Tourist complains about crowded visa office, shoddy treatment by Thailand

[scorecard]

14 minutes ago, Purdey said:

Tourism is just less than 18% of GDP so I guess Thai "authorities" perhaps want to drive it down to 5% and depend on the automobile Industry so they won't have a problem like this in future. Just a guess.

Why would any country want to drive it down, unless it's causing serious environmental damage?

 

Depend on the auto industry? Have you seen recent news about pullouts/reductions in ops and staff in this industry?

 

 

[Sydebolle]

All these people stucked now will never ever return and make sure that nobody within their society circle of friends will come either.

Laos = copy of passport and USD 60, pick-up passport next day for a 30 days extension; beginning when the present stay is over (i.e. can be applied and obtained for prior to expiry). Can be done as many times as the visitor want until the emergency degree is lifted.

Vietnam = closed all immigration offices; visitors are requested to come back to get an exit stamp after emergency decree is lifted. 

Cambodia = see Laos

 

Thailand = you've just lost out again, big big time! 

[hotchilli]

On 4/5/2020 at 7:09 AM, baansgr said:

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

Similar to Lumpini boxing stadium... they just can't work it out and evolve.

 

[pookondee]

IMO they will just keep stalling and coming up with excuses as to why they cannot set up some kind of

"non contact" system for immigration.

 

Simply, they are scared that people will expect them to keep it that way after this is all over.

 

A non-contact set-up means payment online by credit card and that becomes harder to errr..redirect, shall we say.

 

Think about it: Cash payment on the site ensures that money can be easily unaccounted for and distributed to the right paws.

 

Cash is king in Thailand, they will never allow an online system.

 

[ToddinChonburi]

So arrived as a tourist and refused to listen to all the warning to LEAVE !!!!     Now your complaining about immigration. Stop for a few seconds  and think about this , they know you should not be here and they really don't give a <deleted> about your complaining.  Let's see, 60 days tourists visa shall we do the math. I know many people are trying to take advantage of the virus to stay so thank everyone standing in line for helping to create this problem.

[brian2f2f]

16 hours ago, 473geo said:

Why the downer on Thai people

Relax, you pay your way in Thailand, you adhere to the requests for information, you remain dignified, polite and understanding and 99% of the time life is ok

 

Alternatively, try insisting you have 'rights' be aggressive, moan and complain about Thai skills and attitude, voice opinions about how bad the system is you are set for a disappointing time

 

Thai people are concerned about the virus, they would probably really prefer these farang tourists had gone home rather than take the selfish gamble of being stranded and risk the health of the Thai IOs by cramming into an already crowded office

 

But then selfish the 'tourists' have been, and, selfish they continue to remain, my sympathy lies with the Thai office workers who have to face this kind of person in this kind of environment clearly tourists who do not give a damn about social distancing or the welfare of others

 

 

I try to not comment much anymire as a resault that afterwards i never look again. But you have earned a reply from me. Even though im on a non o visa i feel your hate directed at me still. First off im not rich so <deleted> you. Secondly i have no home or anything back in america. It was all sold from under me by my uncle who pocketed all the money. Again <deleted> you. 3rd i live off a trust fund as a result of how inwas treated and a personal problem with how to go about having a career. And the trusties have no idea how i could return to america as they cant give me a place to stay or anything like that. Again <deleted> you. Yes my credit is <deleted> in america do to some previous poor choices so cant do anything really on my own there. <deleted> you again. If you dont like my message then do us all a <deleted> favour and <deleted> off yourself. I dont have a college degree yet but im sure as hell am fare more itellegent then you. With all thats going on and you feel the need to spout such hate and disrespect. If i get banned from here for my reply then so be it. But it has to be said. People like you have to be checked and put in your place. And with huge levels of hate and disrespect. You dont deserve respect or care. Thus you wont get it from me. Not to mention its people like you that helps to <deleted> <deleted> up for everyone else. Encouraging stupid and sometimes impossible demands out of people to be met. Again i aint <deleted> rich. 4000 to do a <deleted> 30 day extension. If i could even get in to see my embassy to get a letter from them. Which soon im sure that wont be possible even. And no i dont see borders opening up again before my visa expires. One last thing if you read this and chose to reply have fun cause i will never see it. Waste your time help yourself. So people can continue to see how <deleted> stupid and worthless you are. As i will not return to this article nor check my notifications. So will never even know if reply or not. Again to sum up this message. <deleted> YOU. 

[RocketDog]

I can't speak to all immigration offices but when I did my 90 day report at the Huahin office last week they moved the operation outside in a shaded area. 

There were many chairs, distancing was inforced, masks were required, and hand gel flowed freely. 

 

The officers were pleasant, calm, and patient. I should add that I was one day late on my report and it was never mentioned. 

 

It was not crowded though, so that helped. 

 

As others have noted, IO officers must be under a lot of stress, often abused by applicants, and deserve some leniency too. I'm sure they would rather not be there either.

 

I don't believe for a second that many of them benefit from the oft mentioned brown envelopes. Most of them are underpaid and overworked. 

