Thailand keeps hunting for 8,000-plus overstaying foreigners

[Peterw42]

3 hours ago, webfact 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.

This is a pretty serious statement, and if remotely true, has some pretty big ramifications.

 

I doubt there is any law, statute, regulation or legal power where over-stayers have their condo, car and bank balance confiscated. (other than the normal fines etc).

 

This is how rumours and false information gets started. Next week people will be quoting this as fact on Thaivisa, overstay and you loose your assets.

 

Its odd that the story and statement come from a defence ministry spokesman, not immigration or police.

[YetAnother]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

only to smear this country's image in the eye of the international community, the spokesman said on Wednesday.

what mindless foolishness; the people that care in the intl community already know what thailand is

[wgdanson]

2 hours ago, missoura said:

Getting rid of serial overstayers is a good thing. If a person does not have enough coins to be able obtain a visa to live in Thailand year round, they are either broke or working in a shady business. Send them home.

 

In the past someone else handled my visa paperwork. Now, it is up to me. Every 90 days I go visit the immigration office in Phitsanulok which is typical of many government buildings. Rundown and drab. But the staff is ok. I now have to jump through the paperwork hoops much like my wife did years ago applying for her American Green Card.

 

I was always taught if you want to dance, you have to pay the fiddler…

I know these two, nice guys at P'lok Immigration. Never any problems.

 

[hansnl]

2 hours ago, ezzra said:

Not sure how did they get to that figure,  how do they know who's of the overstays engaged in criminal

and who's not, I'm thinking that this is maybe a ballpark figure and that in reality there are many more

than 8,000 out there.....

The confiscating bit, may that be the clincher?

[wvavin]

The best place to start with is Sukhumvit from Soi Nana onwards.

[Gecko123]

Make sure to check all the longon orchards too.

Edited February 1, 2018 by Gecko123

[Charlie1]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

.... but have all their wealth confiscated by the authorities, he said.

Needs money for new bling bling, it seems...

[jackdd]

Probably this is only about people who overstayed more than 90 days or something like that, so the number seems quite low. I doubt they would confiscate the wealth of the tourist who overstays a day or two

If they were serious about it: Website with photos and details of the overstayers, and 1000thb reward for a tip that leads to an arrest. But then the IDC would probably run out of capacity

[Jonmarleesco]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Those illegal aliens, mostly of who came from Asia, Africa and Europe ... have all their wealth confiscated by the authorities ...

Well, there's an irony, and a possible variation on deceased friends - though it doubtless passed right over Prawit's pate.

 

 

Edited February 1, 2018 by Jonmarleesco

[Jonmarleesco]

Good luck with that. They can't even locate (so they claim) one spoilt brat and runaway police killer. Nor, with any degree of certainty, at least one past PM.

[ratcatcher]

3 hours ago, missoura said:

Getting rid of serial overstayers is a good thing. If a person does not have enough coins to be able obtain a visa to live in Thailand year round, they are either broke or working in a shady business. Send them home.

 

In the past someone else handled my visa paperwork. Now, it is up to me. Every 90 days I go visit the immigration office in Phitsanulok which is typical of many government buildings. Rundown and drab. But the staff is ok. I now have to jump through the paperwork hoops much like my wife did years ago applying for her American Green Card.

 

I was always taught if you want to dance, you have to pay the fiddler…

Drab and rundown are not words that I would use to describe the Phitsanulok Immigration office.It is located in a relatively new building on a busy road, parking is minimal, but then so are the customers. Having used this office for 2 years before the new Phichit office opened, I can honestly say the staff were friendly and helpful.

Dealing with Thai immigration is not difficult if one is polite, tidy and most importantly has their paperwork complete and in order. I could never see the storage area where they keep the hoops you refer to.

If you want glitzy offices, then busy Chaeng Wattana and Chiang Mai may be better,  but since I am constantly reminded by some members of this forum, that Thailand is a Third World country, I am surprised that this office even has lighting........IMHO

[candoman89]

But surely the 90 day reporting makes this an easy exercise. Just hunt down the people who didn't report.........<deleted> clowns

[RichardColeman]

Not to worry, just arrest them when they dutifully turn up for their 90 day report !

[ratcatcher]

4 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Not to worry, just arrest them when they dutifully turn up for their 90 day report !

I know you're joking, but do people on overstay still do 90 day reps?

[Thaijack2014]

How many have already left the country without the authorities knowing about it? They are considered overstaying, just because they not exited the country via airport but through some lesser channels..

[kiwikeith]

4 hours ago, simoh1490 said:

If only many Western countries had adopted a similar approach years ago!

