Thai-border cash issue

This item appears on page 4 of the September 2017 issue.

In July, some visitors to Thailand who were traveling on tourist visas were prevented from entering the country by Immigration officers when they could not show they were carrying at least 20,000 baht (near $600) in cash. Other reports indicated that travelers without the cash in hand were taken into custody for questioning before being allowed to enter the country. 

It appeared that travelers with multiple previous tourist visas for Thailand in their passports were more likely to be asked to show that they were carrying baht. It is believed that Thailand is attempting to crack down on people entering the country on tourist visas in order to work illegally.