Caldera

An overworked security guard? That's a new one. Most seem that bored that they can hardly keep themselves awake.

It's 2023, just use your app to transfer money like most people nowadays.

You got a Non-ED extension from Nakhon Ratchasima immigration, but you don't study there and actually live in Phuket? Tread VERY carefully.

Right, it's a police farce.

How ironic.

Can everything be bought in Thailand? Yes, except for common sense, which seems to be unobtainable.

Some in Thai immigration don't want repeat customers (or long-stay tourists), others want to charge them extra for the privilege, and yet again others couldn't care less. It's a mixed bag, which explains that reports are all over the place as there's no consistency whatsoever.

Has it ever been any different?

I wasn't sure whom to believe, but Chuwit settles it for me. He's so well informed it's almost spooky.

Ask your girlfriend. As a Lao citizen, she's in the best position to know.

Safe as long as you don't care for air that is safe to breathe, that is.

I wouldn't call 50% pre-Covid levels "massive", when you consider how long the travel restrictions have been lifted already and that other places are at something like 90% recovery rate already. Thailand's tourism recovery is rather sluggish, for whatever reason(s).

Any police officer who genuinely wants to check a foreigner's immigration status would know how to do so, or know to contact a colleague at immigration if unsure. Any police officer who's just looking for an excuse to extract money from a foreigner, on the other hand, would be flexible enough to make up an excuse no matter what's in the passport.

That's a complete non-issue for me, as I make all payments online. In average, I visit each of the banks I have accounts with only once every few years, to get an ATM card replaced or something similar. No big deal to take the passport then, as I have to remember to take my passbook anyway.

60 days

I think you'll be fine, but might get questioned upon arrival in Thailand. So make sure you have a flight out within 45 days, cash and a hotel booking ready to show if challenged for any of those.

After a few months back home, you shouldn't have any real problems returning. In case you do get questioned, make sure you meet all the requirements for entering Thailand. Using an agent would ensure smooth sailing, so if you value peace of mind over money, there you go. Personally I wouldn't like flying a detour after an already lengthy trip. So unless you'd enjoy spending some time in Laos before coming to Thailand, that looks like the worst option to me.

What's the more spectacular fallout, Prayuth-Prawit or Thaksin-Jatuporn? Highly entertaining.

So they didn't extort her for no reason, but to overlook the fact that she was allegedly carrying illegal e-cigarettes? That's still extortion. Plus dereliction of duty. Plus corruption.

Not at all, there are different kinds of checks by different kinds of police, for different purposes. That's why I made that distinction. Note that it isn't my opinion that you should carry your passport at all times. It's sufficient that you're able to produce it on demand, as I had written earlier.

True, the best approach would have been to sort it out there and then. Failing to get the point across to the official wielding the stamp, the OP should have asked for the supervisor. Too late for that now, but for others in the same situation, save yourselves the hassle.

The pink ID card offers very little in terms of tangible benefits, so in my opinion, it currently isn't worth the hassle. As a form of ID, there aren't many cases where the pink ID card can - but a Thai DL cannot - be used. Unlike the real Thai ID card for Thais, quite crucially the pink ID card doesn't have a chip, so it cannot be used for NDID (or anywhere else where electronic ID verification is required), which would be a game changer for foreigners residing in Thailand. Neither the pink ID card nor a Thai DL allows an official to establish a foreigner's current immigration status, so they're equally useless in that regard.

At CW, there's a counter specifically to get entry stamps corrected, I think you should go there first and explain your situation. Chances are that it can be fixed.

I've got the impression that corruption, while always endemic in Thailand, has been spiraling completely out of control under the current government - and since the pandemic started in particular. Whenever they close a door by means of yet another crackdown, another door quickly opens. Those corrupt officials are way too crafty and greedy to forego any money that is up for grabs I think it's safe to say that nothing will change, at least not with the current government still in place (but probably beyond).

Of course they'd deny it, no matter what the actual facts may be. Just how much credibility do they have left these days?