I disagree. There are tourists (what else would you call them?) that go to a big resort and never leave the grounds. Moving around a lot is not a requirement for tourists. So if you only stay in one place, that doesn’t mean you’re trying to “live” in Thailand. Although, is there anyone dead in Thailand? I think we’re all living here unless you’ve been able to join the group by supernatural means.
I think you may have been misinformed. For example, I’m American. If I were in Vietnam for a month and decided I wanted to see Thailand for a few months next, it would be ridiculous to require me to fly all the way back to the states just to apply for a 60 day tourist visa. If it were true, Thailand would lose a huge amount of tourists who want to travel around the region.
I haven’t flown that route but have flown EVA a few times this year. I’m just wondering why you wouldn’t choose your seats at the time of booking? That’s what I did and there was no charge.
I think you all are confusing “work permit” and business visa. I would think that all you need for a work permit is for someone to hire you. A business visa on the other hand, might have the requirements that are being talked about.