Bangkok Reports

[QUOTE=HarryDude;1647527]I enter the US about 5-6 times per year and my passport is full of entry stamps. I was selected for secondary inspection once, at Newark Airport, New Jersey, flying in from Europe. Four armed agents went through my luggage in some detail, and looked at all the pics in my digital camera.

So this is not just a theoretical thing.[/QUOTE]So what would be the consequence of not giving customs the password to say your phone? They have the right to search it with probable cause. But is there a rule saying you have to give them the means of entry?

[QUOTE=HarryDude;1647527]I enter the US about 5-6 times per year and my passport is full of entry stamps. I was selected for secondary inspection once, at Newark Airport, New Jersey, flying in from Europe. Four armed agents went through my luggage in some detail, and looked at all the pics in my digital camera.

So this is not just a theoretical thing.[/QUOTE]As a single male traveler returning to Canada from SEA, I have in the vast majority of times had all my shit thoroughly inspected. There was also many questions and a waste of up to 3 hours of my life each time. In one instance I was even interrogated at length at the boarding gate to leave the country.

I wonder if other folks are "randomly selected" so regularly, LOL. Not everyone has stamps to Thailand & Cambodia in their passports. After the first few times this happened I started going without a suitcase to reduce the inevitable delays after a long flight.

On one occasion I had a copy of the "After Dark" gogo magazine full of pics of semi nude girls. The airport officer accused me saying, you told me you had no porn. I replied that that is nothing, in Canada you can legally buy and carry on your person real porn, fully naked and in the act. That shut her up.

I was also accused re tons of comments written on note papers, them saying a bit of it was distasteful. I said it was just some garbage I had copied off the internet & that was the end of that discussion.

Every year this same topic comes up and is discussed ad nauseam by all the experts. Could you please move on. No one knows what the law really is or the criteria is. All that is clear is that any adult nude photos are legal. Looks like most of the people worry about customs searching their laptop must be involved in illegal activities. If you act suspicious and nervous at the entry, of course you are likely to be searched. So dress well, don't act nervous and you should be fine. Of course, I am talking about USA. Other countries, I have no idea. Except India where my never had my laptop or phone searched.

Now if your significant other searches and find these stuffs, your recourse under the law may be limited.

[QUOTE=Duniawala;1647700]Every year this same topic comes up and is discussed ad nauseam by all the experts. Could you please move on. No one knows what the law really is or the criteria is. All that is clear is that any adult nude photos are legal. Looks like most of the people worry about customs searching their laptop must be involved in illegal activities. If you act suspicious and nervous at the entry, of course you are likely to be searched. So dress well, don't act nervous and you should be fine. Of course, I am talking about USA. Other countries, I have no idea. Except India where my never had my laptop or phone searched.

Now if your significant other searches and find these stuffs, your recourse under the law may be limited.[/QUOTE]This is one of the most ill-informed posts I have ever seen on this forum.

[QUOTE=PinkPearl;1647683]As a single male traveler returning to Canada from SEA, I have in the vast majority of times had all my shit thoroughly inspected. There was also many questions and a waste of up to 3 hours of my life each time. In one instance I was even interrogated at length at the boarding gate to leave the country.

I wonder if other folks are "randomly selected" so regularly, LOL. Not everyone has stamps to Thailand & Cambodia in their passports. After the first few times this happened I started going without a suitcase to reduce the inevitable delays after a long flight.

On one occasion I had a copy of the "After Dark" gogo magazine full of pics of semi nude girls. The airport officer accused me saying, you told me you had no porn. I replied that that is nothing, in Canada you can legally buy and carry on your person real porn, fully naked and in the act. That shut her up.

I was also accused re tons of comments written on note papers, them saying a bit of it was distasteful. I said it was just some garbage I had copied off the internet & that was the end of that discussion.[/QUOTE]Although I have found US Customs and immigration officers to be difficult at times (although since joining the Global Entry program, this no longer has been the case for me), in my experience Canadian customs and immigration is worse, if that is even possible. I have had limited interaction with them though, so it is possible my limited negative experiences with them have been the result of bad luck. However, when I read accounts such as PinkPearl's (as well as others) I suspect my negative experiences with them have been typical rather than atypical.

[QUOTE=PinkPearl;1647683]I wonder if other folks are "randomly selected" so regularly, LOL. [/QUOTE]I am always anxious going through the customs. Mostly this is due to my family's traumatic ecape from a formaly held communist central European country. I cannot help myself but be nervous. Returning from Thailand to Canada by myself this January (my family returned earler) I was also held up by customs. I had a photo on my camera of a beach road girl giving me a blowjob, and subsequently they also held me up for three hours. The custom guy was actually quite nice, and at the end told me I did nothing illegal and reminded me to delete the photos before my wife gets her hands on the camera. For my next solo return from south East Asia, I am already psychologically preparing myself for a three hour delay. I have nothing to hide. I guess its part of the deal.

I take it, you are talking about Thailand Customs?

[QUOTE=ConquerorVal;1647773]I am always anxious going through the customs. Mostly this is due to my family's traumatic ecape from a formaly held communist central European country. I cannot help myself but be nervous. Returning from Thailand to Canada by myself this January (my family returned earler) I was also held up by customs. I had a photo on my camera of a beach road girl giving me a blowjob, and subsequently they also held me up for three hours. The custom guy was actually quite nice, and at the end told me I did nothing illegal and reminded me to delete the photos before my wife gets her hands on the camera. For my next solo return from south East Asia, I am already psychologically preparing myself for a three hour delay. I have nothing to hide. I guess its part of the deal.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Slibby;1647595]So what would be the consequence of not giving customs the password to say your phone? They have the right to search it with probable cause. But is there a rule saying you have to give them the means of entry?[/QUOTE]This article, which is three years old and therefore does not take into account recent court developments, such as the Ninth Circuit case earlier discussed, gives a good overview of what to do at the border, including if one is asked for a password. [URL]https://www.eff.org/wp/defending-privacy-us-border-guide-travelers-carrying-digital-devices[/URL].

