Phuket Crackdown On Foreign Guest Reporting Pays Off

[webfact]

Phuket crackdown on foreign guest reporting pays off
Naraporn Tuarob

PHUKET: -- A drive to get hotels and guesthouses on the island to conform with the law and report details of foreign guests staying with them is paying off, say Immigration Police.

Since the end of April, ten establishments have been fined B8,000 each for not reporting at all or for underreporting guests. Word has got around and other places have been lining up to make their reports.

Pol Lt Piyawith Sitthilo told The Phuket News today “Since April, the number of the hotels and accommodation services reported to Immigration has increased by 30 per cent.

“We continue to push for as many establishments as possible to report.”

Immigration officers have been holding seminars for groups of hotels or guest houses, and also continue to visit individual places to advise them on how to comply.

“We have to collect the information about foreigners who come to stay in Phuket and [hotel records] are a good source. If a foreigner commits a crime, we can track them down to the last place they stayed, or if a foreigner is reported missing, hotel records can help find them.

“We have fined accommodation establishments that failed to report to us after we launched this campaign, or reported inaccurately. Some places, for example, had 80 guests but reported only 10 so we fined them.

“After we fined them, other places started to report and to call us.

“We have tried to publicise our measures to every hotel and guesthouse so that they are aware of how important this is.

“Yesterday (June 5) we called a group of owners to a seminar at the Immigration office – we have done this several times – and we check on every tourist area almost daily.”

Many small hotels and guesthouses prefer to operate under the radar in order to dodge taxes, and worry that reporting to Immigration may expose them to the tax man. However, it seems that the fines levied since the end of April have had a significant effect.

The law applies not only to hotels and guest houses but also to rental villas and even private homes.

Section 38 of the 1979 Immigration Act states, “House owners, heads of household, landlords or managers of hotels who accommodate foreign nationals on a temporary basis who stay in the kingdom legally, must notify the local immigration authorities within 24 hours from the time of arrival of the foreign national.”

For more information visit the Thailand Immigration website and click on “Notification of residence for foreigners.”

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-crackdown-on-foreign-guest-reporting-pays-off-39944.php


-- Phuket News 2013-06-06

[stingray]

In my opi ion, just don't go to phuket. It look like they are really against foreigners.

[keestha]

In my opi ion, just don't go to phuket. It look like they are really against foreigners.

Why, because they have to fill out a registration card when checking into a hotel? Pretty much the same all over the world.

[Payboy]

Phuket Crackdown On Foreign Guest Reporting Pays Off

So, the fines are the pay-off, or there are pay-offs in lieu of the fines?

[PREM-R]

"Phuket Crackdown On Foreign Guest Reporting Pays Off"

When I read the headline I expected the story to be about a terrorist cell they had discovered, a paedophile or a murderer they had arrested but instead it is just about getting hotels and guesthouses, who did not propertly report "foreigners", to pay fines.

Edited June 6, 2013 by PREM-R

[JetsetBkk]

"Phuket Crackdown On Foreign Guest Reporting Pays Off"

When I read the headline I expected the story to be about a terrorist cell they had discovered, a paedophile or a murderer they had arrested but instead it is just about getting hotels and guesthouses, who did not propertly report "foreigners", to pay fines.

Yes, me too. No bad person was caught, just more money for Immigration and lots more paper to be filed in a drawer and forgotten about.

[yoslim]

I'm pretty sure I'll never set foot in phuket or anywhere south thailand for the rest of my life, unfriendly peole, exhorbitant prices, crappy airport, horrible taxi/ tuk-tuk mafia..

[keestha]

I'm pretty sure I'll never set foot in phuket or anywhere south thailand for the rest of my life, unfriendly peole, exhorbitant prices, crappy airport, horrible taxi/ tuk-tuk mafia..

I might be mistaken, but this sounds a bit like somebody having a ready judgement about the USA after having seen only Disneyland. Where else in southern Thailand did you go besides Phuket?

[lovetotravel]

In my opi ion, just don't go to phuket. It look like they are really against foreigners.

