Is THIS Racist or Not ??

[747man]

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Transport Company resumes service, bans foreigners

The wheels on the bus go round and round. But not for foreigners living in Thailand. It’s now official. If you’re a foreigner you won’t be allowed on intercity buses operated by the state owned Transport Company, under the auspices of the Thai Ministry of Transport.

They announced today that foreigners are banned from its services due to the Emergency Decree. Although services have resumed on most of their routes across the country, foreign travellers are not allowed to board because they do not have Thai national ID cards. Well that’s the official excuse according to a service agent. Asked whether passports can be used instead, the agent said “no”.



“It’s the company policy, sorry for any inconvenience.”

The company also announced on its website that it reserves the right to book tickets for Thai nationals only, citing an unspecified clause of the Emergency Decree. Private operators Nakhonchai Air and Sombat Tour say foreigners are welcome on board.

But Thaiger has had four messages in the past week saying they were unable to buy tickets or board Sombat Tour buses. This message from a New Zealand expat who tried to board a Sombat Tour bus last week.

“I wanted to go and visit my friend in Bangkok and she went ahead and booked a ticket from Chiangmai to Bangkok.



The next morning I got a call from the company saying foreigners are not allowed on the bus. I am deeply offended by this discrimination. I have been in Thailand well before Covid arrived. Does this mean I can’t travel on planes also?”

The State Railway of Thailand says foreigners are also welcome to board long distance trains.

[stattointhailand]

White lives matter ???

[Laan Yaa Mo]

Are you using your privilege with this question?

[Whistler]

racist

[stattointhailand]

racist

Nah , I'm with the 48%

[tamada]

No, it's not racist. It's just boring repetition of a thread started earlier by the panty bunchers.

You know who you are.

[glalt]

Of course it's racist, BUT, TIT. It's not our country. We are guests here.

[Stantheman]

How could it be, doesn't specify specific foreigners and the last I knew China, Lao, Vietnam, Thailand etc., were all the same race.

[jai yen yen]

Thailand likes the Chinese and the corrupt dictatorship that runs their country. Much more to the Thai way than the U.S. or Europe. I doubt Chinese will face many restrictions when tourism kicks off again. Is this racism, of course it is and it has been this way since the end of the Thaksin era.

[stattointhailand]

Is it a choice then, the corrupt Chinese dictatorship or the US & UK corrupt pricktatorships.

[Khun Paul]

Thailand has for years operated what you could call racist Polices from double pricing to denying foreigners access. have a problem, years ago no matter who was at fault it had to be the foreigners. That is changing, but other actions tell otherwise. tried to book a holiday, no cash back of reduction in cost even though the Hotel was registered, why I am Farang.
recently the only thing we have had without fear or favour is the reduction in the Power bills , luckily computors cannot read the name .
We all know it exists despite Thai Governments soundbites that it will not tolerate racism in any form , yet in m many cases Government agencies are the worst offenders next to some Thais .
Generally though unless dealing with Government agencies , on a day to day basis it is not overt , but there are times when we know sending the memsahib to buy , it is cheaper and you get what you want .

[newtovillagelife]

Thailand has for years operated what you could call racist Polices from double pricing to denying foreigners access. have a problem, years ago no matter who was at fault it had to be the foreigners. That is changing, but other actions tell otherwise. tried to book a holiday, no cash back of reduction in cost even though the Hotel was registered, why I am Farang.
recently the only thing we have had without fear or favour is the reduction in the Power bills , luckily computors cannot read the name .
We all know it exists despite Thai Governments soundbites that it will not tolerate racism in any form , yet in m many cases Government agencies are the worst offenders next to some Thais .
Generally though unless dealing with Government agencies , on a day to day basis it is not overt , but there are times when we know sending the memsahib to buy , it is cheaper and you get what you want .

Thai policies, and the way they operate are not racist, but they aren't logical either. Remember not all tourists, or expats in Thailand are white, and Thais people have a varied spectrum of skin tones, from fair skin to dark.

[jai yen yen]

Is it a choice then, the corrupt Chinese dictatorship or the US & UK corrupt pricktatorships.

I suppose you are right, I would still choose the U.S. over China for quality of life for an average citizen.

[newtovillagelife]

Thailand likes the Chinese and the corrupt dictatorship that runs their country. Much more to the Thai way than the U.S. or Europe. I doubt Chinese will face many restrictions when tourism kicks off again. Is this racism, of course it is and it has been this way since the end of the Thaksin era.

ah....maybe it has to do with the fact that they have controlled the spread of the virus??? Whereas most western countries are still seeing upticks in Covid.

[mech_401]

ah yes. so were told. but when thai workers are
repatriated from these "safe" countries often sick

[Declan MacPherson]

Not racist, and I don't care very much what they do. Like someone else said, just panty bunchers.

