO SPEND AROUND £2500 TO DO IT.
It is unfair, unpleasant and unnecessary and surely cannot continue like this. Can it?
The Thai Authorities are in a mess with no joined up writing, no awareness and no openness. This week's fiasco regarding the Chinese tourists says it all.
The London Embassy creates an unbelievably bad image of Thailand as a country.
It makes no sense.
I hope it changes, but how and when?
I hope all the above can be of use to others.
Last edited:
nomad97
Resident Geek
I am very pleased to hear your good news, that you intend to travel back to Thailand on 22nd October. The rest of your narrative is a horror story and the stuff that makes nightmares. How the Thai Government hope to encourage tourists to return to Thailand is pure fantasy, especially if they have to endure the same process you have been through.
Ivor the Engine
Nowhere man
Best of Luck.
Did someone mention a 'Welcome back Wanderer' party????
Did someone mention a 'Welcome back Wanderer' party????
Coffee
You chose a custom title
... because people may get stressed and want to commit suicide". Unbelievable.
(iv) I have booked a hotel I never heard of called The Vertical Suite. 60,000THB, much bigger room than normal, separated between living and sleeping areas, good customer feedback, pleasant to my wife on the phone. Hopefully I will be able to find out.[/QUOTE]
The Vertical Suite is across the street from the Ha Ha Bar.
Obviously it must be a jumpers hotel.
Hopefully your room comes with breakfast included.
Sorry to read that you 'got schooled' by this extremely sorrowful tale on Thai immigration politics in a horrendously bad fashion.
Lesson for me: don't leave without at least six months open on one's extension of visa. Possibly best not to travel until travel becomes the norm again after the current pandemic.
I'm wondering how merchant seamen and ocean travelers are dealing with this.
What once were good times are sadly no longer until this is all behind us.
Obviously the world will never be able to sanely handle travel restrictions and such in case of a WW3.
America can't even wade through the rules governing a proper debate.
Question: how did you manage to fly for 12+ hours wearing a mask ?
On another note @Wanderer , do you have any plans to sell your Thai residence once this is all behind you ?
Anyhow welcome home Surin-side in early November. Should make for an interesting Christmas discussion, heh.
(iv) I have booked a hotel I never heard of called The Vertical Suite. 60,000THB, much bigger room than normal, separated between living and sleeping areas, good customer feedback, pleasant to my wife on the phone. Hopefully I will be able to find out.[/QUOTE]
The Vertical Suite is across the street from the Ha Ha Bar.
Obviously it must be a jumpers hotel.
Hopefully your room comes with breakfast included.
Sorry to read that you 'got schooled' by this extremely sorrowful tale on Thai immigration politics in a horrendously bad fashion.
Lesson for me: don't leave without at least six months open on one's extension of visa. Possibly best not to travel until travel becomes the norm again after the current pandemic.
I'm wondering how merchant seamen and ocean travelers are dealing with this.
What once were good times are sadly no longer until this is all behind us.
Obviously the world will never be able to sanely handle travel restrictions and such in case of a WW3.
America can't even wade through the rules governing a proper debate.
Question: how did you manage to fly for 12+ hours wearing a mask ?
On another note @Wanderer , do you have any plans to sell your Thai residence once this is all behind you ?
Anyhow welcome home Surin-side in early November. Should make for an interesting Christmas discussion, heh.
CO-CO
Rather wrinkly & occasionally cantankerous member
I am very pleased to hear your good news, that you intend to travel back to Thailand on 22nd October. The rest of your narrative is a horror story and the stuff that makes nightmares. How the Thai Government hope to encourage tourists to return to Thailand is pure fantasy, especially if they have to endure the same process you have been through.
+1
Merlin
You chose a custom title
Just how can ANY country that is as economically reliant upon overseas travellers pretend that it is gearing itself up for a return to normality? Have Wanderer's experiences been unique? Do most others wishing to return here simply give up in frustration? Why does an embassy in London seem so incapable of managing a simple request for a visa in accordance with it's senior service in this country, and is the Government here aware of the obstacles being thrown in the paths of even the most determined spouses of Thai nationals, adoptive parents and home-owners without whom holes would soon appear in those Thai nationals' welfare, education, and wellbeing?
Were we criticising an embassy system for foreigners with such strong ties as Wanderer's to return home to the UK, there would be uproar, questions in the House, and involvement at Ministerial level to resolve a mind-numbingly idiotic lack of service. Can Wanderer hope for such action to be mirrored here, and if so, to whom should he address it? Maybe, just maybe, if a progressive politician wished to influence his country's progress in the same way that one such has effected change to a nearby city and province would grasp the challenge, it might break the pattern of stifling bureaucracy seen here all too frequently. Should anyone question why I'd call for such action rather than simply accept the status quo, or feel that if I wanted change I should go back to my own country (assuming that things are better there!) let them wonder if - eventually - the penny will drop here, allowing this country to address and resolve the issues that detract from the idyllic misrepresentations portrayed in holiday brochures. Solutions to those issues exist but are not applied, and until they are, then Wanderer's travel issues, along with a multitude of other backward faults will continue, with other ASEAN countries leaving this one floundering in their wake.
Were we criticising an embassy system for foreigners with such strong ties as Wanderer's to return home to the UK, there would be uproar, questions in the House, and involvement at Ministerial level to resolve a mind-numbingly idiotic lack of service. Can Wanderer hope for such action to be mirrored here, and if so, to whom should he address it? Maybe, just maybe, if a progressive politician wished to influence his country's progress in the same way that one such has effected change to a nearby city and province would grasp the challenge, it might break the pattern of stifling bureaucracy seen here all too frequently. Should anyone question why I'd call for such action rather than simply accept the status quo, or feel that if I wanted change I should go back to my own country (assuming that things are better there!) let them wonder if - eventually - the penny will drop here, allowing this country to address and resolve the issues that detract from the idyllic misrepresentations portrayed in holiday brochures. Solutions to those issues exist but are not applied, and until they are, then Wanderer's travel issues, along with a multitude of other backward faults will continue, with other ASEAN countries leaving this one floundering in their wake.
Prakhonchai Nick
You chose a custom title
I think the days of the UK government fully caring about the problems of their own people are long gone. Complaints over recent months about all the illegal immigrants, the long delays for doctor and hospital appointments, because of all the newcomers jumping the queue, the BLM riots and looting etc etc all seem to go unheeded. The Thai government hardly care about their own, so why on earth should they be concerned about Wanderer and any other foreigners finding themselves in a similar situation. The Ministers only ensure everything is good for them personally. It won't get any better, just worse! Its a downhill slope!
Night Stroker
Surin Legend
Wanderer make sure you have an ample supply of books, puzzles, games etc to help with you stay in solitary confinement. My friends wife recently returned to LoS and was confined to her room for the entire period of quarantine.
