In a major refurbishment program, the headquarters of Chonburi immigration bureau in Jomtien will soon provide cool comfort for queuing foreigners. Part of the frontage carpark is currently being converted into an airconditioned and heat-resistant area to replace the current waiting accommodation on chairs under canopies and tarpaulin.
In the second stage, the remaining area of the carpark will be similarly converted to create an airconditioned service area for specific functions such as address registration and reporting. Police colonel Parinya Klinkesorn, local immigration chief since last February, indicated to Pattaya mayor Poramet Ngampichet that he was well aware of the need to streamline the city’s immigration services.
Historically, the city’s immigration service had been in several locations before moving to its current purpose-built edifice off Jomtien’s beach road about 20 years ago. The increase in tourist and expat numbers, not to mention the Thai government’s growing insistence on regular reporting of addresses by all visitors, have led to overcrowding at some times of the year. More recently, there have been complaints about burning temperatures and exhaustion by some visitors.
Improvements over the past few months, already implemented, include immigration personnel outside the main building to assist customers and hand out forms, 200 chairs to replace standing in queues and distribution of tickets to prevent overcrowding. In 2018 the registration of guest workers from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos was moved to the foreign workers service station located next to the immigration building.
