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

tropo · February 8, 2018

16 minutes ago, Xaos said:

Doubt it allows to come in to ppl houses without court warrants.

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

1

I'll let you in on a little secret that many don't know yet. Search warrants are not required under the current government. Your house can be searched by police at any time without a warrant as long as military personnel are present. How do I know this? Just over a year ago my house was searched without a warrant by police, army, and a City Hall officer - my lawyer informed me of the new rules.

ttrd · February 8, 2018

1 minute ago, tropo said:

I'll let you in on a little secret that many don't know yet. Search warrants are not required under the current government. Your house can be searched by police at any time without a warrant as long as military personnel are present. How do I know this? Just over a year ago my house was searched without a warrant by police, army, and a City Hall officer - my lawyer informed me of the new rules.

With other Words - it will not be the first visit then....

watcharacters · February 8, 2018

1 minute ago, tropo said:

I'll let you in on a little secret that many don't know yet. Search warrants are not required under the current government. Your house can be searched by police at any time without a warrant as long as military personnel are present. How do I know this? Just over a year ago my house was searched without a warrant by police, army, and a City Hall officer - my lawyer informed me of the new rules.

Sadly you are correct about that.

What was that about "nanny state" some TVF folks were saying they hate? 555

Russell17au · February 8, 2018

2 minutes ago, tropo said:

I'll let you in on a little secret that many don't know yet. Search warrants are not required under the current government. Your house can be searched by police at any time without a warrant as long as military personnel are present. How do I know this? Just over a year ago my house was searched without a warrant by police, army, and a City Hall officer - my lawyer informed me of the new rules.

I am not sure about how it works here with the Immigration police but in Australia Immigration officials have a 24/7 open search warrant for any place in Australia

tropo · February 8, 2018

12 minutes ago, ttrd said:

19 minutes ago, tropo said:

Of course I would be on the list, just as every other Pattaya ex-pat would be.

I'm not the slightest bit concerned about a visit either. I don't see it as intrusive. It would be the first visit in 12 years.

They might have made a visit during those years while you have been at the Fitness center or the International church...

I always went to the Fitness Center at night, but as I said, I'm not concerned if they visit or not.

Russell17au · February 8, 2018

There were 14 arrest Bangkok last Wednesday night for being in the country illegally and for overstaying there tourist visa's so maybe this is the ones they are looking for and not all you poor old retired gentlemen in Hua Hin that do everything by the book. 555555555555555555555555555

tropo · February 8, 2018

4 minutes ago, watcharacters said:

7 minutes ago, tropo said:

I'll let you in on a little secret that many don't know yet. Search warrants are not required under the current government. Your house can be searched by police at any time without a warrant as long as military personnel are present. How do I know this? Just over a year ago my house was searched without a warrant by police, army, and a City Hall officer - my lawyer informed me of the new rules.

1

Sadly you are correct about that.

What was that about "nanny state" some TVF folks were saying they hate? 555

Good point. Compared to the current regime a "nanny state" is looking pretty good lol.

watcharacters · February 8, 2018

7 minutes ago, Russell17au said:

I am not sure about how it works here with the Immigration police but in Australia Immigration officials have a 24/7 open search warrant for any place in Australia

I call BS on that claim of "any place in Australia". Surely there would need to be a serious cause of suspicion of a crime.

Are you saying without any further justification than they want to search your place in Australia they could do so?

Please clarify your post with links.

Bartman1369 · February 8, 2018

The biggest problem here is that different immigration centres don't share information. I give my detail at BKK then go to make a 30 day extension for 1900 baht in October at Jomtien. They said that my home owner hadn't registered me as staying there. I had been there 5 months already. So they looked on their computer and I was still registered at my previous address despite being through BKK ON several occasions and declaring my new address on the arrival card. For this I was fined a further 1600 baht.

In December I had to extend my visa again but this time I was in Bangkok. I went to the immigration near Don Mueng. They didn't even ask for proof of address.

Different rules for different areas!!!

offset · February 8, 2018

They could be looking for the many people that pay thousands of baht to an agent because they not have the 800000 baht in the bank and not give their true address they even have to go back to that agent to do their 90 day report

If they not live at the address on their extension it can be note and they can be picked up on their next report

The immigration are not looking for the people that are at home when they visit it is the ones that not live where there extension states they are looking for

watcharacters · February 8, 2018

Just now, Bartman1369 said:

The biggest problem here is that different immigration centres don't share information. I give my detail at BKK then go to make a 30 day extension for 1900 baht in October at Jomtien. They said that my home owner hadn't registered me as staying there. I had been there 5 months already. So they looked on their computer and I was still registered at my previous address despite being through BKK ON several occasions and declaring my new address on the arrival card. For this I was fined a further 1600 baht.

