Walking Street Sweep Nets 30 Foreigners Without Proper Papers in Pattaya

[Jimbo53]

Good! If they don't have a passport you got to wonder why!

Why?....

Do you walk around everywhere with your Passport?....if so,you would be one of the needles in a haystack...especially at Songkran!!!!

I don't know one Farang amongst all the people I know in Pattaya that does!

They normally keep them in a safe,and taken out when required for the usual Bureaucratic BS at Banks,Immigration etc....not for taking to a nightclub,where there's the possibility of pickpockets,or getting pissed and losing it.

[Jimbo53]

It is not MY passport to carry - it remains the property of the Australian government and it remains safely locked away until I need it to travel.

Bob A.

Relaxed in Lampang

A very sensible decision Bob, and like most sensible resident farangs, to avoid any hassles, you probably carry a reduced size copy of said passport while the real passport relaxes in a safe place.

A good idea is to take a picture of the page of your passport with your photo with a smartphone,and show that if stopped.

[mgjackson69]

A permission to stay stamp, granted after the visa has expired, is not usually seen in a tourist's passport, so he's partly correct inasmuch as the visa allows them to be here (on vacation presumably).

The "permission to stay" stamp is what is put into your passport when you enter the country, whether you come in on a visa, visa exempt, or re-entry permit.

[Tywais]

A permission to stay stamp, granted after the visa has expired, is not usually seen in a tourist's passport, so he's partly correct inasmuch as the visa allows them to be here (on vacation presumably).

For the sake of accuracy, a visa is cancelled the moment you pass immigration control and a permission to stay stamp is put in your passport regardless of visa category.

[chrissables]

Good! If they don't have a passport you got to wonder why!

If you don't understand why to not carry your passport where pick pockets and ladyboys are always stealing, you need an education on life.

[Veritas48]

This old chestnut again!!! Ken I zee your papers, bitte? Ist everyzing in order?

Exactly!Time to reassess residence under military rule....Siegheil!!

[retarius]

I never carry my passport in case I lose it or it gets stolen. I do carry a Thai Driver's license for id purposes but have no idea if it is legal. I read some time back that you can photocopy your passports and carry the copy around. I tried it but the paper got all grubby being in my pocket with assorted money, sweets and the odd bit of fishing bait.

[gyrosman]

Good! If they don't have a passport you got to wonder why!

our passport is the property of the government which issues it. Secondly, carry a copy of your passport not the original when walking around and partying. Besides, stopping tourist and demanding documents reminds me of NAZI Germany. We got here not in a refuge boat but an airline ticket, hotel and food cost etc... so, treating the tourist like criminals is just another hit on their income.

[sabaii69]

Good! If they don't have a passport you got to wonder why!

Perhaps because they didn't want to risk it being lost or stolen.

Perhaps because they were from countries where it is not necessary to be in permanent possession of ID and they aren't aware of the rules here.

Your implication that they were all up to no good is frankly, ridiculous.

It does appear that they are guilty of being 'dark' in public.

Edited February 20, 2016 by sabaii69

[Broeno]

So carry a copy of your passport is a crackdown on transnational crime. It's the same successful as the crackdown on the bridge club. The morons keep on marching.

[masuk]

Good! If they don't have a passport you got to wonder why!

Because we are constantly reminded NOT to carry a passport due to the high crime rate in these areas.

Tourists probably don't know that a copy of their papers is acceptable.

[sabaii69]

Good! If they don't have a passport you got to wonder why!

If you don't understand why to not carry your passport where pick pockets and ladyboys are always stealing, you need an education on life.

Yes, and please educate the stupid Indian girl at the VIP lounge in Vegas that Americans don't need to carry a passport to go anywhere in America.

[ratcatcher]

I never carry my passport in case I lose it or it gets stolen. I do carry a Thai Driver's license for id purposes but have no idea if it is legal. I read some time back that you can photocopy your passports and carry the copy around. I tried it but the paper got all grubby being in my pocket with assorted money, sweets and the odd bit of fishing bait.

Had you had the copy reduced in size and plastic laminated, you'd have been able to keep it in your wallet with driver's license etc and not amongst the assorted rubbish in your pockets.

[rethaier]

Good! If they don't have a passport you got to wonder why!

Not having a passport is a bit different to not having one with you.

[starchild5]

Wish they do that in UK sometime for a change..

If Thai Law was implemented in Europe...It would be a much better place

[ftpjtm]

I have a Thai drivers license and I have a copy of my passport with all relevant visa's on my phone and a hard copy in my wallet. Should be enough.. otherwise tough luck loosing a passport is far more of a problem.

Thanks for the advice, I just did the same.

I don't particularly want to hand my Passport or phone over to them, so I think it's worthwhile to carry a paper copy as well. Original safely at home.

