Immigration Police Doing The Rounds of Businesses - Be Careful...

[jimmybkk]

A quick heads-up to any foreigners working in Pattaya. Just got a visit at my office from a group of 5 guys who claimed to be Immigration Police checking up on Work Permits etc... Although suspicious I showed them my passport and WP which are both up to date and in order, they checked all details, took a photo of my Passport and went on their way. My staff asked for a name card as they were leaving and they said they didn't have, which made me more suspicious. One of my staff took a photo of the 2 main guys and after they left she sent it to someone she knows at Jomtien Immigration who confirmed that they are actually legitimate, but have a reputation for being a bit cash-hungry.

Unless they singled out our company out for any particular reason that I am unaware of you have to figure that they're going door-to-door.

If you're a foreigner working here and you're paperwork is not squeaky clean and they knock on your door, you may have a problem that will at best cost a few Baht to fix... You've been warned.

[vtjforyou]

You are good, thanks for them.

[bender92]

If they are working illegally they should be caught.

[OMGImInPattaya]

Nice...giving advice to dodgy foreigners on how to evade Thai laws...isn't this against forum rules?

[NoshowJones]

Nice...giving advice to dodgy foreigners on how to evade Thai laws...isn't this against forum rules?

Wrong, the OP is just advising any expats who are working to check that all their credentials are OK, nothing wrong with that as anyone can make a mistake.

[Suradit69]

...sent it to someone she knows at Jomtien Immigration who confirmed that they are actually legitimate, but have a reputation for being a bit cash-hungry.

I find it a bit credulity-stretching to believe someone at Jomtien Immigrations would be sending out gossipy accusations about people from their office who are apparently going about their duties. Since you are legitimately working here and no one was asked for any bribes, this embellishment to the story is just unsubstantiated rumor mongering.

It may be best to inform your staff that you are "Out of Office" until further notice.

Yes, that wouldn't raise any suspicions. Or they could just say you're on the run from the authorities and remove any doubt.

Edited November 7, 2013 by Suradit69

[aveabeeror2]

If they are working illegally they should be caught.

Dont do the crime if you cant do the time. ( I think this has been mentioned before)

[MikeThaiEvo]

Nice...giving advice to dodgy foreigners on how to evade Thai laws...isn't this against forum rules?

And You all come here to be clean ? If everybody are so clean, then whymany people on this forum actually buy MARRIAGE, giving their wives money and home so just can stay in Thailand ? Isn't that illegal too ? I'm starting to get sick of foreign people in Thailand. I had a chance to meet and get known very good some old traditional Thai families, see the VHS tape of Thailand 15 years ago, photos 30 years ago, and look at family books. Actually why Thailand become corrupted and have so much ILLEGAL things, is only because we FOREIGNERS brought our shit and complex to Thailand many years ago.

Cheers,

And thanks for the info. Many people will found it very helpfull, because having WORK PERMITT in Thailand is NOT SO EASY, so if You never tried to get WP book or to OPEN A COMPANY and put MILIONS TO THAI HANDS dont talk about what is legal and what is not.

[2008bangkok]

Kudos to the OP, cheers for the heads up

[OMGImInPattaya]

Nice...giving advice to dodgy foreigners on how to evade Thai laws...isn't this against forum rules?

Wrong, the OP is just advising any expats who are working to check that all their credentials are OK, nothing wrong with that as anyone can make a mistake.

To keep within forum rules the op had to edit his post...too bad he couldn't edit another poster's quote as well.

[OMGImInPattaya]

Nice...giving advice to dodgy foreigners on how to evade Thai laws...isn't this against forum rules?

And You all come here to be clean ? If everybody are so clean, then whymany people on this forum actually buy MARRIAGE, giving their wives money and home so just can stay in Thailand ? Isn't that illegal too ? I'm starting to get sick of foreign people in Thailand. I had a chance to meet and get known very good some old traditional Thai families, see the VHS tape of Thailand 15 years ago, photos 30 years ago, and look at family books. Actually why Thailand become corrupted and have so much ILLEGAL things, is only because we FOREIGNERS brought our shit and complex to Thailand many years ago.

