Don Muang Airport clamping down

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, SiamBeast said:

Everywhere on Earth, laws are made because people abuse the system.

 

A tourist visa is for tourists. If you've been there for 180 days, you are not a tourist, therefore you are trying to enter the country with the wrong visa.

Everywhere on earth, to a greater or lesser degree, the elites want to control what the masses are allowed to do. In most cases, they want to exert greater control over those who were born outside the boundaries (determined by the accidents of war and treaties signed long ago) of the nation state they rule. Any resemblance between the rules they adopt for outside masses, and the well being of the internal masses are mostly entirely coincidental.

 

I conform with immigration rules because of what the authorities commanded by the elite can do to me if I fail to do so. If anyone can have a better life (without impacting negatively on the lives of others) by circumventing the artificial rules of an artificial entity (the nation state) then I congratulate them for it.

 

If you believe control of the masses by the elite is in the interests of the majority, fine. You are welcome to your opinion, but I do not share it.

[kurtmartens]

On 5/5/2017 at 11:44 AM, buick said:

i had to open a thai bank account (which i don't need and now get to report it the USA every year at tax time), then had to transfer money to such account.  my USA bank limited those transfers to 5k each time, 15k max per month. 

Am just curious what bank you use, as I've never heard of any bank limiting the monthly total.  And the US reporting requirement you mentioned .... takes 5 minutes.  

[buick]

20 minutes ago, kurtmartens said:

Am just curious what bank you use, as I've never heard of any bank limiting the monthly total.  And the US reporting requirement you mentioned .... takes 5 minutes.  

 

wells fargo using the SWIFT transfer system.  i have since set up the ACH transfer via bangkok bank's NYC branch.  but i only send about 2k at a time (via ACH) so i'm not sure if SWIFT versus ACH makes a difference.  i did the reporting, i'm not sure if i did it right though.  i'll find out i guess.  i'm about to post another comment on the topic of convenience.

 

 

[buick]

i'd like to attach this thread as exhibit A.  he is on his way to BKK to retire using the 800,000 method.

 

here is exhibit B.

con·ven·ience

/kənˈvēnyəns/

noun

• 1. the state of being able to proceed with something with little effort or difficulty:

 

does anyone here believe that the OP in exhibit A is going to experience anything like exhibit B ? 

 

[lkv]

1 hour ago, SiamBeast said:

Everywhere on Earth, laws are made because people abuse the system.

 

A tourist visa is for tourists. If you've been there for 180 days, you are not a tourist, therefore you are trying to enter the country with the wrong visa.

However there is one visa that allows tourists to do tourism activities such as, I don't know, sightseeing, for 20 years.

 

Don't wanna open a dicussion on that particular type of visa, the point is the definition of tourism in Thailand is relative.

[BritTim]

8 minutes ago, buick said:

 

wells fargo using the SWIFT transfer system.  i have since set up the ACH transfer via bangkok bank's NYC branch.  but i only send about 2k at a time (via ACH) so i'm not sure if SWIFT versus ACH makes a difference.  i did the reporting, i'm not sure if i did it right though.  i'll find out i guess.  i'm about to post another comment on the topic of convenience.

I am pretty sure there would be ways of making large transfers from Wells Fargo whether via SWIFT or ACH. However, there will be AML (anti money laundering) checks that are required for transfers that exceed a certain threshold before the transfer can go through. If you inquire at the head office of Wells Fargo, I am sure they will be able to tell you how to go about arranging large transfers.

[JackThompson]

3 hours ago, SiamBeast said:

Everywhere on Earth, laws are made because people abuse the system.

A tourist visa is for tourists. If you've been there for 180 days, you are not a tourist, therefore you are trying to enter the country with the wrong visa.

Laws Are "the system."  Abuse is violating the law (system) - in this context, using a visa for something expressly forbidden, such as working a Thai job (even volunteer-work) while on the permission-of-stay from a Tourist Visa - this would be "abusing" a Tourist Visa.  Following the Rules and Laws as they are defined is the opposite of 'abuse.'   It is unfortunate the rules for Visa Exempts are not well defined, so travelers cannot use them reliably.

