The abrupt welcome on my 3rd Visa Exempt

[popabear]

12 minutes ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

Based on your own words there, you had evidently already made up your mind that this was going to be an unpleasant experience before she even opened her mouth. 

I have spent 44 years coming to Thailand and have always picked a male immigration officers were i can ,this time i was in a wheelchair and did not chose this one , there was only 2 wheelchair booths working, there was one male who had a long queue who were all avoiding the lady, with no one queued with the lady,I won't get caught next time  . There is  the right and the wrong way to go through immigration. kind Regards Popa 

[DrJack54]

11 minutes ago, popabear said:

I have spent 44 years coming to Thailand and have always picked a male immigration officers were i can ,this time i was in a wheelchair and did not chose this one , there was only 2 wheelchair booths working, there was one male who had a long queue who were all avoiding the lady, with no one queued with the lady,I won't get caught next time  . There is  the right and the wrong way to go through immigration. kind Regards Popa 

You are starting to lose creditability imo.

I know how wheelchair priority works and it's not how you describe.

Also imo the female io vs male is typical bar stool myth.

You have conveyed your experience.

Do you have anything else to offer. 

[Briggsy]

Just now, DrJack54 said:

Also imo the female io vs male is typical bar stool myth.

This is true. Male IO's will definitely deny you entry for excessive stays on VE or TV's.

 

@popabear You are pushing your luck using VE after VE for month+ long stays. As an earlier poster said, I think they would be reluctant to deny entry to an 81-year-old farang but they could. Do yourself a favour. Get a non-imm O or an Elite Visa.

[popabear]

4 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

Do yourself a favour. Get a non-imm O or an Elite Visa.

I not live in Thailand  i come as a tourist don't need long term O Visa and oh i would  not be touching Elite visa at 81 years your joking every day is a bonus  at my age. Kind Regards POPA

[Briggsy]

3 minutes ago, popabear said:

I not live in Thailand  i come as a tourist don't need long term O Visa and oh i would  not be touching Elite visa at 81 years your joking every day is a bonus  at my age. Kind Regards POPA

A non-imm O visa gives a 90-day permission to stay. It is not long-term.

 

Another alternative is the safe entry service. You will be spoken to politely then. I believe it costs around 4000 Baht per entry.

 

Are you spending over half your time in Thailand? I understand your reluctance to get a visa but when you are in the detention centre at Suwannaphum airport being told to pay a huge "change of date" charge for the return portion of your air ticket so you can be sent back to where you came from, you will wish you had. Think of it as insurance. You cannot keep coming to Thailand for month+ long stays on VE. Immigration do not like it at all.

[Caldera]

3 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

If you want some balance to travel experience fly into Vietnam and compare  immigration personal.

 

They're real charmers, aren't they? I just flew there again about a week ago. On the bright side, they've never asked me a single question. Ever.

[Andre0720]

I am with you on this man...

Seems to me that members are too quick to find fault in your take on how you were treated (processed).

 

As we age, same event are perceived differently.

The problem being that the younger people, an IO are in that category, are unaware of that, and think nothing in the way they deal with older people. But older people, and I am slowly becoming one of those, are done with these small things that are just annoying.

I think that at your age, you have earned the right to be treated with additional courtesy, be it at Immigration, or anywhere else.

 

Immigration should have welcomed you once again, and wished you a nice stay.

Regards...

[popabear]

I suggest you all have a look at the article  in Bangkok Post in new Thai Visas arrivals ,  you will see a video called dive deeper , there is a Thai government minister on there stating back to back Visa are okay and quite openly has endorsers  long stay VE , why don't these people get it right , I would be happier they said only 3  VE'  and you can only stay up to 4 months total then we would know what to do.  Regards POPA

[DrJack54]

4 minutes ago, Andre0720 said:

I think that at your age, you have earned the right to be treated with additional courtesy, be it at Immigration, or anywhere else.

Dont understand any of your post.

The OP was afforded priority lane.

The female io assisted with fingerprints.

BTW: I have never seen that and I fly very often. 

 

The io asked basic questions.

The OP was stamped in. You want io to provide Hawaiian flowers. End of. 

[GammaGlobulin]

When I enter Thailand and pass through immigration, I try to not look like a bum.

No shorts.

I always wear a shirt with collar, button-down pinpoint oxford, etc.

Good shoes well polished.

Maybe a tie, if I feel like it.

Maybe a blue blazer, for something.

I dress for the occasion and I get treated the way I dress.

Clothes make the man.  Who said that?

 

I have never had any problems entering or leaving China, either.

Embassies are always very nice to me...meaning Chinese embassies.

 

[DrJack54]

5 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

When I enter Thailand and pass through immigration, I try to not look like a bum.

You have not outlined how you entered Thailand.

Assume if relevant to this thread it is visa exempt.

Also you have not outlined history in Thailand visa exempt entries.

The clobber you wear is irrelevant.

Another myth. If anything would perhaps suggest you are working in Thailand. 

