Russian denied entry at Phuket International Airport over 'visa' crackdown

[Confuscious]

Something "stinks" in this story.

Cannot show sufficient funds; cannot show a return ticket; Visa runs to Ranong; etc...

Top of the iceberg is that she did not want to return to Russia.

Sounds all fishy.

[ClutchClark]

So you are saying that they refused her entry because she was Russian and not because she was in violation of numerous laws?

Note to Maria when you read this - please follow the rules.

I wonder how many non Russians have been deported at the airports since this crackdown started...

Your timeline is off. This incident is not directly related to the current land crossing issue. This is a simple case of an individual failing to follow numerous requirements of entry:

--Not having a "return/onward ticket"

--Not having "Proof of sufficient funds"

Both of these are required by most every country in the world.

Never enforced until now unless passenger = obvious pennyless hippy which is not the case there by the looks of it.

Proof of funds = trip to ATM

Onward ticket - hardly anyone does that and it can be booked in minutes on a phone if required.

"Never enforced until now" -- and you know this how?

Facts as reported:

This woman has resided in LOS for 6 months.

She has no proof she intends to ever leave LOS.

Since she is not a simple tourist with proof on return/onward travel and has remained in the country over 6 months, it is not an unreasonable expectation that she would be required to pursue a legal means of remaining in the country--no differently in LOS than most any country.

What an irony your username is "ukrules" because these are even the rules in the uk.

[ukrules]

I believe the shit may well hit the fan over this incident and the inevitable others which will follow.

I hope she's already notified the Russian Embassy about this as I believe she was singled out for being a Russian. If she wasn't a russian it wouldn't have happened.

Note to Mariia when you read this - please contact your Embassy to make an official complaint about this incident.

Yep. This will be the begining of all Russian and western tourists deserting Thailand causing economic collapse which will bring Thailand to it's knees.

I believe there is a clearly defined reciprocal agreement between Russia and Thailand. Lets see how many Thai's get booted out of Russia.

[bubba]

“The first question they asked was if I had a departing ticket from Thailand – I didn’t. But not a big deal, I could buy one.

Not a big deal? So failing to comply with Thai immigration law is not a big deal? Proof of an onward ticket is a clear requirement of Thai immigration if the passenger does not possess a valid visa. I am surprised the airline allowed her to board, as check-in agents have checked this on every flight I have taken in the last five years. Also, by allowing such an occurrence, airlines (Air Asia in this case) are liable for the air fare back out and they can also be fined.

Singled out for being Russian? Sorry, but Thai immigration were following the letter of the law, and the outward bound ticket/sufficient funds requirements are both part of the law. If anything, it appeared that Immigration were willing to be lenient by asking her to prove sufficient funds when she could not produce an outward bound ticket. And I would not be surprised if this woman displayed a bit of attitude to the immigration officers and perhaps told them that it was "not a big deal" and went on whining about being singled out because she was Russian.

[nedkellylives]

They are just enforcing the rules witch they have threathened to do for a long time

Try getting into australia and a lot of other countries without the proper visa, return

air ticket and enough money and see how you go,you will be on the first flight out

with the airline that brought you in and locked up until it departs

[ukrules]

“The first question they asked was if I had a departing ticket from Thailand – I didn’t. But not a big deal, I could buy one.

Not a big deal? So failing to comply with Thai immigration law is not a big deal? Proof of an onward ticket is a clear requirement of Thai immigration if the passenger does not possess a valid visa. I am surprised the airline allowed her to board, as check-in agents have checked this on every flight I have taken in the last five years. Also, by allowing such an occurrence, airlines (Air Asia in this case) are liable for the air fare back out and they can also be fined.

Singled out for being Russian? Sorry, but Thai immigration were following the letter of the law, and the outward bound ticket/sufficient funds requirements are both part of the law. If anything, it appeared that Immigration were willing to be lenient by asking her to prove sufficient funds when she could not produce an outward bound ticket. And I would not be surprised if this woman displayed a bit of attitude to the immigration officers and perhaps told them that it was "not a big deal" and went on whining about being singled out because she was Russian.

