the supervisor who interviewed me said that I need to pay for my visa and stop using the free system. He was polite. We spoke in Thai. He was not interested in anything else. It was my second air arrival of the year. I had done 2 land crossings as well.
On my fourth visit this year I was told by an immigration supervisor at Suvanabhumi that I was using the visa exempt system too frequently and that I must apply for an e-visa in the future
I was required to submit documents detailing flights and accomodation before the application could progress. I'm not sure if this procedure has been updated since you last used it... or I was misinterpreting the requirement
on my last entry on a visa exemption at Suwanabhumi (my 5th for the year) an immigration supervisor took me aside and said I have entered too many times and I must apply for an e-visa in the future.
I don’t think I would be asking this question if there was an actual ‘correct’ visa or it was at least made clear why I am ineligible for a visa exempt arrival.