Immigration chief: TM 30 law is outdated and needs to change

 

 

Thai immigration chief Lt-Gen Sompong Chingduang has told BBC Thai that the 1979 TM 30 law is outdated and needs to change. 

 

The news will come as music to the ears of expats and retirees though it remains to be seen exactly what will change, notes Thaivisa.

 

The BBC Thai said that moves are underway to adapt TM 30 regulations to bring them more in line with conditions in Thailand forty years after they were brought in. 

 

Lt-Gen Sompong has reportedly told the BBC in a phone conversation that he is aware of the problems after a storm of online criticism of the regulations. 

 

These relate to foreigners like expats and retirees having to report their whereabouts if they leave their home address for 24 hours or more. What role landlords should play has also created many problems.

 

For tourists this is normally not a problem as the reporting is usually done by hotels and guest houses. 

 

The immigration chief added that since August 31st developments have been put in place to "relieve the problems being experienced by foreigners residing in the country".

 

He was tight lipped about exactly what these would entail saying there were many things to consider such as the economy, tourism and national security. 

 

BBC Thai said that Lt-Gen Sompong had called the 1979 regulations out of date and there needed to be changes to bring them in line with the modern day situation in Thailand.   

 

In other news today a Phalang Pracharat spokesman has just said he had attended a meeting regarding a TM 47 online app on Wednesday that promised good news and that TM 28 and TM 30 would be discussed with immigration as early as Friday (13 Sept). 

 

Source: BBC

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-09-12

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wow.

 

so signing the petition started the conversation in the media and lead to the big meeting with expats and the press and now some forward motion. for sure some blow back from Thai business owners and super big international companies with thousands of workers.

 

1 minute ago, NCC1701A said:

wow.

Lets hope it does something.

Is it just me? Or are others feeling a little cynical? It's not the Thai way to suddenly admit unequivocal defeat to foreigners. Remember the old racist expression about an "Indian giver"? But I sincerely hope I'm misguided. ????

Exceptionally good news if it is going to result in action, rather than just talk, which is what we see most of the time.

Just now, Dexlowe said:

Is it just me? Or are others feeling a little cynical?

that is all there is on this forum. not a good place to judge much of anything except where to buy paint.

TM 30? What eez deez leetle form?

2 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

Exceptionally good news if it is going to result in action, rather than just talk, which is what we see most of the time.

I hope something will come from this but I wont hold my breath. 

1 minute ago, NCC1701A said:

that is all there is on this forum. not a good place to judge much of anything except where to buy paint.

True a lot of moaners on the forum, though in this case its not so strange.

4 minutes ago, Dexlowe said:

Is it just me? Or are others feeling a little cynical? It's not the Thai way to suddenly admit unequivocal defeat to foreigners. Remember the old racist expression about an "Indian giver"? But I sincerely hope I'm misguided. ????

I think its more like the Immigration Department staff themselves who are complaining up the chain about all the excess paperwork. 

A. he must have seen the futality and uselessness of this law

B. his people are buckling under the unnecessary workloads for nothing and for no apparent benefits other to show that they're in control,

C. the penny has finally dropped and now they see the errors of their ways..Amen...

They've raked in a fortune with this one. It's run it's course.

Watch out for the next one coming along soon!

have you learned your lesson? will everyone please dress nicely going to immigration from now on?

 

or are you going to continue to disrespect Thai culture every chance you get?

 

 

9 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

Exceptionally good news if it is going to result in action, rather than just talk, which is what we see most of the time.

 

Somehow, given the Immigration chief's comments above, I fear another round of wrist-bracelet, SIM card or microchip tracking of foreigners proposals coming along... 

I take back everything I have ever said about the guys at immigration. I was wrong all along and they are truly wonderful people just doing their jobs!

 

16 minutes ago, webfact said:

He was tight lipped about exactly what these would entail saying there were many things to consider such as the economy, tourism and national security. 

 

Oh, wait, hang on a minute ????

15 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

wow.

 

so signing the petition started the conversation in the media and lead to the big meeting with expats and the press and now some forward motion. for sure some blow back from Thai business owners and super big international companies with thousands of workers.

 

Well lets  see but of course many TV members are too timid to fart in their own homes in case it breaks a law.

31 minutes ago, apalink_thailand said:

I think its more like the Immigration Department staff themselves who are complaining up the chain about all the excess paperwork. 

Why would they care about the peasants working there? 

 

It is because money walks and <deleted> talks, foreign businesses champers are complaining, news look bad on thailand.

 

The only thing that ever matters is money. 

 

10 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

that is all there is on this forum. not a good place to judge much of anything except where to buy paint.

I would not trust any paint bought in Thailand...lol

16 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

wow.

 

so signing the petition started the conversation in the media and lead to the big meeting with expats and the press and now some forward motion. for sure some blow back from Thai business owners and super big international companies with thousands of workers.

 

Japanese  complained heavily, have first hand experience of this.

13 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

that is all there is on this forum. not a good place to judge much of anything except where to buy paint.

Thai paints  rubbish! hahaha no really  spent 30 years  as a  painter not in Thailand.

8 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

have you learned your lesson? will everyone please dress nicely going to immigration from now on?

 

or are you going to continue to disrespect Thai culture every chance you get?

 

 

Its only logical to dress polite when going to immigration.. I want something of them.. better to please them then to get in trouble. 

5 minutes ago, fforest1 said:

I would not trust any paint bought in Thailand...lol

i know it was all i could think of.

erosion is a slow yet powerful force. Ha! to all the naysayers saying the petition was a waste of time. 

14 minutes ago, apalink_thailand said:

I think its more like the Immigration Department staff themselves who are complaining up the chain about all the excess paperwork. 

That's a good point, and actually my thought was that we should have organized a "do your TM30 day" to flood all IOs, rather than a petition.

Talking about it is a start,doing it is another thing.thailand are losing expats hand over fist. So do something

19 minutes ago, apalink_thailand said:

I think its more like the Immigration Department staff themselves who are complaining up the chain about all the excess paperwork. 

They ARE  complaining but they  say they have to  follow  orders, Thai society and all that.

31 minutes ago, Dexlowe said:

Is it just me? Or are others feeling a little cynical? It's not the Thai way to suddenly admit unequivocal defeat to foreigners. Remember the old racist expression about an "Indian giver"? But I sincerely hope I'm misguided. ????

Always a pleasure to have "old racist expressions" dredged back up.....????

Though I can understand to some extent.

But the negativity is sometimes ?????

This is very good news. With an administration that is the polar opposite of progressive, evolutionary, smart, efficient, and competent, the only way anything positive is ever going to happen, is if there is enough pressure from the business community, ex-pats, embassies, and from international embarrassment, humiliation, and egg on the face. 

 

That combined with the mass exodus of ex-pats, who are good people, with significant incomes, who make a real contribution to the nation, and the economy, and the decline in tourism, has resulted in embarrassment for this administration, and I guess at least one smart person is making some good decisions. The TM-30 needs to be scrapped altogether, liberalized significantly, or limited to Burmese and foreign workers, with a far more simplified system. 

This law does not need to be changed, it needs to be cancelled altogether.  There are no need to controle and regulate where each foreign individual goes within and outside Thailand.  Already each foreign individual is under time restriction via the issuance of a visa and a 90 days residential report exist if a need arises to contact an individual within the country. 

 

If Thailand prefered non-Asian visitors (married or retired) to live here, this can be regulated  via the already existing visa system.