Reports: Thai-Cambo border check points closed to visa runners with immediate effect

[terryp]

Hilarious the amount of foreigner’s on TV that are telling other foreigner’s to leave Thailand.

people are free to travel ANYWHERE providing they have a valid visa or SIMILAR (that inc a 15 day stamp) ..and don’t need pompus donkeys that basically had to leave their mother countrys to shack up with bargirls/boys and the like telling them to go..is that what happend to you in Your home country of birth? and why you are now living in a foreign Country.

This is still an UNCONFIRMED rumour.. SomYot is replaced 1 Oct so there’s a big clue

[IMA_FARANG]

Go to www.CNN.COm on the net an d look for the story titled, "Thailand issues warrant for Chinese man in bombing probe"

Read that and you will get some good info on exactly why this "crackdown" is being done now.

Try to remember. not everything revolves around you and your visa.

[silent]

No more illegal tourists doing back to back border runs.

If you intend to stay in Thailand for an extended period you must apply for the correct visa.

Since when was it ilegal. It is my understanding it is perfectly legal to have unlimited visa exempt entries or are you speculating that every one doing this is working here????if that's the case that's some assumption on your part got any evidence to back it up!!!

Whatit is, is a fact of life where those who don't fit the particular mold still have to pay for things others have done, regardless. Some people think of it as a sign of democracy, but there's really several different words for it, many of which also start with a D .

Think of it, they could really do it at every border to be effective, but it's the Cambodia border where the problem was and wouldn't people look dumber than dumber if it happened again in the same area. What could be more logical to save face than making short term terrorists and tourists have to go around the sun to get to the moon? (After coming up with that I think it's time to go back home now).

[tlock]

this is the most hateful forum on the internet. jesus christ.

[Bulldozer Dawn]

Quit complaining, get a proper Visa or go home !!I have lived here 12 years and have always had the proper Visa. It cost 5,700THB for a retirement extension and multiple re-entry permit. Get legal, stay legal or go home !!

The only thing I hate is the day wasted at immigration, they need a better system and allow you to get a 5 year extension,

Oh wise one, since when is doing a 30 day visa run illegal? It's a loophole that's allows people to stay here. But not illegal as far as i know.

A retirement visa cost has no relevance to people under 50, and you forgot to add the 800,000 baht you must have in the bank.

5 year visa! So you want something that does not exist, while telling people to go home who are following the law that does exist?

Thailand Elite Visa gives you five years.

Cambodia gives you a residence visa for B12,500 a year . The basic elite card comes in at B500,000 for five years. Cambodia is a 1/4/ of the price.

Can you post a link to the "residence visa". Thanks.

[Kitsune]

Who is "they"? The employers? Safety should trump a good time at a low cost. There may be a bit of an adjustment period, but no reason not to put a little burden on employers and employees, as well as on tourists to plan ahead by booking hotels and return travel.

Like in ANY country in the world, Thai companies exploit cheaper illegal labor to cut costs.

And here more than anywhere. And thats not going to stop anytime soon

Probably not. Doesn't mean it shouldn't, which is what my initial point was.

We all agree that illegal work is a bad thing, but it is widespread especially in Thailand is not going to end soon and pointing the finger at the victims instead of the rogue employers who make big cash out of it, is simply wrong.

[baboon]

this is the most hateful forum on the internet. jesus christ.

Stick around, they are just getting warmed up...

[tingtongfarang]

Who is "they"? The employers? Safety should trump a good time at a low cost. There may be a bit of an adjustment period, but no reason not to put a little burden on employers and employees, as well as on tourists to plan ahead by booking hotels and return travel.

Like in ANY country in the world, Thai companies exploit cheaper illegal labor to cut costs.

And here more than anywhere. And thats not going to stop anytime soon

I believe the construction industry would collapse if not for workers from cambodia, likewise the fishing industry with workers from burma, both of these nationalities take their hard earned money out of thailand,

I never understood the xenophobic attitude towards westerners either living here or long term tourists who for the most part only spend money here,

Thailand already lost the digital nomads, some of who were big spenders, often there seems to be no logic in regard to visa changes or new hoops for people to jump through,

I also know people here who do not have visa problems but still work illegally because they have no other choice, some have tried to go the legal way but it just was,nt possible.

