They don't have 20,000 Baht each for overstay. That should make clear their financial situation. And it seems like the majority of people are blind/indifferent to the reality of life for many - maybe most - people in the world.
You escape your home country under threat of imminent death for your opinions. You were able to scrounge together enough money for a ticket to Thailand. You then overstay your visa and spend the next 3-4 years living on 6,000 Baht a month or so usually donated by churches. You can't work and if you're caught by immigration police, you're sent to IDC where it is near impossible to complete an asylum application, which requires a full monitor, scanner, printer, Acrobat Pro, Word etc.
At the end of it all, you are one of the lucky ones who is accepted into a Western country with a chance at a new life. Thailand says "cool, give us 80,000 Baht or you all go to prison."