7 hours ago, Straight-Beginning98 said:

Anybody understands what this journey encompasses ?

Not sure if it means the establishment of an “Asean Zone” similar to the 'Shengan Zone' in Europe that has been bantered around (pipe dream??) by the Thai’s.  Its weird, I get 60 days Exempt, my girlfriend from Vietnam gets 30 days exempt.  I think they are shooting themselves in the foot, they are embarrassed that officials, both Police and Political hae allowed the criminals to enter, stay, conduct business to the tune of hundreds of Billions of Baht.  So this is a knee jerk reaction.   Limiting two visa exempt entries a year, okay legitimate tourists can do that.  All others get the appropriate Visa.  Dump the DTV…….or tighten the requirements - C’Mon, we know those thousands of DTV holders are not sweating and getting their assesss kicked in Muay Thai - it's letting the bad guys in, letting them stay longer and longer.     My Hai Baht's worth

On 11/27/2025 at 1:45 PM, webfact said:

Inspector Bell, also known as Lt. Col. Chonthicha Missakul,

 

So which is it? Chonthicha or Cholticha? Could it be that her badge is correct?

Wouldn’t mind being strip searched by her preferably without gloves. 

8 hours ago, hughrection said:

I am sure Bell (end) got the job based on her merits & not by the fact that she is HOT.  🙂

 

Immigration is in good hands. 🙂 

All positions in Thailand are always awarded based on merit, and no other considerations are ever given to the appointments. You should know that by now, that's why they call Thailand the model meritocracy!

 

But, I do agree she has a very agreeable appearance.

Do they hand those parachute wing badges out to everyone?

2 hours ago, Dexxter said:

 

So which is it? Chonthicha or Cholticha? Could it be that her badge is correct?

 

It would appear that the official English spelling of her name is Cholticha, but that would be pronounced "Chonticha". One of the constant problems with transliterating Thai is deciding whether to copy the original spelling, or to try to reflect the actual way the words are pronounced.

3 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

In Thailand you Benidorm Brits smoking it openly around distressed tourists with children. 

"distressed women and children"  are you for real ?     How do these fragile hyper sensitive  "gentle folk" cope with the astonishing array of human depravity openly on display throughout all of the tourist ghettos?  Prostitutes, Paedophiles, Drunk Morons either urinating publicly or spoiling for a fight, and aggressive and intimidating scammers , beggars, and Thai youths    Perhaps they don't really exist, except in the imagination of a few narrow-minded members on here, or maybe you are just projecting your own

 

3 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

police marijuana laws so it isn't smoked in public or leading to harder drugs around the country - then you create a mess. 

It would not  take very many police to completely eradicate the public smoking of cannabis which triggers you so much. It is only smoked publicly in and around the usual tourist ghettos. A few high profile "crackdowns " with a bit of a fine for bar owners and a few  deportations for tourists  and word would soon get around  easy , so why don't they ?  maybe they are not all as paranoid about a bit of weed as you, I don't think reefer madness  made it this far 

If I was queued at immigration and saw this face I would choose another queue. Just saying.

 

On 11/26/2025 at 10:09 PM, DonniePeverley said:

Go back to the original visa policies from a few years ago. 

 

Ban these ridiculous visa waivers for developing nations, ban the DTV which is being exploited, and go back to 30 days so tourists go and stay in hotels and leave when they have to - NOT BECOME immigrants. 

 

It was succesful  and kept the crime rate and undesirables out. Now you have a full wave of immigration changing the face of Thailand, and in turn it's turning away tourists. 

 

Thailand simply does not have the resources to police the crime and ghastly behaviour from the foreigners who engage in such awful criminality and violence. 

 

There is no evidence to  show that the 60 day visa  is responsible for the problems. On the contrary, it has made it easier for quality older visitors to select Thailand. The best short term visitor pool are the people who come for extended short term visits. They are often called snowbirds or winter refugees. They are older retirees who cause few if any problems and are typically financially  self sufficient. They come in December or January  and stay for 45-90 days. You haven't seen these people in the news sections have you? Know why? Because they are not the people causing problems.

