IMMIGRATION
'Visa scam' blamed for Frankfurt Airport drama
The Nation

Embassy says Thais stranded in Frankfurt were not allowed out of airport due to travel scam

The Thai Embassy in Belgium issued a statement yesterday saying that 14 passengers on a Thai Airways flight bound for Bangkok late last month were denied entry into Frankfurt because of concern about a "visa scam".

The THAI flight was delayed due to technical problems, forcing some 106 passengers and crew to seek overnight accommodation at a hotel. However, German immigration officials refused to let some 14 passengers go out into the city, forcing them to camp inside the airport lounge until they caught a flight back home the following day.

The embassy account differs from initial reports from THAI, which said 60 Thais were not let out because their visas had expired. However the embassy pointed out that some of them were not allowed to leave because of a visa scam run by tour agencies.

"Some Thai tour agencies apply for Schengen visas with one Schengen country complete with hotel bookings and in line with the other requirements. Once the visas are approved, they cancel all the bookings and travel to other countries instead," the statement read.

A Schengen visa allows tourists access to 25 countries in Europe.

This practice could cause direct problems for Thai tourists and affect the Kingdom's image, as immigration officials may no longer let Thais into their country if they hear about this scam, the embassy warned, adding that this incident at Frankfurt airport was a classic example of the scam.

German immigration officials detained the 14 Thais after learning that their tour agency had applied for a visa with the Belgian Embassy even though the group did not set foot in Belgium, but visited Germany, Italy and Switzerland instead.

Incidents of this nature have become common at Frankfurt Airport, which has now told officials to focus on Thai passport holders. The embassy also warned that Thai nationals might face difficulties when applying for a Schengen visa in the future.

The embassy recommended that Thai travellers apply for visa for the country where they will be landing first. For instance, if a traveller is planning to visit 10 Schengen countries over seven days, and if the first stop is Amsterdam, then they should apply for a visa at the Dutch embassy.

However, it said, if a traveller wishes to spend three days in Paris but two months in Belgium, then they should seek a visa with the Belgian Embassy, not the French.

-- The Nation 2014-05-03

Europe get more difficult to visit for 3rd country visitors (non EU, non Schengen).

Good.

Europe get more difficult to visit for 3rd country visitors (non EU, non Schengen).

Good.

Except maybe Britain. Last year the border agency admitted they had ' lost ' something like 180,000 people who had overstayed or committed other visa offences. Immigration is a hot topic in many countries and although British politicians say the right things they are mindful of votes from certain communities so don't go too far and then, of course, there's the do gooder lobby.

Thainess IS scam.

Its like a religion....addictive and part of daily life in Thailand.

Reason?, consequences are zero to none.

Its a different story OUTSIDE the country when this attitude becomes noticed.

But.....NO problem Thai will blame these damn foreigners again and within a month or so foreigners will face harsher visa applications in Thailand due to unfair treatments of Thais abroad.

Its just the way it is!

Some perspective - sleeping in a nice, warm and friendly terminal with no threat to one's existence isn't the end of the world.

They were fed and had all the necessary facilities to hand. Nobody was tortured, robbed or humiliated.

I guarantee this story wasn't initiated by those that had an overnight stay in the terminal.

The THAI flight was delayed due to technical problems was the work of Some Thai tour agencies wanting to smugger people into Germany?

Stupid excuse. Stupid German Immigration officers.

Before you blast off the Thainess, think first. These people has already pass German exit immigration, on their way home to Thailand, not trying to get into Germany.

Thainess IS scam.

Its like a religion....addictive and part of daily life in Thailand.

Reason?, consequences are zero to none.

Its a different story OUTSIDE the country when this attitude becomes noticed.

But.....NO problem Thai will blame these damn foreigners again and within a month or so foreigners will face harsher visa applications in Thailand due to unfair treatments of Thais abroad.

Its just the way it is!

hgma you are right on the button and read where they say this practice could cause direct problems for Thai tourists and affect the kingdoms image.

Ask yourself "what image"

1. corruption is common place and accepted as a way of life.

2. any type of passport or visa can be bought in Thailand

3. import duties of 320%+ but can be circumvented by paying a small/large stipend

4. no rule of law -police a power unto themselves

5. murder/corruption not investigate and punished

6. Number 2 in the world for road carnage

7. ranked near the bottom of ASEAN for english and critical thinking skills

Of course the list goes on - hence the question "what image are they protecting"?

