I was recently refused use of my second of "Two" entries for my tourist visa purchased Laos as the entry date for the tourist visa was a few days before I entered the country for the second time.

The police officer said that both entries had to be before the "entry date"....However after extending the first tourist two month visa by a further 30days it rendered the second entry useless.....Does anybody know if this is standard procedure?? Was I stupid to think that the date of entry only applied to the first entry?

I am wondering why I hear of so many people saying that they can extend the first entry of a double tourist visa, when in fact they must be careful to leave and re-enter before the entry date, which is one day less than 3months on applying. Now, if you apply for the visa in Laos on a Friday as I did and then there's a holiday on the Monday, and you don't make it to Thailand until the Tuesday then your visa is going to be five days short of the three months, rendering the second entry unusable if you wait until the 30day extension expires.

That's the way it works. You have to be carefull and not go beyond the use before date.

It works the same way as a multiple entry non immigrant.

Yes that is always the case - you must use all entries prior to expiration of the visa. So when you extend 30 days on a 3 month validity you have to make the return trip before the visa expires.