SammyT
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Posts posted by SammyT
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Just here for the angry retiree expats who don't get that many Thais pay taxes which actually go toward these hospitals. The response hasn't disappointed. Thanks team.
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Out of interest, what is the nature of the fraud? Perhaps engage an immigration lawyer? Failing that, consider moving wife and kids to a nearby third party country to live?
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2 minutes ago, mngmn said:
Couldn't agree more which is why I was so outraged when one of the Thai staff wai'ed me in a Thai consulate in Australian. Surely she knew she should have a shaken hands?
Splitting hairs here, but the Thai consulate/embassy would technically be Thai territory. I don't know if I'd get outraged being wai'd in a foreign land, but what you do in your own time is absolutely your choice.
I'd expect you might get rightfully angry if you put your hand out to shake her hand in some other Australian setting and she steadfastly refused to shake your hand because she's not farang and handshaking is a farang endeavour. That would probably be a more fitting comparison.
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If by some remote chance this story is true - you just learned a valuable lesson that you don't have to be Thai or Buddhist to wai people. You choose to retire here, it doesn't take much to show a little bit of respect by placing your hands together in front of your face for a brief second in accordance with local culture.
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2 hours ago, JimGant said:
That's my understanding. Am renewing first time to 5 yr license this Wednesday; got the medical at Bangkok Hospital -- very efficient service, good parking, 200 baht. Certificate of Residency from US Consulate -- 50 bucks but same day service. Plan to go at 12:30 -- anybody see any problem with that, or maybe a better time.....
I've always preferred to get in there at 9am to ensure I don't hit an unusually busy day and end up either not making it through or spending the whole day there. You'll probably still get on even if you go at that time, but you'll also hit the period over lunch where the close counters for staff meal breaks and things trickle through at a snail's pace.
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2 hours ago, XGM said:
What happens if you go to renew it say a couple of weeks after it expires? Processed as a new one or can still be renewed with some kind of fine?
Mine is due to renewal at the end of next week and I see last reports mentioned there is no next day service in immigration for the Residency Certificate anymore.
Theres no penalty/fine. I recently renewed mine when it was about 5 months expired with no issues whatsoever.
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A clickbait advertorial disguised as a proper article. This is getting close to a new low. At least be upfront that its advertising when you post it to the TVF Facebook page
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4 hours ago, KC 71 said:
I get fed up with people saying ‘ i dont drink at home’ ( uk especially!)
Muppets, its the best place to be,in your home all comforts on hand,tv music etc
Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile appAgreed. I'll pop out to a pub to watch a sports match or something, but if I'm having a beer by myself, I'd way rather do so from the comfort of my own couch.
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36 minutes ago, jimmyyy said:
Large Leo 55 baht at my local. Price has not changed in years.
Cripes that's cheap. Where do you drink? In front of the cooler at the 7/11?
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42 minutes ago, rumak said:
I would hazard a guess that a lot of independent types one finds in Thailand don't care too much for being "profiled". I got pretty tired of it in my younger days (returning to the us of a . I acted nice...them, not so much
Yet I'm sure you expect an Immigration department to be vigilant? Kinda hard to do that without "profiling" people and upsetting the ones just looking for a reason to get bent out of shape about it. It's generally less than 2 minutes of your time, I don't see the point in getting upset about it. That's just me though.
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1 hour ago, murraynz said:
i dont like answering their mindless questions about why i go to thailand and what i do there---its my own private business-i dont do 'small talk'.. they dont like that attitude..??
Clearly you failed the "attitude test" and that's why they decide to search you a bit harder. I don't blame them.
I generally just answer their questions - it's just them doing their job, not small talk. I'm sure they don't personally give a rats ass why you're in Thailand, so I wouldn't really classify it as small talk.
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13 hours ago, murraynz said:
i have had the same treatment 3 times when returning to nz.. absolutely infuriates me..even had my phone and laptop taken from me..4th generation kiwi, lived there until i was 66yrs old..
i havent had the same treatment in recent trips back to auckland...i think, because the flights were from guangzhou or KL ...lots of people have some very strange 'ideas' about thailand ??
That's quite interesting (and horrifying). I've generally found NZ Immigration Officers to be the friendliest I've come across. About every third trip using the smart gates I get redirected to an actual customs officer who asks me little more than "what takes you to Thailand, do you live there?" and then a friendly smile when I explain that I do. Never had electronic devices taken or searched.
You're right about the strange ideas re Thailand. If I were working on factual stereotypes, I'd be far more concerned about single males travelling to other Asian countries instead of Thailand.
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I'm always bemused by these types of threads. It's an immigration officer's job to be vigilant and curious and ask questions. I get asked questions in Western countries all the time (i.e. why do you spend so much time in SE Asia, what do you do for work etc) because it helps them profile people who might not be who they say they are.
I wouldn't overthink it.
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This is almost worse than the kids who come off motos and put out Gofundme pages. This guy knew the healthcare risks but decided against it.
If he can get free healthcare in his home country and is able to travel, there should be no reason for him not to head home and do it
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17 minutes ago, jimcarr65 said:
I left Thailand a year ago after living and teaching there for 3 years. I back then had the feeling that the Thai government really didn't want us to occupy their country and things were starting to change. This past year and half confirms my suspicions. I think it is only going to get worse. Why don't they want Europeans and Americans to come anymore?
Probably because most long term workers here tend to complain A LOT about how bad Thailand is and how crap the government is? Biting the hand that feeds?
