Thailand vacation turns to three days in transit hell courtesy of Thai immigration.

[4MyEgo]

7 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

Some inconsistences in the  story, but nevertheless a dreadful experience. Thais tend to treat expat Thais worse than they treat foreign nationals.

I would think if the expat Thai took in too much air having lived in another country and then behaved like a farang here, they would have treated him even worse then a farang, which could be the case.

 

That said, Thai's always look at a way to help each other solve issues, staying calm and being respectful, but as I said before, click bait IMO.

[The Hammer2021]

2 hours ago, Smokey and the Bandit said:

You may have have found some inconsistencies the OP's comment, but "Thai Bashing" are you serious??

It's not Thai bashing. Its a great advert for Amazing Thailand.

[Nickelbeer]

Bottom line:  Thai authorities do not care what the OP thinks and certainly not what farang tourists and expats think. They are a law unto themselves. Absolutely no recourse.

[SteveAZ]

I have never seen a Covid-19 test result that doesn’t indicate the type of test it was. It’s invalid if it’s not stated to what method was used. Why would anyone with a Thai passport be stopped by immigration?! Story

15 hours ago, Chelseafan said:

Sorry to hear of your troubles but I am surprised that you didn't check the lab report to ensure it stated PCR. I am also surprised that the Lab. didn't have the sense to add PCR onto the report. 

 

Being half Thai you will know how obsessed bureaucrats are about paperwork and if it aint correct there's very little you can do. Perhaps you could go back to the airlines as they are supposed to check that your paperwork was in order before boarding but I don't think you will get anywhere

 

No such thing as a PCR lab test result in that leaves off the methodology 

[spidermike007]

Astonishing hubris, arrogance and ignorance. ATK tests are clearly stated. Beyond the pale. The airlines know alot more than these local creeps, and they would not have allowed you to board, without being confident it was a PCR result. 

 

Many of us hope you post this story everywhere you possibly can online and the posts go viral. The only way change or progress happens here, is from major egg on the face and utter humiliation. These govt. cretins seem incapable of learning. 

[Chelseafan]

34 minutes ago, SteveAZ said:

I have never seen a Covid-19 test result that doesn’t indicate the type of test it was. It’s invalid if it’s not stated to what method was used. Why would anyone with a Thai passport be stopped by immigration?! Story

No such thing as a PCR lab test result in that leaves off the methodology 

And you've checked every single lab rest report in every country in the world to know this. Bravo sir. 

[Paradise Pete]

4 hours ago, internationalism said:

 

 

personally I would not put too much attention to a poster who just happen to register to post his terrible story    

And who would rather go through that amount of discomfort instead of paying 16k baht.

[GinBoy2]

16 hours ago, Chelseafan said:

Sorry to hear of your troubles but I am surprised that you didn't check the lab report to ensure it stated PCR. I am also surprised that the Lab. didn't have the sense to add PCR onto the report. 

 

Being half Thai you will know how obsessed bureaucrats are about paperwork and if it aint correct there's very little you can do. Perhaps you could go back to the airlines as they are supposed to check that your paperwork was in order before boarding but I don't think you will get anywhere

 

Please don't blame the airline staff.

 

I work for Delta, and when we check folks in the requirements are mind boggling confusing, and they change constantly.

 

I was checking in a lady in the other day, and literally the screen changed as I was processing her.

 

She was a transit passenger through Amsterdam, and there transit rules just ramped up

[The Hammer2021]

4 hours ago, connda said:

Some of us keep warning you folks not to come here.  Then you come and we hear the horror stories. 
What can we say?  "Told you so?"  To late for that 'eh?  Very sorry to hear but not surprised in the least.

Are you here now? If so why?

In your universe- do you really think that the thousands of people who come to Thailand again and again and really enjoy themselves take any notice of you or have ever heard of you?

I'm sorry to inform you but you are not very important to the travelling public..

[The Hammer2021]

The OP must learn from this awful experience and not make the same mistake again. Whatever he did wrong he ruined both his girlfriend's and mother's holiday and must take some responsibility for it.

Edited February 14, 2022 by The Hammer2021

[JideeS]

When we went through Abu Dabi, Etihad had no problem with the COVID report

 

As for the hotel it was to be 52000 baht minimum for a hotel but there were none under 85000 baht. Her math was off but still a ridiculous amount….. and that is each

 

the COVID report says…. test type: NAA

this means “nucleic acid analysis” it’s a DNA test to determine if you are positive for COVID

[kennw]

5 hours ago, EricTh said:

@JideeS

 

I am shocked that Thailand treats foreigners this way, they should at least let you be able to order food and water via the restaurants at the airport.

 

Maybe you should complain to the Thai embassy back in your home country.

