So the arrival forms are now back

[grain]

I flew into DM a month ago and no arrival forms, but yesterday I entered at Friendship Bridge NK and they issued the arrival forms.

 

I also had a strange exchange with a female Imm officer there, she seemed like a nasty one who was in a bad mood. I have a retirement ext + re-entry visa, and she asked me rather sternly where I planned to go now. I was baffled as 40 years of entering Thailand at various points I've never been asked this. So I told her I'm stopping the night in a NK hotel and tomorrow I'll go to Pak Thong Chai. So she immediately asks me why I'm going to PTC. I said I live in PTC, I'm registered at Korat Imm, and asked her can't she see all that on her computer.  Anyway, that was that and off I went. But it seemed strange to me as I always thought I could go anywhere I bloody well pleased in Thailand.

[flexomike]

TM6 forms were only stopped at airports, land border crossings continued to use them

[orchis]

misleading title.

[proton]

53 minutes ago, flexomike said:

TM6 forms were only stopped at airports, land border crossings continued to use them

Anyone know why still on land?

[2baht]

1 hour ago, grain said:

she seemed like a nasty one who was in a bad mood.

Inferiority complex! Exerting the power of the uniform!

[DrJack54]

19 minutes ago, proton said:

Anyone know why still on land?

The reason given for suspending it at the airports was to ease process times with io.

 

Not such an issue at border crossings 

[kelboy]

Yep only land borders 

[Mike Teavee]

2 hours ago, grain said:

I also had a strange exchange with a female Imm officer there, she seemed like a nasty one who was in a bad mood

I think I had the same IO at NK, I wouldn't say she was nasty, just very diligent in her job but  I could tell she was frustrated at the number of Laos people who exited Thailand & then did an immediate U-Turn to try to re-enter... All were told to go away & come back later.  

 

She did (Politely) ask me what Province I lived in & when I told her Chonburi she jotted it down on my arrival form (I had put my address but hadn't put the province), stamped everything correctly (am also on a Non-IMM O with a Re-Entry permit) & returned my passport with no attitude.  

 

TM6's were never stopped at land borders. 

 

[Mike Teavee]

1 hour ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

anyone got any info on mae sai border/ burma for a exempt stamp...I read its open now but not sure for whom...articles are vague, as usual...

Mae Sot has re-opened but when I visited Mae Sai 6 weeks back it was still closed... 

 

Thread on Mae Sot re-opening here 

 

 

[RandiRona]

1 hour ago, 2baht said:

Inferiority complex! Exerting the power of the uniform!

Or PMS.  

[BritTim]

3 hours ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

anyone got any info on mae sai border/ burma for a exempt stamp...I read its open now but not sure for whom...articles are vague, as usual...

 

1 hour ago, Mike Teavee said:

Mae Sot has re-opened but when I visited Mae Sai 6 weeks back it was still closed... 

 

Thread on Mae Sot re-opening here 

Mai Sai recently reopened to foreigners. See https://aseannow.com/topic/1288241-mae-sai-border-bounce/?do=findComment&comment=17944916 for all the details.

[metisdead]

A post with a link to a disallowed source has been removed:

 

16. The Bangkok Post, Khaosod, Pattaya Mail, Phuket News and the Thaiger do not allow quotes from their news articles or other material to appear on ASEAN NOW. Neither do they allow links to their publications. Posts from members containing quotes from or links to the Bangkok Post, Khaosod, Pattaya Mail, Phuket News and the Thaiger publications will be deleted from the forum. These restrictions are put in place by the above publications, not by ASEAN NOW. In rare cases, forum administrators or the news team may use these sources under special permission.

[PETERTHEEATER]

6 hours ago, proton said:

Anyone know why still on land?

It enables an entry tracking number to be entered on the database.

Arrival by Air they seem to be using data rom the Boarding Pass, i.e. light Number/Date.

By sea?Who knows

[n00dle]

7 hours ago, grain said:

But it seemed strange to me as I always thought I could go anywhere I bloody well pleased in Thailand.

where did she suggest you coudnt?

[Yellowtail]

I know in the US the occasionally ask a brusk question just to get your reaction.

[DrJack54]

13 minutes ago, n00dle said:

where did she suggest you coudnt?

The OP has a reentry permit and annual extension.

The immigration officer was being stupid.

Unnecessary questions.

Power trip. Nothing more. 

[Yellowtail]

I think a lot of them just like to chat a bit. 

