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

[Dumbastheycome]

2 minutes 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

 

The  Tourist  Police  have  no  Power  of   Arrest.  They  can  only    call  on  sworn  Officers  of  the  RTP  to   make  an arrest  based  on  their   claim  of   cause  to do so. Volunteer  Tourist  Police  farang who  are   members  operating  with  the  tourist  Police are  only  acceptable  for  the  reason  that  they  can  provide  a  better  interface  in  situations which may  reduce  the  need  for  empowered  RTP .  

[Russell17au]

From Wikipedia.

Tourist police

 

Thai Tourist Police logo

 

Thai Tourist Police officer

Tourist police are uniformed personnel who lack police powers and are largely responsible for writing out reports for insurance companies for victims of theft. In more serious cases, they will translate reports to be passed on to the regular police in Bangkok. Recently recruiting foreign nationals living in Thailand.

According to Reuters correspondent, Andrew Marshall, "The country has a special force of Tourist Police, set up specifically so that foreigners have as little contact as possible with the ordinary police—the effect on the crucial tourism industry would be chilling."^[8]

According to one source, there are 1,700 enlisted tourist police on the force.^[9]

[seancbk]

1 hour ago, Russell17au said:

2 hours 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.

 

There is a big difference between 'any place'  and 'factories and farms'.    The former implies they could walk into your home and start poking about, the latter are places where there are likely to be lots of workers, some of whom may be illegal.

 

[Russell17au]

1 minute ago, seancbk said:

 

There is a big difference between 'any place'  and 'factories and farms'.    The former implies they could walk into your home and start poking about, the latter are places where there are likely to be lots of workers, some of whom may be illegal.

 

If they suspect you of housing illegal immigrants then they can walk into your home and detain both the illegal immigrant and you

[Phuket Stan]

11 minutes ago, jvs said:

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.

You have a different rule book that I have ....Do you know why The Tourist Police of the Royal Thai Police can carry sidearms.....and thet Volunteer Police have no power of arrest at all

[jvs]

10 minutes ago, Russell17au said:

From Wikipedia.

Tourist police

 

Thai Tourist Police logo

 

Thai Tourist Police officer

Tourist police are uniformed personnel who lack police powers and are largely responsible for writing out reports for insurance companies for victims of theft. In more serious cases, they will translate reports to be passed on to the regular police in Bangkok. Recently recruiting foreign nationals living in Thailand.

According to Reuters correspondent, Andrew Marshall, "The country has a special force of Tourist Police, set up specifically so that foreigners have as little contact as possible with the ordinary police—the effect on the crucial tourism industry would be chilling."^[8]

According to one source, there are 1,700 enlisted tourist police on the force.^[9]

Well this article is really wrong but you can have it your way.

[Russell17au]

Just now, jvs said:

Well this article is really wrong but you can have it your way.

well, go and google "powers of Thai Tourist Police" and check Wikipedia on the Royal Thai Police.

What I have posted is what it says on there, so go and check for yourself

[HHTel]

I live in Hua Hin and have for the last 16 years.

Thai Visa certainly lives up to it's reputation.  I've never read so much crap posted on here.  If someone bothers to ask the police the reason for these visits (I have), it's simply a check on the latest address that immigration have.  Visa and other info can be verified by the paperwork held at the office.  Your submitted address can only be verified by visiting the premises.  The names are randomly selected.  No targeting. Once proven that it is indeed 'you' at the registered address, a polite apology is given and they move on. Should they not find the person at that address, then a marker is made and he/she will be asked to update their address on their next visit.

No conspiracy.  Nothing sinister.  Just a simple checking procedure.

 

 

[Dumbastheycome]

12 minutes ago, HHTel said:

I live in Hua Hin and have for the last 16 years.

Thai Visa certainly lives up to it's reputation.  I've never read so much crap posted on here.  If someone bothers to ask the police the reason for these visits (I have), it's simply a check on the latest address that immigration have.  Visa and other info can be verified by the paperwork held at the office.  Your submitted address can only be verified by visiting the premises.  The names are randomly selected.  No targeting. Once proven that it is indeed 'you' at the registered address, a polite apology is given and they move on. Should they not find the person at that address, then a marker is made and he/she will be asked to update their address on their next visit.

No conspiracy.  Nothing sinister.  Just a simple checking procedure.

 

 

Agreed. As I said  in  my  initial  comment  then  if  the  subject  of  the  visit  is  legit  then   what problem.

It seems  that my additional curiosity that  the  " Tourist  Police"  are  involved  in this  current apparent  screening  in  Hua  Hin in place  of  Immigration Police has  created  some  sort  of  controversy ! lol

[HHTel]

Yeh, I guess it was delegated to the Tourist Police as they don't have much responsibility for anything else.  They don't have the power of arrest so this task was ideal for them.  Not worth tying up the 'real' police and immigration have enough to do.

[tropo]

4 hours ago, ttrd said:

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

Sorry for the confusion. My last "visit" was not immigration related.

[khounteen]

As long as you wear a i love prayut t shirt, you will be fine

[Destiny1990]

7 hours ago, Russell17au said:

Maybe, just maybe you are reading this wrong, maybe it is the overstayers on tourist visas and tourist exempt visas that do not have to report to immigration that they are looking for or the ones that have not renewed there non-imm O visa or extension

Better they round up aggressive stray dogs then this nonsense.

