Dutch Woman Arrested at Phuket Airport Claims Immigration Officer Forgot to Stamp Her Passport on Entry

[webfact]

 

By Goongnang Suksawat

 

Phuket – The Dutch woman who was arrested at the Phuket International Airport last week in a case that went viral claims she did nothing wrong and it was because an Immigration Officer forgot to put a stamp on her passport.

 

The Telegraaf reports that the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the woman has received assistance from the Netherlands Embassy for this case.

 

The woman said she was detained for five days and it was a nightmare for her when, according to her, she did nothing wrong. She claims when she entered Thailand recently an Immigration Officer forgot to stamp her passport.

 

Full story: https://thephuketexpress.com/2023/04/04/update-dutch-woman-arrested-at-phuket-airport-claims-immigration-officer-forgot-to-stamp-her-passport-on-entry/

 

-- © Copyright The Phuket Express 2023-04-05

 

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[ukrules]

19 minutes ago, webfact said:

She claims when she entered Thailand recently an Immigration Officer forgot to stamp her passport.

Yep, I can believe this 100% and they will have the flight arrival data and CCTV to prove it as well.

 

Blaming the tourist seems to be the first and last step in any solution to a problem here.

 

I bet they kick her out and blacklist her to make this story go away.

I wonder what happened to the other Dutch dude who got arrested for the same thing?

 

I also wonder how many others are out there with missing stamps in their passport blissfully unaware of what awaits them when they turn up at the airport to go home....

[StayinThailand2much]

Interesting. If one or both are still in Thailand and not deported, probably they are correct. Still, having the right visa (stamp) is the responsibility of the traveller, even if one IO 'forgot' to stamp some passports of a flight from the Netherlands.

[pomchop]

Rule 1:  Always check to see what date/stamp etc is put or not put  in your passport before you leave immigration no matter what country you are entering.

 

Rule 2:  See rule 1.

[huyuli]

1 hour ago, pomchop said:

Rule 1:  Always check to see what date/stamp etc is put or not put  in your passport before you leave immigration no matter what country you are entering.

 

Rule 2:  See rule 1.

I know it can happen so always check.

[ikke1959]

People can make mistakes, but these are serious ones, as immigration is an Government institution. To treat people like this for a possible mistake they made is a bit too much. Tourists are no criminals...and probably 2 times, and who knows how many times more, which are withold from the news. Shows the incompetence of a tourist destination

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The woman said she was detained for five days and it was a nightmare for her when, according to her, she did nothing wrong. She claims when she entered Thailand recently an Immigration Officer forgot to stamp her passport.

Detained 5 days for an internal mistake... Jeez

 

[hotchilli]

1 hour ago, pomchop said:

Rule 1:  Always check to see what date/stamp etc is put or not put  in your passport before you leave immigration no matter what country you are entering.

 

Rule 2:  See rule 1.

In my first year in Thailand I had a multi entry visa, I did a border hop into Cambodia for a 90 day renewal, checked my stamp when coming back into Thailand they gave me 30 days.
As I walked away from the officer I checked the date, Immediately turned beck to the same officer and asked for 90 days... 

He made me wait 30 minutes before giving the passport back, the evil eye was something to behold.

[Darksidedude]

So what is the use of the chip in the passport, surely it must be electronically inputted like automatically?

 

lot of country's dont stamp passports anymore anyway if shes says this is her case she would have flight evidence and request for CCTV

[ChipButty]

I find it bit over the top, this could easily be sorted out, the article doesn't mention if she landed at the airport or not, if she did then her ticket would show what date she landed, 

To be locked up for 5 days is a bit to much,

It would be good to hear her story about the nightmare 

[pomchop]

35 minutes ago, huyuli said:

I know it can happen so always check.

I had it happen when they were off my a month on how long i was allowed to stay...checked it before leaving and they promptly fixed it and it appeared to me a supervisor was giving the guy who screwed up an earful as i walked away....better safe than sorry

[VinnieK]

5 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

I find it bit over the top, this could easily be sorted out, the article doesn't mention if she landed at the airport or not, if she did then her ticket would show what date she landed, 

To be locked up for 5 days is a bit to much,

It would be good to hear her story about the nightmare 

Exactly...they don't tell us the date of arrival, or if they did a visa run to a certain border..

 

[orchis]

even without a stamp they would have electronic records

[ChipButty]

It happened to me in Ranong I didn't find out until I got to Burma I had to go all the way back to get a stamp, I know I should have looked but I didn't, 

[jaideedave]

27 minutes ago, pomchop said:

I had it happen when they were off my a month on how long i was allowed to stay...checked it before leaving and they promptly fixed it and it appeared to me a supervisor was giving the guy who screwed up an earful as i walked away....better safe than sorry

Years ago I was doing a border hop and met a fellow Canuck on the bus doing the same thing.After the formalities at the border the agent passed out the passports.He said "Canada" I took the pp from him. I never thought much about it and a few minutes later I opened the main page and realized it wasn't mine , it was the other dudes.Potential disaster had we parted ways as he never even looked at his.

[quake]

3 hours ago, ukrules said:

Blaming the tourist seems to be the first and last step in any solution to a problem here.

Thailand is now the blame game culture capital of the world.

How sad and childish,  they have become. 

