Thai immigration officials demoted for taking bribes to fast track visas for Chinese tourists
Disciplinary action follows tip-off about officials soliciting ‘tips’ from visitors
Four immigration officials at a busy Bangkok airport have been demoted after an investigation found they were taking bribes from Chinese tourists to fast track their visa applications, an official said on Tuesday.
The Chinese make up about a quarter of Thailand’s 35 million tourist arrivals a year, making them the kingdom’s largest visiting bloc by nationality.
They usually wait in long queues at busy immigration booths at Don Mueang – one of the two international airports in Bangkok – where they pay 2,000 baht (about US$60) for visas upon arrival.
But Major-General Surachate Hakparn, the newly installed chief of the immigration bureau, said he was tipped off on how some are able to jump the queue.
“We received the allegations from tourists that they can fast track their application services if they pay a 300 baht ‘tip’ at the (so-called) fast lanes,” Surachate said.