200 more immigration officials deployed at Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi airports

[Ossy]

Talk about over-reacting for the sake of PR . . . none of last week's queues required anything like this influx of 'new' staff. And what the hell were the Immigration supervisors at both airports doing as the first signs of pressure became evident. Couldn't they have very quickly grabbed some of these available 200 who are now, after the event, probably falling over each other? The lack of organisation, thought and reason, amongst Thai government-answerable departments is, now, way beyond a joke.

[Thaidream]

My point is simply that most people who come to Thailand as tourists are expecting a Thai experience and the powers that be are taking away opportunities to enjoy things typically Thai- such as street food ; portable street bars; and the experience of going to a typical Thai restaurant because a tourist cannot find one or get to it because of the traffic.  Bangkok has become like New York or London.  Most people don't fly 12-1 hours to end up at McDonald's. It's because there are ow few alternatives. Hotel food is too expensive; the street food is gone and there are very few typically Thai drinking establishments.

 

Those westerners who have been to Thailand years ago remember what the real Thai experience is- not  a city filled with Irish and British Pubs; a lack of restaurants that serve  typically Thai cuisine at low to moderate prices; and low cost transportation and tours to Thai cultural sites. Having been in Bangkok 5 decades- I might every now and then pop into a Western restaurant but I would never come to Thailand wanting a western experience.  In addition, the nightlife situation is just a shadow of its former self. As much as I love Thailand- if I was a newbie- I would go somewhere else.

[scorecard]

13 minutes ago, DavidHenryPilkington said:

Talk about over-reacting for the sake of PR . . . none of last week's queues required anything like this influx of 'new' staff. And what the hell were the Immigration supervisors at both airports doing as the first signs of pressure became evident. Couldn't they have very quickly grabbed some of these available 200 who are now, after the event, probably falling over each other? The lack of organisation, thought and reason, amongst Thai government-answerable departments is, now, way beyond a joke.

 

Well it always has been a joke.

 

From my own experience as the local director of an international management consultancy going back 20+ years I could write books on my experiences / observations:

 

- Poor organizing and planning.

- Dedicated planning spreadsheets available but never used / nobody ever thought of using such tools.

- Need 8 plates but buy 500. 

- No anticipation of possible problems and zero action plans for problem / accident scenarios.

- Way over the top staff numbers.

- Way too many manager positions, in many cases with no reporting staff. (A certain airline.)

- Total inefficient work flow, including way too may positions, none of which has more than perhaps  30 - 60 minutes per day of actual work activity.

- Irresponsible allocation of staff to personal matters: Secretary 1 to take children to and from school.Secretary 2 to do the daily supermarket shopping. Secretary 3..... .

- Seniors called to regional meetings etc., arrive half a day late 'colleagues wanted to have breakfast at the famous xxx restaurant before we come to the meeting', 'traffic really bad today'.

'Khun xxx had to take her children to school before we could leave...' .

 

 

 

Edited August 14, 2017 by scorecard

[Classic Ray]

5 hours ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

Why would they open the Thai lanes for non-Thais that are only temporary residents?

 

PR holders I could understand however.

I think realenglish1 already answered that, existing visa holders have already passed the checks to get a visa, unlike visa-exempt entrants. This means they need minimal checking and can be processed in the Thai lanes where the officers are under-employed.

[gummy]

1 hour ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Always when I suggest a job to Thai job seekers, the common answer is 'too hard, too boring, not enough money'...

What they really mean is limited opportunities to scam visitors

 

Edited August 14, 2017 by gummy

[aslimversgwm]

5 hours ago, Knocker33 said:

I think that applies to nearly everything in Thailand. The male population generally have the mentality of a five year old

Much like The Donald. Sorry! Off topic completely 

[Dave67]

[Bill Miller]

6 hours ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

Why would they open the Thai lanes for non-Thais that are only temporary residents?

 

PR holders I could understand however.

Because the Thai nationals lines are often nearly idle, and O visa holders are only temporary because of an official xenophobia. We work very hard jumping through hoops to maintain our residency.

