Suvarnabhumi Airport Abuse

[ttaylor]

Some months ago i decided to travel around Thailand for 6 months, I am a Canadian citizen and in this time i have had 1 Tourist visa which had been extended to the full 90 days, this expired just before i left the country.  Several days ago i tried to enter Suvarnabhumi after a visit to Yangon for a week to see friends.  I entered expecting to be able to get a 30 day visa waiver and was greeted with a 90 minute wait before i got my chance to try and enter the country.  Quickly it became apparent the immigration officer had flagged my passport and he called over his superior.  Just to note, I have never overstayed, carry a TM30 form, 20,000 THB along with an outward flight ticket when i travel.  I was taken away where i chatted to the officer in charge who seemed fair but was concerned i was working in the country.  After around 20 minutes he seemed confident i was telling the truth and the officer was called away to deal with another 'offender' and i was left with his steroid fueled backup.  I was then taken to a unused counter which was out of view from the rest of the holiday makers in the airport where the officer started aggressively saying how "Thailand doesn't want you here" and 'You should stay your own country" along with further angry outbursts before he begrudgingly stamped my passport on his bosses instruction and warned me "Not to come back".  I have no problem with immigration officers asking questions and checking to see who is entering the country but the manner in which this officer acted left me fearing for my safety and even days after the event i am struggling to sleep due to the manner of the events, hence why i am writing this at 4.30am on a Saturday morning.

 

It has become very clear from this experience the Thai's really do not want 'farang' in their country and i for one will not be returning.  Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines will be my destinations in the area from now on.  

[Salerno]

100% believable 

[Isaan Alan]

Firstly, it's not general immigration policy to treat foreigners this way. However it seems to me that there are some antagonistic, arrogant and biased individuals in all areas of Thai bureaucracy and they never get disciplined, counselled or retrained because they are government workers. They continue on their (un)merry way inflicting their personal views on all they contact and with immigration workers, it's us foreigners.

It's a down side of the famous Thai tolerance that allows them to keep their job, combined with the easily adopted superiority complex that seems rampant in the Thai public service.

[scubascuba3]

Bad apples here for sure.

They must have profiled you from your look and age as your travel history doesn't sound like it flags a high risk

[Salerno]

No ... I don't think so ... define reverse trolling please.

 

Just pointing out that a one post wonder, with a somewhat unbelievable post, tend to be a a catalyst for Thai bashing which is beyond tedious.

[ttaylor]

4 minutes ago, Salerno said:

No ... I don't think so ... define reverse trolling please.

 

Just pointing out that a one post wonder, with a somewhat unbelievable post, tend to be a a catalyst for Thai bashing which is beyond tedious.

At no point was i 'Thai bashing'.  I pointed out the actions of one immigration officer and my feelings towards it.  Thanks for your input. 

[Los Luver]

Not sure that I understood right. But I understand that te OP has already spent 9 months in Thailand. If so, the IO had right to deny to re-enter. You are living in LoS on tourist visa. And that's wrong from Thai POV.

[Enoon]

35 minutes ago, Los Luver said:

Not sure that I understood right. But I understand that te OP has already spent 9 months in Thailand. If so, the IO had right to deny to re-enter. You are living in LoS on tourist visa. And that's wrong from Thai POV.

 

The OP originally entered on a SETV that he extended for 30 days.

 

He left the country and re-entered hoping to get a visa exempt for another 30 days.

 

That would have taken him 4 months into the 6 month visit that he embarked upon "some months ago".

 

No indication that he had been in country for 9 months.

 

He used the same sequence of SETV entry/extension/visa-exempt that I used for my 4 month stay in 2018-19.

 

But I came in for my visa-exempt over the Friendship Bridge from Savannakhet, and had none of problems that are so frequently reported by those returning by air, visa-exempt, after a recent stay in Thailand.

 

 

 

Edited August 23, 2019 by Enoon

[Tayaout]

I would say some don't want you here. Some want you here. Most don't care. 

