Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing local Thai Immigration Authority. I thought of making this video after reading a recent article, or actually a recent comment on our channel. Quoting directly: "But how can a province invent Immigration Policy that's not in line nationally?" So this was a comment that was in reference to the so-called "Red Card - Yellow Card" system which is occurring down in Phuket as at the time of this video.

For those who are unaware, Immigration down there has instituted this "Yellow Card" policy wherein if you get cited in Phuket for violation of the law, you are not going to be kicked out of the country but you could get this Yellow Card which could preclude you from entering next time. So you get sort of a one-off black listing, presumably it's for one time. Red Cards seem to be if you persist in violating the law, then they just immediately deport you; that appears to be the situation now. 

There is some controversy surrounding this because this seems to deal with like traffic violations. As we have discussed in other videos they have clear statutory authority to do it. However and it's a good question: "Why can like a local Immigration Office do something that isn't being done on a national level? Well quite honestly, as we have discussed before, they have a great deal of autonomy. These Immigration Officers are vested with discretion and they are vested with that discretion for a reason because different locations, different circumstances, different environments are going to warrant different responses. Clearly and I am not saying it's right or wrong, but clearly the staff at the Immigration Office in Phuket feel that the present "Red Card - Yellow Card" system is warranted and it is needed under the circumstances so they are implementing it. It is kind of an interesting system, I can see how it is confusing to those looking in from the outside but long story short, at the end of the day when it comes to foreign nationals when you are strictly looking at it from a one-to-one dealing with an Immigration Officer, they have a great deal of discretion in making a decision whether or not you can stay in the country, if you can ever come back; they have all of that discretion just kind of inherently as part of being an Immigration Officer of the Kingdom of Thailand.