Excellent tips :

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.

Am wondering exactly which checks that Pattaya police can perform regarding criminal records that border immigration cannot .

(considering it was billed as an exercise to combat "trans-national crime ")

Oh I can help you out with this one! Immigration regularly accept bribes each and every day to ignore criminal records and such whereas these once in a blue moon for show police swoops on hapless foreigners are not. Completely different animals, what!

I wonder that they don't have mobile devices where they can see upon the passport number the state of the art. Just a link to the immigration database would be sufficient.

Who takes their passport into a night club, in Pattaya?!

I go down to walking street all the time without my passport , and have never been stopped , best they stop me at 4am then at least i can get a free lift home to get my passport instead of the extortionate prices the motorbike taxi guys charge , the police must be wondering why the fines and extra visa charges are dwindilling as more and more say they have had enough and go to other countries. I refuse to carry my passport wonder if the police will pay for a replacement if i lose it on a night out .

well at least they were not playing bridge

Maybe some passports were still kept by the cops for illegal gambling...

I always carry a color copy of my passport and my thai drivers license. The few times I have been asked for ID, this has always been enough. Asking people to carry their original passport is utter and complete foolishness. Sort of comparable to asking the Jews to carry their papers in 1930's Germany. Completely unnecessary and a burden to all. Especially for those of us who have a one year visa. The risk of loss is just too great. If the police are actually serious about this (which I highly doubt) this would have a chilling effect on both tourism, and the ex-pat community. And this at a time when Thailand needs the tourisms and the ex-pats more than ever!

The lack of wisdom of many of the tourist and ex-pat related policies coming from this administration is rather astonishing. One wonders if they are actually trying to deliberately sabotage tourism, and discourage ex-pats from staying here? Could the level of ignorance really be that high?

l did carry my passport with me always when l first came here as l was told it was the law.

l got caught in the rain & although my passport was in a shoulder bag, it was partially soaked & the ink ran on the Thai entry stamps.

From then on the passport stayed in the safe & l carried a photostat copy.

Never been pulled up though, must have an honest face! lol!

Why would a foreigner want to carry a Passport on Walking Street where the pick pockets are present. It would be worse to lose your Passport there.

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.

you don't take your wallet out on walking street right? i get the reduced size that's a good idea but wallet and cards should be safely locked away - i always take my bike licence and assume that is enough?

If one believes this report in PattayaOne a copy of passport/stamps etc. was NOT accepted.

Original passports had to be produced (after being detained).

What an idiocy.

http://pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/221631/30-foreigners-detained-during-id-checks-in-pattaya-nightclubs/

Can you imagine ice.gov raiding disney world asking for foreigners to provide documentation of legal status.

It's time for real measures: permanent passport checkpoints plus p... test at all entries to walking street

I visit Thailand 4 to 6 times a year since 1992 n I had never carried my passport for safety reason.Only if I am going to my bank I would carry my passport and most definitely not when I am going to paint the town red.

I wonder that they don't have mobile devices where they can see upon the passport number the state of the art. Just a link to the immigration database would be sufficient.

fair question. They already seem to have some fancy technology now

New immigration screening system unveiled

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/New-immigration-screening-system-unveiled-30278217.html

"All of them were taken in for criminal record checks and were reportedly released after they were able to show their passports to police."

Take your passport with you on a night out on walking street?

I wouldn't.

I never carry my passport. However i have two Thai driving licences having had to produce my passport to get. These are always accepted at banks.

If one believes this report in PattayaOne a copy of passport/stamps etc. was NOT accepted.

Original passports had to be produced (after being detained).

What an idiocy.

http://pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/221631/30-foreigners-detained-during-id-checks-in-pattaya-nightclubs/

Told you so

What is it about Pattaya that seems to attract such a preponderance of brain dead farangs?

well at least they were not playing bridge

Yes, thank God for that.

La, la, la,la, la,la, la,

who rules the world

La, la, la,la, la,la, la,

Having a British passport and living in Chiang Mai would mean 2 trips to Bangkok to replace it if my passport got lost, damaged or stolen.

I carry my Thai driving license and a copy of my passport. I prefer to take my chances that this will suffice because the consequences of anything happening to my original passport are too high. It`s not rocket science to understand that most foreigners are afraid to carry their passports for the same reasons, but on the other hand most tourists will not hold Thai driving licenses and the police are within their rights to demand a show of passports.

What is it about Pattaya that seems to attract such a preponderance of brain dead farangs?

Their brain is located in their smaller head

If one believes this report in PattayaOne a copy of passport/stamps etc. was NOT accepted.

Original passports had to be produced (after being detained).

What an idiocy.

http://pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/221631/30-foreigners-detained-during-id-checks-in-pattaya-nightclubs/

Told you so

yes quite a bit different from what our friend " Andre47 " has been arguing .

If one believes this report in PattayaOne a copy of passport/stamps etc. was NOT accepted.

Original passports had to be produced (after being detained).

What an idiocy.

http://pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/221631/30-foreigners-detained-during-id-checks-in-pattaya-nightclubs/

Told you so

I guess if you were a criminal it would be tairly easy to find some one to Forge a photocopy piece of paper

Sent from my SC-01D using Tapatalk

over in the Chiang Mai section there have been similar activities in the bar area there are also with people being hauled away for not having their passports

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/896174-major-police-activity-at-zoe-area-tonight/#entry10437508

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?

Many like yourself do not understand the value of a current passport which should be protected at all times. It is not a right but a privilege to have one. Although it is in your name, it does not belong to you. So what better way to look after it than to leave it somewhere safe aat home and use your Thai driving licence, if you have one. Passports can easily be stolen and often are, that is the drama sir.

So it would seem as if your passport has now become in Pattaya at least this. My fellow country oeople certainly know how to treat tourists ,yet another TAT spin doctor task needed.

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

Not really. I never carry my passport, it is far too important a document to carry everywhere I go. I stays locked in my safe at all times, unless I am off to immigration, my embassy, or the bank.

I do however, keep a copy in my wallet, plus scans on my phone, of the ID page, visa and entry stamp, and 90 day report receipt. More than enough to prove the validity of my stay.

Only an idiot would carry the real thing on their person 24/7. Just asking for problems, especially in places like walking street late at night.

A person's passport is a very important document and a big problem if lost or stolen. I prefer to leave mine locked up safe at home instead of being vulnerable to it being lost or stolen while I am carrying it around. I have a Thai Driver's License and a photocopy of my passport and valid visa. This should be sufficient identification ..... being required to have your passport on you at all times is unreasonable

Oh, yes this is great for Pattaya's tourism reputation, treat ordinary people like criminals and have them prove they are not... not the best way to treat people. Why don't they (Police) work the same as other countries and follow up on good leads and intelligence to catch the real criminals?