Mae Sai/Tachilek Border Info

[sceadugenga]

I was there on the 25th so I might answer my own question. No questions asked at the border. I'm just a tourist visa guy at the moment so I should be in the category of being checked.

I was the only western guy crossing the border, checking in at the burmese office and then also completely alone when checking back into Thailand again. There was only one Thai officer working at the checkin.

What time was that? We were there about 4pm on the 25th and it was quiet but there were a few Farangs including a tour group. The locals who feed off the tourists... cigarette sellers, touts, beggars were more persistent then I've ever seen them, usually they hang around the stairs and follow you about twenty meters then give up. This day we never got rid of them until finally a guy I knew came up and got rid of them for 50B and us going to a silver shop he touted for. My mates were after silver and got some very good deals anyway.

[johnsjourney]

I did the visa run today, all ok, but don't expect any DVDs, see my post here:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...44311&st=30

[sceadugenga]

I did the visa run today, all ok, but don't expect any DVDs, see my post here:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...44311&st=30

What a difference a couple of days makes eh?

The two travelers I took there had a great time shopping and just taking in the atmosphere but if we'd gone a couple of days later .... nothing.

Must have been a heck of a flood, I've seen the Thailand side well and truly underwater a couple of years back but it never flooded the markets on the other side.

[Oakley]

I was there a couple of weeks ago. If you're looking for DVD you can still get them. The DVD shops nearest the bridge were all empty and shut but if you go further into the market you will find at least 4 of the larger still open with full stock. They all had the shutters down with just the door shutter open and some DVDS outside but everything normal inside. Just have a look around and don't go too early.

[Maejo Man]

Sometimes when MaeSai is closed, MaeSot isn't... it costs twice as much for the border officials though. Still, cheaper than Vientianne...

The cost is the same now. It was always $10 at Mae Sot for some reason, but it's the same now to enter at Mae Sai.

The date was February 11th and I was one of two foreigners in Mae Sai. Mortar rounds were exploding on the Thai side, and the town was evacuated, with the border closed for over two weeks. All you can see is am army Humvee and a soldier in the distance....

[tijnebijn]

Yes and yes - sometimes for long periods of time.

It has been a while though .

[tijnebijn]

That would suck living in Mae Sai and having to go to Vientiane for a border run.

Isn't Chiang Khong a bit more close for a visa run ?

[mcgriffith]

Sometimes when MaeSai is closed, MaeSot isn't... it costs twice as much for the border officials though. Still, cheaper than Vientianne...

The cost is the same now. It was always $10 at Mae Sot for some reason, but it's the same now to enter at Mae Sai.

The date was February 11th and I was one of two foreigners in Mae Sai. Mortar rounds were exploding on the Thai side, and the town was evacuated, with the border closed for over two weeks. All you can see is am army Humvee and a soldier in the distance....

And THERE was the irrepressible Maejo Man, crawling on his belly up the street, full camo with face paint, headed for the 7-Eleven, for a sewing kit to repair his sniper ghillie suit.....the stuff of which legends are made!

[Maejo Man]

And THERE was the irrepressible Maejo Man, crawling on his belly up the street, full camo with face paint, headed for the 7-Eleven, for a sewing kit to repair his sniper ghillie suit.....the stuff of which legends are made!

Just camo knickers mate to hide the adrenalin stains

[tayto]

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/01Oct2007_news01.php

United Nations envoy Ibrahim Gambari met detained Burma opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday, but there was no word if he had made progress in talks with senior generals on ending the bloody suppression of protests against 45 years of military rule. The move came amid reports that Burmese soldiers had rounded up about 1,000 civilians and planned to use them to counter future demonstrations.

Mr Gambari, who flew to the new Burmese capital Naypyidaw on Saturday, held talks with Mrs Suu Kyi in Rangoon yesterday. No details were released.

''Mr Gambari met Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for more than an hour. He also consulted with the United Nations Country Team and the International Committee of the Red Cross,'' the UN Information Centre said.

It gave no indication of when Mr Gambari might meet Senior General Than Shwe, who is based in Naypyidaw, the new administrative capital about 385km north of Rangoon, and whose government rarely shows signs of heeding pressure from outside.

Mr Gambari met Mrs Suu Kyi at a Rangoon government guest house near the lakeside villa where she is confined without a telephone and requires official permission, rarely granted, to receive visitors.

They met after Mr Gambari flew back from Naypyidaw where he met acting Prime Minister Thein Sein, Culture Minister Khin Aung Nyunt and Information Minister Kyaw Hsan _ all generals _ shortly after his arrival on Saturday, the diplomats said. There was no word on whether he had made any progress in ending the crackdown on the biggest anti-junta protests in nearly 20 years. The junta has responded by arresting hundreds of monks, barricading off central Rangoon and putting troops on the streets.

''Everybody is putting their hopes on Ibrahim Gambari, that he will solve the problem,'' one retired sailor in Rangoon said. ''We hope that he will put the generals under pressure, along with other political leaders.''

