.. Posted September 20, 2003 Report Share Posted September 20, 2003 "I may not be smiling in a few weeks? time when I leave the country. All my stamps are legal, but on a trip earlier this year I came up overland from Singapore and Malaysia ? via Sadao crossing! Hope I don't get tarred with the same brush." I wouldn't worry about that. I go in-n-out of LOS on a weekly basis for business and I have many (legitimate) Sadao crossings in my passport. No hassles at all, but I am well dressed when I travel and speak Thai fairly well (it makes a big difference!) Also don't forget, since you are a legitimate traveller, you also have Malaysia stamps for entrys/exits to back up your Sadao ins/outs, right? I do not think the fake guys have those stamps, hence not real hard to catch. I say this because looked at a friend's passport who is not so legit and that is the case anyway (don't know who he used but likely not the Khao San Rd folks). In my case, for added reassurance, I also have a Malaysia work permit in my passport to support that I lived in Malaysia at the time of my Sadao crossings. Cheers, SD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robaus Posted September 20, 2003 Report Share Posted September 20, 2003 Suadum, Thanks for the reassurance. Yes, just had a good look at my passport. I have the appropriate in/out Malaysia and Singapore stamps, and airline ticket stubs for arrival in Singapore. I knew I was legit. I just thought I might have been swept along in some sort of dragnet. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limbo Posted September 21, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2003 I have a few Sadao stamps as well, but they're legit as well. From Hat Yai Sadao is the nearest border, but all the minibusses go the Padang Besaar, so most of my stamps generate from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ultras67 Posted September 23, 2003 Report Share Posted September 23, 2003 From todays Bangkok Post " Apec leaders expected to buy `elite' cards Tourism Minister Sonthaya Kunpluem expects Apec leaders and delegates to snap up ``Thailand Elite Card'' packages at one million baht each. Mr Sonthaya said he hoped the world leaders would buy the special cards which give life-long membership to individuals and 30-year membership to corporations. Cardholders would not have to leave Thailand for visa extensions as this could be arranged within the country, Mr Sonthaya said. Other privileges include free medical care, free access to spas and fitness centres, free golf rounds, reduced air fares and discounts at selected restaurants and hotels. uThe Tourism Authority of Thailand has budgeted 4.7 billion baht for marketing and promotion campaigns in the next financial year, beginning Oct 1. About 9.7 million tourists are expected to visit this year, spending about 600 billion baht. " Absolutely pigging typical. We are in the midst of one of the biggest crackdowns on stamps and visa extentions possibly in the countrys' history and here we have the Tourism Minister saying if you pay us 1 million Baht you dont have to leave the country to have the visa extended. SHOW US THE MONEY!!!! as the saying goes and you will be ok. I bumped into a French guy in my apartment Sunday night who was arrested leaving BKK for Vientienne because of a KSR stamp. He stayed the night in Jail at the airport and a further 2 at the main detention site before being released on bail. He now cannot leave the country until his case comes to court some time in October he thinks. I would have thought that the best way for the authorities to deal with this, is to say ( unless you have something else murky in your past ) you have overstayed, pay the overstay fine and get out. And if you are now here on a legal visa but have dodgy ones in the past to just ignore them. Surely an easier way to deal with it rather threaten people with jail sentences. And I suspect, they will get a hell of a lot more money that way as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 23, 2003 Report Share Posted September 23, 2003 I'm just a tad short for my elite card. But probably not a bad deal for some. Cheaper than the initiation fees a many golf courses. Hmmmmmmm....wonder if I can get a seniors' discount? :hubba: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mongatu Posted September 23, 2003 Report Share Posted September 23, 2003 Can anyone who has the money and no criminal record buy these cards? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
didierhardy Posted September 23, 2003 Report Share Posted September 23, 2003 Yes Didier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.. Posted September 23, 2003 Report Share Posted September 23, 2003 ...buy one? TIT, I guess! " would have thought that the best way for the authorities to deal with this, is to say ( unless you have something else murky in your past ) you have overstayed, pay the overstay fine and get out. And if you are now here on a legal visa but have dodgy ones in the past to just ignore them. Surely an easier way to deal with it rather threaten people with jail sentences. And I suspect, they will get a hell of a lot more money that way as well. " That is not possible. It is all about face. The immigration boys have been embarassed by this whole Hambali mess. Because of this embarassment, they MUST proscute all violators in a very public manner for a period of time to regain their face. Face is a hard concept for us Westerners to understand, but believe me, it drives Asian society more than even money does! Cheers, SD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limbo Posted September 28, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2003 A friend of mine just returned from Sadao border for a border run. They scrutinezed his passport page by page and it took him about an hour and a half to get in and out of Thailand. He had send his passport away, but not for the last two years, it seems that the fake stamps popped up later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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