You could have a good point here. It's quite possible she said something they didn't like so they deported her. I wonder if there's a clause in the reciprocal agreement allowing for this kind of idiocy by both sides.

I do know one thing about Russia and it's that they like to respond in kind immediately to anyone who gets one over on them. A prime example being recent US sanctions against a certain Russian Bank, Putin immediately opened an account at the bank in question and now has his salary paid into it. No messing around - he did it straight away.

[ezzra]

Aha, I wish I was a country... I would give Mariia a visa no questions ask, and she could stay as

long as she wanted...

[bubba]

“The first question they asked was if I had a departing ticket from Thailand – I didn’t. But not a big deal, I could buy one.

Not a big deal? So failing to comply with Thai immigration law is not a big deal? Proof of an onward ticket is a clear requirement of Thai immigration if the passenger does not possess a valid visa. I am surprised the airline allowed her to board, as check-in agents have checked this on every flight I have taken in the last five years. Also, by allowing such an occurrence, airlines (Air Asia in this case) are liable for the air fare back out and they can also be fined.

Singled out for being Russian? Sorry, but Thai immigration were following the letter of the law, and the outward bound ticket/sufficient funds requirements are both part of the law. If anything, it appeared that Immigration were willing to be lenient by asking her to prove sufficient funds when she could not produce an outward bound ticket. And I would not be surprised if this woman displayed a bit of attitude to the immigration officers and perhaps told them that it was "not a big deal" and went on whining about being singled out because she was Russian.

You could have a good point here. It's quite possible she said something they didn't like so they deported her. I wonder if there's a clause in the reciprocal agreement allowing for this kind of idiocy by both sides.

I do know one thing about Russia and it's that they like to respond in kind immediately to anyone who gets one over on them. A prime example being recent US sanctions against a certain Russian Bank, Putin immediately opened an account at the bank in question and now has his salary paid into it. No messing around - he did it straight away.

I would be willing to bet that she displayed some self-righteous and disrespectful language and attitude to the officers. Try doing this with even Traffic Officer Somchai during a stop in Bangkok. Or Officer Smith during a stop in London or New York or Sydney.

I am guessing the officers probably began to reach their limit at:

After Ms Sgibneva asked to be shown the law, the officers became rude, she said.

This is no "crackdown" and the thread should not be titled as such. She was denied entry based on Thai immigration law, and no doubt treated the officers in a way that caused them to follow the letter of the law without compromise. If the Russians want to play tit for tat, I don't think anyone would have a problem with Russia denying entry to a Thai who fails to follow legal requirements for entry.

[hullupullo]

^{I'm trying to understand her timeline of visa-runs:}

^{After arriving in Phuket in October, Ms Sgibneva left to get a three-month tourist visa in November. She then completed a visa run in February. Subsequently, she left the country on March 21 for a visa run, then again to visit friends in Kuala Lumpur on March 30 and April 18.}

^{- Arrives sometime in October, (presumably by air ==> 30 day visa exempt)}

^{- Leaves within that 30 days to get a 3-month tourist visa}

^{- 3 month tourist visa expires sometime in February and she does (I assume) a 15-day visa-run to Ranong}

^{- Another Ranong visa-run on March 21st (so she must have been on overstay) - gets 15 days}

^{- Leaves (assume by air) to visit friends in KL, not on overstay}

^{- Returns from KL on unknown date, will get 30 days visa-exempt}

^{- Goes again (assume by air) to KL to visit friends, not on overstay}

^{Now unless immigration know something about her that we do not know (criminal etc), it looks like she did 2 visa-runs to Ranong, (one on overstay), and left Thailand well within the validity of her subsequent visa exempts.}

^{So why was she denied entry at the airport???}

Russians get 30 days stamp on landborder too. Bilateral agreement, thais don't need visa to Russia

[ukrules]

I don't think anyone would have a problem with Russia denying entry to a Thai who fails to follow legal requirements for entry.

I guess that would all depend on who the Thai is.

