My experience with corruption

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Hi all. I have been a Thaivisa member for some time now. Always reading, never posting or commenting (though I personally love to read other members’ comments).

 

I am a Singaporean who has been living in Bangkok for the past 11 years. I have a Thai wife (unregistered) and 2 kids. I usually fly to and fro from Singapore to Thailand once every 60 says. But recently I had to fly once every 30 days due to my father been sick.

 

Yesterday evening I arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport and went through the auto gate for Singaporeans. After the auto gate there was this female officer who was supposed to stamp my passport. She took a look at my passport and said that I have been travelling to Thailand too often. I should have a proper visa instead of a holiday visa. I asked what visa? She ignored me and she then passed my passport to another officer, who led me to wait at a table near the checkpoint.

 

After 10 minutes or so, another male officer came and asked me some personal stuff like what I was doing in Thailand (I answered to be with my wife and kids), where I was staying (my wife’s townhouse) and why I have no Thai spouse visa and needed to fly to and fro (no money to deposit 400,000 thb for a marraige visa and my father is sick). He said that I should not do a holiday visa. I asked him if I was commiting an offence. He said that I am exploiting a loophole in the immigration laws. He would very much like to stamp my passport and let me

enter the country but he is afraid that his colleagues would not agree. In that case he might have to reject me and I would have to fly back to Singapore. I asked him again if I am lawfully wrong. He did not answer me and ignored me for the next few minutes, talking to other officers who walked by. 

 

So I asked him ‘can you help me please?’ He said ‘follow me.’ And led me to an empty counter. Before he stamped my passport he said to me on the side ‘look, if you want me to stamp your passport, I would need to give tea money to other officers. I would need 1,000 baht to placate them.’ So I asked him how he wanted to be paid. He said later. I asked for his Line account and he gave me. He also ‘advised’ me that next time if I come to Thailand, I can look for him and he will fetch me from the gate. It would cost 1,000 baht if he was working that day or 2,000 baht if he was not working that day (+petrol) because he need to drive down to pick me up.

 

After he stamped my passport, he told me to go to the toilet at the side. He followed me and I paid him the money.  He made some small talk with me and I left the airport (fuming).

 

When I got home, I sent him a Line message that went like this: ‘I am the Singaporean who gave you 1K thb just now. Can I have your number?’ He replied ‘Yes sir’ and sent me his number. About 1 and a half hours later he tried calling me through Line. I did not pick up. I took another phone and called him back, recording our conversation.

 

To summarize that conversation: it was just him trying to confirm his 1k baht and 2k baht fees. And I got it on recording (in Thai). 

 

I want some advice. How do I proceed from here? I do not want to go through this whole scenario again every time I fly into Thailand. I understand a lot of readers will have questions, like why did you even pay (I’m scared and I just want to enter the country), what is the officer’s name (he was wearing a jacket that covers up his name tag), any problems with my passport (nope) and many more. I really do not need them and would appreciate advice on what I should do.

 

Yes. It is about the money (1K thb is still a lot to pay for something I should not have to pay). Yes. I am a vindictive person and would like to see those involved in trouble. 

[Jonathan Fairfield]

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