Phuket Airport immigration boss denies ‘tax’ on departures

[laocowboy2]

A month ago my nephew paid 300 baht to be taken to the diplomatic counter at Phuket immigration on his way into the country, thereby avoiding very long queues. The guy who asked him if he wanted to avoid the queue was careful to check that he had a passport eligible for VOA.

The nephew was ok with it as he regarded it as a VIP service. But of course he had a choice whether to pay or not.

 

Cheap at the price - I would happily pay this in BKK to avoid the very long immigration queues

[hawker9000]

 

A month ago my nephew paid 300 baht to be taken to the diplomatic counter at Phuket immigration on his way into the country, thereby avoiding very long queues. The guy who asked him if he wanted to avoid the queue was careful to check that he had a passport eligible for VOA.

The nephew was ok with it as he regarded it as a VIP service. But of course he had a choice whether to pay or not.

 

Cheap at the price - I would happily pay this in BKK to avoid the very long immigration queues

 

 

You hear guys complaining about such waits all the time, but I can't even remember the last time I spent more than a few minutes waiting in line at Suv, except once outbound just after they'd installed that new scanning equipment  (But that debacle was caused by security, not immigration.)  If THAT'S the reason for the Elite Card, I'll certainly pass. 

 

(But of course I realize it's actually NOT the reason...)

 

 

(And I'd pass on it anyway...)

[CiaranO]

Scams entering the country - scams leaving and the big boss has no idea and claims it doesnt happen. It must be a conspiracy with all the tourists coming together to on the plane to get their stories straight. 

 

Somebody this incompetent shouldnt be in charge of anything. 

[HerbalEd]

I've heard of the express/VIP line fee upon entering, now they want a fee to exit as well. Greedy boys. I hope they get bit in the ass. I personally have never had an issue with Phuket Immigration, but the carrier I now fly won't deal with them. I exit and enter thought BKK, although my baggage is checked straight through from and to Phuket. Works for me.

What VIYP line fee. I've been through that line several times and there was no fee. 

[harleyclarkey]

Are any of us here really surprised?

 

This corrupt, lying cheating Thailand at it's best!!

[KarenBravo]

It is reported there is a new English slang term being used by people in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore. The phrase is "Don’t Thai to me". It means don’t lie to me or cheat me.  

Edited August 12, 2014 by KarenBravo

[NamKangMan]

It is reported there is a new English slang term being used by people in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore. The phrase is "Don’t Thai to me". It means don’t lie to me or cheat me.  

 

Since this scam only seems to be operating out of Phuket International Airport, maybe that saying should be, "Don't Phuk-(et) me." 

[BernieOnTour]

"there were communication difficulties
 
With who?
 
"Then, the passenger made up stories like that that officials were demanding money.
 
Are we to believe a tourist decided to make this up for no reason upon leaving?
 
 ...the current Phuket Airport Immigration Superintendent, Pol Col Prapansak Prasansuk,...said:
I moved here five or six months ago and I learned about officers taking money, which had been happening for a long time." 
 

When I came to work in Phuket I was strict with my officials and I am sure that this behaviour has decreased since July."
Decreased?

It is impossible that this happened because I have CCTV cameras and policemen with soldiers watching at Immigration. 
 
You can't make this gibberish up...
Reform?
  
 

P.S.
" Hundreds of people leaving Thailand, who had already converted their Thai money into other currencies, were caught out by the imposition of the toll."
  

I assume, most of us also do not speak Mandarin!
This is about Chinese tourists. IMHO they themselves started the problem, they have something like a "bribery culture", seen it in several places around SE Asia that they put some Yuan in their passport before handing it over.

Have been in and out of Phuket many weekends, was something like our home beach ;-) Long queues in high season: yes - but never felt obliged to "prepay" or even been asked for a service fee at immigration.

[NomadJoe]

YouTube time at the airport.

 

Videos and cameras are forbidden in this area, and immigration officers know it.

 

So it's being denied just as the "100-200B fee for expresslane service" was denied a few weeks ago, but is still in full swing with multiple fresh reports. This is getting out of hand. NCPO where are you? HKT immigration needs a complete gutting. Time for a complete change of guard. Reassign EVERYBODY to inactive posts.

[NamKangMan]

 

YouTube time at the airport.

 

Videos and cameras are forbidden in this area, and immigration officers know it.

 

So it's being denied just as the "100-200B fee for expresslane service" was denied a few weeks ago, but is still in full swing with multiple fresh reports. This is getting out of hand. NCPO where are you? HKT immigration needs a complete gutting. Time for a complete change of guard. Reassign EVERYBODY to inactive posts.

 

 

"Reassign EVERYBODY to inactive posts." - whether it be local politicians, police, Government staff, Immigration etc - Phuket IS an inactive post - inactive for honesty.  :)

 

This is why only Thailand's finest are transfered here.

