Friday, February 19, 2016

M-VISA GOVERNMENT CLAMPDOWN

Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued new guidelines for issuing Media (M) visas to journalists, which come into effect on March 21, 2016. 
These guidelines will mean that some journalists who have received M visas in the past may not be issued them in future, and will be asked to apply for different visas. 
The board of the Foreign Correspondent's Club of Thailand board was in discussion with the MFA over these new guidelines, and offered a number of mitigating suggestions. 
Some of these have been incorporated in the guidelines.
To read the full guidelines and the reply from the FCCT click here.
It's true to say that many journalists in Thailand do not have the M (media) visa, and instead opt for the B (Business) visa with a job title such as Head of Content, or the like. 
Perhaps this is the start of a crackdown of just who is able to write in English about what's happening in Thailand?

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