 

[BangkokReady]

4 hours ago, popabear said:

I do understand the lady IO was only doing her job, but in the all  44 years  of  coming to Thailand  nothing has changed ,this time I felt so un welcome , it would be nice to be spoken to nicely,  I use to think Thais had a lot of respect for older people 

 

Thais are fickle and can be pretty rude when they want to be.  As foreigners, we're not really entitled to the normal levels of respect anyway.  Post-covid Thailand is also very different to pre-covid Thailand.

 

The best thing to do is expect to be treated pretty much indifferently, then when you do get some of that old-school Thai friendliness, enjoy it for the fleeting experience that it is.

[Andre0720]

5 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Dont understand any of your post.

The OP was afforded priority lane.

The female io assisted with fingerprints.

BTW: I have never seen that and I fly very often. 

 

The io asked basic questions.

The OP was stamped in. You want io to provide Hawaiian flowers. End of. 

And I also do not understand your post.

this is the information that the poster provides: "I am 81 years old and wheelchair assisted, so when I was wheeled into  immigration for wheelchair assisted people, I could see that what was Coming and to my horror a young female immigration officer and straight away new that things would not be easy . "

 

Nothing in there about a special treatment, nothing about a priority lane.

The poster describes the situation as a source of anguish. Which is my point. At his age, people should be aware of how simple matters might be perceived. and act accordingly, with added courtesy.

 

I thought that just about everybody would understand that.

Not you, so it would appear...

[popabear]

5 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

always wear a shirt with collar, button-down pinpoint oxford, etc.

Good shoes well polished.

When visiting Thailand and coming through IO I am   always well dressed.. kind Regards  POPA

[blaze master]

3 hours ago, popabear said:

Sorry, you don't get the meaning of my post ,why be spoken to like I am a piece of Sh,,,t    Kind Regards Popa.

 

Seems like you went into the whole situation with a bad attitude.

 

4 hours ago, popabear said:

I am 81 years old and wheelchair assisted, so when I was wheeled into  immigration for wheelchair assisted people, I could see that what was Coming and to my horror a young female immigration officer and straight away new that things would not be easy .   

 

Why were you in horror at seeing an immigration officer. She had not even interacted with you yet but you already knew it would be a horror.

 

[DrJack54]

1 minute ago, Andre0720 said:

Nothing in there about a special treatment, nothing about a priority lane.

Have you ever flown internationally.

If you are in airport assist wheelchair then you do not que in immigration lines.

Even in disabled/priority lane you are taken straight there. 

Often skip ahead of parents with young children. 

Seems the OP had good care and wants to moan.

Obtained his stamp and on his way. 

 

 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

10 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

You have not outlined how you entered Thailand.

Assume if relevant to this thread it is visa exempt.

Also you have not outlined history in Thailand visa exempt entries.

The clobber you wear is irrelevant.

Another myth. If anything would perhaps suggest you are working in Thailand. 

 

 

I was mostly replying to the OP's statement which is:

 

"Sorry, you don't get the meaning of my post ,why be spoken to like I am a piece of Sh,,,t    Kind Regards Popa."

 

I believe, from reading his posts, that this perceived "attitude" he noticed, whether it existed or not, is the real complaint here.

 

(Although, I may be mistaken.)

 

 

[Andre0720]

1 minute ago, DrJack54 said:

Have you ever flown internationally.

If you are in airport assist wheelchair then you do not que in immigration lines.

Even in disabled/priority lane you are taken straight there. 

Often skip ahead of parents with young children. 

Seems the OP had good care and wants to moan.

Obtained his stamp and on his way. 

 

 

 

 

Seems to me that you might be in a younger age group, which might explains why you are unable to understand the feelings of older people.

You are definitely wrong on this. Just wait some years, then you might be able to understand...

[DrJack54]

1 minute ago, Andre0720 said:

Seems to me that you might be in a younger age group, which might explains why you are unable to understand the feelings of older people.

You are definitely wrong on this. Just wait some years, then you might be able to understand...

Poor assumption.

Complete opposite. Suffice to say I'm escorted straight to priority lane.

The OP account (to me) is fanciful.

[popabear]

5 minutes ago, blaze master said:

Seems like you went into the whole situation with a bad attitude.

Come on mate ,  I only said a few words to her softly, do think i am silly I  been coming here a long time .i know not to stir them up, The way you talk on here as it was me giving her a hard time , that is incorrect  . Kind Regards Popa

[Andre0720]

6 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Poor assumption.

Complete opposite. Suffice to say I'm escorted straight to priority lane.

The OP account (to me) is fanciful.

The OP account (to me) is fanciful.

So you admit that it is merely an opinion. Fanciful not something very factual now is it.

While I am trying to explain to you that when people age, their perception of events get more emotional.

As it is a fact for me, I just thought that some other people would agree with this statement, which is also a fact for the poster.

Fanciful is quite degrading as a way to describe perceptions of aging people...

 

[popabear]

10 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Poor assumption.

Complete opposite. Suffice to say I'm escorted straight to priority lane.

The OP account (to me) is fanciful.