In December I had to extend my visa again but this time I was in Bangkok. I went to the immigration near Don Mueng. They didn't even ask for proof of address.

Different rules for different areas!!!

It is a country of water balloon procedures. Squeeze the balloon here and it changes shape over there.

Even different bank branches in the country struggle to communicate.

ttrd · February 8, 2018

5 minutes ago, Bartman1369 said:

The biggest problem here is that different immigration centres don't share information. I give my detail at BKK then go to make a 30 day extension for 1900 baht in October at Jomtien. They said that my home owner hadn't registered me as staying there. I had been there 5 months already. So they looked on their computer and I was still registered at my previous address despite being through BKK ON several occasions and declaring my new address on the arrival card. For this I was fined a further 1600 baht.

In December I had to extend my visa again but this time I was in Bangkok. I went to the immigration near Don Mueng. They didn't even ask for proof of address.

Different rules for different areas!!!

Thats correct - Without "Clear" rules which is nonexistent in Thailand, it will be up to the individual immigration manager to enforce based on his own understanding i.e different locations different procedures....

wgdanson · February 8, 2018

5 hours ago, Jools said:

Why do they even have computers?

Running on illegal Windows 7.

mercman24 · February 8, 2018

you have all got it wrong, its a ruse, the real purpose is, to come to your house and see if you have a dartboard, then ya really in trouble lol

Russell17au · February 8, 2018

49 minutes ago, watcharacters said:

I call BS on that claim of "any place in Australia". Surely there would need to be a serious cause of suspicion of a crime.

Are you saying without any further justification than they want to search your place in Australia they could do so?

Please clarify your post with links.

Australian immigration officers do not have to go to court to get a warrant to raid factories or farms or anywhere else in the search for illegal immigrants or for any immigrant who is working illegally, they have a standing open warrant.

Acharn · February 8, 2018

6 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

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.

Minor quibble. The mainframe computers that could have done in 1978 that didn't network. The personal computers we had then were laughable and could not communicate with each other. The only external storage was 8 inch floppy disks. They probably could have done the job with the number of tourists in 1978, but they still didn't have networking. Well, we had "sneakernet," where hired teen-age flunkies carried floppy disks from the originating computer to the target computer. Either you weren't around computers back then (I was) or your memory is even worse than mine. IBM didn't produce their first PC until 1982. Did you ever read Info World? I think Robert X. Cringely started working for them about 1978. Great gossip column.

Edited February 8, 2018 by Acharn

Ebumbu · February 8, 2018

I have nothing to hide, but I don't like the sound of this and find it offensive. Some questions.

I don't expect any BIB to come to my door. But, in the very unlikely scenario that it does happen, is it illegal to not answer the door?

Is it illegal to not let them in and ignore them?

Is it illegal to say, "I am not opening the door, so sorry krub!"

Would it be illegal to peek out curtain and then ignore?

Again, I have committed no crime, but it rubs me the wrong way to be interrogated like a criminal because they can't keep their books straight. I'm not their bookkeeper. If they can't sort their own files, that's not my job. :-) Part of the beauty of LOS, in theory, is you can be left alone. Sabai sabai.

Dumbastheycome · February 8, 2018

6 hours ago, electric said:

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.

So if they had no problems and in view of the current efforts to identify over stayers is there any real issue?

Every 5 years or so I have had similar visits. But always from local Police who know me.

First time I have seen a uniform of " Tourist Police " doing this as in this pic !

If this is an Immigration concern why not the Immigration personnel who are Police anyway?

The Tourist Police are non official.

jvs · February 8, 2018

9 minutes ago, Ebumbu said:

I have nothing to hide, but I don't like the sound of this and find it offensive. Some questions.

I don't expect any BIB to come to my door. But, in the very unlikely scenario that it does happen, is it illegal to not answer the door?

Is it illegal to not let them in and ignore them?

Is it illegal to say, "I am not opening the door, so sorry krub!"

Would it be illegal to peek out curtain and then ignore?

Again, I have committed no crime, but it rubs me the wrong way to be interrogated like a criminal because they can't keep their books straight. I'm not their bookkeeper. If they can't sort their own files, that's not my job. :-) Part of the beauty of LOS, in theory, is you can be left alone. Sabai sabai.

You will not be interrogated,they will ask to see your passport nicely and if there are no problems they will say thank you very much and be on their way.They will not come to your door all dressed up in SWAT gear and with their guns drawn.This is Thailand not some first world country.Nothing wrong with being polite and behaving normally.

jvs · February 8, 2018

5 minutes ago, Dumbastheycome said:

So if they had no problems and in view of the current efforts to identify over stayers is there any real issue?

Every 5 years or so I have had similar visits. But always from local Police who know me.

First time I have seen a uniform of " Tourist Police " doing this as in this pic !

If this is an Immigration concern why not the Immigration personnel who are Police anyway?

