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[RabC]

JohnYork, on 2012-01-25 16:18:08, said:

Thanks kevkev1888 for your reply. I appreciiate you sharing your experience so others can benefit from it. I also put up some resistance by refusing to pay initially. It was just 2 officers when I first approached the window for my departure stamp. I never once raised my voice or threatened anyone. I was polite and courteous, but at the same time, I was refusing to pay. The primary officer summoned another officer, so it became 3 officers. The primary officer I was communicating with said I was being disruptive (which is true as I was disrupting the flow of traffic, but what else was I supposed to do). I reached in and grabbed my passport from him. At this point, there was no communications between me and them. I realized there was nothing I could do, I eventually gave him back my passport and 100 baht. It is not the money, it is the principle. What they are doing is wrong. I refuse to look the other way. The reason it is probably only 100 baht is because they think if they extort a small amount, most people will just pay it because it is not worth fighting. However, if you allow corruption of immigration officers to exist, even at this level, you are allowing an atmosphere to exit which will invevitably lead to more corruption on a higher level. The country of Cambodia should take action to prevent this from happening. I have never experienced this problem with Thai immigratioin police or Malaysian immigration police, so it is a country specific problem.

A word of warning don't ever think about going to Indonesia

[kropotkin]

Amazing tread.

Some say complaining about 100 baht is for cheap charlies.
Others say you do not need to pay 100 baht.
Others just troll.
Some reply to posts witout reading them.

Just like a bar.
I quit going to bars a long time ago.
Maybe i should quit this forum.
But yes sometimes it is a fun break, when working in the garden.

Edited by kropotkin, 2012-01-25 18:12:48.

[JohnYork]

kropotkin is right, they want the Thai baht so they can keep the difference. Unless an authority figure from the Cambodia immigration office headquarters in Phnom Penh steps up do so something about this, you really don't have any justice locally in Poipet. They commit these crimes in clear view of others. They obviously have no fear of reprimand because they are confident know one is going to  do anything about it. This is why they keep the crime to petty amounts. They know if they started demanding large amounts, it would create enough resistance that something would get done. The overcharging for the visa and the 100 baht fees is where they keep it, so they can make money, but not too much. They know if they get creedy, it can bring the house of cards down on them. All it takes is one person saying enough is enough to put an end to this.

[hehehoho]

btw, I pay $25 dollars every time I do Cambodian duty free run.

The Cambodian E Visa.

$25, saves a page in your passport, you don't have to deal with anyone other than those stamping.

[necronx99]

JohnYork, on 2012-01-25 18:17:42, said:

kropotkin is right, they want the Thai baht so they can keep the difference. Unless an authority figure from the Cambodia immigration office headquarters in Phnom Penh steps up do so something about this, you really don't have any justice locally in Poipet. They commit these crimes in clear view of others. They obviously have no fear of reprimand because they are confident know one is going to  do anything about it. This is why they keep the crime to petty amounts. They know if they started demanding large amounts, it would create enough resistance that something would get done. The overcharging for the visa and the 100 baht fees is where they keep it, so they can make money, but not too much. They know if they get creedy, it can bring the house of cards down on them. All it takes is one person saying enough is enough to put an end to this.

Good lord,how long have you been in Asia?
Are you offering to (pointlessly) martyr yourself for something that might cost you $20 a year? On a cost analysis you've spent more than that in these posts.
A practice that in other circumstances you would happily go along with no doubt.

[MJo]

RabC, on 2012-01-25 17:43:55, said:

A word of warning don't ever think about going to Indonesia

Been regularly going to Indonesia in past few years, never had a problem. Always got change back and no extra's anywhere in the process. Nothing. Other asian nationals like Filipinos though get asked for money quite often in Jakarta immigration but it looks like they are not doing it for farangs.

Been in Cambo half a dozen times. Poipet 100 baht as in OP. Next time in PP airport shortchanged. In that mayhem very easy when everyone pushing to the counter. After that always had exact amount so no probs. But it is not so much a scam as it is corruption. Not much you can do except try to minimize your losses.

[hehehoho]

Let's not forget that their jobs probably cost a lot of money.

And those teenage girls from Vietnam to help them unwind after work aren't for free you know.

A bit of salary padding from rich Western travelers doesn't do any harm.

[poanoi]

1] Go to a shop* and buy a pencil video recorder   http://bigboyelectro...com/pen-dvr-4gb
2] Record the break of duty/thievery
3] Go to Ministry of tourism here: http://www.yellowpag...listings/kh2664
4] press charges, and if you don't get a good revard for taking those thieves out, -upload on Youtube, and make sure to inform the scum that WILL happen unless you get a reward.

*The pencil recorder is for sale in BKK just a couple of stations away from Ekkamai, in a very large PC complex

Note: when you go to an official office in PP, you must wear jeans and being otherwise somewhat proper dressed, or the guard won't let you in

Edited by poanoi, 2012-01-25 19:43:51.

