Tourist complains about crowded visa office, shoddy treatment by Thailand

[rooster59]

Tourist complains about crowded visa office, shoddy treatment by Thailand

By The Nation

 

A picture taken on Friday evening shows a crowd of foreign nationals applying for visa extension at Koh Samui Immigration Office, which serves both tourists in Koh Samui and Koh Phangan.

 

Tourists stranded in Koh Samui were treated badly by Immigration officials, a German tourist moaned. The tourist, whose name is being withheld by The Nation to spare him any potential trouble, complained that he and other tourists had to be in a crowded office at the Immigration centre in Koh Samui to apply for visa extension.

 

 

He said crowds of tourists are a Covid-19 risk, as officials did not impose social distancing at the Immigration counter service.

 

He accused Thailand of taking advantage of tourists who could not fly back home due to flight cancellations and many countries imposing restriction on people movement.

 

“Thailand is taking advantage of tourist by forcing them to come and extend their visas for money, while all reasonable countries in the world extend the visa automatically for a certain date,” he said.

 

The Thai government announced on Tuesday it would extend visa automatically for tourists who had entered the country after March 1.

 

The German tourist, who entered Thailand in February, said that visa extension should cover also those who entered Thailand before March 1.

 

In response to the complaint, an official at the Foreign Ministry told The Nation that Immigration authorities are aware of the issue and the Cabinet had agreed in principle about the automatic visa extension. Officials are working out details and will shortly make an official announcement, he added.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30385425

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-04-05

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[cornishcarlos]

They will be shooting anyone, in immigration offices, who pull out their phones soon...

These kind of photos are a National security risk.... 

[colinneil]

Social distancing... Some stupid sods around.

Why are immigration so determined to make problems for tourists?

They are helping to trash tourism here in the future, with their crazy antics.

[petermik]

They only want our money.... we are looked at as parasites here...????

[Destiny1990]

Then having to bringing their landlord With them then travel to bank for update bankbook then traveling to ur embassy for another piece of paper, TM30’s , bedroom pictures? etc etc yeah all this is really great with and without any virus out there.

How about just pay and stay?

[bangkokfrog]

18 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

He accused Thailand of taking advantage of tourists who could not fly back home

It is not so much a matter of taking advantage, but from my experience (for many immigration officers) it is simply a matter of not caring

[baansgr]

"Officials are working out details".....I.e. What the coat will be...maybe a nice round figure of 10k

[UbonThani]

8 minutes ago, petermik said:

They only want our money.... we are looked at as parasites here...????

All tourists should have left 3 weeks ago. Don't these whingers read the news. Forget holidays for 9 months.

[baansgr]

Just one infected person in that crowded office will have a dire effect on numbers in Samui.....it really is beyond a joke, curfews, booze bans etc, yet this scene is happening on a daily basis for over two weeks throughout Thailand..madness, total madness

[baansgr]

2 minutes ago, UbonThani said:

All tourists should have left 3 weeks ago. Don't these whingers read the news. Forget holidays for 9 months.

Many had their flights canceled, I don't think there are that many that stayed here out of choice. I know a few people that got out after their flights were canceled but trying to get a new flight was very difficult

[bangkokfrog]

2 minutes ago, UbonThani said:

All tourists should have left 3 weeks ago. Don't these whingers read the news. Forget holidays for 9 months.

I couldn't agree more, but if truly stuck here they still deserve to be treated with dignity and concern for their safety... something immigration offices in the provinces are not well known for.

[Don Mega]

They could always roll the overstay dice instead, I imagine IDC is a lot worse than an immi office.

[Andrew65]

Just a thought, they could be making it easier for travel agents to do this and negate the need to travel to these places. (Bearing in mind that most tourists wouldn't have a clue about this stuff, & couldn't be expected to).

 

For expats, make it a change of address thing rather than the current system/90 day report.

It's a lot about keeping the immigration people in jobs, a make-work kinda thing.

[scorecard]

7 minutes ago, bangkokfrog said:

I couldn't agree more, but if truly stuck here they still deserve to be treated with dignity and concern for their safety... something immigration offices in the provinces are not well known for.

Also in this scenario is the fact that Thailand regularly runs ads all over the world encouraging tourists to come and enjoy Thailand.

[UbonThani]

11 minutes ago, baansgr said:

Many had their flights canceled, I don't think there are that many that stayed here out of choice. I know a few people that got out after their flights were canceled but trying to get a new flight was very difficult

Why did they enter after March 10? By late Feb it was clear travel would be a problem. No sympathy for people like this.

[Thailand]

Multiply this by every immigration office in the country.

 

Post Covid, I don't think tourists and tourism will be a problem for the foreseeable future.

 

They may well be a few long term tourists,retirees etc, who will be subject to royal treatment when the authorities realize they are the only ones left. (Then I woke up!)????

Edited April 5, 2020 by Thailand

[RJRS1301]

30 minutes ago, bangkokfrog said:

It is not so much a matter of taking advantage, but from my experience (for many immigration officers) it is simply a matter of not caring

Not defending anyone, but working under extreme strain and pressure, perhaps poorly briefed, having to achieve KPIs of processing. 

Tourists as well as IOs unable to respond calmly, and fear on both sides

No one has ever had to deal with this choas ever before

[Moonlover]

52 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Cabinet had agreed in principle about the automatic visa extension. Officials are working out details and will shortly make an official announcement, he added.