Thailands image is not tarnished it is in Tatters.

This practice could cause direct problems for Thai tourists and affect the Kingdom's image, as immigration officials may no longer let Thais into their country if they hear about this scam, the embassy warned, adding that this incident at Frankfurt airport was a classic example of the scam.

Thainess IS scam.

Its like a religion....addictive and part of daily life in Thailand.

Reason?, consequences are zero to none.

Its a different story OUTSIDE the country when this attitude becomes noticed.

But.....NO problem Thai will blame these damn foreigners again and within a month or so foreigners will face harsher visa applications in Thailand due to unfair treatments of Thais abroad.

Its just the way it is!

hgma you are right on the button and read where they say this practice could cause direct problems for Thai tourists and affect the kingdoms image.

Ask yourself "what image"

1. corruption is common place and accepted as a way of life.

2. any type of passport or visa can be bought in Thailand

3. import duties of 320%+ but can be circumvented by paying a small/large stipend

4. no rule of law -police a power unto themselves

5. murder/corruption not investigate and punished

6. Number 2 in the world for road carnage

7. ranked near the bottom of ASEAN for english and critical thinking skills

Of course the list goes on - hence the question "what image are they protecting"?

Thailands image is not tarnished it is in Tatters.

This practice could cause direct problems for Thai tourists and affect the Kingdom's image, as immigration officials may no longer let Thais into their country if they hear about this scam, the embassy warned, adding that this incident at Frankfurt airport was a classic example of the scam.

What scam?

These people are leaving, not entering.

They did not break the Thai flight; TG did.

These people were treated like Animals, and force to sleep without a bed. "No animal shall sleep in bed - George Orwell".

Thainess IS scam.

Its like a religion....addictive and part of daily life in Thailand.

Reason?, consequences are zero to none.

Its a different story OUTSIDE the country when this attitude becomes noticed.

But.....NO problem Thai will blame these damn foreigners again and within a month or so foreigners will face harsher visa applications in Thailand due to unfair treatments of Thais abroad.

Its just the way it is!

hgma you are right on the button and read where they say this practice could cause direct problems for Thai tourists and affect the kingdoms image.

Ask yourself "what image"

1. corruption is common place and accepted as a way of life.

2. any type of passport or visa can be bought in Thailand

3. import duties of 320%+ but can be circumvented by paying a small/large stipend

4. no rule of law -police a power unto themselves

5. murder/corruption not investigate and punished

6. Number 2 in the world for road carnage

7. ranked near the bottom of ASEAN for english and critical thinking skills

Of course the list goes on - hence the question "what image are they protecting"?

Thailands image is not tarnished it is in Tatters.

This practice could cause direct problems for Thai tourists and affect the Kingdom's image, as immigration officials may no longer let Thais into their country if they hear about this scam, the embassy warned, adding that this incident at Frankfurt airport was a classic example of the scam.

What scam?

These people are leaving, not entering.

They did not break the Thai flight; TG did.

These people were treated like Animals, and force to sleep without a bed. "No animal shall sleep in bed - George Orwell".

These people were treated NO differently from anyone else. If you don't have a visa to enter the country (Germany in this case) then you don't get to leave the airport. It's not hard to understand if you put your faux outrage to one side for a moment.

This is exactly the same situation as if you were stopping off in China for example and changing flights to somewhere else . . . you don't have a visa for China so can't leave the airport, you can only get on the connecting plane. If the flight is delayed, you stay where you are.

Doesn't sound like a scam (although different accounts both Germany and Thai), just misinformation / negligence on the part of the agent as well as a mistake by Thai Airlines not picking up the mistake at BKK airport. Perhaps the agent had experienced difficulty in obtain the visa's via the German embassy.

Doesn't say if these people were families with kids or individual adults (which could be viewed as suspicious regarding employment, etc.).

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Thainess IS scam.

Its like a religion....addictive and part of daily life in Thailand.

Reason?, consequences are zero to none.

Its a different story OUTSIDE the country when this attitude becomes noticed.

But.....NO problem Thai will blame these damn foreigners again and within a month or so foreigners will face harsher visa applications in Thailand due to unfair treatments of Thais abroad.

