lostsoul49

I bet Hamas fire the first shots after the ceasefire expires.

too late fools , you were captured on video hitting one of them... so the guy has been smart enough to use it for HIS defence

But they don't have video footage of the police slapping the defendant do they?

You really think all criminals will now walk free because a child rapist and killer got a clip around the earhole?

Like the police said, they already have enough evidence to convict him. This idiot has chosen to plead not guilty and chance his arm, and will now likely get screwed with 30 years at least.

Police from all over the world slap criminals around, even in the so called civilized west.... Stop kidding yourself that Thai police are worse than any other country... The USA and UK police are just the same.

In Pakistan and many other countries, actual torture is perfectly legal.

I really do not understand two facts...

1- If I do not work, my whole life is an holiday... and I like to stay as a turist 4 years....what do they want from me?

2- I am married with a thai lady, they just give me maximum 3 month Non Immigrant visa, what is that? It is a pitance? I'm not begging anyonoe, I am married with a thai! Why only 3 month? No sense... really no sense...

You have got it wrong.

They give you 90 days O visa so you have time to go through the procedures at your local immigration office (in Thailand) to be upgraded to your 12 month O visa.

You should be upgrading right now.

Going to an Embassy to claim a marriage visa is just the first stage in the process, you should be going through the next stages already... It all takes about 2 months, then you get your 12 months with 90 day reporting, and they renew that every year for you.

As for getting with the program. The Thais are on it. They don't want real estate prices to tank. They don't want retail to tank. They don't want tourism to collapse. They have a very open door policy although they can't be seen to be to free and easy.

Do you honestly believe the economy and tourism will collapse because of this?

No, but it can seriously hit tourism severely if word spreads around that people are having big problems being barred entry from Thailand on tourist visas. It can have a negative ripple effect on tourism in general if horror stories start being publicised in the western press.

Those press clippings won't bother going into detail as exactly what the reasons were for stranding westerners at land borders and the airports. Especially when people actually get a visa and still turned away.

It could put off a lot of tourists who will be stumping up a lot of cash for flights and hotels when they don't feel 100% confident about being admitted to the country.

Tourism accounts for 2.2 trillion baht a year, that is just less than the government budget for 2015, so yes.... Thailand needs its tourists like you need your blood.

Thailand is making a big mistake tinkering with the tourist visa criteria just to stop a few from working when all illegal workers that I know personally in Thailand are actually on non imm O visas and not a single one on a tourist visa.

Sledgehammer to crack a nut.

And no.... They are not 'enforcing the rules'.... they are making NEW rules.

2.2 trillion a year?.... if it's not broke, don't fix it.

So far, five pages of comments. Get a grip everyone. They have begun to enforce the law. If you have been violating the intent of the law with regards to tourist visas, you know it. What's with all the comments and questions? If you have based your life on violating the law, who is supposed to feel sorry for you? You have probably had a good run over the years and now it's time to either get with the program or move on. What's so difficult?

What's so difficult?

To start with, your ignorance on the difference between legal and lawful.

The usage of the term "violation" in your context is actually a violation itself, from several perspectives. The first and most obvious is intellectual.

Basing one's life on violating the law?

Which law?

Common law? Admiralty law? Or statutes with the force of law? But what about International law? Or are you talking about regulations enforced by people who have simply have the power to detain and imprison?

You are aware that Thailand's law is Napoleonic. Virtually impossible to codify regulations - except for criminal matters in which someone has suffered damage, injury or loss - then your guilty till proven innocent.

Perhaps you refer to natural law and the law of precedent. In this case absolute consistency is the key. In which case the violators of this legal principle would be those in uniform. They have to follow the law too. Ah but which law...who knows?

You're not allowed to work in Thailand on a tourist visa - really? So if one makes a ten minute phone call home and effectively does business whilst here on a tourist visa, are they working? Have they violated some law? Which law actually? Would not authorities be obliged under torts and sequesters to notify every person who enters the kingdom of this fact.

They don't and for a reason. Because it breeches a legal principle itself. Precedent and practical reality.

Or someone purchases something here with the idea they might sell it when they get back home - do they need a business visa? There goes the another few billion baht in exports.