[shy coconut]

5 hours ago, JOC said:

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....

 

It is quite hilarious to read that grown men are threatening to flounce off to some other

foreign land on the basis of a potential visit by the authorities to check that all is good

regarding their immigration status.

 

As you say TVF at it's best/worst!

 

[gk10002000]

15 hours ago, Thian said:

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.

Yeah.  Seems pretty odd to go check every foreigner even those that the database is showing proper times.  Or they have no idea or don't have the latest information?  Depending on where one enters the country, or renews or extends a visa, I would not be surprised if their "Computer" system is not synched up in any proper fashion or time frame

[Sydebolle]

Add more papers and TM-forms to the mess and it will get more complicated, difficult and open opportunities for negotiations. And this is the main reason for all this nonsense. 

The 92'000 difference might be the Asian aliens from India, Bangladesh, Burma etc. although I believe there could be a Zero added to that figure. As there is no cash there, hunt for those with means. 

[F4UCorsair]

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.

Isn't that what they're doing?? List of names....calling into addresses?

 

As the OP says, 'hiding out in Pattaya, Hua Hin' etc., so unlikely to be at the address given anyway.

 

Sent from my [device_name] using http://Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

[Coastrider]

Maybe Thai 4.0 should teach then to use a computer. I should think a program could be written to track all the dates of departure visas.. If not departed , them let the hounds out..555

[thaibeachlovers]

Oh dear, why don't they just go to the "preferred' option of just asking for x amount of baht and a plane ticket out after 3 weeks for all farangs, and failing that put tracker ankle bracelets on every expat?

Once upon a time, long, long ago, Thailand welcomed us, but no longer. At best we are now just tolerated as cash cows.

[HHTel]

I worry that I was accepted as a member on this forum as it appears a frontal lobotomy is required to qualify!!

[Jonah777]

Why the police looking in Hua Hin for overstayers  ...all the overstayers on on Koh Chang doing drugs some living in the woods. Koh Chang is overrun with overstayers.

[HHTel]

3 hours ago, Jonah777 said:

Why the police looking in Hua Hin for overstayers  ...all the overstayers on on Koh Chang doing drugs some living in the woods. Koh Chang is overrun with overstayers.

They're not.  Just checking registered addresses.

[Dumbastheycome]

9 hours ago, HHTel said:

I worry that I was accepted as a member on this forum as it appears a frontal lobotomy is required to qualify!!

Is  better  you  view   each  and  any  visit  as  a brief time at a zoo. Only  difference  is that  instead  of "Do  not feed  the   animals " it  should  be  of/on  your  own recognisance  to  avoid  the  click baits !

There  is the risked intent of an electronic  lobotomy !  lol

[Thechook]

On 8/2/2018 at 9:25 PM, Russell17au said:

Just out of interest what Australian visa is your wife on and how long did it take to get it?

Permanent Resident and it took eight weeks to get as our son is in school in Aust

[timewilltell]

Probably not looking for overstayers but more for people who are not at the address they reported so they can fine them. What is the point of checking up on someone who they know has an extension - am I missing something?

[HHTel]

1 hour ago, timewilltell said:

Probably not looking for overstayers but more for people who are not at the address they reported so they can fine them. What is the point of checking up on someone who they know has an extension - am I missing something?

Well  done.  Quite encouraging to find there are people on this forum with an ounce of intelligence!

This exercise is done periodically and the list produced by immigration is random.  No big deal.

[DerekMarshall]

On 2/8/2018 at 6:35 PM, baansgr said:

Really, they cant ask for identification, which bar did you hear that in. 

Not what I said, Identification they can ask for, not your passport. Can't even speak to you in your native language or any other language other than their native language in an official capacity without a 3rd party independent translator. Who knows..it may even have been my job to know!. You'd do well to check out UN resolution on civil and political rights, of which Thailand signed up to on October 26 1996. 

[baansgr]

35 minutes ago, DerekMarshall said:

Not what I said, Identification they can ask for, not your passport. Can't even speak to you in your native language or any other language other than their native language in an official capacity without a 3rd party independent translator. Who knows..it may even have been my job to know!. You'd do well to check out UN resolution on civil and political rights, of which Thailand signed up to on October 26 1996. 

So what I.D would you suggest,

[tropo]

On 2/10/2018 at 11:46 AM, HHTel said:

Well  done.  Quite encouraging to find there are people on this forum with an ounce of intelligence!

This exercise is done periodically and the list produced by immigration is random.  No big deal.

If "this exercise is done periodically", then it's a bit strange that we haven't heard any reports about random inspections before... other than to check up on married couples. I would say it's definitely a new "exercise", as you call it.

 

You'd have to wonder if they have meetings every week to discuss what new "exercises" they can do in order to hassle as many foreigners as possible and at the same time appear they are earning their salaries. How many times have we heard of new "exercises" that they carry out for a while, only to be dropped and replaced by new "exercises"? It's the immigration circus that most of us long stayers have become familiar with and what makes Thaivisa a profitable Internet forum.

 

[HHTel]

Definately been done before and not just once.  Always polite and friendly.  I'll try to find relevance for you.

If you ask the police at immigration, they will tell you the same.