[stickylies]

He is not referring to tourists. He is referring to the loads of people abusing the system and working illegally in Thailand or trying to live here for extended periods without valid long stay visas (i.e. retirement visas, marriage visas, work permits).

1. i'm in my 40s so no retirement visa available

2. i don't need to work. i'm self-sufficient and if i ever were to work again it would be in the west (ie. western salary) and not thailand.

3. i'm not interested to engage with/marry a thai woman

so according to you people like me have no right to stay longterm in this country? i speak the language better than most clowns who married here or "work" here, i have genuine friends here (and not a bunch of parasites eating my cash). i've never been illegal in the country, i do things by the book (although i have been offered all kinds of solutions by the always friendly $mm$gration p€ople), but i deliberately am a longterm tourist which seems to annoy a certain type of people on TVF. is it jealousy? or plain bitterness... please enlight me. cheers.

According to people here, you are a lazy parasite who should go back to your country to contribute paying their pension.

Yeah, tell me about it. According to the very same people I should also get kids and "take my responsibilities in life" (LOL) whereas deliberately not having kids is taking my responsibilities to the extreme. Most farang I meet in LOS think they are different compared to their western counterparts but basically they are the same conservative, anxious, envious, narrow-minded people. The only difference is that they use A/C instead of a heater and the wifey has less pubic hair

[lkv]

3 months is more than enough to see Thailand maybe 6 months max. I firmly believe that anyone who has back to back tourist visas longer than 12 months (4 entries/visa runs) is not a tourist. People get your shit together and get the correct visa.

I totally agree with that and other posts with similar content.

In fact everyone who does this visa run crap is mis-using the Thai visa system as you're not a tourist.

I know many of you don't want to hear this but it's the truth. If you can't comply with the laws in this country go somewhere else... [emoji36]

Not everyone! Someone from a qualifying nation that exists/enters every 30 days is complying with the law. Only people that enter on TR's or visa exemption and work or carry out other illegal activities are mis-using the system.

There is no limit on time for how long someone can be a tourist. If there was then Thailand would limit the number of tourist visas and tourist visa exempt entries.

It is 100% legal and acceptable under Thailand's own rules for someone to live in Thailand for any period of stay granted to them by whatever visa they entered with.

People that enter on tourist visas (or shall I say double entry tourist visas) are also complying with the law. The laws have been specifically designed BY THEM to include these loopholes, since it's a very profitable business that benefits several parties: embassies or consulates (visa cost), local immigration (extension cost), bus company, visa run company, plane company, that market you stop at on the way to use the toilet, the Cambodian / Lao side because you pay for that visa as well, the corrupt Cambodian officers offering VIP service for 500 baht, the hotels in Laos, the tuk tuks in Laos, the "tourist numbers" of Laos, the "tourist numbers" of Thailand most importantly. The list can go on.

You guys designed this system and now you're trying to ##ck it up? I know saving face is important but you're jumping from one hole to another here.

Edited September 13, 2015 by lkv

[Bulldozer Dawn]

He is not referring to tourists. He is referring to the loads of people abusing the system and working illegally in Thailand or trying to live here for extended periods without valid long stay visas (i.e. retirement visas, marriage visas, work permits).

1. i'm in my 40s so no retirement visa available

2. i don't need to work. i'm self-sufficient and if i ever were to work again it would be in the west (ie. western salary) and not thailand.

3. i'm not interested to engage with/marry a thai woman

so according to you people like me have no right to stay longterm in this country? i speak the language better than most clowns who married here or "work" here, i have genuine friends here (and not a bunch of parasites eating my cash). i've never been illegal in the country, i do things by the book (although i have been offered all kinds of solutions by the always friendly $mm$gration p€ople), but i deliberately am a longterm tourist which seems to annoy a certain type of people on TVF. is it jealousy? or plain bitterness... please enlight me. cheers.