 

The problem with the USA is that most non-government documents even the vaccination record is hand-written which is open to fraud, so I can understand why Thai immigration didn't accept it.

 

I thought you can only get the Thailand Pass if the PCR test was valid before boarding the plane? 

 

Not correct, the Thai pass only requires that your insurance and AS hotel booking are fully paid and you are fully vax'd. 

Re the PQR test you must show the airline that you meet the Thai PQR entry requirements. For Thai it is a negative PQR taken within 72 hrs of departure, BUT if you transit somewhere they may require a shorter period. Singapore is 48 hrs. And for flights to the USA it is 24 hrs. 

[Chelseafan]

1 hour ago, GinBoy2 said:

Please don't blame the airline staff.

 

I work for Delta, and when we check folks in the requirements are mind boggling confusing, and they change constantly.

 

I was checking in a lady in the other day, and literally the screen changed as I was processing her.

 

She was a transit passenger through Amsterdam, and there transit rules just ramped up

I'm not blaming any particular person per se but what is the point of the document checks if these things are being missed. I understand the pressures that airline staff are going through but it's no different to a lot of us. I'm in retail and have to deal with rules changing all the time, not to mention BREXIT regulations, mistakes I make could cost the company millions. I do feel that the airline, in this particular instance (and if the story is true) should go a little way to compensate this indivdual.

 

[Chelseafan]

4 hours ago, Cake Monster said:

Its not procedures Thailand needs. God knows, there are enough of those already.

What Thailand needs is a change of Mindset.

That'll take generations and needs to start in school...

 

[Lemsta69]

12 hours ago, CharlieH said:

Terrible state of affairs !

 

As usual boils down to PAY THE MONEY !

I am beginning to think the whole damn thing is nothing to do with health, its just another money grab.

Any excuse to find fault to get the money.

As wrong as it is, I bet an envelope would have resolved the issue, as  MONEY rules.

 

yes the service he got from the lab in the USA was terrible! why can't they just write 'RT-PCR' in big letters to avoid any doubt? thank goodness I tried to Thailand indeed of that appalling third world country ????

[skatewash]

1 minute ago, Lemsta69 said:

yes the service he got from the lab in the USA was terrible! why can't they just write 'RT-PCR' in big letters to avoid any doubt? thank goodness I tried to Thailand indeed of that appalling third world country ????

Yes, OP hasn't responded to my question about what was written on the lab results, but it boggles the mind why if it were an RT-PCR test it wouldn't state that clearly and concisely.  That's the term of art that is used by airlines and immigration agencies around the world.  Getting these tests is a not insignificant industry and why they would not use the standard nomenclature (if indeed it was an RT-PCR test) is very hard to understand.  Barring that mistake there is simply no problem.  Every bad thing that happened after that is a cascade from that initial error.  One of the reasons I wish to know the name of that hospital or lab so I never use their services in the future.

[SiSePuede419]

19 hours ago, JideeS said:

They absolutely will not let us enter due to not being able to comprehend that this was a lab report that can’t be altered to say PCR

That's your problem.  Thailand requires a PCR test.

 

Why would a PCR test not say PCR?

 

Before you took the test, you should have verified that.

 

[steven100]

You didn't read the fine print   ?   risk involved    !!!     hence you gambled with travel at this precarious time andyou paid the price.

 

sorry for your demise,  try when it's not such a risk.

[Lemsta69]

2 hours ago, JideeS said:

When we went through Abu Dabi, Etihad had no problem with the COVID report

 

As for the hotel it was to be 52000 baht minimum for a hotel but there were none under 85000 baht. Her math was off but still a ridiculous amount….. and that is each

 

the COVID report says…. test type: NAA

this means “nucleic acid analysis” it’s a DNA test to determine if you are positive for COVID

there's your problem right there. Thailand wants an "RT-PCR" test not an "NAA" test. even if they're the same thing it's beside the point. Thai immi aren't scientists.

 

if I were you I'd be suing the American lab for damages.

Edited February 14, 2022 by Lemsta69

[jcmj]

I had the same thing happen to me with the Test and Go. The test in America said Covid Negative but it didn’t state RT-PCR I t was every other name in the book. They tried to tell me I had to go back on the next flight but I said No and after a few discussions they offered me to do a test there for 3,000 baht and wait an hour for results. So I did that and was off to the hotel where they tested me again. Anyway I guess it’s who you’re dealing with and how you handle it. 

[NanLaew]

I used the first version of Thailand Pass last Fall and I recall there being a specific instruction that the PCR test should clearly state either "PCR" or even better "RT-PCR" on the test certificate. I made extensive inquiries both at Randox when I was optioning their UK airport test-and-fly and also reconfirmed this precise wording would be included in the certificate from the local travel test clinic that I eventually ended up using.

