.png.3b3332cc2256ad0edbc2fe9404feeef0.png)
- Popular Post
007 RED
-
Posts
929 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Forums
Downloads
Quizzes
Posts posted by 007 RED
-
-
- Popular Post
- Popular Post
OP…. Like @ChiButty said above, it was quite unusual 10 years ago for someone to be banned from entering the Kingdom for working without a work permit.
As far as the ‘blacklist’ facility within the Immigration system is concerned it functions on the end date of the imposed ban and if that was 5 years ago it should not show up when the basic interrogation of your record is done e.g. by the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) when you check in to fly to Thailand, or when the Immigration Officer scans your passport at the point of entry.
The end date of the ‘blacklisting’ facility within the Immigration system should be entered in Gregorian calendar format, that it to say the current year should be 2020. The problem arises when an IO enters the end date in the Thai calendar format with the current year 2563. Unfortunately, when the Immigration system checks the date format when the details are entered it cannot distinguish between the two calendar formats. This problem has occurred quite a few times.
It has been suggested that you contact a lawyer, but as you have already discovered they will give you mixed answers. Remember, they are trying to make money out of you.
If as you said you were banned for 5 years, some 10 years ago, then your ban has well and truly expired. I would suggest before purchasing any ticket to travel to Thailand that you contact Thai Immigration Headquarters (address given below), and explain in simple terms that you were banned for 5 years, 10 years ago, and wish to return to Thailand (no need to explain why you want to return) - keep it short and simple. Provide them with a copy of the photo page, exit stamp and banned stamp from the passport you had at the time of your ban.
Contrary to what many people will tell you they (Immigration) can be quite helpful at times.
Thai Immigration HQ address:
Royal Thai Police – Immigration Branch, 507 Thanon Suan Phlu, Thung Maha Mek, Sathon, Bangkok 10120 (Mark your correspondence: For the Attention Of The Immigration Commissioner).
Tel: +66 2287 3101 Fax: +66 2287 1310 (sorry no email Facebook address available).
If they reply and confirm that your ban has been completed and that you are free to enter Thailand make sure that you bring a copy of that with you just in case.
FYI…… The details of your 5 year ban will not be expunged from the Immigration database, it will always be lurking there somewhere in the background.
Best of luck.
-
3
-
1
-
1
-
Where I live we are on main's supply if you can call it that and like many people here in Thailand we also suffer from low, and sometimes non-existent, water pressure. This is basically because the water company use mainly plastic supply pipes to get the water to the house and they cannot put to much pressure behind the water for fear of pipe joints bursting.
I have 2 x 1,000 litre tanks each with an outlet pump. One tank is used for the house the other for our smallish fruit garden mainly during the hot season. The joy is that with mains supply water pressure low during the day, when most people and local factories want water, the tanks fill up at nigh when demand is low.
I have attached a few photos of the garden setup.
Photo #1 shows the inlet pipe, with shut-off valve just before the pipe enters the tank near the top. The screw removable lid on top of the tank is also shown..
Photo #2 was taken above the tank with the lid removed to show the inlet ball valve which is just like the ball valve in the loo).
Photo #3 shows the bottom of the tank and the outlet pipe feeding the pump - again there is a shut-off valve between tank outlet and the pump inlet.
FYI... there is a second outlet hole at the bottom of the tank. This is for draining the tank if necessary and is also fitted with a shut-off valve.
A really simple DIY job. In my case the ball valve was included with the tank, but they are available from Homepro if that is were you will purchase your setup.
Good luck.
-
2
-
-
- Popular Post
- Popular Post
The Rolling Stones; The Beatles; The Kinks; The Who; The Bee Gees; The Hollies; Pink Floyd; The Animals; Led Zeppelin; The Cream; The Moody Blues; David Bowie; The Zombies; The Yardbirds; Eric Clapton; Manfred Man; Petula Clark; Jethro Tull; The Troggs; The Searchers; Gerry & the Pacemakers; Deep Purple; Herman’s Hermits; The Dave Clerk Five; Tom Jones; Joe Cocker; King Crimson; Cliff Richards & the Shadows; The Tremeloes; Chad & Jeremy; Lulu; Cilla Black; The Tornados; Freddie & the Dreamers; Marianne Faithfull; Engelbert Humperdink; The Mindbenders; The Merseybeats; The Swinging Blue Jeans; Helen Shapiro; The Creation; UB40 to name but a few.
