Phuket immigration are now enforcing a dress code.

Turn up in vests, short shorts, mini skirts , transparent blouses ect and you will be refused service and asked (told) to leave.

There are big signs outside the office with pictorial representations of dress which is unacceptable.

I watched , with, I admit , some amusement the policy being enforced today !

About time.

I wish they'd extend the vest ban to all public places.

A troll post has been removed as well as a reply.

String Vest = Rab C Nesbitt.........

Short Skirts = Mary Doll.........

basically they are saying not to look like a slut / prostitute

Sadly white sox and sandals were not banned...

Scum, scum…..go back to where ya from.

Anyone in those dreadful cargo pants should be sent home

pathetic

Immigration trying to drum up some biz for all those poor tailors you find on every street corner?

But it's not their business to tell a tourist how to dress especially with the police ordering tourists to provide a urine sample in public. Where's the respect in that?

Why not uniforms for foreigners? With a coloured badge (one for each visa / extension type)?

or

Again, kill the goose, people are here on vacation they want to stay and Spend more Money.

I agree appropriate dress is needed.

But this will escalate to a ridiculous level as it usually does.These are resort islands and casual dress is the norm.

A new department "The Fashion Police"

I personally have no desire to see those muscle shirts or wife-beater T-shirts that some people wear that show people's armpits. But I would think a decent pair of shorts and a polo shirt with a collar should be allowed. Gosh it is the tropics and it is hot and humid on Phuket.

Now this is great. Maybe farangs can get some of the respect back and not look like old man bums!

Some immigration officers need to iron their yellow T shirts before wearing them too.

...........& anyone who turns up in Crocs should be instant deportation !

...........& anyone who turns up in Crocs should be instant deportation !

Thai people love wearing their Crocs lol

"There are big signs outside the office with pictorial representations of dress which is unacceptable."

Might be helpful if someone could post on here photos of these pictorial representations so we can see exactly what is deemed unacceptable - assuming, of course, that these wouldn't contravene forum rules on decency!

Cultural Mandates 2.0. Thailand is being steered towards becoming a conservative hellhole.

I personally don't see any issue with this. on Samui they have enforced this rule at the licencing center for some time. It is after all a major government office where you are dealing with officers of the realm and government employees. It is only fair and reasonable to be expected to dress moderately and respectively.

I have sat in the queue at the Samui Immigration Office and have seen the other side of the coin, arrogant tourists stroll in with shorts, sandals and nothing else. I find it astonishing to see the look of bewilderment on their faces when asked to don a shirt, they only have to "wake up" and look around themselves to see the other attendee's dressed in a sensible fashion to know they are the odd one's out. To be honest the patience and tolerance shown by the Immigration Office staff has often surprised me and is to be commended, they put up with this on a daily basis which must be very trying.

Phuket is a tropical island with tourists and expats.People go there or live there because they like the beach,so why should they dress up?If the the tourists go to Phili,Viet or Malaysia instead the immigration guys can go back to Burriram and try to extort buffaloes.I understand different countries,different cultures,but with fining tourist or expats for wearing flip flaps and shorts on a beach island is just another stupid rule to annoy the people.Thailand should slowly learn to treat tourists and expat like a golden goose

I'm amazed that other peoples clothing bothers them(posters on TV) so much.

Time to break the code for you:

Having to see a 125 Kilo woman waddling around in a miniskirt with her gigantic gelatinous boos waving about is offensive. It is as though we are seeing several pigs stuffed in a sack and struggling to escape every time she takes a step.

Having to confront a large fat man who has not showered recently, with his horrid beer belly hanging out is offensive.

Not just in Thailand ... everywhere.

One will learn that a 45 kilo woman, 28 year old and in great shape, can wear pretty much any skirt, and no one will complain much.

The rule is simple, if you would not wear it at home to go to an office, do not wear it here.

Yesterday we visited a local private school, where our niece worked, to see the children on sports day.

They had a number of very young girls - think five and six years old - dressed in very fancy dance outfits, and each child had on full makeup and they were performing together as cheerleaders. I thought the whole thing pretty weird.

Then as we were leaving I noticed a sign over one of entrance doors, in English; telling us to dress correctly before entering.

A neighbor lady was talking to my wife and pointed out that another lady, even though married to a falang, often dressed as if she was one of those people who collect cans and bottles out of rubbish bins. She said it with great disdain.

And now the fashion police at immigration.

I remember the saying that always bugged me when I was in the military - if you look good, you are good.

I think that perhaps people should consider the content of one's character vs. how they are dressed, whether or not they are while skinned or the length of their hair. But then again, if that were true we would not automatically be pigeon holed as falangs.

Reaching conclusions about the quality of a person based on how he/she is dressed is a bit too 1950s IMO.

I wish they'd extend the vest ban to all public places.

Especially after 40...

This is not new. Years ago, people were asked to leave if not respectfully attired. Seems to have been relaxed a bit by the '90s, to the point of ridiculousness present day.

It behooves one to dress appropriately, especially when you need their help...

Before the deluded masses proclaim that it's the same everywhere, it really is not. This particular brand of intolerant snobbery is common only to Thais and 'look at me I've gone native!' expats..

About time.

Indeed, Thai's want to be respected along with their culture, some people obviously find this a problem?

"It is after all a major government office where you are dealing with officers of the realm and government employees. It is only fair and reasonable to be expected to dress moderately and respectively."

This is very common in the Philippines to have dress codes in Government offices, including Immigration