No he does not.
But laws , rules, and regulation are interpreted by individuals in high positions as they see fit. across the board in Thailand.
That's one of the reasons that immigration offices operate with different requirements. for Extensions, visas, tm-30, Resident certs and so on.
But if joker boy is your go to guy.
up to you, as they say.
Not my favorite immigration guy, when he was in that job.
I think he just alienated us even more, from the general public.