Suvarnabhumi Airport Horror Story !

[peter991]

Flew Thai Airways Brisbane (BNE) to BKK in one of their new Boeing 777s. Nice plane, only a few weeks old. It's a 9 hour flight - so I was fairly tired when the plane landed.

With one small overnight bag and my laptop, I stopped at the first money changing booth to change Australian Dollars to Thai Baht. Asked to produce my Passport. No problems. Changed the money okay - then followed the signs to Passport Control.

Arrived at Passport Control - without my Passport. I had left it at the money changing booth. Because I was at a counter, I explained to the Immigration Officer what had happened.

I asked her politely:

(A) Could somebody please phone and ask them to either hold my Passport for a couple of minutes so I could walk back and retrieve it, or

( Could somebody pick it up for me and I will pay for their trouble.

Immigration Officer then gets very excited - scrams at me: 'No passport. Can not come to Thailand. Must go back Australia! This scene attracted the Airport Police and one officer pulled a gun on me.

Fortunately - HE understood my troubles and politely told me to go back and collect my passport. Phew!

Five minutes later - I had retrieved my Australian passport from the smiling ladies at the money changing booth - and passed through Passport Control - with the same lady - who didn't smile - or apologise.

Welcome to Thailand, indeed!!!

Peter

[jumnien]

Lesson learned. Keep your passport on hand when abroad.

[Phil Conners]

PMS

[cdnvic]

( Could somebody pick it up for me and I will pay for their trouble.

That may have been misunderstood.

[aussiestyle1983]

Immigration Officer then gets very excited - scrams at me: 'No passport. Can not come to Thailand. Must go back Australia! This scene attracted the Airport Police and one officer pulled a gun on me.

I wouldn't expect them to act any more professional than that

[Old Croc]

I asked her politely:

(A) Could somebody please phone and ask them to either hold my Passport for a couple of minutes so I could walk back and retrieve it, or

( Could somebody pick it up for me and I will pay for their trouble.

Immigration Officer then gets very excited - scrams at me: 'No passport. Can not come to Thailand. Must go back Australia!

Sounds like you wanted to keep your place in the queue while someone else went back to fix your error. Not going to work in that situation.

The most likely outcome of arrival in a foreign country without a valid passport is refusal of entry.

[britmaveric]

Look on the bright side - least they let you fetch your passport and didnt deport you.

[PeaceBlondie]

Peter, in spite of all that, welcome to the land of smiles. Enjoy your stay.

[lomatopo]

Note to self: Clear Immigration first, then change money. Many, many more FOREX (SCB, TMB) booths in the baggage claim area, even more outside Customs.

Second note to self: Always keep passport in hand.

I seriously doubt that a gun was un-holstered, perhaps the OP was "fairly tired" and prone to some sort of hallucination?

[Wellyoudidask]

Lesson learned. Keep your passport on hand when abroad.

Are you serious ? you think he deserved this !

[hecky]

Note to self: Clear Immigration first, then change money. Many, many more FOREX (SCB, TMB) booths in the baggage claim area, even more outside Customs.

Second note to self: Always keep passport in hand.

I seriously doubt that a gun was un-holstered, perhaps the OP was "fairly tired" and prone to some sort of hallucination?

my money would be on the fact this did happen, the guy was there and knows what he saw. same thing would happen at most airports around the world now if immigration officer started shouting.

[kayo]

my money goes that he didn't tell the whole story, and probably got aggravated at the thai immigration, when they refused to let him "keep his place in the queue" and his own aggravation (tired etc.. whatever) casued the police to become aggravated at him.

[ballbreaker]

Never would have happened if your passport and immigration card were in hand when you walked up to the counter.

[peter991]

Actually there wasn't much of a queue. I was tired - but I am always polite. I just started this thread as a warning to people of what can happen in Thailand. It was a totally over the top reaction from an Immigration Officer.

Next time I will try to be more awake when I land in LOS.

Peter

[jumnien]

Please be very careful if you enter the Unites States and tell them you don't have a passport, but you'll give one of the kind Homeland Security folk 50 cents if he'll go look for it back down "that way". I don't think they'll be amused!

[junkofdavid2]

People who blame the victim are, in truth, also terrified of the thought that it could happen to them too.