[jai yen yen]

Thailand likes the Chinese and the corrupt dictatorship that runs their country. Much more to the Thai way than the U.S. or Europe. I doubt Chinese will face many restrictions when tourism kicks off again. Is this racism, of course it is and it has been this way since the end of the Thaksin era.

ah....maybe it has to do with the fact that they have controlled the spread of the virus??? Whereas most western countries are still seeing upticks in Covid.

Of course virus free countries would be first in line but all things being equal Thailand will favor China.

[Khun Paul]

Interesting column in the BKK Post yesterday deserves to be read which highlights what we have been saying plus it is written by a THAI.

'This cannot be serious" was my initial reaction to news reports saying the Transport Company is imposing a ban on foreign travellers as a measure to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Or it might be fake news? In fact, such news reports are strange enough to belong in a "believe it or not" column.

So yesterday I telephoned the company's call centre and the female operator just confirmed with a simple "yes". She also said the weird rule applied to all expats who have been living here for decades.

"If they are foreigners, they cannot board the bus," she said, adding the rule requires all passengers to show an identification card to prove they are Thai.

The information officer said it is the company's policy and she had no idea when the ban would be lifted.

Absurd, isn't it? Don't they know the country has been locked down for months, with the closure of airports, piers and border checkpoints since April? With such closures, no foreign visitors or tourists are allowed in, so where would a travel-related virus come from?

If that were not absurd enough, there are reports that at least one temple in Bangkok -- Wat Pho -- which is very famous among tourists, has also adopted a "Thai-only" policy, which is blatant discrimination and has been met with widespread criticism.

A temple caretaker at Wat Pho told Khaosod English the temple is "not ready for foreign visitors yet".

But we cannot blame the temple and the Transport Company -- not entirely. For nearly three months, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has injected a strong idea that foreigners or Thais abroad are a health threat, in other words: potential virus carriers.

The notion of "if they are allowed in, the country would be at risk of more infections" led to a ban on foreign visitors and stringent measures against Thais wishing to return home. The state came up with ways to make it tough to return, which means stranded Thais are unfairly exposed to Covid-19.

Infections can now be controlled. Low numbers of new cases at state quarantine centres and favourable situations have led to the easing of the lockdown. Yet, too many people, like those at the Transport Company and the temple in question, still have this stigma and have got hold of an irrelevant -- and weird -- policy.

Worse, state agencies endorsed such discrimination.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and the Tourism Ministry insist each temple can adopt its own rules, to close or open to whomever it wishes. I am at my wit's end why they don't see how useless the Thais-only policy and practice are with regard to Covid-19 prevention.

Air travel and borders are expected to remain closed until at least July. In fact, the "Thais only" gate was there at the temple long before Covid-19 hit the country. When Thais visit a temple, they don't have to pay or buy tickets. This is because it is presumed Thais are there to make merit.

I don't agree with this policy, but I recognise the idea behind it: Thais pay taxes. No, they don't need to get a ticket. Such a rule is applied in neighbouring countries such as Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. A Thai tourist who holds Buddhist beliefs gets no waiver there.

Such an explanation is not rational. There are many expats who also pay taxes, some at a very high rate, not to mention that some are Buddhists. I'd bet even if they are able to chant the Five Precepts at the gate, temple caretakers would still insist on them buying tickets. It is too complicated.

But we cannot expect such a rule to be lifted any time soon. Discrimination will persist as long as the state does not learn about the problem. Several state-run recreational sites, national parks, museums and others condone discrimination by adopting two-tier tickets or prices.

Some universal rules like the reduction of fares for retirees using the public transport sector are applied to Thais only. If this isn't a form of discrimination, what is?

Just as countries around the world rise up against racism, referring to the Black Lives Matter movement, the people of Thailand and the Thai state are defiantly keeping such an ugly practice.

Thailand always claims it is one of the best countries for tourism. This is self-deceiving, if not a lie. The government and tourism authorities, in particular, must wake up and correct where they are wrong.

No, I do not mean the country should entirely reopen without any anti-virus rules. Precaution like mask-wearing and social distancing must be maintained. The virus is dreadful, but no one should allow it to rob us of common sense.
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[newtovillagelife]

Thailand likes the Chinese and the corrupt dictatorship that runs their country. Much more to the Thai way than the U.S. or Europe. I doubt Chinese will face many restrictions when tourism kicks off again. Is this racism, of course it is and it has been this way since the end of the Thaksin era.

ah....maybe it has to do with the fact that they have controlled the spread of the virus??? Whereas most western countries are still seeing upticks in Covid.

Of course virus free countries would be first in line but all things being equal Thailand will favor China.

And why wouldn't they, huge growing middle class next door, makes sense. Keep the wealth in the Asian family. Asia First!!!!

[mickojak]

but all things being equal Thailand will favor China

Also, don't forget another simple fact.
Half of Thai's ,are half Chinese.

That's gotta count for a lot