RM1000 to legally cross into Thailand

GEORGE TOWN: Malaysians need to possess at least RM1,000 if they want to legally cross into Thailand via the sea, land and air linkages.
It is not a new ruling; it was actually enforced for the last decade but due to the high volume of visitors entering and leaving the neighbouring nation, many of the Thai enforcement authorities - its customs and police - do not stringently check that this provision is adhered to.
And due to this lackadaisical stance at times by the Thai authorities, many Malaysian travellers tend to take this clause for granted.
A Thai border official has confirmed, saying a minimum of Thai Bhatt (THB) 10,000 to 20,000 needs to be carried by a traveller.
It translates to about RM1,000 now per person or passenger, depending on the currency exchange rate of the day.
For those on travelling on a family visa, it is between THB20,000 to 40,000 for each family.
The border official, who preferred not to be named, was responding to a blog posting of Malaysians complaining that they were denied entry into the kingdom because they did not have adequate cash on them.
It is learnt that the ruling was imposed by Thai authorities a long time ago but many Malaysians were still puzzled over the ruling which had prohibited many travellers from entering if they do not have enough cash in hand.
Attempts to contact The Royal Thai Consul-General in Penang and the Tourism Authority of Thailand's branch in Kuala Lumpur for clarifications were unsuccessful.