There were no visible crowds yesterday in central Rangoon, where security forces have squeezed the life out of the protests by barricading off the two major pagodas at their heart and keeping away the monks who led them.

In Chiang Rai, a border source said Burmese soldiers had forcefully transported about 1,000 villagers from Tachilek township, a border town opposite Mae Sai district, and planned to use them against those who might stage more protests against the junta. They were loaded onto military trucks and taken to a camp in Kengtung, about 200km from Tachilek, the sources said.

''The villagers will be deployed to help another group of Burmese people set up a rally to support the junta in Kengtung and simultaneously to protest against its opponents, especially monks,'' the source said.

Burmese soldiers yesterday arrested 120 monks while they were travelling from Phayak to Tachilek, to ensure they could not stage a protest in Tachilek.

The monks were being held in a military camp about 40km from Tachilek.

Boontham Thipprasong, deputy chairman of Chiang Rai Chamber of Commerce, said he was sure Burmese soldiers would try to take control of the Tachilek-Kengtung-Taunggyi highway to prevent junta opponents gathering to protest.

''This highway is an important route for moving goods and food to Burmese troops and people.

''The Burmese may deploy more troops to safeguard the areas as they still don't trust ethnic minority groups living along the border,'' said Mr Boontham.

[sceadugenga]

I wonder if the Americans brought an aircraft carrier over from the Gulf into the Andaman Sea and ran along the Myanmar coast a couple of times whether the Generals would crap themselves and head for Switzerland without a shot being fired. Gunboat diplomacy reinvented.

Be fun to see the sort of hissy fit the Chinese would throw anyway.

[Ulysses G.]

They would probably just laugh themselves silly like everyone else.

With all the "support" that we get from the rest of the world, who could blame them?

[mcgriffith]

On the Tachilek "visa run" thread, we're discussing DVD's, and on the Tachilek "shops closed" thread, we're discussing the political situation in Burma. All good, but I'm going to merge the 2 threads- it might appear a bit scrambled at this late date, with so many posts, but I think it will be OK.

McG

[sceadugenga]

They would probably just laugh themselves silly like everyone else.

With all the "support" that we get from the rest of the world, who could blame them?

I doubt that the close proximity of the American military would inspire much mirth in friend or foe.

[svenivan]

Mae Sai very, very quiet today. I was not over to Tachilek but I did not see any visarunners on the bridge or in Immigration.

Almost no tourists.

[sceadugenga]

Mae Sai very, very quiet today. I was not over to Tachilek but I did not see any visarunners on the bridge or in Immigration.

Almost no tourists.

Were there any tourists who may have been visa runners in disguise? It's hard to pick them these days as they've got very shy, their social standing has dropped considerably in the last 12 months.

[paradisepizza]

Even thought it's quiet does anyone know if there's any problem getting the usual stamp crossing from Mai Sai? I might be going tomorrow.

[sceadugenga]

Even thought it's quiet does anyone know if there's any problem getting the usual stamp crossing from Mai Sai? I might be going tomorrow.

It appears Myanmar immigration has not been closed during the last couple of weeks. I crossed the border on the 25th of last month and it was business as usual. Having said that I would be the first to admit it's a day to day proposition and unless you can work out how to ring them, which hasn't been suggested by anyone here as being possible, you'll just have to take your chances.

[goski]

Just call the immigration office, they should know.

[OneeyedJohn]

The guys in Maesai Immigration have a very difficult time dealing with allsorts of nationality on a daily basis. I've been going there for 6 years or more and have received the best of attention always. This year has been tricky with my marriage type visa but having spent time there today I gained an insight to the difficulty they have. For one the new regulations give them more headaches than we suffer, so much so that form filling on their side is done via a typewriter rather than a computer. They ask a question such as what is your fathers' name and if your response is 'well he died 40 years ago what the heck do you wanna know for', you are not going to get very far. Best just to answer politely and let them do the work.

I remember slipping a couple of thousand in my passport on my first visit there, thinking it was the way to do things, and it was handed back immediately.

The paperwork I gave them today ( 2 copies signed) was kept to a minimum, which they appreciate. What they do appreciate even more is to have most every document translated into Thai...marriage cert, proof of income,etc. They can read English but reading Thai doesn't give them a headache.

The single most important part of our lives here in Thailand is having the ability and permission to stay here, and I think we should be thankful to Maesai Immigration for making it possible in a very pleasant way.

If you don't believe me, go to Suan Plu Bkk.

We are very fortunate indeed up here in the north.

[dsys]

sorry bit of a newbie question here:

I go to Mae Sai every 90 days to get my non-O marriage visa renewed. When it comes to renew the visa (after one year) can i do this at mae sai also? I was thinking I had to go to BKK. If I can do this at Mae Sai is there an office to go to or is it the border crossing?

