yeah this rule is in place to deny entry for someone they don't want in but don't have another good reason to deny. If you are not disheveled looking going through the airport it's extremely unlikely they would ask.
If you are in bangkok there is a branch inside the immigration building downstairs that does it in about 15 minutes. Two weeks for a printout is them just asking you to "tip" them to do it immediately.
Yes, for the last time my friend, it's up to the branch manager. They can do it with just a passport or they can require the notarized copy from the embassy. Both ways are common.
This guy went to a bank and they told him he needed something from the embassy but couldn't tell him what. I am telling him what they are actually asking for.