Long-term foreign residents are upset at the strict implementation of the TM30 reporting rules.

They say that it will only penalise law-abiding foreigners and have little effect on criminals.

The TM30 is a form that landlords which provide accommodation to foreigners must submit to the authorities within 24 hours of the arrival of their tenants.

By law, landlords must submit the form to authorities every time their tenants return to the country.

Long-term foreign residents are also required to report their whereabouts if they spend more than 24 hours at places other than their registered addresses.

Landlords and tenants who fail to comply face fines of between 800 to 2,000 baht, although the sum seems to differ across different immigration offices.

A foreign NGO worker who asked not to be named said that he doesn't think that form is a problem, as it is his landlord's responsibility to submit the form to authorities.

A netizen who goes by "drsmith" said that his family decided to cancel their two-week trip to Thailand after learning about the entire TM30 ordeal.

"After reading that we have to report our every move, we decided to cancel our vacation to go somewhere more friendly," he wrote.

Another netizen, who goes by the username "borthong" wrote, "I don't know about others, but I am not travelling to a country where I've spent millions of baht to be treated like a criminal who has to be tracked."

The Bangkok Post spoke to several Thai landlords but none wanted to discuss the matter out of concern they might be fined by the Immigration Bureau (IB).

Meanwhile, IB chief Pol Lt Gen Sompong Chingduang admitted there are problems that need to be addressed to improve understanding of the regulation among landlords.

Pol Lt Gen Sompong said many of those who provide accommodation to foreigners are unaware they are required to report their tenants' whereabouts to authorities. He also said that many private homeowners choose to ignore it, while hotel and guesthouse owners are more familiar with the process.

However, Pol Lt Gen Sompong stressed that the TM30 process will continue to be enforced in the future, despite the problems.