Its just the way it is!

hgma you are right on the button and read where they say this practice could cause direct problems for Thai tourists and affect the kingdoms image.

Ask yourself "what image"

1. corruption is common place and accepted as a way of life.

2. any type of passport or visa can be bought in Thailand

3. import duties of 320%+ but can be circumvented by paying a small/large stipend

4. no rule of law -police a power unto themselves

5. murder/corruption not investigate and punished

6. Number 2 in the world for road carnage

7. ranked near the bottom of ASEAN for english and critical thinking skills

Of course the list goes on - hence the question "what image are they protecting"?

Thailands image is not tarnished it is in Tatters.

This practice could cause direct problems for Thai tourists and affect the Kingdom's image, as immigration officials may no longer let Thais into their country if they hear about this scam, the embassy warned, adding that this incident at Frankfurt airport was a classic example of the scam.

Then of course is also Thailand's stellar reputation in sex and human trafficking for slave labor.

Thainess IS scam.

Its like a religion....addictive and part of daily life in Thailand.

Reason?, consequences are zero to none.

Its a different story OUTSIDE the country when this attitude becomes noticed.

But.....NO problem Thai will blame these damn foreigners again and within a month or so foreigners will face harsher visa applications in Thailand due to unfair treatments of Thais abroad.

Its just the way it is!

hgma you are right on the button and read where they say this practice could cause direct problems for Thai tourists and affect the kingdoms image.

Ask yourself "what image"

1. corruption is common place and accepted as a way of life.

2. any type of passport or visa can be bought in Thailand

3. import duties of 320%+ but can be circumvented by paying a small/large stipend

4. no rule of law -police a power unto themselves

5. murder/corruption not investigate and punished

6. Number 2 in the world for road carnage

7. ranked near the bottom of ASEAN for english and critical thinking skills

Of course the list goes on - hence the question "what image are they protecting"?

Thailands image is not tarnished it is in Tatters.

This practice could cause direct problems for Thai tourists and affect the Kingdom's image, as immigration officials may no longer let Thais into their country if they hear about this scam, the embassy warned, adding that this incident at Frankfurt airport was a classic example of the scam.

What scam?

These people are leaving, not entering.

They did not break the Thai flight; TG did.

These people were treated like Animals, and force to sleep without a bed. "No animal shall sleep in bed - George Orwell".

"These people were treated like Animals, and force to sleep without a bed."

Every day, somewhere in the world at some airport, people are forced to sleep or rest at a terminal because of flight delays or other problems. It is inconvenient, annoying and uncomfortable for some. But that's the way it is. Air travel these days can be a trial for some.

Are you a Thai? A large portion of the population of this Kingdom sleep on the floor, because they cannot afford beds.

And if you are going to quote Orwell, please do so completely.

With some difficulty Muriel spelt it out... "It says, 'No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets,"' she announced finally. (6.10-6.13)

TG trying to cover the Thai scammed brethren with their own watered down excuse? Classic. Should have painted their faces black too.

This is exactly the same situation as if you were stopping off in China for example and changing flights to somewhere else . . . you don't have a visa for China so can't leave the airport, you can only get on the connecting plane. If the flight is delayed, you stay where you are.

Not strictly true, though I will concede that this arrangement doesn't apply to Thai nationals.

Passengers departing from the following 45 countries and transiting through Beijing or Shanghai to a third country or region can enjoy a 72-hour visa-free transit stay in Beijing or Shanghai.

Passengers must hold valid travel documents that confirm their nationality and visa permission to enter a third country or region.

http://www.airchina.co.uk/en/aboutus/airchinanews/2012/20140315.html

This is exactly the same situation as if you were stopping off in China for example and changing flights to somewhere else . . . you don't have a visa for China so can't leave the airport, you can only get on the connecting plane. If the flight is delayed, you stay where you are.

Not strictly true, though I will concede that this arrangement doesn't apply to Thai nationals.

Passengers departing from the following 45 countries and transiting through Beijing or Shanghai to a third country or region can enjoy a 72-hour visa-free transit stay in Beijing or Shanghai.

Passengers must hold valid travel documents that confirm their nationality and visa permission to enter a third country or region.

http://www.airchina.co.uk/en/aboutus/airchinanews/2012/20140315.html

Ha ha, ok, perhaps China wasn't the best example lol ... but I think you get the point I was trying to make.

