Immigration proposes much harsher penalties for failing to report foreigners staying in Thailand

[Yeahbutwhytho]

1 hour ago, dcnx said:

Its not like this will actively be enforced outside of a few IOS.

The problem is, they'll definitely pick and choose when to enforce it.

All these laws (forget about tm30 there are many) are hollow enough to be able to prosecute anyone for any reason if they so choose. You better hope you're likable, you will be judged. 

[Kinnock]

Section 101 of the Beginners Guide to being a junta government ...

 

101 (a) If you cannot do anything of real value for your people, create paranoia about foreigners, then take action to control said evil foreigners.

101 (b) Instruct the press to print reports about your glorious campaign 

101 (c) Tighten controls over foreign ownership.

 

101 (d) is about wearing tight uniforms with lots of bling, (e) is about passing a law to make all foreigners display a large 'F' emblem on their sleeves.

 

[Odysseus123]

12 minutes ago, steve73 said:

They should issue all tourists (those entering the country) or those on extension (at their next application) a "log-book" which needs to be filled in (by the hotelier/housemaster) with every address you've stayed until you next leave.  When you leave the log-book is retained by Immigration and then cross referenced against all the TM30's that reported you.

 

The tourist/retiree can then be held responsible (and fined/blacklisted) for not keeping his log-book up-to-date, and any of the housemasters for not actually making the TM30 report.

 

Possible problems for those on overnight trains or busses, or those staying overnight in one or more short-time rooms, or even not managing to leave the bar/ditch where they fell comatose.

 

Certainly preferable to being micro-chipped and scanned every evening. 

They should do nothing of the sort.

 

Another example of the fractured reality one experiences in Thailand.

[ThaiBunny]

Just now, Kinnock said:

Section 101 of the Beginners Guide to being a junta government ...

 

101 (a) If you cannot do anything of real value for your people, create paranoia about foreigners, then take action to control the evil foreigners.

101 (b) Instruct the press to print reports about your glorious campaign 

101 (c) Tighten controls over foreign ownership.

101 (d) is about wearing tight uniforms with lots of bling, (e) is about passing a law to make all foreigners display a large 'F' emblem on their sleeves.

Sounds exactly like the actions of the current Australian government

[eggers]

Suggest  Lt-Gen Surachate Hakpan, fix his Dept's ONLINE reporting System to actually WORK!!

Just tried to do Online report, entered data & Nothing!! Blank Screen!! 

 

Hopeless!! 

[Odysseus123]

Just now, eggers said:

Suggest  Lt-Gen Surachate Hakpan, fix his Dept's ONLINE reporting System to actually WORK!!

Just tried to do Online report, entered data & Nothing!! Blank Screen!! 

 

Hopeless!! 

Indeed..hopeless.

 

It never worked in my time.

[Lupatria]

Wait for phase II - mandatory wristbands for all farangs controlled via satellite. 

[pokerface1]

3 hours ago, Briggsy said:

Here is what will happen.

 

Foreigner : I would like to extend my tourist / non-imm visa.

Immigration : You go TM30 desk first.

Foreigner : (at TM 30 desk) I would like to extend my tourist / non-imm visa.

TM30 desk : Where is owner condo? (angrily).

Foreigner : He lives in Bangkok / abroad / 400 kms away / He is at work.

TM30 desk : He must come. Give me phone number. (phones landlord in Bangkok)

TM30 desk : (To foreigner) You pay 10,000 Baht.

Foreigner : Nothing to do with me.

TM30 desk : No pay, no extension. Up to you.

 

Once the condo owner has completed the TM30 form for your inital stay you can get a RECEIPT OF NOTIFICATION that you can use for further stays. I have been back and forth to Thailand over the last couple of years and so it's just a matter of taking my passport and the receipt to immigration for them to just stamp the date and sign it. The process is quite simple and quicker. Doing it this way you don't need the property owner to be with you.

[Longcut]

3 hours ago, zydeco said:

Does this go for hospitals and emergency rooms, too? Must you be registered with the police before they stop the bleeding or after?

Very good question. I spent 7 Days in hospital. I'm sure they didn't report this to immigration. I know I didn't.

[madmen]

We all had a laugh at big joke, was entertaining for a while but but damn nothing funny about this guy!

[jmccarty]

25 minutes ago, Lupatria said:

Wait for phase II - mandatory wristbands for all farangs controlled via satellite. 

A cunning plan!

[mommysboy]

When I pay a credit card bill at the bank I now have to hand over my passport.  I'm beginning to feel like a crim for just living. It's a reasonable request to register a foreigner staying long term, but said foreigner should not carry the can.

[wwest5829]

4 hours ago, z42 said:

I understand the need for border security, but treating all foreign visitors as potential criminals whose whereabouts need to be confirmed under threat of arrest simply isn't the way forward.

 

This initiative is hardly likely to be welcomed by any side, be it the tourists or the tourism operators / hoteliers.

