Yeah Pattaya immigration is busy all the time. Best to get there before 8:30 to get a queue number. No idea when people actually start queuing there but a guess would be 7:30 or so.
Possibly it may have something to do with the fact that you can only get a Non OA from your home country or country of legal residence, but in theory you can get a Non O from any embassy/consulate. Why that may be a factor is not know to me just a suspicion.
Why do they require a TM30 or a TM47 or photos and copies of passports and entry stamps/extensions/visas when that information is already on their computer systems?
Yes but there are no official details on how to apply as yet. Going on past history with official announcements we will probably hear on the 30th April how to do it. Perhaps a bit before but I won’t hold my breath on that.