Thainess IS scam.

Its like a religion....addictive and part of daily life in Thailand.

Reason?, consequences are zero to none.

Its a different story OUTSIDE the country when this attitude becomes noticed.

But.....NO problem Thai will blame these damn foreigners again and within a month or so foreigners will face harsher visa applications in Thailand due to unfair treatments of Thais abroad.

Its just the way it is!

hgma you are right on the button and read where they say this practice could cause direct problems for Thai tourists and affect the kingdoms image.

Ask yourself "what image"

1. corruption is common place and accepted as a way of life.

2. any type of passport or visa can be bought in Thailand

3. import duties of 320%+ but can be circumvented by paying a small/large stipend

4. no rule of law -police a power unto themselves

5. murder/corruption not investigate and punished

6. Number 2 in the world for road carnage

7. ranked near the bottom of ASEAN for english and critical thinking skills

Of course the list goes on - hence the question "what image are they protecting"?

Thailands image is not tarnished it is in Tatters.

This practice could cause direct problems for Thai tourists and affect the Kingdom's image, as immigration officials may no longer let Thais into their country if they hear about this scam, the embassy warned, adding that this incident at Frankfurt airport was a classic example of the scam.

What scam?

These people are leaving, not entering.

They did not break the Thai flight; TG did.

These people were treated like Animals, and force to sleep without a bed. "No animal shall sleep in bed - George Orwell".

Have you ever been to Bangkok's Suan Plu Immigration detention centre? Speaking about being treated like an animal.

Thainess IS scam.

Its like a religion....addictive and part of daily life in Thailand.

Reason?, consequences are zero to none.

Its a different story OUTSIDE the country when this attitude becomes noticed.

But.....NO problem Thai will blame these damn foreigners again and within a month or so foreigners will face harsher visa applications in Thailand due to unfair treatments of Thais abroad.

Its just the way it is!

hgma you are right on the button and read where they say this practice could cause direct problems for Thai tourists and affect the kingdoms image.

Ask yourself "what image"

1. corruption is common place and accepted as a way of life.

2. any type of passport or visa can be bought in Thailand

3. import duties of 320%+ but can be circumvented by paying a small/large stipend

4. no rule of law -police a power unto themselves

5. murder/corruption not investigate and punished

6. Number 2 in the world for road carnage

7. ranked near the bottom of ASEAN for english and critical thinking skills

Of course the list goes on - hence the question "what image are they protecting"?

Thailands image is not tarnished it is in Tatters.

This practice could cause direct problems for Thai tourists and affect the Kingdom's image, as immigration officials may no longer let Thais into their country if they hear about this scam, the embassy warned, adding that this incident at Frankfurt airport was a classic example of the scam.

What scam?

These people are leaving, not entering.

They did not break the Thai flight; TG did.

These people were treated like Animals, and force to sleep without a bed. "No animal shall sleep in bed - George Orwell".

Have you ever been to Bangkok's Immigration detention center? Talking about being treated like animals. A visit there will open your eyes.

I would not call this a scam it is an oversight by the agent who booked the flight

and i am talking first hand experience

booked a flight for my Thai wife and nephew to Germany the connecting flight

was in Amsterdam(could not get a direct one at the time) since we had to collect

our luggage and check in again with a different airline we had to walk out of the

customs area which means you entered the Netherlands to do this we had to get

an airport transfer visa. The customs acted correctly by refusing Thai nationals

to leave the airport if they are allowed to leave the airport they could just stay

and never get back on the flight.

Frankfurt Airport drama

a bit of a drama queen headline

what happened to the good ol' NO PLOBREM mentality?

The THAI flight was delayed due to technical problems was the work of Some Thai tour agencies wanting to smugger people into Germany?

Stupid excuse. Stupid German Immigration officers.

Before you blast off the Thainess, think first. These people has already pass German exit immigration, on their way home to Thailand, not trying to get into Germany.

Your comment is unfair. The Germans were subject to the EU Visa Code regulations. These people were processed out of the EU. In order to come back in they needed a visa. The same applies to people who need a visa to enter Thailand.Thailand doesn't waieve the visa requirements for regular travelers, but you expect the Germans to do so?

