Correct me if I'm wrong, but haven't they kept their end of the bargain for the most part? Ok, they renegged on the land ownership deal, which understandably pissed alot of people off. Then I think there's some small things like putting a limit of 24 times per-year you can get golfing, and things like that.
Other than the land ownership ordeal, haven't all promises been kept for the most part? Maybe I'm wrong, but I've never heard of someone's 5 year VISA being cancelled, or anything of that nature.
I'm not sure renegging on the land thing is considered keeping their end of the bargain. That was one of the primary selling points when they first introduced it.
Also, the program was on the verge of bankruptcy until the tourism authority decided to revive the program. Benefits didn't cease but would have had the tourism authority not pumped in new capital.
To me, that sounds like the typical Thai government way of handling things. Nobody wants to lose face heading a doomed program so they repackage it, keep it alive until they can transfer out, get it out of their portfolio, or retire, and then let someone else deal with the fallout.
Anybody, especially a foreigner, who thinks the Thai government is going to give them a fair shake is setting themselves up for disappointment.
The problem is multi-level:
1. Thai governments are not stable. What they tell you today is only good as long as that government still holds office (and maybe not even that long).
2. The Thai government has shown a pattern of fawning over foreign dollars but showing a considerable dislike of foreigners. Everything from business ownership to the right to own property (or lack thereof) is set up to leave foreigners on shaky ground with little legal recourse and limited rights.
3. All bets are off when the king dies. Thailand is a powder keg waiting to explode right now. The king's death will be the spark that lights the fuse.
If the purpose of purchasing the Elite card is simply for visa purposes, and that might be the only thing that's left when it goes bankrupt again, the math is way, way off.
Cost of renewing a visa: 5,000 baht for multi-entry
Cost of visa run to Laos or Cambodia: 3,000 baht
That's 32,000 baht a year if you leave the country every 90 days. Or 640,000 baht over 20 years.
Even if you factor in spending a little cash in Laos or Cambodia on your visa runs (Laos you get the visa next day so one night in Laos and Cambodia (at Poi Pet) is same-day), maybe it runs you 1 million baht.
Plus, you're not factoring in the fact that $60K USD in my bank account will $150K - $200K in 20 years (assuming a compounded return of 5%).
The only way that the Elite card makes sense is if you can max out the perks. If you're taking a limo from the airport several times a week, golfing a few days a week, etc, you might make your money back and overcome the loss in income that your money could be earning.
If you're doing it just for the visa, it's a horrible investment.
Plus, I think you mentioned that "you think" that a work visa would just be handed to you upon asking. Uhm . . . as I said in my original post in this thread, visas and work permits are two entirely different things. They're not even handled by the same branch of the government.
That's the reason work permit holders end up doing the 90 day shuffle. They get a visa that's only good for 90 days (usually multi-entry) even though their work permit is good for a year.
The fact that the Immigration Department and the Board of Labor haven't reconciled that glaring issue should tell you how easy it will be to walk into the Labor Board and just be handed a work permit.
And the Elite card is not for people trying to bypass the normal work permit requirements. It's designed for rich people and retirees to stay in the country and spend money. Those people aren't working in Thailand and the Elite card was not designed for that purpose.