Cheers,

And thanks for the info. Many people will found it very helpfull, because having WORK PERMITT in Thailand is NOT SO EASY, so if You never tried to get WP book or to OPEN A COMPANY and put MILIONS TO THAI HANDS dont talk about what is legal and what is not.

<deleted>...the forum's official language is English.

[shaurene]

Happened to me in Pattaya few years back. My wife and I had a 9 room guest house we also had 2 shops on the ground floor rented out. It was about 10am and the laundry l day called me to say a Thai man wants to rent a room on long term and wants me to come down, I said Nid my wife was in the shower but I will come down.

I say hello to the guy and he started to ask me a price I said I not know my wife is in the shower but come up, I showed him the room opposite our room he liked it and said again how much I said not know my wife come in a minute and he persisted and said how much I think I said I think around 7,000 month but my wife come, then my wife came in and I went back to our room she spoke to him and she said he yust started work in Pattaya and his wife is school teacher and will bring her around later today.

Within 30 mins a load of immigration guys arrived in 4 vehicles the boss guy got me and said I was working and told me one of their guys came and I told him room was 7,000 month, tried to explain I was not but ready to cart me away, I called my lawyer and told him the story he spoke to the guy ang gave me the phone back I said what will they do he said they will take me to the police station and I would be there till the court opened on Monday I said what will it cost me to get rid of them, he spoke to him again and he said 20,000 I them turned to this bastard and said ok. Went to the Jomtien office couple hours later and gave him the money.

[rgs2001uk]

Nice...giving advice to dodgy foreigners on how to evade Thai laws...isn't this against forum rules?

And You all come here to be clean ? If everybody are so clean, then whymany people on this forum actually buy MARRIAGE, giving their wives money and home so just can stay in Thailand ? Isn't that illegal too ? I'm starting to get sick of foreign people in Thailand. I had a chance to meet and get known very good some old traditional Thai families, see the VHS tape of Thailand 15 years ago, photos 30 years ago, and look at family books. Actually why Thailand become corrupted and have so much ILLEGAL things, is only because we FOREIGNERS brought our shit and complex to Thailand many years ago.

Cheers,

And thanks for the info. Many people will found it very helpfull, because having WORK PERMITT in Thailand is NOT SO EASY, so if You never tried to get WP book or to OPEN A COMPANY and put MILIONS TO THAI HANDS dont talk about what is legal and what is not.

<deleted>...the forum's official language is English.

Like many of the creme de la creme of Pattaya, I think his is Changlish.

[camo007]

I can confirm this as I have a number of friends that have had the same issues.

To be clear if they say you have a problem insist on calling your lawyer and going to immigration immediately to clear it up.

If they are not in uniform and refuse to show ID that is reputable then immediately call 191 and inform the Police that you believe that fake Immigration police have come to extort money.

I have been in the middle of a shakedown before and was threatened with arrest and more. The advice that I gave is to call 191 as all calls are recorded and they have to send somebody out to investigate.

In my case nothing was wrong and the warrant was complexly fake. The demands in my office started at 5 million Thai Baht.

Luckily my Lawyer was in the office next door and rang the police and building security. Could have been a bad situation. As at now my offices don't allow anybody in without an appointment. Exception given for people in uniform and pre-checks calling the respective departments prior to unlocking the door. (This was advice from BOI and the Australian Embassy)

[aveabeeror2]

Nice...giving advice to dodgy foreigners on how to evade Thai laws...isn't this against forum rules?

And You all come here to be clean ? If everybody are so clean, then whymany people on this forum actually buy MARRIAGE, giving their wives money and home so just can stay in Thailand ? Isn't that illegal too ? I'm starting to get sick of foreign people in Thailand. I had a chance to meet and get known very good some old traditional Thai families, see the VHS tape of Thailand 15 years ago, photos 30 years ago, and look at family books. Actually why Thailand become corrupted and have so much ILLEGAL things, is only because we FOREIGNERS brought our shit and complex to Thailand many years ago.

