Foreign house owner and guest house manager fined for not reporting foreigners within 24 hours

[webfact]

Foreign house owner and guest house manager fined for not reporting foreigners within 24 hours

 

Picture: Naew Na

 

Naew Na reported the continued actions of Thai immigration - this time in Koh Samui and Pattaya - in cracking down on home owners and hotels not reporting foreigners at their addresses within 24 hours of their arrivals. 

 

The media stories feature long lists of those officers responsible for the operations but very little else. The story from Surat Thani is first:

 

On Monday under the command of Pol Col Suparik Phankoson, chief of Surat Thani immigration and Pol Col (female) Kritika Khamsarirak, a deputy of Surat Thani immigration, along with a crime suppression team led by Pol Capt TherdsakThawatrawakun with deputy Pol Capt Arun Musikim in conjunction with Senior Police Sergeant Thammanoon Phaenoi, Sen Pol Sgt Phitsak Janthakomut and Sen Pol Sgt Pankit Rachu went to a house in Moo 1, Bo Phut, Koh Samui where they fined a foreigner under Article 38 (1979) legislation related to not reporting the whereabouts of a foreigner at an address within 24 hours of their arrival. 

 

Neither the name of the foreigner nor the amount of the fine was reported though it is usually between 1,600 baht and 2,000 baht, notes Thaivisa. 

 

Unexplained was the picture of a foreign man holding a citation with the words "thank you" partly concealing his face. 

 

Picture: Naew Na

 

Meanwhile in the Pattaya area Naew Na also reported during a 10 am to 5 pm crime sweep conducted by Chonburi immigration two police captains and three senior police sergeants (all of whom were named) went to a guest house in Soi Welcome Town, Moo 12 Nong Prue, Banglamung.

 

At the guest house they examined the guest register and found that it was in contravention of the regulations about reporting foreigners within 24 hours. 

 

The manager was fined. Neither their name nor the amount of the fine were mentioned. 

 

A picture of a person with blond hair was seen being processed at a desk with an officer. 

 

In the last few months Naew Na has reported dozens of such cases, notes Thaivisa. 

 

Source: Naew Na | Naew Na

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-08-27

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[rkidlad]

14 minutes ago, webfact said:

A picture of a person with blond hair was seen being processed at a desk with an officer.

Please!...............Tell us more. 

[essox essox]

2 minutes ago, rkidlad said:

Please!...............Tell us more. 

two options.....MALE or FEMALE !!!!

[KhunKenAP]

I posted this on another TM30 article and seems appropriate to also post on this one.

 

 

"The whole TM30 needs to be scrapped!

 

It is not about being fined, not about all the additional paperwork you are faced with, or the inconvenience. It is about how it makes all foreigners automatically persons of suspicion of being criminals or undesirables and feeling unwelcome by the Thai government. 

 

I doubt if any of the purposeful overstayers, criminal wanted by Interpol, ever filed a TM30. So the Bulls..t of needing it for National Security, is just an overblown crock of s..t.

 

Even the foreign media sources, including those in China, see it for what it is. It is to make the legitimate, law-abiding Expats feel unwelcome.

 

No longer the "Land of Smiles" now the "Land of Suspicion"."

[RLAretired]

16 minutes ago, KhunKenAP said:

TM30... is about how it makes all foreigners automatically persons of suspicion

No longer the "Land of Smiles" now the "Land of Suspicion"."

 

Right on target.

[NCC1701A]

"I was a investment banker before retiring to Thailand. Why do you ask?"

 

 

 

[Sticky Wicket]

3 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

"I was a investment banker before retiring to Thailand. Why do you ask?"

 

 

 

He must be the first person ever to be 'thankful' for being fined. 

[Sticky Wicket]

It will never happen but it would be fun to coordinate a mass withdrawal of 400/800k from the banks for expats. 

 

[OneZero]

It's a money maker to pay for bureaucratic make work (ie, job security for bureaucrats - look how busy I am).

If there is indeed a national security benefit, I doubt that it is appreciable or cost effective.

[Assurancetourix]

The delation, national sport in Thailand, seems to be very well 

[Yinn]

35 minutes ago, KhunKenAP said:

I posted this on another TM30 article and seems appropriate to also post on this one.

