City Life Article On Chiang Mai Immigration Office Problems

[jko]

Excellent (and revealing) interview with Police Colonel Prachak Awaiyawanont, Superintendent of Chiang Mai, Lamphun and Lampang Immigration in the February edition of City Life here.

Kudos! to Khun Pim for this highly informative article, which answers a lot of questions about why the Chiang Mai Office is so hopelessly overcrowded, and why it remains this way.

[uptheos]

I think you're a bit late, there's already a thread somewhere.

It's in here

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/562436-90-day-reporting-comments-and-experiences/page__st__300

Edited February 7, 2013 by uptheos

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

blames everything on Bangkok? the room is spinning... I better sit down.

it's lack of common sense in many cases.

I was there yesterday and the window #1 guy did not know how to use the number notification system.

My guess was he was too embarrassed to ask how to use it and or perhaps lazy and nobody else in the office would say anything like "take 20 minutes and learn it already".

[fcgprg]

Good article,if he does not have a budget and rely on Bangkok you cannot do a lot .At least he is standing up for Chiang Mai immigration well done to him .At least he is not afraid to speak out about the problems .

[market trader]

Well this is the first time I have read a story about a Thai official who actually talks about the frustrations of his job. He has given us a much better insight of what the problems are or is.. Bangkok..

[Semper]

blames everything on Bangkok? the room is spinning... I better sit down.

it's lack of common sense in many cases.

I was there yesterday and the window #1 guy did not know how to use the number notification system.

My guess was he was too embarrassed to ask how to use it and or perhaps lazy and nobody else in the office would say anything like "take 20 minutes and learn it already".

TIT.

[skills32]

Everyone should go to the link in the OP and sign the petition. I did.

[eyecatcher]

I suspect the odds are against him of reaching retirement in 2 yrs.

I was in Mae Sae earlier this week and it was frustrating that at 12pm-1pm when all the silver mini vans arrive and the coaches in to the bus station, there was only one lady doing the "entry" stamp back into Thailand.

The queue of farangs when i was there was about 12; so the pressure and stress on her to flip thorough several different coloured passports looking for the right page and looking for her 15 or 60 or 90 day stamp was admirable.

I didnt have the heart to say " excuse me but my pages are running out can you find some space at the beginning please"

[ovenman]

Well this is the first time I have read a story about a Thai official who actually talks about the frustrations of his job. He has given us a much better insight of what the problems are or is.. Bangkok..

I recollect reading an interview in one of the long-defunct local English magazines in which an official was blaming "Bangkok" for the inability to get local traffic signals fixed. It sounded like the local authorities needed some gov't flunkie in Bangkok to sign off on each simple order to replace a light bulb.

[Beetlejuice]

That article certainly does not give us any assurance that the situation will improve.

Next time I have to visit Immigration, I think I shall bring some camping gear and be prepared for a long stay.

[Thailsacien]

After 8 years in Bangkok, my thai family and myself moved to Chiang Mai last year. That's exactly the feeling I had when I first went to the immigration office: very dedicated and helpful officers, but completely outdated facilities.

It remembers me the infamous Soi Suan Plue immigration. Just before they moved to Chaeng Wattana, some young officers had set up a kind of "on-line visa extension". This was really great. You could make an appointment online for the one-year visa extension and send all scanned documents by Internet for having them checked.

A few days later, an officer called us back to confirm the appointment and asked us to bring the original document and one more that was missing. They even sent the filled form by e-mail with an appointment number !!

Unfortunately, it looks like some "old-style-bureaucraty" officers didn't like this little worklflow revolution and this service has been suspended after a couple of months.

[funcat]

"At the time of the interview, Police Colonel Prachak Awaiyawanont had been on the job for just over a month, having been transferred from Phayao Police Station."

...hope he'll last to make some changes...before another 'transfer'...

[worgeordie]

After 8 years in Bangkok, my thai family and myself moved to Chiang Mai last year. That's exactly the feeling I had when I first went to the immigration office: very dedicated and helpful officers, but completely outdated facilities.