Poor assumption you are wrong on this one , like  Andre0720 says just wait some years and you will understand...Kind Regards Popa.

[Patong2021]

1 hour ago, Andre0720 said:

I am with you on this man...

Seems to me that members are too quick to find fault in your take on how you were treated (processed).

 

As we age, same event are perceived differently.

The problem being that the younger people, an IO are in that category, are unaware of that, and think nothing in the way they deal with older people. But older people, and I am slowly becoming one of those, are done with these small things that are just annoying.

I think that at your age, you have earned the right to be treated with additional courtesy, be it at Immigration, or anywhere else.

 

Immigration should have welcomed you once again, and wished you a nice stay.

Regards...

 

No. Being old does not earn anyone special rights to be given additional courtesy.  Nasty people, and violent criminals also get older too.  Everyone  should be treated in a professional manner. The reality is that the OP was already receiving special treatment as a wheelchair user.

 

The insistence that female I/Os are somehow more difficult to deal with is irrational. I counter that  some people may have a guilty conscience and perceive the woman as tougher. My experience has been that there is no difference between male or female.  

At some point we will all run into a difficult person. and it is at times like that, we must  smile and be patient. 

[popabear]

1 hour ago, Briggsy said:

Are you spending over half your time in Thailand?

Come on , I spend  3 or 4 months in Thailand as tourist with big gaps between these trips,  that's not living in Thailand  . Kind Regards Popa

[popabear]

2 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

I know how wheelchair priority works and it's not how you describe.

  I was wheeled from plane door right through to my taxi ,what other  way  do I describe it..  Kind Regards Popa.                                                                                                              

[raz0r21]

Just my 2 cents, right now it is high season and the staff are probably very stressed. I would give them the benefit of the doubt, but yeah... I have also had my fair share of uneasy conversations at Immigration. I always feel tense and nervous interacting with them, and this mostly boils down to previous "interrogations" for staying "too long" in Thailand. Next trip I am aiming to arrive with a DTV to avoid all this. 

 

As the OP wrote, if there only were some clear rules. Maybe the new ETA will bring some clarity. In the video below the guy on the left says that the alarm bells will start ringing after 3 VE:s per year, and then you get blocked by the system. After that you have to apply through the e-visa portal and obtain a real visa, not exempt. I don't know what he bases this on, but it seems he knows a bit more than usual.

 

You can have a look here: 

 

[blaze master]

9 hours ago, popabear said:

Come on mate ,  I only said a few words to her softly, do think i am silly I  been coming here a long time .i know not to stir them up, The way you talk on here as it was me giving her a hard time , that is incorrect  . Kind Regards Popa

 

You said it was going to be a horror before even talking to the officer. Who cares how long you have been coming here.

[Briggsy]

9 hours ago, popabear said:

Come on , I spend  3 or 4 months in Thailand as tourist with big gaps between these trips,  that's not living in Thailand  . Kind Regards Popa

3 or 4 months in Thailand per year should be okay but there are no guarantees.

 

You can certainly expect to be quizzed though. In fact, as you state, you were quizzed already.

 

Safe entry service is the best idea for you. Not prohibitively expensive.

[kevozman1]

Overall Asians don't really do respect the way you may imagine despite some clowns online with their goofy opinions. It's more about what they are perceived to have done and if there are any consequences for not acting in a certain manner. Actual morality and doing what a person thinks is right is more the trait of a European. Thai people are definitely not the worst in Asia for this. Many people are considerate and warm hearted, but still it's not that great overall either. Bareable I would say. 

[sqwakvfr]

2 hours ago, raz0r21 said:

Just my 2 cents, right now it is high season and the staff are probably very stressed. I would give them the benefit of the doubt, but yeah... I have also had my fair share of uneasy conversations at Immigration. I always feel tense and nervous interacting with them, and this mostly boils down to previous "interrogations" for staying "too long" in Thailand. Next trip I am aiming to arrive with a DTV to avoid all this. 

 

As the OP wrote, if there only were some clear rules. Maybe the new ETA will bring some clarity. In the video below the guy on the left says that the alarm bells will start ringing after 3 VE:s per year, and then you get blocked by the system. After that you have to apply through the e-visa portal and obtain a real visa, not exempt. I don't know what he bases this on, but it seems he knows a bit more than usual.

 

You can have a look here: 

 

Can you imagine 30 million ETA's for Thailand?  In the last 2 years I have completed 3 ETA's or Entry/Arrival documents for three different countries. 1) Singapore 2) S Korea 3) Malaysia.  Both SIN and SK were very quick to respond with the entrance documents. Both took under 4 hours to land in my email inbox. Malaysia was a diffrent.  For instance for Malaysia a foreigner could only apply up to 2 days before departure. I was concerned I would not get the doucment in time.  I never got an email from Malaysian Immigration so I went into their webiste and found out the MDAC(Malaysian Digital Arrival Card) had been approved in 8 hours.  The three countries I visisted that requierd some kind of ETA or Entrance documents do not get anywhere near 30 million arrivals per year. I wonder what any future Thai ETA experience could be like?