 

 

" It is about how it makes all foreigners automatically persons of suspicion of being criminals or undesirables and feeling unwelcome by the Thai government. 

 

 

If thai can go to your country and must not have fill out document, then I will help you ask the thai government to do same for you. Is fair.

 

98% of foreigner come to thailand don’t even know about this 30 document. Because the hotel do it for them.

 

[worgeordie]

They are never going to scrap the TM 30, it's a nice earner for them,

the fines are even bigger than most of the fines been handed out on

the roads,it's always more dangerous not knowing where you are,

than going through a red light

regards worgeordie

[GeorgeCross]

4 minutes ago, Yinn said:

If thai can go to your country and must not have fill out document, then I will help you ask the thai government to do same for you. Is fair.

 

98% of foreigner come to thailand don’t even know about this 30 document. Because the hotel do it for them.

 

 

ok, accepted! thais or anyone else for that matter, do not need to fill out a TM30 or anything similar in the UK.

 

they are welcome to stay or move anywhere they want without making a report.

 

now over to you.. please CC me in on your request to the government, i look forward to reading it ????

 

thankyou!

 

 

 

[Yinn]

3 minutes ago, GeorgeCross said:

 

ok, accepted! thais or anyone else for that matter, do not need to fill out a TM30 or anything similar in the UK.

 

they are welcome to stay or move anywhere they want without making a report.

 

now over to you.. please CC me in on your request to the government, i look forward to reading it ????

 

thankyou!

 

 

 

No problem, but I want to try first.

 

i will send from the UK.

[exppenang]

I have been here seven years as a retiree. Have seen things change over the years, and so far have "rolled with the punches". Most of the yearly extensions went ok, had to pay some minor tea money, missing a document a couple of times and had to come back the next day, but no real major problems other than inconvenience and wasting time in a smelly, overcrowded room.

I will say that the last few extensions have become more uncertain. Not because I didn't meet the requirements, but because there often seem to be new rules that I wasn't aware of. I avoided most of the 90 day reporting hassle, because most of the time I would be out of The Kingdom before 90 days went by.

I have a pickup and have seen a lot of Thailand by driving. National parks, beaches, mountains, waterfalls were great to visit. I felt free to enjoy the countryside and what this country has to offer.

But for some reason the TM30 has rubbed me the wrong way. Watching Mr. Barrow's video, and seeing immigration's (non) responses to reasonable questions has thrown me completely off this place. Instead of feeling free to enjoy the country (and spend my money), I now find myself waiting for the day I leave.

Have a few loose ends to tie up here, but the exit plan is in place.

I'm hoping I can find a way to enjoy these last few weeks here, and take one last road trip. Instead, I'm wondering if the hotels I have booked will/won't be filing TM30's. I know my landlord doesn't file them. And without the house documents and copy of his ID card, etc., there isn't any way I could file them anyway.

Adding the recent news in The Bangkok post hasn't helped either. I don't want to continue living in a place where expats have to report their every whereabouts. That's what parolees have to do. I'm looking forward to being a normal, free person, not a suspicious character in the eyes of the law. It's just no way to live.

 

[300sd]

Another article that is good for the country. 

The countries of Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines! 

 

I keep getting that unwanted feeling here! And everyone has a right to their feelings.

[phetphet]

That IO in the first pick is making himself busy. Rocked up at my door a few months ago with a whole squad with him. Gave me the third degree, and left after satisfied with answers.

[Matzzon]

They have done a good job covering up the identity of that man. Nobody will ever recognize him.

[Chazar]

45 minutes ago, Yinn said:

If thai can go to your country and must not have fill out document, then I will help you ask the thai government to do same for you. Is fair.

 

98% of foreigner come to thailand don’t even know about this 30 document. Because the hotel do it for them.

 

I  just  love your "obedience to the state"

[Chazar]

7 minutes ago, phetphet said:

That IO in the first pick is making himself busy. Rocked up at my door a few months ago with a whole squad with him. Gave me the third degree, and left after satisfied with answers.