 

[Dumbastheycome]

3 hours ago, scorecard said:

 

Well it always has been a joke.

 

From my own experience as the local director of an international management consultancy going back 20+ years I could write books on my experiences / observations:

 

- Poor organizing and planning.

- Dedicated planning spreadsheets available but never used / nobody ever thought of using such tools.

- Need 8 plates but buy 500. 

- No anticipation of possible problems and zero action plans for problem / accident scenarios.

- Way over the top staff numbers.

- Way too many manager positions, in many cases with no reporting staff. (A certain airline.)

- Total inefficient work flow, including way too may positions, none of which has more than perhaps  30 - 60 minutes per day of actual work activity.

- Irresponsible allocation of staff to personal matters: Secretary 1 to take children to and from school.Secretary 2 to do the daily supermarket shopping. Secretary 3..... .

- Seniors called to regional meetings etc., arrive half a day late 'colleagues wanted to have breakfast at the famous xxx restaurant before we come to the meeting', 'traffic really bad today'.

'Khun xxx had to take her children to school before we could leave...' .

 

 

 

Be interested  in the relative  employment  attrition  rates re'  such  international   employment consultancy outcomes.  !  lol

Despite  all  efforts  cultural/social  conformity  often  defies  the   robotic expectations of  corporate  or  similar  philosophy.

[scorecard]

34 minutes ago, Dumbastheycome said:

Be interested  in the relative  employment  attrition  rates re'  such  international   employment consultancy outcomes.  !  lol

Despite  all  efforts  cultural/social  conformity  often  defies  the   robotic expectations of  corporate  or  similar  philosophy.

 

Not really sure of your point.

 

The company I worked for was a well recognised international management consulting company (engaged by companies / government agencies to suggest changes to organizational set-up, organizational efficiencies, benchmark business practices, especially in regard to organization / leadership behaviors which generate motivation and commitment, innovation, etc., all research based).

 

The company is not an executive or employee headhunter, job placement agency etc., in fact my old company does not engage in this subject at all.

 

It is true that it's difficult to challenge the points / the scenario I listed earlier. And even more difficult when it's become the standard, accepted and unchallenged working culture for a long time and even worse where currrent CEOs and senior management who have risen to the top within this culture and often can't see there is anything wrong.

 

Further all governments attract  a solid % of employees who want job security and a pension and no responsibility. These folks will never challenge anything, that's their choice which they are entitled to. But some do get automatic promotions and get to the top, but basically with unchanged attitudes, they never analyze anything, so improvement and change never happens.

 

On the other side of the coin it can sometimes be difficult to keep young achievement oriented well educated consultants within management consultancies when they realize that the client is locked in the past and nothing will ever change. Some move on hoping to work on projects with a different type of client where there are clear valuable results.   

Edited August 14, 2017 by scorecard

[scorecard]

5 hours ago, realenglish1 said:

To speed up the lanes and give residence temporary speedy service Just because they may be temporary does that mean they should stand in long lines

 

Not sure why your using the word 'temporary'.

[saakura]

Arrived in Din Mueang at 3am this morning. Horrendous Q, they have now put markers at various points in the winding Q to give you an estimate of the waiting time : 2hrs, 1hr, 45mins and 30mins. Almost everyone was Chinese, lots of shouting. Best to avoid coming to Thailand till the situation stabilises. 

[wakeupplease]

14 hours ago, Thian said:

Thailand 4.0...you come by air or we'll let you wait. 

 

Why not change the whole visa-system which makes all foreigners travel over borders just for a silly stamp. Can they not give the stamp at an office in BKK or so? I'll be happy to pay for it and it saves the immigration a lot of work at the airports/borders.

No

 

just think of the money you spend going to and coming back from the border run it all adds up, as every penny is income from outside the country and boy do they need foreign cash. that is why they make you do it every 90 days after all it's the money not you they want.

Edited August 14, 2017 by wakeupplease

[Jip99]

1 minute ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

You are only a temporary resident, until you obtain permanent residency, if indeed you are eligible.

