reader Posted January 9 Posted January 9 From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon Thai premier Srettha Thavisin has told the Cabinet that he is seeking a much more powerful Thai passport which will be enable holders to enter far more than the 34 countries which currently do not require a prior visa or a visa on arrival. Thailand has recently expanded its visa-free policy to several nations including China, Russia and India. Mr Srettha is particularly pleased with the Thai-Chinese agreement which permanently allows tourists visa exemption in both directions. Vice-president of the Thai Travel Agents Association, Phumiphiphat Meesamran, told the Bangkok Post that the Thai government should now push for visa exemptions for Thai nationals with European nations, the UK, the US and Australia – none of which allow Thais visa-free entry even though their nationals are visa exempt to Thailand for 30 days with an easy option to extend for a further month at local Thai immigration for another month. Mr Phumiphiphat noted that visa-free access in both directions would encourage tourism and further economic growth. The main barrier to visa-free access to western nations is their belief that Thais may be tempted to overstay, or even settle, without the approved paperwork. The UK, mainland European nations, Australia and US currently insist that Thais applicants have good reasons to return home, such as property ownership, proof of significant employment or other forms of wealth. There are also some Thai critics of the Cabinet policy. Sumate Sudasna, president of the Thailand and Convention Association, said visa-free access normally applied only to tourists and businessmen would still need to apply for special visas. He added that security issues could be compromised by wholesale abandonment of visas. There is some evidence to support security concerns overall. Some Thais pretend to be tourists visiting South Korea, but they act as “phi noi”, or little ghosts describing their status as illegal workers. Conversely, several Chinese citizens have recently been arrested for illegal working in Thailand. The Thai Chamber of Commerce observed, “If the government and the private sector together advance efforts to build relationships with other countries, the Thai passport can improve its global ranking.” The Asian country whose nationals can visit the most countries without needing a visa is Singapore with 164 choices. TMax 1 Quote
Members unicorn Posted January 10 Members Posted January 10 On 1/9/2024 at 4:26 AM, reader said: ...Vice-president of the Thai Travel Agents Association, Phumiphiphat Meesamran, told the Bangkok Post that the Thai government should now push for visa exemptions for Thai nationals with European nations, the UK, the US and Australia – none of which allow Thais visa-free entry even though their nationals are visa exempt to Thailand for 30 days with an easy option to extend for a further month at local Thai immigration for another month... I'd think Mr Phumiphiphat should know better than to waste his time. US visa policy is dictated neither by negotiation nor by a "monkey-see, monkey-do" policy (in which the terms are reciprocal). Decisions on which citizens are entitled to visa waivers are based on the statistics for the previous year from that country, namely what percentage of those granted tourist visas overstay their visa, and/or otherwise violate the terms of the visa, and on the visa refusal rate from citizens of that country. The US cannot safely handle the number of illegal immigrants into the country, and must base its visa policy on the likelihood that the citizens of that country will overstay. This seems to be the only intelligent visa policy. There are, of course, poorer countries who require visas of citizens of any country that requires visas of their own country. This is highly unwise, as it simply reduces the tourist dollars to that country without a commensurate decrease in risk in illegal immigration. https://skift.com/2023/04/17/brazils-retaliatoryvisa-rules-would-hurt-its-international-tourism-recovery/ Marc in Calif 1 Quote
NIrishGuy Posted January 15 Posted January 15 Re the UK and possible overstays etc I douby the UK Government will have to worry too much as any Thai I know who has ever visited the UK generally cant wait to get home again after seeing what it is they've arrived to ! This relates to longer stays relating to visiting BF's etc perhaps more than a quick two week holiday perhaps - but even if I'm wrong some Thai's decide to overstay - personally I think that would be a positive net result not a negative one, especially based on what other nations are rocking up on our shores illegally these days perhaps. TMax and Vessey 2 Quote
Members unicorn Posted January 15 Members Posted January 15 5 hours ago, NIrishGuy said: Re the UK and possible overstays etc I douby the UK Government will have to worry too much as any Thai I know who has ever visited the UK generally cant wait to get home again after seeing what it is they've arrived to ! ... Yikes! I wouldn't want to live in such a soggy country as the UK, either. You Northern Irish are the luckiest UK residents, as you're free to live and work in any EU country with much nicer climates! Marc in Calif 1 Quote
vinapu Posted February 16 Posted February 16 On 1/15/2024 at 10:30 AM, unicorn said: Yikes! I wouldn't want to live in such a soggy country as the UK, either. You Northern Irish are the luckiest UK residents, as you're free to live and work in any EU country with much nicer climates! ...like Finland or Sweden unicorn 1 Quote