If your wondering how I came to see all the above artists/groups, the answer is simple. From the mid 60s onwards I was a member of St. John Ambulance Brigade in Coventry (UK). The unit that I was a member of was assigned a regular first aid duty at the Coventry Theatre (AKA The Coventry Hippodrome) which hosted pop concerts most Sunday evenings.
The perks of the ‘job’ included free entry, a free programme, located in front of the stage (now I know why I’m almost stone deaf) and often backstage access to meet the artists after the show. Oh I nearly forgot, also providing TLC to the young ladies who fainted at the sight of their favourite pop star.
From the programmes which I still have I complied the list of artists/groups who performed at the Coventry Theatre between 1964 and 1980. It should be noted that some were the lead performers whilst others were support artists at the time.
-
3
-
9 minutes ago, Susco said:
Sorry, but did you read the threads where TV members posted their personal experience with importing household goods?
No you didn't, otherwise you would know that what is written in the law and what happen in reality in Thailand, never is the same thing
No need to bit my head off!!!
FYI... Yes I did read those threads, several years ago. The one thing that was missing from all of them was any indication as to when they were able to bring their possessions into the Kingdom duty free. Yes it may have been a few weeks before they posted, but more likely prior to the exemption being cancelled.
-
14 hours ago, Susco said:
@masterpasser Google is your friend.
There are a few posts/threads on this forum about people on retirement visa, who have imported full container of personal belongings, and paid no or minimal import duties .
Sorry, but unfortunately the duty free exemption for second-hand personal possessions imported by Non-O (Retirement) visa holders moving to Thailand was withdrawn from the Customs Regulations some 10 plus years ago and is no longer available. FYI.... when it was available the possessions had to be imported within 6 months of the person's arrival into the Kingdom.
-
OP…. I appreciate that we can become very much attached to certain items that have brought us pleasure over the years, and we can be reluctant to give them up. In your case I would take the advice already given by several TV members namely, sell the items and purchase a similar setup here in Thailand.
Why? The simple answer is that it's going to cost you an arm and a leg to get your beloved audio system into Thailand.
The current Thai Customs import duty on audio equipment is 60% of CFI. If you are not familiar with the term CFI it stands for Cost of item + Freight cost + Insurance cost.
As I am almost deaf I have never considered purchasing a high-end audio system as I would never get the benefit of the quality, hence I have no realistic idea how much your system costs. But, for example purposes only to illustrate how much Customs duty you may need to pay let us say your system new price is 100,000THB, the cost of shipping is 30,000THB and insurance is 10,000THB.
Note: Customs tend to work on the price as new.
CFI would be 100,000 + 30,000 + 10,000 = 140,000THB
Import duty payable @ 60% of 140,000 = 84,000THB
Note: The 60% import duty figure is taken from the current Thai Customs data fact sheets.
Then on top of the import duty, you will also need to pay VAT @ 7% of CFI + import duty.
140,000 + 84,000 = 224,000THB
VAT @ 7% of 224,000 = 15,680THB
Total Duty payable (84,000 + 15,680) = 99,680THB
Although my estimated cost of your system may well be way off the mark, you will see from my illustration that the cost of the duty which you will need to pay will almost be equal what the system is worth.
You will no doubt read from other threads (and it has been mentioned by one member in this thread) that you can easily reduce your import and VAT duty liability by declaring a lower cost on the shipping documents. Two things spring to mind when I hear this advice.
Firstly, if your system is worth 100,000THB and you declare it as only being worth say 20,000THB, that is the value the shipping agent will put on the insurance declaration. If the system goes missing, or gets damaged, in transit you are going to be way out of pocket because the insurance company is only going to compensate you to the declared value, not the true value.
Secondly, Customs Officers throughout the world have seen it all before and they are wise to all the tricks of the trade. If the items are declared on the shipping advice as being audio equipment they may well decide to take a closer look at the contents because of the potential high import duty payable. Customs Officers have access to big databases which they can search for details (make/model/serial numbers/costs etc) of items going back many, many, years. If they find that you have grossly under declared the value of the goods they (the Customs Officers) can confiscate the goods and fine you three times the true value of the goods.
The only way to get the duty payable reduced is by providing the original system purchase invoices to the shipping agents and allow them to negotiate a reduced value based upon age of the items with Customs, e.g. brown envelope passed under the table.