The Tourist Police are non official.

Tourist Police are non official?Since when?The Tourist Police is just another chapter of The Royal Thai Police.

Probably no Tourist Police in your neck of the woods but that does not mean they don't exist.

The Deerhunter · February 8, 2018

6 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

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.

There is no point in checking people who you know are compliant unless you are hoping they will dob in another overstaying foreigner. I was doing overstay checks for the Immigration Department in my own country off computer generated lists about 42 - 43 years ago. We used the address given on the original visa application and the fact that no departure card matched by the visa expiry date. It was dead simple even in the relatively uncomputerised mid 70's. And we knew all the shonky overstay addresses back then like they would know them all here now.

Dumbastheycome · February 8, 2018

4 minutes ago, jvs said:

Tourist Police are non official?Since when?The Tourist Police is just another chapter of The Royal Thai Police.

Probably no Tourist Police in your neck of the woods but that does not mean they don't exist.

The Tourist Police are not sworn Officers and in some areas have farang volunteers operating alongside.

Of course I recognize that they exist ! But by non official I mean they have very limited powers under the law.

In reality Thai citizens have abut the same authority as per citizen arrest. Which is actually zero.

The power of the Tourist Police in wholly contained in the magnificence of the Uniform. :)

jvs · February 8, 2018

9 minutes ago, Dumbastheycome said:

The Tourist Police are not sworn Officers and in some areas have farang volunteers operating alongside.

Of course I recognize that they exist ! But by non official I mean they have very limited powers under the law.

In reality Thai citizens have abut the same authority as per citizen arrest. Which is actually zero.

The power of the Tourist Police in wholly contained in the magnificence of the Uniform. :)

Well you are totally wrong but you do not have to believe me,Google is your friend.

Edited February 8, 2018 by jvs

the guest · February 8, 2018

Yes it's one great big jail, you just don't see the fences !

hobobo · February 8, 2018

7 hours 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.

Shut the fup Keiff, remember you've signed the official secrets act!

Dumbastheycome · February 8, 2018

34 minutes ago, jvs said:

Well you are totally wrong but you do not have to believe me,Google is your friend.

All I can respond with is that unless some legislated changes to the legal powers of the tourist Police have been altered within the last 6 months then i maintain that I am not at all wrong.

However in a return to the subject of the topic it is quite likely that various uniformed departmental areas have been conscripted into carrying out the currently pronounced effort to apprehend illegals.

Nor is it any surprise that given the level of corruption still inherent in Thailand that even those who are legitimate will be double checked. In that process it is always possible that falsified credentials/passports will identify some individuals.

Phuket Stan · February 8, 2018

51 minutes ago, jvs said:

Well you are totally wrong but you do not have to believe me,Google is your friend.

Think Dumbastheycome is confused with the Volunteer Police and The Tourist Police......Volunteer Police are usually farangs etc who help the actual Thai Police....they have little power whereas the The Tourist Police have the same power as any Policeman in Thailand.....it is a division of the Royal Thai Police

jvs · February 8, 2018

1 minute ago, Dumbastheycome said:

All I can respond with is that unless some legislated changes to the legal powers of the tourist Police have been altered within the last 6 months then i maintain that I am not at all wrong.

However in a return to the subject of the topic it is quite likely that various uniformed departmental areas have been conscripted into carrying out the currently pronounced effort to apprehend illegals.

Nor is it any surprise that given the level of corruption still inherent in Thailand that even those who are legitimate will be double checked. In that process it is always possible that falsified credentials/passports will identify some individuals.

Tourist Police have always been full fledged member of the RTP.but as they say here ,up to you.

jvs · February 8, 2018

1 minute ago, Phuket Stan said:

Think Dumbastheycome is confused with the Volunteer Police and The Tourist Police......Volunteer Police are usually farangs etc who help the actual Thai Police....they have little power whereas the The Tourist Police have the same power as any Policeman in Thailand.....it is a division of the Royal Thai Police

Most of the Volunteer Police are actually Thai people who are helping the (normal)RTP.Tourist Police Volunteers are usually foreigners but if they are on duty and under direct supervision of a senior Tourist Police Officer they do have the same authority as this officer.That is if i am not mistaken.

JOC · February 8, 2018

Someone here need to get a life...!!

If a visit by a couple of friendly tourist police officers at your home....Outside your home actually, because they will never enter the house unless you invite them in.....can turn your world upside down, maybe it is time to leave....Instead of writing posts on ThaiVisa calling Thailand a dictatorship or a a great big jail....

During my 15 years here I have had 2 visits like the ones described in the OP...Both times the officers (immigration) were friendly and polite....It took about 5 minutes each time...And didn't leave me traumatized or made me feel like I was living in a police state.....

This thread is Thaivisa at it's worst....

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