Many members of Thailand’s vast expatriate community are up in arms over a three-page Immigration Bureau form introduced recently, asking for a wide range of personal information and raising fears that critics or people the military doesn’t like may be targeted.
The information the government is asking for includes bank details, all social media used by name and email address, car brand, model, color and plate numbers, “clubs, restaurants, shops, hospitals and other places” they may frequent, Thai and foreign persons whom they may be in contact with by name, surname, occupation and addresses before they can complete applications for 90-day visas.
Although the government has stressed that most of the information is voluntary, some expats are furious. As Thailand’s two-year-old military dictatorship has continued to wear on, antagonism has grown towards foreigners, particularly against the foreign press. In contrast to earlier times, the whole process of obtaining visas has become more onerous.
For those who in the past could skip over to the nearest border to renew their tourist visas for 60 or 90 days, the government has cracked down to the point that some longtime westerners in the country are considering moving to Cambodia, where seemingly things are a bit less strict. Full story...
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The information the government is asking for includes bank details, all social media used by name and email address, car brand, model, color and plate numbers, “clubs, restaurants, shops, hospitals and other places” they may frequent, Thai and foreign persons whom they may be in contact with by name, surname, occupation and addresses before they can complete applications for 90-day visas.
Although the government has stressed that most of the information is voluntary, some expats are furious. As Thailand’s two-year-old military dictatorship has continued to wear on, antagonism has grown towards foreigners, particularly against the foreign press. In contrast to earlier times, the whole process of obtaining visas has become more onerous.
For those who in the past could skip over to the nearest border to renew their tourist visas for 60 or 90 days, the government has cracked down to the point that some longtime westerners in the country are considering moving to Cambodia, where seemingly things are a bit less strict. Full story...
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