[hehehoho]

poanoi, on 2012-01-25 19:39:00, said:

1] Go to a shop* and buy a pencil video recorder   http://bigboyelectro...com/pen-dvr-4gb
2] Record the break of duty/thievery
3] Go to Ministry of tourism here: http://www.yellowpag...listings/kh2664
4] press charges, and if you don't get a good revard for taking those thieves out, -upload on Youtube, and make sure to inform the scum that WILL happen unless you get a reward.

*The pencil recorder is for sale in BKK just a couple of stations away from Ekkamai, in a very large PC complex

Note: when you go to an official office in PP, you must wear jeans and being otherwise somewhat proper dressed, or the guard won't let you in

All sounds well and good, but in a region where it is so easy for officials to plant such things as child porn or drugs on people, or even say that they were caught with them in their possession, and then have their name, passport page and alleged crime all over the papers, not to mention the jail sentences for such, I'd be wary of publishing crimes of officials under insistence that they are highlighted and dealt with in a Western manner.

If the region and its culture rubs you up to that extent, it's probably best to leave for peace of mind.

Edited by hehehoho, 2012-01-25 20:14:44.

[kropotkin]

hehehoho, on 2012-01-25 20:13:57, said:

poanoi, on 2012-01-25 19:39:00, said:

1] Go to a shop* and buy a pencil video recorder   http://bigboyelectro...com/pen-dvr-4gb
2] Record the break of duty/thievery
3] Go to Ministry of tourism here: http://www.yellowpag...listings/kh2664
4] press charges, and if you don't get a good revard for taking those thieves out, -upload on Youtube, and make sure to inform the scum that WILL happen unless you get a reward.

*The pencil recorder is for sale in BKK just a couple of stations away from Ekkamai, in a very large PC complex

Note: when you go to an official office in PP, you must wear jeans and being otherwise somewhat proper dressed, or the guard won't let you in

All sounds well and good, but in a region where it is so easy for officials to plant such things as child porn or drugs on people, or even say that they were caught with them in their possession, and then have their name, passport page and alleged crime all over the papers, not to mention the jail sentences for such, I'd be wary of publishing crimes of officials under insistence that they are highlighted and dealt with in a Western manner.

If the region and its culture rubs you up to that extent, it's probably best to leave for peace of mind.

Some people come here to find peace of mind - they are called buddhists.
Western buddhists, not thai buddhists.
Others come here for sex, surely to them a few 100s  baht extra does not matter.
Others came for other reasons.
In what group are you?

[kropotkin]

poanoi, on 2012-01-25 19:39:00, said:

1] Go to a shop* and buy a pencil video recorder   http://bigboyelectro...com/pen-dvr-4gb
2] Record the break of duty/thievery
3] Go to Ministry of tourism here: http://www.yellowpag...listings/kh2664
4] press charges, and if you don't get a good revard for taking those thieves out, -upload on Youtube, and make sure to inform the scum that WILL happen unless you get a reward.

*The pencil recorder is for sale in BKK just a couple of stations away from Ekkamai, in a very large PC complex

Note: when you go to an official office in PP, you must wear jeans and being otherwise somewhat proper dressed, or the guard won't let you in

jeans????
proper dress???
In the sixties i did wear jeans and was called a hippy.
OK, I was a hippy.
And i helped to stop some wars, including the one in Kampuchea.
Now others can take over the fight for justice.
So i will not buy that camera.
And euhhhhh    what is Youtube?

[JohnYork]

paonoi, I appreciate your reply. The problem I face is this, there are signs that clearly post no photographs (ie video survelliance). My attorney and his legal team said they would back me on this, however, the courts in Cambodia can simply rule my video footage as inadmissible and they can even arrest me for making the video. Even if the identity of the traveler being extorted is hidden, it would not be hard for them to cross-reference the video footage to see which traveler was going through the checkpoint at a specific date and time.

This extorsion being committed at the Poipet border is not a secret. The Cambodia Department of Immigration is fully aware of it I am sure. I really think a lawsuit will simply result in a payout, but things will just be "business as usual" in the end.

I think the solution is to fund a full blown undercover investigation and air it as a special undercover report on a major TV network. I would do this in conjuction with a lawsuit, but I wouldn't do the lawsuit only. I feel they need to be exposed globally to bring about the resistance I want to see. This is not about 100 baht, it is about the principle. A border without integrity is a border which has been compromised. This means it is open to any illegal activity. Think about all the people that can illegally pass through this border, by simply bribing a corrupt immigration officer. Trust me, it happens, if they are so callous as to extort money from innocent travelers, what makes you think they won't take bribes. These officers need to be removed from duty and replaced with honest officers who will do their job with integrity.

[kropotkin]

Great post.
Apologists please answer this one.
If stealing, corrupt immigration officers hit innocent travellers for 100 or more baht......
.... do you think they will make problems with terrorists transporting tons of fertilizer, with pedophiles, with you name it?
At a proper price of course.

But, hey this is Asia, love it or leave it?????

