Ok. The government website is wrong.

The prison sentence record never go's away. Only the conviction.

Unfortunately although the conviction is spent, the fact you went to prison is ALWAYS on the police computer and will always show in a PNC check until you are 100 years old.

Good link here for info

Thailand is very accommodating for long term stayers. You simply need to get the correct visas.

You don't want a deportation stamp in your passport wether you are coming back or not.

It makes financial sense to risk being deported and Blacklisted to save 1200 baht.

You COULD be asked with any visa.

They have already explained what you need. A Thai police record check. They are also not happy for some reason with your US back ground check.That's there requirement. That's the issue you need to deal with.

I wasn't entirely sure other than him saying between deliveries in Phuket. I was assuming boat delivery into Phuket but I stand corrected. Either way, continual visa exempt entry eventually comes to an end. Particularly for those from a certain age group.

They are mostly used for instance, if say a Nigerian who travelled from Nigeria to say the UK in order to join a ship. He wouldn't need a visa to enter the country where as he normally would. His seamans passport would carry a travel document and log of his travels plus a letter outlining exactly his travel plan. They are not that common and certainly not something just anybody could obtain.