Online petition calling for TM30 to be scrapped gains momentum

[webfact]

Online petition calling for TM30 to be scrapped gains momentum

 

 

Thousands of expats are backing a petition calling for Thailand’s Immigration Bureau to scrap the controversial TM.30 reporting requirement.

 

The petition, which has been launched by a group of Isaan based expats, can be found at https://reform-thai-immigration.com/.

 

At the time of posting, the petition had already secured support from more than 3,400 people.

 

The aim is to get 10,000 people to sign the petition. Once the target is reached a letter will  be sent to the Prime Minister of Thailand, the Head of the Immigration Division of Thailand and Head of the Foreign Affairs. 

 

The petition was launched following growing discontent amongst the expat community in Thailand regarding the now strict implementation of Article 37 of the Immigration Act.

 

While Article 37 is not a new requirement, it was seldom enforced in previous years. However, it has recently become the subject of strict enforcement by some immigration offices in Thailand.

 

Article 37 requires any foreigner who stays in Thailand to report to immigration whenever they stay at a different address for more than 24 hours.

 

“There are 77 provinces in Thailand. This means if a foreign teacher lives in Buriram and decides to spend a weekend in Surin, on Monday morning, he can't teach. He must report to immigration. Even if he stays with his wife and children, and the landlord (his wife) must also report to immigration with a form TM30,” reads the petition website. 

 

“Up until 2018 the use of form TM30 has never been strictly enforced. But now foreigners and Thai people are being fined for not having filed the form TM30 on returning to their home address following a weekend in another province. This reporting also applies to tourists but it is the duty of the hotels to report these foreigners to immigration,” the website states.

 

After the petition was launched last month it has already been featured in major news outlets in Thailand and overseas, including Thaivisa.com, The Thaiger, Bangkok Post and The Phuket News. Popular Thailand based blogger Richard Barrow is also championing the cause. 

 

For more information visit: https://reform-thai-immigration.com/

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-08-07

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[daveAustin]

That was its intended purpose, to sow growing discontent + they're trying to keep tabs on the bad boys remember . I would keep your heads down, chaps. 

[Lupusthai]

On May 26th 2019 I applied for the TM30 online-registration using the 'section38'-App.

( I'm the owner of my house, no Thai registered in there )
I attached

- 1 Photo of pages 1/2 blue housebook
- 1 Photo of pages 1/2 of my passport.

I received my user-number and preliminary password 4 1/2 days later by email and had no problems to fill-out and send my TM30.
 

Reading a lot about the problems other expats encounter with registering their tm30, I became curious what would happen when another person registers as living in my house...

I used my "Guest mobile" to register my son as a 'housemaster' of his 'fathers home':

I didn't attach any documents and verified the supplied email address.
On 26th of July 3 hours later I received two emails asking for copies of the blue housebook and my (son's) Id (passport). I attached the corresponding photos using the section38-App again on 30th of July.
I (my son) received the confirmation email on 5th August as follows:
 

 

no problems at all...

[Aforek]

As we see now, it's not 10000 people anymore, but 5000 ...

 

BTW, section 38 App is only for owners ?… I am not the owner of my house, it belongs to my GF, who lives with me ; can I use the section 38 app for her because it's easier if I do it myself ? 

[champers]

Sorry, but I will not put my name to a document dissenting against a Government policy that will then be doing the rounds of several Government departments. A military Government at that.

[ThomasThBKK]

30 minutes ago, champers said:

Sorry, but I will not put my name to a document dissenting against a Government policy that will then be doing the rounds of several Government departments. A military Government at that.

No names will be attached to it, as already discussed 1000000 times.... 

[Lupusthai]

40 minutes ago, Aforek said:

can I use the section 38 app for her because it's easier if I do it myself ? 

as I showed in my post #3: You don't have to be the owner, a "house master" can do it as well in his own name...
Just ask your GF if you may take a photo of the housebook...
and it would be helpful if you own a passport on your name...????