 

Even then, permanent residency needs to be officially renewed every so often (5 years? I cannot remember). 

 

Best not to think of yourself as a resident of Thailand, or indeed even regarded as something special because you are a Non-O visa holder... it helps getting over the reality that there is a definitive impermanence to your stay on these Non-Immigrant type visas. 

 

 

We we are called "aliens" for good reason.

[Prbkk]

14 hours ago, ChrisY1 said:

Almost always, the women officers are more efficient

'Captain' Jack ( of the short-lived and more than slightly bizarre reality show about BKK) seems to have disappeared ( he stamped me in once and I saw him on duty a few other times). He was very nice. But you are right, by and large the women more efficient.

One suspects that it is a universal truth that the job attracts petty martinets who enjoy lording it over weary travellers. True in most countries ( but such a pleasant relief to meet nice ones from time to time as well).

[Monomial]

5 hours ago, Classic Ray said:

I think realenglish1 already answered that, existing visa holders have already passed the checks to get a visa, unlike visa-exempt entrants. This means they need minimal checking and can be processed in the Thai lanes where the officers are under-employed.

 

If you are serious about this suggestion then just having a visa is insufficient. A visa is not any kind of guarantee of entry.

 

The appropriate level of access would be for anyone possessing a re-entry permit. Those people have already been admitted and passed all necessary checks. The re-entry permit is simply allowing them to leave the country for a short period and return, getting no more time than their already approved entry allowed the first time. There really should never be a reason to refuse admittance to someone on a re-entry permit, just like there is never a reason to refuse entry to a Thai.

 

 

 

 

[Ulic]

Heaven help anyone using Bangkok as a flight hub catching a flight

to another country. Clear customs, check your bags to your next

destination. Looks like you will have to time budget an 8 hour layover

to make sure you are successful catching your next flight.

[tomwct]

Apparently the big bosses were using 200 Immigration Officers as their personal translators! Some went to the RTP also! When is Thailand going to wake up and smell the coffee and see the world speaks English and not Thai. They are 30 years behind the world in education and 14th in Asia in English speakers. Pretty sad!

[elgenon]

Do they have any airport immigration experience?

[elgenon]

23 hours ago, leeneeds said:

Mostly I look for a lady in the booths as they are,  in my opinion are so much more efficient,

 

Yes, women in uniforms! 

[elgenon]

On 8/14/2017 at 5:50 AM, tomyummer said:

I guess I shouldn't feel so bad that a week ago I spent ONLY 45 minutes in the outgoing immigration line. Nice of the airlines to send a rep to escort me from immigration and hold the plane for me. I literally had to do an OJ Simpson Hertz commercial running half a kilometer with luggage in hand to the gate.

Ridiculously slow those immigration officers are. Absolutely no expediency in their demeanor. They love playing god while poor passengers wait.

Which airline was that? Lovely.

[gandalf12]

2 hours ago, tomwct said:

Apparently the big bosses were using 200 Immigration Officers as their personal translators! Some went to the RTP also! When is Thailand going to wake up and smell the coffee and see the world speaks English and not Thai. They are 30 years behind the world in education and 14th in Asia in English speakers. Pretty sad!

To accept what you say, and I totally agree with you, the people in the positions of power will have to accept that they will not only come under extreme scrutiny if they speak English but also they may be criticized and forced to leave the position they hold. With only Thai being spoken by the majority of the local population, poor education for the masses it is easy to maintain the level of superiority

[goonnerone]

On 14/08/2017 at 1:53 AM, steven100 said:

ahhhh ....    isn't it amazing how TV farang can only see negativity in any solution ...

I was just thinking the same thing, it seems like not matter what the Thais do it never good enough 

 

[jerojero]

I have a one year extension due to retirement on my visa and a re-entry permit, can't they let me re-enter via the Thai side automatic door for expediency?

No. That would mean you are equivalent social level as Thai citizens. Farang cannot be allowed to be seen this way. Lowly guests at best.