Everything is kept ambiguous - because the whole visa thing is nothing to do with law. It can't be. It's about control and issues with foreign governments which take exception to people escaping their slave plantains for too long.

As for getting with the program. The Thais are on it. They don't want real estate prices to tank. They don't want retail to tank. They don't want tourism to collapse. They have a very open door policy although they can't be seen to be to free and easy.

Chill. This is a storm in a teacup augmented by bitter old legalistic expats into Schadenfreude.

Excellent post.

Schadenfreude is the real motivation for most posters who tend to deride those who are not of their feather.

on your double? no one knows yet. G7 countries get 30 days by land

he had two. his original entry, his first O/I and was refused his second

Already being enforced at Mae Sai border. Friend was denied another 30 days this morning (July 16th) entry after only having ONE other I/O in his passport. This would have been his 2nd time to the border and was denied another 30 days. They said they would give him 7 days, then he has to leave for good. No one could tell him how long he would have to leave for or if he flew in and out if there would be a different result.

He is not working, is not a free loader, just saved up for a year for finances so he could come on a three month holiday to enjoy the "land of smiles" everyone has been going on about for years. As if writing this, he has to leave the country within 6 days even though his air ticket isn't for another month, and he has to fly out of BKK. He's totally bummed and no one, not even immigration, can tell him if he will be permitted to enter again to fly out once he leaves.

This is going to be a huge mess for many innocent people who are able to take extended holidays. It doesn't make a lot of sense to sell Thailand as paradise to tourists if all they are wanted is 30 days. Some people save up for dream vacations / adventures that last longer than 30 days. My first trip here was 45. Well done Thailand.

At the same time, news today says they are registering thousands of ILLEGAL WORKERS near Phuket so they can enjoy their cheap slave labor.

so 1 stamp is enough.

When they do stamp that I/O ??

Every time you enter on visa exemption ?

If I have a double visa, would they put me an I/O on my second entry ?

Why 30 days ? At land borders , wasn't it reduced to 15 days ?

Really ? I though it changed 1-2 years ago, with only 15 days given by land.

Anyway, I don't understand yet what is that I/O ....is that a new stamp they put when you entry by 30 days exemption by land, or by

both ways, or when you exit or what ??

Can't just do something SIMPLE ? Strict if they want, but simple. What is I/O, what is that red stamp they put if you are questioned but approved...

red stamp because you could show you are a real tourist ?

That's all insane.

The red O/I stamp is added to your entry stamp if you have over 6 months in the past 2 years of tourist visas and you are re-entering shortly after leaving the country. Yet you have managed to satisfy the border staff and have been allowed to re-enter.

I suppose it is a flag for the next time you try to do it or apply for another tourist visa from outside Thailand.

I am assuming it is either to alert the embassy not to issue another tourist visa within a certain amount of time out of the country (which i don't know what length of time that will be) or it is to tell the border guard that this is your last time allowed in.

Maybe it is to tell the border guard when you are leaving Thailand next, to inform you that you can't come back in for a specified amount of time.

This is supposition, but I am sure it will be there for one of those reasons.

You get that red stamp, I seriously think that is your last visit on a tourist visa for a while.

In all honesty.... I think this is going to cause so much fuss and get Thailand tourism a hell of a lot of bad press around the world, that they are going to back peddle on this.

I remember back in the UK if a bunch of Brits were stranded in a foreign country for whatever reason, it would make the news or at least the mainstream press.

After 12th August, if there are literally hundreds getting stranded, it is going to be publicised.

Scout car pair didn't do too well then eh; couldn't even spot a roadblock !

Yup, and the most insane thing is that they were travelling together instead of the scout car being say 3 miles ahead of the mule vehicle so they could quickly phone them on a mobile to stash the drugs somewhere en route.

Thainess.

Actually, I think all the farang that I know who are illegally working here as either teachers, or they run bars/restaurants or internet based work are all on non imm O visas and not tourist visas.

They are married to Thais but don't have the WP.

It is not the visa runner that is working illegally, although there must be some, but the authorities are barking up the wrong tree and are inconveniencing a lot of people to scupper what I would say was a vast minority.

6 months of stamps and visas over the last 12 months and you will be deemed not a tourist and refused no matter what visa you have or whether you are coming on a second entry from a double entry visa.

