@Colin ********

rules are the rules. You are being told the rules by people that know, and you're now accusing people of being judgemental and looking down their noses at you. If you had listened and accepted the answers given by those helping, this would have ended long ago. So yes this law might be considered decades out of date - ever been to Thailand before ? I guess not. Welcome to Thailand, where rules and regulations and even laws are decades outdated. Why do they want a tourist to carry 20k in cash ? To prove that they have money to cover their stay. That they won't get stuck here begging on the street, or in a hospital bed, or turning to crime to fund their stay, as a number of tourists have done over the years, in well publicized stories - fair enough ? And yes, it can be used to pay for anything. You can throw it in the bin, or put it back into an account. It is an ENTRY requirement only. Credit cards/ATM cards might be invalid, bank statements/screenshots can be faked. Book and pay for accomodation online ? Just 20 years ago, many accomodations did not have 'online booking'. Many that are more remote still don't. And they don't care. I know many places on Koh pha ngan and even Samui don't have online booking, a website, even a phone number. You need to shift your attitude from white, lower-middle class, privileged know-it-all, to something more humble, grateful, patient, understanding. And every idiot that maybe visited once, and posts on here that they didn't get ask so.....are just that, an idiot. I've never been breathalyzed by the police, does that mean it's ok to drink and drive ? Coincidentally, show me where it is written in law that drink driving is illegal. Come on dude, wake the fuck up.

@Jo *********

it's been a rule since forever. Thailand can do what they like for entry/exit requirements. They can introduce or change laws tomorrow morning. Of course they can ask for 20k in cash or equivalent, to show you can cover your own expenses for your trip and won't become a burden on Thailand. Hence they also ask for proof of paid accomodation, and proof of onward travel to ensure that you are able to leave. I don't think journalists the world over will jump at this story. You think you have the right to enter and stay thailand ? Crazy you are.

@Ruth ******

even the 220 baht charged locally By the ATM machines themselves ? I don't think so ...

@Martin ****

yes you can be asked to show 20,000 baht or equivalent. Also proof of paid accomodation. Also proof of onward travel out of the country before your visa expiry.

@Brian *******

just change up a few thousand baht in advance in your home country. Never change at an airport, inside or outside. Also look into getting a wise account (formerly transfer wise).

It was, but just expired

@Michael *********

well I'm not going to call you a liar, but I'd love to see your booking confirmation at 2200 baht. Although Cheapest flight I ever saw was 1000 baht, so not impossible. Actually the vans are very well kept. My ex lived in a compound like place where the family ran a fleet of them out of. They were very proud of them, immaculately kept, cleaned and polished after every trip. Heads under the bonnet every day too. And the drivers are professional as I said. I think the problems are more with larger buses, night buses, and mostly in other SE Asian countries. I remember taking a car through a mountain pass in Laos and the roadside littered with carcasses of trucks and buses. Stopped for a toilet brake and saw a big bus down a shear drop, then noticed the skid marks and the exit point. It was fresh, only weeks old. Peoples stuff scattered for hundreds of meters. Haunting that was. And on the return leg, having done a u-turn to stop at a viewpoint there was a crash while we were stopped. A truck went of the road, taking a car with it, then landed on top the car crushing it, people had stopped to help, using another truck to try and pull it off. That could've been me. It was the difference between stopping for a cup of instant coffee, or a piss, or even at a red light or road junction. That shit is crazy. There, maintenance is lacking, drivers are wired. You can hear the water-cooled brakes hissing away, see the trails of water on the roads, I think that's a good sign. Anyways, whichever you prefer 👍

@Michael *******

and how did I get to Malaysia ? Kayak. A fucking kayak. I swear to you. From Langkawi. I thought it would be the equivalent to Koh pha ngan to Samui, but it was more like Liverpool to New York. Like a shipping channel. Totally underestimated that. I was aiming for Satun, obviously but settled for the closest land I could see in my panic.

@Michael *******

ha fucking ha Michael. That's well overplayed that one. I actually fucking walked. Beat that. Go on. I fucking walked here, from Malaysia. Taxi wouldn't take me any further. It was pissing down with rain, it was getting dark, perfect conditions for me. I said "drop me here, this will be lovely". And to top it all off, some idiot crashed his car into one of the bollards protecting the immigration building from attacks by cars, and caused a panic and scare, just as I'm stepping into an empty line'.

Infact that.just expired two weeks ago.