[sceadugenga]

The guys in Maesai Immigration have a very difficult time dealing with allsorts of nationality on a daily basis. I've been going there for 6 years or more and have received the best of attention always. This year has been tricky with my marriage type visa but having spent time there today I gained an insight to the difficulty they have. For one the new regulations give them more headaches than we suffer, so much so that form filling on their side is done via a typewriter rather than a computer. They ask a question such as what is your fathers' name and if your response is 'well he died 40 years ago what the heck do you wanna know for', you are not going to get very far. Best just to answer politely and let them do the work.

I remember slipping a couple of thousand in my passport on my first visit there, thinking it was the way to do things, and it was handed back immediately.

The paperwork I gave them today ( 2 copies signed) was kept to a minimum, which they appreciate. What they do appreciate even more is to have most every document translated into Thai...marriage cert, proof of income,etc. They can read English but reading Thai doesn't give them a headache.

The single most important part of our lives here in Thailand is having the ability and permission to stay here, and I think we should be thankful to Maesai Immigration for making it possible in a very pleasant way.

If you don't believe me, go to Suan Plu Bkk.

We are very fortunate indeed up here in the north.

This is the best post I've seen in the Chiang Rai forum for a long time.

[cm das]

I made my first visit to Mae Sai Immigration recently - in the past I've always gone to Chiang Mai. I got there first thing in the morning & had my Non-Imm B 1 year extension within 15 minutes of walking in the door. That's as opposed to 2 or more hours in Chiang Mai. The officials in Mae Sai were all very polite & amazingly efficient. I was really impressed & Mae Sai is now definitely my first choice for Immigration offices.

[svenivan]

sorry bit of a newbie question here:

I go to Mae Sai every 90 days to get my non-O marriage visa renewed. When it comes to renew the visa (after one year) can i do this at mae sai also? I was thinking I had to go to BKK. If I can do this at Mae Sai is there an office to go to or is it the border crossing?

Yes, you can.

But the Immigration for extending visa etc is not at the border. It is a couple of km before the border on the highway. After the trafficlight I would say it is 2 km. When you come to the walkway-bridge slow down. It is about 200 m after the bridge on your left side.

And as OEJ says, the people there are great.

[dsys]

Yes, you can.

Oh happy days.

As for the guys being nice there, i dont find that hard to believe. I have found all the people I have dealt with in the North a lot friendlier and more willing to help than else where in Thailand.

[lotus eater]

Has anyone had occasion to use Mae Sae Immig for the purposes of getting a proof of address letter (as a document necessary for the 5-year driving license)?

I've just taken a rental in Chiang Rai and will soon have a rental agreement. Was wondering if this will be suffcient for them to give me the letter.

[tayto]

http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=31907

Thai-Myanmar Tachilek border crossing stays open for trade

CHIANG RAI, Sept 28 (TNA) – It was business as usual at the Chiang Rai-Tachilek border crossing Friday and Thai authorities confirmed that the border checkpoint in this province remained open despite the Myanmar regime's violent crackdown on popular protests against military rule.

Col. Sompong Chaengchamras, chairman of the Thai-Myanmar Township Border Committee (TBC) said the Myanmar TBC assured that the Tachilek border crossing, at the Thai-Myanmar town well-known for its low-cost market. will remain open.

Both Myanmar and Thai nationals needed to cross the border for trade while tourists travelling in the northern provinces of Thailand also intended to visit the bustling Tachilek market in Myanmar.

Myanmar authorities stressed that tourists remained safe in Myanmar's Tachilek province, and that the violence being shown elsewhere had not affected the border area.

Meanwhile, some Myanmar nationals were seen crossing the border to buy necessities in Thailand's Mae Sai district as usual, while tourists travelled from Thailand into Tachilek.

Persons and vehicles must pass tight inspection at the Chiang Rai-Tachilek bordercrossing before entering Myanmar.

Security forces swept through Yangon (formerly known as Rangoon), Myanmar's main city on Thursday, killing nine people including a Japanese journalist, and arresting hundreds more in a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests. (TNA)-E110

[tayto]

A rental agreement, with full address , details and signature of owner should suffice.

If you havn't had a previous Thai driving licence you will only get a one year licence to begin with.

[sceadugenga]

Has anyone had occasion to use Mae Sae Immig for the purposes of getting a proof of address letter (as a document necessary for the 5-year driving license)?

I've just taken a rental in Chiang Rai and will soon have a rental agreement. Was wondering if this will be suffcient for them to give me the letter.

I've got one on two occasions, they're known as "bai rabrong tin tee yu". (My spelling)

They were obtained quickly and easily at Mae Sai. They have to be used within a month of issue. I used mine to register my car and at the time had no visa, only a 30 day exemption. I took a native Thai speaker with me when I applied.

I'll PM you a photo of my document, it's a bit blurry though I just made it for my own files.

[wimpy]

I visited Tachilek today. No problems at all. I was the only farang going through the border in both directions. Quite pleasant actually. The selection of DVDs seemed really poor compared to previous visits.