 

Looks like the OP overlooked this basic requirement that isn't unique to Thailand either.

[Lemsta69]

43 minutes ago, skatewash said:

Yes, OP hasn't responded to my question about what was written on the lab results, but it boggles the mind why if it were an RT-PCR test it wouldn't state that clearly and concisely.  That's the term of art that is used by airlines and immigration agencies around the world.  Getting these tests is a not insignificant industry and why they would not use the standard nomenclature (if indeed it was an RT-PCR test) is very hard to understand.  Barring that mistake there is simply no problem.  Every bad thing that happened after that is a cascade from that initial error.  One of the reasons I wish to know the name of that hospital or lab so I never use their services in the future.

this topic came up last year when I was researching my current trip that started on 1 December.  according to certain respected members a PCR test is not the same as an RT-PCR test. the latter uses something called reverse transcription to convert RNA into DNA. SARS-CoV-2 doesn't contain DNA therefore the only possible PCR test that can be performed is an RT-PCR test. so for 'all intensive purposes' the terms are interchangeable viz Covid.

 

this was apparently why some labs, eg. at LHR, were advertising their tests as "PCR" instead of "RT-PCR". supposedly the whole world was supposed to know the above explanation and it was all the fault of check-in clerks and ignorant immigration officials that their "PCR" tests weren't being accepted.

 

OR they could just write "RT-PCR" in both their advertising and on the test results and save everybody a lot of grief.

 

thankfully I had time on my hands to research all that nonsense before I left and was able to pre-confirm with the Sydney lab I chose to use that their result would clearly state "RT-PCR" (they were too dumb to put a sample test result on their website but their price was significantly lower than the other labs).

 

the OP has been really poorly treated by the US lab and as noted above I reckon he should sue them for damages if he can prove that he told them the test was required for travel to Thailand.

[The Hammer2021]

3 hours ago, Nickelbeer said:

Bottom line:  Thai authorities do not care what the OP thinks and certainly not what farang tourists and expats think. They are a law unto themselves. Absolutely no recourse.

This might be true: no authorities anywhere in the world care about such individuals-try arguments with American immigration or China or..(please add the country of your origin here).AUTHORITIES do not care..Why would they? How could they?

[michael888]

Nightmare.  Its all a giant money grab.  Not worth traveling to Thailand at the moment.  Useless insurance, forced stays at garbage hotels - despicable practices capitalizing on the misfortune of others

[The Hammer2021]

3 minutes ago, jcmj said:

I had the same thing happen to me with the Test and Go. The test in America said Covid Negative but it didn’t state RT-PCR I t was every other name in the book. They tried to tell me I had to go back on the next flight but I said No and after a few discussions they offered me to do a test there for 3,000 baht and wait an hour for results. So I did that and was off to the hotel where they tested me again. Anyway I guess it’s who you’re dealing with and how you handle it. 

'and how you handle it'

[The Hammer2021]

Just now, michael888 said:

Nightmare.  Its all a giant money grab.  Not worth traveling to Thailand at the moment.  Useless insurance, forced stays at garbage hotels - despicable practices capitalizing on the misfortune of others

Have you had any personal experience of this kind of situation?

[NanLaew]

56 minutes ago, Lemsta69 said:

yes the service he got from the lab in the USA was terrible! why can't they just write 'RT-PCR' in big letters to avoid any doubt? thank goodness I tried to Thailand indeed of that appalling third world country ????

Because...

 

2 hours ago, JideeS said:

the COVID report says…. test type: NAA

this means “nucleic acid analysis” it’s a DNA test to determine if you are positive for COVID

Which means it is NOT and never will be an RT-PCR test.

 

[NanLaew]

3 hours ago, Chelseafan said:

And you've checked every single lab rest report in every country in the world to know this. Bravo sir. 

Last year, I had work in Korea and Malaysia and both countries entry permissions, in the same way as Thailand, stated the test must be RT-PCR and the test certificate must state this. I think it may also have been a requirement for my entry to the UK late last year.

 

TBH I have never heard of the OP's 'NAA' test before.

[The Hammer2021]

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Astonishing hubris, arrogance and ignorance. ATK tests are clearly stated. Beyond the pale. The airlines know alot more than these local creeps, and they would not have allowed you to board, without being confident it was a PCR result. 

 

Many of us hope you post this story everywhere you possibly can online and the posts go viral. The only way change or progress happens here, is from major egg on the face and utter humiliation. These govt. cretins seem incapable of learning. 

Or alternatively the OP could arrive with the correct documentation...

[keysersoze276]

OMG!!!!  What a terrible story!  You should tell this to a much, much wider audience than AseanNow. Like USA Today and Good morning America. Ellen DeGenerus (sp?), hell…tell it to the world. This insanity has got to stop!