Why, because they have to fill out a registration card when checking into a hotel? Pretty much the same all over the world.

True. But most places aren't doing this to only satisfy immigration's desire to track foreigners. Right???

[Ianatlarge]

A storm in a teacup, will anything change because visitors have to fill out registration cards. Will organised crime grind to a halt, will the innumerable small, but annoying thefts and scams (the jet ski is the obvious eg) of Thailand cease, will global warming diminish? No. Just one more pointless bureaucratic ritual that generates a headline and seeming activity, while avoiding anything of consequence.

I note the legislation reads: "who stay in the kingdom legally" — does that mean that if you stay in the Kingdom illegally, you don't have to report?

[stickylies]

I'm pretty sure I'll never set foot in phuket or anywhere south thailand for the rest of my life, unfriendly peole, exhorbitant prices, crappy airport, horrible taxi/ tuk-tuk mafia..

You've never been to Satun then. Mostly friendly people, cheap prices, no airport, no maffia whatsoever and most important: hardly any farang (since there are no girly-bars). Lived there for a while, some of the most relaxing towns in Thailand.

[horsewell]

All these Phuket haters... if they knew how to live in Phuket they wouldn't be complaining. It's like they never had to deal with bloody minded bureaucracy before. They should move home and let their mothers look after them. That way the bad people wont hurt them anymore!

It's the same Thailand over. The world over, in varying degrees. Everyone had to take responsibility to know about their surroundings. These are not level playing fields, nothing "fair", nothing that is balanced in favour of them. In many ways it's fairer than other places because at-least you expect to be screwed...

[SlyAnimal]

Many small hotels and guesthouses prefer to operate under the radar in order to dodge taxes, and worry that reporting to Immigration may expose them to the tax man.

Oh if you're not reporting because you want to evade taxes, then that's alright then.

lol

But in general, I think that the hotels reporting foreigners is a bit of a pain for the non tourist areas where they aren't used to it, but in somewhere like Phuket they should be doing it. As it does help police track down criminals and missing persons etc.

[harrry]

Possibly it would be better as they seem to have a shortage of Officers (Chiang Mai is reportedly 18 short) to uswe their staff tgo service the needs of foreigners requiring extensions and 90 day reports etc first.

[DoctorG]

I'm pretty sure I'll never set foot in phuket or anywhere south thailand for the rest of my life, unfriendly peole, exhorbitant prices, crappy airport, horrible taxi/ tuk-tuk mafia..

You've never been to Satun then. Mostly friendly people, cheap prices, no airport, no maffia whatsoever and most important: hardly any farang (since there are no girly-bars). Lived there for a while, some of the most relaxing towns in Thailand.

Songkhla City is quite nice too.

[jacko45k]

In my opi ion, just don't go to phuket. It look like they are really against foreigners.

Why, because they have to fill out a registration card when checking into a hotel? Pretty much the same all over the world.

And show an ID, likely a passport. Which is copied.

[yoslim]

I'm pretty sure I'll never set foot in phuket or anywhere south thailand for the rest of my life, unfriendly peole, exhorbitant prices, crappy airport, horrible taxi/ tuk-tuk mafia..

I might be mistaken, but this sounds a bit like somebody having a ready judgement about the USA after having seen only Disneyland. Where else in southern Thailand did you go besides Phuket?

I've been to Krabi and didn't like it as well, and further south I heard there were some bomb problems

[stickylies]

They should move home and let their mothers look after them.

didn't they come to thailand to have a thai-wife-annex-mother taking care of them in the first place?

[sausageandmash]

In my opi ion, just don't go to phuket. It look like they are really against foreigners.

Why, because they have to fill out a registration card when checking into a hotel? Pretty much the same all over the world.

A very naive opinion here. It's not registration cards that are under the microscope Einstein, it's the fact that the information is sent to the police.

[stickylies]

Songkhla City is quite nice too.

been there too but prefer andaman (sea-wise) and songkhla is too "big" for me.