The German immigration process is one of the easiest and politest experiences I have experienced. True, I am on a visa free passport, but the attitude of immigration officials tops what is found in North America and many EU countries. The Thai tour agencies and some Thai travelers have not been respecting the visa rules, What did you expect the Germans to do? The German response was reasonable under the circumstances. Maybe Thailand should take a hint from Japan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan as those countries nationals are not subject to visas when they visit the EU.

1. corruption is common place and accepted as a way of life.

2. any type of passport or visa can be bought in Thailand

3. import duties of 320%+ but can be circumvented by paying a small/large stipend

4. no rule of law -police a power unto themselves

5. murder/corruption not investigate and punished

6. Number 2 in the world for road carnage

7. ranked near the bottom of ASEAN for english and critical thinking skills

Of course the list goes on - hence the question "what image are they protecting"?

Thailands image is not tarnished it is in Tatters.

you're not a fan of thailand are you?

The THAI flight was delayed due to technical problems was the work of Some Thai tour agencies wanting to smugger people into Germany?

Stupid excuse. Stupid German Immigration officers.

Before you blast off the Thainess, think first. These people has already pass German exit immigration, on their way home to Thailand, not trying to get into Germany.

Your comment is unfair. The Germans were subject to the EU Visa Code regulations. These people were processed out of the EU. In order to come back in they needed a visa. The same applies to people who need a visa to enter Thailand.Thailand doesn't waieve the visa requirements for regular travelers, but you expect the Germans to do so?

The German immigration process is one of the easiest and politest experiences I have experienced. True, I am on a visa free passport, but the attitude of immigration officials tops what is found in North America and many EU countries. The Thai tour agencies and some Thai travelers have not been respecting the visa rules, What did you expect the Germans to do? The German response was reasonable under the circumstances. Maybe Thailand should take a hint from Japan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan as those countries nationals are not subject to visas when they visit the EU.

There is a "ploblem" here: the average wage in Thailand is (??) a pittance compared to Japan, Korea, Singapore etc.

The only "hint" that counts (and the only action that will raise Thailand to "world-class" status) is a massive increase in the average wage. And that ain't gonna happen any time soon, is it?

The Nation got it all wrong again and the Thai Embassy in Belgium doesn’t seem to have a clue what they are talking about.

This has nothing to do with a "scam" as they called it these people where obviously genuine tourists visiting several Schengen countries during their trip. They where just unlucky that they already had gone through German immigration and found out after that their plane would not be flying.

It is then up to the different regulations in different countries if they can be taken to a hotel or not or if the airport in question has a hotel in the transit area. Obviously the 14 passengers left behind where very unlucky as their visa expired after midnight on the day they traveled.

As for the "Scam" the Thai Embassy is talking about - they should check their facts before they make stupid statements like this and as well should The Nation !

The outdated requirements of Schengen and other countries in today's connected world are to blame for some of the "creativity" these travel agents have to come up with!

What is the reason that if one applies for a Schengen visa one needs to show a confirmed reservation for a flight in and out of the country?

A reservation one can only get from a travel agent - I have not used a travel agent in 15 years I book all my flights online - but maybe the people who make these rules are to old to understand what cyber age and "online" means?!

Why should I book a flight before I am sure that I will have my visa in my passport?

I had to pay a Thai travel agent 500 Baht ones to get a reservation for a visa application and then later once the visa was issued booked our flights online - if one would book fully refundable tickets online the cost is considerably higher and who wants to waste money if one can avoid it. But of course why should people who work at embassies ever worry about things like the price of a ticket after all all their bills a shouldered by the tax payer!

So what these travel agents do is they make "dummy" bookings for the visa application - then apply at embassies which are not as busy as for example the German embassy to get the Schengen visas for their clients. Once the visas are issued they then proceed with the real bookings - one can hardly call this a "scam" it is just getting around outdated regulations.

"The embassy recommended that Thai travelers apply for visa for the country where they will be landing first."

this again is uninformed advise - As for which country to apply for a visa is not up to he travel itinerary either - some visitors need sponsors who sign a letter of guaranty in their country of residence which might not be the first country the visitor flies to or why should somebody who wants to visit Salzburg in Austria fly to Vienna if the airport in Munich, Germany is much closer?

