Immigration Police get tough for High Season

PATTAYA:-- In a show of force at the Pattaya Immigration Office located in Soi 5 off of Jomtien Beach Road, Police Colonel Itipon, the Superintendent of the station organized this Friday Evening parade in the station car park to inform his officers and volunteers of his intended plans over the coming High Season Months. He explained that he wanted to see 100% commitment from his staff over the next few months and they must also continue their work to apprehend and deport illegal immigrants who enter the Kingdom of Thailand without a passport and valid visa.

Following the parade, the officers and volunteers left the station and 9 hours later the group came back with over 120 Myanmar and Cambodian National suspected of residing in the Kingdom illegally. A press conference was held by Police Colonel Itipon to announce the arrest of the men and women who will now be deported back to their respective countries at the earliest opportunity.

--Pattaya City News 2006-12-02

why no Indian tailor ?? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

Thai born, but of Indian origin (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif) ?

Sometimes we farang of European ancestry forget that the Immigration Police are tough on illegal Southeast Asians. Note that, whatever Colonel Ipiton said about illegal aliens, they only rounded up and deported Cambodians and Myanmarese. Not one Irishman, Swede, or Slovenian in the bunch.

"why no Indian tailor ?"

*****

the fact is that hardly any indian tailors exist in Thailand. you must be referring to the ethnic indian owners of tailor shops which are thai citizens (most of them since generations) and have THAI tailors working for them.

Here in Phuket the Tailors touts are mostly Nepalese..

I have a question.

I don't carry around my passport, but do carry around photocopies of my passport, TV and arrival stamps. Do the Immigration Police ever set up road blocks to check tourists' credentials? Other than in an accident, or other emergency situations, where are the Immigration Police likely to be doing checks on our legality?

This post has been edited by tropo: 2006-12-04 02:16:09

I suspect after January there will be police sweeps across the country for all farangs

Indeed,Thai-style gestapo..

....or the end of this month.

They do it at odd times. Remember the "Rayong 12" that were pulled off the visa-run bus on their way to the border ?

I read a story awhile ago (couple of years now I guess) where the police raided a couple of hotels and apartment buildings that had a lot of farang residents, and hauled away those that had expired passports/visas.

With the new regime in place, who knows ? It could be the usual deal. A couple of crack-downs and news stories to make it look good and then let the whole issue fade away for a few months or so.

I always wondered if the bib let you pack your suitcase before deporting you. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

I'm serious. I wonder if we're cuffed and led to the paddy wagon as we're essentially criminals for violating immigration law.

Now, that's a scary thought. Will you spend a night in a dungeon with some very dirty, violent people?

I played illegal for two years, working without a work permit. Now I'm scared to do a little tutoring on the side, or work without a permit for a language school. Why tempt fate for a few measly dollars that I don't need to survive? Of course, it hardly ever happens, almost never. But who would have thought, even one year ago, that year 2549 would so drastically change the life of farang who live and work on the edge of legality?

As a government official, I was ready to say when I was offered a bribe, "You can't buy me for less than two million dollars, to cover the risk of a court trial, the lost pension, etc." As a retired farang in Thailand, I'm tempted to say my tutoring price is 5,000 baht per hour.

Why would somebody risk deportation, just to live in Thailand? For sex, maybe?

I've heard it's a legal requirement for all foreigners to carry their passports at all times. How many of you actually do this?

I am sure it is a requirement BUT I don't think many people comply - photo copy maybe !!!

BT (IMG:style_emoticons/default/whistling.gif)

My passport disappeared a few years ago. Three weeks later I got a new one, then a few more days for a flight back. Good thing I had a comprehensive boss back then. I carry a photocopy with the stamp. I think I may even get a photocopy stamped next time I visit the Immigration office.

I have a color scan of my passport and and a couple of color scans of my Thai driving licence, all laminated. I keep the passport scans in the car and motorbike and licence scan in my pocket so it's with me at all times.
I can also get Thai prices with the Driving Licence at the croc farm and mini Siam. Also many Hotels will accept it as ID.

This post has been edited by Rimmer: 2006-12-05 10:58:42

Leave mine at home.
sooner pay the fine than try and get a new passport if its lost..
thats to much Fcuking about and a big wast of time.
Just my op.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif)

Surely you can answer that question yourself since you risked it for two years? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

As an aside, you now work as a moderator on this forum for the 'Thaivisa company', a high profile forum that is rumoured to be looked at by certain Thai officials. Are you not still taking that risk? Are not most of the moderators here in Thailand working illegally for the TV site? Volunteer work still needs a work permit, and surely TV needs to be supplying these permits for 'hiring' people in Thailand to work for them?

I guess they are and since it's considered 'low risk' don't care about it, but curious really as you said you wouldn't even tutor on the side without a permit and 'wouldn't tempt fate for a few dollars' (yet tempt fate here for free), what makes here so different, just the risk factor being lower?

And really is the risk that much lower at all? As I said TV is high profile commercial website and it's quite obvious that most of the mods here do not have the permits to help run this kind of business.

I guess that if no ones bothered about it then your fine, but if someone does get bothered about it and a real clamp down was made, then you are in line for arrest and deportation aren't you?

Surely you must have thought or questioned this before? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

This post has been edited by bkkmadness: 2006-12-05 19:20:16

Thats one helluva question Madness ... not sure that you will get an answer but a cracking question nether the less ... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

It is a legal requirement that all foreigners carry their passports at all times however this is yet another law that is applied subjectively. If you are stopped and the police want to arrest you for whatever reason they may apply this law. In practice however a Thai drivers license or a photo copy of your passport or some other form of official ID will usually serve the purpose adequately.

All very correct, bla bla bla.
Look the time and hassle to get a new passport if its lost, out ways
the the cost of the fine.
End of story.
Leave the fcuking thing at your hotel or home.

The words are "It is a legal requirement for all foreign tourists to carry their passports at all times." and as I am not a tourist I don't tend to carry my passport anywhere with me these days, but I do keep a credit card sized copy of it instead in my wallet along with my Thai driving licences for backup ID which seems to be fine.

I was once asked in my early days here to show my passport and when I showed them my real one the copper actually told me to go home and put it somewhere safe and make a copy.

To be honest, I have never been asked for my passport since 2004 and unless I am opening a bank account or doing official WP / visa stuff then I see no need to have it on me anyway.

Why after January? Is something happening then? I saw this mentioned elsewhere.

Thx.
Noclue

I think they are implying that with the new visa regulations and all, that those staying here on tourist stamps will be hitting their maximum allowance of three stamps before they have to leave Thailand for either 90 days or to go and get a real visa.