I wonder if that's their  new  plan to now go visit EVERY  address  they have countrywide just to round up some  money? I  feel so  much safer with the new  rules,  go ahead  Thailand slit  your own throat could even employ the market trader and his dog to do it for you in Hua  Hin.

[RotBenz8888]

44 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

They are never going to scrap the TM 30, it's a nice earner for them,

the fines are even bigger than most of the fines been handed out on

the roads,it's always more dangerous not knowing where you are,

than going through a red light

regards worgeordie

Can't take it away as it's already a part of their "income". Unless we pay another fee to make up for the loss. 

[RandolphGB]

1 hour ago, KhunKenAP said:

It is not about being fined, not about all the additional paperwork you are faced with, or the inconvenience. It is about how it makes all foreigners automatically persons of suspicion of being criminals or undesirables and feeling unwelcome by the Thai government. 

 

 

Do you honestly think that the Thai government, or Thai society, care about how we feel? 

 

[gunderhill]

1 hour ago, essox essox said:

two options.....MALE or FEMALE !!!!

in Thailand 3  options to be pc 100% at  all  times!

[damascase]

Crime suppression teams, crime sweeps - based on the words used one would think of real and serious crimes being investigated........

[Eligius]

2 hours ago, KhunKenAP said:

I posted this on another TM30 article and seems appropriate to also post on this one.

 

 

"The whole TM30 needs to be scrapped!

 

It is not about being fined, not about all the additional paperwork you are faced with, or the inconvenience. It is about how it makes all foreigners automatically persons of suspicion of being criminals or undesirables and feeling unwelcome by the Thai government. 

 

I doubt if any of the purposeful overstayers, criminal wanted by Interpol, ever filed a TM30. So the Bulls..t of needing it for National Security, is just an overblown crock of s..t.

 

Even the foreign media sources, including those in China, see it for what it is. It is to make the legitimate, law-abiding Expats feel unwelcome.

 

No longer the "Land of Smiles" now the "Land of Suspicion"."

A Chinese friend from Mainland China visited me recently. He told me that even in China, foreigners can travel around from one town to another and then come back to their original town a day or two later without having to report their every move to the government. That says a lot about where Thailand currently stands in the personal liberty rankings.

 

Thailand is, however, proving its love of Western culture and literature through all of this: it is making Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four a grim and vivid reality (we all know that the great Prayut is a fan of Orwell - he even recommended that we should all read him - ha ha)!

 

 

[kotsak]

1 hour ago, NCC1701A said:

"Farang live here! OK, TM30 enforcement squad move in!"

 

This photo reminded me the story of Elian Gonzalez

 

 

[Denim]

Maybe we should all become like pikeys and live in mobile homes.

 

That way we could move around the country but still be at home. Problem sorted.

[Saltire]

Last time i returned from abroad was July 10 this year so I dutifully went to fill in a TM30 on my way home from Suvanaphumi Airport. While there I indicated that this month (August) I would be in a Bangkok hotel for a week, did I have to come back again? Yes you come back. When I indicated I live 160 Km from the office they said 'sign up for the online system, better for you', so I did. 

 

So this week I went to renew my TM30 on my way back from Bangkok city which was a 5 minute job, but when I showed them the email for the online registration (5 weeks and no login details yet) thinking they may set me up there and then, the (different) IO said 'can not, for Thai only, you not hotel'. When I said their colleague advised differently I got the 'can not' again pretty firmly. Sometimes you can't win for the continual movement of the goalposts.  

 

Regards the OP, it seems they know where 99% of people live and how many of those have no up to date TM30, otherwise it would not be so easy to go on their debt collection run, which is all it is really. A short term incentive to raise funds as long term most will comply as the requirement becomes more widely understood.

[jany123]

1 hour ago, Yinn said:

No problem, but I want to try first.

 

i will send from the UK.

No need to go all the way to the UK. Australia is only a stones throw away. (I’m just trying to expedite the assistance you have promised to provide ????)

[Handsome Gardener]

43 minutes ago, Chazar said:

I  just  love your "obedience to the state"

Did you actually read what you replied to ? She offered, probably fruitlessly, but at least offered to fire off an email to immigration pointing out the 'injustice' of the TM30 which thais don't have to adhere to in western countries, and you give her grief with a childish comment !