Immigration officers told to increase screening of foreigners in Thailand

[RayC]

59 minutes ago, gravity101 said:

Used wife as a nominee shareholder, not filed income taxes, drank a beer in the car, bought fake Nike shoes, smoked a vape. Driven too fast, didn't yield for zebra crossing, taken boat out with an expired licence, circumvented taxes by paying rent from offshore. Watched porn.

 

That's just this week.

 

Next week I'll be paying an agent to pay under the table just to get my effin extention done. Isnt that bribery?

 

You sir are a shining example of how to integrate into Thailand society👏😁

 

Nb: Do me a favour and stop at zebra crossings. Thanks.

[Rampant Rabbit]

11 minutes ago, ryandb said:

As others have stated, if there is no criminal history for the people involved in these 3 incidents, how exactly would this help stop them? For tourists, this would be a huge sod that moment, we will go somewhere else.

But hilariously we  have a  major  govt figure of agriculture (apt I guess  for poppy growing) with a heroin smuggling criminal past

[Rampant Rabbit]

when do we  get a photo in the hospital with somchai plod  with neck brace arm in a  sling bandaged head etc?

[transam]

1 hour ago, gravity101 said:

It's ridiculous.  I remember last year I had to take extra photos of putting the kids into bed and cooking dinner for them in the kitchen for immigration. That's on top of the family photo of outside the house in front of the house number I've lived at for 20 years. Of course It was staged as it was 7am. We all had to do a costume change before school.

 

Clearly the ampur docs proving I have children and the Court docs proving I am the father means nothing. I wonder what this year will bring?

Perhaps you are marked as being dodgy...........

[sandyf]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

What exactly is enhanced screening ???...    

 

The phrase means nothing...     How are Immigration officers going to Screen us in any 'enhanced manner' more than they do so already ?

 

What more can immigration officers check for when we enter ?

What a deluded statement, just look at the UK.

My wife's visitor visa application is 16 pages plus having to go to Bangkok for biometrics. This is her 12th application in the last 15 years and every one treated like a terrorist.

The EU is now close behind the UK with almost the same amount of supporting docs for visiting non EU citizens.

Thailand has a lot of catching up to do in the enhanced screening arena.

[transam]

1 hour ago, gravity101 said:

Used wife as a nominee shareholder, not filed income taxes, drank a beer in the car, bought fake Nike shoes, smoked a vape. Driven too fast, didn't yield for zebra crossing, taken boat out with an expired licence, circumvented taxes by paying rent from offshore. Watched porn.

 

That's just this week.

 

Next week I'll be paying an agent to pay under the table just to get my effin extention done. Isnt that bribery?

There ya go, you probably are marked as being dodgy....🤭

[bizboi]

2 hours ago, DaLa said:

Although the extra scrutiny could affect me as a retired and hopefully permanent fixture here, I welcome this. I left the UK partly because of the *hit hole it was deteriorating  into; behave in Thailand and you can have a great life.

I left Thailand in 2016. I went back to UK it’s the best thing I ever did.

[Muhendis]

I think the whole approach is wrong.

This is a Thai problem not a visitor problem.

As far as the "foreigners behaving badly" thing goes, It strikes me that a lot of it is down to the perception of Thailand  to the rest of the world.

It (Thailand) has a reputation as being a reasonably lawless place where anything goes.

Phone scam companies.

Love scam nigerians.

Police killers who have "connections".

Politicians who can get away with lying, cheating and stealing and never go to prison when caught.

The list is endless.

There are many examples of police negligence and corruption.

This problem encourages normal law abiding westerners to do things they would not dream of doing in their own country.

Like has been said. The many must suffer for the actions of the few.

But Thailand really really needs to get it's act together regarding this perception problem.

[ChipButty]

illegal business operations, nominee arrangements where Thai nationals own shares or real estate on behalf of foreigners to avoid legal compliance.

 

Where do we start, ok start with Rawai, 

[Mr Meeseeks]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

All crimes committed by foreigners to be investigated and prosecuted, including violations of the Immigration Act, the Alien Employment Act, the Entertainment Places Act, illegal business operations, nominee arrangements where Thai nationals own shares or real estate on behalf of foreigners to avoid legal compliance.

 

I would be very nervous if I owned land or property with a nominee company now. 

[Chongalulu]

2 hours ago, Photoguy21 said:

Never broke the law anywhere so I am not worried.

Until someone claims you did…

[Mr Meeseeks]

1 hour ago, crazykopite said:

Up until a certain fugitive returned to the Kingdom everything was okay since then it seems to have become a hate campaign towards farang even tho the fugitive enjoyed his freedom around the world without any hassle , after 19 years living here I’ve recently started to look at more welcoming countries where I can enjoy spending my money and rid myself of all the unwelcome rules that are thrown at us dirty farangs 

 

Bingo.

