We are repoducing below a letter from a reader of the Bangkok Post newspaper (Thailand). This letter provides an accurate foreigner view of the corrupt system in Cambodia. It should be pointed out that these police and border officers are lowly paid and most likely their positions were bought from a powerful boss. The only way for these officers to recoup their investment is to shamelessly extort money.
Corruption on the Cambodian side
Yesterday I was forced to go on yet another costly and time-consuming border run to Cambodia. This time I encountered a problem on the Cambodian side of the border.
After crossing into Cambodia from Thailand, I went to the visa payment area (on the right side just after crossing the bridge) and paid the requested 1,000 baht for a tourist visa. I then went to the Cambodian border checkpoint. I gave the officer my immigration forms and he looked up at me and said, "You must pay me 800 baht to enter Cambodia." I told him that I had already paid. He then said, in a forceful tone, "800 baht!"
Controlling my rising anger, I told him again that I had already paid a Cambodian police officer 1,000 baht. He mumbled something to a colleague sitting next to him, stamped my passport and handed it back to me.
I then crossed the street to the area where you exit Cambodia. I handed the officer my passport. He looked up at me and said, "That will be 100 baht." I could not believe my ears. Two attempts at extortion on the same visa trip? I told him that I had already paid all of the required fees and asked him if this was some kind of new policy. He seemed surprised at my response and decided to stamp my passport and let me go.
Given that this is without doubt not an isolated event, I suspect that several corrupt Cambodian immigration officers are aggressively trying to extort money from virtually every foreigner that is trying to enter and exit Cambodia via Poipet.
Border runs are frustrating enough. Border runs that result in extortion attempts are way beyond frustrating.
Accordingly, if there is anything that the Thai government can do to help put a stop to this illegal behaviour, please do so. One simple solution would be to allow foreigners to pay the required visa fees at any Thai immigration office without having to exit Thailand.
JOPAL MEROB
After crossing into Cambodia from Thailand, I went to the visa payment area (on the right side just after crossing the bridge) and paid the requested 1,000 baht for a tourist visa. I then went to the Cambodian border checkpoint. I gave the officer my immigration forms and he looked up at me and said, "You must pay me 800 baht to enter Cambodia." I told him that I had already paid. He then said, in a forceful tone, "800 baht!"
Controlling my rising anger, I told him again that I had already paid a Cambodian police officer 1,000 baht. He mumbled something to a colleague sitting next to him, stamped my passport and handed it back to me.
I then crossed the street to the area where you exit Cambodia. I handed the officer my passport. He looked up at me and said, "That will be 100 baht." I could not believe my ears. Two attempts at extortion on the same visa trip? I told him that I had already paid all of the required fees and asked him if this was some kind of new policy. He seemed surprised at my response and decided to stamp my passport and let me go.
Given that this is without doubt not an isolated event, I suspect that several corrupt Cambodian immigration officers are aggressively trying to extort money from virtually every foreigner that is trying to enter and exit Cambodia via Poipet.
Border runs are frustrating enough. Border runs that result in extortion attempts are way beyond frustrating.
Accordingly, if there is anything that the Thai government can do to help put a stop to this illegal behaviour, please do so. One simple solution would be to allow foreigners to pay the required visa fees at any Thai immigration office without having to exit Thailand.
JOPAL MEROB
4 comments:
And I thought that Westerners would have an easier time with the Cambodian immigration officers. Hahhah. I heard horrible stories about non-US-citizen Cambodians who got harrassed and extorted large sum of dollars by them Cambodian immigration officers at the airport. My brother who is a Cambodian-American made a trip to Cambodian like 6 years ago. He also negative experience with them Cambodian immigration officers. Upon arriving at the Cambodian Pochentong Airport in Phnom Penh, my brother had to buy the Cambodian visa to get into the country. At the time it cost him only $5 to pay for an entry visa into Cambodia. He gave the officer 20 dollar bill. The officer just stamped in his U.S. passport and gave him back with no change in return. My brother just walked away. A week later he needed to exit Cambodia. An officer asked him for 20 dollars. He only had 50 dollar bill. So he gave him the large bill, again no change was returned. However, my brother didn't get the confirmation reciept that he had already paid. So another officer with a gun stepped in and demanded another 20 dollars from my brother. My brother told the dude that he had already pay 50 dollars to the other officer. Only then the dude with the gun let my brother walk into the waiting area. The dude even followed my brother, brandishing his gun. My brother just ignored the dude and kept on walking forwards. After that bad experience of entering and exiting, he now does not ever talk about visiting Cambodia again.
I am glad there is an article exposing the corruption of the Cambodian immigrant officer.
Why Akwak doesn't do anything about this? Is it 3G more important or the corruption and the dignity of the country more important?
Is he just a blind or really the blind one?
I got extorted so many times by these Cambodian officials that I don't even want to go to Cambodia anymore! I am just sicked of it!
Thank to AH HUN SEN because these Cambodian officials are taking his advice! ahahaha
Not only the imigrant officers the whole police force are corrupt, they are criminal in Cambodia and international!
Those so called Cambodia Royal Police are good only to Hun Xen for collecting money, extortion money for his group. Hun Xen use this police foce to suppress, kill, cover up his crimes. This police force is helping drug, humen, and all criminal traficking throught the country!
Reform this police force you do Cambodian a real favor!
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