Terrible Thai customs

I arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport on Tuesday night. While getting my visa checked, a more senior immigration officer appeared out of nowhere and examined my passport. I had a two-month tourist visa issued in Melbourne, Australia but according to this officer I could not enter the country as I had visited too many times on a tourist visa. He was extremely aggressive and angry. I explained I had travelled to Thailand for 34 years on a tourist visa without a problem.

He said I needed a non-immigrant visa but this required a marriage licence and other documents. I suggested he was wrong as I had been at the embassy only a few days before and if I had been overusing a tourist visa, surely they would have told me. I was dragged over to an office and the officer suddenly started speaking in Thai. I can speak Thai and he basically said he was going to do me a favour by letting me in. His superior appeared and I explained in Thai that I think there was a misunderstanding as I had been in Thailand only three weeks ago and no immigration officer had ever mentioned there was a limit on tourist visa use.

I just can’t even imagine how a younger person or first-time traveller would have handled this. I got the impression this was going to be a shakedown until they realised I understood the rules, spoke Thai and had Thais waiting outside. This immigration officer was angry, aggressive and made me feel like I committed a crime. No wonder tourism is suffering with this type of nonsense going on. I felt totally intimidated and helpless as these people just seem to make up laws that don’t exist. ANDREW THOMAS