MFA to quickly solve the missing visa stamps; 500 stickers disappear from Thai consulate in Lao PDR

[spermwhale]

Looks like there is a new money making scam underway among consulate staff. I'm sure they can sell these in the black market to all types of shady characters -- terrorists, those on the lam from the law in their home countries, gangsters and other vagrants...

It reminds me of the pseudophedrine pill scheme that was going on last year when hospital directors were buying millions of the pills and then selling them speed and meth makers in Burma.

[Scott]

An off-topic post has been deleted.

[carbine1125]

The only group of people creating a demand for these stolen goods are the Farang in Thaivisa.

Muppet

[Thai at Heart]

Looks like there is a new money making scam underway among consulate staff. I'm sure they can sell these in the black market to all types of shady characters -- terrorists, those on the lam from the law in their home countries, gangsters and other vagrants...

It reminds me of the pseudophedrine pill scheme that was going on last year when hospital directors were buying millions of the pills and then selling them speed and meth makers in Burma.

This could be worth 10s of millions yearly

[IMA_FARANG]

. . . that diplomatic pouches occasionally went missing . . .

Since when???? I'm dam_n sure if the UK or USA lost any diplomatic pouches there'd be an uproar. Aren't these things hand-delivered, carried door-to-door?

-----------------------------

Oh I wish I could tell you stories about how many times Classified materials have been "accidentally' misplaced in shipping or transit ... but I can't.

it happens many times, and often times an investigation proves that it was an embassy or consulate employee who misplaced the material.

They get so used to handling that stuff, that they get careless.

Even senior Defense Department officers sometimes "misplace" Top Secret documents

That happens a lot.

They've been left in Taxis, rest rooms, airport first class lounges, and on trains between cities .... you name it, it has been done before.

Visa stickers lost would be considered by some of the people who routinely handle such stuff as a "minor" incident.

Not "really important" compared to other things.

And that includes the U.S. and the U.K. too.

Edited August 28, 2013 by IMA_FARANG

[pookiki]

Better be careful about a new occupation hazard for Thai embassy employees. I think the term is "sticker shock"!

[ginjag]

Looks like there is a new money making scam underway among consulate staff. I'm sure they can sell these in the black market to all types of shady characters -- terrorists, those on the lam from the law in their home countries, gangsters and other vagrants...

It reminds me of the pseudophedrine pill scheme that was going on last year when hospital directors were buying millions of the pills and then selling them speed and meth makers in Burma.

This could be worth 10s of millions yearly

Thai Consulate at Vientiane, visa run - applications before 11-30 am. collection the next day open time 1pm. this is normal Monday to Thursday.

BUT if you go in the morning and see a tout he will guarantee for 5,000 bht + the visa fee, the same day all done and dusted.

If they do not have time to process in 1 day how can they have time for this. ???

say 300 persons a day at 2,000 bht + any extras. Half a mill bht a day, not bad revenue. Multiply this with all the consulates issuing visa and all the business-retirees, no wonder they want you on a visa run.

Not forgetting other ones -example Laos, visa for entry 1,500 bht, and your night in a hotel before getting your Thai visa sticker.

Just to add Tourism Authority of Thailand are over the moon with additional (Tourist-visitor ) on the register -re stats

[Songhua]

Diplomatic bags are not 'safehanded' ie physically carried by someone unless they contain sensitive material. Quite often they are just cargo or are sometimes signed for and carried by the captain of the aircraft (that's why diplomatic missions normally use their own nation's carrier).

[lee b]

So how many in total then after KL Laos PDR and the ones that went missing on the way to Europe???

[bangarang]

Why do these criminals have to ruin it for everyone. I expect getting a visa at savannakhet will be more difficult to obtain after this. Im curious if Savan Vegas operation has anything to do with this since they always offered such an easy going "cheap" visa run special. I hope not as I got my visa through them.

[RubbaJohnny]

Diplomatic bags is a very unflattering way to describe the albeit comely ladies where I am served.

One assumes someone is responsible.

Much confusion due to the fact in accountable meirtocracy that those higher up take responsibility,however down our mooban ,this would involve the much eschewed LOSS OF FACE card,it also reveals hw appointments and punshments are unrelated to merit or justice cf the Redbullboy,if any furthur evidence of Michael Rodent jurisprudence were necessary.