You should do what I am going to do. Just ignore this thread. It is only a click bait cash cow for TV anyway. Look at the threads back when the protests were on. Hundreds of thousands of hits for TV, foreigners arguing and hating on other foreigners, hundreds of pages of BS and speculation...and when the dust settles, Nothing, absolutely nothing has changed. Just ask yourself, am I still happy here or not. Then structure your affairs around your answer.

[eldragon]

Who is "they"? The employers? Safety should trump a good time at a low cost. There may be a bit of an adjustment period, but no reason not to put a little burden on employers and employees, as well as on tourists to plan ahead by booking hotels and return travel.

Like in ANY country in the world, Thai companies exploit cheaper illegal labor to cut costs.

And here more than anywhere. And thats not going to stop anytime soon

Probably not. Doesn't mean it shouldn't, which is what my initial point was.

We all agree that illegal work is a bad thing, but it is widespread especially in Thailand is not going to end soon and pointing the finger at the victims instead of the rogue employers who make big cash out of it, is simply wrong.

Totally agree. But actually, I'm kinda pointing the finger at the gov and the system for obtaining legal employment that many employers seem to be confused and intimidated by. "Yeah, actually, I'd love to hire you, but the work permit thing. It costs a lot of money to employ a foreigner." Not really. A few thousand baht for the visas and work permit, which you can put on the employee. Or hold it over em as an inventive to finish a contract. I'm not aware of any additional cost to the employer beyond salary. But yeah, as far as I know, unemployment is very low in TH. And certain positions- namely English education- require experts. So there is absolutely a need for foreign workers. The system need to be simplified.

[eldragon]

Who is "they"? The employers? Safety should trump a good time at a low cost. There may be a bit of an adjustment period, but no reason not to put a little burden on employers and employees, as well as on tourists to plan ahead by booking hotels and return travel.

Like in ANY country in the world, Thai companies exploit cheaper illegal labor to cut costs.

And here more than anywhere. And thats not going to stop anytime soon

I believe the construction industry would collapse if not for workers from cambodia, likewise the fishing industry with workers from burma, both of these nationalities take their hard earned money out of thailand,

I never understood the xenophobic attitude towards westerners either living here or long term tourists who for the most part only spend money here,

Thailand already lost the digital nomads, some of who were big spenders, often there seems to be no logic in regard to visa changes or new hoops for people to jump through,

I also know people here who do not have visa problems but still work illegally because they have no other choice, some have tried to go the legal way but it just was,nt possible.

The laborers from neighboring countries should have the least amount of difficulty obtaining documented employment. And it's not fair to call the attitude xenophobic. All they're asking for is people to work and live here legally with proper documentation. If you're a tourist, by all means, come enjoy the country. If you're residing here and not causing any problems, well, that's a little different, but there should be some way to document it.

[MyFriend You]

this is the most hateful forum on the internet. jesus christ.

Stick around, they are just getting warmed up...

I would suspect most of the "Hateful Ones" are of European extraction........the rest of us don't expect Thaiand to be like our home countries.

[lee b]

How would I find out about Mai Sai? I have a double entry tourist visa and im in CM. Need to go out and back in the next 10 days to activate it....

[dageurreotype]

Thailand just keeps biting itself in the ass. If these visa exempt crossing are legal why stop them? Always blame the foreigner for Thailand problems. If your immigration people weren't so corrupt you wouldn't have the problem you have. Just wait and see tourist numbers will drop and TAT will say that it will not affect tourism. BS

but we still keep coming back. If los were to be efficient like Singapore would you really want that? Thailand would lose its charm(bargirls).

Au contraire, and I understand I am in the minority on this forum in believing my quality of life would improve considerably if the euphemistically named 'bar girls' were to have charges laid against them of the prostitution they are engaged in and were to be made to find alternative ways of making a living (always amazes me the fact of their illegality flies straight over the heads 'midst the hangers and floggers sanctimonious mongers on here), thus causing a mass exodus of the less savory elements/old farts here.

Cue 'Thailand needs my bar fine/Chang money' or would be rendered a penniless backwater' crew.

BTW Your username suggests Thailand shouldn't have appealed to you anyway ..

