6 minutes ago, sanemax said:

People couldnt be bothered to go to Laos and get a visa and decided not to bother , go on overstay and just pay a fine when they leave ?

Ok, yeah, and there has to be consequences for that .. you're right. Maybe that's the whole purpose of this crackdown. To send a message so that people think twice before doing what you said.

 

Thanks for pointing it out.. it should had been obvious to me lol. But I'm not always the sharpest tool in the shed lol.

6 hours ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

I know a few people using these kinds of services.

 

Most are decent blokes living a quiet life in their 50's and 60's and contributing to the local economy. 

Sure they are contributing a lot to the local economy with no money in the bank.

Off topic post and responses to it removed.

28 minutes ago, hobz said:

Maybe it would benefit Thailand if visa requirements were lowered.

I don't know too many adorable countries where long stay visa rules are as easy as Thailand.

 

Most of them require a much larger amount of money in the bank.

10 hours ago, darksidedog said:

As far as I am concerned he can go for his life catching them all. If you can't play by the visa rules, you have no right to be here. Those of us here legally cop continuous flak from the bad reputation such people give the rest of us.

agree totaly

 

7 hours ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

I know a few people using these kinds of services.

 

Most are decent blokes living a quiet life in their 50's and 60's and contributing to the local economy. 

 

Many have the money but quite rightly don't want to keep it in a Thai bank account in perpetuity.

 

Graft and cutting corners is the Thai way of doing things, visas and suchlike have never been any different. If it makes life easier then why not use these services? 

 

 

Has been mentioned previously that the official in charge of any immigration office has the power to waive the seasoned money aspect. 

And it's not unknown for some offices to direct you to the agents outside for this service. 

 

Is this factual?

Or just a way of glossing over that it actually happens.?

 

The Non O and retirement extensions I have seen have all the right signatures and stamps, and most certainly work when going in and out of Thailand. 

 

Does this also get the Big Joke once over?

And come to an end.

BJ is a public figure but we need to know his background. Does anyone know ?

7 hours ago, Oxx said:

in the case of the woman complaining about the noise from a nearby temple

oh. so, it was a woman...

OK! Now we're getting into some serious numbers! Excellent work. 

7 hours ago, utalkin2me said:

Give a 500 baht reward to anyone who reports an overstayer who gets thrown out. Problem solved. 

Well that's about the daftest comment I have read on TV, not just this thread.  

 

How any false accusations against foreigners do you think that would cause?  

7 hours ago, hyku1147 said:

Why is the Baht so strong?

"The strong baht is probably a combination of the $4-billion-per-month inflow from tourists and lower imports because of sluggish domestic consumption... " http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/your_say/30329627

Thus, if Chinese tourism declines drastically, then they will want us again. In reality, we are just the equivalent of early post-segregation Blacks - except that we have money. Beware the Thai smile.

The strength of the Thai baht is dependant on investors bring money in to invest in the Thai stock market or the bond market. This is down at present because the US has been raising intrest rates on the sale of securities. Thai baht not that strong what you are seeing is probably your currency is not as strong as the Thai Baht.

16 hours ago, bluesofa said:

I just wonder roughly what percentage do in reality report their address?

I'm sure it will be a flash in the pan, but who knows.

 

There is only room for one address when you enter the County so if you are travelling around Thailand a trip to immigration is a regular event and not usually done by tourists or other visa owners. A dumb law from a military driven Govt.

So in 10 plus days (by the end of this month) he is going to get rid of 7000 overstays, that's 700 a day by my reckoning. No wonder he appears to be awake at all hours!

Would be interesting to know which nationalities , I would think the majority would be from Cambodia and Myanmar, and Indians and Russians. Not so many westerners , maybe 10% of them . 

 

 

 

15 minutes ago, balo said:

Would be interesting to know which nationalities , I would think the majority would be from Cambodia and Myanmar, and Indians and Russians. Not so many westerners , maybe 10% of them . 

 

 

 

I think the 7,000 refers to the unmatched entries in the Immigration database and is unlikely to represent the true number of "illegals" which is of course almost certainly far higher, more likely in the six figures I imagine. And yes, most of the illegals will be from countries that border Thailand and from China - I would also guess that the true number of western "illegals" is in the very low hundreds, it's simply too difficult for the number to be much higher because we stand out. But it's a good headline which invokes emotion and clicks, mostly because westerners here think they are the centre of everything. Not this time around they're not, illegal bridge clubs and domino/dart teams with the odd five year overstayer in their midst is about our limit, BJ's target is a much more elusive and deserving one, the illegal Asian residents who clog up the hospital system and can't pay their bills.

Good!

If you do not report, we must deport.

Good bye!!

Off topic trolling posts and the replies have been removed. 

 

Inflammatory posts and the replies have been removed. 

02:30 am press conference?! Did I read that correctly?

 

I've witnessed on many occasions at separate land boarder crossings, local individuals effortlessly crossing the boarder, especially the guys that offer visas, girls, cigarettes or assist with paper work.

 

Maybe a closer look at the conduct of officials would help stop illegal entry?

 

My friend was recently denied entry at Bangkok airport with no explanation. He was thrown into jail and deported the next day. 

 

At the time of his detention he was informed that he should not have previously extend his visas in Laos!!!

 

He has never milked the system and has always abided by governing laws.

 

On arrival to his homeland, he had the denial stamp in his passport officially translated into English, it read, 'Lack of Funds!' 

