Nearly 5,000 Thai expats have now signed a petition pleading for
modification or abolition of the TM30 immigration form. The
well-organised petition calling for changes to the form is an unusual
step for expats who, most of the time, keep their head down and out of
the daily operations of the Land of Smiles.
For its part, Thai
Immigration says it is simply robustly applying Sections 37 and 38 of
the Thai immigration act to “strengthen security” and keep tabs on
foreigners whilst in the country.
But the ‘robust application’ is
causing headlines the Immigration Department would rather not see and is
prompting panel discussions, YouTube interviews and online pleads from
well-known bloggers and long-termers. There is one discussion planned
for the Foreign Correspondents Club this Thursday.
The
petition, whilst politely written, is not likely to succeed. The
inconveniences to some locals needing to report their whereabouts when
changing their reported address, will be outweighed by the need for
national security.
That a group of foreigners could possibly
change Thai laws to make things more convenient and useful, is also
inconceivable. Even if there was some minor adjustment to the laws it
could take years.
.
.
Bottomline, don’t get your hopes up.
In the meantime, the
inconvenience of Section 37 will remain a clear and present annoyance.
There has been no shortage of people spraying the internet with their
individual problems and examples and the 24 hour reporting will
certainly affect some expats more than others, especially travelling
business-people whose movement around Thailand is just part of their
work.
Tourists are not affected as the onus of reporting locations whilst on holiday is the responsibility of hotels and landlords.
The
issue is being presented in the international media as a nail in the
coffin for long-term living in Thailand. The reality is that expat
numbers continue to rise although the demographic is evolving to the
chagrin of many European, Australian and American expats who seem
particularly aggrieved by the enforcement and have made their voices
heard – through signing the petition and sharing their strongly-held
feelings on various forums online.
The
other issue angering or confusing expats is that, like many other
immigration laws, the enforcement of the clauses continues to be patchy
around the Kingdom – they really don’t know how, or if, it’s going to be
enforced in their case. For the short-term we would recommend you play
by the rules to avoid any unpleasant fines or surprises. If you have any
queries it is best to visit an Immigration Office and ask questions to
find out how it applies to your visa and situation.
Don Ross from ttrweekly.com shares some thoughts on how the laws could be changed…
,
.
“The director-general (usually the chief of police) can make changes
to clauses 3 and 4. The DG can also through the Immigration Commission
recommend a new ministerial regulation that updates the two clauses to
make them more in tune with today’s online realities.
One possible
change would be to stipulate that clause 4 reporting only kicks in
after 72 hours away from home, rather than 24 hours. It would allow
thousands of expatriates who are long-stay or retirees to visit other
provinces for up to three days without triggering a clause 4 reporting
hassle.”
If you want to read and sign the petition click HERE.