 

The Chinese gangster is back and the xenophobia and anti-foreigner sentiment as well it appears. 

[John Drake]

BTW, remember last year when the Chinese embassy complained about the nationality of its citizens being mentioned in crime news stories? And then an edict went out to prohibit the mentioning of nationality?  What happened to that? 

[Mr Dome]

And there it is.

 

Of course, none of the horrible behaviors shown by these foreigners will announce themselves at the immigration check, where everyone is on their best behavior.

 

So, what will they do or look for that they don't already?

[PETERTHEEATER]

So, will it be the rubber hose or the plastic bag for Grandad on my next visa exempt entry?🫣

[John Drake]

At least it was a Thai who won the big lottery pay out this weekend, instead of a falang. Whew!

[renaissanc]

I hope this doesn't mean MORE documents to renew the Marriage Visa. Will Immigration now require proof that you have no criminal record anywhere in the world? It takes an officer 50+ minutes at least to go through the 2 piles of documents as it is, including typing the same information provided each year and which they don't save. The whole process can be done online and followed up by a visit to Immigration to sign whatever. However, the coffee at Immigration in my province is nice, and the drive there and back is through lovely countryside, so it's not so bad.

[renaissanc]

28 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

 

I would be very nervous if I owned land or property with a nominee company now. 

I don't have such land. Having said that, I didn't know that the practice is illegal.

[Rimmer]

A post in German has been removed as this is an English Language forum

[LivingNThailand]

2 hours ago, DPKANKAN said:

Did my renewal on 13th. One more year sorted!!!!

me too.  Whew.  😅

Edited March 19 by LivingNThailand

[bbi1]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

 

Foreigners in Thailand can expect increased scrutiny from the authorities in the wake of several high-profile criminal cases. Khaosod English reports that police have been issued new instructions to strictly enforce immigration laws.

 

Following two separate assault cases involving Swiss nationals, and the more recent case of two New Zealanders allegedly assaulting a Phuket police officer, the authorities are promising to ‘get tough’.

 

Just ban any Swiss, New Zealanders & Russians from entering for the next few months. Those were the 3 nationalities in the past few weeks that were causing problems who made the news. 😂😂

[bbi1]

2 hours ago, RandolphGB said:

They should start with Pattaya and some of the big shots there who think the laws don't apply to them 'because it's Pattaya'. 

Yep, all those dodgy folks using agents who don't follow the retirement visa law should all get locked up and deported. All those bribing agents and IOs.

[bbi1]

2 hours ago, Jingthing said:

And yet mysteriously they never go after agents ...

Time for them to crack down on the agents and the dodgy retirement visa bribers. Watch out you lot who use agents to bribe your way through agents and stay on retirement visas using the dodgy dodgy. Time for you lot to be gone out of Thailand.

[Thaindrew]

1 hour ago, Thumbs said:

Step 1 arrest all immigration officers working in cahoots with visa agencies 

step 2 .. oh no step 2 as no immigration officials left working 

[mokwit]

6 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

Time for them to crack down on the agents and the dodgy retirement visa bribers. Watch out you lot who use agents to bribe your way through agents and stay on retirement visas using the dodgy dodgy. Time for you lot to be gone out of Thailand.

Who's going to tell him?

[Jingthing]

11 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

Time for them to crack down on the agents and the dodgy retirement visa bribers. Watch out you lot who use agents to bribe your way through agents and stay on retirement visas using the dodgy dodgy. Time for you lot to be gone out of Thailand.

The dodgy dodgy. I love it!

[bbi1]

4 minutes ago, mokwit said:

Who's going to tell him?

They just need to go through the books of the agents to see who their clients are. Check which ones used agents for retirement extensions then boom, kick those dodgy lawbreakers out of the country and ban them for 10 years.

[off road pat]

3 hours ago, couchpotato said:

About time...but is it only hollow words. Guess we'll see.

I guess they will catch a few the first days, and then,... everything will come back to the usual normal,...TIT

[Hellfire]

47 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

 

Bingo.

 

The Chinese gangster is back and the xenophobia and anti-foreigner sentiment as well it appears. 

Was not here during Thaksin time. Is it true that the atmosphere was xenophobic in Thailand at those time?  What were the signs of it?

[ChipButty]

1 hour ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

 

I would be very nervous if I owned land or property with a nominee company now. 

I has been mentioned many times in Phuket but nothing has ever happened