Prohibitive Items In Thailand

[DaveYo]

Yes Axel in my reply to you. Someone at Customs definitely made me so angry I almost literally went to war.

Let me explain. I went thru legal channels via legal importers such as Fed Ex, and had my freight air transported in from USA. For the most part I did receive all my items from USA, after a hecka of a lot of arguing with them. Much consisted my tools and household items and the special foods for my two dogs here. They kept saying I needed Import License Permits etc, and Customs could never get their stories straightened out. Also Fed Ex stayed out of the picture and did not even do a darned thing to get the items cleared. I had to do it all on my own and then Fed Ex tries to charge me fees on top of it.

Only one item never passed on thru here. It was my personal tool being a Chainsaw. I talked to many people here and spent 10,000 baht on phone bills and even tried every possible compromise that is humanely possible. Finally the Customs Director General decided to allow me to have it, but the person below him being the Airport Customs Director went against his bosses decision. So I began to wonder why he would go against his own boss.

So, I went back to the Airport Customs Director and confronted him on that issue and we had a huge argument in his office and the bastard tried to discourge me every means possible.

To make it short. After this argument, three days later----> The Airport Customs Director did not charge me any fees for the storage for 2 months, did not charge me for any offense, did not charge FED EX for any fees, and told me to take a walk, cause they claimed it, and later on I made a quiet inquiry via someone else who checked on its whereabouts and contacted me and told me someone else (and I got the proof) SOLD IT TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER which was another Government Official and he paid them 25,000 Baht!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For all my effort, it cost me 10,000 Baht in phone bills, about 5,000 baht in gas, plus the cost of my shipping, and the cost of my purchase of the chainsaw and some other frickin Bozo gets it like FREE!!!!!!!!!! Who do you think pocketed the money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The frickin bastard did not even bother to compensate me - not even one Baht!!!!!! Whats worse, there was no listing that such was illegal, and even FED EX from both ends approved the shipment in the first place.

Also, from what I was told, he does get advanced information of whats coming in, and gleens over the shipping tickets. I am certain he has a list of buyers who have made special requests to him and he watches out for the requested items. When such does come in BINGO.

That is what got me so pissed off, and you can bet that the Airport Customs Director is definitely in my bullseye sights!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Daveyo

Edited May 12, 2005 by DaveYo

[chuchok]

Take your story to a news paper or TV station(That is not controlled by you know who...)

[DaveYo]

Yep I tried to get them involved. They had no interest about the Airports Customs Directors activities. I suspect the reason is first I am a foreigner, and not Thai. Had I been a Thai person they might want to get involved as past events and indications so evidenced.

So, I also found out with a very high degree of probability he is connected to another group, and its the last group you would care to screw around with at the present time. A small tip---like those who shake down vendors!!!

Sigh, seems corruption here has no limits.

Daveyo

Edited May 12, 2005 by DaveYo

[Steve2UK]

I also forgot to mention here too of the following:

Prohibitive Items entering Thailand:  Of course which is also not listed anywhere in the Customs site or from any carrier!!!!!!!!!!

    1.    Any CD's containing of Sexual Material

    2.    Any sexual aid devices either for males or females deemed to be Immoral by Thailand!!!!!

    3.    Any sexual stimulants whether in liquid form or in powder form. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Under part 3, would that include viagra?

[expatinasia]

daveyo,

If I understand correctly, all of this was over a chainsaw? Was this a gift from Princess Di? Why, oh why, didn't you just let them have it? I know, "it's the principle of the thing", but you ought ot choose your fights more carefully. As to your other comments: I KNOW that I was lucky, but my attitude was "it's only stuff...". I did ship things to TPT, and the only problem was the crew at the receiving company in Thailand. Keeping the story short, they tried to get me to pay $500US to get my stuff, and they only got $75US. The last transaction was to get my stuff to my apartment, and it went like this: I gave B1000 to the customs broker, who gave the entire amount to the guy who owned the truck, who gave the Broker B500, who gave the truck driver B140 - and B40 was for gas. Phew!