 

I'm Canadian too. I was shocked when in the first month here (5-6 years ago) a taxi driver told me to go back to my country. I was sure he was joking but he was not. I never met this kind of taxi driver again. Some driver told me instead to stay away from bargirl since there is plenty of less troublesome girl in Thailand and I listened to them. ????

Edited August 23, 2019 by Tayaout

[jacko45k]

56 minutes ago, Salerno said:

Or ... it's just another troll post to elicit some more Thai bashing.

Why do you feel that is a possibility? Do you not accept there are bad tempered and bigoted people here as well. You know what is often said of how uniforms affect people. How power corrupts. If it is simply Thais have always demonstrated good nature to you, you have been fortunate. But remember there are some who like to beat up schoolchildren, black and blue, for simply being slow too. 

[Kenny202]

Always read these stories with the thought in the back of my mind there must be more to the story.

 

I dont understand why everyone thinks Thai immigration are tough? You would not be able to stay in Australia on tourist extensions same as it is very difficult to get long term living visas. I think Immigration very reasonable here. Maybe a few grumpy officers but Ive struck the same back home. Interrogated by Aus customs for 30 mins because I had three holidays to SE Asia in 2 years.

[DrJack54]

OP, do I have this correct... You have had ONE setv extended then spent week out of country then put before firing squad upon reenter. Frankly not believable. 

[rkidlad]

3 hours ago, Salerno said:

No ... I don't think so ... define reverse trolling please.

 

Just pointing out that a one post wonder, with a somewhat unbelievable post, tend to be a a catalyst for Thai bashing which is beyond tedious.

Here’s an idea........’stop reading it’. 

 

I once got absolutely berated by an IO official in the States for standing somewhere another IO told me to. I sometimes tell this story when US immigration comes up. This poster is telling this story on a thread about Thai visas. 

 

These things do happen. Immigration in any country are a law unto themselves. 

[AYJAYDEE]

If you wanted to be around for 6 months, why didnt you get a METV?

 

[wotsdermatter]

I do not know about others with a Non-OA Immigrant Visa but every time I have entered Thailand with one I have always been greeted and treated in a cordial and respectful manner.  Of course, being polite and cordial helps.  Also, when at Chang Wattana (sp?) I have never experienced any animosity or unfriendly attitude from any IO.  Again, it could be because of the same attributes I offer.

'nuf sed.

[jacko45k]

3 hours ago, Kenny202 said:

Interrogated by Aus customs for 30 mins because I had three holidays to SE Asia in 2 years.

If you are an Oz passport holder, at least they have to let you in. With a Thai Immigration guy, who is being abusive to someone, as is suggested in the OP, you probably got to just suck it up.

[mngmn]

4 hours ago, Kenny202 said:

Always read these stories with the thought in the back of my mind there must be more to the story.

 

I dont understand why everyone thinks Thai immigration are tough? You would not be able to stay in Australia on tourist extensions same as it is very difficult to get long term living visas. I think Immigration very reasonable here. Maybe a few grumpy officers but Ive struck the same back home. Interrogated by Aus customs for 30 mins because I had three holidays to SE Asia in 2 years.

My Thai partner was granted a one year multiple entry visa for Australia and was able to come and go as she pleased using the immigration auto gates.

 

But of a difference aye?

[tgeezer]

It is very clear and I am sure that it has been stated officially that Thailand does not want foreigners in the country other than on terms which are implicit in the Immigration Act or specified by ministerial decrees.  The particular officer is offended by being treated as if he were a fool, had you showed him the TM30 which for some reason you had with you, it could have not been any worse.  

 

Edited August 24, 2019 by tgeezer

[jacko45k]

1 minute ago, tgeezer said:

The particular officer is offended by being treated as if he were a fool, had you showed him the TM30 it could have not been any worse.  

I don't see the relevance of a TM30 to an airport immigration official. 

[spiekerjozef]

BS !

[luk AJ]

I would say some don't want you here. Some want you here. Most don't care. 
 
I'm Canadian too. I was shocked when in the first month here (5-6 years ago) a taxi driver told me to go back to my country. I was sure he was joking but he was not. I never met this kind of taxi driver again. Some driver told me instead to stay away from bargirl since there is plenty of less troublesome girl in Thailand and I listened to them. [emoji846]

I had exactly the same taxi-driver-experience. I told him that, if all taxi drivers were like him, I would for sure go back!