On our last trip to Schengen countries we applied for a visa at the Austrian embassy as we where invited to a wedding there and would spend most of the time sighseeing in Austria and southern Germany - taking the opportunity to visit Paris for a few days first we booked our flights to Paris and then from Paris to Munich traveling on from there by car to Salzburg which is just an hours drive.

and that's how it should be - after all the tickets and return flights for people requiring a visa are checked at check in by he airline again as they are responsible not to carry passengers without valid visas and after all European borders falling and the Schengen agreement was meant to make traveling easier and not more difficult.

Regulations though have to be brought up to the "online" age also for visitors who do not travel on organized tours and book reasonable priced flights through the internet.

But this is of course beyond the comprehension of embassies staff quoted in the article above - because if they would know anything about the hassles their fellow Thai countryman are put through when traveling they would not make stupid statements like in this article in The Nation.

Maybe it is time to put embassy staff through the same visa circus every time they travel and allow only the most senior diplomats diplomatic passports - wonder how quickly their attitude and regulations would change?

And as for their comment "The embassy also warned that Thai nationals might face difficulties when applying for a Schengen visa in the future"

Why should this be the case? - they where obviously genuine tourists visiting Europe - just unlucky their visa expired the day they left Germany.

There is surely no "danger" these Thai tourists could be posing to European immigration authorities - Europe has far bigger problems with fellow European member countries to the east - entering legally without visas - and others entering illegally exploiting the social securtity system and commiting crimes in western European countries.

I think anyone with a Schengen Visa has the right to land in ANY Schengen member country.

It seems rather absurdly nit-picky to not allow 'global Schengen access' just because

the visa was applied for in another Schengen country.

Either they have a valid Schengen Visa or they don't if, they do,

no matter where they first put foot in Schengen member territory,

the VISA should still be valid for ALL Schegen territory.

I suspect there is still more to this story than is stated above.

I also saw elsewhere that two Thai immigration officials have been transferred over this.

Did they take a backhander to slide some people with non-existant visas on a flight?

bad spirits in frankfurt....bààààààààd spirits!

German immigration officials detained the 14 Thais after learning that their tour agency had applied for a visa with the Belgian Embassy even though the group did not set foot in Belgium, but visited Germany, Italy and Switzerland instead.

Were they Thai teachers, using the money from social security to "experiencing education" through traveling on tax payers expenses?

wow Thais from what I have seen dont seem to like farang culture and countries much but they seem to like travelling there for some reason.

Drama.

Wow. This is drama. People didn't have visas and had to sleep on the floor. God forbid they have to transit or something. I see now what Thais don't do backpacking holidays.

Really kids. Obviously there is a little more to this story with Thais overstaying visas on Germany also.

Anyone never heard the one about Thai teachers getting tourist visas to australia and then using the time to pick grapes for the duration.

Hundreds from one town in isaan every year. All with school sponsored letters of recommendation. How dignified is that.

Thainess IS scam.

Its like a religion....addictive and part of daily life in Thailand.

Reason?, consequences are zero to none.

Its a different story OUTSIDE the country when this attitude becomes noticed.

But.....NO problem Thai will blame these damn foreigners again and within a month or so foreigners will face harsher visa applications in Thailand due to unfair treatments of Thais abroad.

Its just the way it is!

sad thing is, i agree with you. it s a commone thai strategy. for example. if i was stealing money, i would blame you for stealing money. lol. if i raped you. i would blame you for gettign raped. ... again, lol. and if i hire people to throw gernades at you i would say you threw them yourself. .. at yourself. YES, THE CORRUPT LEADERS (and business fiends) of MY PEOPLE HAVE TURNED (edit) THAILAND TO THE BUTT OF ALL JOKES. or how they say, thailand IS the feet of the world.

honestly, i think its entertaining. its like watchin sea monkeys. you know its all going into the toilet.

on the bright side, food prices are SKYROCKETING. people ... give the farmers whatever they want. no cash though. NO CASH. they want fertilizer, give it to them, they want seeds? GIVE IT TO THEM. IF you give them money, the mafia will take it, the banks will take it, the politicians will take it.

but yeah, i agree with you, if, you, as a forginer digg into the past of a evil scheme those who hold the money will make your life harder. Think like a solider, you flank the enemy.