Originally Posted by
DirtyDan
I would say there's two options for speaking with the BKK immigration here:
1) Be straight forward and just ask. I don't think this will work. From what I've seen of Thai culture, they are very much indoctrinated in the "follow-the-process" of how tasks must be performed.
2) Try what Diplomatico advised and simply attempt to pass through immigration without drawing attention to your visa. Perhaps the officer misses it and stamps a regular VOA into your passport. If you get "caught" simply explain your situation and be mentally prepared to have your original visa invoked...
I would strongly discourage either/both approaches. Might one, or both, 'work'? Possibly. But unless you speak fluent Thai, are comfortable with all the changing nuances of Thai Immigration "laws", and fluctuating "enforcement", you may create more problems than are otherwise necessary.
Note that using the term "VOA" is probably not useful in this thread as the OP is not even eligible for a Visa on Arrival, assuming they carry a British, or passport from a country which grants a 30 day Tourist Visa Exemption.
Just get a double-entry visa in the U.K., or a single-entry visa in Sri Lanka.
Note that extending a real Tourist Visa for 30 days inside Thailand (at Immigration, forms+photos+copies+1,900 THB) is absolutely acceptable, and there are no "anecdotal" accounts which indicate that this is potentially not possible. I believe ft101 is referring to an obscure, unverifiable, 3rd party account from a provincial Immigration office, and is relevant to extending a 30 day Tourist Visa Exemption, rather than a real Tourist Visa.