[n00dle]

1 minute ago, DrJack54 said:

The OP has a reentry permit and annual extension.

The immigration officer was being stupid.

Unnecessary questions.

Power trip. Nothing more. 

I really cant see anything that indicates she was on a power trip. It reads more to me like the OP was simply offended that she asked.

[DrJack54]

3 minutes ago, n00dle said:

I really cant see anything that indicates she was on a power trip. It reads more to me like the OP was simply offended that she asked.

I would also.

Seems to be an expat living in Thailand given has an annual extension and reentry permit.

 

Her questions were not required. 

Surprised she didn't ask if could show 20k to support his stay.

The io was being a j erk

[Yellowtail]

2 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

I would also.

Seems to be an expat living in Thailand given has an annual extension and reentry permit.

 

Her questions were not required. 

Surprised she didn't ask if could show 20k to support his stay.

The io was being a j erk

Were they forbidden? She asked him where he was going and why, and it sounds like dude gave her a bit of attitude. 

 

If they ask you something they can see on the screen, all they are doing is checking to see if what you say matches what they see on the screen. 

 

It's no wonder so many people seem to have so much difficulty dealing with the civil servants here. 

[n00dle]

3 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

I would also.

Seems to be an expat living in Thailand given has an annual extension and reentry permit.

that is a rather entitled attitude.

to my knowledge, a visa is not a guarantee of entry, and an immigration officer has the discretion to ask questions or even refuse entry. 

Even the country I am a citizen of asks me questions when I present at immigration.

I don't see where this officer has committed any foul. The OP was not delayed or inconvenienced in any way. 

[DrJack54]

5 minutes ago, n00dle said:

my knowledge, a visa is not a guarantee of entry, and an immigration officer has the discretion to ask questions or even refuse entry

The answer to the questions were already on the TM6 form.

 

Entering visa exempt with extensive history in Thailand using visa exempt entries with extensions all back to back and very short stay out of Thailand then fair enough.

 

The OP has annual extension with reentry permit.

The io was blowing hot air.

Not uncommon. 

Edited March 17, 2023 by DrJack54

[DrJack54]

9 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

She asked him where he was going and why.......

And what if he gave the real answer.

Going to UT staying Top Mansion and going for some beers in Day/Night bar area for some take home.

Surprised she didn't ask for his LINE. 

[Letseng]

8 hours ago, proton said:

Anyone know why still on land?

Why does the reason matter? You got to do it regardless. ????

[AlbionBob]

A friend of mine, on a world cruise, alighted at Laem Chabang a few days ago for a two-day stopover.  Didn’t have to go through any immigration, didn’t have to fill in any forms or show passport or anything - just walked off the boat, caught a bus and was in Pattaya half an hour later !  Seems strange given all the rigmarole the rest of us have to go through !

[Yellowtail]

Just now, AlbionBob said:

A friend of mine, on a world cruise, alighted at Laem Chabang a few days ago for a two-day stopover.  Didn’t have to go through any immigration, didn’t have to fill in any forms or show passport or anything - just walked off the boat, caught a bus and was in Pattaya half an hour later !  Seems strange given all the rigmarole the rest of us have to go through !

That was not the case when My aunt and uncle got off a cruise at Lat Krabang. They got processed off the boat, and back on. We picked them up and drove them around patts and whatnot then took them back. They got us on the boat for lunch and a tour, it was great. That must have been 14-15 years ago.

 

Could not talk my wife into taking a cruise before that, but after she saw the ship and the buffet we went on one every few years since.

[stevenl]

12 minutes ago, AlbionBob said:

A friend of mine, on a world cruise, alighted at Laem Chabang a few days ago for a two-day stopover.  Didn’t have to go through any immigration, didn’t have to fill in any forms or show passport or anything - just walked off the boat, caught a bus and was in Pattaya half an hour later !  Seems strange given all the rigmarole the rest of us have to go through !

I think immigration procedures are already done by cruise staff ahead of time.

[thailand49]

Maybe you heard Her wrong?  

Maybe she meant " where you go "  I get this a lot after a good massage maybe she moonlighting? ????

[grain]

11 hours ago, flexomike said:

TM6 forms were only stopped at airports, land border crossings continued to use them

OK, thanks I wasn't aware of that. So my post is useless. Maybe a mod can delete it.

[Yellowtail]

3 hours ago, stevenl said:

I think immigration procedures are already done by cruise staff ahead of time.

Not sure, but it has been my experience they just bring a few customs staff to the boat.