Nepotism simple rules for simple people

Edited August 28, 2013 by RubbaJohnny

[SOTIRIOS]

....no...it is only Thais.....corrupt through and through...and seeking to blame foreigners....

...just check to see how many immigration officials have 2-3-4 cars and 2-3-4 houses ...and businesses....

...stop blaming foreigners....without foreigners Thailand would still be a dirt heap.....

(...and with the help of Thais.....it may very well become one again...)

[lee b]

At the honorary consulat of Thailand in Hamburg/Germany they still use a stamp which the data is filled in!

Lets hope the stamp is not stolen then !!!

[surangw]

"

MFA to quickly solve the missing visa stamps" the solution, print up more stickers

[bangarang]

"

MFA to quickly solve the missing visa stamps" the solution, print up more stickers

What is that going to solve? Print more and have them stolen again with more criminals trying to sneak in using black market stickers?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

At this point, based on the unraveling news reports thus far, it's probably pretty safe to assume there are more Thai consulates where employees are selling off visa stickers for personal profit.

If Malaysia and Laos are the smoke, surely there's fire elsewhere.

[john baah jumper]

so was it snowden or manning who used to work for the diplomatic transport corps.

perhaps thailand could just grant citizenship after 3 years like oz does. problem solved.

lets face it the whole thing is just a big money raking scam anyways.

Edited August 28, 2013 by john baah jumper

[Thai at Heart]

At this point, based on the unraveling news reports thus far, it's probably pretty safe to assume there are more Thai consulates where employees are selling off visa stickers for personal profit.

If Malaysia and Laos are the smoke, surely there's fire elsewhere.

Kl and Laos are probably for the returning oldies before they are put off for pension.

[jollyposty]

Thai Consulate at Vientiane, visa run - applications before 11-30 am. collection the next day open time 1pm. this is normal Monday to Thursday.
BUT if you go in the morning and see a tout he will guarantee for 5,000 bht + the visa fee, the same day all done and dusted.

If they do not have time to process in 1 day how can they have time for this. ???

say 300 persons a day at 2,000 bht + any extras. Half a mill bht a day, not bad revenue. Multiply this with all the consulates issuing visa and all the business-retirees, no wonder they want you on a visa run.

Not forgetting other ones -example Laos, visa for entry 1,500 bht, and your night in a hotel before getting your Thai visa sticker.

Just to add Tourism Authority of Thailand are over the moon with additional (Tourist-visitor ) on the register -re stats

maybe not a tout but a junior for the consulate just thinking out loud..

[Yunla]

Thai Consulate at Vientiane, visa run - applications before 11-30 am. collection the next day open time 1pm. this is normal Monday to Thursday.

BUT if you go in the morning and see a tout he will guarantee for 5,000 bht + the visa fee, the same day all done and dusted.

If they do not have time to process in 1 day how can they have time for this. ???

say 300 persons a day at 2,000 bht + any extras. Half a mill bht a day, not bad revenue. Multiply this with all the consulates issuing visa and all the business-retirees, no wonder they want you on a visa run.

Not forgetting other ones -example Laos, visa for entry 1,500 bht, and your night in a hotel before getting your Thai visa sticker.

Just to add Tourism Authority of Thailand are over the moon with additional (Tourist-visitor ) on the register -re stats

My favourite moment at that embassy AKA some plastic chairs in the road was when they had to take a photo of me for their files, even though I had brought my own legit photos with me they could have used. They moved me away from the plastic chairs in the road and across the road to the verge, and then they said "stand by the ditch so we can shoot you." I've seen a lot of historical documentaries about that kind of thing here in Asia. And like its not hard enough keeping a fixed expression for photos already. That photo my eyes were watering from holding back the lols.

Edited August 28, 2013 by Yunla

[noitom]

The Laos and Malays are conspiring to liberate Thai visa stickers from Thai foreign consulates. Clearly "no Thais involved" as a Thai offcial stated several days ago when the scheme was first announced in the news.

[webfact]

UPDATE:
Probe ordered after visa slips' theft
Jeerapong Prasertpolkrung
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul has ordered a probe into the operations of Thai embassies across the world after the recent disappearance of 300 visa slips from the mission in Kuala Lumpur. He added that any officials found involved in this irregularity would be punished.

Surapong said he had instructed investigators to inspect every step of the operation - from when the visa slips were ordered to how they were posted and received at the other end - to see if there might be problems or any loopholes.

