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Published on : Monday, September 28, 2020
Of late, the Thai Chamber of Commerce has requested the government to extend the visa amnesty for 400,000 tourists in this Southeast Asian country, as operators in Chiang Mai pointed out that over 10,000 foreign tourists are assisting in generating revenue as the borders remained shut down.
TCC chairman Kalin Sarasin explained that the chamber has requested time after time that the Immigration Bureau think on extending the deadline for foreigners in Thailand for 90 days automatically after the amnesty expires today. However, the proposal remained unattended.
To quote Mr. Kalin, “The TCC has raised this issue on three occasions, including at a meeting with the prime minister and the Interior Ministry recently. We were told that this agenda was in the process, but there’s been no progress so far as the deadline approaches.”
He highlighted the fact that the deadline will create disorder for the ones who are residing in Thailand now, as the country is yet to allow commercial flights fully.
Mr. Kalin said that rather than blacklisting those foreigners, the Thai government should have room for them, mainly when the country cannot reopen for inbound tourists,.
Regarding the visa amnesty, Mr. Kalin contrasted the reaction from the government with the effort to endorse Thai tourism to the foreigners who are living here for the time being as a means to generate domestic revenue.”The uncompromising stance towards visa extension scares tourists away despite the fact that they help drive the local economy in these tough times,” Mr. Kalin said.
Tags: Thai Chamber of Commerce