Parker2100

LOL. In Thailand?  He picked the WRRRRRONG place.  OMG to many of the new SEA visitors after the Pandemic know nothing about what they are getting into!

Back when I started coming in 2016 ( yeah, the old'n days), there where a lot of YouTube Vloggers that told you what you could and couldn't do (and they Gray Areas). Because YouTube does not want to pay for that anymore, they are harder to find.

16 hours ago, bamnutsak said:

 

Not if they're leaving, right?

 

 

 

So it's national "do your job day" today?

 

And were they "laxly" enforcing immigration laws previously?

 

 

They are being pressured to be more difficult on people with Dreadlocks and wearing Cargo shorts.

Seriously, the only this the Immigration Officers can do it make a big show of being a hardass to prove to the bosses that they are being more diligent.

In my experience with Thai Immigration, what they will do it profile tourists at the port of entry based on hairstyle and whether or not they are wearing flip-flops or short pants.

'Yep!  He looks like a criminal'

14 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

You’d be off your rocker to trust the Thais with that sort of information, not to mention it is a breach of privacy and illegal at home. 

All countries have access to the Interpol Database of international wanted criminals.  But that isn't people who have committed petty offense in the past, in their home country.

13 minutes ago, motdaeng said:

i highly doubt that the two swiss and the two kiwi guys don't have any criminal records!

they are thousands of scumbags foreigners with criminal history in there home country, who enter thailand every year without any problems ... 

They are not checking criminal records in the home country.  They are just broadly making it harder for everyone else.

10 minutes ago, BE88 said:

Sure they're going to piss us off even more now.

Yes, that is how Immigration works in Thailand.

I don't disagree with the sentiment but Thai Immigration will interpret this as 'make it harder for foreigners to enter and be extra suspicious'

Not sure how these new measures would have prevented the Swiss and NZ foreigner incidents.

Btw, I have seen a man from China attack airport police as well hearing similar stories about other Chinese, Indians, and Russians.  No fuss was made about that.  The Chinese man was even helped book another flight and wasn't even punished.

But Non-Russian Westerners make Westerners look bad and they have to crack down!

Same Same

How is an Interior Minister raiding nightclubs?

I have an idea.  Since there are to many Immigration Officers who have nothing better to do that make problems, send them to patrol the streets!

No need for Chinese police.  Everybody is happy!!!

Draft Dodger?  Maybe his Visa was running out and he figures a Thai Jail is better that being sent to the Ukraine front.

Having a bus ticket to Laos for exit got me in trouble once.  Not because it was wrong.  It was because a cheap ticket out when arrive by air in is suspicious.

You shouldn't have an inexpensive exit ticket when you arrive.

1 hour ago, Jimjim1 said:

Which is all very well BUT what about those of us who are responsible and purchase expensive travel insurance and would in no way ever be a burden to the host country?

 

I personally have a £10,000,000 every incident health cover including Covid and if I have to pay this obvious rip off it could negate that policy leaving me with a sub standard Thai policy and a Thai government looking for every way to bail out of it.

I am beginning to think that a CambLoasVietPhil option could be very real.

So much for resurrecting Thai tourism, the rigmarole involved in just paying this charge never mind trying to claim on it if needed be will be enormous.

 

It would be simpler for IO’s to check on entry if the traveller has his / her own insurance and charging those that don’t in a separate airport area, otherwise it will take even longer to get through immigration and on to our destinations.

Yes, they should exempt people who have their own International Insurance.

This has come up before and they insisted it HAS to be a Thai Insurance company. Because...well... Thailand.

Yeah, they are just strangling there own tourism industry.  But hey it is their country!

After the effects of about 10 years of this, they will be the most open tourism spot in the world.  Or... Myanmar-Like

They will do what they will do.

1 minute ago, Marky Mark Mark said:

I was under the impression reading here that if you get a tourist visa its EZ peasy.  Its the visa on arrivals that were the Immigrations nemesis.

 

So much for that.

On the first or second Visa it usually is easy.  After, that "It is like a box of chocolates.  You never know what your gonna get"

Even on the first visit, they reserve the discretion to deny entry just because they don't like the way you look, or dress.

9 minutes ago, nobodysfriend said:

Good luck with collecting the fee from visitors who just do not want to pay ...

 

Or will the payment via app or website be controlled by immigration before entry ?

This would create a lot of confusion .

Why not just let the airlines collect it when boarding ?

 

 

 

It would obviously be before you get past Immigration.

Btw, the original plan years ago, was just tack a 200 Baht fee to your airplane ticket.

21 hours ago, norfolkandchance said:

Do you see a problem entering. If so don't come.

Even if you think you are doing everything correctly, you never really know, in Thailand, anymore.

21 minutes ago, bendejo said:

While living in Malaysia I decided to do a trip to Siem Reap (Angkor Wat, Cambodia) a few years back.  The visa on arrival, and the stuff I had to pay when leaving (can't recall the names, exit fee or airport tax etc) combined cost more than my round-trip Kuala Lumpur ticket. 

 

I don't recall any exorbitant exit fees from Cambodia.

But I do remember the crazy Flat-Rate Hotel Tax in Malaysia that cost more than my room at the Hostel I was staying.

16 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

He presumably means a 60+30 extension...... somewhat easier than depositing 800,000 baht and spending 1900 each year and wasting time at immigration.

I believe the original discussion was about extending Visas (ot stamps?) to 90 days.

I have done the 60+30.  But there is a limit.

On 8/30/2023 at 2:07 PM, newnative said:

    Flights to Thailand from the east coast of the US take around 23 hours each way, with one stop.  Washington Dulles to Bangkok on Qatar is 21 hours 10 minutes, for example.  So, that's around 2 days of flying, round-trip, not 5.

Depends on the scheduling og the connecting flights.

If you pay top dollar, sure.  But my flights usually have two connecting flights.  And I prefer sufficient time in-between connections in case one is late or cancelled.

Still, if you are lucky enough to have 3 week to a month of vacation time.  Is paying a couple grand to fly halfway around the world going to be the first choice of most tourists?

10 minutes ago, transam said:

I was thinking of the MAJORITY of people having 2/3 week holiday's, the current 30 days is 4+ weeks, which can be extended to make 9 weeks.........

It may well be a slimer "Majority" than you think.  Working class people, who currently have a job, usually don't have time to fly halfway across the planet to spend 3 or 4 week in Thailand.

That is 5 days of travel to & from the United States alone.

29 minutes ago, transam said:

Then, folk like you could show your abundance of cash to get said 90 days tourist visa, that sounds good to me and may stop the naughty folk....

Sounds fine to me.  When they have a 90 day tourist Visa I may do that.

It was you that said people don't need more than 3 or 4 weeks vacation.

That is wrong.  You are thinking of only one category of people.  What about people who work remotely or people whose income comes from Investment or pention?

They have to pay-up to "Live" in Thailand or spend their cash elsewhere (which I do).  There is no in-between in Thailand, currently.

On 8/28/2023 at 1:59 PM, transam said:

Tel me/us more, go for it.....????

Ummm...retired people who don't want to live in Thailand take long vacations.  And they generally have sufficient income.

I am one of those.

Why do I want to put all that money in a Thai Bank if I can spend 90 days in Thailand, 90 days in Malaysia, and wherever the Hell else I want?

Buying into a long-term scheme in Thailand means I intend to stay in Thailand.  I don't!

I seem to remember that Tourist Visas were 60 days, not 30.

It is the stamp that is 30 days.