Immigration promises no cover up after audio clip of "freedom in exchange for cash" hits social media

[a3tsw]

1 hour ago, HAPPYNUFF said:

Strangely enough, when I last did my visa  extensionl, and    the usual  annual fee was 1900 baht, the officer  attending to me asked for me to pay  that amount per phone banking to   his bank account.      As I dont use phone banking I declined and offered   the cash as usual..He was  most upset.

 

I thought it strange, paying into his account,,,he stated it was his personal account,,, as I thought that would be a simple way to get caught, given  phone and bank records are kept.

A lot of people on here would consider this to be an example of corruption ,  but in Thailand , not so , they have a word for this type of situation...

and that word is .....

... misunderstanding.????

[tracker1]

6 hours ago, Gandtee said:

And how do they show confirmation of funds being the bank for three and then twelve months?

And all Bank Managers are honest people !

[mark131v]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

The force has asked for seven days to get to the truth saying that no stone will be left unturned in that endeavor

7 days to think up an excuse, there is good money to be made for the person who writes a good excuse book to be kept next to RTP Sop's...

[smutcakes]

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

Which is usually the same place as the RTP investigation.

Thought that as well, tagged on the end as if the NACC investigations are somehow better, if anything they are even slower, even less effective and never ever ever seemingly come to an end. And in all probability they are as crooked as the rest.

[DJ54]

I was going to comment but didn’t want to get labeled a Troller ... which I thought was a method of fishing .... Snook...

[tracker1]

Phakhayos then went on to say what a wonderful job his men had dei worker trafficking gangs in the last year. This has ringtones of a recent case of luxury vehicles  seized and drug offenders interrogated to save the children

[smedly]

3 hours ago, cnx101 said:

That’s the problem on here people got nothing better to do than worry about what other people do and don’t do instead of worrying about their own business.

I don't have an issue with what people do, up to them, the thread topic is about corruption, I simply brought up one of the biggest that has been ongoing for years 

[sambum]

Another "inactive post" beckons!

[richards]

Icing on the cake you should try Loei immigration... Its notoriously bad. No words they  just slip you the empty envelope with coffee written on it in big letters if you want a smooth visa transaction.  Dispicable treatment every year! Thank god I can do the 90 day in the post! 

[leiftheswede]

9 hours ago, petermik said:

This comment sums it up in a nutshell

No surprise there - corruption seems to be well protected by officials in spite of big words.

[JUARNETTE]

So, if it’s for “gang members,” it’s not acceptable, but if it is for the shaking down of the routine Foreigner here to be with their family…. It’s still ok?  I’m just asking so I know the routine when I pay “the guy” another 30,000thb to process my next extension, will be the same or not.  I don’t want to have to wait another 8 hours a day in the immigration pool to learn the new process.  Thanks for any guidance in advance.

[robsamui]

6 hours ago, samtam said:

 

I am one of those who did my visa extensions for 12 years in person at Chaengwattana. The last 3 years of the 12 were such a pain, taking me about 7 hours or more door to door, for an extension plus re-entry permit. This, on top of going to pick up the bank letter from my branch the day before.

 

After these increasingly irksome experiences I thought the services of a good agent, particularly during covid, (the first time was last year, the second this year), were an investment I was prepared to make. The service also takes care of my 90 day report, (either online if it works, or in person, if it doesn't, as with the last one). My visits to CW are now reduced to about 20 minutes face time with the IO.

 

Like so many things in Thailand, it is often better to have a gofer; I use different ones for picking up undelivered parcels from the post office/customs, getting me items for household maintenance, a personal shopper for groceries and mall items, and a tame motocy for pick up and delivery of various items. Some of these have become essential during Covid, and my desire to isolate as much as possible, until I get my second vax.

 

When in Rome...

I used to think that all this ridiculous and excessively  bureaucratic paperwork visa-wise was the side effect of a little undeveloped nation desperately trying to make itself look important. Then, a few years later, I got to thinking no - that's not it - it's a cunning plan to get lotsa brown envelopes by making the whole visa business so long-winded and unbearable.

 

Now I've come to realise that, actually, it's both.

[rudi49jr]

If they are going to investigate civil servants asking for a bribe, they have their work cut out for them for many years to come. But you have to start somewhere, so good luck!!

[thailand49]

7 hours ago, Gandtee said:

And how do they show confirmation of funds being the bank for three and then twelve months?

I think that is the point he is trying to make, going through a so call agent you don't need to show funds! 

[kiwikeith]

5 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

Audio clips, CCTV clips. Those are the real problems they'll Address at the committee... 

CCTV did nothing for the Burmese 2, not only was facial recognition technology used by overseas investigators that said this person running from the scene was not a B2, nothing ever came of it, they said it looked more like the boy discovered in BK with a new haircut.

 

Ferrari Joe will plead self defense for  trying to enforce protective face mask rules for infection by masking with plastic.

He was only trying to protect his fellow officers and the public from Delta spreading.

He was probably hissing and spitting, would not listen and was warned several times before the face mask was applied.

[david555]

22 minutes ago, JUARNETTE said:

So, if it’s for “gang members,” it’s not acceptable, but if it is for the shaking down of the routine Foreigner here to be with their family…. It’s still ok?  I’m just asking so I know the routine when I pay “the guy” another 30,000thb to process my next extension, will be the same or not.  I don’t want to have to wait another 8 hours a day in the immigration pool to learn the new process.  Thanks for any guidance in advance.

