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Tourist Visa thru Phuket


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Has anyone recently got a tourist visa and gone through immigration through Phuket? I'm currently on my 2nd TV and when I went through suvarnabhumi airport in Dec 2018, I was brought to secondary screening and asked by the supervisor what I was doing here. I will need to get a 3rd TV in March and wonder if going through Phuket will be less of a hassle to come back into Thailand. Anyone with recent experiences?

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3 minutes ago, PattayaKevin said:

Last month they questioned me a little in Phuket was my 2nd tourist visa but I had a lot of entries over the past 5 years. Most short stays.

What the heck! Hearing more and more of this. They want out money or what? People shouldn't be stuffed around so much. Esp as you mentioned, mainly short stays.

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I've always hard Phuket immigration is worse then Suvarnabhumi. You might want to try a land border if you were already questioned. I wouldnt be surprised if they leave a note in the computer once you get questioned like that.

 

What was your entry history like before that 2nd TV in recent years? Reading reports from here and on facebook sounds like immigration is clamping down around election time.

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4 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

What the heck! Hearing more and more of this. They want out money or what? People shouldn't be stuffed around so much. Esp as you mentioned, mainly short stays.

Reading of people daily on facebook having problems now. People on METV not being allowed back in,  read a guy at Chaing Mai(which ive been hearing is a good entry point) having problems,  people leaving on a reentry permit on a legit visa,and countless from other airports all recently. One guy was having problems coming in on a valid Education visa from what he said was a legit school. 

 

This combined with the retirement visa rule is sounding like theirs been some type of backdoor immigration order. Not to mention election coming at the end of March. 

Edited by lovesthespicy
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When I say short stays I'm talking about 2 weeks here then traveling outside to other countries flying through Bangkok for a few days then someplace else. Always used exemptions before the last two visits. 1st tourist visa was from Phnom Penh, then second from Penang. Now just got a 1 year multiple O Visa. No problems coming across from Savannheat on the Thai Laos Friendship 2 bridge. 

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3 hours ago, lovesthespicy said:

Reading of people daily on facebook having problems now. People on METV not being allowed back in,  read a guy at Chaing Mai(which ive been hearing is a good entry point) having problems,  people leaving on a reentry permit on a legit visa,and countless from other airports all recently. One guy was having problems coming in on a valid Education visa from what he said was a legit school. 

 

This combined with the retirement visa rule is sounding like theirs been some type of backdoor immigration order. Not to mention election coming at the end of March. 

I'd like to know more about the Chiang Mai Airport case - was it w/ Tourist Visa or Visa Exempt?

 

The "backdoor rule" seems to be, "If staying for more than a couple weeks, stay some way you are likely to have to pay immigration tribute-money via an agent (or school) or you are not wanted here."

 

The only way to avoid these problems, for now, is to enter at land-borders that are not unlawfully rejecting entries.  Any land-border but Poipet/Aranyaprathet will work, according to all reports to date going back years.

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2 hours ago, JackThompson said:

I'd like to know more about the Chiang Mai Airport case - was it w/ Tourist Visa or Visa Exempt?

 

The "backdoor rule" seems to be, "If staying for more than a couple weeks, stay some way you are likely to have to pay immigration tribute-money via an agent (or school) or you are not wanted here."

 

The only way to avoid these problems, for now, is to enter at land-borders that are not unlawfully rejecting entries.  Any land-border but Poipet/Aranyaprathet will work, according to all reports to date going back years.

I cant remember the exact details but it was posted on the "Thaivisafacebook group" it was for sure in the past month or so. There was multiple guys with tourist visas having problems so i cant remember if that was the CM case or not. The group isnt for this site its a public facebook forum that has people discussing visa stuff.

 

That was the first I've seen from that airport the guy said he got pulled aside and questioned. I read back for awhile(through late December) on there, I just found that group recently. I noticed quite a few people having problems in recent months mixed in with the standard visa questions. 

 

Reading some comments on posts on there people have friends having problems as well. Seems like alot of people are in fear. The "pulling aside" at immigration is becoming more common right now. 

Edited by lovesthespicy
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13 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

What the heck! Hearing more and more of this. They want out money or what? People shouldn't be stuffed around so much. Esp as you mentioned, mainly short stays.

Are you giving the IO money directly or not? I am not sure what people spend in Noi's Beer and Blow Bar means much to the guy at the airport. 

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1 hour ago, jacko45k said:
14 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

What the heck! Hearing more and more of this. They want out money or what? People shouldn't be stuffed around so much. Esp as you mentioned, mainly short stays.

Are you giving the IO money directly or not? I am not sure what people spend in Noi's Beer and Blow Bar means much to the guy at the airport. 

It's a matter of, "Why the (bleep) are they doing this?"  All immigration's actions in this context do, is lower the amount of foreign-capital spent in the country - keeping rooms and restaurants empty, send businesses into bankruptcy, and deny Thais decent jobs. 

 

The only logical reason for this policy would be some corrupt-money reason, since their actions do only harm to the country / citizens.

Edited by JackThompson
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12 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

The only logical reason for this policy would be some corrupt-money reason, since their actions do only harm to the country / citizens.

