I was travelling to Laos the other day, and came across a very strange immigration officer while departing Thailand at the Friendship Bridge ....

 

I am a naturalised Thai (white, with Thai passport), and I think I've met this immigration officer before (he's bald, stocky and around 40 years of age). I gave him my Thai passport and he put on this look of extreme displeasure and stared straight at me for around 10 seconds. He then demanded in a very loud voice that I tell him how I could have Thai nationality, to which I answered that I applied for it via the regulations. He then asked me where I was born and the nationality of my parents, before asking me again how I got a Thai passport. I repeated that I applied for it legally, and he them mocked me by holding up my passport to the officer sat in the next booth and saying "this one has a Thai passport" in a very derisory tone. He then stamped me out, and I said the Thai word for 'idiot' as I walked past him.

 

A xenophobic pig if ever there was one. I pretty sure I met this guy a few years back - he asked me to prove I was Thai by singing the national anthem, which I refused to do.

 

Why not politely tell him the King approved your citizenship, and ask him if he has a problem with that.

Your answer should have been "I am very rich and know many influential people in the Thai military, police and government, please write your name and ID number on a piece of paper so I may report to them how helpful you have been"

I am fair skinned with blue eyes as were my parents from the UK but 59 years ago..... I was born in a country full of dark brown people with brown eyes.

Just this month someone in the UK saw legal documents of mine with my photograph and place of birth said, "Why is he not black?" 

I did not set foot in the UK until I was nearly 7 and every kid said I was a liar when I told them where I had been living.

Ignorance is bliss they say, it is also down right rude.

The stock replies you were advised to give above would be the best response to this moron.

What a knob! (The officer, that is.) Well done for calling him an idiot.

35 minutes ago, blackcab said:

 

Why not politely tell him the King approved your citizenship, and ask him if he has a problem with that.

Why politely? 

I think I saw that same guy on a trip to Vientiene! He is a goof ball!

As you have a thai passport you could have wound this guy up completely as i assume you are fluent in Thai

 

and what could he do ?

 

errr .....ok probably shot you !

1 hour ago, blackcab said:

 

Why not politely tell him the King approved your citizenship, and ask him if he has a problem with that.

 

To those thinking of using this line, resist the temptation even if it is factually true. That kind of a-hole official is just the kind to try to turn it into some kind of lèse-majesté case. He might even succeed.

Nong Khai is not known as a particularly friendly crossing. They deal with a lot of people and I have been on the receiving end of rude behaviour from Iimmigration Officers. I have also had helpful behaviour.

 

The last time I crossed there, the immigration officer shouted at me for not writing the engine number of my motorbike in the space entitled "Flight number/Name of Vessel" and not writing "1" in the space entitled "Number of Crew". He seemed very stressed out and not the right person for the job.

 

 

I'll search him out next time I go up and have a bit of fun. Will bring my blond haired blue eyed wife and kids as well just for added effect. 

1 hour ago, baboon said:

Why politely? 

Why not politely? What could possibly be gained or even proven, by sinking to an idiot's level of behavior?

20 minutes ago, BritTim said:

 

To those thinking of using this line, resist the temptation even if it is factually true. That kind of a-hole official is just the kind to try to turn it into some kind of lèse-majesté case. He might even succeed.

 

Right - whilst it's perfectly true that HMK approves  applications for citizenship, any reference to that fact may be misinterpreted in the current political climate. The officer could distort the meaning, turn it against me, and get me thrown in the slammer for 15 years.

 

No law against calling him an idiot, which I did. Next time I'll ask him when he will be replaced by one of those robotic electronic gates. They have them at Suvarnabhumi, and it's so nice not to have to face those dullards.

54 minutes ago, poohy said:

As you have a thai passport you could have wound this guy up completely as i assume you are fluent in Thai

 

and what could he do ?

 

errr .....ok probably shot you !

 

I was rather too taken aback to say anything much, aside from calling this pig of a man an idiot. Next time, I'll have my riposte carefully prepared. 

 

Or, better still, I'll skip Nong Khai and fly to Vientiane.

25 minutes ago, samran said:

I'll search him out next time I go up and have a bit of fun. Will bring my blond haired blue eyed wife and kids as well just for added effect. 

 

Nice one. Make sure you let him know how easy it is for foreigners to get Thai nationality too, and that more and more westerners are getting Thai passports these days - he'll really hate that.

 

Alert, sometimes we have to keep the comments under our breath.. the imbecile may have understood, then what .. he makes your life his personal mischief toy.

3 hours ago, dbrenn said:

 

Nice one. Make sure you let him know how easy it is for foreigners to get Thai nationality too, and that more and more westerners are getting Thai passports these days - he'll really hate that.

 

I know and work with someone who's sat at the cabinet table with Gen Aunpong. I'm sure I can arrange quite quickly his phone number to be be given to this bloke to call should he doubt my wife's thai passport. I've also got special branches number on my phone.