[chickenslegs]

 

A month ago my nephew paid 300 baht to be taken to the diplomatic counter at Phuket immigration on his way into the country, thereby avoiding very long queues. The guy who asked him if he wanted to avoid the queue was careful to check that he had a passport eligible for VOA.

The nephew was ok with it as he regarded it as a VIP service. But of course he had a choice whether to pay or not.

 

Cheap at the price - I would happily pay this in BKK to avoid the very long immigration queues

 

 

You can - but the price is 850 Baht

 

http://www.bangkokflightservices.com/our_premiunairport.php?our_menu=pr1
 

[KarenBravo]

The old Thai official mantra of "if I say it isn't so, then you must believe me as I know you wouldn't dare make me lose face by contradicting me".

 

Seems Thais suffer the same illusion that many foreigners have. That Thais and foreigners think the same way.

[EBlair48]

<deleted> Where's the long overdue big cleanup and crackdown on immigration officers???

 

YOu won't see it in Immigration police  as foreigners are just as fair game for the new militiarized elite as the working class poor.  You won't see any change in anything that provides big payola to the top of the corruption  pyramid. That's why only chair touts, small  restaurants, masseuses  and taxi drivers have been targeted and Jet skis and the Sirinart encroaching resorts are still operating.

 

( And the beach clubs on Surin were foreigner owned, the one at Layan is Thai -owned and polluting the peace with impunity )

 

 Welcome to the class war. And it will only get worse. Wait until Prayuth gets  ahold of the  C   E  N  S  O  R  E   D.  and has to deal with some competition I fully expect a  C  E  N  S  O  R   E  D   to commence ( if it hasn't already)

Edited August 12, 2014 by EBlair48

[KarenBravo]

You're saying that the taxis are controlled by "working class poor"?

 

Oh dear..........you really are misinformed.

[wilcopops]

well at least its cheaper than the 500 you had to pay 10 years ago , and in them days 500 baht was 500baht

 

 

Ummmmmm....didn't you know? you're STILL paying that! It was added to all tickets so you didn't have the hassle of having to pay at the airport. Which was nice of them!

[Danbit]

Corruption - report it, they know who did work in the airport.

[EBlair48]

You're saying that the taxis are controlled by "working class poor"?

 

Oh dear..........you really are misinformed.

 

 I don't agree with your assessment  All I see being targeted are working classes of which I consider taxi  drivers  to be. Whomever controls them is still raking it in with the still astronomical pricing. In fact isn't it the poorer, non affiliated drivers who are now banned from the airport? Not to defend them, but it supports my statements that the poor are being targeted,

 If you still disagree, please point out any seriously  wealthy individuals who are taking a pay cut with the latest  actions of the junta.

 

 If anyone thinks the new powers will be different in regards to  foreigners , I think they will be disappointed. In fact I expect small business owners to be the next targets and anyone who isn't married to a Thai. Foreigners allowed in for big business only as Thailand seems to now  consider itself as developed

[WildChilli]

The joys of Thailand sadly the greed and corruption of the population will sooner than later leave Thailand a deserted place for Thai only and anyone who's silly enough to go there only for the memories of what Thailand used to be
Bless them for their ignorance of the outside world and what we as turist and long term stayers being with us in funds who feed many family's every year
They have in resent years made Thailand a unattractive place and in so many ways made it in more than clear that westerners are not very welcome at all though it's not the view of all the population the goverment is making a stand that is now so transparent no one can deny that unless you are Thai you better get out
Bless you all whom have moved heven and earth to make a life there
My plans of early retirement and a life in Thailand have changed to a no way I will put my self through that kind of torture

Won't even go on holiday there
I Treat Thailand like I do a shop with bad service
Ain't getting a cent out of me
Pease out

[kc4asia]

Nothing more than typical PHUKET EXTORTION.

[KarenBravo]

 

You're saying that the taxis are controlled by "working class poor"?

 

Oh dear..........you really are misinformed.

 

 I don't agree with your assessment  All I see being targeted are working classes of which I consider taxi  drivers  to be. Whomever controls them is still raking it in with the still astronomical pricing. In fact isn't it the poorer, non affiliated drivers who are now banned from the airport? Not to defend them, but it supports my statements that the poor are being targeted,

 If you still disagree, please point out any seriously  wealthy individuals who are taking a pay cut with the latest  actions of the junta.

 

 If anyone thinks the new powers will be different in regards to  foreigners , I think they will be disappointed. In fact I expect small business owners to be the next targets and anyone who isn't married to a Thai. Foreigners allowed in for big business only as Thailand seems to now  consider itself as developed

 

 

Another very naive post.

 

As for your last paragraph, pure paranoia.

