Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing a unified ASEAN Visa and how the Thai Prime Minister is apparently sort of trying to leverage if you will in trying to get more visa-free capability with the Schengen area in the EU, and when I say Visa-free, visa-free for Thai passport holders, or some kind of deal, some kind of like Visa accord if you will between the EU, Thailand or greater ASEAN.

I thought of making this video after reading a recent article from the Pattaya Mail, that is pattayamail.com, the article is titled: Neighboring countries look to Thailand for Visa reform. Quoting directly: "Thailand is heading up discussions with Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Malaysia to seek agreement that a Tourist Visa or Pass for one country means travellers can visit all five without further bureaucracy. Srettha Thavisin, the Thai Prime Minister intends to use Visa conformity amongst neighbors as a lever to encourage European Union countries to allow visa-free travel for the five ASEAN Nations throughout the 27+ nations operating the Schengen Visa system. Agreement on such a bold move is unlikely for the foreseeable future as security and Immigration controls are dominant concerns amongst all EU members. In any significant discussion, most ASEAN nations are keen to be under the leadership of Thailand which welcomes the most foreign tourists and has recently dismantled its own remaining Visa regulations for the vast majority of its visiting vacationers." Well I wouldn't say it has dismantled its own Visa regulations, in a sense yeah, they have gone to Visa exemptions for a large number of nationalities but we still have the Visa bureaucracy infrastructure if you will in place. 

That said, that is not really the point of this video. I think it is interesting and I think it is a positive step on the Prime Minister's part to try and gain more "power" if you will for the Thai passport, for Thais to be travellers in the Schengen area hopefully Visa-free effectively and there be some kind of reciprocity between that area and some kind of single ASEAN Visa scheme or multiple-country Visa scheme here. I think that's a good program; I think that's something to look into and I hope that this has some positive results as I think it would be a positive benefit for Thailand's tourism sector as well as just Thai people or Thai passport holders themselves.