Edited September 13, 2015 by dageurreotype

[Jiggo]

not time to read all the posts...but i used to fly to Phnom Penh.....book well in advance (you know you need every 3 months)...promo ticket air asia....book online...pay at 7-11....no problems

[dageurreotype]

You should do what I am going to do. Just ignore this thread. It is only a click bait cash cow for TV anyway. Look at the threads back when the protests were on. Hundreds of thousands of hits for TV, foreigners arguing and hating on other foreigners, hundreds of pages of BS and speculation...and when the dust settles, Nothing, absolutely nothing has changed. Just ask yourself, am I still happy here or not. Then structure your affairs around your answer.

Not to mention the multi threaded panic induced visa changes/everyone's getting kicked out after 90 days overstay 'news' that wasn't last year. Posters should've wised up by now ..

Of course it's click bait or it would be in the proper forum and not parked in the one with the largest percentage of 'views'. Cynical much?

Edited September 13, 2015 by dageurreotype

[true blue]

it's just that until now I always wanted to play by the book.

Now I have learned my lesson, I will do like everyone else, pay an agent to get me a visa and criticize everyone on a tourist visa.

I must be different to everybody else then.

I am 71, retired, and one a year I drive 125 km to Nakhon Sawan and do my own retirement visa extension. No need for an agent to do something that is fairly simple.

I generally start 3 months in advance and contact my pension providers for an update, when they arrive I send them to the UK embassy with the stuff that the embassy requires. When that comes back I collate the whole lot and about 3 weeks before the extension is due I take the whole lot plus me to Immigration at Nakhon Sawan.

The front office staff are all ladies, most speak fair to good English and depending if there are more than 3 people in front of me it is all over painlessly in a about 1 1/2 hours.

I have been doing that for 5 years and prior to that I used to have a marriage visa extension done in Suan Phlu or a visa to visit my Thai family from another country and I have managed to do that for the last 15 to 20 years.

[nomadamon]

Time and again all I see is farangs complaining about Thailand. Things like my country is better in this and that, Thailand should do this and not that, etc etc... Really? Keyboard warriors, keep complaining all you want. No country is perfect in administration and free of shit, not your home country too. You can't change things here nor can fighting on your keyboard change anything, if you wanna stay in this country, provide positive feedback and not crap. Oh you gonna argue on freedom of speech and all this, sure go ahead. Since this forum is where you feel big for at least once in your fking life.

Edited September 13, 2015 by nomadamon

[stat088]

I tried to enter Cambodia at Pailin today but they would not let me go.

I was not doing a visa run but i did tell them my visit would only be for a few hours.

[true blue]

it's just that until now I always wanted to play by the book.

Now I have learned my lesson, I will do like everyone else, pay an agent to get me a visa and criticize everyone on a tourist visa.

I must be different to everybody else then.

I am 71, retired, and one a year I drive 125 km to Nakhon Sawan and do my own retirement visa extension. No need for an agent to do something that is fairly simple.

I generally start 3 months in advance and contact my pension providers for an update, when they arrive I send them to the UK embassy with the stuff that the embassy requires. When that comes back I collate the whole lot and about 3 weeks before the extension is due I take the whole lot plus me to Immigration at Nakhon Sawan.

The front office staff are all ladies, most speak fair to good English and depending if there are more than 3 people in front of me it is all over painlessly in a about 1 1/2 hours.

I have been doing that for 5 years and prior to that I used to have a marriage visa extension done in Suan Phlu or a visa to visit my Thai family from another country and I have managed to do that for the last 15 to 20 years.

was under the impression you had to do your ext of stay,in place you live,is that right or can you do it anywere in thailand.

[anotheruser]

If if was due to bombing, they would close ALL borders.

A terrorist can easily change his journey to another border.

If I were a terrorist I'd be paying someone to smuggle me through the jungle or mountains. Forget about the borders

what good is that? your then in the next country without a stamp.

better to pay at the border and have a stamp in and than can fly out to somewhere else

More than once i have driven into Cambodian and into Thailand ( accidentally) and out with being stamped, not a big deal

A terrorist planning on bombing a city might not share your concern Richard. The point is that Thailand's border is about as easy to go through as any in the world.

