Two Thai immigration officers transferred for allegedly taking visa extension bribes

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

Two police officers of the Nonthaburi Immigration department have been transferred to clerical duties at Region 3 head office as an investigation into alleged corruption in the procurement of visas begins. 

 

The two men - with the rank of captain - have been accused of taking 20,000 baht tea money to speed up visa extensions for foreigners. 

 

Their chief has been reprimanded for allowing illegal activity to occur on his watch.

 

National RTP spokesman Pol Col Krissana Pattanacharoen announced the moves after a virulent Facebook post and video on the page of "Tom Julpas Kruesopon" that made the claim that 20,000 baht needed to be paid to speed up work visas for foreigners. 

 

The poster called on immigration to stop ripping off their country and foreigners. 

 

Pol Col Krissana promised that the investigation would be open, extensive and fair and should the officers be guilty they will be dealt with.

 

RTP Gen Chakthip Chaijinda has also issued orders to reprimand but delay further punishment for the man in charge of the transferred officers for failing to deal with possible illegal activity taking place under their command.

 

Source: Thai Rath

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-07-22

 

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Good. I have personal experience of immigration demanding similar bribes to extend visas of foreign workers under our employ. 

3 minutes ago, webfact said:

Their chief has been reprimanded for allowing illegal activity to occur on his watch.

Any relation to the little toad man?

 

2 minutes ago, webfact said:

The poster called on immigration to stop ripping off their country and foreigners.

That is wishful thinking, stop ripping off their country and foreigners.????

Never going to happen.

Only two ?...

I thought it was acceptable, well according to many TV posters it seems to be.  Taking bribes is that not part of the Agent process.  Nonthaburi wanted me to pay 500 baht for a lost TM-6 arrival card even with a police report.  I refused and was eventually able to locate the card in the bottom of a backpack I had used months before.  Even have copies of everything but if you do not have the original they get all pricked out.

6 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

I thought it was acceptable, well according to many TV posters it seems to be.  Taking bribes is that not part of the Agent process.  Nonthaburi wanted me to pay 500 baht for a lost TM-6 arrival card even with a police report.  I refused and was eventually able to locate the card in the bottom of a backpack I had used months before.  Even have copies of everything but if you do not have the original they get all pricked out.

My offer for a case of mama cups to "sponsor" my safe return to LOS stands, you can even pick the flavor!

 

As per those 2 IOs..anyone know where they have been moved to and is the going rate for re-entry still 20k?

Pathetic.. ripping their insignia off their uniforms for being a disgrace and send them to clean toilets is what they need.

 

They need re educating in how to do it without getting caught, must have been a huge loss of face to actually get caught, is'nt that what the uniform is for? To hide behind?

They could actually widen the investigation to include all offices. I am pretty sure they will find at least a minimum of two transfers in almost every office. Out of the total of 45 to 50 immigration offices that gives, will give a healthy sum of give or take a hundred transfers.

Why now? It's been going on for years and on a lot bigger scale than it is now

51 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

I thought it was acceptable, well according to many TV posters it seems to be.  Taking bribes is that not part of the Agent process.  Nonthaburi wanted me to pay 500 baht for a lost TM-6 arrival card even with a police report.  I refused and was eventually able to locate the card in the bottom of a backpack I had used months before.  Even have copies of everything but if you do not have the original they get all pricked out.

i had similar at CW. except they were "nice" and only demanded 200 bt

Turning out to be a big misunderstanding and wais all around in 3, 2, 1...

3 minutes ago, kotsak said:

Pathetic.. ripping their insignia off their uniforms for being a disgrace and send them to clean toilets is what they need.

 

'... ripping their insignia off their uniforms ...'

 

I witnessed that actually happen in an army court martial in Vietnam. The NCO charged (he attended the hearing in a wheel chair)* was found guilty and the court martial chief ordered another NCO (Sgt. Major) to rip his insignia off the shirt sleeves and throw them on the floor.

 

It wasn't a pleasant thing to witness but the guy was guilty, well proven and he admitted full guilt. And the judge gave an order he was to be repatriated to Australia immediately.

 

The judge also ordered that a letter outlining the whole circumstances was to be hand delivered to his wife.

 

Judge also ordered that a more senior officer go immediately to the sgt's room and pack all of his personal items. It was revealed later that the officer found more evidence of theft of army property including evidence of stealing large amounts of food rations and selling them to restaurants in a secured area not far from our base camp. Some of these restaurants were owned by US NCOs.

 

(* The sgt court martialed was drunk and was (with other NCOs) jumping off a roof into a trailer filled with sand, he misjudged and hit his ankle on the frame of the trailer and broke his ankle in several places.)

26 minutes ago, Matzzon said:

They could actually widen the investigation to include all offices. I am pretty sure they will find at least a minimum of two transfers in almost every office. Out of the total of 45 to 50 immigration offices that gives, will give a healthy sum of give or take a hundred transfers.

More like all of them - "made men" (and women) in a national-racket.  Just "transfer" them to the next office nearest, and claim something was accomplished. 

 

Agent/Lawyer/Accountant laundered bribe money is STANDARD PRACTICE for how Non-ED and Non-B 'change of visa type' applications are handled nation-wide.  This article does a dis-service by pretending this is anything "special". 

