Harassment At Chiangmai International Airport

[Donnyboy]

Sounds like a crock to me. If as the op claims he flew Lax-Bkk- Cnx he would certainly have completed his passport formalities & customs at BKK NOT CNX. And would have no reason to go thru CNX international arrivals or customs.

another reason to clear customs @ CNX, maybe due to the fact that you may have checked your check in luggage to your final destination ie from LAX to CNX, but have passport formalities done in BKK,as there may not have been any connecting flights till the following day. Then once upon landing in CNX, the check in luggage will be awaiting clearing customs in international and not in the domestic side of the airport.

I have checked in luggage from AKL to CNX, but stayed in BKK overnight, and had to clear customs at CNX.

[Greenside]

Sounds like a crock to me. If as the op claims he flew Lax-Bkk- Cnx he would certainly have completed his passport formalities & customs at BKK NOT CNX. And would have no reason to go thru CNX international arrivals or customs.

another reason to clear customs @ CNX, maybe due to the fact that you may have checked your check in luggage to your final destination ie from LAX to CNX, but have passport formalities done in BKK,as there may not have been any connecting flights till the following day. Then once upon landing in CNX, the check in luggage will be awaiting clearing customs in international and not in the domestic side of the airport.

I have checked in luggage from AKL to CNX, but stayed in BKK overnight, and had to clear customs at CNX.

I just came back from London with bags (including a big conspicuous box containing a used computer monitor) checked through from LHR to CNX. Arrived BKK mid afternoon, went through immigration and then caught the flight straight up to Chiang Mai where the bags went through customs so this seems like SOP now. The officer let us through without duty on the monitor since I explained it had been returned to the UK for repair - he was polite and OK in every way but probably too confused by my explanation to bother with it!

[pistolpete]

DORKEYS, If you every fly non stop with Thai Airways from Lax to Bkk you will arrived at 6:00 am in da morning. First flight out is around 8:00 am ( HELLO???). The passport is stamp in BKK but the baggages are transfer thru CNX...this is went you meet the real Mr Robinson got it??? Edited October 30, 2007 by pistolpete

[Greenside]

DORKEYS, If you every fly non stop with Thai Airways from Lax to Bkk you will arrived at 6:00 am in da morning. First flight out is around 8:00 am ( HELLO???). The passport is stamp in BKK but the baggages are transfer thru CNX...this is went you meet the real Mr Robinson got it???

Pardon me?

[pistolpete]

Greenside,

The reply is not meant for u? Sorry

High on Thai

If you would spend a little more money and not fly on those low cost carrier like UNITED or which ever airlines you may get a hold of for bargain price, perhap you would be smart enough to realize that THAI do offer NONSTOP flight from LAX to BKK ( for like da past few years) this will enable you not to stay over night in da place like BKK.

pistol pete

Edited October 30, 2007 by pistolpete

[Crow Boy]

I typically don't transit through CNX customs if I can possibly avoid it. And especially when having unusual items with me.

Part of me is really curious and the other part just doesn't want to know.

Either way it is not relevant to the topic so I think we will let it stop there

Emm.. The topic is "Chiang Mai Airport / Customs", as per what it says in the topic title. My comment was on preferring not to do customs in Chiang Mai. I submit this is not way beyond the scope of on-topicness.

Well the title of the thread is "Harrassment at Chiang Mai International Airport" not what you wrote above "Chiang Mai Airport/Customs". The OP was to report that a pair of uniformed officers attempted to hard sell hotel bookings and tours to the poster.

Anyway, I sensed a question: "unusual items": Hard drives, an extra laptop, product samples; you name it. Basically anything that's not tourist gear.

(I have *NEVER* been checked in Bangkok. Yet in Chiang Mai it seems the customs people are just bored and want something to do when international passengers do come in.)

Fair point and I accept it - my concern was that we were going to tangent into a discussion about how much booze, smokes etc someone could smuggle in through the airport - this is against the rules which prevent discussion about any "illegal activity".

From my experience in using the CM international where I have hauled a total of 12 guitars and two laptops (on seperate occasions) they really don't care about those things it is contraband that concerns them and rightly so. They are also targetting people bringing in excessive amounts of alcohol and cigarettes.

Sounds like a crock to me. If as the op claims he flew Lax-Bkk- Cnx he would certainly have completed his passport formalities & customs at BKK NOT CNX. And would have no reason to go thru CNX international arrivals or customs.