What details are necessary? Announce a blanket extension policy NOW and work out the details later.

 

Why is that so bloody difficult?

 

[stuhan]

Heard this kind of story before and i agree that some [not all] should not have continued to come here or should have left when they could have.In saying that there are those who are genuinely stuck here and have every right to complain about the immigrations  ridiculous handling of the situation.

[ezzra]

57 minutes ago, colinneil said:

Social distancing... Some stupid sods around.

Why are immigration so determined to make problems for tourists?

They are helping to trash tourism here in the future, with their crazy antics.

When they ever gave a rat's ass for what tourists and other non Thais feel or need? for them a tourist is a wallet with legs to get in spend the money and get out and don't hassle us with your silly requests to be understanding and compassionate because this is not our stoeger suite...

[Andrew65]

25 minutes ago, scorecard said:

Also in this scenario is the fact that Thailand regularly runs ads all over the world encouraging tourists to come and enjoy Thailand.

Yes, but for the 'average' two or three week holiday.

[GeorgeCross]

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

The tourist, whose name is being withheld by The Nation to spare him any potential trouble

 

this says everything about Thailand you need to know

 

 

[SteveK]

I would say that it's amazing that other countries in SE Asia have implemented sensible measures regarding this crisis and the resultant immigration issues so quickly, especially considering that Thailand is the one that has had decades of rampant tourism and so should have a slick and streamlined immigration service by now. But then again, I've been here long enough to know that most of the time it seems like certain people here couldn't arrange a p!ss up in a brewery, unless of course there was ample financial incentive for them to do so.

 

The usual Thai reaction to a problem, of paying lip service then doing nothing for long enough for people to forget that there was ever an issue simply won't work with Covid-19. It's not going away, people are dying, and they should have realised that there would be immigration issues from the start and done something about it.

 

If these people are genuine tourists, then they must have flown here in March, when the pandemic was raging which was extremely irresponsible. However that doesn't detract from the fact that immigration have failed to do anything sensible about the matter and in fact have even gone so far as requesting 10+ pieces of often difficult to get paper from people who were only here for a few weeks and are now stuck here against their will. It's been a bit of a shambles. Again.

 

Requesting that multiple documents are printed out and completed when all the shops are supposed to be closed seems a bit short sighted. People don't usually carry printers with them on holiday.

Edited April 5, 2020 by SteveK

[Andrew65]

1 minute ago, GeorgeCross said:

 

this says everything about Thailand you need to know

 

 

Thailand applies libel laws in a 'strange' way, which can often be seen in the journalism there.

[dutchinlondon]

I have to be honest, but I'm always treated right at Jomtien Immigration. Even when I was stressed out. Great guys. don't forget they only do their job. Not that hard to stay polite and friendly.  they are getting hundreds of people extra now. Not easy to keep caring.

[SteveK]

15 minutes ago, dutchinlondon said:

 they are getting hundreds of people extra now. 

Well that's just the issue. With a bit of proactive thinking from the Thai authorities these people wouldn't need to be going to immigration offices up and down the country, they should just be going home when they can, and if asked why they overstayed just say "Covid" and get waved through. What's so hard about that? Other countries are doing it?

 

So, in the name of "national security", they keep hassling these people, charging them money, asking for documents which are difficult to get, and just making themselves look a bit silly, being shown up by such countries as Vietnam and Indonesia who have had a far more sensible and progressive approach. I would imagine there are now many families and individuals who will never be returning to Thailand again.

 

It was a very long time ago now when there was that conference with immigration officials and some well known ex-pats in Bangkok, where they promised to look at TM30, and gave some quite frankly pathetic and incomprehensible answers to straightforward questions. And what ever happened as a result of that? You guessed it, sweet Fanny Adams.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMuMDIQ0MMc

 

 

Edited April 5, 2020 by SteveK

[unamazedloso]

Alot of these tourists have long term relationships here. Cant blame them for wantingnto be with loved ones. Im married and my whole life is here. I dont want to be here but it is what it is. Its pretty disheartening to think your going to be forced to go back somewhere where there is nothing for you.

In my situation i cant get insurance here or my home country and and dont have any health care at all here or there so for me i will just put up with the stupidity and remain hell or high water even though i dont want to.

Also people shouldnt be forced to spen up to 10k USD for return connecting flights when they would typically be 1k.

Cant blame the tourists for being here if they have been able to arrive in the first place. Thai government needs to fix it to save face!!

[Tops]

Immigration kills tourism to Thailand. The news how tourists are treated by Thai immigration will travel faster around the world than Covid-19. So Thailand, don't blame it on Corona, Covit-19 or what else you may call it, it's immigration that killed Thai tourism.

 

I still hear the upper monkey dictator say: We have everything 100% under control.

[Andrew65]

26 minutes ago, Tops said:

Immigration kills tourism to Thailand. The news how tourists are treated by Thai immigration will travel faster around the world than Covid-19. So Thailand, don't blame it on Corona, Covit-19 or what else you may call it, it's immigration that killed Thai tourism.

 

I still hear the upper monkey dictator say: We have everything 100% under control.

I bet it's not just in Thailand. I have an old friend, ex-Thailand-hand who lives in KL, will be interested to hear how things are there during this time.

[kevin612]

Absolutely, the immigration office wants money. money is number 1, then covid 19.

Edited April 5, 2020 by kevin612