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[tgeezer]

7 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

I don't see the relevance of a TM30 to an airport immigration official. 

I has no relevance whatsoever at an Immigration counter if anything it is a false statement if an address is reported but the OP was the one who said that he had one.   

[brewsterbudgen]

There are obnoxious people in all walks of life, although Immigration Officers tend to have more than most.  Quite why people appear so shocked and then decide to base their opinion about the whole country, and their future there, on just one or two unpleasant people, I have no idea.  Seems totally irrational.

[poohy]

Totally believable !

 Thais n uniforms dont mix it encourages the power trip or sense of impotence, things can then easily go horribly wrong

[Thaidream]

Totally believable and backed up by reports of others who have described similar behavior and comments.  The OP may want to write a letter to the Ministry of Interior and Minister of Foreign Affairs and describe what happened to him and his decision to never return.

 

He does not fit the profile of a Visa runner and since  Thailand offers Visas that allow 6 month stays- the OP was well within his rights to extend his original Visa and leave the country and return with a Visa Exempt.

 

Treating people with dignity and respect is the first thing anyone is taught who  works with the public.  Some of these IO's need to be sent to a re-education camp.

[TSF]

Very good friend of mine from USA visits Thailand for approx 10-day holidays every 1-2 years, his last trip was about 18 months ago. He's quite well off, carries a good amount of cash, has hotel bookings paid in advance for his entire stay, and of course has a return air ticket. Last time he was really psssssss'd off, told me he was hassled entering at Swampy by a very aggressive, unfriendly IO. So whether others choose to believe or not there is definitely an anti-westerner bias going on. 

[JohnnyBKK]

1 minute ago, AlexRich said:

 

The post seems legit to me, just someone communicating a personal experience. Not a commentary on all things Thai.

 

What is tedious is the "Thaier than Thai" on here that act like petulant nationalists if anyone types anything that could be construed as critical of Thailand ,,, or in this case updating everyone on their personal experience. 

 

 

Those guys never travel and think everything still the same, they hold non O visas and never had troubles with anyone.

 

I know people who don't believe any of what is currently happening with the refusal of entries as they only experienced smiles at the border and they almost never travel.

[SpanishExpat]

Regardless if the story is true or not. I`ve experienced it myself so I know exactly that goosebumps feeling, being helpless. Most IO know exactly how far they can go without putting themselves in a risk. It seem like LOS is a places without rules, but if they would harass a visitor more than verbally and it`s filmed by coincidence = he/she will loose the job for there. That already has happened in the past with police officers in similar scenarios.

 

Like I said...when I experienced that myself, I was very close to explode, because it`s a super humiliating experience. But that`s their strategy...waiting to respond to the provocations to give them a real argument to deny you. 

Edited August 24, 2019 by SpanishExpat

[seajae]

I have had them at the airport when returning to Thailand after visiting Australia, have my current visa stamp in my passport along with a current re entry but for some reason they refuse to simply stamp you in and start going through all your stamps and giving me the evil eye, longest was around 15 to 20 minutes then they started muttering in thai and stamped me through. Some of them are just ar*eh*les

[spidermike007]

I do tend to agree. There seems to be a real disconnect between the ministries. The TAT and parts of the government seem to understand how much tourism brings to the table in terms of revenue and job creation. But immigration has no concept whatsoever, of any of this. They can be surly, nasty, dismissive and rude. And without any doubt in my mind, they share the same sentiment as the army. The hate foreigners, they are very racist, they are very xenophobic, they are very fearful, and they have very, very little intelligence or wisdom of any kind. 

 

I asked a question the other day, and the immigration officer looked at me and said, you can always stay in your country. Now, I have been living here for over 15 years. I spend on average between a million and two million baht a year here. How does that compare with the average Thai person in terms of revenue for the economy? Where is the respect? These guys are beyond goons. They are incompetent and nearly illiterate, in terms of the world at large.