[necronx99]

JohnYork, on 2012-01-25 21:25:30, said:

paonoi, I appreciate your reply. The problem I face is this, there are signs that clearly post no photographs (ie video survelliance). My attorney and his legal team said they would back me on this, however, the courts in Cambodia can simply rule my video footage as inadmissible and they can even arrest me for making the video. Even if the identity of the traveler being extorted is hidden, it would not be hard for them to cross-reference the video footage to see which traveler was going through the checkpoint at a specific date and time.

This extorsion being committed at the Poipet border is not a secret. The Cambodia Department of Immigration is fully aware of it I am sure. I really think a lawsuit will simply result in a payout, but things will just be "business as usual" in the end.

I think the solution is to fund a full blown undercover investigation and air it as a special undercover report on a major TV network. I would do this in conjuction with a lawsuit, but I wouldn't do the lawsuit only. I feel they need to be exposed globally to bring about the resistance I want to see. This is not about 100 baht, it is about the principle. A border without integrity is a border which has been compromised. This means it is open to any illegal activity. Think about all the people that can illegally pass through this border, by simply bribing a corrupt immigration officer. Trust me, it happens, if they are so callous as to extort money from innocent travelers, what makes you think they won't take bribes. These officers need to be removed from duty and replaced with honest officers who will do their job with integrity.

Ok, I get it. Great troll, well done.

[Soutpeel]

JohnYork, on 2012-01-25 21:25:30, said:

paonoi, I appreciate your reply. The problem I face is this, there are signs that clearly post no photographs (ie video survelliance). My attorney and his legal team said they would back me on this, however, the courts in Cambodia can simply rule my video footage as inadmissible and they can even arrest me for making the video. Even if the identity of the traveler being extorted is hidden, it would not be hard for them to cross-reference the video footage to see which traveler was going through the checkpoint at a specific date and time.

This extorsion being committed at the Poipet border is not a secret. The Cambodia Department of Immigration is fully aware of it I am sure. I really think a lawsuit will simply result in a payout, but things will just be "business as usual" in the end.

I think the solution is to fund a full blown undercover investigation and air it as a special undercover report on a major TV network. I would do this in conjuction with a lawsuit, but I wouldn't do the lawsuit only. I feel they need to be exposed globally to bring about the resistance I want to see. This is not about 100 baht, it is about the principle. A border without integrity is a border which has been compromised. This means it is open to any illegal activity. Think about all the people that can illegally pass through this border, by simply bribing a corrupt immigration officer. Trust me, it happens, if they are so callous as to extort money from innocent travelers, what makes you think they won't take bribes. These officers need to be removed from duty and replaced with honest officers who will do their job with integrity.

Are you currently living under a bridge Mr Troll ?

[nong38]

This border checkpoint is awful, itys a bad experience all round. Do what I did and now do, find another crossing. The police there are nothing short of disgrace and ther immgration officers are arrogant and inefficeint. You dont get this problem or any problems on the Burma crossings.

[necronx99]

nong38, on 2012-01-28 09:11:24, said:

This border checkpoint is awful, itys a bad experience all round. Do what I did and now do, find another crossing. The police there are nothing short of disgrace and ther immgration officers are arrogant and inefficeint. You dont get this problem or any problems on the Burma crossings.

Correct, many better places to go.
I've only been through Poipet twice,once for a visa run. I would rather cut my nads off with a rusty spoon than return there again it is just an unpleasant place.....

[bangkokburning]

The other boarder crossings are potentially worse although Ihave not done them in many years. Trat xing is a perpetual scam.

Get a visa at the embassy if you just can't seem to work it out. No way I would trust E visa security.

[poanoi]

I did the embassy visa, and it cost a lot including taxi, (far outside BKK) it is not worth it.
I know a few making e visa and it works well

[maprao]

I used to pay 500 baht to save me the trip across! lol

Edited by maprao, 2012-02-03 22:15:44.

[IMA_FARANG]

  My only suggestion is....Don't go through Poipet....especially for border runs.
Now that i am retired and doing 90 day reporting here in Bangkok. i don't need to do border runs every 90 days like I did with my non O visa.
But when I did do border runs I used a service  here in Bangkok to a small place called Ban Laem. Everything was included in the fee, including the Cambodian visa. Obviously, the visa run service gave the Cambodians a cut of the money...but I was never asked for any money at the border. Got "priority service" at the border too...because the "fees" had already been arranged and pre-paid.
Obviously, someone high up in that  immigration point had already arranged for our "priority service" there. All we had to do was make sure our passport was stamped and physically cross into Cambodia, turn around, and then get stamped back into Thailand.
So I never went to Poipet
Frankly, from what I've heard, Poipet is for losers anyhow.

[kropotkin]

So you payed your convenience fee in BKK, and therefore you were not a loser - unlike the ones that pay their convenience fee in Poipet.
Great logic, I bow my head.

[MJo]

kropotkin, on 2012-02-04 20:43:09, said:

So you payed your convenience fee in BKK, and therefore you were not a loser - unlike the ones that pay their convenience fee in Poipet.
Great logic, I bow my head.

Maybe Poipet runners pay the fee once in BKK end and second on at the border ?