[jeab1980]

Laws are made knowing they will be broken then at least they can use them against indescretion. Human nature is to push boundries as far as possible. Some me included at times in my life have crossed the boundries and if caught i would fully expect to be punished and would accept any punishment or telling of by people in authority,  but i would not accept posters on any forum trying to admonish me for what they may or may not know or think they know. We have law enforcement agencies to do that. So please all you oh you bad man working without a WP or overstaying hang em high army. Climb down of your rightous soapboxes and look after your own lives. I suspect NONE of us are perfect and do everything within the rules. Those who say they do are delusional and liars.

Edited May 6, 2017 by jeab1980

[kurtmartens]

1 hour ago, jeab1980 said:

Laws are made knowing they will be broken then at least they can use them against indescretion. Human nature is to push boundries as far as possible. Some me included at times in my life have crossed the boundries and if caught i would fully expect to be punished and would accept any punishment or telling of by people in authority,  but i would not accept posters on any forum trying to admonish me for what they may or may not know or think they know. We have law enforcement agencies to do that. So please all you oh you bad man working without a WP or overstaying hang em high army. Climb down of your rightous soapboxes and look after your own lives. I suspect NONE of us are perfect and do everything within the rules. Those who say they do are delusional and liars.

I agree 99.99 percent; but really any overstay over a few days in just unacceptable.  I agree with the soapbox comment; but, lets counter that with the folks who overstay and then get upset at the Thai Government for enforcing the law when they are caught.  Fair enough, eh.

[jeab1980]

5 minutes ago, kurtmartens said:

I agree 99.99 percent; but really any overstay over a few days in just unacceptable.  I agree with the soapbox comment; but, lets counter that with the folks who overstay and then get upset at the Thai Government for enforcing the law when they are caught.  Fair enough, eh.

As i said if caught then accept the punishment from the relevent authorities. Personaly i dont care if people overstay its there choice and i wont judge anyone.

[Lovethailandelite]

4 hours ago, lkv said:

However there is one visa that allows tourists to do tourism activities such as, I don't know, sightseeing, for 20 years.

 

Don't wanna open a dicussion on that particular type of visa, the point is the definition of tourism in Thailand is relative.

That is because the Visa states 'PE' Privileged Entry. Nowhere on the visa does it state 'Tourist' and you can live here with it for 20 years legally.

[mstevens]

12 hours ago, SiamBeast said:

Everywhere on Earth, laws are made because people abuse the system.

 

A tourist visa is for tourists. If you've been there for 180 days, you are not a tourist, therefore you are trying to enter the country with the wrong visa.

I think part of the issue is the terminology used by Thailand and the separation of different types of visas for different reasons.

 

My country does not have a "tourist visa" but a "visitor visa".  Anyone who requires a visa for a short stay applies for a visitor visa.  It doesn't matter if you come here for a holiday or for meetings i.e. business or for other reasons which are short-stay.  Visitor visas are issued for many reasons.

 

In Thailand, the term "tourist visa" implies the person is visiting for things we expect a tourist to typically do such as sightseeing.  But as has been discussed on this forum many times, sometimes the words tourist visa don't seem like the right fit.  What if you're travelling to Thailand to get married?  Are you really a tourist?  I'd like to say Thailand change the name of the visa to visitor visa.  It might remove some of the debate over what you can do in country on such a visa.  I like the idea that a visitor visa is for a temporary visa which keeps things nice and simple.

[dbrenn]

12 hours ago, BritTim said:

Everywhere on earth, to a greater or lesser degree, the elites want to control what the masses are allowed to do. In most cases, they want to exert greater control over those who were born outside the boundaries (determined by the accidents of war and treaties signed long ago) of the nation state they rule. Any resemblance between the rules they adopt for outside masses, and the well being of the internal masses are mostly entirely coincidental.

 

I conform with immigration rules because of what the authorities commanded by the elite can do to me if I fail to do so. If anyone can have a better life (without impacting negatively on the lives of others) by circumventing the artificial rules of an artificial entity (the nation state) then I congratulate them for it.

 

If you believe control of the masses by the elite is in the interests of the majority, fine. You are welcome to your opinion, but I do not share it.

Idealism is often impractical. Look at the mess Europe is in, thanks to those who advocate freedom of movement for all and sundry.

[elgenon]

18 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

He was probably getting a multiple entry non-o visa. The embassy took away the honorary consulates authority to issue any multiple entry visas in August of last year. The can still issue a single entry non-o visa.

