@Robin ********

There are 5 offices in Bangkok. Each one is different. Depends which one you renew through.

@Ray ****

That is very reassuring. Thanks for sharing. What airport? Airline also if I may ask? My understanding is that Air Asia customers arriving into Don Muang are more likely to be questioned than passengers arriving on full service carriers into Suvarnabhumi.

@John ******

I've tried sending you a PM but either you haven't seen it or it didn't arrive. Anyway, sorry to hear about what you went through. I suspect your length of stay in Cambodia as opposed to frequent entries is what concerned the IO.

The headline mentions Cambodians, not those coming from Cambodia as such, "hired mercenaries" and those coming in on visa exempt.

I expect Russians to be scrutinized as the news have been saying.

Those arriving from Cambodia have been randomly questioned since October but no biggie for the most part.

@Jam ******

It's due to laziness...they should use the appropriate 180 day DTV stamp but some officers just write it in pen instead.

@Bob *********

Speaking Thai in Thailand is and should be the default, regardless of whether you were once a student on an EDU visa.

Anonymous participant 267 Australia doesn't stamp passports anymore...not for many years. Doesn't the Thai embassy know this? It's like they're living in the year 1995.

Anonymous participant 383 As long as you don't enter Thailand until the visa has been granted all is good.

Anonymous participant 966 Of course its possible. You however are definitely not a candidate for Thai citizenship.

@John *********

That's because your local DLT don't know what they're doing OR they act like banks anywhere outside of major tourist and expat areas of Thailand do: they'll only give privileges to farang if they hold a work permit. You don't, hence you're treated like a tourist.

Same thing at some government hospitals: retirement visa holders are treated like tourists and pay the same as tourists for treatment in the 3 or 4 tier fee structure that government hospitals are now using.

Work permit holders pay about half...while migrant workers pay even less and of course Thais pay the least.