OT? Soldier @ court destroyed my passport

[Kf6vci]

Two soldiers sat by the metal detector of Saraburei Provincial Court. One inspected my rucksack, the other demanded my passport. The second soldier bent the paper elements backwards, then ripped  the laminated portion out, using brute force. His idea was to use some tiny device to check the hologram or read the chip of Thai id cards?

 

Where do they find such - - -? Oops, as a teacher, I do have a pretty good idea. Everybody will be passing and all...

 

Q: Is there a point in complaining to the Army? It takes force to tear a German passport apart!

 

Q2: What was he even dofing with my passport? No, he didn't scan it in its entirety nor note my name or ask me to write my # or anything other soldiers at government institutions usually do.

 

Q3: Soldiers have immunity - they can willfully destroy private property, causing 5-figure damage and not be accountable and responsible for damage?

 

Q4: Do you think, the entrance to a court will be covered by CCTV?

 

Q5: I can forget my B-Visa to Vietnam, Air Asia was very unfriendly - and the Imigration Police's biometric system won't help when it comes to confirming that foreigners are who theyr imperfect passport says they are. Mmm.

 

Q6: Would you just fly home, or try and get a replacement passport?

 

Q7: Does the German embassy take credit cards? Can they issue travel documents allowing citizen to fly home? It's not like the passport wasn't physically present!

[IgboChief]

I am German and lets face it: German passports are krap! My passports always fade away within 3 years simply by using them often. At any immigration, they bend it to the maximum in order to scan the laminated page, which eventually falls off.

 

Good news is: when that happens, most countries and airlines still accept it. Honorable exception: Singapore, which denied me entry, when the passport fell apart.

 

I even complained about that to the Embassy. They told me, it was a common complain and they forwarded it to the Bundesdruckerei, who just returned the blame to "improper handling" -- like I had a choice, how bushmen at any African immigration desk treated my passport.

 

Long story short: domestic flights in Thailand won't give you any issue. Boarding home to Germany won't be an issue. Boarding most flights to any other country likely won't be a problem, although some difficult countries like Singapore or Israel might call you out.

 

If you are on holiday, continue and return as planned and get a new passport in Germany.

If resident in Thailand, apply for a new Passport in BKK Embassy. Express Passports are ready within 3 weeks or so.

 

Cheers!

 

 

Edited December 5, 2019 by IgboChief

[ubonjoe]

Probably not much you can do now about your damaged passport. You should of complained when it happened and talked to supervising officer.

Passport info is here on the embassy website. https://bangkok.diplo.de/th-de/service/pass/1352770

They do accept credit cards.

[DrJack54]

OP, you need to obtain new passport. 

You will find airlines have become almost paranoid about any damage to pp even minor. 

As for fly home to get new pp why not just apply at your embassy in thailand. Cost more but think you will find it necessary.

[Caldera]

OP on the off chance that you are actually being serious, go to the embassy to apply for a replacement, tell them how this happened and leave it to them if they want to complain to the Thai army - a passport is government property, after all.

[Prince77]

Agree with Ubonjoe - you should have complained when it happened. Get a new one at German embassy. No big deal but costly.

 

By the way: what is OT?

Edited December 6, 2019 by Prince77

[tomazbodner]

Had immigration destroy mine. Several airlines made a lot of fuss during check-in, and even made me sign a form that in case immigration at the other end refuses me, I'll cover all the expenses of sending me (not sure where - back to Thailand I assume). Thai immigration laughed at that, so did Singapore immigration. Decided to return and get new one in Europe, flying Lufthansa... fuss at check-in. Getting to gate - beeepp on entering the boarding room, and another explanation that the damage on passport is exactly why I'm going back, but nothing to sign or more trouble. On landing in Munich the lady at the counter looked at me and said "what did you do with passport?" ... "Me? Nothing. Should talk to immigration what THEY did with it... But that's why I'm here... on the way to get new one" to which she replied "That's a good idea" with a big grin.

 

Seems those that have the most of problem with this are airlines, not really immigration officers. Those are generally the ones who destroy them with rough treatment. Looking at the design of the new bio-metric passports with the plastic card... I can't see it surviving half of the 10 years it's meant to last for anyone that does a fair bit of travel.