Well, I'm sure the Original Poster will do as I do from now on and indeed do the customs stuff in Bangkok. But it's entirely possible, and many people do this, to remain air-side in Bangkok and transit to Chiang Mai, then go through immigration and customs in Chiang Mai. This is allowed when the airline you're flying with has a deal with TG (or TG itself of course) AND if you're flying to an international airport, so Phuket, Had Yai or Chiang Mai.

My preference is to go through immigration and customs here in CM. I catch the international flight from Australia arriving in the early morning at BKK - sit in the transit lounge there and then direct connect to CM. My baggage is transferred and I collect it here. I usually carry back excess baggage - those jars of vegemite add up at 500gms a jar . If I exit in Bangkok I have to pay the Oz-BKK excess bagage on international weight limits and then pay additional excess baggage on domestic weight limits which are much less. All up it is a better situation for me to go this way.

In my many trips to and from Oz to CM plus a lot of others to Laos, Cambodia etc I have never (touching wood here) been hassled or treated in any way other than with polite professionalism. I think I may have been very fortunate - either that or the officials just want me to get away from them so stear me straight through

so in all - yep I can see the validity of expanding the thread as you requested - good points made.

CB

[uptheos]

Have been going through immigration and customs for years and ten times this year. Not once have I had a problem and I wonder why so many others have?

[Nienke]

Went through customs in BKK last September. Says the lady: "Hey I know you!" .... Yikes, no where to hide, other than behind a most sweety smile. "You are the lady who trains dogs, right?" My brains work over-time, where did I see this lady before? At the animal quarantine, when I went for residence papers at immigration, maybe in Mae Sai? I do my utterbest NOT to show that i don't remember ... But start making some small talk about the boarding and training of the dogs, in Thai.

All extremely friendly, polite and efficient and I went through in a split moment.

Also in Chiang Mai, all went very smooth. Picked up my bags and on my way out looked at the official. He nodded his head that I could go through, I smiled as a 'Thank you' and out I was.

In the several years I'm here, I think I had once my bags checked. And that was a routine check. The same I had once in Holland.

Nienke

[uptheos]

A few months ago I went to Perth......now if you really want to know what customs can be like Isuggest a trip there. I was over 2 hours in the queue and they took everything out of each person's bags - I mean everything! People seem to complain a lot about Thai immigration, but they are a breeze compared to other countries. But there again, I guess custom officials are trained to spot people who look a bit dodgy.

[Ulysses G.]

That is too bad. I used to go to Perth quite a bit before 9/11 and it was always smooth sailing through customs and immigration.

F___ing terrorists!

[Crow Boy]

A few months ago I went to Perth......now if you really want to know what customs can be like Isuggest a trip there. I was over 2 hours in the queue and they took everything out of each person's bags - I mean everything! People seem to complain a lot about Thai immigration, but they are a breeze compared to other countries. But there again, I guess custom officials are trained to spot people who look a bit dodgy.

I am guessing you are talking about Perth in Western Australia and not Perth in Scotland. If Perth WA then that has been a customs hot spot since 911. There are direct flights to Perth from all over SE Asia - similarly to Darwin and consequently became a preferred point of entry for drugs and contraband. Sydney and Melbourne have always been much more stringent so the smugglers shifted to short haul flights (Darwin and Perth) were customs were much more laid back.

Once through customs in Perth it was a relatively simple matter of getting on to a domestic flight or catching the Indian Pacific Train to the Eastern States. I think you will find that Sydney is still the most strict entry point in Australia.

CB

[uptheos]

A few months ago I went to Perth......now if you really want to know what customs can be like Isuggest a trip there. I was over 2 hours in the queue and they took everything out of each person's bags - I mean everything! People seem to complain a lot about Thai immigration, but they are a breeze compared to other countries. But there again, I guess custom officials are trained to spot people who look a bit dodgy.

I am guessing you are talking about Perth in Western Australia and not Perth in Scotland. If Perth WA then that has been a customs hot spot since 911. There are direct flights to Perth from all over SE Asia - similarly to Darwin and consequently became a preferred point of entry for drugs and contraband. Sydney and Melbourne have always been much more stringent so the smugglers shifted to short haul flights (Darwin and Perth) were customs were much more laid back.

Once through customs in Perth it was a relatively simple matter of getting on to a domestic flight or catching the Indian Pacific Train to the Eastern States. I think you will find that Sydney is still the most strict entry point in Australia.

CB

Crow Boy - I can't say I've noticed customs officials in Perth, Scotland. I've driven through Perthshire quite often and didn't realise there is an international airport.....is there? Yes, Perth Australia has now become a real pain at customs, but as you quite rightly say there are so many flights there from Asia it's a possible terrorist hotspot.