It remembers me the infamous Soi Suan Plue immigration. Just before they moved to Chaeng Wattana, some young officers had set up a kind of "on-line visa extension". This was really great. You could make an appointment online for the one-year visa extension and send all scanned documents by Internet for having them checked.

A few days later, an officer called us back to confirm the appointment and asked us to bring the original document and one more that was missing. They even sent the filled form by e-mail with an appointment number !!

Unfortunately, it looks like some "old-style-bureaucraty" officers didn't like this little worklflow revolution and this service has been suspended after a couple of months.

Hi Thaillsacien, They have an advance booking system at CNX immigration, just check beginning of this forum, can book 100days in advance, just booked my place for end April ,last night.

regards Worgeordie

[Thailsacien]

Hi Thaillsacien, They have an advance booking system at CNX immigration, just check beginning of this forum, can book 100days in advance, just booked my place for end April ,last night.

regards Worgeordie

Thanks, I know the system and I've used it last year, just after they introduced the "1/2-hours" slots

But the one they had in Soi Suan Plue was even better: you could send all the requested documents for a pre-check several weeks before the day of appointment.

[PoodMaiDai]

The thing I don't understand about the 24 hour hotel and guest house reporting is, if they are doing this to catch "international criminals" why don't they just stop them at the airport and deny them entry? If they are already on a list, stop them before they come in. Seems that would solve a lot of headache for them.

[retiredaamt]

Across the street is the old Emporium with a large parking lot shared by D' Lites restaurant. That place is 99% empty. I think there is one restaurant or something in it. It would be cheaper to lease and renovate that place than it would be to buy land and build a new building. That building is huge and could be a possible answer.

[HullyGully]

The guy has balls to speak out.

Lets hope it does some good

[Mapguy]

Join a petition to improve matters. Go here: http://www.change.or...igration-office .

This petition is also discussed under the topic of "90-Day Reporting..." That can be confusing.

[trainman34014]

As far as the powers that be in Bangkok are concerned Chiang Mai is just a small backwater town somewhere up country where the native jungle bunnies cannot be trusted to do anything without some kind of parental control from the great center of the universe. Most of them have only heard of it because a certain well known fugitive who lives in Dubai came from here and his sister is now Prime Minister. Of course; we all know that their great power base is sinking and in 50 years will have vanished from the map, so as time passes Chiang Mai will the 'in' place to be, if only to keep their feet dry !

[Awk]

The thing I don't understand about the 24 hour hotel and guest house reporting is, if they are doing this to catch "international criminals" why don't they just stop them at the airport and deny them entry? If they are already on a list, stop them before they come in. Seems that would solve a lot of headache for them.

Quite obvious really. Not everybody was a known criminal, or even a criminal, when he arrived at the airport. Some only become it much later.

[RogerL]

i see as of this morning the petition to improve the conditions at Chiang Mai Immigration has 199 signatures. I would expect there are a lot more people than that who have concerns about the quality and timeliness of service at our local Immigration Office?

To see the latest numbers:

http://www.change.org/petitions/demand-government-to-support-chiang-mai-immigration-office

[CBR250]

I suspect the petition will be worse than useless if it cannot raise a few thousand signatures. The dim recesses of my memory recall a figure of 15,000 or so falangs as long term stayers in CM, and another 15,000 or so living in the Province. Is this correct ? Anyone have accurate figures?

[uptheos]

I suppose a petition might be worthwhile if there was even a remote chance it might have an effect. I'm just a guest here as I'm told ad nauseum, so I certainly don't do petitions to my genial hosts.

But anyway, immigration isn't really that big a deal as far as I can see.

Annual extension, just book a slot on-line, no queuing or getting up at 4am.

Ninety day reporting, you can get someone to do it for you so you only need to visit once a year for your extension. Some people use a visa agency, some send the *wife or gf and some pay a person to go for them. There's nothing in the rules that says you have to suffer all the crap, if you can find an alternative.