 

So to OP... get yourself a new passport and count on needing another one in 5 years. Complaints will get you nowhere. Durability of them aren't any better than most of products lately... Nothing's built to last anymore.

[DJ54]

Leaving the US citizen Int’l flight through security and the TSA yapped at me said I need to take better care of my passport....

 

its in a leather holder. .. I told him it’s him and his colleagues 

wrecklessly putting in the scanner... Then he got an attitude...

 

but true damaged the lamination ....

 

[Harveyg]

On 12/6/2019 at 3:10 AM, IgboChief said:

I even complained about that to the Embassy. They told me, it was a common complain and they forwarded it to the Bundesdruckerei, who just returned the blame to "improper handling" -- like I had a choice, how bushmen at any African immigration desk treated my passport.

So you had the problem in African immigration as well?  Or was that just an expression?

Edited December 7, 2019 by Harveyg

[Kf6vci]

On 12/6/2019 at 3:10 AM, IgboChief said:

I am German and lets face it: German passports are krap! My passports always fade away within 3 years simply by using them often. At any immigration, they bend it to the maximum in order to scan the laminated page, which eventually falls off.

 

Good news is: when that happens, most countries and airlines still accept it. Honorable exception: Singapore, which denied me entry, when the passport fell apart.

 

I even complained about that to the Embassy. They told me, it was a common complain and they forwarded it to the Bundesdruckerei, who just returned the blame to "improper handling" -- like I had a choice, how bushmen at any African immigration desk treated my passport.

 

Long story short: domestic flights in Thailand won't give you any issue. Boarding home to Germany won't be an issue. Boarding most flights to any other country likely won't be a problem, although some difficult countries like Singapore or Israel might call you out.

 

If you are on holiday, continue and return as planned and get a new passport in Germany.

If resident in Thailand, apply for a new Passport in BKK Embassy. Express Passports are ready within 3 weeks or so.

 

Cheers!

Thanks for your feedback!

 

Air Asia: DMK - SGN (Saigon), with an onward connection to HAN (Hanoi). A 3 months' Business VISA for Vietnam... They wouldn't have it! ** What's the point of biometrics if the fingerprint-scanning & photographing is a one-way thing? Can't use the technology to help a tourist get on a plane? Charge 1,000 THB, but don't make people stay for more than a week!

T

[Kf6vci]

21 hours ago, Prince77 said:

Agree with Ubonjoe - you should have complained when it happened. Get a new one at German embassy. No big deal but costly.

 

By the way: what is OT?

Yep, I should have complained there and then. ** There was no list with names and a column for the entry and exit time. So why was the soldier even fingering my passport?!? 

 

I disagree about the "no big deal" part - I'll be stuck here for 8 days from next Monday, when the embassy will open at 8:30 am. They closed at 11:30 am, German style. BureaucRATS... That one-time document to fly home with won't cut it. They said "a week" and want to check that I reported leaving the last town on record and, drum rolls, they insist on a birth certificate.

 

Years ago, I couldn't get a replacement passport in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, due to my foreign spouse. As American, she needed no VISA. They demanded proof of that marriage. => Try getting the Chinese embassy to issue such a document (a new theme for  Mission Impossible 7)? 

[Kf6vci]

On 12/6/2019 at 7:32 AM, ubonjoe said:

Probably not much you can do now about your damaged passport. You should of complained when it happened and talked to supervising officer.

Passport info is here on the embassy website. https://bangkok.diplo.de/th-de/service/pass/1352770

They do accept credit cards.

Thank you! The credit card machine or the internet connection wasn't working that morning.

 

They offer 3 options. A one-time document to fly home. A 1-year passport for 65 Euros. And a regular passport (obtain a Birth Certificate). They will also check whether the MELDEGESETZ (reporting of one's residence back home) has been observed. 

[yang123]

3 hours ago, Kf6vci said:

They will also check whether the MELDEGESETZ (reporting of one's residence back home) has been observed. 

???? German nationals have to perform a TM30-style ritual when at home ????????

[OJAS]

7 minutes ago, yang123 said:

???? German nationals have to perform a TM30-style ritual when at home ????????

Sounds to me like bureaucratic nonsense akin to TM30 reporting + 90-day reporting rolled into one!