No matter what visa you have ?

So even if you go back on business or on O visa you will be refused ? Tourist not ok, other visas not ok.

Everybody out please !

No... They are only counting tourist visas, not any other visa.

The people of Nepal actually believe this is the guy that had his entire family wiped out so he could assume the throne, Dipendra was only the scapegoat and was equally murdered..

That is what many have told me in Kathmandu.

Officially there is no longer a monarchy.... but unofficially there is still one.

They still inhabit the royal palace in the city centre.

OK... Just called again.

I need to amend my post, 6 months of tourist stamps and xisas over 2 years and you get questioned and need to prove you are a genuine tourist. Not sure what the questions will be. You also get a red stamp in your passport if you are allowed back in.

6 months of stamps and visas over the last 12 months and you will be deemed not a tourist and refused no matter what visa you have or whether you are coming on a second entry from a double entry visa.

Thanks for the info, of course we will have to see if this is indeed the policy.

I signed up today for a 6 month Thai language course as a stop gap.

I'm forming a new company, but my current tourist visa will expire before the new company is ready and I can begin the process of getting a non B and a work permit, so I was hoping the Ed visa would cover me for a month or 2 while the company setup is completed.

Did you contact make any mention of how long a person will be turned away for, assuming they are?

Sorry, she didn't say anything about it, so I assume she never asked.

I think I will get my own wife to ring up tomorrow and ask that question.

BTW I think you will be fine with your non imm B visa and the Ed visa.

They are just coming down on tourist visas.

I have a feeling in the coming months the Thai ed visa service that provides a Thai language course are going to exploit this situation and probably;y going to raise their fees considerably.

A good workaround for those getting questioned...

I just looked on agoda.com and there are some cheap hotels with cancellation policy of 1 day prior to check in... some are as cheap as 250 baht a night.

Book 2 weeks in advance from the date you are entering Thailand, then cancel and lose only 1 night's fees (250 baht) you can also book another week hotel in Chiang Mai and another week in say Korat to make it look like you already have a month booked, you can cancel CM and Korat and won't lose anything.

It will be hard not to look like a tourist with that printout from agoda. For a cost of 250 baht.... gets you across the border.

I would not anything like this which is tantamount to lying to Immigration.

So what?

Why should that bother YOU?

Hmmm I think it could be more suspect than me.

I spend 4-5 months (Nov-March) mostly in Thailand, but than I stay out half a year. I think it's clear i am not working in Thailand. I hope so.

You also don't look to be working in Thailand, if you stay 3 months outside, but if they apply the rule (?) 180 days every 360 days, you are burnt, because you spend more time in Thailand than abroad.

The problem it is not clear, there are no numbers and cases like yours are in that grey area.

However if you always have exit tickets and never go to neighbour countries by land, your chances to be considered tourist increase.

But It is possible you would be forced to spend more time abroad and little bit less time in Thailand.

Let's see after 12 August what happen and try to stay in touch with the Thai Embassy in Belgium.

Thanks for the answers.

Let's continue with this. Belgian flies in from Brussels with a new double entry tourist visa after 1 and a half months in Belgium. If the Immigration Officer is not really happy, what might happen?

It happens they can send you back. Very nasty indeed.

When that happens the airlines will become involved and things will get serious very quickly - within a matter of days.

You make a very good point indeed.

What happens when the airlines are having to deal with potentially scores of entry problems per day?

This could really mess up their logistics if they have to get passengers back out of Thailand, and what if all their flights are fully booked in the high season? They would probably have to route them through one or more country.

As a carrier, all passengers are the airline's responsibility until they have been given entry to the destination country.

Exactly. The police are under pressure to solve a high profile case. So the strategy the police use is this:

Threaten/torture/deprive some poor suspect (he may not even be a suspect - just someone who would fit the picture) to the point where he will do almost anything to make them stop. Make it clear to the person that they will definitely be convicted on the evidence they have/witnesses etc and offer them the chance for the torture to stop and for him to avoid the death penalty by signing a written confession.

Then they're off to court where the jury/judge believes no innocent person would admit to the heinous crime of murder, therefore he must be guilty. Even if he retracts his confession, it is already working against him.