[Arjay]

Understandable there are regulations concerning multiple back to back entries but, normally it's been applied to land border crossings. Now immigration has seen it fit to apply to air crossings. You have to wonder what are they thinking? Has anyone in immigration realized tourist arrivals are down to the political unrest? Typical Thai reaction shoot from the hip then shoot themselves in the foot...

[ChrisY1]

^{I'm trying to understand her timeline of visa-runs:}

^{After arriving in Phuket in October, Ms Sgibneva left to get a three-month tourist visa in November. She then completed a visa run in February. Subsequently, she left the country on March 21 for a visa run, then again to visit friends in Kuala Lumpur on March 30 and April 18.}

^{- Arrives sometime in October, (presumably by air ==> 30 day visa exempt)}

^{- Leaves within that 30 days to get a 3-month tourist visa}

^{- 3 month tourist visa expires sometime in February and she does (I assume) a 15-day visa-run to Ranong}

^{- Another Ranong visa-run on March 21st (so she must have been on overstay) - gets 15 days}

^{- Leaves (assume by air) to visit friends in KL, not on overstay}

^{- Returns from KL on unknown date, will get 30 days visa-exempt}

^{- Goes again (assume by air) to KL to visit friends, not on overstay}

^{Now unless immigration know something about her that we do not know (criminal etc), it looks like she did 2 visa-runs to Ranong, (one on overstay), and left Thailand well within the validity of her subsequent visa exempts.}

^{So why was she denied entry at the airport???}

She's an attractive 26 year old girl......arrived in Thailand October last year.........no Thai baht on her person.....

I'm not saying she's an illegal....but it does seem a little suspicious.....supposedly not working...??

[newermonkey]

So does this mean she has had to quit her job in Phuket permanently ?

Good on immigration getting tough on illegal immigrants who are steeling jobs away from more qualified foreigners.

[Angeledge777]

Living illegally in Thailand, treating customs officers as if they were ignorant and asking them to be polite?

Get real, you lived illegally on tourist visas in Thailand for too long, not having money so obviously working illegally as well and trying to use your Russian citizenship to intimidate them.

Serves you right.

[ClutchClark]

Would this incident be getting nearly as much interest and sympathy here if she were an overweight middle-aged Russian guy named Boris?

[godden]

Russian or not, it's a wake up call for all Falangs here.

[masuk]

Everybody is a human, maybe they hate me because I’m Russian

Yep

and if they start a war in Crimea, whose friends are they then?

[bubba]

Russian or not, it's a wake up call for all Falangs here.

Indeed. Read up on Thai immigration law and comply with it, or else risk being denied entry to Thailand as Mariia was. For that matter, "Falangs" would be wise to do that with any other country they intend to visit.

[recycler]

They should have started sending Russians back many years ago ;-)

[Maggusoil]

I believe the shit may well hit the fan over this incident and the inevitable others which will follow.

I hope she's already notified the Russian Embassy about this as I believe she was singled out for being a Russian. If she wasn't a russian it wouldn't have happened.

Note to Mariia when you read this - please contact your Embassy to make an official complaint about this incident.

So you are saying that they refused her entry because she was Russian and not because she was in violation of numerous laws?

Note to Maria when you read this - please follow the rules.

I wonder how many non Russians have been deported at the airports since this crackdown started...

Your timeline is off. This incident is not directly related to the current land crossing issue. This is a simple case of an individual failing to follow numerous requirements of entry:

--Not having a "return/onward ticket"

--Not having "Proof of sufficient funds"

Both of these are required by most every country in the world.

This is right. I have had an airline in Australia, while in transit in an Australian city, on my way to Thailand, "force" me to buy a return ticket before

letting me re-board the flight I was already on. This is extreme and they have no right, however it is based on the rule that an airline is not required to give you your fare back out of the country, if immigration refuse you.

It took me six months to get a refund.

I have visited Thailand on 3 month tourist visas many times and never had a problem, and never been asked for proof of funds or a ticket out,

however if they are concerned about foreigners working in Thailand illegally, it sounds like they were acting within the guidelines, and she had aroused their suspicions because of her frequency of visits and the time between them.