[QUOTE=LAGuy5;1647825]This article, which is three years old and therefore does not take into account recent court developments, such as the Ninth Circuit case earlier discussed, gives a good overview of what to do at the border, including if one is asked for a password. [URL]https://www.eff.org/wp/defending-privacy-us-border-guide-travelers-carrying-digital-devices[/URL].[/QUOTE]I've found a good way to avoid all the hassle with USA immigration thugs. I just fly from Thailand to Mexico and cross the border late at night on foot at a remote location while no one is watching. I don't need a passport, visa or any papers at all. I don't even need permission. It's how all the smart sophisticated citizen travelers and immigrants go to the USA. Never has my baggage been searched; theres no snooping into my camera or laptop, no questions, no interrogation; I won't be arrested or prosecuted, and President Obama provides me with total immunity and amnesty from all those pesky immigration laws. I can stay as long as I please and go back to Thailand the way I came. It's like having a get out of jail free card.

[QUOTE=Daddy07;1647861]I've found a good way to avoid all the hassle with USA immigration thugs. I just fly from Thailand to Mexico and cross the border late at night on foot at a remote location while no one is watching. I don't need a passport, visa or any papers at all. I don't even need permission. It's how all the smart sophisticated citizen travelers and immigrants go to the USA. Never has my baggage been searched; theres no snooping into my camera or laptop, no questions, no interrogation; I won't be arrested or prosecuted, and President Obama provides me with total immunity and amnesty from all those pesky immigration laws. I can stay as long as I please and go back to Thailand the way I came. It's like having a get out of jail free card.[/QUOTE]Wow. A non-US resident who reads this thread may well make the assumption that the good old US of A is a dysfunctional mess at the moment.

And some of us take the p/i/s/s out of the Thai government sometimes!

[QUOTE=Duniawala;1647700]All that is clear is that any adult nude photos are legal. Looks like most of the people worry about customs searching their laptop must be involved in illegal activities. [/QUOTE]Adult nude photos might be legal in most Western countries but they are certainly not legal in most (if not all) SE-Asian countries. So yes you are involved in an illegal activity if you have pornography on your camera, cell phone or laptop.

However chances are low I guess that customs search your equipment when you are LEAVING a SE-Asian country. Nevertheless I wouldn't want to take the risk.

[QUOTE=LAGuy5;1647762]This is one of the most ill-informed posts I have ever seen on this forum.[/QUOTE]Clearly you have not read any of his prior posts.

[QUOTE=Stykler;1647906]Wow. A non-US resident who reads this thread may well make the assumption that the good old US of A is a dysfunctional mess at the moment.

And some of us take the p/i/s/s out of the Thai government sometimes![/QUOTE]The US is a mess, but nowhere near the mess Thailand is. No where near.

[QUOTE=Stykler;1647906]Wow. A non-US resident who reads this thread may well make the assumption that the good old US of A is a dysfunctional mess at the moment.

And some of us take the p/i/s/s out of the Thai government sometimes![/QUOTE]Wow, Is it not a big mess?

You have large number of US educated and talented MS, PhD's going out because of H-1 b lottery system (Yes, it's an lottery system not meritocracy, tailor made to get cheap Indian IT laborers who apply in truckloads). Your president is most affectionate towards "illegal" immigrants but legal immigrants are treated with disdain.

Obama is certainly encouraging illegal immigration but is he making sure every new person crossing border is not exploited, is not shot at, is not starving to death, is not raped or murdered or robbed? Well that one is big NO and not at all highlighted. It is not humanitarian move, this is just corporate greed combined with new vote bank politics (a political strategy used extensively in third world country of India).

[QUOTE=Goatscrot;1647931]The US is a mess, but nowhere near the mess Thailand is. No where near.[/QUOTE]The reality is if they were ever to fix the problems there would be no more sex or tourist because the exchange rate wouldn't be what it is today?

I have a number of friends who are in law enforcement, one in particular use to be the Chief of Police retired and move on to a higher paying job with TSA. I also have a few working in Customs in a West Coast Airport. Believe or not whether you like it or not most things comes down to being profiled! The profile as told to me when coming from Thailand and surrounding countries they are looking for the kiddie Fuckers and drugs. Many of you talk about your rights and cited court ruling that is all fine and dandy but if you ever had to deal with the system whether you are innocent or not you would be put through the wringer and spit out with less money in your bank account! Right or wrong you are dealing with the government and broke or not they have deep pockets to bury you. They can just pile on and on until you give up. If you put yourself in a situation to be hard headed then in my opinion it is most likely going to happen.

I and my brother both have records and when I was coming and going from Thailand I got stopped why not it was all in the computer. I was asked questions and I told them where I was and went. They stare sometimes copped a attitude because I was on probation I basically had no rights which was true. And when they red card me for a search they search and found nothing because I made sure I never had anything pictures etc. To be questioned. Everything was kept behind my zipper and LBM had only one eye and couldn't speak. Today, after years and years I rarely get searched or even asked more than two questions just a ' have a nice say ".

Enjoy.