Are they drinking whiskey at phuket immigration?

[lumar]

Phuket Immigration antics

My business visa expired in late December and because I no longer have a business in Thailand I was told by officers at the Phuket Provincial Immigration Office (PPIO) that I should obtain a one-year non-immigrant O visa because I am married to a Thai. They also told me what documents were needed.

When my wife, my stepson and I returned to the PPIO to apply for the correct visa, we politely said hello in Thai and English and were told to sit and wait. Although there was not a lot of traffic it was two hours before we were served.

When an officer eventually served us, he asked what kind if visa I wanted to apply for, but before I answered he assumed that I wanted a retirement visa. After everyone in the office was told this, the officer proceeded with my application.

He asked if I had all the documents required, and I replied that I had all the papers requested of me the last time I was there. Then the officer asked for a ‘signed guarantee’ from a Thai citizen, which was not mentioned on my previous visit. Luckily I had a friend close by who agreed to go guarantee for me.

Then, without offering any other information, he told me to come back a month later.

I returned each month for four months to renew my permit to stay while my application was being processed. On my fourth visit, however, I was up for many surprises. After a short wait, the officer went to find my application and returned, smiling, and said, “Granted”. This made me very happy.

The officer started working on other applications. After 10 minutes he looked at me and said, “Oh yeah, you.” He then handed me a passport belonging to a Pakistani man and asked if it was mine. I felt helpless and embarrassed while he laughed with his fellow officers. I also started to become afraid.

He then told me that as I had been issued the correct visa I should give immigration officers 1,000 baht to buy whiskey and beer. I was the only foreigner in the office and I was scared, so I paid him the money, right in front of all the other officers.

Unfortunately, I also needed a re-entry permit. The officer at the counter who processed this application asked me for an extra 200 baht so he could buy some whiskey and beer, too.

I have since been unable to find out what kind of visa I have. I applied for a one-year, non-immigrant visa, but my visa is valid for only 10 months.

The Immigration Office should learn from other countries where Immigration help people with problems. Not every foreigner can speak Thai so some information in English would be great.

I will not guess why the officers behaved arrogantly, but it is well-known [in the foreign community] that a non-immigrant visa costs 500 baht and includes a lot of work if you do it the right way, and 14,000 baht and no work if you buy it from an officer.

I can be contacted by email and if necessary I can provide the names of the officers involved.

-- Roger Pedersen, Phuket.

-- ANSWER:

“You should not have given the officers money. You should not pay more than you have to for a visa. You should also let me know the names of the officers who asked for money. ”

Thursday, July 10, 2003  Pol Col Sayun Krasaesaen, Superintendent, Phuket Provincial Immigration Office.  

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“If you have a comment or complaint about the Immigration Department in Phuket, send an email to [email protected] and we will forward it to the Head of Immigration, Pol Col Sayun Krasaesaen. ”

Thursday, July 10, 2003  Phuket Gazette.