[steve187]

i came through bkk, Monday at about 4pm, very short queue, well organised, lots of desks open, there was a 'training' sign hanging on the next desk to the one i was using.

[sandyf]

On 8/14/2017 at 3:54 PM, Laughing Gravy said:

A really poor excuse of an argument especially regarding brexit. Where are the more extensive checks in Thailand and for what? Another pro EU paper talking what the quality of its journalism deserves. It should be in squares in a toilet on a nail.  So why just BRITISH tourists Sandy? You have sunk to a new low.

 

"Tourists arriving at European airports are waiting up to four hours to be allowed entry after border controls were increased.

British holidaymakers have been warned they face longer waiting times because of more extensive immigration checks."

So you believe the fact that other countries have immigration problems is an argument that can only be won by running down Thailand.

 

Invariably these problems have a common factor, lack of resources. This is what happened in Europe, made changes but didn't increase resources, exactly the same when I arrived back on the 9th, only half the desks being used, and at Heathrow T5 on July 12th, only one desk in use. Same Same - different location.

 

BTW if you had read the article you would have seen the problem applied to all non Schengen tourists and not just British. The comment you quoted referred to British holidaymakers being warned by British holiday companies, who knows if other nationalities were warned of the delays or not.

[Laughing Gravy]

4 hours ago, sandyf said:

 

On ‎8‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 3:54 PM, Laughing Gravy said:

A really poor excuse of an argument especially regarding brexit. Where are the more extensive checks in Thailand and for what? Another pro EU paper talking what the quality of its journalism deserves. It should be in squares in a toilet on a nail.  So why just BRITISH tourists Sandy? You have sunk to a new low.

 

"Tourists arriving at European airports are waiting up to four hours to be allowed entry after border controls were increased.

British holidaymakers have been warned they face longer waiting times because of more extensive immigration checks."

So you believe the fact that other countries have immigration problems is an argument that can only be won by running down Thailand.

 

it is pointing a plain and continual fact that Thailand underperforms and doesn't plan in advance. I truly wish it would and I live in hope.

 

4 hours ago, sandyf said:

BTW if you had read the article you would have seen the problem applied to all non Schengen tourists and not just British. The comment you quoted referred to British holidaymakers being warned by British holiday companies, who knows if other nationalities were warned of the delays or not.

But the article didn't mention it was other nationalities did it, so no point arguing just what was written. unless you can refute it with some more information.

 

4 hours ago, sandyf said:

Invariably these problems have a common factor, lack of resources. This is what happened in Europe, made changes but didn't increase resources, exactly the same when I arrived back on the 9th, only half the desks being used, and at Heathrow T5 on July 12th, only one desk in use. Same Same - different location

This is a continual problem in Thailand and I would hardly call a day or two at Heathrow the same. I am not Thai bashing just pointing the  obvious, from anyone who uses the airports here regularly, as I do that the performance is sub standard and slow compared to other Asian countries. As for Europe the immigration counters are in a different league.

[lemerou]

So it seems the line problems is solved for now, at least at Suvarnabhumi?

Anyone arrived lately there?

[YetAnother]

where o where is good management in all this ? much like my wife, no planning and then crisis after crisis; this immigration system at the two large airports was 200 people short ?!

[hawker9000]

On ‎8‎/‎13‎/‎2017 at 3:50 PM, tomyummer said:

I guess I shouldn't feel so bad that a week ago I spent ONLY 45 minutes in the outgoing immigration line. Nice of the airlines to send a rep to escort me from immigration and hold the plane for me. I literally had to do an OJ Simpson Hertz commercial running half a kilometer with luggage in hand to the gate.

Ridiculously slow those immigration officers are. Absolutely no expediency in their demeanor. They love playing god while poor passengers wait.

You hit the nail on the head.  Though I do think the level of professionalism can vary, the system seems to promote the idea that they "reign" rather than merely carry out assigned duties.   The "traveler experience" is usually absent from the list of priorities.