Changes to be expected within Immigration Police

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waanjai
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Changes to be expected within Immigration Police

Post by waanjai » September 10, 2015, 10:49 pm

There was an important meeting and " a damning report, based on complaints and evidences collected in the past year, outlining six misdeeds allegedly committed by several unscrupulous immigration police officers" on Monday.

The six alleged misdeeds are as follows:

"# Providing service at a substantial charge to extend the stay of foreigners in this country such as arranging student visas for foreigners without actually attending any educational institutes or changing tourist visas into business visas. The charges range from 12,000-15,000 baht per head.

# Providing service in in-out or entrance-exit arrangement for foreigners to extend their stay for another 15 days at a time as the foreigners in question have no justicification to stay on.

# Allowing illegal immigrants to enter the country in exchange for bribes making it possible for human trafficking.

# Stamping seals to falsely claim the stay in Thailand of illegal immigrants to help them gain entry to third countries.

# Selling official documents, tor mor 6, to Laotians and Vietnamese who entered the country to work.

# Demanding excessive fees from foreigners in exchange for visa on arrival at Don Meuang and Suvarnabhumi international airports. By average, there are about 6,000 visitors applying for arrival visas a day and each was made to pay 300 baht in extra. The under-the-table fees amount to 1.8 million baht a day and it is not known who have pocketed them."

Complaints that were formulated on this forum evidently never made it to the higher echelons. Hopefully, there will be spill-over effects.

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/immigr ... e-the-chop



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waanjai
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Changes to be expected within Immigration Police

Post by waanjai » September 11, 2015, 12:09 am

Well, that was on Monday. Todays next steps are here:

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/police ... ice-bureau

Maybe another S44-decision by Gen Prayuth. Hard to believe that the farang population could win at all.

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FrazeeDK
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Changes to be expected within Immigration Police

Post by FrazeeDK » September 11, 2015, 5:58 am

I believe General Somyos was the number two in the Immigration Police some years ago....
Dave

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Changes to be expected within Immigration Police

Post by Jing Jing » September 11, 2015, 8:48 am

I think this has more to do with the bomb in Bangkok then complaints. You knew some Thai officals were going to pay for the screws ups that have occurred with the bombing suspects and their passports. The police Gens are also aware PM Gen. Prayut has been wanting more reforms in their agency. This solves a lot of problems. Unfortunately 20 people had to die.

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Changes to be expected within Immigration Police

Post by noosard » September 11, 2015, 9:02 am

The border at Nong Khai still has very lax security
There was more security on the hwy than there

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Changes to be expected within Immigration Police

Post by kubotatim » September 11, 2015, 11:28 am

All talk. don't hold your breath waiting for change, never happen, too many noses in the trough?

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Changes to be expected within Immigration Police

Post by Khun Paul » September 11, 2015, 11:40 am

Nopw if you read between the lines of that report about the national Police Chief telling them off, you would realise that occurrences which have been occurring over the past few years are starting to mount up , to the extent that normal people are being scammed just for a visa upon entering the Kingdom, this will eventually impact on the favourite of the month Tourism .
Couple that with the fact that Reform and reconciliation are the mainstays of the next batch of measures highlighted by the NCPO, then although the PM refused to deal with Police and Corruption, now he has 20 months to do so. NOW might be the time it is tackled as it is a simmering carbuncle on Thailand's efforts to showcase its democracy and honesty which we all know is a crock of poo.
You can fool all of the people some of the time but you cannot fool them all of the time. The worm has turned what with two very high profile cases being aired to the world , Thailand has shown its Police are incompetent and corrupt, to state lack of money is a hindrance to reform is bloody silly. So although I personally do not expect much change, the wind of change is blowing gently, soon it may well be a full scale gale.

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Changes to be expected within Immigration Police

Post by Jing Jing » September 11, 2015, 12:25 pm

This is what got the police Gen knickers in a knot

"A SUSPECT arrested in connection with the deadly Bangkok bomb attack allegedly confessed to having paid immigration police more than Bt21,000 in bribes each time he travelled in and out of Thailand, the national police chief said"

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Changes to be expected within Immigration Police

Post by Jing Jing » September 14, 2015, 10:33 am

Bangkok Post opinion writer Veera opinion is a good read.

Somyot passes the buck, complains later

"He has known all along what has been going on at the Immigration Police Bureau, from the inside out. Then why the rhetoric now against the bureau when he has just two weeks left in office, and why does he have to seek the hand of PM Prayut to do the clean-up job for him"

So much for complaining! Nothing will change. Meet the new boss same as the old boss ...

http://bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/ ... ains-later

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Changes to be expected within Immigration Police

Post by Jing Jing » September 15, 2015, 10:39 am

Govt bans foreigner 'visa runs' to borders (at Sa Kano yes at others?)

