bluebear

I am for putting out some real info on what we all know and pooling our information so as we may help each other as much as we can. Bickering amongst ourselves is a waste of energy...........

Lets try to at least agree that helping our fellow expats is a better option than telling them they should have known better. The stress levels of the expats I know are through the roof at present and many are leaving the country and selling up. This , I believe is what the Government wants.

JT65 Thank you for a voice of sanity over the "Im alright jack posters"

I am probably like a lot of others.  Last year I got a few stamps from The Wall then went back home on holiday and am now back with a legal NI B Visa.  The possibility of immigration now checking back is what is scaring me and a lot of others.  I did a day run to Poipet about 9 weeks ago with no problem, I didnt notice anymore scrutiny than usual and in April went out for a holiday, again no problems.  But of course, this was all before the crackdown.

The problem I have is that my passport is actually with my employer as I am applying for a work permit. I actually got the passport in September last year in Bangkok as my old one was about to expire, so have about 5 months of 30 day run stamps. Looking through my photocopied (new) passport I havent got Sadao stamps but I have Pedang Basar.  Will they check more carefully at Suan Plu than at Bangkok?

It is the uncertainty that is worrying everyone.  What stamps are illegal illegal ie fake stamps, what are legal but obtained illegally ie visa services, what crossings are strict, how far back are they checking, what crossings are not bothered unless your current stamp is dodgy.....?

I was speaking last night to a french guy who was flying up to Laos to start a job there.  He was arrested and is currently on bail awaiting his trial ( He used a KSR agency), he was detained with around 10 others who had been picked up that day, Americans, British, Australian....   So its not a Brit thing and just because your APEC, you are not safe.

1. A friend of mine holds a non-b type visa which runs out in four months.  My question here is could he legaly send is passport by mail with all the forms and paperwork to a friend in his home country, then his friend would remail everything to the Thai consulate using his friends address and if after getting a new visa from the Thai consulate back in the mail his friend would remail it back to him here.

2. I know his passport will not show a exit stamp so this is why I think its not a good idea but I know of an American gent who has done this, but its the legal factor were not sure about.

The reason why he would want to mail it is because our home country Thai Consulate will give a non-b with just a simple letter done by mail with no interview.  He's got nothing to show on paper and not enough cash in the bank here...ect, thats why he cant go to Panang or probably elsewhere close-by.  Basicly he just wants to save himself the cost and time of flying home and back.

Do not do this, if they are cracking down on all visa services I would really think very very hard about doing this.

But to answer your questions.  

How can he activate his Visa if he doesnt leave the country and re enter?  A visa is only activiated when you enter a country and have it "registered" at a border crossing.  If he tries to do that and they check his passport on leaving he might be asked very serious questions ie how did he get the visa without leaving the country.  They might let him go after a lengthy questioning or they might declare it illegally obtained or worse.

If I read your post right and he has no paperwork and no money, then he is not legally entitled to the visa.    Just because one office is slack in checking the reuirements doesnt make it right to obtain a visa under false pretences.

I aslo had an idea which I would like someone to comment about also:

If he were to go to Loas for a couple weeks and do all the same mailing of passport and paperwork to a friend to do all the remailing,  then he would have a exit stamp and he wouldnt have been in Thailand when the new non-b visa is stamped in his passport,  but is this legal?

NO NO NO NO NO!

It is slighly more legal but...  What happens if he gets stopped by the police there and they want his passport, or has some other need for id like changing hotel.  From what I have heard the Laos police are not ones to mess with.  What happens if it takes longer than he thought, could he stay off work ( I assume he is working as he has a B ) until it arrived?  What if it doesnt turn up at all?

( and before any says I am being very hard hearted and its an I am alright jack post - I am not 100% happy about my slightly grey past catching up but will make damm sure I do it right from now on)