When NZ catches a Thai over stayer they lock them up for a few days while processing papers and put them on a free flight to BK.

[sanemax]

17 minutes ago, Jonmarleesco said:

Good luck with that. They can't even locate (so they claim) one spoilt brat and runaway police killer. Nor, with any degree of certainty, at least one past PM.

Well, done, mentioning him once again , not a thread goes by with him getting a mention

[klauskunkel]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

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 will not only be arrested but have all their wealth confiscated by the authorities, he said.

and Prawit will have a closer look at their watches

[Ossy]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

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.

So we needn't get excited about any results stemming from that order. It's over 3 months, now, since the Defence ministry and the Immigration Police were tossing around vastly differing overstay numbers of 10,000 and 20,000, if I recall correctly. I wonder, (A) what actual work has been done since then; and (B) how many actual visits, by police, to known 'legal' foreigners, as good as knowing that they would be a likely lead towards the not-so-legal ones. Very little and very few are the correct answers, there, of course.

[SpeakeasyThai]

4 hours ago, rkidlad said:

I’m guessing a lot more than 8,000. I already know of about 5 people. 

Could you do us all a big favour then and notify the immigration department the 5 people you personally know are illegal over stayers? Much appreciate if you could do the right thing.

[toofarnorth]

5 minutes ago, SpeakeasyThai said:

Could you do us all a big favour then and notify the immigration department the 5 people you personally know are illegal over stayers? Much appreciate if you could do the right thing.

Yes indeed, I have a few pals way up here and we all do our 90 day reports on time , mine is next Thursday and we will meet up with another mate for lunch that day , then it will be ' Can we miss or postpone a meet next week as I am doing my 90 day ? ' from someone else . All this hassle re 90 day reports.  Up to Imm. at Maisai , in and out in 5 mins. I am glad to say I know no one who is on overstay.

[Moti24]

Thailand keeps hunting for 8,000-plus overstaying foreigners

No doubt they'll also get hit for the TM30 fines when they're found.  Obviously this TM30 crap isn't working if 8,000-plus foreigners have failed to register their address; some people just can't follow simple rules!

[hottrader77]

5 hours ago, simoh1490 said:

If only many Western countries had adopted a similar approach years ago!

yes england could do wwith doing that and the confiscated money will pay for the hunting of illegals and the crime they do 

[NoshowJones]

I hope they get those people as they are making things harder for everyone else, but the Thai government themselves are mostly to blame for making it harder for the long stay tourists with all the unnecessary hoop jumping they have to go through, and for the decent law abiding retirees, this nonsensical 90 day reporting.

[NoshowJones]

3 hours ago, bluesofa said:

Is this for all overstayers, I wonder?

It also says they "might possibly have been involved in crimes [within Thailand]" - fair enough.

However, what right does the government have to steal their cash - assuming it was brought into the country legally?

I would say every right if any of the overstayers are deliberately overstaying and have been for a long time.

[Krataiboy]

A reflection of just how useless the present 90-day and other reporting systems are. And aren't computer checks for criminal records part of the Thai Immigration procedure for inbound foreigners? 

 

 

[ferguston]

Also get rid of all those who are staying on fabricated visas supplied by "agents".

For example a retirement visa supplied when you have insufficient funds in a bank account.

How many thousands would that be?

[Acemaker]

5 hours ago, steven100 said:

I believe they are in Pattaya.

The criminal element are anyway :      

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, ratcatcher said:

Drab and rundown are not words that I would use to describe the Phitsanulok Immigration office.It is located in a relatively new building on a busy road, parking is minimal, but then so are the customers. Having used this office for 2 years before the new Phichit office opened, I can honestly say the staff were friendly and helpful.

Dealing with Thai immigration is not difficult if one is polite, tidy and most importantly has their paperwork complete and in order. I could never see the storage area where they keep the hoops you refer to.

If you want glitzy offices, then busy Chaeng Wattana and Chiang Mai may be better,  but since I am constantly reminded by some members of this forum, that Thailand is a Third World country, I am surprised that this office even has lighting........IMHO

I do not agree with you about the Phitsanulok office, one officer there accused me of having a 25 day overstay, it took someone from higher up to sort it out, that same officer even asked me if my wife was working, and I was only there to do a 90 day report on my retirement extension. 

This happened a few years ago and ever since then I have been frightened to do any 90 day reports personally. 

[1happykamper]

"will not only be arrested but have all their wealth confiscated by the authorities, he said." For who? I guy who overstays a few weeks or the man that committed a serious crime? Or.. Same same? Unfair.