Cheers,

And thanks for the info. Many people will found it very helpfull, because having WORK PERMITT in Thailand is NOT SO EASY, so if You never tried to get WP book or to OPEN A COMPANY and put MILIONS TO THAI HANDS dont talk about what is legal and what is not.

<deleted>...the forum's official language is English.

Like many of the creme de la creme of Pattaya, I think his is Changlish.

If being an honest person who follows the rules makes them "creme de la creme," then count me in.

[OMGImInPattaya]

Happened to me in Pattaya few years back. My wife and I had a 9 room guest house we also had 2 shops on the ground floor rented out. It was about 10am and the laundry l day called me to say a Thai man wants to rent a room on long term and wants me to come down, I said Nid my wife was in the shower but I will come down.

I say hello to the guy and he started to ask me a price I said I not know my wife is in the shower but come up, I showed him the room opposite our room he liked it and said again how much I said not know my wife come in a minute and he persisted and said how much I think I said I think around 7,000 month but my wife come, then my wife came in and I went back to our room she spoke to him and she said he yust started work in Pattaya and his wife is school teacher and will bring her around later today.

Within 30 mins a load of immigration guys arrived in 4 vehicles the boss guy got me and said I was working and told me one of their guys came and I told him room was 7,000 month, tried to explain I was not but ready to cart me away, I called my lawyer and told him the story he spoke to the guy ang gave me the phone back I said what will they do he said they will take me to the police station and I would be there till the court opened on Monday I said what will it cost me to get rid of them, he spoke to him again and he said 20,000 I them turned to this bastard and said ok. Went to the Jomtien office couple hours later and gave him the money.

And what's your complaint? You were working under the definition of the Thai civil law codes and rightfully arrested if you indeed didn't have a wp. Just be thankful it was in Thailand, where, as one Thai official once put it, big problems can become small. In many other countries you might have been deported.

[PattayaPhom]

Happened to me in Pattaya few years back. My wife and I had a 9 room guest house we also had 2 shops on the ground floor rented out. It was about 10am and the laundry l day called me to say a Thai man wants to rent a room on long term and wants me to come down, I said Nid my wife was in the shower but I will come down.

I say hello to the guy and he started to ask me a price I said I not know my wife is in the shower but come up, I showed him the room opposite our room he liked it and said again how much I said not know my wife come in a minute and he persisted and said how much I think I said I think around 7,000 month but my wife come, then my wife came in and I went back to our room she spoke to him and she said he yust started work in Pattaya and his wife is school teacher and will bring her around later today.

Within 30 mins a load of immigration guys arrived in 4 vehicles the boss guy got me and said I was working and told me one of their guys came and I told him room was 7,000 month, tried to explain I was not but ready to cart me away, I called my lawyer and told him the story he spoke to the guy ang gave me the phone back I said what will they do he said they will take me to the police station and I would be there till the court opened on Monday I said what will it cost me to get rid of them, he spoke to him again and he said 20,000 I them turned to this bastard and said ok. Went to the Jomtien office couple hours later and gave him the money.

And what's your complaint? You were working under the definition of the Thai civil law codes and rightfully arrested if you indeed didn't have a wp. Just be thankful it was in Thailand, where, as one Thai official once put it, big problems can become small. In many other countries you might have been deported.

Entrapment,cohersion come to mind. Do you have the same zealous opinion against the 100,000s that are abusing the education visa system and in all honesty are here illegally and not paying tax or really contributing to society

[jdinasia]

Nice...giving advice to dodgy foreigners on how to evade Thai laws...isn't this against forum rules?

Wrong, the OP is just advising any expats who are working to check that all their credentials are OK, nothing wrong with that as anyone can make a mistake.

To keep within forum rules the op had to edit his post...too bad he couldn't edit another poster's quote as well.

The original post does not show any edits.

[hansnl]

Nice...giving advice to dodgy foreigners on how to evade Thai laws...isn't this against forum rules?

