Thailand keeps hunting for 8,000-plus overstaying foreigners

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buksida
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Thailand keeps hunting for 8,000-plus overstaying foreigners

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Thailand's authorities are continuing to hunt for over 8,000 foreigners who have allegedly overstayed in this country, according to Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Kongcheep Tantrawanich.

Those foreigners, suspected to have illegally overstayed in varied spots throughout Thailand, might possibly have been involved in crimes or any outlawed activities only to smear this country's image in the eye of the international community, the spokesman said on Wednesday.

Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan had ordered the authorities to locate and arrest the 8,000-plus suspected overstayers in addition to a number of others who may have illegally entered this country, he said.

Those illegal aliens, mostly of who came from Asia, Africa and Europe, will not only be arrested but have all their wealth confiscated by the authorities, he said.

They are believed to be currently hiding out in and around major tourist spots such as Pattaya, Phuket, Hua Hin, Koh Samui island and Bangkok, among other whereabouts throughout the country.

Meanwhile, the authorities have stepped up measures to combat cross-border drug trafficking amidst news reports that a very large volume of methamphetamine and other drugs have been produced in Myanmar's Shan state and destined to be smuggled into Thai territory.

Millions of methamphetamine tablets have been seized and many suspected traffickers have been arrested by the authorities over the last several months.

Source: http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-0 ... 939460.htm
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Re: Thailand keeps hunting for 8,000-plus overstaying foreigners

Post by Big Boy »

Hunting??? I've rarely seen policing in Thailand amount to more than setting up a road block (hunter's trap?), and waiting for the crime to come to them. Maybe if they are serious, they need to add checking passports for those that walk into their traps. It wouldn't be very popular, but if they don't check the basic information that everybody has to carry with them, how else will they find these 8.000 fugitives?
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buksida
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Re: Thailand keeps hunting for 8,000-plus overstaying foreigners

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Indeed - a Thai cop 'hunting' involves sitting under a bridge waiting for tourists on finos to drive by.

The other problem is that immigration assumes we're all fugitives/criminals until we prove otherwise. Guilty until proven innocent in this country.
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Re: Thailand keeps hunting for 8,000-plus overstaying foreigners

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8000 plus, how do they know ? How did they count them ? Another Thai stupidity.
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Re: Thailand keeps hunting for 8,000-plus overstaying foreigners

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One time in Pattaya several years ago, the police stared togo around the bar area asking to see passports---first couple of days no fine but a warning, then they started fining if you did not have your pp with you, didnt last very long. This whole country has short-term memory loss. I have always carried a copy of my PP in my wallet, comes in very useful, even banks will accept it.
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Re: Thailand keeps hunting for 8,000-plus overstaying foreigners

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This also happened in Hua Hin several years ago.
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Re: Thailand keeps hunting for 8,000-plus overstaying foreigners

Post by Dannie Boy »

oakdale160 wrote: Thu Feb 01, 2018 9:49 am One time in Pattaya several years ago, the police stared togo around the bar area asking to see passports---first couple of days no fine but a warning, then they started fining if you did not have your pp with you, didnt last very long. This whole country has short-term memory loss. I have always carried a copy of my PP in my wallet, comes in very useful, even banks will accept it.
Whilst it might not be acceptable in all occasions, I now keep a copy of my passport, visa page and last entry stamp and 90 day report on my smartphone. Hopefully this will at least provide breathing space, if asked to subsequently show the originals at a police or immigration office.
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Re: Thailand keeps hunting for 8,000-plus overstaying foreigners

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europtimiste wrote: Thu Feb 01, 2018 9:14 am 8000 plus, how do they know ? How did they count them ? Another Thai stupidity.
I would imagine entering Thailand with no record of leaving or renewing their permission to stay would be a clue! Not rocket science!

