Never seen Immigration so quiet.

[DrTuner]

On 6/13/2019 at 5:55 PM, giddyup said:

I obviously fluked the right time to go.

It happens. I don't go for 90days on site anymore, but did for about 7 years from 2007 on. I remember hitting an empty office once, must've been just before lunchtime as well. 2012 I'd guess. So rare I actually remember it. Usually it's a pack of sardines. Was quite a bit better before the current "renovation" with the TM30 milking club in front, I guess the chief changed.

[Lacessit]

I really don't understand the logic behind 90 day reporting. If I have a one year lease on a condo apartment, or "own" a condo or house here, how likely is it I am going to suddenly decamp for the sake of spiting Immigration?

I have been renting in the same condo for ten years. I have a friend who has lived in the house he built for 6 years. Does it look like we are going anywhere else?

[DrTuner]

11 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

I really don't understand the logic behind 90 day reporting.

The reporting requirements are in 1979 law, which originates from the 50's. The military dictators of that time (Phibun & co) wanted to keep close eye on the few farangs milling about. There's your logic. And since it's a rinse and repeat, they are being enforced again.

[greeneking]

2 hours ago, DrTuner said:

The reporting requirements are in 1979 law, which originates from the 50's. The military dictators of that time (Phibun & co) wanted to keep close eye on the few farangs milling about. There's your logic. And since it's a rinse and repeat, they are being enforced again.

If we were not controlled so much they wouldn't be creating so many jobs.  And those staff need bosses and offices and budgets.  And cars and allowances and signs saying 'Good guys in......' and new ones when Big Joke leaves and the new one has different ones made.

[Acharn]

I never understood what happened to cause the huge crowds. As I recall it started in 2005 or 2006. Maybe after the coup that overthrew Thaksin? Before that there was a large room on the second or third floor. The room was sectioned according to place of origin, I recall, and each officer's desk had four or five chairs for people to wait. 90 day reports were done in a different room where there was a counter and no place to sit. Usually no one waitning. The place was busy, but not a huge crowd. Then they set up the room on the first floor to give queue tickets according to what you wanted to do. Following Parkinson's Law the number of officials exploded and waiting times expanded to four or five hours. It was amazing. Again, following Parkinson's Law, they moved to the new office building at Chaeng Wattana and waiting times were just as bad. I always believed it was a badly done case of empire building within the bureaucracy. However, when I did my 90 day report last month here in Nakhon Sawan there were two people sitting in the waiting area and only one civilian clerk who grabbed me as soon as I walked in and had the job done in three minutes. It's been fast and convenient for years, but this was remarkable.

[Acharn]

2 hours ago, DrTuner said:

The reporting requirements are in 1979 law, which originates from the 50's. The military dictators of that time (Phibun & co) wanted to keep close eye on the few farangs milling about. There's your logic. And since it's a rinse and repeat, they are being enforced again.

Good points. I've been trying to remember when they suddenly started enforcing the law, which I think was actually imposed in 1976 by Thanin Kraivichien. He was the same guy who prohibited women married to foreigners from owning land. It was actually worded to apply to both men and women, but, you know. I think it was about 1997 and there was great anguish over some people being hit with ฿2,000 fines. A friend of mine said he just acted like he didn't understand anything and kept smiling like a maniac, and they didn't charge him. I'm not sure, but I think I did not get fined, either. It's always about Parkinson's law. The law does not go back to Phibulsongkhram, but the Land Law of 1944 that enshrines the prohibition of foreigners owning land does.