You may also read from other threads that TV members have indicated that they have not paid any import or VAT duty on good sent to them from overseas. I do not doubt their claims but nowadays Customs declarations of items shipped by agents are all done electronically and their (Customs) systems automatically highlights items of high potential value that may need closer inspection e.g. audio equipment. As well as their system identifying potential items for inspection Officers also do random checks as well.
FYI… Customs Officer receive a basic monthly salary (about 25,000THB per month). However, they can receive a bonus which is based upon the value of duty which they recover. Hence it is in their interest to screw you for as much as they can.
Hope this info is of use and very best of luck.
-
On 4/22/2020 at 1:37 PM, Kwasaki said:
And your Thailand experience evidence is 007. ????
Please don't take my name in vain.... The RED = Retired, Extremely Dangerous. ????
-
OP…. To be honest, I think the plastic bottle in the septic tank is the least of your problem.
You mentioned in you post that you opened the lid of the tank which is in the kitchen. A septic tank under your kitchen. That's not good!!!
I am mindful that someone constructed the kitchen conversion prior to you purchasing the property, so please don’t feel that I’m having a go at you. I just want you to be aware that you may have a real problem.
Normally septic tanks need to be able to freely vent to atmosphere as they produce several nasty gasses. In particular, methane and hydrogen sulphide, both of which will cause serious problems if allowed to build up in a confined space such as a kitchen.
Methane is a colourless and odourless gas which is relatively non-toxic. However, it is highly flammable and when mixed with the right proportion of oxygen (there is 21% in normal air) will readily cause an explosion if triggered by a spark/flame (gas burner or light switch in the kitchen).
Hydrogen sulphide is a colourless gas which smells like rotten eggs. It is highly poisonous. The trouble with this gas is that you may smell it initially, but it quickly deactivates the smell receptors in your nasal passage, so you lose your sense of smell and be unaware of the potential danger. High concentrations of the gas within a confined space can result in a person rapidly losing consciousness, asphyxiation and death.
Sorry, but I don’t have any easy answers to your potentially serious problem. You need the advice of an waste management expert. Unfortunately I doubt you will find one in LOS.
Best of luck.
-
1
-
-
The Notification of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand on Temporary Ban on All International Flights to Thailand (No. 2)
6 April 2020
In reference to the Notification of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand Re: Temporary Ban on All International Flights to Thailand issued on 3 April 2020 for the prevention and control of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID – 19) Outbreak.
In order to maintain the continuity of the prevention and control measures, by virtue of Section 27 and 28 of the Air Navigation Act B.E. 2497, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand hereby issue the following orders:
1. All international passenger flights to Thailand will be banned from 6 April 2020 at 17.00 UTC to 18 April 2020 at 17.00 UTC.
2. All flight permits granted to international passenger flights for such period will be cancelled.
3. The ban on 1. does not apply to the following:
(1) State or military aircraft
(2) Emergency landing
(3) Technical landing without disembarkation
(4) Humanitarian aid, medical and relief flights
(5) Repatriation flights
(6) Cargo flights
4. The passengers on board the aircraft leaving the airport of departure before the entry into force of the Notification will subject to 14-day quarantine under the contiguous disease law and the regulation under the Emergency Decree on State of Emergency B.E. 2548.
With immediate effects until further notice.
Issued on 6 April B.E. 2563 (2020)
Source: https://www.caat.or.th/en/archives/49329
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Effectively this temporary order stops all passengers (Thai & foreigners) on international flights from entering Thailand by air. As will be seen in 3. above, there are a number of exemptions, one being Repatriation flights. This is to allow people who are currently stuck in Thailand to return home - not Thais to return home.
Although BKK website arrivals/departure info shows lots of international arrivals expected they have not updated their site to show the flights cancelled. If you look at Flightradar24.com you will see 95% of the scheduled international arrivals/departures are shown as cancelled.
It should also be noted that a large number of flights coming into, and departing, BKK are in fact cargo flights.
-
2 hours ago, expat_4_life said:
Pretty bold now that arrivals are effectively down to zero.
Statistics of international arrivals at Suvarnabhumi:
28 March: 1,834
29 March: 1,795
30 March: 995
31 March: 1,126
The figures that you have provided above for international arrivals at BKK , with a few exceptions, will be Thais nationals returning home.
