Holidays in Thailand to end

The new military government has issued warnings
that it will soon start to clampdown on immigration
offenders.
Bangkok , Thailand - For decades, hundreds of
thousands of home - weary expats have lived in
Bangkok or in the palm- lined beach resorts dotted
along the Gulf of Thailand.
Drawn to the country by its tropical weather,
laidback hospitality and cut- rate comforts , most
have made Thailand their home after completing the
correct immigration paperwork.
However , others have easily dodged lax visa
enforcement , itself another reason Thailand has
remained so attractive.
" There are between half a million and one million
foreigners living in Thailand , maybe more . No one
actually knows ," said George Anderssen, the
Swedish CEO of Thaivisa.com , a website used by
expats to exchange tips on visas and other topics
related to life in Thailand.
But following the coup in late May, the new military
government issued warnings that it will soon start to
clampdown on immigration offenders, raising fears
among many that their expat lifestyle in Thailand
could soon come to an abrupt end .
" The crackdown is meant for those foreign visitors
who abuse the visa exemption scheme for working
illegally in Thailand," according to a recent
explanation issued by the Thai Embassy in Canberra ,
Australia .
The warnings issued in July to foreigners who have
overstayed by more than 90 days , states they would
be banned from Thailand for between one and ten
years, although no start date has been announced.
From August 12, visitors arriving at Thai airports
may be denied entry if immigration officers suspect
they are living in the country on short -term visas ,
according to another notice.
'Desperate people '
Although Thailand has warned of similar crackdowns
in the past , most have come and gone as quickly as
successive Thai governments , amid a cycle of coups
and elections in the past decade .
But recent forced deportations of undocumented
migrant workers from neighbouring Myanmar,
Cambodia, and Laos , as well as a campaign against
grey industries including unlicensed taxis and street
vendors, suggests the military government means
business , said Rex Baay , an immigration consultant
at Siam Legal International.
" This time I think they are kind of serious about
visas ," he said. " Every day we receive telephone
enquiries from desperate people."
Nationals of 48 countries including the UK, US, and
Australia have been able to enter the country for up
to 30 days with a visa -exemption stamp or 60 days
extendable for another 30 days with a visa from a
Thai embassy overseas .
By simply leaving and entering Thailand on so- called
'visa runs' , many have lived for years in Thai cities
including the popular beach resorts of Phuket and
Pattaya.
Then , last month, border immigration officials began
to deny re- entry to people believed to be exploiting
the system , particularly at crossings in the south
with Malaysia. Although enforcement has reportedly
remained more relaxed on Thailand 's eastern border
with Cambodia and particularly at northern crossings
with Laos, immigration officials have warned that the
policy will apply everywhere starting next month .
" If you can 't declare you are a tourist you may not
be allowed in ," said an immigration official in Tak
province , which shares a border with Myanmar.
" We urge people to get the right visa, " said the
official , who requested anonymity because they were
not authorised to speak to the media.
Thousands of foreigners living legally in Thailand are
able to apply for work visas through their employers ,
or retirement visas if they are over 50 years old and
can prove they have adequate finances . Others ,
particularly men , can live in the country on marriage
visas .
Ghost schools
Education visas , which provided a more legitimate
long- term option for expats , have become a target of
the recent crackdown due to the large numbers of
ghost schools in Thailand that provide the necessary
paperwork without offering any classes. The military
government has reportedly ordered schools across
the country to ask for signed declarations from
foreign students who must now promise they will
attend classes.
For people who fit into none of these categories,
question marks remain. A semi -retired UK national
in his 40 s who asked not to be identified said he has
visited Thailand a dozen times since he closed a
telecommunications consultancy in Europe two
years ago . Although a visa- exemption on arrival
worked in the past, he said he is reluctant to fly back
to Thailand in case he is refused entry.
" I will not be stranded by the visa crackdown as I
have my own home outside of Thailand , but it will
force me to change my plans ," he said.
He had to cancel plans for a $ 6 ,000 medical
operation and switch to a hospital in Singapore .
Economic threat
Thailand 's travel industry represents 20 percent of
the country's total economic output . Thailand 's
medical tourism industry accounts for about 40
percent of the global market . Anything that restricts
the free movement of foreigners into and out of the
country is likely to impact Thailand' s economy .
Last year, Bangkok was ranked the world 's most
visited city with nearly 16 million people travelling to
the Thai capital, ahead of London and Paris ,
according to Global Destination Cities Index .
But more than six months of protests leading up to
the May 22 coup - and the military takeover itself -
have reduced the number of arrivals this year.
Ten percent fewer foreigners travelled to Thailand in
May compared to the same month in 2013, according
to Ministry of Tourism figures .
The visa crackdown expects to depress these
figures further : Foreigners living in Thailand illegally
on short- term visas have typically marked
themselves as tourists on arrival cards, causing
artificial inflation of the numbers on tourism data.
How immigration rules will be enforced still isn 't
clear .
Airlines contacted by Al Jazeera, including the
national carrier Thai Airways and budget operators
Nok Air and AirAsia, said the government has so far
not asked them to vet passengers before they board,
raising the possibility some could be turned away
after landing .
" The immigration Bureau will be taking the lead on
this initiative ," said Piyasuda Archasantisuk, a
Bangkok -based spokesman for AirAsia . " Our normal
procedure is to conduct a basic document check
prior to the passenger 's departure."
With stricter enforcement not due until later in
August , the number of people leaving the country
remains low but could increase , said Thaivisa. com's
Anderssen . Some have headed to neighbouring
Cambodia but most want to stay, he added.
" Many of these people have been in Thailand for
years," he said. "For them , there simply is nowhere
else. "