currently stuck in Phuket airport (denied entry)

[SAFETY FIRST]

18 hours ago, siwiek said:

And before trolls come, no I didn't have drugs, no I'm not lying about anything, and no I didn't do back to back border runs. I was in Thailand for several months early in the year, followed all rules and laws, that's it....

 

Show us a photo of you standing in line, why did they single you out? 

Are you dressed sensibly, groomed well, etc.? 

 

Some people look like and act like troublemakers, immigration have been trained to identify problem people, have a good look at yourself.

 

What is acceptable in your home country may not be acceptable in Thailand. 

 

We are seeing more and more weirdo foreigners coming to Thailand these days, they are just protecting their country. 

 

Is this a case of the 'why me' syndrome? 

 

Too many foreigners arriving with what I've described above or have mental health issues or similar. 

 

Edited December 12, 2023 by SAFETY FIRST

[Ralf001]

8 hours ago, Chris Daley said:

They only let Hell's Angels gang members in now.  They always have proof of funds.

 

The 40,000 new arrivals ar Phuket airport daily are all Hells Angels ?

[asf6]

7 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Show us a photo of you standing in line, why did they single you out? 

Are you dressed sensibly, groomed well, etc.? 

 

Some people look like and act like troublemakers, immigration have been trained to identify problem people, have a good look at yourself, what is acceptable in your home country may not be acceptable in Thailand. 

 

 

I wonder if we have misunderstood what the OP meant when he wrote "picks me out of the line". Perhaps the OP was actually at the immigration desk at the time the IO spoke to him and then the IO took the OP from there to somewhere else - rather than being in the middle of a queue and suddenly being pulled out. Being at the desk would make more sense because the IO would have the OP's travel history in front of him and would be more likely to be in a position deem denial of entry would be best. 

 

 @siwiek Can you clarify the situation and confirm if you were actually at the IO's desk at the time he took you aside, please? 

[CartagenaWarlock]

OP had a simple solution. Get a "wify" visa in Savannakhet and enter or exit as many times as you want. Instead, OP wanted to take short cuts by entering visa exempt multiple times. 

[Skipalongcassidy]

Another rules, what rules, this is me syndrome.  I have found that in travelling around the world that if one follows the rules one rarely has a problem... the only problem that I ever had was returning to the USA from Columbia back in the day when the dog sniffed me out... I had sat next to a "mule" on the plane and the smell had transferred to my pant leg.

[SAFETY FIRST]

43 minutes ago, asf6 said:

 

I wonder if we have misunderstood what the OP meant when he wrote "picks me out of the line". Perhaps the OP was actually at the immigration desk at the time the IO spoke to him and then the IO took the OP from there to somewhere else - rather than being in the middle of a queue and suddenly being pulled out. Being at the desk would make more sense because the IO would have the OP's travel history in front of him and would be more likely to be in a position deem denial of entry would be best. 

 

 @siwiek Can you clarify the situation and confirm if you were actually at the IO's desk at the time he took you aside, please? 

Perhaps, maybes etc should be banned from this forum. 

 

It is what it is, he meant what he wrote 'in line'. 

 

Some comments on AN, people just want to make up little stories. 

 

PERHAPS he wasn't at Phuket at all, maybe he stuck in Afghanistan or Sri Lanka 🤔

 

Edited December 12, 2023 by SAFETY FIRST

[Smokey and the Bandit]

1 hour ago, asf6 said:

My guess is that the IO only wanted to see the OP's boarding passes so he knew (and had evidence of) exactly which flight the OP had arrived on, so presumably Immigration could then return the OP from where he came. 

I can understand asking for the boarding pass for the flight into Thailand, I have been asked before when entering, but previous boarding passes, doesn't make any sense.

Most people, including Myself do not keep a bunch pf boarding passes with them, once you have entered the respective country you discard it!

[asf6]

3 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Perhaps, maybes etc should be banned from this forum. 