And You all come here to be clean ? If everybody are so clean, then whymany people on this forum actually buy MARRIAGE, giving their wives money and home so just can stay in Thailand ? Isn't that illegal too ? I'm starting to get sick of foreign people in Thailand. I had a chance to meet and get known very good some old traditional Thai families, see the VHS tape of Thailand 15 years ago, photos 30 years ago, and look at family books. Actually why Thailand become corrupted and have so much ILLEGAL things, is only because we FOREIGNERS brought our shit and complex to Thailand many years ago.

Cheers,

And thanks for the info. Many people will found it very helpfull, because having WORK PERMITT in Thailand is NOT SO EASY, so if You never tried to get WP book or to OPEN A COMPANY and put MILIONS TO THAI HANDS dont talk about what is legal and what is not.

I am afraid you are a bit overwrought, at least.

You really think those few western foreigners have such a high impact on Thailand?

The rot, if there is rot, has been slowly coming ino Thailand from various sources, and maybe even a tiny little bit from the western foreigners.

But anybody living in Thailand for a few years will recognise where the real rot came from in the past and where it is coming from now.

And that has not much or nothing to do with western foreigners.

[Rimmer]

The original post was edited by a moderator

[darrendsd]

If they are working illegally they should be caught.

Nice to see Thai Immigration post on these boards

[norrona]

wow all these holier than thou Pattaya expats eh.....

really hope they practice what they preach....

good on the OP for giving the heads up...back in the UK the Thai community sticks together, over here you all want your fellow Europeans hung drawn and quartered...

vile creatures

[Munger]

Nice...giving advice to dodgy foreigners on how to evade Thai laws...isn't this against forum rules?

I'm starting to get sick of foreign people in Thailand. I had a chance to meet and get known very good some old traditional Thai families, see the VHS tape of Thailand 15 years ago, photos 30 years ago, and look at family books. Actually why Thailand become corrupted and have so much ILLEGAL things, is only because we FOREIGNERS brought our shit and complex to Thailand many years ago.

What, blame it all on the farangs, and you are sick of foreign people in Thailand. PATHETIC

[iamariva1957]

There is one poster on this subject that actually blames us foreigners for bring corruption and all the other bad stuff to Thailand. He (or she) goes on about seeing VHS tapes and pictures of the way things used to be here in LOS. To him (or her) I say that, "you are full of crap". Thailand has always had a history all of its own. Blaming us goes beyond the scope of what the reality actually is!

So suggest that though you have a right (I guess, at least under my country's constitution) to say what you like it does not mean that you will always get away with it. So be careful to whom you say these things to is my suggestion to you and for God's sake... get your facts straight! For looking at old pictures is easy but they do not tell an entire story. Thailand has always been in the middle. They like it that way. It maintains their independence from whatever is going on. You want a history lesson... then go to school. You want to wave the Thai flag around and blame the rest of the world for it present problems... just have a look at the political crap going on and try and convince anyone with a brain that it is anyone else's fault other than the Thais themselves.

Oh, and if you have trouble typing/speaking in English... try it in your own language.

[Joe Mamma]

There is one poster on this subject that actually blames us foreigners for bring corruption and all the other bad stuff to Thailand. He (or she) goes on about seeing VHS tapes and pictures of the way things used to be here in LOS. To him (or her) I say that, "you are full of crap". Thailand has always had a history all of its own. Blaming us goes beyond the scope of what the reality actually is!

So suggest that though you have a right (I guess, at least under my country's constitution) to say what you like it does not mean that you will always get away with it. So be careful to whom you say these things to is my suggestion to you and for God's sake... get your facts straight! For looking at old pictures is easy but they do not tell an entire story. Thailand has always been in the middle. They like it that way. It maintains their independence from whatever is going on. You want a history lesson... then go to school. You want to wave the Thai flag around and blame the rest of the world for it present problems... just have a look at the political crap going on and try and convince anyone with a brain that it is anyone else's fault other than the Thais themselves.