[newnative]

Pity they can't do any real police work.

[khun custard]

It is not MY passport to carry - it remains the property of the Australian government and it remains safely locked away until I need it to travel.

Bob A.

Relaxed in Lampang

A very sensible decision Bob, and like most sensible resident farangs, to avoid any hassles, you probably carry a reduced size copy of said passport while the real passport relaxes in a safe place.

Yes, it is the property of the Australian Gov. but what actions their foreign embassy's are willing to support and retrieve seized passports AND ensure the spirit and intent enforcing the GG's message "can pass freely" statement in the inside cover is a very, very different story.

I know of a Aussie caught up in a executive/ corporate debt bondage situation in Dubai a few years ago; the company seized that employee's passport under false pretenses. The Australian Embassy (then based in Abu Dhabi) did SFA to intervene or provide any assistance.

Bob A. , the concept is noble but it is as sound as the Aussie $ and receiving a pension while living overseas these days!

[UNTOUCHABLE1]

I'm going tattoo my passport number on my wrist with a small American flag so they know which camp to put me in.

dont do that the number changes with every new passport--you will be outnumbered

[dageurreotype]

but when Deputy Commander Voravat said expats living here a Thai driving licensecan be used as identification or ( i.e not AND ) photocopy of your passport he knew that didn't he?so why say it?

Why do you make a drama from carrying a copy of your passport? Is it so difficult?

I agree. I always carry mine, given you need it for every damn thing here including every little bank transaction. Having said that, I wouldn't be caught dead on Walking Street, shithole that it is, neither do I find lying on some beach sweating my cobs off in the hot sun 'fun' either.

Maybe my lifestyle's different to most here ..

[cheeryble]

Perhaps their passport was safe at home, where every good passport should be.

And before any one goes there, there is no law that says passports must be carried on the person at all times, they must instead be easily accessible within reasonable timescales, aka, in a hotel safe within 24 hours etc.

What you say sounds authoritative CM and indeed I carry a little miniaturized laminated copy like a credit card.......any chance you could provide some detail for your statement which I hope is true?

Thanks

[pomchop]

So if you go to the beach and are sitting in your swim suit exactly where are you supposed to keep your passport if you should decide to go for a swim? Leave it in a bag on your chair or beach towel unattended? That would be about as dumb as you could get.

I guess they didn't make big enough fools of themselves worldwide over the bridge club and need to try and top that 50 man "swat team" criminal roundup with an even dumber rule.

[crazykopite]

My passport is always in a safe place at home it is not a requirement to carry it around instead I always use my Thai driver licence which has my passport number on it as a form of IDi

[wabothai]

Police checks and tourist don't go well together.

You better be aware madame.

[dageurreotype]

Good! If they don't have a passport you got to wonder why!

If you don't understand why to not carry your passport where pick pockets and ladyboys are always stealing, you need an education on life.

Yes, and please educate the stupid Indian girl at the VIP lounge in Vegas that Americans don't need to carry a passport to go anywhere in America.

Well, thinking about it, that's a very similar situation to here in Thailand. You know, non indigenous trampling all over another populace's nation without permission or certification (like a passport/ID card) of such, ..

[mogo51]

Perhaps their passport was safe at home, where every good passport should be.

And before any one goes there, there is no law that says passports must be carried on the person at all times, they must instead be easily accessible within reasonable timescales, aka, in a hotel safe within 24 hours etc.

Exactly who walks around when you are having a drink with their passport for someone to steal?

[dageurreotype]

My passport is always in a safe place at home it is not a requirement to carry it around instead I always use my Thai driver licence which has my passport number on it as a form of IDi

Yeah, try using that at a bank here ..

[PattayaAl]

My passport is always in a safe place at home it is not a requirement to carry it around instead I always use my Thai driver licence which has my passport number on it as a form of IDi

Yeah, try using that at a bank here ..

No probs using in bank, however they wanted to see visa/ stamp , just the face page was not enough

[hourlay]

Good! If they don't have a passport you got to wonder why!

Because it's not manadatory ! And nobody want to lose the passport thanks to a pick pocket...

[merlen10002]

so when was this assurance revoked?

" Deputy Commander Voravat confirmed that foreign tourists and expats do not need to carry their passports with them at all times."

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747736-no-need-to-worry-says-bangkok-immigration-commander/

"Deputy Commander Voravat also said that for expats living here, a Thai driving license or photocopy of your passport can be used as a form of identification."

I think that everybody must be able to proof his identity in some kind. I have a copy of my passport and visa all the time. Just a photo on my smartphone.

I don't know how many expats living in Thailand that owned a car and had a Thai driving licence would go to a sleazy low life hole like Walking St Pattaya , I would think very few, most of the people that go there are tourists that don't know any better. it is a place once you see it, once is enough.