If you can recall, on the 25th March the Prime Minister announced on TV the first stage Emergency Decree, namely:
"All foreigners will be banned from entering the Kingdom in order to combat the import of Covid-19. This decree will come into affect from midnight tonight (25th) and remain in force until the 30 April 2020.
The decree bans all foreigners from entering Thailand at all entry points, the exception being shippers, diplomats, drivers, pilots and others permitted by the Prime Minister".
-
36 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:
You might get desperate if you can't breath and the Hospital has no ventilators, or even any of these drugs. I will be taking it if desperate. Why let other people take responsibility for your health especially in a third world country, I'll look after myself rather than some dubiously knowledgeable Thai in a white coat.
Personally, I will stick with the time tested and trusted cure all Thai Seng Oil. Guaranteed to fix all ailments as indicated on the bottle.
-
1
-
1
-
-
Re: Chargeback
In an earlier post I mentioned that Chargeback was also an option when, as appears to be currently happening, that an airline cancels a flight and then only offers a refund less a cancellation fee (which can be substantial) or flatly refuses a refund on the basis that the ticket was non-refundable. I would like to clarify a few things concerning Chargeback.
Firstly: If you are under the impression that raising a Chargeback claim with your credit card provider will instantly get your money back, then I'm sorry to disappoint you. The Chargeback scheme is effectively a dispute scheme which involves the card holder informing the card provider that he/she disputes the payment made for any one of a number of reasons - in the case of an airline cancelling the flight the claim would be that the card holder did not receive the service as contracted when they purchased the ticket.
Upon raising the Chargeback claim, the credit card company will contact the provider's bank with details of the Chargeback claim and request that the finds be returned to them. The service provider can, and in many cases will dispute the Chargeback claim. If the service provider disputes the chargeback, the claim will go for adjudication which may take some time. If it is decided that the Chargeback claim is valid the service provider's bank will deduct the value of the chargeback from the service provider's account.
Secondly: If you are considering a Chargeback claim most credit card companies require the claim to be submitted within a specific time from the date the purchase was made. Each CC company has different time limits so its best to check what that is with your CC provider. Visa for example requires a Chargeback claim to be made in less that 120 days from the date of purchase.
Thirdly: As mentioned above, the Chargeback scheme is basically a dispute scheme. Therefore, when submitting a claim you will need to provide evidence to your CC provider that you have initially tried to claim a refund from the service provider. In the case of the airline having cancelled your flight(s) you should keep a copy of any emails or other correspondence that you have had with the airline and send that as supporting evidence with your Chargeback claim. In cases where you call the airline make a note of the date and time of your call and a brief summary of the conversation with the airline call centre agent and supply these details with your chargeback claim - FYI... almost all call centres record telephone conversation so it will be difficult for the airline to dispute you contacted them.
Fourthly: If the airline has either cancelled the return segment (or part of the return segment) of your flight, it is unlikely that Chargeback will be successful. This is because unless you are unlikely to be able to quantify actual cost of the return segment(s) of the return flight. If you give a figure plucked out of thin air the service provider will instantly dispute your claim and possible counter claim that your claim is a fraud. Hence this type of Chargeback is fraught with danger and could affect your credit rating or the CC provider withdrawing your card.
For all those affected by flight cancellations, I wish you best of luck.
-
1
-
-
Re: EU261
A number of members have mentioned claiming against EU261 because the airline has cancelled their flight, so I have clarified the situation below.
EU Regulation 261/2004 is a law which provides compensation to passengers whose flights have been delayed or cancelled.
EU Regulation 261/2004 is an EU law so it applies to countries in the European Union (EU) and was created by the European Commission (EC) so it’s sometimes called EC261 or EC Regulation 261.
All countries that are part of the EU fall under the regulation 261 rules – there is no option to opt out. Some European countries that are not part of the European Union, such as Switzerland and Norway, have opted in to EU Regulation 261 as a benefit to their citizens and travellers in and out of the their airports. At present these Regulation still apply to the UK although it has withdrawn from the EU.
Flight Delay/cancellation Regulations apply to anybody (regardless of age or nationality) whose flight departs from an airport based in an EU country or whose flight arrives into an EU country and is operated by an EU airline.