Immigration police at land border crossings have now stopped giving entry stamps to foreigners who exit and immediately return to Thailand to extend their stay for 15-30 days on visa runs. "The order is not new. Originally, officers were authorized to consider giving permits.... Many foreigners regularly go on visa runs to Cambodia and return through Sa Kaeo checkpoint

//bangkokpost.com/news/security/692868/govt-bans-foreigner-visa-runs-to-borders

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BobHelm
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Changes to be expected within Immigration Police

Post by BobHelm » September 15, 2015, 11:30 am

Yes, only in Thailand would it happen that when a crime had been uncovered, instituted by a Thai, that resulted in the death of tourists from a bombing - the acceptance of a bribe of 20,000 baht to enter the country without a passport - that the official response would be directed at punishing foreigners... :shock:

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Changes to be expected within Immigration Police

Post by marjamlew » September 15, 2015, 12:06 pm

So, soon to be retired, police chief Somyot has turned on his former colleagues at the Immigration Police exposing their opportunities for graft and corruption and claiming to have walked away from the cesspool (http://bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/ ... ains-later).
I guess that explains why in his assets declaration he is only worth 246.4 million baht and his wife 128.2 million baht. He's done pretty well for a bloke on a civil service salary. http://www.bangkokpost.com/print/435800/
Watch Me!!

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Changes to be expected within Immigration Police

Post by nkstan » September 17, 2015, 10:08 pm

BobHelm wrote:Yes, only in Thailand would it happen that when a crime had been uncovered, instituted by a Thai, that resulted in the death of tourists from a bombing - the acceptance of a bribe of 20,000 baht to enter the country without a passport - that the official response would be directed at punishing foreigners... :shock:
I agree and do not believe that any of these changes will benefit falangs complaints with the system!

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Khun Paul
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Changes to be expected within Immigration Police

Post by Khun Paul » September 18, 2015, 5:20 am

While I concur with the latest posts, we use the term foreigners loosely, it will mean all visitors to Thailand both falangs and the rest . WE are in the minority as the vast majority of us do seek the correct visas and do in the main comply with all laws regarding long term stay etc. So this edict will only affect a minority who are becoming more vociferous as the noose tightens on their visa abnormalities .
We all know these people , but the rest of the world has similar problems notably from neighbouring countries Lao and now Myanmar ( Burma ) as well as Cambodia and Vietnam, they too , have to frequently border hop .
In the UK for criminal activities we use an All ports warning which does work, but then most of our law enforcement / immigration are not open to payment of under the counter payments to facilitate entry .
It is unfortunately the nefarious activities of the Thai law enforcement agencies notably Immigration that ensured this horrible incident occurred, but as we all know here they will not wash their dirty laundry in public but they will make the public think they are doing something by enforcing the laws properly, something which had it been done right in the first place would NOT NEED this knee jerk reaction.

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Changes to be expected within Immigration Police

Post by waanjai » September 23, 2015, 9:53 pm


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FrazeeDK
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Changes to be expected within Immigration Police

Post by FrazeeDK » September 24, 2015, 8:26 am

you'd think the OIG would put up a complaint website and hotline and have them posted at all immigration points and immigration offices.. Oh, and have somebody answer them!!
Dave

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Changes to be expected within Immigration Police

Post by Jing Jing » September 24, 2015, 12:59 pm

The MOI has the Damrongdhama Centers which were set up by PM Prayut to handle complaints. The UD office is located in the first floor of the Provincial court building opposite the Thai PO . Hotline 1567.

The only way to end the problems at Immigration is to take the money away from them. Have them print a bill and have you take it to pay at a bank, PO, 7/11 just like any other business does in Thailand. I know they can't think out of the box/frame.

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Changes to be expected within Immigration Police

Post by fdimike » September 25, 2015, 2:45 pm

The National Anti-Corruption Commission is also opening a new provincial office on the north side of the ring road between the road to Ban Leuam (sp) highway 3160 and the road to Nong Samrong - highway 2024. Maybe the powers that be have finally realized that not all is smelling pretty here in UT.

I couldn't agree more with Jing Jing's post.
An ex-pat in the Land of Smile

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Changes to be expected within Immigration Police

Post by hairyharry » September 25, 2015, 3:42 pm

The only change I anticipate is that prices will increase to feed the extra hands.

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Changes to be expected within Immigration Police

Post by FrazeeDK » September 25, 2015, 4:45 pm

sure, print a bill for payment... Yup, here's your bill sir, so before we complete your visa, re-entry visa etc. run down to the 7-11 down the street, pay it and bring the receipt and bill back to me.. Oh, by the way, don't jump the queue to see me again, I'll be busy with another customer. Just get in line and I'll deal with you in order sir.. What, you don't have time for all that.. No problem sir, for one thousand baht we can waive you going to 7-11 and let you pay here.. (meaning of course, that you pay cash and at the end of the day the "legal" fees will be cut on bills, carried over to 7-11 or another pay point and paid... Now that's thinking out of the box, which I'm sure they can do!!

Seriously, the only way this corruption will end is if people start videoing the illegal transactions and dumping them to social media.. That seems to be the only way that immediate and serious action is taken against the offenders.
Dave

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