Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing whether or not Immigration policy or specifically the Immigration Authorities in the enforcement of policy, are going to end up “emptying the place” as it were. 

I came upon this notion in a recent article from the Pattaya Mail, that is pattayamail.com, the article is titled: Thai Expats Desperately Searching for COVID-19 Insurance With Mixed Results. I urge those watching this video to go check out pattayamail.com, and check out that article in detail. I am just going to go ahead and quote a little excerpt out of that: "If as we are told, the Thai Government is looking to attract hundreds of thousands of retirees, investors, digital nomads and property hunters in a revamped Immigration policy the Authorities had better watch their step, they could actually empty the place." This is brought up in the context and I urge you go read the rest of the video but basically for purposes of this video this is brought up in the context, we have watched especially since October of 2019 we have watched the accretion, the building up of evermore requirements associated with maintaining status in Thailand. We have the insurance requirements beginning in October of ‘19; now we have the COVID requirements; now thanks to the Emergency Decree and this Government response to COVID which presumably this stuff will go away at some point, when remains to be seen but okay, but things like Certificates of Entry, that is a major extra step to just get into Thailand. All of this it does beg the question "Is there a certain point where people just throw up their hands and say 'I am just not going to come to Thailand'?” and it is or “I am just not going to stay; I am just going to leave.” because it is just too much to keep dealing with?. It is a good question and I don't know how you balance those issues out between the Thai Authorities, they want to know who is here; they want to be able to control who gets in and out; they essentially don't want, the "good guys in bad guys out" motto sums it up. They want the good guys in Thailand and they want the bad guys out of Thailand but there is a certain point where it is possible to go too far and the good guys start getting out. I think this is going to be an especially acute problem moving forward because Thailand is going to need to do everything in its power to get as many folks into Thailand, both tourists and expats, to keep the economy chugging forward. 

It remains to be seen exactly how that is all going to play out but I definitely hope that they do not "empty the place". Frankly I hope in the upcoming months Prayuth has put this 120 day as sort of the finish line for all of this and hopefully at that point we are going to get reopened and things are going to I hesitate to say go back to normal because everybody has been pining for that for almost a year and a half now but I would like to see some level of ease with respect to travel come back to the Thai Immigration and travel system.