Intense Scrutiny At Mae Sot Border Beware !

[devaram]

Ive been making border runs for 4 years while living in Chiangmai.

I stopped going to mae sai last year after getting alot of rude treatment and threats from stressed out mae sai officers.

Mae sot turned out to be a great alternative and also a good two day vacation if combined with a visit to the old city of sukothai.

The officers at mae sot never gave a glance at my visa stamps they just waved me through with a friendly Krap Pom ! What a relief ! What a nice interesting, primative and friendly part of thailand as well !

In september I went out to indonesia and malaysia and came back with a three month visa on october 1st from penang. I was slightly nervous about making a border run at the end of this visa concerning how the new rules would be interpreted at the border but I was clear that I was entitled to three crossings after the 1st. I thought maybe I should go to mae sai since they would have so much traffic that any doubts would have been cleared already. Instead I went back to mae sot remembering my easy going experience there before and also made the decision to go a week early in case there was a problem.

I felt very nervous approaching the mae sot border. I was not greeted by the friendly good ol boys from before.

Instead the there was a very grim faced female officer staring at me. She spent a long time checking all my previous stamps and then somewhat reluctantly stamped me out of thailand. I wondered if I would be allowed back in but I have faith in the basic goodness of thailand and doubt this could really happen.

On the burma side alot of nice friendly guys wearing sorongs and a new computer system in place.

On arrival back at the thai border the same lady again spent a long time scrutinizing my passport.She examined every page at least 3 times. I was so nervous I could hardly sign my name on the arrival card.

Then she began to ask questions "why you stay in thailand so long?" "what work are you doing here?" why you come to mae sot instead of mae sai? She let me know that she was from mae sai and that some of the stamps in my passport had been made by her last year. Why you dont go back to your country? I gave various reasons why I need two more months in thailand without actually begging and then she made the decision not to red flag me out of the country but to allow me another 30 days.

That was the last time I will ever go to the mae sot border and probably the last time I will go to any border.

The only way now is to fly out.

Anyone with alot of stamps who wants to keep doing border runs should get a new passport but truly those days are over. They just dont want us staying in thailand for free. I think they are happy if we go out and get a tourist visa because they make money off that and they can clear whether we are running from the law.

Ultimately they want us to go back home once in a while to clear the the law in our own country.

I think this is reasonable as well as for me as I would like to do more travelling and get out of this Thailand rut!

Anyone who thinks this is going to change with the new government is dreaming. The hallmark of the new government is to srutinize everything. It wont be any different at immigration !

[libya 115]

What is your nationality?

Did she make a written notation in your passport next to the 30 day stamp?

[columbo]

LOL, great story. It sounds just like my gf everytime I say something bad about Thailand..."why dont you go back to your country". lol I cant take it but that's the attitude. who cares

[PeaceBlondie]

The story does show a definite change of attitude by a longtime immigration officer, asking questions and looking through the passport like they didn't do before. Times have already changed.

[rahyumdee]

Sign o' the times...

[aussiestyle1983]

The story does show a definite change of attitude by a longtime immigration officer, asking questions and looking through the passport like they didn't do before. Times have already changed.

I think the story actually refered to a different immigration officer, not one of the friendly ones the was delt with in the past.

[devaram]

What is your nationality?

Did she make a written notation in your passport next to the 30 day stamp?

My nationality is USA I believe she wrote the normal notation of #1 of three allowed 30 day stamps and I believe that I could continue for two more exits but I would not go back to mae sot I would go to mae sai because they are more in the flow with alot of tourists.At mae sot I was probably the only farang all day so she had alot of time on her hands with not much to do.

Edited December 25, 2006 by devaram

[jing jing]

Well they've obviously got their marching orders. Correct me if I'm wrong but it seems that, other than answering some legitimate questions, folks can still come and go freely as long as they're following the rules.

[devaram]

Well they've obviously got their marching orders. Correct me if I'm wrong but it seems that, other than answering some legitimate questions, folks can still come and go freely as long as they're following the rules.

Yes I dont wish to ad to the paranoid rumors..

As long as you follow the rules and look ok there is little they can do except issue the stamp.

They can raise legitimate questions and you will have to answer in a way that sounds reasonable that is all.

[llothar]

but I would not go back to mae sot I would go to mae sai because they are more in the flow with alot of tourists.At mae sot I was probably the only farang all day so she had alot of time on her hands with not much to do.

Mae Sot has a lot of border runners, maybe not as high as mae sai but enough to expect the same treatment as anywhere else.

For example all the NGO guys and gals are using Mae Sot instead of Mae Sai.

So don't expect that anything is getting better there (and as you said your officer was from Mae Sai).

[tropo]

They can raise legitimate questions and you will have to answer in a way that sounds reasonable that is all.

If a person has for example has 4 years of stamps in their passport from doing monthly border runs, what would be a "reasonable" answer to the question: "why you stay in Thailand so long?".

Edited December 26, 2006 by tropo

[junkofdavid2]

They can raise legitimate questions and you will have to answer in a way that sounds reasonable that is all.

If a person has for example has 4 years of stamps in their passport from doing monthly border runs, what would be a "reasonable" answer to the question: "why you stay in Thailand so long?".

Easy. Just say "i love the way thai people welcome us."