Cheap food, good prices still draw tourists to Hat Yai
Malaysian tourists and Thai returnees clog the Sadao checkpoint in Songkhla. Holidaying Malaysian motorists face long queues, sometimes extending overnight, when entering and leaving Thailand. (Photo: Sadao Customs House Facebook)
SONGKHLA - The president of the Hat Yai-Songkhla Hotel Association wants the government to allow Malaysian visitors to register their vehicles online prior to travelling, to reduce the long queues at Thai immigration checkpoints.The association said serious action is needed to reduce the increasing checkpoint congestion.
Malaysia drivers must sometimes queue for hours at the main overland gateway in Sadao district, Songkhla, just to obtain clearance to enter southern Thailand during holiday periods. They also had to wait for hours on their way back home, sometimes forced to spend the night in their cars.
Visitors to Thailand can fill out an immigration card, Tor Mor 6, online before entering the kingdom. But the online system is still not applicable to foreign-registered vehicles, which requires a Tor Mor 2, and the number and names of the passengers, which needs a Tor Mor 3, when entering Thailand.
