Phuket airport immigration deny ‘B100 fast track through Ebola line’

[Lite Beer]

Phuket airport immigration deny ‘B100 fast track through Ebola line’
Nattha Thepbamrung

Phuket Airport is massively overcrowded and Immigration lines both ways are long. Photo Denverkid

PHUKET: Immigration police have strenuously denied asking for bribes from airline passengers for letting them through the newly created lane specifically for people arriving from countries where the deadly Ebola disease is rampant.

The denial came after an English couple traveling from Singapore to Phuket on Monday (November 3) told The Phuket News that they were invited to pay a fee to get faster service by going through the Ebola line.

“We were waiting in a line for 10 minutes and I could see it would take us up to an hour [to get to the Immigration desk],” the husband said, under condition of anonymity.

“We saw an Immigration officer walking along the long lines asking everyone if they wanted to take a fast lane by paying B100 each.”

He said that initially he did not want to pay but after waiting for long, he decide to use the “service”.

“Only three of the eight counters were manned, processing people from every country. I told the officer that we wanted to go in the fast lane so he brought me to a desk that had a big sign saying ‘Ebola Line’. He took B200 from my hand and added them to a big stack of notes that he had taken from previous ‘customers’.”

He said that going through the Ebola line was very fast – it took just a few seconds – and people were joining the fast lane at about one a minute because they were tired of waiting in the main lines.

“There were three officers standing at the one desk. They just opened the passports, stamped them and give them back to us.”

But Lt Col Watcharapol Kanjanakuntorn, Airport Immigration Deputy Superintendent, insisted that there is no special lane for passengers to jump the queue in return for B100.

“There is no fast lane for those who pay a bribe at the airport immigration,” he said.

“I do not believe officers put people through the Ebola line. That is a very strict measure to screen people from the affected countries and we cannot mix them together.

“We had some reports before [about fast-tracking for bribes] but we have checked and found nothing.

“However, I will investigate this once again.”

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-airport-immigration-deny-%E2%80%98b100-fast-track-through-ebola-line%E2%80%99-49504.php

-- Phuket News 2014-11-05

[falkan]

if ain't on video it doesn't not exist

[Elmer Gantry]

I'm running out of places to go,haven't been to Phuket in 10 years ( thank you Jesus,nearly bought a house there ).Was down Pattaya a few weeks ago for a family weekend,expensive well use your imagination.6 months ago down Cha am and Hua Hin,long drive,nothing for a family apart from the overpriced attractions.Before you detractors ridicule me,been all over Thailand,seen it,done it got the T shirt,not a golfer or fisherman.

[madmitch]

Since when have there been flights from West Africa to Phuket?

Even with indirect flights that particular lane would probably cater for two passengers a week!

[Costas2008]

Mr Whoever you are, by paying them the 100Baht, you are an accomplice to corruption as they are.

And by grassing them to the newspaper did nothing to improve your wrongdoings.

[iReason]

"...the Ebola line."??

Is there no end to the depths that these corrupt parasites will wallow in?

Absolutely soulless...

[thequietman]

I am almost positive that if DNA sequencing were done on Thai's, there would be a genome for being corrupt. It inherently appears to be part of the Thai strain and cannot be extracted no matter the repercussions

[FireMedic]

The boss says it doesn't happen. So I guess all the other people who have witnessed this are lying. I'm the boss! What I say is always right! If not, you could be looking at criminal defamation.

[RustBucket]

This deputy chief should be sent to the deep south and busted down to a regular immigration <removed>.

Just about everyone in Thailand knows he is lying.

Why would any tourist coming here deliberately lie about something like this?

As for

'Mr Whoever you are, by paying them the 100Baht, you are an accomplice to corruption as they are.

And by grassing them to the newspaper did nothing to improve your wrongdoings.'

What a load of twoddle.

3 officers waiting at the cash earning counter instead of in the other booths, so basically the problem was deliberately engineered to promote the corruption. You can't blame people for not waiting an hour in a queue when they can pay 100 baht to sail through.... I would have paid, but been pissed off that I was set up for the bribe.

I would have 'grassed them up' too.

But this is Thailand..... corruption is totally legal here when you are ripping off tourists.

Nothing has changed, and nothing will EVER change.

I pray for the day Thailand loses all its tourists. It won't affect me personally and I don't care about the thousands of people who have been scamming tourists for years.

[a3tsw]

I frequently travel between London and Phuket , on the recent 2 occasions that I have landed there , the lines to the immigration desks have taken approx. 1 Hour to reach and have been under manned at about the same levels as the OP states , I have not noticed any fast track lanes in operation whilst waiting (not to say that they don't exist) , but the problem is bad enough , that I now disembark through Bangkok , even though it involves taking an extra flight down to Phuket , they really need to get their staffing levels sorted out at peak periods at Phuket , as it is just not acceptable to expect people to wait on their feet for so long after a long flight from Europe ,especially the elderly and those with children. It just leaves a bad taste in the mouth to have to go through all this and then be swarmed with taxi touts as soon as you pass out into the concourse...nice welcome to Phuket !

[terryp]

I am not surprised, the corrupt arrogance with the massive xenophobic attitude of Thailand’s immigration officers is blatantly obvious from the moment you encounter one of these parasites

[ezzra]

Why would I want to stand in line next to someone who might have Ebola AND pay

B. 100 for it ??

[steelepulse]

There's been multiple threads about this same problem over the past few months here, with first hand accounts of TV members. It seems nothing has changed due to immigration not allowing photos or videos, plus the easy money to be made off of this scam. At 100 baht per, the cash adds up fast.

