Thai immigration orders officers to stop imposing charges on visitors

New rule: A notice at an immigration counter at the Sadao Arrival Boundary Post in Danok, southern Thailand.

BUKIT KAYU HITAM: The Royal Thai Police’s Immigration Bureau is clamping down on excessive demands for tips by its officers manning its land checkpoints with Malaysia.

In a sweeping move that puts an end to this decade-old “tradition” on the Thai side, the bureau has ordered its immigration officers not to “impose any charges” for visitors entering Thailand during “office hours” (9am to 6pm).