Phuket Crackdown On Foreign Guest Reporting Pays Off

[craigt3365]

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.

This is not an article from The Nation. The heading is the same as was reported by the news source. Which is how it has to be. For better or worse.

[SICHONSTEVE]

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???

Right!!!

[bentleyboy]

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.

But the registration cards are not submitted to the police all over the world. It is unnecessary bureaucracy, just like 90 day reporting.

[drdoom6996]

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 agree. I live in Pattaya and I thought it was bad here. Boy was I wrong. I have lived here 25 years and Pattaya is tame compared to Phuket. Just don't rent a Jet Ski in Pattaya.

[spermwhale]

I am reading this and I don't see how it's paying off except that some hotels have been fined. There is nothing here that shows it's really paying off in the intended goal of snaring criminal farangs.

And I live in Thailand and never travel with my passport here, just my Thai driver's license. So would a hotel turn me away if I showed without it?

[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.

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.

Well, when I was working as a hotel receptionist in oh so liberal Amsterdam, Netherlands, guests checking in, foreign or Dutch, also had to fill in a registration slip. Late in the evening the registration slips were collected to be brought to the police. Sausageandmash, I guess in your native country it will be exactly the same.

Edited June 7, 2013 by keestha

[Lost In Translation 555]

Section 38 does this mean then that if you are illegally staying you do not need to be reported?

[axact]

The problem with the reporting is that the hotel has to fill in two forms, one for each guest and a total sheet. The information required includes when visa was issued & when expire.

Not only this you have to personally take them to immigration within the time frame. They do not let you do it online here in Pattaya.

I wonder if every establishment conformed to this rule where they would put all the paperwork !

[oyster]

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...

Very true - as Dad used to say, "You asked for chocolates".......Despite some minor screwing, which goes on everywhere in the world to a greater or lesser degree,I find Thailand in the lesser category. Plus they have the decency to smile politely whilst doing it. Almost a 'sorry about this, but I have to live as well'.............Chok Dee

[hawker9000]

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...

Disagree. It's not just the presence of bureaucracy. In fact, I don't think that's the gripe most people primarily have with Phuket (or the source of most of the bad press it gets). Or mothers either, whatever relevance that has... It's the apparent crime & ripoff rate, particularly against (as well as by) foreigners, and the taxi mafia. "Fair because you expect to be screwed..."?? What a great defense of the place. 'AND a great travel slogan! If it weren't for the rest of the post, I'd think this has to be sarcasm. LOL - yes, good one. Each to his own though. If you love it so much, lots of luck to you, live long & prosper, or whatever those of you invested in a place there say to reassure each other.

But no particular issue with the reporting. It is (and has been) the law throughout Thailand. Other countries do it, too. They should be able to more easily identify the crime victims from now on I guess. 'Wonder if the loss of ability to evade taxes will affect room rates...

Edited June 7, 2013 by hawker9000

[pacovl46]

Now implement the same for Thais so we can find and trace all the criminals amongst them. I'm thinking particularly about jet-ski operators, taxi, tuk tuk and motorcycle taxi drivers/riders.

[keestha]

Don't understand all the fuss if the registration cards are dumped in a drawer at the police station, at the hotel itself or wherever. Police/Immigration will have access to them anyway if they request so. They will only start flipping through the cards if they have a reason to look for somebody. Don't worry, they won't track your every movement, they have more important/more interesting things to do.

[ukrules]

The problem with the reporting is that the hotel has to fill in two forms, one for each guest and a total sheet. The information required includes when visa was issued & when expire.

Not only this you have to personally take them to immigration within the time frame. They do not let you do it online here in Pattaya.

I wonder if every establishment conformed to this rule where they would put all the paperwork !

You can do it online in Hua Hin via the national website !

[BigSkip]

"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.

Correct x 10

[ableguy]

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

I agree this is a dump, however this is nothing to do with being against foreigners its just the law of the land, The hotels dont report guests to avoid the tax man knowing how much the business turns over, thats fair,

However the taxis and tuk tuks thats another story.

[transam]

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.

Think they must sort out the lunch/beer bar rotor for the BiB, or reduce the lunch hour from 4 to 3 hours.

[NomadJoe]

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

12 years ago I was in Bangkok and was hassled for not having my passport on me when wanting to check into a large chain hotel. They told me that they had to report all guests to immigration each day, so this is not new (1979) and it is not just Phuket. It's everywhere in Thailand.

[NomadJoe]

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.

And then each hotel has to take all that to immigration every day, which is what this is about. No inconvenience to the tourist because they have to identify themselves usually with a passport anyway, which is another reason why stingrays comment is irrelevant.