Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing the recent announcement that a new Immigration Chief has been appointed here in the Kingdom. This comes relatively quickly after news that we posted on this channel with respect to changes in the top slots with respect to Thai Immigration most notably the transfer of Surachate "Big Joke" Hakpan away from Thai Immigration. 

As of now, according to a recent article in the Bangkok Post, that article is entitled Border Police Chief to Replace "Big Joke",  that was published in Bangkok Post, bangkokpost.com April 19, 2019.  Quoting directly, “The Chief of Border Patrol Police has been named Head of Immigration Police. Police Lieutenant General Sompong Chingduang, Commissioner of the Border Patrol Police Bureau was transferred to lead the Immigration Bureau at a meeting of the Police Board presided over by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan on Friday." 

So as you can see, this was a pretty major development with respect to Thai Immigration.  As noted in previous videos on this channel, I do not believe that the replacement of "Big Joke" by the new Immigration Police Chief will result in any sort of laxity from a policy perspective especially with respect to recent changes to things like the lack of use of Income Affidavits associated with things like Thai Marriage Visa extensions and Thai Retirement Visa extensions.

Moreover, I think as far as a paradigm issue goes, I think that the new Immigration Police Chief is probably going to be rather stern, rather strict with respect to enforcement of the law and I think enforcement is also going to be a major characteristic of this gentleman's tenure moving forward just from the fact and I am going to do some further research on this and probably another video shortly here after but just from the fact that this is the former Head of the Border Patrol here in Thailand. For those who are unaware Thailand shares a large number of land borders with other nations and those who are unaware, the Border Police here are serious stuff for lack of better term.  They in many respects, have a law enforcement aspect to them that goes above and beyond even standard law enforcement. 

For this reason I think it is very reasonable to go ahead and anticipate that the new head now appointed of Thai Immigration is probably going to be just as tough with respect to enforcing the rules as his predecessor and moving forward we will of course be putting up videos with respect to how Immigration policy and enforcement evolves in the near future and in the aftermath of this change with respect to the Immigration top brass.