 

It is what it is, he meant what he wrote 'in line'. 

 

Some comments on AN, people just want to make up little stories. 

 

PERHAPS he wasn't at Phuket at all, maybe he was Afghanistan or Sri Lanka 🤔

 

 

Maybe you're right, SAFETY FIRST, maybe you aren't. Siwiek can let us know. 

 

I would like clarification on one part of the OP that seems unusual to see what they really meant. There's nothing wrong with that. 

[BusyB]

17 hours ago, OJAS said:

 

Which I believe he can do by submitting a completed TM11 form:

 

https://www.immigration.go.th/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/8.อุทธรณ์คำสั่งของพนักงานเจ้าหน้าที่ที่ให้เดินทางออกนอกราชอาณาจักร-ตม.11.pdf

 

Definitely a form which he should sign IMHO!

 

 

That's a handy bit of paper to carry tucked away in a side pouch of the old laptop case ;D

[BusyB]

13 hours ago, siwiek said:

Thanks for all the help. I haven't been able to respond to everything but here's a summary:

 

I refused to sign the confession despite the IO getting in my face multiple times and screaming at me and also locking me and another guy in a holding room for 2 hours. 

 

He then had his intern girls tell me that I was going to have my passport blacklisted but wouldn't let me see it. The girls told me to book a ticket asap back to Kuala Lumpur which was my transfer airport between Indonesia and Phuket. 

 

Anyway the IO was lying, no such blacklist stamp in my passport after Air Asia gave it back to me. I think he's trying to hide from legal liability because he knows this entire thing was just Thai temper from losing face after my boarding passes were proven not fake like he accused me of.

 

I can't overstate how crazy this IO was acting literally running around screaming at various people. He must be the supervisor because he was not at a booth.

 

Now I'm stuck in KL airport because despite their police being very nice and professional and Air Asia being awesome throughout this, the official policy is that I can't pass into Malaysia for 1 week apparently. So they have instructed me to find another outgoing flight anywhere, but it should be Air Asia. I can't leave this terminal.

 

Be grateful you've got the funds and time to see this through and make the best of it.

 

Choose a nice place to go to and decompress for a few days. Vietnam seems like a cool gig for a short notice side trip while you work out what to do next. 

[Dan O]

6 hours ago, siwiek said:

Thanks everyone.  After 4 hours finally heard back from the visa agent with friends in BKK Immigration. They checked my profile and it says in the computer that I shouldn't be allowed into Thailand for the rest of 2023 because I've been coming too often on tourist stamps. But apparently in 2024 it resets and I'm not blacklisted. So this IO decided to keep me away from my family for Christmas for a few weeks before the 2024 reset, even though I haven't been in Thailand for 5 months, and then lied to scare me saying I was blacklisted for up to a year. 

 

Absolute hero visa agent, she saved me a pointless trip to BKK for Christmas. I actually already paid for a ticket for tomorrow but the booking failed (luckily) and they will refund me tomorrow. I still have no idea why KL police told me to not leave the terminal. Air Asia has gone home already, and I have my passport with no "deportee" warning or anything so pretty sure I could pass immigration out to the streets of KL right now but I won't, to avoid problems.

 

No food, water, or otherwise here. I can't go upstairs without a boarding pass. I also still don't understand why they said my outgoing flight must be Air Asia. I could book any flight and walk upstairs right now to the gate, I don't know what's stopping me from choosing any good flight.

 

Nothing makes sense. 2 days without sleep. Canceling the Bkk option now and aiming for Laos instead otherwise it will be Bali...

There's generally more to the story that isn't known from the initial post and usually the reason behind the few denials reported 

[Celsius]

I don't know all the details, or even if the story is true 

 

One thing tho is if this happened to me I would never want to visit Thailand again.

[JimTripper]

Op said KL police said don't leave the aitport. They must have put something weird in the passport or the immigration computer.

 

He was not just free after leaving Thailand. The problem is following him around!