[coxo]

I pay the 100 baht every time, I go through in two minutes as opposed to waiting for one hour, immigration deliberately go's slow in Phuket so as people pay, you must remember, they don't like us only our MONEY!!!

[frankphuket]

Have heard the same from several customers visiting Phuket last week, so i assume they are not just making it up by coincidence.

[jacko45k]

Can't anybody in this country just do their job without having little earners on the side!

[Borzandy]

the English couple will be sued for defamation

[kirkoloft]

Show me one case ever Thai CORUPT Police came out and admitted their fault and Bribe ? That's Ain't gonna happen as if happens they must come out every SECOND and ask for apology... WTT ... Welcome To Thailand.

[AlQaholic]

Why would anyone want to go to Phuket??

Koh Lanta maybe, Somewhere south of Pattaya such as Bangsaree or Rayong, but never ever Phuket.

[schlog]

I would not call it a scam. You have the choice pay and use the service, don't pay or use it with a Thai for free.

A scam is when your homecountry takes 80% of your income away with taxation and the press clap enthusiastically new record tax revenues.

On monday all counters were manned and the service lane was open.

Guys living in the north of phuket only have to pay 50 if they want to use this service.

[prakhonchai nick]

This deputy chief should be sent to the deep south and busted down to a regular immigration <removed>.

Just about everyone in Thailand knows he is lying.

Why would any tourist coming here deliberately lie about something like this?

As for

'Mr Whoever you are, by paying them the 100Baht, you are an accomplice to corruption as they are.

And by grassing them to the newspaper did nothing to improve your wrongdoings.'

What a load of twoddle.

3 officers waiting at the cash earning counter instead of in the other booths, so basically the problem was deliberately engineered to promote the corruption. You can't blame people for not waiting an hour in a queue when they can pay 100 baht to sail through.... I would have paid, but been pissed off that I was set up for the bribe.

I would have 'grassed them up' too.

But this is Thailand..... corruption is totally legal here when you are ripping off tourists.

Nothing has changed, and nothing will EVER change.

I pray for the day Thailand loses all its tourists. It won't affect me personally and I don't care about the thousands of people who have been scamming tourists for years.

The Good General (PM) needs to get a firm grip of things.. After a good start everything is slipping back to the days of so called democratic governments!

Bust all these corrupt people. No movement to other jobs. Just OUT. Loss of pension and all rights!

Edited November 6, 2014 by prakhonchai nick

[DrDave]

I saw it on Oct 30.

We were all packed like sardines in the immigration area - several hundred people. So many people that you could not make out any actual queues up to the counters.

At one point, I heard one eastern european guy yelling over to his friend that they could go over to the "special line". "How much, 100? OK" the friend yelled back. At that point, there was a mad rush by a few dozen people over to the "special lanes" all the way over on the left hand side.

It took us over an hour to get up to the immigration counter - only half of the desks were staffed.

I guess photos and videos are not permitted in the immigration area to ensure that the taking of bribes cannot be proved.

[dotpoom]

Mr Whoever you are, by paying them the 100Baht, you are an accomplice to corruption as they are.

And by grassing them to the newspaper did nothing to improve your wrongdoings.

I was just wondering if I were a tourist in that position and an Immigration Officer was announcing to people on my Q that there was a "fast track" gate available for a charge of 100 Baht....I'm not sure that I would jump to the conclusion that I was involving myself in "corruption" if I decided to use it?

PS. You know what they say .......Before criticizing someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.....that way, when they find out at least you'll have their shoes and a mile head start.on them.

Edited November 6, 2014 by dotpoom

[bangkokheat]

thais are really painting themselves into a corner arnt they

[madmitch]

I would not call it a scam. You have the choice pay and use the service, don't pay or use it with a Thai for free.

A scam is when your homecountry takes 80% of your income away with taxation and the press clap enthusiastically new record tax revenues.

On monday all counters were manned and the service lane was open.

Guys living in the north of phuket only have to pay 50 if they want to use this service.

If it's not an official service it's a scam, especially when the top immigration guy says it doesn't exist!

[KarenBravo]

This is the second time they have been caught and the second time they have denied it.

As immigration are the first thing people see in Thailand and what they see is corruption, then the claim that Thailand values its reputation is also a lie.

[moe666]

Mr Whoever you are, by paying them the 100Baht, you are an accomplice to corruption as they are.

And by grassing them to the newspaper did nothing to improve your wrongdoings.

o please with the cooruption it is what makes this country work I would pay the 100 in a heart beat not to stand in a line over an hour, I bet you would too.

[Old Croc]

Some kudos to these scammers for having the imagination to think of calling their 'tip' desk the Ebola line.

[masuk]

I would not call it a scam. You have the choice pay and use the service, don't pay or use it with a Thai for free.

A scam is when your homecountry takes 80% of your income away with taxation and the press clap enthusiastically new record tax revenues.

On monday all counters were manned and the service lane was open.

Guys living in the north of phuket only have to pay 50 if they want to use this service.

If it's not an official service it's a scam, especially when the top immigration guy says it doesn't exist!

...and there's no videos to prove otherwise!

[KarenBravo]

Is there an Ebola line at Bangkok? If not, the reason why it is only in Phuket becomes obvious.