Thai officials removed over taking ‘tips’ from Chinese tourists

BANGKOK: Four immigration officials at a busy Bangkok airport have been demoted after a probe found they were taking bribes from Chinese tourists to fast-track their visa applications, an official said Tuesday.

The Chinese make up about a quarter of Thailand’s 35 million tourist arrivals a year, making them the kingdom’s largest visiting bloc by nationality.

They usually wait in long lines at busy immigration booths at Don Mueang – one of the two international airports in Bangkok – where they pay 2,000 baht (about US$60) for visas upon arrival.

But Major-General Surachate Hakparn, the newly installed chief of the immigration bureau, told AFP he was tipped off on how some are able to jump the queue.

“We recieved the allegations from tourists that they can fasttrack their application services if they pay a 300 baht ‘tip’ at the (so-called) fast lanes,” Surachate said.

This prompted an investigation, which led to an official ‘admitting’ to receiving the fees.

“He, along with three senior immigration officials including a superintendent, were demoted while the investigation is ongoing,” he said.

Promoted last month to immigration bureau head, Surachate — who was formerly deputy tourist police chief — has shaken up the new position by enacting some immediate visible changes. — AFP