[CANSIAM]

18 hours ago, bamnutsak said:

New sheriff in town.

 

https://thai.news/news/thailand/shrouded-beginnings-the-enigmatic-rise-of-phukets-new-immigration-chief

 

Surprised you weren't shown the tip jar.

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe the new Sheriff can scan through his computor when he has moment checking the Russian infiltration of the Island.....

[JBChiangRai]

I think there is a lesson here on how you visit Thailand.  You can't just wander in and out without a proper visa, normal tourists don't do that.

 

There are other more appropriate visa's for people who want to come and go regularly, if you are coming and going regularly without a proper visa, the IO has discretion to ruin your trip. Follow the system and do what's expected of you.

[Celsius]

2 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

I think there is a lesson here on how you visit Thailand.  You can't just wander in and out without a proper visa, normal tourists don't do that.

 

There are other more appropriate visa's for people who want to come and go regularly, if you are coming and going regularly without a proper visa, the IO has discretion to ruin your trip. Follow the system and do what's expected of you.

 

 

What a bunch of boot licking crapola

[Captain Monday]

1 hour ago, Smokey and the Bandit said:

I can understand asking for the boarding pass for the flight into Thailand, I have been asked before when entering, but previous boarding passes, doesn't make any sense.

Most people, including Myself do not keep a bunch pf boarding passes with them, once you have entered the respective country you discard it!

 I use Mobile boarding passes know as much as possible. Been coming to Thailand I don't know how many times since late 1990s I have never been asked by airport immigration arriving at Thai airports to show it for more than a few times even including the depths of Covid when I went thru ASQ, Sandbox, Test and Go an all the rest of the rubbish. I understand and admit that things may be getting more strict but at Chiang Mai airport where I try to fly non stop to as much as possible from Korea or Singapore they probably know what flight you came off or else they are admitting complete stupidity.

 

I know what the signs say if they want to know what flight I came off they can ask me and then check their data.

If I was given a boarding pass at the counter it goes into the garbage onboard before I deplane.

 

 

 

Edited December 13, 2023 by Captain Monday

[JimTripper]

5 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

I think there is a lesson here on how you visit Thailand. You can't just wander in and out without a proper visa, normal tourists don't do that.

 

There are other more appropriate visa's for people who want to come and go regularly, if you are coming and going regularly without a proper visa, the IO has discretion to ruin your trip. Follow the system and do what's expected of you.

No, he could be a tourist who comes every month.

 

If he has the visa or regulation to enter, he should be admitted until the visa system is corrected and people are not waiting at the border.

[Wrwest]

All I can do is guess. You cited checking the phone off to the side and the IO went off on people taking photos. Just a guess but the phones might have set the IO off ...

[brianthainess]

19 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Funds need to be 20,000 baht or currency equivalent. 

Is that not for a family Thought it was only 10k. for a single person now.

[sikishrory]

I don't doubt your story.

I saw a similar situation about 7 months ago in Phuket.

The queue was full (lots of russians but not only them) 1 or 2 really officers with very poor people skills checking people in the queue yelling at people things like you stay too long or go back your plane.

As if he were an officer talking to POWS or his platoon.

Really dumb for a couple of reasons.

•There's so much corruption with Phuket immigration. On one hand they can accept you without a care of how many tourist visas u had if u have the contacts yet on the other hand they treat normal legit tourists like cattle in an abbatoir.

• screaming at lots of russians you been here too long bla bla then giving them special visas allowing them to stay longer.

• it's just not how to talk to other humans. You go on holiday and your first 5 minutes in the country you're getting treated like a dog by a small hate filled man for no reason.

 

I've been too 34 countries travelling alot because of my work and have rarely seen this kind of treatment

[1tent42]

I suppose Immigration Officers can do what they want and they can probably get away with it.

 

I applied for and was approved for an METV this year.  Before I applied for the METV, I have been to Bangkok twice this year on visa exempt, once for 4 days and second for 44 days . In previous years I have been to Thailand a few times for no longer than 1-2 weeks stay.

