Fidel Posted July 7, 2004 Report Share Posted July 7, 2004 [color:"green"]I just found this on thaivisa.com [/color] Disgruntled senator calls for stricter visa rules for foreigners BANGKOK: -- A senator from the north-eastern province of Mahasarakham today called on the government to review its issuance of visas to foreigners, after he failed to gain a visa from the British Embassy for a trip to England. Responding to his treatment at the hands of the British Embassy, Mr. Wittaya Masena said it was time to review visa regulations that allowed foreigners easy access to Thailand, while Thais - 'even politicians' - were forced to wait in lengthy queues in order to gain visas to go abroad. Mr. Wittaya claimed that over 30 senators had recently failed to gain visas on time to undertake their foreign travel as scheduled, despite having requested the visas in advance. Saying that Thailand should consider its 'national honour', Mr. Wittaya called on the government to undertake background checks of foreigners entering the country, rather than simply issuing visas indiscriminately as a means of facilitating tourism. "People from several countries can travel to Thailand without a visa, regardless of whether they are--parliamentarians, businesspeople, tourists, or even hooligans, or traders in illegal goods", he said. "But when Thai people request visas to those countries, they need to get up in the early hours of the morning to wait in queues to submit documents, and have to waste the entire day in order to hear whether or not their visa request has been granted. This is like begging! Where has the honour of Thai people gone?" Mr. Wittaya cited the recent example of Deputy Senate Speaker Niphon Wisityutthasat and a number of senators, who failed to gain visas to the UK, and missed their scheduled flight as a result. He called on the government both to review its issuance of visas to foreigners, and increase visa charges, noting that while Thai visas were a mere Bt400-500 each, Thais often had to each pay up to Bt3,000 for visas to travel abroad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 7, 2004 Report Share Posted July 7, 2004 Fuck him. What Mr. Wittaya fails to realize, or is disingenuously omitting, is the fact that Thailand needs Britain (and America) more than they need Thailand. As with most senators here, he's probably not used to the absence of extra-special favoritism for his ilk. I wonder if he's good buddies with that senator who threw the tantrum on Thai airlines because the pilot would not let him have his way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaiLuk Posted July 7, 2004 Report Share Posted July 7, 2004 The guy has a good idea. Impose strict regulations on granting Visas to citizens of wealthy countries so that Thailand's tourism revenues will disappear. Gotta wonder tho why he didn't get a visa. Maybe the thai employees at the embassy flexing their beuracratic muscles? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 7, 2004 Report Share Posted July 7, 2004 Curious that he did not give the reason for the refusal, eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lazyphil Posted July 7, 2004 Report Share Posted July 7, 2004 Well said BK, it warms my heart when these upstarted nobodys get shunned outside their pathetic little empires. Like you said no special deals. Getting visas in the 'west' has nothing to do with money and power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ultras67 Posted July 7, 2004 Report Share Posted July 7, 2004 He called on the government both to review its issuance of visas to foreigners, and increase visa charges, noting that while Thai visas were a mere Bt400-500 each, Thais often had to each pay up to Bt3,000 for visas to travel abroad. What? So 1900B for a 14 day visa extention or 80GBP for a multi non imm b isnt enough for him. I think if he checks his up to date information he will find Thai visa fees increased a little bit ( sarcasm ) not that long ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elef Posted July 7, 2004 Report Share Posted July 7, 2004 Hi, since july 1st all EU-countries have the same visa fee 35 euro and it doesn't matter if it's a transit or a 3 months visa! elef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 Thailand needs Britain (and America) more than they need Thailand. ---------------------- The countries maybe, but some guys really need Thailand, no? :: No problem with rebuffing a thai senator, but this visa thing is a sore thumb on a personal POV. Our countries are our countries, and if someone is not a criminal, and we guarantee his/her stay (possibly with a bond) financially, we should not let our govnmts tell us who we can invite or not in our home. These fuckers work for us and are paid by us, dammitt! Just another side of the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinkas Posted July 13, 2004 Report Share Posted July 13, 2004 I find the senator's claim a little bit unusual that 30 senators failed to get their visas on time despite making visa applications in advance. There is obviously more to this story than what he is saying. I used to work at a western embassy in Bangkok. I can tell you from experience that the non-issuing of a visa to an MP or a Senator would not be undertaken lightly and without careful consideration. I can also say that in two cases of MPs/Senators applying for visas at the Embassy I worked at that there were problems with the visa applications. One application for a group was made on the day of the visit. Another application contained no documentation on why all of them needed to visit (the documentation is necessary if they wanted the visas without charge) and it took them weeks to provide the documentation (even though we only requested they provide one official document) and when they did provide the documentation it was at the last minute. Everyone got their visas, though from memory, one of the groups were unable to travel as while the visas for the 20-30 Officials and Senators were processed within 3 hours they had only planned for a shorter turn around time and were not able to make their flight. These senators would no doubt be included in his list of 30 senators who were denied visas "on time". I wonder if the Senator actually made the visa application himself or he arranged for his staff to do so and whether that staff member provided the correct documentation. He complains about having to front up at the Embassy and wait all day to hear the result of his visa application. This suggests that the Senator made the visa application himself which means he was not going on official business (if he was going on official business his staff would have been able to submit the application on his behalf so he would need to front up with all the riff-raff). So he finds it beneath him to front up in person, like everyone else, and waste a "whole day" for the result on a visa application. Same day service, that sounds good to me. I wonder if Thai Embassies issue all visas within one day. Given he does not even know how much a Thai visa costs (I mean it is not that hard to find out he could have asked the Foreign Ministry, they would have told him), his argument sounds worse and worse. I wonder what really happened? There has got to be more here than meets the eye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pescator Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 Hi Ultra67 You can say that again. Just paid 1.900 bht for a 10 days visa extension in Phuket. Used to be 500 bht. Cheers Hua Nguu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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