Perhaps they have quotas to meet, else they are fined of part of their salary, much like the bar-staff they are depriving! 

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4 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

The only logical reason for this policy would be some corrupt-money reason, since their actions do only harm to the country / citizens.

It could be misplaced nationalism. As you know, Thailand, like many Asian nations, has a culture, an education syllabus and policies that are all institutionalised and would be seen as discriminatory in Western nations. So, it could be that resentment of foreigners living in Thailand on tourist visas has been introduced in to the instructions given to Immigration Officers at certain points of entry.

 

It could also retributive instructions have been introduced to these same orders with regard to the fact that Thais cannot get back-to-back tourist or visitor visas for developed nations. They are denied on the grounds that back-to-back visitor visas is effectively using visitor visas to live in that developed nation.

 

Also it could just be a request from the management of Thai Elite to ask Immigration Officers to take actions which would push certain visitors to Thailand towards getting a Privileged Entry visa.

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It's quite evident the ID have lost the plot.  Why are they are so paranoid about foreigners I don't know... but they are!!  In one mouth full they are crying out for people to visit their LOS and yet in the other they are giving people the shi++ by harassing them coming into the country.  They simply can't have it both ways...      

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5 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Perhaps they have quotas to meet, else they are fined of part of their salary, much like the bar-staff they are depriving! 

But who is setting those quotas and why?  What "good" does it do?  Are they splitting-up the "detention space" fee-money in place of "tips"?  Payoff by elite-visa or agent-racket beneficiaries?  Payoff from Chinese intel to reduce Westerners in their "area of influence"? 

 

8 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

It could be misplaced nationalism. As you know, Thailand, like many Asian nations, has a culture, an education syllabus and policies that are all institutionalised and would be seen as discriminatory in Western nations. So, it could be that resentment of foreigners living in Thailand on tourist visas has been introduced in to the instructions given to Immigration Officers at certain points of entry.

I do think "nationalism" plays a part, but given no harm to the country/citizens is being done by the foreigners, this would be used as a false-justification for the actions - a way to motivate front-line staff - to make it easier to demonize those they are harming.

 

8 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

It could also retributive instructions have been introduced to these same orders with regard to the fact that Thais cannot get back-to-back tourist or visitor visas for developed nations. They are denied on the grounds that back-to-back visitor visas is effectively using visitor visas to live in that developed nation. 

Retribution in this way would also work in terms of lower-level "enthusiasm" to enforce the directives - but anyone with a bit of knowledge would see the difference between:

  • Those who go to a country with higher-wages, take jobs (often illegally), and remit the income/wealth OUT of the country to their passport-country - making their host nation poorer
  • Those who go to a country with lower-wages, and spend-in their own foreign-sourced money from another country - making their host nation wealthier
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@JackThompson

 

Your answers are rational, linking actions with effect.

 

My point is that the theories I have advanced above are irrational and emotive driven by jealousy, fear and indignation. And that this may be behind any of these hypothetical orders.

 

Once these irrational orders have been given, underlings will follow them as Thailand's public sector is rather military in terms of following orders.

 

Therefore your structured rational argument against my theories would not apply.

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4 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

@JackThompson

 

Your answers are rational, linking actions with effect.

 

My point is that the theories I have advanced above are irrational and emotive driven by jealousy, fear and indignation. And that this may be behind any of these hypothetical orders.

 

Once these irrational orders have been given, underlings will follow them as Thailand's public sector is rather military in terms of following orders.

 

Therefore your structured rational argument against my theories would not apply.

I get your point - but hard to believe top-line folks making such decisions are behaving with the emotional maturity of 6-year-olds having a tantrum, while ignoring reality and pointlessly harming their own country.  It seems to me, being "on the take" is a better explanation for their motivation.  Lower-level staff must "obey orders" anyway, so any justification will do.

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52 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

I get your point - but hard to believe top-line folks making such decisions are behaving with the emotional maturity of 6-year-olds having a tantrum, while ignoring reality and pointlessly harming their own country.

Not that hard to believe if you've ever seen the PM on TV, I'm afraid. He makes most 6 year olds look mature in comparison.

Edited by Caldera
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1 minute ago, Caldera said:

Not that hard to believe if you've ever seen the PM on TV.

Actually, he seems not to be a big supporter of removing us:

https://www.thephuketnews.com/coup-leader-calls-for-immigration-to-relax-‘out-in’-visa-clampdown-48007.php

 

Quote

... Gen Prayuth Chan-Ocha last night (August 22) called for the Immigration crackdown on “out-in” tourist visas to be rolled back.

...

“This is an ongoing problem that needs to be resolved, as it can lead to a shortage of English teachers and guides,”

I've watched a few of his weekly speeches.  The fact he isn't a "smooth politician" type is a plus, in my book.  The ongoing attempt to reduce the population of self-funded foreigners pre-dates the current administration. 

 

I doubt any faction will waste much political-capital trying to help us, when they can pawn-trade us off to the anti-farang clique embedded in the bureaucracy for something else.  That is what makes the general's statement so surprising - that he cared at all.  Only the military has the (actual) power to alter the RTP's behavior, so could be our only hope.

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