[Darkside Gray]

On 4/5/2020 at 7:12 AM, 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

Flights cancelled is a poor excuse, most new of the cancellations coming and did nothing, To there detriment.

[Road Warrior]

sadly all to do with money !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Titan1962]

Well hopefully they will go ahead and pass the temporary visa extensions for tourists that are stuck here,by their choice or buy unfortunate circumstances. 
Thought about many options they could put in place to ease the congestion at the immigration center.

1. Enforce the use of visa agents to do the extensions,fee normally 300 baht. This would reduce the people at immigration and assist a local business.

2 The long stayers like retirement and marriage visas,should be given a waiver on their visas untill things get back to normal. The people that already hold these visas have more than likely been living here for a long time and all their details should be in the system.

3. When they get the virus under control,they should put all their efforts into helping the tourists get home first.

4. Once these temporary overstayers are sorted then cater to the the people that live here long term. Your visa will be renewed if you meet the requirements,but back dated to the original time of renewal. 
The other thing they could be working on,fix the issues with the online 90 day reporting. 
Maybe just dreaming,like I do about winning the lotto or finding a beautiful rich lady to pamper me and take care off all my needs.LOL

Edited April 6, 2020 by Titan1962

[john terry1001]

22 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

Yes that is true, but your Thai ladies will not be having to go to immigration every 90 days for the rest of their lives, or each year to renew their visa, with a constantly changing and seeming endless list of documents and copies of stuff that is not needs as the info is all on immigration computer anyway. 

 

The good ladies would also not be crammed up in over crowded hot immigration offices for hours on end when there is a serious disease outbreak when people are supposed to be staying at home and also using social distancing to prevent the spread of a deadly virus.  I suspect they don't have to take their landlords and property owners along with them either, or photos of themselves outside, and inside their home.  

 

 

You've obviously never been to Lunar house in the UK, it's a complete S**t hole that's an ebarassment to every UK person that has to take his wife there. I'd rather go to my local IO in Si Racha any day of the week. 

[NanLaew]

22 hours ago, rosst said:

Wow Thailand, you just don't get it. 

The legacy of this will fuel conversations all over the world for years, "I was treated badly by Thailand during the virus, don't go there". 

Yes, it will happen 

While the legacy of your absurd notion that Thailand's blip on the global tourism radar will be remembered with infamy will evaporate just as soon as I click 'Submit Reply'

[connda]

On 4/5/2020 at 7:07 AM, UbonThani said:

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

Woulda, coulda, shoulda.  This logic doesn't deal with the reality of - now. 
Tourist are still here and they perceive that they are stuck.
Nobody right now, foreigner or Thai, should be forced into cramped quarters during a declared pandemic just to satisfy Thailand's need to force foreigners (outsiders) to navigate a bureaucratic juggernaut.   It's dangerous, it puts people at risk, and it's unconscionable.  
How do authoritarian Thai authorizes say out of one side of their mouths that Covid-19 is a massive risk to all of Thailand requiring Machiavellian measures including forced lockdowns, curfews, mandatory mask wearing, mandatory social distancing, etc. - but - foreigners are such a higher risk to Thai nationals security that all foreigners need to be crammed together in Thai Immigration offices to satisfy Thai leadership's paranoid need to track, trace, extract funds, and stamp passports in the face of a deadly pandemic, hence putting all foreigners at risk of catching and spreading the disease?
Again - it's unconscionable.  

Here's reality.  Think about exactly how insane this truly is:
All foreigners in Thailand are considered to be a greater risk to Thai national security than a deadly, highly contagious flu virus which is declared world-wide to be a pandemic.  There's reality!  

So Thailand is willing to throw all foreigners under the bus and expose them all to the risk of catching Covid-19 in order to satisfy their own perverse, irrational paranoia and fear of foreigners.  

The United Nations and other world regulatory bodies should wake up and look as what is going on here as Thailand forces foreigners to literally stand right in the path of this deadly pandemic and expose themselves to possible death in order to get a passport stamp.  When foreigners who are then exposed to the virus in Immigration offices begin to get sick and die - the responsibility lies with Thai leadership and these people should be held legally culpable on the world stage.

[mindfulness]

On 4/5/2020 at 6:49 AM, 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.

After  22 years married 20 years to my Thai wife with our daughter now 17 this place in regards of welcoming and ease of movement was used to

.

Its has very little of the Qualities it used to have.  

[tomacht8]

I do not know if it has already been posted here. On April 8, 12 IO's from Surattani Immigration come to Koh Phangan to make visa extentions for stranded tourists.

On April 7th the IO's are on Koh Tao.

A good measure. It saves many foreigners unnecessary trips to the overloaded

Koh Samui Immigration against the background that Koh Samui will be closed on April 7th.

It would be desirable to find out whether there will be more future dates.

For those who run the risk of getting into the overstay status, you should definitely use these dates.

 

Edited April 6, 2020 by tomacht8

[cheapcanuck]

Blah, blah blah. We've heard it before from Thailand immigration. Thailand does not care if foreigners get the virus. They only care about getting as much baht out the tourist that they can extract.

 

 

[QPRFC]

On 4/5/2020 at 7:07 AM, UbonThani said:

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

What about other visa types that need regular extensions?