 

The people getting  nicked are typically working outside of their long term visa provisions, or who have overstayed their visa.  A 30 day visa won't change this because they would still be doing their misdeeds. However, law abiding decent people would be penalized.  Quick visa fixes won't work when the problem is and has always been immigration enforcement.

Where do I have to go to get "controlled by inspector Bell"? 

9 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

 

There is no evidence to  show that the 60 day visa  is responsible for the problems. On the contrary, it has made it easier for quality older visitors to select Thailand. The best short term visitor pool are the people who come for extended short term visits. They are often called snowbirds or winter refugees. They are older retirees who cause few if any problems and are typically financially  self sufficient. They come in December or January  and stay for 45-90 days. You haven't seen these people in the news sections have you? Know why? Because they are not the people causing problems.

 

The people getting  nicked are typically working outside of their long term visa provisions, or who have overstayed their visa.  A 30 day visa won't change this because they would still be doing their misdeeds. However, law abiding decent people would be penalized.  Quick visa fixes won't work when the problem is and has always been immigration enforcement.

 

Very true, my Cousin and his wife before she died 3 years ago always had a Visa 1 yr extension, he spend 2-3 months in the UK per year, his base is/was Bangkok - every year goes Chang Rai a few weeks  then back, then to Penang and back then for 4 week to Australia and back, then New Zealand and back, Malaysia and back, the spends Christmas and New year in the North and back before going back to UK for 2 months.  year after year.

 

This year arrived back to renew his Extension to find Bangkok Bank had locked his account and refused to give the Bank letter for Immigration.. so this has made a great problem  =  has now set up a base in KL ..  so Thailand has lost out big time as he says stuff them and will visit maybe 1x a year  he is just off to Australia again

 

wonder how many old folk are looking at a different place

On 11/28/2025 at 10:10 AM, wensiensheng said:

i have a feeling that they just can’t be bothered to do it.

Truth is, digital checks of 90-day reports after normal hours is a job no IO wants.

On 11/29/2025 at 12:53 PM, unblocktheplanet said:

Truth is, digital checks of 90-day reports after normal hours is a job no IO wants.

I would have thought that the matching would be done by computer and the report would just show those that entered 90 days previously and have not exited or been extended. In other words a hit list of those who can be presumed to have overstayed.

 

Maybe give that hit list a couple of weeks to exit or extend ( no point chasing down people who are a few days over and about to leave and get fined) and then start tracking them down.

 

So I still think that the reason they don’t do this is that they are just not that bothered about over stayers. If they were, they have the means to be far far stricter on tracking them down.

Yes, of course they have the means. Everything is computerised. The approvals could even be digitally signed. It should be more or less instant.

 

The question arises for 'pending' (if approval is not instant) and 'rejected' early so one can fix the paperwork in error by the due date.

 

CW is basically a factory. Think of how many they employ and how much money they rake in every day. Note to thriller writers: How about a heist of cash at Chaeng Wattana?

On 11/28/2025 at 2:22 AM, hotchilli said:

Surely software can be made available that links arrivals to departure dates, and red-flags those who have not been scanned out ? 

Try overstaying etc in Europe or other popular countries.  
There is a FB post that shows a big sign at airport ( Koh Samui ?)  dear tourists, and a detailed description that says that you are now allowed a *maximum of two extensions on tourist visa “. 
Anyone heard or seen this elsewhere ? 

 

 

 

 

 

I read a lot of comments but couldn't the same be said for the US?

 

AI says in 2023 the US had half a million visa over stays.  You stir up the hornets nest if media gets wind of the enforcement in the US.

 

I think like many, triage it and focus on the overstays from people causing the most harm, or who are discovered at immigration entry/exit areas.

 

It might not make financial sense to spend 20, 30 thousand Baht locating, processing, deporting and fining an overstay whose fine is max fine is 20,000 baht.