 

You need to start using your brain.

Do you really think that all the kick-backs from beach businesses were paid to poor people?

Do you think that the beach clubs that have been knocked down belonged to poor people?

Do you think that the people that are going to lose land in Sirinath national park were poor people?

Do you think that the people that got kick-backs for protecting the taxi and tuk-tuk drivers from the law are poor people?

Do you think that the Pian family are making more money, or less money since the army took over?

 

EBlair48, you need to open your eyes, think, and grow up.

Youi are just parroting bulldozerdawn who is a demonstrable drama queen. Don't become one yourself.

Edited August 12, 2014 by KarenBravo

[toenail]

I can never figure out when a Thai is caught "red handed" he can't admit it..blame will go to everyone around him. (check out the car he is driving..)

[Acharn]

I've never been to Phuket, so don't know anything about their airport. The last time I entered Thailand was by train from Penang in 1997. The train stopped at a place called Pedang Besar for immigration processing, which I recall as a not too unpleasant experience. The building was not air conditioned, but they had plenty of fans and althought the lines were long they moved right along. I don't remember if there was a sign or if it was an official (or at least a guy in a uniform) walking around telling people that because the officers were working longer hours we should put a 20 baht bill in our passports before handing them to the officers. It was a "gift of appreciation." There's a Thai phrase for that, but I can't remember it.

 

Anyway, I'm quite surprised that there aren't lots of comments from people who went through this if it's true. Do "hundreds" of people actually pass through Phuket Airport every night?

[Acharn]

The joys of Thailand sadly the greed and corruption of the population will sooner than later leave Thailand a deserted place for Thai only and anyone who's silly enough to go there only for the memories of what Thailand used to be

<snip>

 

<sigh> I've been seeing this kind of comment for thirty years now. Used to see it in the BKK Post from people complaining about Trink. I expect I'll be seeing it until I shuffle off this mortal coil, which unfortunately will probably be less than thirty years from now. Some things never seem to change.

[JesseFrank]

 Do "hundreds" of people actually pass through Phuket Airport every night?

 

No, most planes departing from Phuket international airport are 9 seaters

Edited August 12, 2014 by JesseFrank

[Nuddy]

Just more thieves

Yes we can kill the messenger or we can believe what is in front of us

Since the Good General has taken over the country the price has gone up.

Never have I ever experienced such open thievery as I am now,

Disenchanted

[iReason]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

 

It is reported there is a new English slang term being used by people in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore. The phrase is "Don’t Thai to me". It means don’t lie to me or cheat me.  

You read the editorial?

I tried to post it here but the mods deleted it...

 

[Jimi007]

 

 

You're saying that the taxis are controlled by "working class poor"?

 

Oh dear..........you really are misinformed.

 

 I don't agree with your assessment  All I see being targeted are working classes of which I consider taxi  drivers  to be. Whomever controls them is still raking it in with the still astronomical pricing. In fact isn't it the poorer, non affiliated drivers who are now banned from the airport? Not to defend them, but it supports my statements that the poor are being targeted,

 If you still disagree, please point out any seriously  wealthy individuals who are taking a pay cut with the latest  actions of the junta.

 

 If anyone thinks the new powers will be different in regards to  foreigners , I think they will be disappointed. In fact I expect small business owners to be the next targets and anyone who isn't married to a Thai. Foreigners allowed in for big business only as Thailand seems to now  consider itself as developed

 

 

Another very naive post.

 

As for your last paragraph, pure paranoia.

 

You need to start using your brain.

Do you really think that all the kick-backs from beach businesses were paid to poor people?

Do you think that the beach clubs that have been knocked down belonged to poor people?

Do you think that the people that are going to lose land in Sirinath national park were poor people?

Do you think that the people that got kick-backs for protecting the taxi and tuk-tuk drivers from the law are poor people?

Do you think that the Pian family are making more money, or less money since the army took over?

 

EBlair48, you need to open your eyes, think, and grow up.

Youi are just parroting bulldozerdawn who is a demonstrable drama queen. Don't become one yourself.

 

 

He already has became the other drama queen on this forum without any credibility to back any of his ridiculous claims. Seems to not bother actually reading the local news, just feels sorry for those "poor" people who exploited public land for their own profit, didn't pay tax or social security on their incomes and now cry when their free ride is now closed.. Sum Num Na! 

[NeilSA1]

Where is the Junta when you need them . I thought this was the main reson for the coup to stop all this type of corruption it does not seem to be working !!

 

 

Give them time. There is no such thing as a magic wand. 

[hhgz]

If "hundred" of tourists were detained, why only one complaint?

[phanangpete]

It happened , how would the person leaving know the amount and discribe the chaos.

The Col. should get off his ass and check the cctv footage and sack those responsible, then it won't happen again.