You can get up early and spend the time chatting, people watching and making new friends there, which seems to be quite popular with some. Or you can simply take a chance and swan in at various times and be in and out in 5 minutes, because there are myriads of posts where people have done this and they wouldn't make it up......would they?

So what's to petition?

Personally, I can think of higher causes.

*Some send the husband or bf.

Edited February 17, 2013 by uptheos

[hellodolly]

I just looked at the petition.

It dosen't even say what it is about. It only asks for 500 signatures,

Looks like some one took a really candid article and cut and pasted some nonsense petition on to it Hoping people would think it was about improving immigration when in fact is a petition to bring back Tony Blair.

[bobl]

Queueing solution - the African way...

[uptheos]

Queueing solution - the African way...

Looking at some of the motley crew that assemble there, the shoes might get nicked.

However, at least the Africans are trying something!

[funcat]

...are they Africans,really?...they are Thai...just from different province...

[Sao Jiang Mai]

If you read the article you would see what the petition is about (the article's link is in the opening part of the petiton. Frankly being Thai this issue doesn't affect me one way or another, and you are right, the petition will probably not be at all effective. But I find that it is hard to sit back and listen when I hear a sensible request by a government official to receive help he needs from central government (where the vast majority of money collected is being channeled), that, combined with complaints I have heard - and read here - over the years by people. I thought it would be a better thing to actually get off my arse and try to help than to sit and complain. But that is just me.

What I am doing is compiling all the comments made on the petition site, on my web page and facebook and translating them, then i will send them all, along with the petition results, to the PM's office along with a cover letter and a copy of the interview. The head of immigration CM will also be gettting a copy. It may help, it may not. (BTW, the 500 request thing is an auto programme of Chang.org, we are just grateful to receive any suppoart at all)

I just looked at the petition.

It dosen't even say what it is about. It only asks for 500 signatures,

Looks like some one took a really candid article and cut and pasted some nonsense petition on to it Hoping people would think it was about improving immigration when in fact is a petition to bring back Tony Blair.

[NancyL]

Sao Jiang Mai -- you might be in a position to know this, or ask the question. On the Visa portion of this website, someone from Udon Thani claimed that their new local immigration office was the result of a donation campaign. I don't know if that was the only source of funding, or maybe just a fund drive to pay for the blessing ceremony or something -- but it got Hubby and I to thinking.

Is it possible for the local CM expats to raise the funds to build a new immigration office? Perhaps the national government could donate the land but the local "customers" could provide the funding if Bangkok is unwilling or unable to build a new, larger office with great parking, copy facilities, restaurant, etc, etc.

Edit: on second thought, maybe it's not such a good idea. Fewer than 300 people have signed your petition and those supporting it have been subject to insults on this forum. I guess it's just more fun to sit back, do nothing, complain and take pot-shots from an unanimous position.

Edited February 20, 2013 by NancyL

[uptheos]

Sao Jiang Mai -- you might be in a position to know this, or ask the question. On the Visa portion of this website, someone from Udon Thani claimed that their new local immigration office was the result of a donation campaign. I don't know if that was the only source of funding, or maybe just a fund drive to pay for the blessing ceremony or something -- but it got Hubby and I to thinking.

Is it possible for the local CM expats to raise the funds to build a new immigration office? Perhaps the national government could donate the land but the local "customers" could provide the funding if Bangkok is unwilling or unable to build a new, larger office with great parking, copy facilities, restaurant, etc, etc.

Guests raise funds to build a new Thai government office?

I've heard some corkers in my time and this ranks up there with the best.

I've just seen your edit, what problems do you have with immigration that you feel it would be a good idea to give money towards building them a new office? Personally, I think immigration is a piece of cake now the on-line queuing system is in place and as I've said before there's no need to do the 90 day report yourself.

Edited February 20, 2013 by uptheos