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22 hours ago, Pepper9187 said:
So waited another 1hour, gave the passport, and i was out, 11h30AM went there at 8h30
3 hours really doesn't seem that painful? I certainly wouldn't describe it as "hell". I queue for longer for my 1 year visa extension in Chiang Mai...
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1 hour ago, baansgr said:
Doing their job is one thing but being damn right rude and nasty is totally wrong...lets face it, travel most other countries always greeted with a smile yet "land of smiles" never happens.
Really? Most other countries? I'd say about 30% of the countries I've travelled to I'd describe my immigration officer as friendly. The rest they just do their job. I'd rather a competent officer not afraid of asking hard questions than someone who smiles and gives me warm fuzzies. That's just me though
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13 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:
Everything recounted on TVF can be discounted as "only one side of the story" if it suits one's purposes. These "well-it-hasn't-happened-to-me -- and-until-it-does -- I-prefer-to-preen-like-I'm-just-a-more-sophisticated-well-adjusted-worldly-traveller-than-you" types on this thread make me want to gag.
It hasn't happened to me to that scale, but if it does, given I have nothing to hide, I certainly won't lose sleep about an overzealous immigration officer. Nothing to do with me feeling I'm more sophisticated, adjusted or worldly. I've been asked questions by IOs before, answered them pleasantly and honestly and been let through. Never crossed my mind to come on here and whinge about it as if it was the worst thing that has happened in my life.
The way the OP is banging on about it, you'd think he was thrown in the immigration detention centre for 6 weeks or something.
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58 minutes ago, theoldgit said:
Of course Immigration Officers are trained to ask questions to satisfy themselves that the passenger is a genuine tourist, retiree, business person, or will comply with whatever reason they are seeking leave to enter the particular country, but their questions are expected to be relevent and antagnising passengers is not the way to do it, intentional or not.
It seems to me, judging by what the OP has described, that this pariticular IO was asking questions that were totally irrelevent and unnecessary, and judging on the hoof.But we're relying heavily on the OP's perception of how the questions were ask. The OP seems pretty flustered and agitated by it all, so maybe they perceive these things differently to many others.
Where the person has been staying is completely relevant to the TM30. Of course an IO will judge "on the hoof" - they don't have the luxury of being able to do half an hour of groundwork on each person who comes through their kiosk.
All I'm seeing in this thread is a bunch of expats bent out of shape that an IO dare question one of their own. Immigration questions are meant to only be reserved for other races, right?
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15 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:
Part of the ‘Profiling technique’ is to put you on the spot, to place you in a position of mental discomfort and see how you respond.
Its not an Immigration Officers job to welcome you home (that’s up to your family), it’s an Immigration Officers job to ensure there are no unauthorised entries.
Some seem to have a misunderstanding of these roles and expect them to behave like service personel. Its the same when discussion of the Embassies are concerned, some expect ‘special treatment’ just for being a citizen. Some just do not understand these roles and have their preconceived notions of how they should be treated.
Spot on. The OP's side of the story is exactly that - one side of the story. Perhaps the OP is a bit precious and perceives simple questioning by an official as an affront to his right to be in Thailand, and therefore feels he was "interrogated". I've been asked questions by IO's before, it's not a big deal. But there is a huge difference between persistent questioning and interrogation. It's a shame most of the posters here have decided that it must have been an interrogation that was conducted, as opposed to an IO asking questions about someone who is staying in all parts of the country, possibly in breach of their TM30.
The funny thing is, the people who are most upset about this are of the demographic that lament that millennials are entitled and precious about things.
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24 minutes ago, Thaidream said:
As an American- I expect US Immigration Officers to provide a simple smile to myself and all entrants and to calmly and politely ask any questions they need to ask.
I do not expect to be interrogated as a potential criminal; to be asked for things that are not normal (like my bank book) or to have documents thrown back at me. I also do not expert to be scolded as to why I would go to various domestic locations in the country when I am a temporary visitor.
I also expect an Immigration Officer to say Welcome Home when I return to my own country or Welcome to Thailand when I enter Thailand. Unfortunately, it no longer happens anywhere.
They're immigration officers, not maître d'hôtels.
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3 minutes ago, onera1961 said:40 minutes ago, Sambotte said:
But here she was like accusing me of changing places in Thailand first.
How did she know that you changed places in Thailand often? Is she looking at all TM 30s in her computer?
I presume it will be because quite a few hotels and guesthouses register all their guests with immigration. So she would have seen all of the places the OP had stayed while travelling/on holiday
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1 minute ago, Sealbash said:
Sounds like one side of a story
Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa ConnectShhhh, don't say that too loud - the "anti-immigration" gang on here will have you know that westerners should be able to come and go from Thailand as they please, on whatever visa they please, without any hassle from immigration because Thailand needs their expat dollars...
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28 minutes ago, Nong Khai Man said:
Happens to me often when I travel back to NZ - immigration officer questioning why I travel to Asia so much etc. ....
I Hope you told him " It's For the CHEAP Pussy "
Humour aside, purchasing sex isn't really a necessity for me, nor something I'd do - much less brag about it to a border official. I guess that puts me in the minority on these boards...
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Friday 20th: Thai police have no right to confiscate your licence - other changes by December
in Thailand News
Posted
Pretty sure they're also not able to take moto keys to force you to pay the bribe at the checkpoint rather than the fine at the police station but they were still doing that last time I checked...