 

Thailand needs less buraecracy, not more

Same way I feel entering the USA ... and I am a citizen...

[Yeahbutwhytho]

Someone said before, 'is immigration the government because they seem to be working separately'

So true, whats the deal?

[tingtongtourist]

Does anyone have a immigration website link that explain what they must do, and is in Thai language?

 

[findlay13]

4 hours ago, mosan said:

Preferably to immigrations. My wife tried to do this at a police station and they did not care.   

Yep mine too.The cops had no idea and even less will to help.Go to the nearest Immigration office

[fforest1]

Folks after they start injecting farang with mico chip implants when you go through immigration it will make things so much easier.....No more TM 30 no more checking in no more 90 day.....And if your being watched 24/7 think how safe you will feel.... 

[yellowboat]

I had to report my residence in China.  The experience was more a formality and everyone was so very pleasant and helpful.   Something I have not seen in Thailand since the coup de'tat.  This fixation with foreigners is not present in other Asian countries. Thailand is alone in this xenophobic adventure.

[crazykopite]

As a tourist or even someone on an extension of stay when you are coming into Thailand you fill in a form stating where you will be staying so why the need for useless paperwork. I and my wife have our house yellow book along with our Thai iD cards I see no reason why e erytime we exit and return to Thailand we have to let IMO know . Last month when we went to Samui IMO to get re entry permits in our passports they made us photo copy every page in our passport before it was a simple fill in the form with a photo attached and a 1,000 baht .where the hell do they store all this bloody paperwork talk about saving the planet the rate Thai IMO are using up the paper there will be no trees left in the Kingdom.

[Emdog]

I have 2 residences: own a condo in Jomtien and lease one in Bangkok. Are they saying I need to fill form though both are my residences?

Re: onward ticket. In the 80's when I first came here I'd get onward tickets to all over from the many bucket shops.

And how will they handle people with "open jaw" tickets? I've had those several times: fly into Bangkok from USA, return ticket leave Singapore (plan was to work way down thru Malaysia, etc).

I could ask "Do any of these bureaucrats have real world experiences?" but I already think not... never ask them "how stupid can you be?" They will consider that a challenge and strive for even more stupidity

[hansnl]

4 hours ago, PingRoundTheWorld said:

What other countries? I've never heard of any other country where reporting to immigration is required when renting to a foreigner. It's quite a ridiculous demand actually...

China does the same.......

[rabas]

15 minutes ago, Yeahbutwhytho said:

Someone said before, 'is immigration the government because they seem to be working separately'

So true, whats the deal?

Immigration is part of the Royal Thai police. Their officers are career police officers.  But immigration only enforces the laws they do not make them. The government makes the laws.

[Odysseus123]

4 minutes ago, dutchweller said:

Thank <deleted>@K we are leaving this place..

Few more weeks and my wife will have a PR for a first world country not this 3rd world Monkey pen.

 

 

Yup.

 

The euphoria that one experiences away from the "Land of Fractured Fairy Tales" is well worth the price of a ticket.

 

Best of luck to you and your wife.

[johnc925]

Has anyone from Phuket experienced any issues relating to TM30 reporting here? I am registered at my wife's address; it's imprinted on my license, etc.  Are we also subject to this new bureaucracy of bullcrap? SMHID

[talahtnut]

34 minutes ago, madmen said:

We all had a laugh at big joke, was entertaining for a while but but damn nothing funny about this guy!

You are right.    My only concern is 'What next?'

If they make more hoops to jump through,

me and my wallet leave on the next flight.

Even old Blighty is beginning to look attractive.

[tabarin]

6 minutes ago, johnc925 said:

Has anyone from Phuket experienced any issues relating to TM30 reporting here? I am registered at my wife's address; it's imprinted on my license, etc.  Are we also subject to this new bureaucracy of bullcrap? SMHID

It is a 5 minute task to get done, just get some sort of lease contract or your wife as owner with you.
Annoying part is having to do it every time again, when you come back to Thailand, even when having the long term visa.

I was never bothered until my last extension in Chiang Mai as well, then they basically said if I not pay it (while landlord should), I can't get my extension too until it is paid by the landlord (i do not see the relevance though).

[Johnrichardson2010]

If I have a work permit and my home address is registered on it , do I need to notify again after I have stayed in a hotel ? I mean when I retun to my home 

[tabarin]

2 minutes ago, Johnrichardson2010 said:

If I have a work permit and my home address is registered on it , do I need to notify again after I have stayed in a hotel ? I mean when I retun to my home 

As far I know you do not have to as the registered address is the 'permanent' one (they also notice that when you come back for the 2nd etc time making the process easier and faster).

[deonvz]

If only they were as serious about road safety. 

[Felt 35]

5 hours ago, KittenKong said:

I have no problem with this as long as they only fine the owners/operators of the properties, and not the hapless tourist who probably doesnt even know that someone was supposed to register him.

Will for sure be the foreign visitor, short or long stayer who have to take this in the end.????