When travelling like this, one needs to observe the basic requirements. Its just common sense.

[bubba]

Just another interesting discontinuity:

This:

I could buy one. I already knew when I was going to leave. I told them I could show them in 10 minutes, after I charged my phone to buy it.

And then this:

“I have more than 20,000 baht in my bank account, but they told me they didn’t believe that it was my bank account. Because it was in Russian [whoen shown on her phone], they couldn’t understand,” she explained.

So she needed to charge her phone in order to switch it on and purchase an air ticket, but she didn't need to charge her phone to show the officers he bank account on her phone?

[pizzachang]

I believe the shit may well hit the fan over this incident and the inevitable others which will follow.

I hope she's already notified the Russian Embassy about this as I believe she was singled out for being a Russian. If she wasn't a russian it wouldn't have happened.

Note to Mariia when you read this - please contact your Embassy to make an official complaint about this incident.

So you are saying that they refused her entry because she was Russian and not because she was in violation of numerous laws?

Note to Maria when you read this - please follow the rules.

I wonder how many non Russians have been deported at the airports since this crackdown started...

Edit : I will be watching with interest to see if any Thai's are deported on arrival from Russian airports for minor issues this coming week.

Why would a Thai want to go to a Russian airport - other than a sports team event?

[devaram]

Russian or not, it's a wake up call for all Falangs here.

Indeed. Read up on Thai immigration law and comply with it, or else risk being denied entry to Thailand as Mariia was. For that matter, "Falangs" would be wise to do that with any other country they intend to visit.

Since the rules seem to change every two weeks its rather hard to do that isnt it?

[Doc46]

One more innocent !

?? Who said that she was innocent;; ;;;one more thing I have yet to meet a Thai who can something explain in any language, including Thai!

[bubba]

Russian or not, it's a wake up call for all Falangs here.

Indeed. Read up on Thai immigration law and comply with it, or else risk being denied entry to Thailand as Mariia was. For that matter, "Falangs" would be wise to do that with any other country they intend to visit.

Since the rules seem to change every two weeks its rather hard to do that isnt it?

The requirements for (1) proof of onward ticket when entering without a visa and (2) proof of adequate funds have both been requirements for entry to Thailand for decades. As another poster has stated here, the same requirement exists in nearly every country in the world.

[keestha]

This lady obviously was not a tourist, staying in Thailand for so long.

What interests me the most: If genuine tourists, who entered the country on a 30 days visa free entry stamp, but decide to extend their holiday once in country, will still be able to do 15/30 days land border visa free entry runs once or twice. I arranged countless tourist visa runs to Ranong. Any reports of genuine tourists doing such a Ranong run now, or trying to do it, would be most welcome.

[belg]

if she had 20k and deceided to part with it, than she would still be here ...

less chinese, less indians, less russians = less trouble

[bander]

“Everybody is a human, maybe they hate me because I’m Russian"

Mariia Sgibneva, you are so right, why are you the only Russian who understand it

[ExpatOilWorker]

I am flying back to Thailand today and I bet you I have more stamps than Mariia in my passport. Lets see what will happen.

[Suradit69]

tip of the iceburg, Thais have no compassion or reasoning, the corruption alone in thailand is a joke ...but whatever you do dont get more than 3-4 tourist entrys or your a criminal ...laughable

this part of the clampdown (by air) is supposed to start 12 Aug?

"Thais have no compassion or reasoning, the corruption alone in thailand is a joke"

Utter, knee-jerk, temper tantrum Thai bashing.

If any Thai tried to blather his way into Russia or the US or UK or .... do you really think those immigration officials would go all weepy and decide to let the Thai into their country out of compassion or because the Thai tried to tell them how to interpret the law. Obviously she was not a tourist in any accepted definition of the word, whether or not she was working and there's no reason to assume that the news report is full and accurate regarding what actually took place.

Love to know what corruption-free country you come from, not that that has anything to do with the topic of the thread. If the officials in this case had been corrupt they would have allowed her to send for some money to hand over to "solve" the problem.