[gunderhill]

2 hours ago, daveAustin said:

That was its intended purpose, to sow growing discontent + they're trying to keep tabs on the bad boys remember . I would keep your heads down, chaps. 

grow  some  balls and tell em whats  what or spend  all your  life hiding inside a  cupboard, imagine the world if  no one ever  stood  up to authority and said something.

Its a plain ridiculous rule.

[gunderhill]

36 minutes ago, champers said:

Sorry, but I will not put my name to a document dissenting against a Government policy that will then be doing the rounds of several Government departments. A military Government at that.

Typical!

[rkidlad]

1 hour ago, Lupusthai said:

On May 26th 2019 I applied for the TM30 online-registration using the 'section38'-App.

( I'm the owner of my house, no Thai registered in there )
I attached

- 1 Photo of pages 1/2 blue housebook
- 1 Photo of pages 1/2 of my passport.

I received my user-number and preliminary password 4 1/2 days later by email and had no problems to fill-out and send my TM30.
 

Reading a lot about the problems other expats encounter with registering their tm30, I became curious what would happen when another person registers as living in my house...

I used my "Guest mobile" to register my son as a 'housemaster' of his 'fathers home':

I didn't attach any documents and verified the supplied email address.
On 26th of July 3 hours later I received two emails asking for copies of the blue housebook and my (son's) Id (passport). I attached the corresponding photos using the section38-App again on 30th of July.
I (my son) received the confirmation email on 5th August as follows:
 

 

no problems at all...

2 weeks for me and still waiting. As are many foreigners who live in Bangkok.

 

Bangkok, the place where most foreigners live. 

[Thailand]

The TM30 is a big money maker for immigration. Make more sense to petition against 90 day reporting, no real money for immigration and a much bigger pia than the TM30.

[Da Nang]

Moto GP in Buriram. We gonna live in friend house that weekend. If you at Immigration think we gonna make some visit and fill dokuments, you can wait much longer than 24h.

 

It never gonna happen!

[remorhaz]

It won't be made easier but I can certainly see it being made more time consuming, less transparent, and a lot more expensive.  The tax office is looking for a new source of revenue so a 'reform' might not be the blessing people are hoping for.

[IvorBiggun2]

Why not just visit the office at the stadium? You're already there.

[phuketrichard]

29 minutes ago, ThomasThBKK said:

No names will be attached to it, as already discussed 1000000 times.... 

if they are not verifiable real names its worthless.

they could just add 10,000 names than

[gunderhill]

Wife informed  me this  morning a  helpful  immigration officer  at CW immigration can now get you a  password for 1500  baht!!!

Land of  opportunities, thieving *****

[Matzzon]

Gaining momentum. Where, in the minds of the people that signed the petition? Great!

[Lupusthai]

33 minutes ago, rkidlad said:

2 weeks for me and still waiting. As are many foreigners who live in Bangkok.

 

Bangkok, the place where most foreigners live. 

Did you receive your email-address verification mail?
(like: 

)

[gunderhill]

10 minutes ago, Matzzon said:

Gaining momentum. Where, in the minds of the people that signed the petition? Great!

And  your efforts are? let me guess its  no  problem for you.

[pookiki]

I don't think the right approach is to petition for the TM30 to be abolished in its entirety.  There needs to be some rational approach for immigration to verify that the information on our 90 day reports is accurate.  For those who own their own condo or house, this could be done by showing a copy of the house registration. For those who rent, this could be done by providing an 'affidavit' from the person's landlord at the time of application for an extension of stay. Frankly, I would prefer this approach and to petition to abolish the 90 day reporting requirement.  Please note that I am only talking about expats on extensions of stay or who have work permits. 

[wwest5829]

52 minutes ago, ThomasThBKK said:

No names will be attached to it, as already discussed 1000000 times.... 

I asked earlier but saw no reply. The petition says that by adding my name, I agree to the "terms and conditions" but cannot see where I can read the "terms and conditions". Can anyone point the way where these can be read?