Example 1: You have a return flight booked London to Bangkok. If the initial outbound flight is delayed/cancelled you will be entitled to EU261 compensation. EU261 will also apply if there was an intermediate stop on route e.g. Emirates via Dubai. If the return flight is delayed/cancelled (Bangkok to London) you will only be entitled to EU261 compensation if the airline is an EU based carrier e.g. BA,LH,AF etc.
Example 2: You have a return flight booked from Bangkok to Paris. Your initial flight from Bangkok to Paris is delayed/cancelled. You will only be entitled to EU261 compensation if the airline is an EU based carrier e.g. BA,LH,AF etc.
I hope this helps.
-
1
-
-
56 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:
Not required by immigration.
I suspect that it is required for the wording of the Embassy letter to the Commissioner of Immigration for the consideration of extending a visa. I've not seen a the Embassy letter, but I would assume it will go along the following lines:
Mr Bloggs a UK citizen holding passport number 12345678 currently holds a Thai tourist visa which is due to expire on the 28 March 2020. Mr Bloggs was due to leave the Kingdom on 27 March 202 on Emirates flight EK123 which has now been cancelled due to the current virus situation. The airline has been unable to offer an alternative flight which will allow Mr Bloggs to exit the Kingdom before his visa expires.
I should be grateful if you would consider extending Mr Bloggs visa.
Yours faithfully etc. etc.
-
2
-
-
32 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:
Wow, if Emirates would refuse a refund (or challenge the credit-card charge-back) I would classify them as a 'rogue' airline.
Even if I have a non-refundable ticket, the fact remains that they are not honoring the contract by providing the service they sold me.
But we live in strange times, so it is well possible they would try to weasle out of it (I read on their web-site that if you paid using your Emirates-miles, they would NOT refund these - which is also a questionable practice).
I totally agree with you.
That said, hypothetically put yourself in their position. You have massive overheads (aircraft leasing cost, staff salaries, aircraft landing/parking fees etc) and lots of bills to pay during the shutdown which is not fault. What would you do? No doubt the same as them and try and hang on to every last penny for as long as possible.
Don't get me wrong, I totally disagree with the way that they are handling this situation and no doubt when things eventually return to normal many of their loyal customers will remember the way that they have been treated and migrate to another airline.
FYI.... The comment about having paid with Skyward miles and not being refunded only applies were someone has booked a flight with miles that were about to expire e.g. they have booked a flight in April with miles that are about to expire at the end of March. If the miles were still valid at the time of the flight then those miles will be credited to the members account.
-
1
-
-
2 hours ago, stouricks said:
Booked 'non-refundable' tickets with Emirates on a Debit Card. BKK to DXB to MAD and back. The DXB - MAD - DXB have been cancelled but the Emirates website says that only the Fare will be refunded and not the taxes/fees. Anyone any ideas please.
Also booked NOK Air to get me from Phitsanulok to DMK to connect to the Emirates flights, also with Debit Card (Bkk Bank).
Took out insurance with Frank in Bkk which only covers cancellation due to sickness for me, wife or close family.
Sorry stouricks but the information which I have underlined in your post above is incorrect, it is in fact the complete opposite.
According to the Emirates, the amount of refund you will be entitled to will be accordance with the fare condition of your ticket. Unfortunately, as you have a non-refundable ticket, that is what you will get. Nought! You may, however, get the passenger tax element refunded but that is only going to be a small amount.
To make matters worse, if you have paid by a debit card it is unlikely that the card provider operates a 'claw back' scheme.
Sorry mate, but it looks like you have been 'shafted'.
That said, one glimmer of hope may be if you have travel insurance you may be able to make a claim on that for flight cancellation.
Best of luck.
-
1
-
-
4 hours ago, stouricks said:
Or it could be possible that the VOUCHER is for a flight on the same route, regardless of price. Then that would be better than the refund.
No. In many cases the voucher will be at a value set by the airline, which may not necessarily be the price that you paid for the ticket e.g. less any admin or penalty fee. The voucher will be for a value in whatever currency you paid, it does not specify that it must be used against the same route as you originally intended.
What you need to bear in mind is that if you decide to use the voucher to purchase a new ticket on the same route within the validity of the voucher (e.g. 12 months from date of issue) you will most likely be faced with having to pay extra for the new flight because no doubt the fare will have increased.
Best of luck.
-
1
-
-
46 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:
It is ONE flight confirmation number > BKK - DUB - BRU,
so by cancelling the last leg of that trip, they made the first part useless (what's the point of flying to Dubai, when I cannot reach my end-destination from there anymore).