So.... as i did last week August my number 9 ret.ext. in person you let me understand i made 9 x 30 000 baht =270 000 baht profit minus 9x 1900 baht , a 252000 baht profit , i would call that a nice figure to keep pocketed ????

(minus bank fee as  i forgot for bank letter )

 

THX Newbie  to remind me that ????????

Edited September 2, 2021 by david555

[robsamui]

Posted 13 minutes ago  7 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Do not generalise please. Walked into mine last week to do 90 day report...I was the only person there, in/out in less than 5 minutes.

22 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

How this statement can confuse 5 members confuses me!   lol

Erm . . . . because the comment you are 'replying' to is about seeing huge piles of passports in immigration offices from agents, and the bribery going on. You have stated three things in your reply, none of which are even remotely connected with 'bribery and corruption':-

1. You went to do a 90-day report (not to get an under-the-table visa extension)

2. You were the only person there (totally irrelevant)

3. You were in and out in less than five minutes  (utterly and totally irrelevant)

????

Has that helped to ease your total bewilderment at all?

[Liverpool Lou]

9 hours ago, fangless said:

9 hours ago, smedly said:

see the piles of foreign passports brought in there by agents from people getting 12 month extensions who don't meet the banking requirements and are paying bribes to bypass the rules

You have no way of knowing which of those passports is there from an agent who is doing a legitimate job or is bribing/breaking the rules. 

 Not all agency applications are fake.

Yes he does, it's a special ability so many Thaivisa posters have!

[Liverpool Lou]

9 hours ago, RafPinto said:

Immigration chief "Fortuner Bill" denied any wrongdoing.

He was given his nickname for his love of high end Toyota Fortuner.

Fortuner?  You've got a strange idea of what a high end car is.

[trainman34014]

They dare not punish anyone for what they see is a minor problem allowing themselves to be caught on camera.  Closing ranks is normal here, as if just one is seriously held to account for Corruption and severely punished they will sing like an injured bird and bring the whole institution down and that can't be allowed to happen.    Much easier to move someone to a smaller sleepy Village somewhere on the Border for a few months and be away from the mainstream 'goodies' whilst keeping his Salary and Pension rights intact.  They see this as adequate 'punishment' in such cases.

[david555]

Just now, trainman34014 said:

They dare not punish anyone for what they see is a minor problem allowing themselves to be caught on camera.  Closing ranks is normal here, as if just one is seriously held to account for Corruption and severely punished they will sing like an injured bird and bring the whole institution down and that can't be allowed to happen.    Much easier to move someone to a smaller sleepy Village somewhere on the Border for a few months and be away from the mainstream 'goodies' whilst keeping his Salary and Pension rights intact.  They see this as adequate 'punishment' in such cases.

Of course keeping them  away from the " agents cut "   ...., is indeed for those a punishment ....????

Edited September 2, 2021 by david555

[samtam]

3 hours ago, mitos said:

eVisa online services it's the only one  solutions to bribery, corruption, scam, and (so called) covid.

Yes, there are many fine examples of high quality IT systems in place in the wonderful world of Thai bureaucracy???? 

[billd766]

5 hours ago, crazykopite said:

If they issued receipts for monies paid that would be a starter there is no accounting method 500 baht for a letter confirming address no receipt 300 baht for photo copying  no receipt over stays no receipt the whole system stinks of corruption. I even had a friend who was taken to the ferry boat by a certain immigration officer

(now retired) via the atm and ended up paying the officer 10,000 so he could get his passport back and this was all done in front of my friends   Thai wife he told me on the ferry that the IO was demanding 20,000 I’d helped him with all his documents they were all 100% correct but my friend was a 70 year old vulnerable man .the same guy once tried to charge me 4,000 baht for a years 1,900 extension of stay but I told him very politely where to go 

I use Kamphaeng Phet Immigration which is a small office but quite farang friendly, very helpful and I always get a receipt for any monies paid.

[natway09]

The amazing thing is that they manage to keep a straight face throughout a press conference 

such as this  (even before masks), but pick up their share on their way out

[johnny49r]

10 hours ago, ChipButty said:

If you lived here 20 years ago that was normal

It's still normal and isn't likely to change anytime soon.

[Nanaplaza666]

9 hours ago, smedly said:

out of all the people I know that live here only two of them get their extensions without going through an agent and of those none of them have the funds in the bank and pay on average 15k for a 12 month extension - fact

Can you give me their agents info , 15k sounds like a bargain ????

[VBF]

8 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

Just the tip.

I love the p***ed off looks on the people behind the counter. There goes that revenue stream!. ????

[ThailandRyan]

But my passport always has a 1000 baht note inside of it behind a paperclip and behind my 90 day.  Never once has it been taken....they must like me.

Edited September 2, 2021 by ThailandRyan

[Count]

I guess we’ll have to WATCH and see what happens. TIME will tell if there’s any extortion, corruption or bribing going on. In GENERAL I’m sure there are a lot of lowlifes in third world governments not like the fine gentlemen in government here some of whom even have stellar military backgrounds.

[Harveyboy]

10 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

I have paid bribes to immigration officers before for a visa extension. 

haven't most of us   let them continue works for a lot of people who don't meet the criteria