It works a treat, almost every time. The victim gets life or death and everyone, including many on this forum, feel good. The police get a commendation and media praise. Politicians talk up how they did well to get the Thai police to solve the crime. Job well done. So what's the problem. Be happy.

In the meantime, the murderous children of the great and good are indulging in sex, booze and drug parties in Singapore until the statute of limitations on their crimes run out.

Must thank you for that post, its great to have someone posting on here who knows exactly what happens and how it happens.

Saves reading through screeds of silly theory and at the end still being none the wiser.

Keep up the good work.

But his post is all based on nothing but 'theory'.

Was he in the room at the time of interrogation?.... Of course not.

If anything I think he ought to pick up a pen and become a fiction writer.

This kid has obviously consulted a lawyer who has told him he has two choices.

Stick with his confession and possibly only do 10 years and come out a marked man, or take a risk and deny involvement and claim he was intimidated by interrogators which could see him freed and not be a marked man.

The kid made his choice and is going for the latter. It is as simple as that.

OMG, and you talk about fiction!

I doubt the guy even has a lawyer and certainly not one that was present when he was being 'questioned'!

You have found this guy 'not guilty' even though you have no idea if he is or isn't.

Just because some confessions are gained through intimidation doesn't make all confession retractions on that basis as meaning the accused is totally innocent.

If that is the case, everyone can confess and then claim their confession was obtained through intimidation and walk away free, even if they ARE guilty.

What the real situation is.... Most people don't like the Thai police and so this article falls very sweetly for their anti Thai police agenda, whether the guy is guilty or not is irrelevant.

We can't let the truth get in the way of having a pop at the police and judiciary of Thailand.

BTW lawyers make more money from 'not guilty' pleas..... much more money.

Why didn't he withdraw his confession the day after he made it???? Why wait this long??????

Also, what makes you think he hasn't got a lawyer???? By the way, this is not the UK, you don't have the same rights in Thailand to have a lawyer present while under questioning.

When the discount for a confession is so large, the obvious incentive is to confess to anything, particularly when possibly threatened with the death penalty.

Exactly. The police are under pressure to solve a high profile case. So the strategy the police use is this:

Threaten/torture/deprive some poor suspect (he may not even be a suspect - just someone who would fit the picture) to the point where he will do almost anything to make them stop. Make it clear to the person that they will definitely be convicted on the evidence they have/witnesses etc and offer them the chance for the torture to stop and for him to avoid the death penalty by signing a written confession.

Then they're off to court where the jury/judge believes no innocent person would admit to the heinous crime of murder, therefore he must be guilty. Even if he retracts his confession, it is already working against him.

It works a treat, almost every time. The victim gets life or death and everyone, including many on this forum, feel good. The police get a commendation and media praise. Politicians talk up how they did well to get the Thai police to solve the crime. Job well done. So what's the problem. Be happy.

In the meantime, the murderous children of the great and good are indulging in sex, booze and drug parties in Singapore until the statute of limitations on their crimes run out.

Must thank you for that post, its great to have someone posting on here who knows exactly what happens and how it happens.

Saves reading through screeds of silly theory and at the end still being none the wiser.

Keep up the good work.

But his post is all based on nothing but 'theory'.

Was he in the room at the time of interrogation?.... Of course not.

If anything I think he ought to pick up a pen and become a fiction writer.

This kid has obviously consulted a lawyer who has told him he has two choices.

Stick with his confession and possibly only do 10 years and come out a marked man, or take a risk and deny involvement and claim he was intimidated by interrogators which could see him freed and not be a marked man.

The kid made his choice and is going for the latter. It is as simple as that.

She isn't going to find the rice scam case so easy to wriggle out of.

There is plenty of evidence to prove she and her government did their best to lose the country up to 600 Bn baht and wreck the future of Thailand's biggest industry that anything from 10 to 15 million rely on for their living.

She never went to any meeting even though she awarded herself the chairperson's role and collected the salary and benefits while the whole scam fell apart.

She is also solely responsible for the 1 million farmers not being paid and the farmers who killed themselves as a direct result of her bungling incompetence is going to leave blood on her hands.

I think she is being saved for this case, because it is going to hit her with much bigger punishment than the flood disaster.