So for sure, I am entitled to a full refund.
But in order to avoid long-waiting times before the above is cleared and I will receive my refund the option to ask for a 'charge-back' from my credit-card company as Emirates did not honor the contract I paid for, is probably the easiest one.
If you haven't had another email from Emirates in the past couple of hours, please be advised that with effect from tomorrow the UAE has imposed a total ban on all flights arriving and departing from within the UAE, which obviously includes Dubai which directly affects Emirates. The ban is currently scheduled for 2 weeks but given the current situation it is highly possible that the ban may be extended.
I have a sneaking feeling that this directive by the UAE will give Emirates a 'get-out-of jail' card on the basis that they are having to cancel flight outside of their control. I may be wrong.
With regard to claiming a 'claw back' through your credit card company..... before doing so please double check the T&C of your ticket. If it is a non-refundable ticket e.g. special price or a saver etc, Emirates may well try to argue that you were aware that your ticket was not refundable when they sent you the T&C with your booking confirmation.
Best of luck.
-
2
-
-
- Popular Post
Refund v Voucher
Because of the Covid-19 situation many airlines are now having to cut back their flight schedules. In most cases passengers are being offered the choice of either a refund or a voucher.
Before opting for either, you need to consider the following issues:
Read the T&C of your ticket very carefully. Many low fare ticket have penalty fees if you cancel your flight. Oh, I hear you say, the airline has cancelled the flight. Careful, have they? Many airlines are using the word SUSPENDING. Hence if you ask for a refund/voucher it is you that are cancelling the ticket.
If the airline confirms that there will be no penalty fee applied, I would opt for the refund. If you opt for the voucher, which may well be valid for 12 months, in 12 months time the price of the fare may well have gone up considerably and you will have to pay extra for a flight.
If the airline will not give you a refund without any penalty fee, and you have paid for the fare by credit card, you should contact your CC provider and ask for a 'charge back' on the basis that the airline did not fulfil the contract with you to provide you with the flight agreed when you booked.
As a last resort, it may be possible to take the matter up with the small claims court or the appropriate Ombudsman.
Best of luck those who need to travel by air in the near future. Flights are become a rare commodity now.
PS.... I know that for all intent and purposes suspend is basically the same as cancel, but the airlines T&C specifically state cancel not suspend.
-
1
-
2
-
- Popular Post
- Popular Post
A source that wishes to remain anonymous (because they are not authorised to make public statements) has indicated that General Rolex is considering offering the Chinese a double helping of mango and sticky rice to come back.
-
1
-
8
-
- Popular Post
- Popular Post
Went to my local IO (Nakhon Pathom) yesterday for 90 day reporting. They have made a few changes in order to minimise the risks of person-to-person transmission of the virus.
Previously you entered the main office and the receptionist would do an initial check of your documents and then give you a queue number. You then take a seat in one of three rows to wait for your number to be called. When your number is call you go to the IO's desk and hand over your docs. It was very much face-to-face contact.
Now before you are allowed near the main office someone checks your temperature (thermal scanner) and then directs you to take a seat outside under the covered porch area. The seats are all well spaced apart. A touch of the 'musical chairs' moving towards the front as someone is called inside. The 'masked' receptionist now comes out of the main office and calls you in and dishes a dollop of hand sanitizer into your hand before checking your documents. You then take a seat (one of only a few) which are well spaced away from the next seat to wait for your number to be called. Effectively they have reduced the seating capacity in the main office by 75%.
Now each IO desk has a Perspex screen fitted in front of the desk (top is about 2m high from the floor) with a small 'letter box' slot at desk level for you to hand your docs to the IO. There is also a round hole for their 'stork' internet camera. All IOs were wearing masks and surgical gloves. As you leave the office the receptionist gives you another good dollop of hand sanitizer.
Even with the new procedures, it still only took about 10 minutes from getting out of the car to getting back in again with my 90 day receipt stapled in my passport. Great quick and friendly service.
-
3
-
A PDF copy of Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) in English of their inbound travel requirements as published on the 18 March 2020 is attached below:
-
1
-
-
7 minutes ago, PST said:
Where in Thailand would you go to get the health certificate?
Local GP?
Or, where are you going to get medical insurance which covers Covid-19 up to US$ 100,000.... especially if you are in one of the neighbouring countries doing a boarder run ??????
