Transcript of the above video: 

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing a Thai MP, one of the members of parliament here in Thailand, has called for it looks to me like at least a reconsideration of Thailand's current Visa-free policy. As I'll get into here in the analysis, I think a full rethinking of a lot of different Thai Immigration policies are probably a good idea at this point in time. 

That said, quoting directly from a recent article from The Phuket News, that is thephuketnews.com, the article is titled: Phuket MP calls to revise 'Visa-free' policy. Quoting directly: "Phuket MP Chalermpong Saengdee has submitted a formal request urging the government to reconsider Thailand's visa-free policy, listing concerns over rising incidents of inappropriate tourist behaviour and its impact on the provinces image." Quoting further, quote: "While the Government's visa-free measures, allowing tourists from many countries to travel to Thailand without a Visa, have increased tourist numbers and revenue, they have also led to a number of inappropriate behaviours by tourists, including creating pornographic content, using drugs, causing disturbances, engaging in illegal activities and taking jobs from Thais," MP Chalermpong's formal request explained." 

So I think it's important to point this out. This is a pretty big deal, and it is one of the reasons why I think we are probably going to end up with some form of pretty big change to the Immigration System. Now the notion that we are going to get the Immigration Act completely revised in a future Parliament, I find that very unlikely, and people have actually asked me why, what is my specific reasoning on that? Politically, not so much legally. Well if there wasn't enough political, how shall we say, if there was not enough political momentum to get an Act on Cannabis, which has been a hot button issue in high levels as well as low of the Thai socioeconomic strata, I just don't see where they are going to get any kind of major impetus to revise the Immigration Act. The other thing for foreigners to be aware of is, revising it, a new Act, might not be a good thing for the foreign community. I have said this before and I'll say it again, "the devil you know is better than the devil you don't", okay. At the end of the day, and there's something to be said for this in the context of American comprehensive immigration reform - which I have been following that narrative going back into the late George W. Bush, early Obama Administrations and all the way through - and the through line there has generally been Congress just isn't going to be able to get its ducks in a row to come up with a new law; the sides on that are just too divided. I just don't see it happening. It might, but I find it very unlikely. That being said, over here in Thailand, I think it more stems from the fact that look as I have discussed in other videos, foreigners, expats, whatever you want to call it, don't have a constituency. It doesn't affect any voters to be good or easier on foreigners. That's just the plain fact of it politically, whether you like that or hate that, that's the fact of it. Meanwhile, if anything, as noted again, this is a Member of Parliament; this is a person who has constituents and specifically mentioned engaging in illegal activities and taking jobs from Thais. Especially as we continue through what I can only describe as - I don't want to use any specific economic language - but call it the economic doldrums that we are sort of going through globally, I don't see that that message is going to fail to resonate anywhere, the notion of, "hey, we need to protect Thai jobs." I just don't see where that is going to fail in any way.

As I get into another video, I think that there may be more attention; I don't think attention on the visa-free policy is necessarily misplaced per se. I think some of the visas that have been created in the last frankly two years and especially by the last government, and I am looking directly at the Destination Thailand Visa which to my mind was completely a political creation to make Ms. Paetongtarn Shinawatra look good as she was coming into Office or as they were sort of creating the rallying momentum to bring her into office some roughly 18 months ago. And I talked about in other videos, the DTV, it was badly conceived. It was entirely the brainchild of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs without any input from the Ministry of Interior or the Labour Department here in Thailand. It was just sort of done and then all these foreign folks who had certain expectations were just sort of foisted upon Thailand and given a lot of, I'll be generous and call it nebulous information about things like work authorization that caused them to think and they are not unreasonable inferences, these weren't massive conclusions that were jumped to by the foreigners that used the DTV, but reasonable inferences based on the nebulous information put out regarding things like work authorization that caused them to do things that are out of line with Thai Law quite frankly.

So it may not just be the visa-free program that should be scrutinized or programs I should say, but perhaps the DTV Visa program itself. That one to my mind again, and it has caused a lot of negative blowback. I've done the videos and look, folks in the foreign Community can hate me for my position on the DTV I'm just being honest, and this is how I feel about it. I think it's negative for Thailand; I think it's negative for the foreigners who use it. As evidenced by the fact that I have seen multiple folks that have showed up and since left and said oh, just throwing their hands up on Thailand because they can't get things like Banking and they thought they had more ability to do things like work in Thailand that they really didn't have. As discussed in other videos, the issue of does it "impinge upon the Thai economy" becomes a major focal point for any analysis regarding work authorization. Again, it's sort of built on this notion of working remotely, which whatever that means, and then this is all happening simultaneously with trying to attribute tax jurisdiction over folks that are in the country for more than 180 day. It was all designed in my mind to be very nebulous, and it looked like it was kind of designed to create a trap for the foreigners and simultaneously create a bunch of political momentum, political capital to bring in Ms. Paetongtarn Shinawatra who has since been removed after the Constitutional Court's ruling. 

But the only point I'm trying to make with this is again maybe full scrutiny shouldn't just be looked at visa-free. Visa-free is what it is: Visa exemption or visa-on-arrival. You come into Thailand you get 60 days or whatever depending on the country you're coming from, the passport you hold and that is that. You know you are not work authorized; you know that you are not able to do X, Y and Z. Some of these new Visa creations are far more nebulous and frankly without legal basis, as I have discussed in other videos, and I think they are causing more damage than anything especially to Brand Thailand. That said, quoting further: "After submitting the formal request, he shared his concerns on Facebook. Quote: "Phuket has been in the news recently, mostly because of scandals. Reports include Russians hiring Thais to make adult content in the back of pickup trucks, and a Russian man dancing naked in Patong after taking mushrooms. These incidents have attracted a lot of attention. Quote: "Honestly, these are just the reported cases. Many more likely go unnoticed, escaping both authorities and public scrutiny, but they all follow similar patterns of disruptive behaviour," MP Chalermpong said."

Yeah, I think that's well put. It is a very well-founded concern, and it is something; I think the whole Immigration System needs to be scrutinized at the moment. I don't necessarily think that the easing of things like the length of time for Visa exemptions etc. necessarily needs to be rolled back. But I think we need to look at the whole system and make some appropriate shall we say alterations to it, where and when there are egregious examples of problems with foreign Nationals coming to the Kingdom of Thailand.