Photocopy of your passport still good enough? Read this

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Gaybutton
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Photocopy of your passport still good enough? Read this

Post by Gaybutton »

Even I had finally given in to the idea that carrying a photocopy of your passport is good enough, and it was - until now. I'm not going to debate about it. You gents can if you want to. Read the following and make your own decisions. Mine remains the same as it always has been - I'll be carrying my actual passport.
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30 foreigners detained during ID checks in Pattaya Nightclubs

20 February 2016

In the early hours of Friday 9 Police Divisions and more than 100 Police Officers took part in an operation in the Walking Street area to check foreign nationals to ensure they were complying with the law and were carrying their passports with them.

It has previously been acceptable to carry a good photocopy of your passport photo-page and visa stamp page with you, but that seems to have stopped as the Police conducted the operation with the aim of detecting and disrupting transnational organized crime groups, who are thought to use Pattaya Discotheques and Bars to meet and plan their crimes.

On this occasion 30 foreign nationals were briefly detained at the Tourist Police Station until they were able to produce their passports. We understand no further proceedings were taken against any of the detainees who were all released without charge.

No visa irregularities were found during the operation which featured officers from the Crime Suppression Division, Tourist Police and Marine Police.

Story and photos: http://pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/2216 ... ightclubs/
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Pattaya Officials On Walking Street Crackdown

Pattaya police and soldier performed crackdown on five entertainment venues in Walking Street. In addition, around 30 foreign night owls were detained because they didn’t have their passport to show the officers as inspection.

PATTAYA – February 19,2016 [PattayaDailyNews]; at 01.30 am the police officers and the soldiers from Military Circle 14th went to inspect entertainment venues in Pattaya Walking Street consisted of 808 pub, Titanic pub, Perfect pub, Fax pub and Fever pub.

Upon inspection these venues the officers found about 30 foreigners who didn’t bring the passport to the venue; therefore, the officers took them to police station so that the officers would check their profile. These foreign people would have to show their profile to the police officers; otherwise, they would be prosecuted according to Thai law.

Story and photos: http://pattayadailynews.com/pattaya-off ... crackdown/
gumbleby

Re: Photocopy of your passport still good enough? Read this

Post by gumbleby »

For me it still isn't clear if this means a copy wasn't enough (maybe some people hadn't any documents to show at all, or didn't have any supporting documentation for their photocopy (ID card, drivers license, ...). It looks like people who didn't bring their passport were brought to the police station, checked out and let go without further consequences. Clearly inconvenient, but no major deal either. Better than getting caught at playing bridge.

By the way, does anybody know what exactly is meant by "showing their profile"?
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Captain Kirk
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Re: Photocopy of your passport still good enough? Read this

Post by Captain Kirk »

Just seems to me that if every tourist DID carry around their passport the entire time, the embassies would be full of people trying to get a new one for the one they lost.
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Re: Photocopy of your passport still good enough? Read this

Post by gerefan »

Just a minute....how many reading these pages are likely to be seen dead in a Walking Street late nite disco?
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Re: Photocopy of your passport still good enough? Read this

Post by Gaybutton »

gerefan wrote:Just a minute....how many reading these pages are likely to be seen dead in a Walking Street late nite disco?
I don't think it's limited to that. Just this morning I was driving and got stopped by the police for a routine license and drunk driving check. In the past, except during the coup, whenever I have been stopped all they have ever asked to see was my driver's license. Today they wanted to see my driver's license and my passport. Fortunately, I had both.
Jogger

Re: Photocopy of your passport still good enough? Read this

Post by Jogger »

In Chiang Mai............

"CityNews – Last night, 18th February, one hundred police officers and tourist police officers raided and roped off the Zoe in Yellow entertainment complex, refusing to let tourists go, testing urine for drugs and arresting tourists without a passport on them.


At 10pm last night, the police raided the complex, quickly roping off the area with police tape to stop anybody leaving or entering.

Some of the police were armed with assault rifles.

The police did random urine testing on many party goers but found no evidence for any substance abuse.

No weapons, drugs or other dangerous items were found on any of the people there.

Immigration police found no evidence of anyone overstaying their visas.

All the tourists who did not have their passport with them were taken to Chiang Mai police station and processed."



http://www.chiangmaicitylife.com/news/1 ... nals-found
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Re: Photocopy of your passport still good enough? Read this

Post by Gaybutton »

I don't know what's going on or why, but whatever it is comes across as strange considering there were recent public announcements that photocopies of passports will suffice. Whatever is taking place at the moment began with no public announcement that I ever saw.

There are news reports saying the US has issued a warning to Thailand that ISIS is plotting attacks in Thailand. Security has been beefed up. Maybe that's what this is all about. See: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/securit ... ror-threat and http://www.nationmultimedia.com/nationa ... 79761.html

I have no objection if Thailand is now requiring foreigners to have their actual passport on their person if there is a serious, credible terrorist threat, or even if it's for some other reason, but I would think the least they could do is publish announcements as to what is and is not currently required so there is no confusion and so unsuspecting foreign tourists - who had no reason to think photocopies of their passports may no longer be sufficient - don't have to end up spending part of their holiday in a police station.
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Re: Photocopy of your passport still good enough? Read this

Post by Alex »

First and foremost, they need to work on their profiling skills. When they ultimately have to let each and every one they check go, because their only offence is not carrying their passport, it's a waste of resources that would better be spent otherwise or elsewhere. Then there's the collateral damage, a tourist who is subjected to being detained and/or pee tested typically won't be a happy camper and couldn't care less what the useless plod's excuse of the day is.
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Re: Photocopy of your passport still good enough? Read this

Post by puan »

PHOTOCOPY OF YOUR PASSPORT STILL GOOD ENOUGH?

The answer yesterday is the same as the answer today is the same as the answer tomorrow.
Who knows the answer du jour?
It is one of those questions of the universe that can never be answered. :shock:
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Re: Photocopy of your passport still good enough? Read this

Post by Alex »

Right, there's no foolproof solution. The "don't carry your passport" camp tends to think the risk of losing your passport outweighs the risk of getting caught up in a police check, while the "carry your passport" camp argues that it's unlikely to lose it and not really an inconvenience to have it on you whenever being out and about.

Both can be proven wrong, looking at an individual who either lost their passport or got caught up in a police check. What would be interesting is the statistics. I don't have any numbers, but it's always been my impression that many more lose their passport than end up in trouble not carrying it. That's ultimately the reason for me being in the "don't carry" camp.

An acquaintance of mine volunteers as a translator at a police station in Bangkok. Every single day, several tourists report their passports lost or stolen. That's just one police station in Bangkok, albeit one covering a district very popular with tourists.

It's similar at my embassy. Every single day, someone reports their passport missing. That's just one embassy catering to tourists of one nationality.

I just don't think as many people are hassled by the police merely for not carrying their actual passport. It could also be argued that the potential hassle if and when it does happen is lesser than the hassle resulting from dealing with a lost passport. But that depends on the individual circumstances a lot.

I'll continue to do what I've always done. I will carry my DL and a copy of the relevant passport pages when I'm out and about. I will carry my actual passport when I travel out of town. That way, I minimize the risk of loss, but wouldn't have a problem to produce my actual passport in due time if and when challenged.
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