All very friendly and non confrontational.

Of course it was. All smiles as he tried to extort 300 baht from you :-)

You can also say that it is thanks to people willing to give a bribe the situation where you have to pay tea money exists and continues to exists.

That you have to wait long time in Bangkok has nothing to do with paying tea money or not, just with how busy it is there and how many officers are available.

I second Mario. Three hundred will become three thousand if stupid farangs continue to pay bribes. Each year KS Immigration tries to get 3-4K extra from me on a retirement visa. I just smile and say,"No problem, where is the receipt.? Do you ever see Thais paying bribes for standard services? If you've done something wrong like a traffic violation, I might understand it, but paying a bribe for a public service makes it difficult for the rest of us.

Thais always pay for extra service. It is accepted. Here and in most asian, african countries. You try and live on what they pay civil servants here

Bribes have been around for ever and will always be until they start collecting taxs owed and people get decent salaries

You can also say that it is thanks to people willing to give a bribe the situation where you have to pay tea money exists and continues to exists.

That you have to wait long time in Bangkok has nothing to do with paying tea money or not, just with how busy it is there and how many officers are available.

I second Mario. Three hundred will become three thousand if stupid farangs continue to pay bribes. Each year KS Immigration tries to get 3-4K extra from me on a retirement visa. I just smile and say,"No problem, where is the receipt.? Do you ever see Thais paying bribes for standard services? If you've done something wrong like a traffic violation, I might understand it, but paying a bribe for a public service makes it difficult for the rest of us.

Thais always pay for extra service. It is accepted. Here and in most asian, african countries. You try and live on what they pay civil servants here

Bribes have been around for ever and will always be until they start collecting taxs owed and people get decent salaries

You got to the heart of the matter Perhaps some western minds can digest your insight, Mr Court here 7 years and still trying to change the Thai way " But its the principle of the matter".