Can I still get one of those? Where? How much? With a year visa and a multiple re-entry permit would I better off than buying

-2 METVs a year? (easier) Or

-2 SETVs with multiple re-entry permits (less expensive)?

[BritTim]

40 minutes ago, dbrenn said:

Idealism is often impractical. Look at the mess Europe is in, thanks to those who advocate freedom of movement for all and sundry.

I would argue that it is the artificial boundaries erected over the centuries that has created the pressures we are seeing now. Since the globe is not in a state of equilibrium, there is a natural desire by those with initiative to try to better themselves by traveling to countries where they perceive greater opportunities to lie.

 

For what it is worth, while a cause of short term difficulties, and notwithstanding a few future madmen carrying out atrocities, history has shown that migrants who travel great distances in an attempt to create a better life for themselves and their families are overwhelmingly beneficial for their adopted countries in the medium to long term. Such migrants are a self selecting group of energetic and ambitious individuals who work hard and want their children to advance even further than they themselves can.

 

I am not as naive as you may suppose. I understand the natural and, even more so, the irrational fears that large numbers of people with a different culture arriving in your neighborhood instill. There is no simple answer to that. People with understanding and compassion can try to provide reassurance and encouragement to both the local population and the new arrivals. However, man's tribal instincts limit the degree to which the native population and migrants can integrate in the short to medium term. Distrust of strangers is part of our DNA.

[dbrenn]

1 hour ago, BritTim said:

I would argue that it is the artificial boundaries erected over the centuries that has created the pressures we are seeing now. Since the globe is not in a state of equilibrium, there is a natural desire by those with initiative to try to better themselves by traveling to countries where they perceive greater opportunities to lie.

 

For what it is worth, while a cause of short term difficulties, and notwithstanding a few future madmen carrying out atrocities, history has shown that migrants who travel great distances in an attempt to create a better life for themselves and their families are overwhelmingly beneficial for their adopted countries in the medium to long term. Such migrants are a self selecting group of energetic and ambitious individuals who work hard and want their children to advance even further than they themselves can.

 

I am not as naive as you may suppose. I understand the natural and, even more so, the irrational fears that large numbers of people with a different culture arriving in your neighborhood instill. There is no simple answer to that. People with understanding and compassion can try to provide reassurance and encouragement to both the local population and the new arrivals. However, man's tribal instincts limit the degree to which the native population and migrants can integrate in the short to medium term. Distrust of strangers is part of our DNA.

Selective migration is fine, accepting those who have something to contribute and who are not criminals. Look at how Australia has benefited from carefully selecting skilled migrants via a points system.

 

Throwing open borders to all and sundry in the way that you seem to advocate creates unemployment, division, ghettos, and bitter resentment of the type we are now seeing all around the failed EU experiment. Unsavoury far right parties are becoming part of mainstream politics, and It's only a matter of time before it all blows up in their Liberal lefty faces.

 

[BritTim]

4 hours ago, dbrenn said:

Selective migration is fine, accepting those who have something to contribute and who are not criminals. Look at how Australia has benefited from carefully selecting skilled migrants via a points system.

 

Throwing open borders to all and sundry in the way that you seem to advocate creates unemployment, division, ghettos, and bitter resentment of the type we are now seeing all around the failed EU experiment. Unsavoury far right parties are becoming part of mainstream politics, and It's only a matter of time before it all blows up in their Liberal lefty faces.

As I implied before, the migrants arriving in the EU is selective migration, a self selecting group.  Only very determined individuals can succeed in making the trip. Mostly, they were also people who had money in their countries of origin. Being trafficked generally costs money. That aside, a points system fails to take energy and ambition into account. The working class immigrants from Ireland, Poland, Asia and elsewhere who streamed into the US over generations would never have qualified under a points system, but they are (for better or worse) what makes the US what it is today.

[dbrenn]

1 hour ago, BritTim said:

As I implied before, the migrants arriving in the EU is selective migration, a self selecting group.  Only very determined individuals can succeed in making the trip. Mostly, they were also people who had money in their countries of origin. Being trafficked generally costs money. That aside, a points system fails to take energy and ambition into account. The working class immigrants from Ireland, Poland, Asia and elsewhere who streamed into the US over generations would never have qualified under a points system, but they are (for better or worse) what makes the US what it is today.

