Police visit

[taff33]

Had a visit from the local police this morning,they came with a form that was headed "Transnational Crime Coordination Unit Region 5 (tccu r5)".

They wanted to know name,nationality,DOB,monthly income,mother and fathers name ,telephone number,height,weight,hair colour,any scars,date of marriage place of marriage etc.,any one else had any visits like this?

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Immigration police or regular national police from your local station?

What province, amphur?

Mac

[ubonjoe]

Others have had the same type of visit. Nothing new really.

I was asked to report to the local police office several years ago.

[taff33]

Immigration police or regular national police from your local station?

What province, amphur?

Mac

local police (wife's cousin) ,lampang.

[ubonjoe]

The division 5 mentioned on the form is from immigration. Immigration division 5 is for the north of Thailand headquartered in Chiang Mai.

[SoFarAndNear]

What the hell? seriously this is normal here? I am on my second year extension and never had this. So in future I really have to be aware that some Special Police unit will come by and interrogate me?

[KhunBENQ]

What the hell? seriously this is normal here? I am on my second year extension and never had this. So in future I really have to be aware that some Special Police unit will come by and interrogate me?

Might happen, who knows.

If you are not at home they will interrogate neighbors about you.

Don't forget what country/regime you live in.

Never had any visits in 5 years (Khon Kaen).

They forgot me

Maybe I have to be patient or simply I am hidden too good

"Campaign" running since at least 2010, some things need a little longer:

http://pattayadailynews.com/thailand-begin-transnational-criminal-investigations/

Bad boys suspected in Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Koh Samui and Phuket preferably.

Edited June 17, 2016 by KhunBENQ

[anotheruser]

What the hell? seriously this is normal here? I am on my second year extension and never had this. So in future I really have to be aware that some Special Police unit will come by and interrogate me?

Okay imagine they never do these visits. As soon as something goes wrong there would be out cries of people criticizing the police for not checking people out. I don't think it is that unreasonable that they want to check out foreigners who move to Thailand. Some of the questions such as scars etc. are a bit much but over all it seems okay. Remember it is a privilege to live in a foreign country not a right.

[glegolo]

What the hell? seriously this is normal here? I am on my second year extension and never had this. So in future I really have to be aware that some Special Police unit will come by and interrogate me?

Okay imagine they never do these visits. As soon as something goes wrong there would be out cries of people criticizing the police for not checking people out. I don't think it is that unreasonable that they want to check out foreigners who move to Thailand. Some of the questions such as scars etc. are a bit much but over all it seems okay. Remember it is a privilege to live in a foreign country not a right.

Yes, spot on... Who cares, Have been living here for 8 years, never had any contact with anything here, what regards police or immigration....

Their country, they can do what they like. Guess that it is the bad people that complain the most, people that have something to hide, shady ones..

Glegolo

[moe666]

Because of my job, now retired, i was subject to a security check every 5 years back in the real world???????????????. So no big deal

[colinneil]

I lived for 8 years in Prakonchai, i was visited by local police, copy passport, ok thank you.

Now living for 5 years near Khonkaen nothing.

As previously stated if you have nothing to hide why worry.

This is Thailand up to Thais what they do/want not farangs.

[scubascuba3]

Hopefully they are trying to catch criminals. Good thing i would have thought.

[elviajero]

We are supposed to report the the local police when moving in, and they are supposed to keep a record of all the foreigners in their area. These visits have happened to others and are probably just the local police updating their records and or retrospectively covering the back sides!

[Tomtomtom69]

What the hell? seriously this is normal here? I am on my second year extension and never had this. So in future I really have to be aware that some Special Police unit will come by and interrogate me?

Might happen, who knows.

If you are not at home they will interrogate neighbors about you.

Don't forget what country/regime you live in.

Never had any visits in 5 years (Khon Kaen).

They forgot me

Maybe I have to be patient or simply I am hidden too good

"Campaign" running since at least 2010, some things need a little longer:

http://pattayadailynews.com/thailand-begin-transnational-criminal-investigations/

Bad boys suspected in Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Koh Samui and Phuket preferably.

The police asking my neighbors who I don't know about me sounds seriously creepy indeed. Then again, they would have fewer neighbors to interview now that three whole sets have left in recent months.

How would they know to come though (apart from the fact I wrote my address on my incoming passenger form)? My moo baan has a lot of western residents though and possibly even one African guy. Haven't had anyone come by and hope there never will be - I do read a lot of reports about farang living upcountry that do get their fair share of visits.

[Tomtomtom69]

What the hell? seriously this is normal here? I am on my second year extension and never had this. So in future I really have to be aware that some Special Police unit will come by and interrogate me?

Okay imagine they never do these visits. As soon as something goes wrong there would be out cries of people criticizing the police for not checking people out. I don't think it is that unreasonable that they want to check out foreigners who move to Thailand. Some of the questions such as scars etc. are a bit much but over all it seems okay. Remember it is a privilege to live in a foreign country not a right.

Maybe but to me and a lot of other people it sounds like discrimination. Imagine if police in the USA started "interrogating" foreigners. There would be outcries of racism.

[anotheruser]

What the hell? seriously this is normal here? I am on my second year extension and never had this. So in future I really have to be aware that some Special Police unit will come by and interrogate me?

Okay imagine they never do these visits. As soon as something goes wrong there would be out cries of people criticizing the police for not checking people out. I don't think it is that unreasonable that they want to check out foreigners who move to Thailand. Some of the questions such as scars etc. are a bit much but over all it seems okay. Remember it is a privilege to live in a foreign country not a right.