[MJKT2014]

24 minutes ago, phuketrichard said:

if they are not verifiable real names its worthless.

they could just add 10,000 names than

Exactly. I just tried the site with a few fake email addresses and it keeps totting up. I'm sure some dedicated emailer could hit the 5000 mark if they put their mind to it - FWIW!.

[TTSIssues]

2 hours ago, Lupusthai said:

On May 26th 2019 I applied for the TM30 online-registration using the 'section38'-App.

( I'm the owner of my house, no Thai registered in there )
I attached

- 1 Photo of pages 1/2 blue housebook
- 1 Photo of pages 1/2 of my passport.

I received my user-number and preliminary password 4 1/2 days later by email and had no problems to fill-out and send my TM30.
 

Reading a lot about the problems other expats encounter with registering their tm30, I became curious what would happen when another person registers as living in my house...

I used my "Guest mobile" to register my son as a 'housemaster' of his 'fathers home':

I didn't attach any documents and verified the supplied email address.
On 26th of July 3 hours later I received two emails asking for copies of the blue housebook and my (son's) Id (passport). I attached the corresponding photos using the section38-App again on 30th of July.
I (my son) received the confirmation email on 5th August as follows:
 

 

no problems at all...

 

Sorry to ask but where do you download the app from? I can’t find anything called “section 38” on AppStore. Thank you so much. 

[ThomasThBKK]

if they are not verifiable real names its worthless.
they could just add 10,000 names than

That's how petitions work all over the world...they are just gestures anyway. A tool to get a discussion started.

Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk

[Lupusthai]

7 minutes ago, TTSIssues said:

 

Sorry to ask but where do you download the app from? I can’t find anything called “section 38” on AppStore. Thank you so much. 

https://apps.apple.com/th/app/section38/id1451853492?l=th

or on playstore:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=th.go.immigration.section38&hl=en_US

[ThomasThBKK]

Exactly. I just tried the site with a few fake email addresses and it keeps totting up. I'm sure some dedicated emailer could hit the 5000 mark if they put their mind to it - FWIW!.

Nice, u just broke thailands computer crime laws ;)

This petition works like every other online petition, welcome to 2019 old people.

Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk

[Matzzon]

19 minutes ago, gunderhill said:

And  your efforts are? let me guess its  no  problem for you.

Right, no problems at all. Just another leaf in the ever growing complaining tree.

 

An effort should be considered wasted when it has to deal with a trivial problem such as TM30.

[hobz]

I bet the pm Will respond by explaining that TM30 is for our own safety or some nonsense like that ????

[soalbundy]

1 hour ago, gunderhill said:

grow  some  balls and tell em whats  what or spend  all your  life hiding inside a  cupboard, imagine the world if  no one ever  stood  up to authority and said something.

Its a plain ridiculous rule.

I'm a bamboo stalk, I bend with the wind. My IO doesn't take the TM30 seriously so neither do I. Yes the complacent among us are freeloaders who benefit from from the coragiouse who protest, who demonstrate, who complain but we don't get shot, blown up or arrested.

[Matzzon]

1 minute ago, hobz said:

I bet the pm Will respond by explaining that TM30 is for our own safety or some nonsense like that ????

Just because it´s nonsense to you and some other complainers on Thai Visa, does not mean it is nonsense. It´s just a few of the the many that complain and have a problem with this issue.

Let´s say there is about 150 000 westerners living on different visas in Thailand at the moment. It´s also a lot of other people that needs to make TM30, but i will humor you and only relate to the small sum of 150 000 people. Outof that some 3 500 have signed the petition. That´s about 2,5% of this total sum of people that has to file TM30 or have it filed for them.

The result is that 2,5% of 100% makes it more of a silly complaint from people that have a too big "I want"-issue. The 2,5% i not to be seen as a number that stands for the it nonsense and a big problem for the majority.

So, the best thing that could be done with this issue is "Put a sock in it, and suck it up!"