Police arrest 12 on Ranong ‘visa run’
RANONG: -- Twelve foreign tourists were pulled off a “visa runâ€
Arrests on Visa Run.
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tuktukmike
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That's interesting and a salutory lesson to everyone about overstaying.
It was reported last year (and I'm fairly certain with justification) that the same thing was happening to visa runners on their way to Aranya/Poi Pet.
The law is very clear and precise about this. If you're on overstay, even one day and caught outside of the airport, or you're not actually at an immigration point trying to depart the country, you're nicked. It's as simple as that. The liklihood is that it will lead to deportation.
If you make it to immigration, there's generally no problem if you pay the fine - 200 Baht a day, up to a max of 20,000. Get pulled anywhere else and it will get tricky.
I obviously can't comment on the allegation about the tea money. The personnel in Ranong have always been friendly to me despite having overstayed on numerous occasions.
However, I've always made it to the office.
I won't be chancing it again. Just not worth it.
It was reported last year (and I'm fairly certain with justification) that the same thing was happening to visa runners on their way to Aranya/Poi Pet.
The law is very clear and precise about this. If you're on overstay, even one day and caught outside of the airport, or you're not actually at an immigration point trying to depart the country, you're nicked. It's as simple as that. The liklihood is that it will lead to deportation.
If you make it to immigration, there's generally no problem if you pay the fine - 200 Baht a day, up to a max of 20,000. Get pulled anywhere else and it will get tricky.
I obviously can't comment on the allegation about the tea money. The personnel in Ranong have always been friendly to me despite having overstayed on numerous occasions.
However, I've always made it to the office.
I won't be chancing it again. Just not worth it.
Looking at that first post again and seeing The Aussie's remarks just makes me mad. What an airhead. He messed up and got caught - there's no excuse.
Damn it, I nearly lost my leg in an accident last year and was on 25 days over before the doctor would let me travel. Do you think they let me off the 1,900 extension and 5,000 fine at Suan Plu? Of course not.
I'm not going to go into it, but years ago I was temporarily in trouble with the police up country. Having been released on bail, the judge warned me not to try to leave the country - fair enough. Eventually, when it was pointed out by The Police Chief up there that he could arrest me for being 30 days over (but didn't because he understood why I not tried to leave Thaialnd), I ended up in Ranong, this time 36 days over. Was I let off the 7,200 fine. Again, of course not. Pay and shut up.
Just why the bloke in Phuket was late (maybe hungover, forgot etc etc) he's nicked. Twat!!
Had to get that off my chest. Rant over.
Damn it, I nearly lost my leg in an accident last year and was on 25 days over before the doctor would let me travel. Do you think they let me off the 1,900 extension and 5,000 fine at Suan Plu? Of course not.
I'm not going to go into it, but years ago I was temporarily in trouble with the police up country. Having been released on bail, the judge warned me not to try to leave the country - fair enough. Eventually, when it was pointed out by The Police Chief up there that he could arrest me for being 30 days over (but didn't because he understood why I not tried to leave Thaialnd), I ended up in Ranong, this time 36 days over. Was I let off the 7,200 fine. Again, of course not. Pay and shut up.
Just why the bloke in Phuket was late (maybe hungover, forgot etc etc) he's nicked. Twat!!
Had to get that off my chest. Rant over.
Loumart, some more of what the Aussie said does not make sense.
He states that getting knicked caused him to miss his flight out of the country the next day
Why did he not just depart at Phuket Airport that day, pay his 200baht and then get his passport stamped on the way back again.
We do not have to get a visa to enter Thailand from Australia, all we get is a 30 day tourist visa when we enter and then we can extend once we are here.
He states that getting knicked caused him to miss his flight out of the country the next day
Why did he not just depart at Phuket Airport that day, pay his 200baht and then get his passport stamped on the way back again.
We do not have to get a visa to enter Thailand from Australia, all we get is a 30 day tourist visa when we enter and then we can extend once we are here.
Thinking of that bus getting flagged down and all those people who had overstayed their visas on it I have to tell this story.
When I was first living in Melbourne in the early 80's, we used to drink at a pub in Phraran called the Windsor Castle which at the time was run by two Jocks.
It used to be packed to the rafters with all the Brits plus a lot of Kiwis and Pacific Islanders. I had only just got my residence sorted out at the time so I was Ok.
I went to the pub at about 9.30pm one Friday, walked in the bar and to my amazement there was hardly anyone there. When I asked behind the bar what had happened to everyone, I was pulled very discretly to the office behind the bar and told that if I had overstyed my visa or was working and only had a holiday visa, to get the hell out of the pub as the police had told the owner that the immigration was going to raid the pub later in the evening.
I quickly made a few phone calls to warn some of my mates who I knew had no visas, and then settled in for the night.
True to form at about at about 15min before closing the doors of the pub burst open and in waltzes the immigration.
Well you had to be there to the looks on their faces when there was only about 10-15 people in the pub at 11-45pm on Friday Night. It was very hard to sit there and keep a straight face. After a lot of swearing and cursing, and looking daggers at the owner, they all departed with their tails between their legs. It was was one of the funniest things that I had ever seen.