[rfukata]

yeah but theres no crackdown on the phuket tuktuk, jet ski, goons, really helpful isn't it.

[Jimbob1]

to uswe their staff tgo service

Spit it out ... must be harder to say than it is to read ...

[keestha]

I'm pretty sure I'll never set foot in phuket or anywhere south thailand for the rest of my life, unfriendly peole, exhorbitant prices, crappy airport, horrible taxi/ tuk-tuk mafia..

I might be mistaken, but this sounds a bit like somebody having a ready judgement about the USA after having seen only Disneyland. Where else in southern Thailand did you go besides Phuket?

I've been to Krabi and didn't like it as well, and further south I heard there were some bomb problems

No. There is only political violence at the east coast of the deep south, in the provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala, and 2 districts of Songkhla province, and there have been incidents in Had Yai. There have been no incidents at all in the west coast provinces of Trang and Satun. Even embassies giving out travel warnings often get this wrong.

Apart from this, there never has been any violence directed against westerners. Maybe not for fun, but on business I wouldn't have any problem to drive the car down to say Narathiwat.

[RIJoe]

Yahoo just listed Phuket as one of the best retirement places in the world. Apparently they don't see news items about traffic deaths, scams, heists involving far ants, or other issues.

[hellodolly]

In my opi ion, just don't go to phuket. It look like they are really against foreigners.

Read the article it is a crackdown on hotels not reporting foreigners registration to immigration.

Not a crack down on foreign guests reporting pay offs.

You must be new.

Never never trust a Nation headline. They are put there to sell news papers. Not to inform people you have to read the article and even then it leaves gaping holes half the time.

Mods would it be possible to change the head lines to reflect the actual article.

[hellodolly]

I'm pretty sure I'll never set foot in phuket or anywhere south thailand for the rest of my life, unfriendly peole, exhorbitant prices, crappy airport, horrible taxi/ tuk-tuk mafia..

You've never been to Satun then. Mostly friendly people, cheap prices, no airport, no maffia whatsoever and most important: hardly any farang (since there are no girly-bars). Lived there for a while, some of the most relaxing towns in Thailand.

Sounds like Koran

[nycjoe]

Get out and explore. Great people, beautiful scenery. Delicious food. If your attitude is bad, you will never be happy anywhere. Clear your head. The farther you are from an airport the better it gets.

[sgtsabai]

Along the same line, when I did my O-A yearly extension last month my wife had to fill out the TM30 for the first time. Immigration here in Udon was very polite, no threats, lectures etc. for not having ever filled it out in the past 5 years. A few days latter a friend did his O-A and had to fill out the same form, he has yellow book for his residence. It seems that this push is nation wide. Technically if one follows the rules, you, as the foreigner, also have to fill out TM28 notifying immigration or police whenever you are away from your residence for more than 24 hours. I don't mind so much the TM30, which stays in your immigration records, except for the part that goes in your passport, but the TM28 is just a bit overboard. Lets hope they don't start enforcing that one.

[hellodolly]

I'm pretty sure I'll never set foot in phuket or anywhere south thailand for the rest of my life, unfriendly peole, exhorbitant prices, crappy airport, horrible taxi/ tuk-tuk mafia..

I might be mistaken, but this sounds a bit like somebody having a ready judgement about the USA after having seen only Disneyland. Where else in southern Thailand did you go besides Phuket?

I've been to Krabi and didn't like it as well, and further south I heard there were some bomb problems

No. There is only political violence at the east coast of the deep south, in the provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala, and 2 districts of Songkhla province, and there have been incidents in Had Yai. There have been no incidents at all in the west coast provinces of Trang and Satun. Even embassies giving out travel warnings often get this wrong.

Apart from this, there never has been any violence directed against westerners. Maybe not for fun, but on business I wouldn't have any problem to drive the car down to say Narathiwat.

Car bombs in parking lots will injure a farong just as easily as a Thai. Muslim Terrorists are not picky. They even kill Muslims.

[upena]

Are the hotels/guesthouses required to report the Thais that stay also?