Thailand decides to kick out most foreigners who stay by doing 'visa runs'

from the Bangkok Post:

Visa rules will be tightened

Maximum stay of 90 days for foreigners

By Chatrudee Theparat

Visa-on-arrival (VOA) regulations will be tightened for nationals of 41 countries to prevent abuse of the privilege and curb the rising number of illegal entries, according to the Immigration Police Bureau (IPB). Foreign nationals from those countries, including the US, China and India, will be able to stay longer but with fewer chances of renewing the VOA. [ed. this is inaccurate. US nationals and the nationals of 40 other countries get 30-day 'entry stamps' which are not visas and not treated the same way in terms of renewal etc by Thai immigration. One can only assume that both VOA (for various 3rd world countries) and 'entry stamp' (for various 1st world countries) will *both* be restricted]

IPB commissioner Suwat Tumrongsiskul [ed. who was last seen 'clowning' for the foreign press during the Ramsey-Karr episode] said nationals from those specific countries are currently allowed to remain in Thailand for 15 days maximum after the VOA is granted. The VOA is normally renewable once. [ed. this applies to the VOA, not the 41 countries which receive 30 day entry stamps on arrival, as noted above. Somehow I'm not surprised that Suwat doesn't know the actual regulations of the department he oversees, or that the Bangkok Post reporters/editors are similarly ignorant].

However, some foreigners including tourists ''tiptoe around the law'' by resorting to so-called visa runs to extend their stay. Most take a bus to a border, check out of the country and then return the same day to have the VOA renewed. [ed. for entry stamps, this is actually the official procedure promoted in writing by staff at Bangkok immigration, since there is no alternative. It is not 'tiptoeing around the law', it is the law.]

They repeat the practice as many times as they wish, affording them almost unlimited stay in the country. The policy is largely intended to serve tourism. [ed. no, the policy is half-assed and exists because nobody in the administation will sit down and craft an equitable long stay law, although the gov has set up a dept to do this]

Pol Lt-Gen Suwat said the change of the VOA rules is in order. [ed. why? and why in this way? is it good for the country? aren't these questions professional reporters and editors would ask?]

In future, foreigners from those 41 countries will be able to stay in the country for 30 days from the first VOA stamp, which will be renewable twice at most, each time for a maximum of 30 days. In other words, a foreigner will be permitted to remain in Thailand for no longer than 90 days in total after three VOA stamps. [ed. again, it's not a VOA stamp, it's an entry stamp w/o visa. The lack of visa is important for many reasons, including making it more difficult to open up a bank account, get a phone line installed, or pretty much do anything other than stay in a hotel while in Thailand on the entry stamp. Funny that even the Thais can't get a handle on the serpentine intricacies of their ridiculous regulations]

The commissioner said the current system is prone to abuse as many foreign nationals make numerous visa runs so they can stay on long term to do business. In some cases, they have gone unregulated, causing social problems. [ed. like what exactly? They are spending their foreign earned income in Thailand, in some cases paying taxes, supporting, and employing Thai people. Even Prime Minster Thaksin has said that the crime rate among foreigners is quite low, especially in comparison to the rate among Thai people. Suwat can change the visa regulations if he wants but he does not and never will have the right to defame foreign residents of Thailand. He should either put up the evidence to back what he's saying or shut the fuck up]

Official figures showed that about 400,000 Chinese nationals were granted a VOA last year, and 18,000 of them have stayed behind. [ed. 4.5%? and what harm have they done? in many cases they have family and businesses here but no rational visa process to address their situation and become legal]

Around 200,000 Indians made VOA visits last year and it was found that 16,000 of them have not left. [ed. again, this does not seem to address the people who are making visa runs and trying to stay within the law. Prohibiting visa runs (a sad recourse in an absurd immigration system) will only force more people to overstay as they have no choice]

Pol Lt-Gen Suwat said the new VOA rules will be put into effect once approved by the Royal Thai Police Office. [ed. the police? Shouldn't these kinds of decisions be handled at the departmental or ministerial level, say by the Ministry of Tourism etc?]

He said more information technology will be employed in the blacklisting system. The IT-operated immigration clearance system is now in use at 15 out of 55 checkpoints nationwide to check in tourists and screen out undesirable individuals. The technology lets the bureau enlarge its database of foreign visitors to identify those on the blacklist and expel them.

Pol Col Ittipol Ittisarnronnachai, head of the Pattaya immigration centre, said its IT-operated database is shared by many hotels and resorts in Pattaya to help track down blacklisted people. The technology has been credited with weakening the local mafia network. [ed. ah, that must be why Pattaya remains such a cesspit of Thai criminals who prey on tourists]

The Betong immigration centre in Yala is also using the system to trace people of dual nationality, some of whom are believed to be behind the southern strife.

Pol Lt-Gen Suwat said more authority to issue visas will be delegated to regional IPB offices.

At present, IPB chief inspectors are authorised to grant visas, and in future their deputies will also be able to approve visa requests. [ed. so does that mean it is back to the 'good old days' of being able to bribe a rural immigration office into giving you a visa? That will surely achieve the purported objectives, yes.]