 

I believe he was targeted to simply prop up figures.

 

TIST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20 hours ago, darksidedog said:

As far as I am concerned he can go for his life catching them all. If you can't play by the visa rules, you have no right to be here. Those of us here legally cop continuous flak from the bad reputation such people give the rest of us.

Never realised "the rest of us" had a bad reputation. Who exactly holds this opinion? The average Thai on the Banglampu omnibus does not seem bothered.

19 hours ago, bluesofa said:

I just wonder roughly what percentage do in reality report their address?

Only the legal ones, because they have nothing to hide

And if he doesn't reach his target, will he be charged with "spreading false/fake news via the media"?  Mmmm.......... ????

 

Or does that only apply to the common people?

Sounds ok but who is paying for all the o/w  airfares ??  Thai gov wont pay them  so you have to wait in IDC until someone forks out the money + the immig fine.

Tor MOr insists  that you go home direct with THAI which is the most expensive airline. If no direct route available then they'll arrange connecting flights.

Where is Big Joke keeping all these foreigners who cant pay?

They'll have to start slowing down or tell BJ to take a holiday.

11 minutes ago, lanista said:

Sounds ok but who is paying for all the o/w  airfares ??  Thai gov wont pay them  so you have to wait in IDC until someone forks out the money + the immig fine.

Tor MOr insists  that you go home direct with THAI which is the most expensive airline. If no direct route available then they'll arrange connecting flights.

Where is Big Joke keeping all these foreigners who cant pay?

They'll have to start slowing down or tell BJ to take a holiday.

Most of the illegals are probably from myanmar, Laos, Cambodia.

53 minutes ago, rott said:

Never realised "the rest of us" had a bad reputation. Who exactly holds this opinion? The average Thai on the Banglampu omnibus does not seem bothered.

Me for two.

16 minutes ago, lanista said:

Sounds ok but who is paying for all the o/w  airfares ??  Thai gov wont pay them  so you have to wait in IDC until someone forks out the money + the immig fine.

Tor MOr insists  that you go home direct with THAI which is the most expensive airline. If no direct route available then they'll arrange connecting flights.

Where is Big Joke keeping all these foreigners who cant pay?

They'll have to start slowing down or tell BJ to take a holiday.

You seem to have lost your grasp of the definition of a foreigner, either that or you overestimate the distance between Bangkok and the Myanmar and Cambodian borders!

9 hours ago, Mister Fixit said:

Well that's about the daftest comment I have read on TV, not just this thread.  

 

How any false accusations against foreigners do you think that would cause?  

Close to zero.

 

As i said, they get their reward after the allegation proves true and the person is sent home, or whatever they do with them. 

19 hours ago, PJPom said:

I don’t know if big joke has anything to do with it but news from Sydney is that a person who fled to Thailand a year ago after a particularly brutal murder has just returned to Sydney and been arrested.

He has been in Thailand for twelve months so obviously knew the ropes or paid the right people , maybe Thailand will stop being such a safe haven for scum, we can but hope.

I wonder if any Russian or African girls will get caught in the net, could offer a few tips, visit Nana, and walking street.

Check on a few hotels in Pratunam that have whole floors reserved for the girls.

 

REPLY TO POST 38  secure banks you are joking of course when we read of bank tellers pocketing depositers money, disputing deposits, etc we read of skimmers cloning card at ATMs taking your money and the bank dont want to know, a guy died here some years and it was a nightmare  to get his money back, (if the money was ever returned) over one year fighting this case, yeah that sounds pretty trusworthy to me not, my money is in the UK and that is where it wiill stay, thank you very much, i know when i croak it, my daughter in the UK can get her hands on my money the next day.

5 minutes ago, mercman24 said:

REPLY TO POST 38  secure banks you are joking of course when we read of bank tellers pocketing depositers money, disputing deposits, etc we read of skimmers cloning card at ATMs taking your money and the bank dont want to know, a guy died here some years and it was a nightmare  to get his money back, (if the money was ever returned) over one year fighting this case, yeah that sounds pretty trusworthy to me not, my money is in the UK and that is where it wiill stay, thank you very much, i know when i croak it, my daughter in the UK can get her hands on my money the next day.

That's a pretty sad post to be honest, for somebody who has lived in Thailand as long as you have I would have thought you would have learned to ignore separate fact from fiction to at least some degree! Ask yourself, how many instances have you personally encountered of bank fraud in Thailand, in all the years you've been here, probably like me in my sixteen years, the answer is zero.

Be afraid, be very afraid! Immigration mean business! Immigration called me by telephone yesterday at 8:00 a.m. and told me that I was an overstayer! I told them that I had a valid Non Immigrant O visa (Retirement) plus extensions for the last five years and that at no time had I been illegally in Thailand. In fact, I did my 12 month extension last week and my passport was stamped 13th October 2019. "We do not believe you" was the reply. "Report to Khon Kaen Immigration before 9:00 a.m. Please" I duly reported with my passport and other paperwork if required. The IOS were waiting for me, took my passport, checked it against their ledger for last Thursday and then it was passed on to a large man in civilian clothing in a back room. After a few minutes of discussion between this guy and others, my passport was returned to me via my regular IOs who were profusely apologetic, with wais from the female officers and a salute from the male officer. I think that they were grateful that I had regarded it all as a new experience and was good honoured throughout, knowing all was in order. This is why I keep copies of everything, you never know when a mistake might be made. If you are legal, you have nothing to fear.

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