Ah yes, a self selecting group is what our immigration policy should be all about. 

 

Are you are referring to the ones who roam around in gangs, groping women as they celebrate new year eve? Or the ones that form ghettos and no go areas in our cities? Or are you referring to the ones who impose Sharia law, preach hatred against our culture and incite young men to drive trucks trough crowds of people? 

 

I'm thinking that Thailand perhaps doesn't want to repeat the mistakes that we've made.

[hgma]

On 5/5/2560 at 7:12 AM, Phuket Man said:

A Multi Entry Re Entry Permit costs 3,000 baht.

Where?

3900 bath.

[ubonjoe]

16 minutes ago, hgma said:

Where?

3900 bath.

I think that was a typo. Perhaps your post also. The fee for a multiple re-entry permit is 3800 baht.

[rickudon]

I must admit i am a little puzzled by Buick's banking problems. OK, I am British but i just do Swift transfers by Internet banking. Takes me about 1 minute online, then just wait for the money to turn up in my Thai bank account. Seems his bank either lives in the stone age or is paranoid about security ....

 

And yes, hard to see why the OP doesn't just get a longer tern visa, not hard - as long as you qualify - maybe that is his problem.

[hgma]

23 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

I think that was a typo. Perhaps your post also. The fee for a multiple re-entry permit is 3800 baht.

Typo...apologies!

[buick]

18 hours ago, rickudon said:

I must admit i am a little puzzled by Buick's banking problems. OK, I am British but i just do Swift transfers by Internet banking. Takes me about 1 minute online, then just wait for the money to turn up in my Thai bank account. Seems his bank either lives in the stone age or is paranoid about security ....

 

And yes, hard to see why the OP doesn't just get a longer tern visa, not hard - as long as you qualify - maybe that is his problem.

 

i was a bit puzzled by my bank also !!!  when i talked with customer service, they couldn't even tell me why i couldn't transfer anymore via phone (a little more detail there but i'll leave that out).  it took two weeks (and 5 phone calls) to find out about the 'new process'.  others with USA banks also have to use this new text authentication process.  i know a couple people on TV that talked about some google product combined with a magic jack (USA phone number) that allowed them to do it.

 

in any case, my point on the OP's comment and then others is this - spending a day at immigration is the last leg of a process.  you've got to open a bank account, transfer funds, and get a non imm O (or OA) visa before you go to immigration.  there are threads on here every week with people asking questions about each of these steps.  so suggesting it is just a day at immigration (as one respected poster did) is way off base.  that might be the case for the second extension. 

 

i even had a close one on the exchange rate.  i use a USD account for the bulk of the money.  when i got the non immo O, the rate was 35 to the USD and i topped of my account with some extra baht (but not much).  then, the baht gained strength and it was only 34 to the USD, i needed 34.06.  thankfully, it went up and not down further and i got the extension.  i understand that is a problem i created.

 

to close, i'm not suggesting that thai immigration has to change any of their processes.  i'm just saying getting to the eventual extension of stay-retirement is easier said than done.

[maccastime]

On 05/05/2017 at 8:02 PM, gandalf12 said:

What a load of drivel. Why is it so many people feel they have to slag off Thailand? Every country has rules, just stick to them.

Yes but so true

[TechnikaIII]

On 05/05/2017 at 6:22 PM, thecyclist said:

Don't think it had anything to do with exceeding 180 days.I arrived at Don Mueang last week,way above 180 days in 2016, but mainly TVs.There was no problem at all.

The vast majority of my time over the past few years has been on Tourist visas, and will several lengthy periods away in either Europe or Australia. 

I would usually fly in to receive a 30day stamp, then exit Thailand, returning a week or so later with a Visa.

But at some point they tallied up my total time in Thailand which just tipped over the 180 days.

And that excess has been carried over into this year when my time hasn't yet come anywhere near it. It's just unfortunate that someone has decided to flex their over excited credentials.

[TechnikaIII]

On 05/05/2017 at 6:52 AM, Crossy said:

 

One day in immigration, 1,900 Baht for the extension, 3,400 Baht for the multiple re-entry permit, "inconvenient"?

 

I must admit I am confused by the various options, and put off by some of the bullish remarks here.

With thanks for the few friendlier and more helpful suggestions I regret taking the time to post my experience and will sign off on that note.