Can't wait to read the results and her and her flunkies handed down huge punishments and hopefully their entire assets seized.

Seems more like murder to me, and the other 2 shots point to the possibility he was struggling with his attacker and loosed off 2 shots before the third going into his head after he was gotten the better of.

The attacker could easily have fled before anyone came out, the first reaction would be to inspect the vehicle, not the street outside.. Do they really think the attacker would be hanging around?

He was an activist and therefore large corporations would see him as a big problem..... Sorry but this stinks to high heaven of a contract killing.

For those who ask how long we must stay outside Thailand to get a new tourist visa ..the Thailand Embassy in France has an answer .... 3 months !!! (i already posted it some weeks ago) !

The thai embassy in France doesn't want to deliver tourist visa if you were in Thailand the last 3 months.

It was already like this ..in June (or maybe before i don't know)

http://www.thaiembassy.fr/fr/visa/informations-generales/reglement-du-service-des-visas/

(check number 1)

Yet you can go to a different country and get one no problem.

This is yet another inconsistency of Thai immigration that creates nothing but confusion.

Do they deliberately do it or what?

OK... Just called again.

I need to amend my post, 6 months of tourist stamps and visas over 2 years and you get questioned and need to prove you are a genuine tourist. Not sure what the questions will be. You also get a red stamp in your passport if you are allowed back in.

6 months of stamps and visas over the last 12 months and you will be deemed not a tourist and refused no matter what visa you have or whether you are coming on a second entry from a double entry visa.

Sorry BUT ::::

Member since 28 June 2014?

Has his Thai (I assume wife) call Immigration somewhere and gets "information" like this and is able to pass it on in the Forum as "Fact"?

I thought there was some mechanism in place to get rid of such mis-information, at least until it is confirmed by a reliable source.

Patrick

Don't shoot the messenger. This doesn't even affect me, I am on a non imm O visa, I am just trying to be helpful.

What has my joining date got to do with anything? Makes me a bad member does it?

Maybe I should ask a mod if I am allowed to be included in conversations or not.

Maybe you need to be registered with the forum for a year at least to have any value.

Can I suggest you call yourself if you have no faith in other people's information. Then you can call me out as a liar if you get a totally different set of guidelines..... until then.

OK... Just called again.

I need to amend my post, 6 months of tourist stamps and xisas over 2 years and you get questioned and need to prove you are a genuine tourist. Not sure what the questions will be. You also get a red stamp in your passport if you are allowed back in.

6 months of stamps and visas over the last 12 months and you will be deemed not a tourist and refused no matter what visa you have or whether you are coming on a second entry from a double entry visa.

Thanks for the info, of course we will have to see if this is indeed the policy.

I signed up today for a 6 month Thai language course as a stop gap.

I'm forming a new company, but my current tourist visa will expire before the new company is ready and I can begin the process of getting a non B and a work permit, so I was hoping the Ed visa would cover me for a month or 2 while the company setup is completed.

Did you contact make any mention of how long a person will be turned away for, assuming they are?

Sorry, she didn't say anything about it, so I assume she never asked.

I think I will get my own wife to ring up tomorrow and ask that question.

BTW I think you will be fine with your non imm B visa and the Ed visa.

They are just coming down on tourist visas.

I have a feeling in the coming months the Thai ed visa service that provides a Thai language course are going to exploit this situation and probably;y going to raise their fees considerably.

A good workaround for those getting questioned...

I just looked on agoda.com and there are some cheap hotels with cancellation policy of 1 day prior to check in... some are as cheap as 250 baht a night.

Book 2 weeks in advance from the date you are entering Thailand, then cancel and lose only 1 night's fees (250 baht) you can also book another week hotel in Chiang Mai and another week in say Korat to make it look like you already have a month booked, you can cancel CM and Korat and won't lose anything.

It will be hard not to look like a tourist with that printout from agoda. For a cost of 250 baht.... gets you across the border.

So all us offshore workers are screwed again common sense must prevail here TIT

Bear in mind he is talking about Poipet. It may be different at Suvarnabhumi.

Those are the guidelines for 12th August onwards, including the airports.

I don't think Poipet are doing this yet.

Might be a good idea to get your visa runs in before August 12th.