-
1 hour ago, yang123 said:
PM Prayut statement on insurance and medical certificates:
31 minutes ago, Sheryl said:Sheryl.... FYI..... If you look at the time stamp on both news items you will see that the one which 'refutes' the CAAT travel requirements was published at 1:52 pm yesterday. The reported announcement by the PM that the CAAT travel requirements applies to all inbound travellers was published at 4:32pm yesterday.
Once again 'flip Flop' government, left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing and booze up in brewery all come to mind.
Black listed, need to return for urgent medial reasons
in Thai Visas, Residency, and Work Permits
Posted
OP… Firstly may I say that your dilemma is a total nightmare and I wish you, and your father the very best wishes.
As I read it from your original post you have two problems to overcome to be able to get your father from Phnom Penh to Bangkok for heart surgery.
Originally there is the problem stemming from your father having been banned from entering Thailand, and then there is the problem of his being able to enter the Kingdom given the current Emergency Degree situation.
Dealing with the ban…. According to your original post you indicated that your father was banned for 5 years, some 8 years ago. If this is correct, then the ban has well and truly expired and, therefore, he should under normal circumstances have no problem in returning to Thailand.
FYI…. When details relating to a person’s ban are entered into the Immigration database the system requires an end date to be entered. This should be in the format DD/MM/YY. The date should be entered in the Gregorian calendar format e.g. with the current year = 2020. A problem arises when the person entering the end date enters it in the Thai Buddhist calendar form e.g. with the current year = 2563. Unfortunately, the Immigration system cannot differentiate between the two calendar forms and will accept both, hence it is possible for the ban to be current for another (63-20) 43 years.
This date error does occur occasionally and can be easily rectified without recourse to a lawyer who will no doubt try to ‘milk’ you for every Baht that they can screw out of you.
I note from your posts that you are based in Chiang Mai, and that you also have a brother in Bangkok. I would strongly recommend that you (or your brother) contact Immigration HQ in Bangkok (address given below) to establish that your father’s ban has expired. Personally, I would not bother with your local Immigration office as unless you have a very good relationship with the Officers there, you may not get a helpful response.
You will need a copy of your father’s photo page of his passport (preferably the one he used when he was banned). If he no longer has that, a copy of the photo page of his current passport. I would also suggest taking a copy of your birth certificate (which should have your father’s full name on it) as proof that you are related.
If you explain to the HQ Officers your dilemma I think that you will find them extremely helpful. If the end date of his ban has been entered incorrectly, they will get it changed and confirm it almost immediately.
Thai Immigration HQ address:
Royal Thai Police – Immigration Branch, 507 Thanon Suan Phlu, Thung Maha Mek, Sathon, Bangkok 10120
Tel: +66 2287 3101 Fax: +66 2287 1310 (sorry no email Facebook address available).
FYI….. The details of your father’s ban will not be expunged from his Immigration record, it will always be lurking somewhere in the background. That said, his ban will not show up when he checks in for a flight to Thailand through the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS), or when an Immigration Officer scans his passport at the port of entry.
Dealing with the second problem of getting your father into Thailand at the moment is far more difficult to resolve. As you are no doubt aware the current Emergency Decree has effectively closed all boarders/points of entry and has prohibited non-Thais from entering the Kingdom.
There are a few exceptions, and 3.(4) of the of the Civil Aviation Authority Thailand (CAAT) Temporary Order, dated 3 April 2020 (which has been extended until the end of May 2020), indicates that the ban does not apply to: “Humanitarian aid, medical and relief flights.”
The question is, does your father’s case/situation fall under the category of medical and relief flight? My personal opinion is that it probably does not as I suspect this exemption is to deal with a flight carrying medical aid/personnel to a disaster zone e.g. earthquake.
I suspect that this is where the lawyer you referred to said that you needed a “person of influence”, because someone with influence is going to need to persuade the powers that be to permit your father to be flown into Thailand for medical treatment which he cannot receive in Cambodia. All I can suggest is that you contact your father’s Embassy here in Bangkok, with letters from the medical staff in Phnom Penh indicating the need for his transfer to a hospital in Thailand. Hopefully they may know the right people and be able to offer assistance in the matter.
As I said at the beginning, you are facing a horrible dilemma, one that I would not like to have to face. I wish you all the very best of luck and hope that your father gets the treatment which he appears to desperately need.