 

On my first trip on the METV the IO asked me if I was there for tourism and what my plans were on this visit.  I replied I am here for tourism and to visit my girlfriend.  IO was not happy with my answer but let me in.  I stayed for about 50 days before I left Thailand.

 

Two weeks later, on my second visit on the METV,  the IO angrily refused me entry stating that I'm intending to stay long term.  They referred me to a supervisor who said that I should get an OA visa instead.  Mind you, I haven't committed any immigration violation with regards to the METV.  I guess the supervisor took pity on me, made me sign a letter stating the purpose of my visit and that I had enough funds and allowed me entry.  He said that I needed to get an OA visa on my next visit.  I got the OA visa and came back.  No issues at immigration.

[Dan O]

45 minutes ago, Celsius said:

 

 

What a bunch of boot licking crapola

Nope its actually pretty accurate. 

[Dan O]

14 hours ago, ukrules said:

 

This is why they don't want people videoing them.

 

We should all video them and expose this kind of behaviour.

I suspect there's more to this story than the op is telling and some parts exaggerated but thats just my take on claims like these from over the years

[Dan O]

14 hours ago, ukrules said:

 

This is why they don't want people videoing them.

 

We should all video them and expose this kind of behaviour.

I suspect there's more to this story than the op is telling and some parts exaggerated but thats just my take on claims like these from over the years

[Dan O]

14 hours ago, ukrules said:

 

This is why they don't want people videoing them.

 

We should all video them and expose this kind of behaviour.

I suspect there's more to this story than the op is telling and some parts exaggerated but thats just my take on claims like these from over the years

[Dan O]

14 hours ago, ukrules said:

 

 

Edited December 13, 2023 by Dan O
Duplicate post

[ignore it]

Well.
Looking on the bright side you have the internet and can make lots of new friends here on AN

[JBChiangRai]

1 hour ago, Celsius said:

 

 

What a bunch of boot licking crapola

 

55 minutes ago, JimTripper said:

No, he could be a tourist who comes every month.

 

If he has the visa or regulation to enter, he should be admitted until the visa system is corrected and people are not waiting at the border.

 

The OP said he has already visited Thailand for several months this year and that he had no visa for that.

 

This kind of behaviour is not normal for tourists, the visa system is designed for people like this.  Further, he probably told the IO he has family here, again a negative factor in whether or not he is a genuine tourist.

 

Admission is at the IO's discretion, if you have a history of what appear to be border bounces, the IO may well ruin your trip.  The IO does not have to follow the rules and regulations, he has absolute discretion, yes you can appeal, but people rarely know that.

[bob smith]

15 hours ago, siwiek said:

Thanks for all the help. I haven't been able to respond to everything but here's a summary:

 

I refused to sign the confession despite the IO getting in my face multiple times and screaming at me and also locking me and another guy in a holding room for 2 hours. 

 

He then had his intern girls tell me that I was going to have my passport blacklisted but wouldn't let me see it. The girls told me to book a ticket asap back to Kuala Lumpur which was my transfer airport between Indonesia and Phuket. 

 

Anyway the IO was lying, no such blacklist stamp in my passport after Air Asia gave it back to me. I think he's trying to hide from legal liability because he knows this entire thing was just Thai temper from losing face after my boarding passes were proven not fake like he accused me of.

 

I can't overstate how crazy this IO was acting literally running around screaming at various people. He must be the supervisor because he was not at a booth.

 

Now I'm stuck in KL airport because despite their police being very nice and professional and Air Asia being awesome throughout this, the official policy is that I can't pass into Malaysia for 1 week apparently. So they have instructed me to find another outgoing flight anywhere, but it should be Air Asia. I can't leave this terminal.

My god.

 

These kinds of people should never be allowed anywhere near positions of power.

 

Face is a disgusting facet of Thai culture and ruins almost every interaction one can have with a local.