Hej
Då har Immigration och Thailändsk media fel, då får vi be dom som drabbas att hänvisa till dig som säger sig veta bättre än ansvarig myndighet, enligt Immigration och Generalerna så ska man sedan kuppen 2014 bära passet på sig, bötesbeloppet för att inte göra detta är 2 000 baht, nedan en artikel i ämnet ifrån Bangkok Post där Immigrstion informerar om vad som gäller.
Passports: Better safe than sorry
PUBLISHED : 6 OCT 2014 AT 06:00
NEWSPAPER SECTION:
ASIA FOCUS
For tourists and expats in Thailand, being stopped and fined for not carrying a passport can be highly irritating. Some even question whether such a requirement exists, or whether they are simply being shaken down by police for some easy cash.
Well, you are not alone. Thailand along with many other countries in Asia requires you to carry your passport everywhere you travel, and photocopies are not acceptable, although very few people carry their travel documents all the time.
After getting their passports stamped by Immigration, most tourists check into a hotel and lock up their passports and valuables in a safety deposit box, where they remain for the duration of their stay, unless authorities ask to see them.
However, since the May 22 military coup, police in Thailand have rediscovered the existence of all kinds of laws, ranging from parking offences to encroaching on public land, which had been widely ignored in the past. It was only a matter of time before passports came to their attention.
As with nearly everything in Thailand, however, confusion persists about how serious authorities intend to be about enforcing the law.
Thaivisa.com, a popular portal for expats and travellers, put the question directly to Pol Col Thanasak Vongluekiat, superintendent of the Prachuap Khiri Khan and Phetchaburi Immigration office in Hua Hin.
He said that by law, all tourists and expats nationwide are required to carry their original passports with them at all times. There is no exception. Failure to carry your original passport may result in a 2,000-baht fine. A photocopy, stamped or not, or a driver's licence is not an acceptable substitute.
"The reason behind this is that Immigration needs to keep track of overstayers and foreign criminals who may be staying illegally in the country," Thaivisa quoted Pol Col Thanasak as saying.
However, late last week, a senior Immigration Bureau official in Bangkok offered a different interpretation.
Pol Col Voravat Amornvivat told Thaivisa that he wanted to reassure the expat community. "Making all foreigners in Thailand carry their original passports with them would be very difficult," he said. "It's about being reasonable and using common sense."
He said tourists would not have to carry their original passports and expats could use a Thai driving licence if they have one, or a photocopy of their passport as a form of identification.
For tourists and expats in Thailand, being stopped and fined for not carrying a passport can be highly irritating. Some even question whether such a requirement exists, or whether they are simply being shaken down by police for some easy cash.
www.bangkokpost.com
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