[anotheruser]

The Thai police have issued (yesterday) a new arrest warrant for a non-European foreigner who they suspect was possibly one of the "masterminds" in the bombing.

They suspect he is in Cambodia, and he is going to try to return to Thailand by crossing a land border with a new, quite possibly fake or forged Thai visa.

That's what all the commotion is about, and why things are so disrupted right now.

I suspect, one way or the other, this will all be sorted out soon.

As that British WWII poster said." Keep Calm And Carry On".

He will probably change his mind now that the entire world knows not to go through that border.

[wcoast]

How would I find out about Mai Sai? I have a double entry tourist visa and im in CM. Need to go out and back in the next 10 days to activate it....

I live near Mae Sai, plan on going there today or tomorrow. I'll post regarding my findings. From my experience living in the area nothing has changed, but I will enquire at both the immigration office and border, and post the results.

[ratcatcher]

Invalidity pension.

Many on this forum would question why, as someone on a disability pension, you would choose, and I quote, " to live in a 3rd world, banana republic run by a military junta". Of course, they are the disgruntled few who have never managed to enjoy their lives in Thailand.

I don't think I said "3rd world", it's an obsolete term.

When I came 15 years ago it was a totally different place.

Hence my despair to see it turn this way.

You seem to have missed the spoonful of sarcasm in my post. I'll try again.

There are many people living here in this country that hate everything about it and jump at the first opportunity to disparage anything and everything.

I am not referring to the present government/junta or whatever handle you prefer.

We all know that things are different here, and sometimes in a somewhat negative way, whether it be the administration, the food, the transport systems, the communication systems etc.

I agree, the term 3rd world is very 1970s and obsolete, but having lived here the same length of time as you, I see the differences, but on a daily basis not a lot has changed , people are still friendly, the food is still tasty and affordable and where I live the day to day life is enjoyable. It is what you make it.

[PoorSucker]

was under the impression you had to do your ext of stay,in place you live,is that right or can you do it anywere in thailand.

Only in the office assign to the area you reside.

[lee b]

How would I find out about Mai Sai? I have a double entry tourist visa and im in CM. Need to go out and back in the next 10 days to activate it....

I live near Mae Sai, plan on going there today or tomorrow. I'll post regarding my findings. From my experience living in the area nothing has changed, but I will enquire at both the immigration office and border, and post the results.

Thanks very much

[Spleen]

Can't say I'm surprised to be fair, When I went to Thai , Myanmar border just after song krahn, there were thousands coming "Back in" and I queued for over 2 hours. It had the feel that there was something going on, some people were being ushered through first others with dozens of their compatriots passports going to the window. Very well "Organised" on both sides

illegal worker are common in every country and are generally turned a blind eye to , cheap labour and all that. However where the Thais have got it wrong is these people are not illiterate and uneducated laborers to work a s factory fodder they are people mainly I think that benefit Thailand. Teachers ect, even people selling condo's or working as guides are contributing to Thailand's Economy . So they getting this wrong in my opinion for themselves

Edited September 13, 2015 by Spleen

[pepi2005]

I read about a public statement by the Police chief 'threatening' to focus on corruption in Immigration. This was a very bold move for Thailand, where such things are usually handled on a face to face (to save public face) basis.

Certainly, that move was caused by irregularities regarding the bombing in Bangkok - my bet would be the bomber had been living in TH for longer time, doing exactly such visa runs, and they couldn't find any documents that would be of help reproducing his tracks. Looking at that, the police couldn't but notice the mess immigration is in, despite all the nice cameras on the airports taking our mugshots when we move in or out, and the millions of surveillance cameras installed all over Thailand.

Basically I think it's a good (and overdue) move to require correct visas for longterm stays - what I strongly dislike, however, are those blitz 'over night' changes and surprises in policies, which are highly unprofessional and 3rd world like. No foreigner (be it a backpacker or a business visitor) can deal with such things in appropriate manner, and it's things like these which are turning down tourist and expat numbers much more than I'm sure anyone at TAT or the government in general can be happy about.

Edited September 13, 2015 by pepi2005