It happend a few other times after that, but still the same result, they gave up in the end as in all their raids, they never caught one person
I had previously had dealings with the Immigration over my working visa, so I think that I know what the people on the bus that had no must have been thinking when they got flagged down.
It is bad enough for it to happen in Australia, let alone be locked up in some dingy country style Thailand lock up.
Just goes to show for all of you that are over there, that there is no in between when dealing with visas overthere and is best to get in early rather than leave it late.
When I was first living in Melbourne in the early 80's, we used to drink at a pub in Phraran called the Windsor Castle which at the time was run by two Jocks.
It used to be packed to the rafters with all the Brits plus a lot of Kiwis and Pacific Islanders. I had only just got my residence sorted out at the time so I was Ok.
I went to the pub at about 9.30pm one Friday, walked in the bar and to my amazement there was hardly anyone there. When I asked behind the bar what had happened to everyone, I was pulled very discretly to the office behind the bar and told that if I had overstyed my visa or was working and only had a holiday visa, to get the hell out of the pub as the police had told the owner that the immigration was going to raid the pub later in the evening.
I quickly made a few phone calls to warn some of my mates who I knew had no visas, and then settled in for the night.
True to form at about at about 15min before closing the doors of the pub burst open and in waltzes the immigration.
Well you had to be there to the looks on their faces when there was only about 10-15 people in the pub at 11-45pm on Friday Night. It was very hard to sit there and keep a straight face. After a lot of swearing and cursing, and looking daggers at the owner, they all departed with their tails between their legs. It was was one of the funniest things that I had ever seen.
It happend a few other times after that, but still the same result, they gave up in the end as in all their raids, they never caught one person
I had previously had dealings with the Immigration over my working visa, so I think that I know what the people on the bus that had no must have been thinking when they got flagged down.
It is bad enough for it to happen in Australia, let alone be locked up in some dingy country style Thailand lock up.
Just goes to show for all of you that are over there, that there is no in between when dealing with visas overthere and is best to get in early rather than leave it late.
Very good point.chelsea wrote:Loumart, some more of what the Aussie said does not make sense.
He states that getting knicked caused him to miss his flight out of the country the next day
Why did he not just depart at Phuket Airport that day, pay his 200baht and then get his passport stamped on the way back again.
We do not have to get a visa to enter Thailand from Australia, all we get is a 30 day tourist visa when we enter and then we can extend once we are here.
Personally I think the pelicans in brown could be a little more diplomatic.
Tourists are, afterall, pouring their dollars into this country so throwing them into a cell like common thieves is a little over the top IMO. The overstay fine is enough, all visa runners know the risks so should be prepared for it.
Now if the bus was full of Burmese immigrants with no visas, Islamic fundamentalists with explosives, Nigerian smugglers with white powder or Russian meatheads with lots of girls passports then yes, harder punnishment is due.
As usual the cops seem to be taking the easy way out so they can get back to the station with their pockets full to watch more TV.
Tourists are, afterall, pouring their dollars into this country so throwing them into a cell like common thieves is a little over the top IMO. The overstay fine is enough, all visa runners know the risks so should be prepared for it.
Now if the bus was full of Burmese immigrants with no visas, Islamic fundamentalists with explosives, Nigerian smugglers with white powder or Russian meatheads with lots of girls passports then yes, harder punnishment is due.
As usual the cops seem to be taking the easy way out so they can get back to the station with their pockets full to watch more TV.
RANONG: A group of 12 foreign tourists arrested for overstaying their visas have spent their second night sleeping on the floor of a jail cell at Ranong Police Station.
Ranong Immigration Police, who have announced that they will deport the group, say they are only following “standard proceduresâ€
Ranong Immigration Police, who have announced that they will deport the group, say they are only following “standard proceduresâ€
Sorry. I have to disagree.buksida wrote:Personally I think the pelicans in brown could be a little more diplomatic.
Tourists are, afterall, pouring their dollars into this country so throwing them into a cell like common thieves is a little over the top IMO. The overstay fine is enough, all visa runners know the risks so should be prepared for it.
Now if the bus was full of Burmese immigrants with no visas, Islamic fundamentalists with explosives, Nigerian smugglers with white powder or Russian meatheads with lots of girls passports then yes, harder punnishment is due.
As usual the cops seem to be taking the easy way out so they can get back to the station with their pockets full to watch more TV.
There is just no justification or excuse for overstaying as I've outlined above.
These "crusties" come off a beach somewhere and think their sins will be forgiven.
Sure, the penalties are harsh - fines, imprisonment and deportation - but if you don't draw a line somewhere, where can you?
I shouldn't be saying this, but if you're on overstay never, ever get on a visa bus. Go by public transport.
Too right. However, in cases like these, it will probably lead to deportation - as already reported.johnnyk wrote:There are always those who are too drunk, too stupid or too immature to understand that its THEIR responsibility.
The little paper stapled in the passport indicates the date quite clearly, for those paying attention.
Pay the fine asshole and consider yourself lucky.
The Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) in BKK is no holiday, apparantly. It's at the back of the immigration offices at Soi Suan Plu, Bangkok and the conditions are supposedly worse than Bang Kwang (The Bangkok Hilton).
Don't overstay.