 

The same is done for Non-O 90-day stamps at many offices, and even Non-O family-based 60-day or annual extensions, if you don't have the unrelated "extra" requirements they make up to block legit applications.  This is why so many here use the MFA's foreign-consulates for Visas, instead.

 

The only difference here, is the IOs didn't use the standard money-laundry mechanism - decided to pocket the extra 5 or 10 percent agent-commission of the total-bribe.  Almost all of an "agent fee" goes to immigration.

well I wouldn't like to be in Tom Julpas Kruesopon's shoes that's for sure ....   

27 minutes ago, kotsak said:

Pathetic.. ripping their insignia off their uniforms for being a disgrace and send them to clean toilets is what they need.

 

 

... don't you think that's unusually cruel, even in war-like conditions? Like right now.

At least let 'em keep their funny parajumper badges, after all the whole lot just 'wanna be an airborne ranger, live a life of constant danger' ...

 

1 hour ago, colinneil said:

 

That is wishful thinking, stop ripping off their country and foreigners.????

Never going to happen.

It will if only stupid farang grow some balls upon arriving at an immigration office. No receipt. No pay. What's the officer gonna do? 

They tried to charge me 4-500 Baht (no receipt) to transfer my old passport stamps to my new one. I refused to pay. Did I get kicked out. No.

Did I get my stamps transferred? Yes no problem. No charge.

Video, sounds like hard evidence with no way out. Otherwise they would have made up a story. 

 

We all know how common it is. 

9 minutes ago, Paiman said:

Video, sounds like hard evidence with no way out. Otherwise they would have made up a story. 

 

We all know how common it is. 

They should fire all these bribe taking IO's and name and shame them all over the news, have their bank accounts all frozen and make them pay back those money they took as bribes plus a massive fine for each bribe taken.

I've always said, if you want to stamp out corruption Start at the airports

28 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

It will if only stupid farang grow some balls upon arriving at an immigration office. No receipt. No pay. What's the officer gonna do? 

Not accept your application.  It's what they Actually Do Right Now for extensions, if you fall into criteria they have set up (varies by office).

 

28 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

They tried to charge me 4-500 Baht (no receipt) to transfer my old passport stamps to my new one. I refused to pay. Did I get kicked out. No.

Did I get my stamps transferred? Yes no problem. No charge.

Nice it worked out that way for that document, but they can demand unobtainium 'extra requirements' for extensions.  Then another, then another, sometimes ad infinitum.

 

16 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

They should fire all these bribe taking IO's and name and shame them all over the news, have their bank accounts all frozen and make them pay back those money they took as bribes plus a massive fine for each bribe taken.

Where I come from, it would be that, plus felony prison time, for what they do as "normal business."   This tends to be very effective at putting an end to this - at least at the lower levels of bureaucracies. 

At the "millions of dollars" level, even the threat of summary executions don't stop it.

20 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

Nice it worked out that way for that document, but they can demand unobtainium 'extra requirements' for extensions.  Then another, then another, sometimes ad infinitum.

Nah. I told them that I'd checked by asking the Help Line 1178 or summat like that. And it was they that told me there was no charge. In fact I lied as I hadn't phoned them. This was not the first time of living here that I'd renewed my passport.

If they come up with bullsiht then you do the same. Just quote The Help Line.

1 hour ago, JackThompson said:

Almost all of an "agent fee" goes to immigration.

If that was true, it would not be anybody wanting to run that kind of business.

10 minutes ago, Matzzon said:

If that was true, it would not be anybody wanting to run that kind of business.

Let's break that down with imaginary numbers.....14.000 for extension. 4,000 for agent X 10 per week, 2 per day..... Who in their right mind wouldn't want to be an agent for 160,000 per month???

4 minutes ago, UncleMhee said:

Let's break that down with imaginary numbers.....14.000 for extension. 4,000 for agent X 10 per week, 2 per day..... Who in their right mind wouldn't want to be an agent for 160,000 per month???

Buriram under the table is done by the IO's themselves so I'm led to believe. And they charge 30,000+ so I'm told.

This is the first time I have heard of an immigration official being chastised for taking bribes...hope it is not the last!

36 minutes ago, UncleMhee said:

Let's break that down with imaginary numbers.....14.000 for extension. 4,000 for agent X 10 per week, 2 per day..... Who in their right mind wouldn't want to be an agent for 160,000 per month???

Sure. To me almost 28,6% is not to be considered that almost all goes to immigration as Jacko stated. 28,6% is good for the agent and much more than a supermarket have in margin. Anyway, back to the thing in question. Over 1/4 of something can not be seen as almost everything lost.

2 hours ago, bbi1 said:

They should fire all these bribe taking IO's and name and shame them all over the news, have their bank accounts all frozen and make them pay back those money they took as bribes plus a massive fine for each bribe taken.

Just getting fired from government service would be a major loss of face in it self.  Paying back the money instead of gaol is going easy on Them. 

Stationary shops will have to shut down if they can't sell brown envelopes. There's a rumour that you must buy certain jobs so without brown envelopes and staying in situe for at least 3 years you would lose money on the job you bought.