Oh, and if you have trouble typing/speaking in English... try it in your own language.

Took the words from my mouth.

[JakeBKK]

There is one poster on this subject that actually blames us foreigners for bring corruption and all the other bad stuff to Thailand. He (or she) goes on about seeing VHS tapes and pictures of the way things used to be here in LOS. To him (or her) I say that, "you are full of crap". Thailand has always had a history all of its own. Blaming us goes beyond the scope of what the reality actually is!

So suggest that though you have a right (I guess, at least under my country's constitution) to say what you like it does not mean that you will always get away with it. So be careful to whom you say these things to is my suggestion to you and for God's sake... get your facts straight! For looking at old pictures is easy but they do not tell an entire story. Thailand has always been in the middle. They like it that way. It maintains their independence from whatever is going on. You want a history lesson... then go to school. You want to wave the Thai flag around and blame the rest of the world for it present problems... just have a look at the political crap going on and try and convince anyone with a brain that it is anyone else's fault other than the Thais themselves.

Oh, and if you have trouble typing/speaking in English... try it in your own language.

Yes,you are right. But so to speak, If You cant vote:shut up - No not at all! The democratic process starts way more early.

1) Freedom of speech (impaired) i can not argue the reasons without violating the Kingdoms laws.

2)There are some common about misinterpretations about Thailand;

-Thailand was invaded

-border wars are going on since 1462 (don nail me on this number)

3) But i believe we can agree on a couple of things:

- when the Royal Gazette pubished th land poachers act, so Chinese (foreigners)can not buy land. Vietnam was on, okay!

What I do not understand, you invented a lex juris which is inverted.

You say: NO.NO.NO. But, wait ,you are .......

For the ones who can't follow.

Okay:

Work in this county means exerting energy., sit in your bar, god aware - breathe, or move your coaster - you are working.

It's the law.

immigration can crack on you.

[bangkokstick]

I can't believe all the monkeys clicking LIKE to the stupid replies !

Even if I am all legal I am open minded enough to know that some others couldn't get legal now and I think people blaming them should be shot.

[cup-O-coffee]

It was about 10am and the laundry (lady) called me to say a Thai man wants to rent a room on long term and wants me to come down, I said Nid my wife was in the shower but I will come down.

As much as I hate these guys too, I think you are guilty by admission.

You know a man wants to rent a room and you said you would come down. Why? Logic dictates you now knew he wanted to rent a room and more than likely wanted to discuss it with someone who could tell him about it; logic dictating that that someone would be a person who rented rooms and who met people and provided that information. This usually indicates an employee.

Example: you go into a hotel lobby and ask the guy with the suitcase or in the bath robe how much for rooms, and they will tell you to ask the hotel worker. You persist and they tell you to fuc_k off.

Get it?

20,000 THB lesson learned. Pro-rated over life and living here for a long time: Priceless!

Edited November 7, 2013 by cup-O-coffee

[Thai at Heart]

Nice...giving advice to dodgy foreigners on how to evade Thai laws...isn't this against forum rules?

And You all come here to be clean ? If everybody are so clean, then whymany people on this forum actually buy MARRIAGE, giving their wives money and home so just can stay in Thailand ? Isn't that illegal too ? I'm starting to get sick of foreign people in Thailand. I had a chance to meet and get known very good some old traditional Thai families, see the VHS tape of Thailand 15 years ago, photos 30 years ago, and look at family books. Actually why Thailand become corrupted and have so much ILLEGAL things, is only because we FOREIGNERS brought our shit and complex to Thailand many years ago.

Cheers,

And thanks for the info. Many people will found it very helpfull, because having WORK PERMITT in Thailand is NOT SO EASY, so if You never tried to get WP book or to OPEN A COMPANY and put MILIONS TO THAI HANDS dont talk about what is legal and what is not.

Oooooh, this is brilliant.

Farangs have corrupted Thailand.

[jacko45k]

If they are working illegally they should be caught.

And punished, not extorted.

The police need money as they are closing down their illegal karaoke bars!