 

[NorthernRyland]

If Thailand actually had the brain power to build and operate computer systems this wouldn't be happening. All of this monkey work of stamping paper can be automated so easily in 2023. That's the real crime here.

[Peterphuket]

That was what already reported in the Dutch newspapers last week.

[Smokey and the Bandit]

3 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Interesting. If one or both are still in Thailand and not deported, probably they are correct. Still, having the right visa (stamp) is the responsibility of the traveller, even if one IO 'forgot' to stamp some passports of a flight from the Netherlands.

Whilst you may be correct? Immigration Officers never make mistakes?????????

[PETERTHEEATER]

1 hour ago, orchis said:

even without a stamp they would have electronic records

Exactly. Forget the stamp.  The Entry IO would have entered the woman's details onto the Immigration database along with digital face image and fingerprints. With no entry stamp in her PP. an IO at Departure would enter her PP number to find her entry details. If she's not on the database it indicates she may have entered illegally. What is the true story?

[KhunBENQ]

1 hour ago, orchis said:

even without a stamp they would have electronic records

Detaining for 5 days without even checking electronic data? Unbelievable.

The stamp is just the final confirmation.

Did they think she waded across a river?

[stevenl]

4 hours ago, ukrules said:

Yep, I can believe this 100% and they will have the flight arrival data and CCTV to prove it as well.

 

Blaming the tourist seems to be the first and last step in any solution to a problem here.

 

I bet they kick her out and blacklist her to make this story go away.

I wonder what happened to the other Dutch dude who got arrested for the same thing?

 

I also wonder how many others are out there with missing stamps in their passport blissfully unaware of what awaits them when they turn up at the airport to go home....

I understood from his story they entered at sadao.

[mikeymike100]

So she would have had her fingerprints taken and picture taken at the IO booth, she would have shown her boarding pass to the IO and the IO 'forgot' to stamp her passport?

Then she is locked up for 5 days because its all her fault?

They should be thanking for showing how mistakes happen and doing something about it!

Amazing Thailand........???

[Smokey and the Bandit]

9 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

So she would have had her fingerprints taken and picture taken at the IO booth, she would have shown her boarding pass to the IO and the IO 'forgot' to stamp her passport?

Then she is locked up for 5 days because its all her fault?

They should be thanking for showing how mistakes happen and doing something about it!

Amazing Thailand........???

Won't happen, in Thailand, only those pesky foreigners make mistakes?????

[VinnieK]

42 minutes ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

Exactly. Forget the stamp.  The Entry IO would have entered the woman's details onto the Immigration database along with digital face image and fingerprints. With no entry stamp in her PP. an IO at Departure would enter her PP number to find her entry details. If she's not on the database it indicates she may have entered illegally. What is the true story?

I lean on the illegal entry theory.

They did a border run and refused re-entry..then just walked into Thailand.

The chaos at some border crossings is crazy.

Nobody  at the main gate to check ins and outs.

[brianthainess]

Don't Airlines keep a manifest of passengers on flights ? this is all double Dutch to me, any IO making this mistake should be put in detention X2 the amount of time the poor unsuspecting tourist is. There are some who have never traveled before and don't know about checking their stamp or even if they get one, IO hands back your PP, put it back in your safe place, off you go all excited to start your holiday. They need SIGNS at the all Immigration points.

DUE TO THE IMCOMPADANCE  of our staff,

please CHECK YOUR PP STAMP. 

[StayinThailand2much]

4 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

To treat people like this for a possible mistake they made is a bit too much. Tourists are no criminals...and probably 2 times, and who knows how many times more, which are withold from the news. 

Not to mention, shooting themselves into the foot. Those two Dutch tourists will tell their friends and relatives that they were locked up and treated like criminals, which may cost Thailand dozens of future tourists, and loss of tourism income, esp. for small businesses in Thailand.

[StayinThailand2much]

2 hours ago, Smokey and the Bandit said:

Whilst you may be correct? Immigration Officers never make mistakes?????????

One forgotten entry stamp is a mistake, but two (or more) from the same flight (?) is incompetence.

[jak2002003]

3 hours ago, quake said:

Thailand is now the blame game culture capital of the world.

How sad and childish,  they have become. 

 

It's the hub of 'it's always someone else's fault'. And 'we never admit to our mistakes'. 

[xtrnuno41]

The chip in passport isnt readable for all countries. I believe Dutch chip can only be read by Dutch airport, military police, and nowhere else. I ll bet they (Dutch government)misuse this for many purposes.

EU is now working, they say, on a digital passport, on phone (app?) Any other country can see then? No more officers, but reading equipment for check and "auto  digital stamp"? Lovely AI systems doing that work? You are in a space for check and when the AI says, not good, the there is an auto lock in then?

Wonder how long that will take.

Thailand has already visa application on line. I red, "my " country wants the same, but it will take up to 2027 to get it?! Not amazing Thailand , but Netherlands.

 

The guy and the woman were  a couple and therefor had the same problem.

Coming in from Malaysia.

But i recall a case, really many years ago, from the USA, where 2 Dutch also went to prison for overstaying visa. They were put in jail amongst really heavy prisoners, not for 5 days but weeks. So it is not just Thailand, guess it happens in more countries, but you dont always hear.