Immigration in Hua Hin is moving again!

[stgrhe]

Today when I did my 90 day's reporting I was informed by the immigration officer that the office will be moving to restaurant 3 Girls on the canal road in about three months time.

[STEVE G]

Well at least you'll be able to get a good meal if they keep you hanging around as it's a pretty decent restaurant!

[Jeeny]

Who is sponsoring all these moves? Strange isn't it. I'm quit sure the municipality or the police isn't able to pay for this. I hope Thai people will stop this kind of corruption.

[jasonw]

Well if you don’t have PR then maybe the next best thing is sponsorship of the Local Immigration Office

[JimmyGreaves]

wow, I can walk it there :-)

[fft100]

wow, I can walk it there :-)

I dont think it will be open at that time of night !!

[Spitfire]

What's strange is that it's not just restricted to HH, happens in a fair few other cities too, for example, the one in Korat is close to its 4th move in as any years. The fact that it happens like this in lots of places smells of corruption and design, can't elaborate too much without 'skimming the line'. They could probably have bought and built their own place for the price of all the moves.

[lindosfan1]

its all part of a punning clan, by the time you find it your past your reporting date

[Lung Per]

Please explain the corruption angle. Who benefits from hosting the immigration office, and how?

[Top Croc]

Ulterior motives aside, you would have to agree that a little additional space would be good, maybe allow the outside table and umbrella, used for initial form completion to be moved into the aircon. Obviously keep the umbrella up to retain the festive ambiance.

[Top Croc]

Sorry all, should that read ambience. Two computers give two spelling options

[johnnyk]

Please explain the corruption angle. Who benefits from hosting the immigration office, and how?

Benefits are not necessarily linear. Thailand is a vast network, an infinite maze of favours, debts and obligations.

[Earth]

What if, it was not about corruption!!--
what if it was about the rental contract is overed by due date and what if the owner don't want to renew the new one.. or what if imm office have found the new good place to locate for another 3 years... what if ...

[PeteC]

Yes, I agree you have a good and valid point. But 'what if', Earth, most experiences with Thai officials is an intimidation solved by a payment. Then followed by a power smile by the official and a defeated and timid smile by the victim when in essence he has done nothing wrong, but made to pay, feel low, and lose face.

You think loss of face does not apply to Westerners?...so wrong. It happens hundreds of times a day throughout the country as we're being extorted, and makes our blood boil to the extreme.

What do you think expat residents will think and feel over time? They'll become negative each and every time they see a person in uniform or a policeman waving vehicles over to the side. For years foreigners have had little to no respect for most Thai officials because of the way they conduct themselves.

I think you're Thai and if so, and with all due respect, don't rationalize about how benevolent and kind the Thai government is to foreigners, you're in a "This is The Thai way" fantasy state of mind if you think that. Only tourists as they come and go think this country is so pleasant before they really understand anything. Expat residents are baited and extorted on a regular basis if they're active and visible in their community.

Of course, at this moment you may be thinking, "why doesn't he/they just leave." Sorry, the game has changed now, the world is going to change you for your own good. Thailand doesn't have a choice any longer. The country has to adapt, understand and become corruption free as much as possible, or you will indeed be a failed State as HRM has warned several times. It's really time that the mentality changes from being closed, to being open to outside ideas.

You have no choice after May 19, as Thailand is under a worldwide microscope now.

I'm not attacking you personally Earth, I'm attacking your country's system and mentality not only concerning foreigners, but concerning you're own citizens as well. Pete

[The understudy]

Pete your Speech should be written down in ThAi and distributed all over Thailand. This will not nessecerly please the Thai Elites but who gives a flying fuss aboot them it's all about Thailand's very deep rooted problem of corruption and never ending Greed!
What I personally feel about the country of my parents that u
It's people have physically arrived in the 21st. Century but mentally they are still stuck in the old monarcistic kind of mindset which existsed in Thailand hundreds of years ago!

Your's The understudy