So the brains of these terrified people trigger a defense mechanism to protect themselves against such fear, and so they tell themselves, "It wouldn't happen to me because... ummm... because.... ummmm.... Oh! Because I'm not that stupid! It was his own stupidity that caused it! So I can feel safe now because I'm not as stupid as him!"

Similar to another thread where a farang was beaten up by cops for a ridiculously lame reason and the other posters blamed it on the victim's "stupidity" (he defended himself from a plainclothes drunken cop on a rampage and so the cop's other cop friends beat up the victim), and where some posters even said he deserved it.

Edited April 23, 2007 by junkofdavid2

[tartempion]

Lesson learned. Keep your passport on hand when abroad.

I guess you never forgot anything in your little life isn't?

Really some sweet guys on this board

[jumnien]

I'm not sure that we are blaming the victim as much as seriously concerned that he will befall the same consequences unless he keeps a watchful eye on his passport whilst in the Kingdom. If this had happened in many other countries he might not have fared so well.

[midas]

]Lesson learned. Keep your passport on hand when abroad.

[/b]

I guess you never forgot anything in your little life isn't?

Really some sweet guys on this board

I agree tartempion- replies like this leave me speechless sometimes

[meibanfa]

If this had happened in many other countries he might not have fared so well.

Yeah, like in Iran

[mr_hippo]

I just started this thread as a warning to people of what can happen in Thailand.

Peter

It can also happen in

Afghanistan

Albania

Algeria

Andorra

Angola

Antigua & Barbuda

Argentina

Armenia

Australia

Austria

Azerbaijan

Bahamas

Bahrain

Bangladesh

Barbados

Belarus

Belgium

Belize

Benin

Bhutan

Bolivia

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Botswana Brazil

Brunei Darussalam

Bulgaria

Burkina Faso

Burma (Myanmar)

Burundi

Cambodia

Cameroon

Canada

Cape Verde

Central African Republic

Chad

Chile

China

Colombia

Comoros

Congo

Congo

Costa Rica

Côte d'Ivoire

Croatia

And so on down to

Uzbekistan

Vanuatu

Vatican City (Holy See)

Venezuela

Vietnam

Western Sahara

Wales

Yemen

Zaire

Zambia

Zimbabwe

So you can now find fora for these countries and warn tourists there

[meibanfa]

It would be an unusual response in most civilised countries.

[pampal]

NO Passport, No entry.

It's the same in every country.

Why didn't the OP go back to the money exchange and retrieve his passport, instead of asking the immigration ppl to do it for him, and offer them money?

No excuse for laziness, the immigration ppl are not here to fetch your belongings, they are charged with immigration duties, that should be clear enough, but some people will never learn.

[sceadugenga]

Lesson learned. Keep your passport on hand when abroad.

I guess you never forgot anything in your little life isn't?

Really some sweet guys on this board

Some sort of personal problem here? I thought it was good advice myself.

Edited April 23, 2007 by sceadugenga

[luckyluke]

I guess you never forgot anything in your little life isn't?

I guess we all do ,but not put it on a forum with the mention "Airport Horror Story"!!!

[Lancelot]

I guess you never forgot anything in your little life isn't?

Really some sweet guys on this board

Man, you got that right. Some folks live to lash out at others

[KhunMarco]

Can please someone go and take my passport I can' t be arsed

And they say "some people leave their brain at the airport", yes the home country airport

[baboon]

People who blame the victim are, in truth, also terrified of the thought that it could happen to them too.

So the brains of these terrified people trigger a defense mechanism to protect themselves against such fear, and so they tell themselves, "It wouldn't happen to me because... ummm... because.... ummmm.... Oh! Because I'm not that stupid! It was his own stupidity that caused it! So I can feel safe now because I'm not as stupid as him!"

Similar to another thread where a farang was beaten up by cops for a ridiculously lame reason and the other posters blamed it on the victim's "stupidity" (he defended himself from a plainclothes drunken cop on a rampage and so the cop's other cop friends beat up the victim), and where some posters even said he deserved it.

Does anyone have a link for this one?

[kash]

I guess he wanted the immi officer to call them (exchange booth) in order to secure the passport so that none of you sods responding to this thread(!) would steal his passport, then he really would've been in deep shit ...

Edited April 24, 2007 by kash

[mackayae]

Next time bring the lady a can of decaf.