If you live in Hua Hin you might be about to get a visit from the Tourist Police

[webfact]

If you live in Hua Hin you might be about to get a visit from the Tourist Police

 

 

Tourist Police are stepping up checks on foreigners living in Hua Hin.

 

The checks involve officers visiting foreigners at home to ensure they have not overstayed their visa.

 

Expats in the popular resort town have taken to social media to report being visited by Tourist Police officers.

 

One report posted to a local Facebook group read:

 

“Had a nice friendly visit from tourist police today.

 

“They had 3 pages of names they said they needed to check for over stayer and address check here in Hua Hin”, the post read.

 

 

Another expat in Hua Hin told Thaivisa that Tourist Police officers were visiting addresses in the Smorprong area of the town on Tuesday and Wednesday.

 

Thailand’s crackdown on visa overstayers began in 2016 under the Immigration Bureau’s ‘Good guys in, bad guys out policy’, which saw tough penalties put in place, including being blacklisted and barred from entering Thailand, for anyone found to have overstayed their visa.

 

In November 2017, Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Kongcheep Tantrawanich said there were about 100,000 foreigners in Thailand who have overstayed their visa in Thailand.

 

However, a report from the beginning of this year claimed that the number of foreigners living in Thailand having overstayed their visas was closer to 8,000.

 

Previously, officials have said that those who overstay their visa could have links to foreign criminals, organised crime syndicates and even Islamic State (IS) militants.

 

Many of the foreigners who have overstayed their visas are thought to be hiding out in Pattaya, Phuket, Hua Hin, Koh Samui island and Bangkok, official have said.

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-02-08

[Tilacme]

Or they dont have 800,000 to put in limbo.

[tracker1]

Apparently Immigration can't keep tabs on persons even with all the rigmarole everyone goes thru ! Big difference between 8,000 and 100,000 seems a bit like the Governments fiddly figures as usual

[Thian]

4 minutes ago, tracker1 said:

Apparently Immigration can't keep tabs on persons even with all the rigmarole everyone goes thru ! Big difference between 8,000 and 100,000 seems a bit like the Governments fiddly figures as usual

Exactly, don't they know who have visa's and how long they are in the country? If one is overstaying the visa they can just go to the address given..

 

But at least they go to the homes where the passports are so no excuses like i didn't bring my passport.

[electric]

Co-incidentally, several Buriram expats also had unannounced surprise visits from Immi guys over the past few days. The lads have been posting about it on the local Buriram expat website.

 

They took photos of valid extension page/visa in passport, and a photo of expat and Immi guy standing together.

 

All very friendly apparently.

 

 

[TVGerry]

Well as long as they keep the riff raff out! Check all you want!

[crazykopite]

Over the last few months Koh Phangan has had the same visits from what I hear they rounded up a fair few overstayers who have since been deported

[Lingba]

man oh man if they would only put this much effort into educating their kids in schools and educating drivers on the roads, this place would be hub material again

[NCC1701A]

i have an idea. we will use a thing called a

c o m p u t e r. can you say computer?

 

visa expired on a certain date? automatically check immigration exit records for passport number. no exit? generate list. then go to house.

look for bad guys.

 

computer 101 circa 1978.

[Xaos]

What law they are executing here?

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

[zaphod reborn]

42 minutes ago, TVGerry said:

Well as long as they keep the riff raff out! Check all you want!

No, random checks of foreigners on extensions of stay are highly offensive. 

 

They need to check on foreigners who enter on visa-exempt and tourist visas, as it is much more likely that these will be the overstayers.  Immigration police are lazy and it is much harder to track down foreigners who entered on short-stay visas, and then moved from their declared residence, and never registered a new address.

[timbothaivisa]

100k? add a zero and x4 for a rough number of illegals in the UK these days - they don't even check your passport on the way out

[Briggsy]

This defies all logic.

 

I have 2 theories.

1. They need to be seen to be pretending to search for overstayers.

2. The head of Prachuap Immigration has passed down the order from the Minister to go out and catch these overstayers. Nobody knows how to go about it. So they are trying a random scattergun method to see if they catch one.

 

As earlier stated, it's all computer. No point checking the ones who are on valid extensions.

 

Madness.

[Jools]

Maybe if they would stop shredding the useless information forms they require us to fill out, they would have a better idea of who is here and for how long. I am still amazed that there is no computer database. Why do they even have computers?

[RayD]

The headline should read "If you've registered your address with immigration and you live in Hua Hin..."

 

Otherwise how do they know where to go?

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

18 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

This defies all logic.

 

I have 2 theories.

1. They need to be seen to be pretending to search for overstayers.

2. The head of Prachuap Immigration has passed down the order from the Minister to go out and catch these overstayers. Nobody knows how to go about it. So they are trying a random scattergun method to see if they catch one.