Maybe but to me and a lot of other people it sounds like discrimination. Imagine if police in the USA started "interrogating" foreigners. There would be outcries of racism.

In the USA you would have been interrogated more intensively through interviews to receive a visa, once you land, and more than likely before you ever get to live in a house.

Thailand just does the procedure a little bit later. I lived in Japan for a long time and anytime you moved into a new neighborhood you would get a visit from the police. As long as they are polite I don't see the problem. Anybody crying racism would be categorically wrong as the term for discrimination against foreigners on a wholesale basis would be xenophobia.

[Issangeorge]

Many years ago the police from our district office came and asked some questions about me, my memory is vague about it, but as I recall I was away, they left a form I had to fill out and then they returned to pick it up. It was at least ten years ago.

[smotherb]

What the hell? seriously this is normal here? I am on my second year extension and never had this. So in future I really have to be aware that some Special Police unit will come by and interrogate me?

Okay imagine they never do these visits. As soon as something goes wrong there would be out cries of people criticizing the police for not checking people out. I don't think it is that unreasonable that they want to check out foreigners who move to Thailand. Some of the questions such as scars etc. are a bit much but over all it seems okay. Remember it is a privilege to live in a foreign country not a right.

Do police normally come to your house in your home country? I have lived in 10 different countries and have never had police come to my door--and that covers 71 years and almost ten years here.

[ubonjoe]

Several off topic and inflammatory posts have been removed. From now on they will removed without notice.

[Thaimike370]

Been here 8 years, never a visit!

[RBOP]

22 years never had a visit.

[klauskunkel]

10 years now and never a visit, though the station is a 5min walk only. But, I live in BKK where everyone is transferred to an inactive post...

[bazza40]

And the police did what? Haul the OP off to the police station in handcuffs?

Have never been checked; however, I am not going to get my knickers in a twist if I am. Seriously, what threat can a 73 YO like me possibly be? Have nothing to hide.

[phutoie2]

These visits do happen, usually with first application on applying for extension based on marriage. A newly arrived Brit in town had a visit from Phitsanulok Imm. That's a 500km round trip. He paid 3000 Baht for fuel and meal expenses, there were three officers. After interviewing his wife, at first separately then together and some general chat the youngest Imm Officer commented "we like to drink brandy in the evenings".

[Gillyflower]

I remember years ago when I first went to live in France, the Renseignements Generaux came to visit me and asked me all sorts of questions. The RG was the Intelligence Service of the Police. When I moved half way across the country a short time later, they came again. Partly they checked on the then visa situation, my finances etc. I don't remember being asked about scars though. Shame, because one of them was rather scrumpy and I wouldn't have minded.

I don't find it such a bad thing (in Thailand). It should mean that if there is a baddie around, he will be found. And God knows there are some around.

[Dan5]

What the hell? seriously this is normal here? I am on my second year extension and never had this. So in future I really have to be aware that some Special Police unit will come by and interrogate me?

Okay imagine they never do these visits. As soon as something goes wrong there would be out cries of people criticizing the police for not checking people out. I don't think it is that unreasonable that they want to check out foreigners who move to Thailand. Some of the questions such as scars etc. are a bit much but over all it seems okay. Remember it is a privilege to live in a foreign country not a right.

There must be 100s of thousands, possibly more than a million expats here. They're not going to go around checking everyone like this. And they already have the basic information they might need from the forms you submitted for you visa and extensions. My guess is that maybe 1 in a thousand expats will ever get this visit. And for those there is likely something that raised their suspicion. Like maybe you might be someone they are looking for. I've never encountered anything like this and don't know anyone who has. Notice the name includes the words international crime?

[rjwill01]

I understand the need, but the questions asked are those what a scammer would ask. They could use any credit card or website you are on with all that info.

Should be a little more reasonable.

[stommeln11]

For me is this visit normal. It is an officer from local Police living not far from us. (Amphoe Phi Mai) We know him like a friend since many years. He has the a form with the names and pssportphotos of farangs living here in this Tambon. He has the order to visit them once a month, take a photo from the passport and from the farang and ask the family and the neighbours, everything ok with the farang? We know him very well, so he told, he would come only all two or thre months to us. And so he does since about two years.

Edited June 18, 2016 by stommeln11

[hellstens]

One time in ten years!

I have the Immigration polis here, after I needed to use a married visa.

But did not fill in any paper.

I live in Nakhon sawan,

really a good Immigration here, never any problem.

only frustration on all this paperwork.lol

[elviajero]

What the hell? seriously this is normal here? I am on my second year extension and never had this. So in future I really have to be aware that some Special Police unit will come by and interrogate me?

Okay imagine they never do these visits. As soon as something goes wrong there would be out cries of people criticizing the police for not checking people out. I don't think it is that unreasonable that they want to check out foreigners who move to Thailand. Some of the questions such as scars etc. are a bit much but over all it seems okay. Remember it is a privilege to live in a foreign country not a right.

There must be 100s of thousands, possibly more than a million expats here. They're not going to go around checking everyone like this. And they already have the basic information they might need from the forms you submitted for you visa and extensions. My guess is that maybe 1 in a thousand expats will ever get this visit. And for those there is likely something that raised their suspicion. Like maybe you might be someone they are looking for. I've never encountered anything like this and don't know anyone who has. Notice the name includes the words international crime?

These visits are nothing to do with people being under "suspicion". They are simply the local police updating their records. Anyone, especially living in the provinces, can get a visit at anytime, but the local police already know where most of us live.