[Eagleizer]

On 4/5/2020 at 11:50 AM, marko kok prong said:

Why do you have to go to to the office every 90 days,post it,do online,or use an agent,try using a bit of initiative.

How to do online? I cannot find any info about it here: 

https://www.thaiimmigration.net/thai-immigration-pattaya.html 

 

I have seen info about it in the Immigration office, but that is not very helpful now ???? 

[Kiteboy57]

On 4/5/2020 at 7:07 AM, UbonThani said:

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

Really? At a time when every country in the world is trying, with varying degrees of success, to stop gatherings of people in an attempt to stem the tide of this Pandemic, the Thai government still want Farrangs to flout the rules in order to comply with the pathetic hunger for rubber stamps and more bits of paper to hoard somewhere in the annuls of god knows where. I feel sorry for both the Thai people that are forced to still work in Immigration offices and us "foreigners" who are being told we have to go there in order to comply with what is clearly an outdated requirement at this present time of crisis.

[NanLaew]

8 hours ago, QPRFC said:

What about other visa types that need regular extensions?

There's a quite detailed description of the proposed 3-tier grouping of stranded tourists that is being sent up for parliamentary approval. It pretty much covers all of the most common situations. Unfortunately, it was in the newspaper we can't quote here but maybe the Nation has caught up by now?

[Wongkitlo]

If you are in immigration and are having troubles with the officers or want to get served quickly just start coughing.

[mixed]

It's a no brainer, everyone is at risk, the farang, the IOs and the wider Thai community. I've been here 25 years, expats have changed so much. There's now a lot of expats who enjoy seeing other farang suffer, with an 'I told you so, haha' attitude. It never used to be like this and is quite sad.

[Percy P]

On 4/5/2020 at 5:14 PM, fredwiggy said:

A lot of Thais will certainly die from this virus with this kind of ignorance. Only if it affects  an official might they start to "get" it. When the foreign governments get wind of how their citizens are treated,maybe they'll follow suit with Thai tourists or those that moved to other countries to live. We are only money to them,and they will certainly lose a lot now. They should learn to protect those that live here and respect those that spend money here,as they eat, use phones,cars,trucks,scooters, all of their military hardware, in fact all vehicles,electronics and many other things are foreign made. Without tourists and foreigners money, this would return to a farming country,where everyone would be forced to bust their asses for 200 baht a day. Granting extensions to everyone temporarily will still make them money. You stay ,you pay. Foreigners have to eat and sleep somewhere. This is a beautiful country and I have quite a few Thai friends and family members who respect me because I take good care of my wife and help her family on the farm as much as I can. If I get the chance, I will move back to where I came from with my family. This I'm sure is leaving a sour taste in others mouths.  We have been here since before the Vietnam war and I still don't get the disrespect. America and all other countries help Thailand in many ways. I think they need to wake up and see what a valuable source we are to them.

But many more will die through road accidents last year 8,000+. This year it's estimated to be 10,000+ and it goes on every year.

[ThailandRyan]

On 4/6/2020 at 9:02 AM, Darkside Gray said:

Flights cancelled is a poor excuse, most new of the cancellations coming and did nothing, To there detriment.

Harsh criticism.....have you never heard of the sayings: "live and let live", "people who live in glass houses should not throw stones", oh yes, now I know your favorite saying is "Do unto others before they do unto you", Hope you live the perfect life and never get caught out because of any possible poor decisions because I can see your just perfect, sitting up there on that ivory white pedestal, and looking down on others, or is it that you are just not happy in your own life and wish to push your belief's and feelings towards all who are not like you.....I might get banned again, but it had to be said.  Negativity breeds negativity

[Percy P]

Immigration officers having to view hundreds of  tourists.and perhaps some tourists my be angered by the wait . The situation was given no forethought . Only money

[Percy P]

On 4/7/2020 at 3:11 AM, QPRFC said:

What about other visa types that need regular extensions?

And what about tourists who my have a madam and child. Does he Leave then to.look after themselves.

I'm not in that. predicament .Go back to the UK and there in a worse condition than Thailand

[thaibeachlovers]

On 4/5/2020 at 11:57 AM, petermik said:

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

That has been true, IMO since 2000.

 

On 4/5/2020 at 11:39 AM, rooster59 said:

Tourist complains about crowded visa office, shoddy treatment by Thailand

Nothing new there, but before Corona it was mainly expats that were treated badly by immigration, and we were treated very badly.

[RJRS1301]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

That has been true, IMO since 2000.

 

Nothing new there, but before Corona it was mainly expats that were treated badly by immigration, and we were treated very badly.

Well it generally only expats from some country who go to immigration, Thai citizens rarely need to unless they accompany  their spouse/partner 

Edited May 13, 2020 by RJRS1301

[Amusements]

I was in there yesterday morning around 10, and there was only 1 other customer in there. So things are a bit different at the moment.

[delgarcon]

16 minutes ago, Amusements said:

I was in there yesterday morning around 10, and there was only 1 other customer in there. So things are a bit different at the moment.

Why were you there? I have to apply for retirement ext next month