 

As earlier stated, it's all computer. No point checking the ones who are on valid extensions.

 

Madness.

 

If my memory is correct, it seems that HH Immigration and/or Tourist police seem to do this same kind of thing every couple years there. I'm sure there have been previous cycles of this reported here before for expats living in HH.

 

I've been in BKK for more than 10 years, and never heard peepers from any one them, happy to say.

 

But as for the broader point: they've got my annual extension of stay in their computers that I have to do in person at Immigration. They've got my 90 day reports in their computers.

 

So don't come hassling me at my home!!!

 

[peperobi]

And another good step from the Tourist police, probably they will get some overstayed or/and criminal...

[Maestro]

55 minutes ago, Xaos said:

What law they are executing here?

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk
 

 

The Immigration Act B.E. 2522

[NextStationBangkok]

About 100,000 foreigners in Thailand who have over(joyed)stayed ....

[Maestro]

1 hour ago, NCC1701A said:

...visa expired on a certain date? automatically check immigration exit records for passport number. no exit? generate list. then go to house.

look for bad guys.

 

computer 101 circa 1978.

2

 

The visa expiration date has nothing to do with this.

[watcharacters]

 

 

 

More photo copies are needed..,   Please.

[Ricardo]

52 minutes ago, timbothaivisa said:

100k? add a zero and x4 for a rough number of illegals in the UK these days - they don't even check your passport on the way out

 

But you do have to self-scan your boarding-pass, just before the security-scan of your carry-on luggage, and your passport-details are on the ticket and have just been confirmed at check-in.

 

Also there's that funny little built-in electronic identity-thingy, sorry for the technical-jargon there, in your modern passport so perhaps that's being pinged & identified at that point, without your even being aware of it ?

[Thechook]

Visiting their homes because they know where they're residing because of the 90 day reporting.  When they report they are confirmed all correct.  Would it not be easier to print a list of those who failed to report off the data base and target them instead of all

[natway09]

Many of you posters think that as an Expat you have a right to live here.

You do not.

These posters who moan & groan about having 800,000 Bht in the bank,,,,, I say

If that is to much of an inconvenience for you go home.

They have a right to check any foreigners credentials to stay here at anytime they wish

(within reason)

Twice since July last year I have been asked to provide details.

A photocopy of current extension on my person sufficed but they can ask to see the original.

I am a bit of a moaner about some of the things that happen here but immigration requirements

is not one of them as the system is abused by many which make life tougher for the

rest of us

[SymS]

I'm confused. They surely have a list of persons who overstayed. Why would they go to check people they know have valid documentation?

Or are they just overwhelmed by all the paperwork, and it's faster / easier to visit people to check validity rather than go through the stack of paper? What about computer records?

 

[sammieuk1]

The kettle is on but bring your own tea.

[Thechook]

1 minute ago, natway09 said:

Many of you posters think that as an Expat you have a right to live here.

You do not.

These posters who moan & groan about having 800,000 Bht in the bank,,,,, I say

If that is to much of an inconvenience for you go home.

They have a right to check any foreigners credentials to stay here at anytime they wish

(within reason)

Twice since July last year I have been asked to provide details.

A photocopy of current extension on my person sufficed but they can ask to see the original.

I am a bit of a moaner about some of the things that happen here but immigration requirements

is not one of them as the system is abused by many which make life tougher for the

rest of us

My wife loves the concept in Australia where she doesn't have to report every 90 days and loves the freedom to work.  She was always moody in Thailand when it come to reporting time.  

[mrmicbkktxl]

1 hour ago, zaphod reborn said:

No, random checks of foreigners on extensions of stay are highly offensive. 

 

They need to check on foreigners who enter on visa-exempt and tourist visas, as it is much more likely that these will be the overstayers.  Immigration police are lazy and it is much harder to track down foreigners who entered on short-stay visas, and then moved from their declared residence, and never registered a new address.

They no need to check anybody,like somebody else said computer should alarm if there is an overstayer then go the address of the overstayer.Why they have to bother foreigner with legit visa or extension. If the computer not alarm.It's just stupidity,half of police can't even count till 5 without accident.These idiots can see how many entries to Thailand did you have but an overstayer they can't find,amazing Thailand

[zaphod reborn]

8 minutes ago, mrmicbkktxl said:

They no need to check anybody,like somebody else said computer should alarm if there is an overstayer 

That's not a random check.  RTP immigration is going to every address in their computer system, whether an overstay situation may exist or not.  That's not the way lawful residents should be treated.

[observer90210]

If the fellows turn up fine, it's their country, but on no circumstances let them inside your house.

 

They wait outside in the garden or whatever, you bring out your papers and then they leave.

 

With all the corruption, fake police etc. who can say that these fellows are not going to have a sly look on which homes are worth burgling later on ?

 

Also could be worth to have CCTV cover and full footage stored during their presence on your property.