Other than the disappearance in Malaysia, Surapong said he had learned on Tuesday that 500 slips had gone missing from the Thai Consulate in Laos' Savannakhet province. He has called on the Department of Consular Affairs and the ministry's deputy permanent secretary to look into the matter.

New stickers considered

The authorities are now looking into the possibility of introducing visa stickers that include the photo of the passport holder, he said.

Since the disappearance of the stickers in Malaysia was being blamed on a locally hired employee, he said the ministry would introduce strict measures to check the background of all embassy and consulate staff hired locally.

After the disappearance of the visa slips hit the headlines, dozens of tourists trying to enter Thailand on visas from Malaysia with the cancelled serial numbers were arrested.


-- The Nation 2013-08-29

[Always18]

If Diplomatic Pouches went missing during delivery it's probably because they employed our local village postman!

He clearly believes he has the right to help himself to any packet he's given to deliver - been caught red-handed and reprimanded more than once but never sacked........................

[rogerdee123]

Sounds like those dishonest Malaysian embassy workers are stealing from the Thai consulate in Laos as well. Or will the scapegoats be some Lao people this time?

The scapegoats will be anybody EXCEPT Thais because as we all know Thais are too honest to steal.

yes of course and besides .... just imagine! those Lao and Malaysian people don't use skin whitener ... they are capable of doing anything

[bander]

Thai officials steal visa stickers and try to blame tourists who have been ripped off 30.000 bath for getting "express visa", Thais don't lose face and falang take the blame as usual, case closed, nothing new here

[Frank James]

I don't see how these visa stickers have any value whatsoever. I looked at three old ones in my passport, issued at the Thai Embassy in KL. They have serial numbers printed on them, and I'm sure the stolen number series was fed into computers at all Thai Immigration checkpoints. Also, there is a very distinctive red hand stamp affixed to the lower corner, half on the stamp and half on the page. That would be easy to fake, of course. It would seem that the stolen ones would set off alarms as soon as they are scanned.

As I recall, all of the staff working the windows at the KL Embassy, and their supervisors, are Malaysians, and there are a couple of them who really need to attend attitude/customer service school. They seem to delight in turning people down for any reason. I've seen it happen several times. Glad I don't have to go there any more.

[ginjag]

I don't see how these visa stickers have any value whatsoever. I looked at three old ones in my passport, issued at the Thai Embassy in KL. They have serial numbers printed on them, and I'm sure the stolen number series was fed into computers at all Thai Immigration checkpoints. Also, there is a very distinctive red hand stamp affixed to the lower corner, half on the stamp and half on the page. That would be easy to fake, of course. It would seem that the stolen ones would set off alarms as soon as they are scanned.

As I recall, all of the staff working the windows at the KL Embassy, and their supervisors, are Malaysians, and there are a couple of them who really need to attend attitude/customer service school. They seem to delight in turning people down for any reason. I've seen it happen several times. Glad I don't have to go there any more.

This is an immigration problem, a superior attitude because of above the law status. ( they think) Not unlike a traffic warden in general. Some are very good and efficient the regular guy in the consulate Laos is pretty decent, the regular lady comes across as a man hater/eater--not sure.

[jonclark]

The only group of people creating a demand for these stolen goods are the Farang in Thaivisa.

Sure, I'd much prefer to pay twenty or thousand baht for a stolen sticker (either knowingly or through someone I believed was an agent) than walk in and pay ten thousand for a legitimate multiple entry one at the consulate just an hour down the road. Not.

I won't be surprise if these stolen stickers are openly on sales in KSR. In the same store that sells similar items like us/uk/euro/international driving license, degree (any university you want), student / teacher / press pass, marriage cert, etc. I don't think any Thai will be interested in buying a Thai visa sticker.

Probably not - but you can bet your bottom dollar the Thais will be interested in selling them - Thais love cash more than their homeland despite the patriotic rhetoric the media constantly pushes out.

The picture shows just how blatantly dishonest a number of Thais are flouting openly international and national laws.

[bander]

"He added that any officials found involved in this irregularity would be punished."

Yes, a slap on the hand as usual

Edited August 29, 2013 by metisdead
Bold font removed.

[Langsuan Man]

DUH, I guess it would be too much for the MFA to insure that all visa stamps are backed up by an embossed stamp after they are placed in a passport

That way the "officials" would have to steal divert an embosser as well as the stamps, which I am sure someone would miss long before they ran out of visa blanks