Strangely enough, records are kept and much of it is in a central database these days.
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Re: Thailand keeps hunting for 8,000-plus overstaying foreigners

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Dannie Boy wrote: Thu Feb 01, 2018 10:14 am
Whilst it might not be acceptable in all occasions, I now keep a copy of my passport, visa page and last entry stamp and 90 day report on my smartphone. Hopefully this will at least provide breathing space, if asked to subsequently show the originals at a police or immigration office.
Likewise, have been asked for my passport twice in the last two years. First time no problems, second time asked why I did not have it with me I responded by saying I was just following my issuing country guidelines. ( Which is also on my smartphone) Smiled and thanked me and I was on my way.

Excerpt, DFAT Australia

Your passport is a valuable document. It proves your identity and citizenship. If your passport is lost or damaged, you may not be able to travel internationally. Furthermore, a lost or stolen passport has the potential to be misused for criminal purposes. To protect your passport:

know where it is at all times
do not alter it in any way, or allow another person to use it
to do so is an offence under the Australian Passports Act 2005
keep it safe and dry.

https://www.passports.gov.au/usingyourp ... urity.aspx
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Re: Thailand keeps hunting for 8,000-plus overstaying foreigners

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This kind of sentence always makes me sigh:
might possibly have been involved in crimes or any outlawed activities only to smear this country's image in the eye of the international community
The acts of anyone involved in politics in Thailand doesn't smear the country's image?
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Re: Thailand keeps hunting for 8,000-plus overstaying foreigners

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Bamboo Grove wrote: Thu Feb 01, 2018 11:46 am The acts of anyone involved in politics in Thailand doesn't smear the country's image?
:lach: cardboard cutouts and bling watches is smearing enough!
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Re: Thailand keeps hunting for 8,000-plus overstaying foreigners

Post by 404cameljockey »

Dannie Boy wrote: Thu Feb 01, 2018 10:14 am
oakdale160 wrote: Thu Feb 01, 2018 9:49 am One time in Pattaya several years ago, the police stared togo around the bar area asking to see passports---first couple of days no fine but a warning, then they started fining if you did not have your pp with you, didnt last very long. This whole country has short-term memory loss. I have always carried a copy of my PP in my wallet, comes in very useful, even banks will accept it.
Whilst it might not be acceptable in all occasions, I now keep a copy of my passport, visa page and last entry stamp and 90 day report on my smartphone. Hopefully this will at least provide breathing space, if asked to subsequently show the originals at a police or immigration office.
That's a good idea, I'll start to do that, but if you carry any sort of wallet an A4 page is easy to slip inside too. I've always insisted to police, hotels, etc. that my Thai driving license is my ID. In UAE you have to buy an ID card every year and it's still fairly useless, but government services insist on seeing it.
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Re: Thailand keeps hunting for 8,000-plus overstaying foreigners

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About 10,000 foreign over-stayers are believed still hiding in the country
Police estimated there are about 10,000 foreigners who have over-stayed their visas in Thailand and are suspicious that many of them may engage in illegal activities.

Pol Maj-Gen Surachet Hakpan, deputy commissioner of Tourist Police Bureau, said Thursday (Feb 1) that these illegal immigrants were targeted for a police crackdown.

On Wednesday night, police in coordination with immigration officials launched a city-wide search of 40 targeted spots frequented by foreign tourists such as Khao San road and Soi Nana to look for illegal immigrants.

Eight foreigners from Nigeria, India, Kenya and Ghana were booked for overstaying their visas and one Ugandan was apprehended for drug abuse.

Pol Maj-Gen Surachet said some foreigners were involved in illegal activities such as call centre scam and romance scam.

He disclosed that, in the past year, tourist police had conducted 14 city-wide searches covering more than 400 targeted spots and managed to capture many over-stayers of which 140 of them were deported.

About 10,000 over-stayers are believed to be hiding in the country, he said.

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/10000- ... g-country/
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Re: Thailand keeps hunting for 8,000-plus overstaying foreigners

Post by charlesh »

Hell, given their alleged origin they would in general standout like sore thumbs.
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Re: Thailand keeps hunting for 8,000-plus overstaying foreigners

Post by handdrummer »

Does Thailand pay the airfare to deport them? If so I may overstay my visa but with my luck they'd never find me, after all they only have my address.
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