81 foreigners arrested in nationwide crackdown

By The Nation

 

 

Tourist police joined forces with other police agencies nationwide to search 123 spots around the country and arrested 81 foreigners on several charges.

 

The results of the 7th X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner operation, which was carried out throughout Wednesday till late night, were announced at a press conference by Pol Maj-General Surachet Hakpal, deputy police chief, at Chana Songkram Police Station at 1am.

 

Surachet said 13 foreigners were arrested for overstaying their visas. They included four Laotians, three Indians, two Vietnamese, two Nigerians, one Cambodian and one Malaysian.

 

He said 62 foreigners – 25 Laotians, 24 from Myanmar, four Indians, four Cambodians, two Vietnamese, one Pakistani, and one Liberian – were arrested on charges of unlawful entry into the Kingdom.

 

Six others – four Indians, one from Myanmar and one Nigerian – were arrested on other charges, Surachet added.

 

During the operations, police searched 11 international schools, 21 language institutes, 55 normal schools and other places.

 

Surachet threatened to take action against schools that hired foreign teachers whose visas has expired.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30343044

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-04-12

14 minutes ago, webfact said:

During the operations, police searched 11 international schools, 21 language institutes, 55 normal schools and other places.

Ah yes! The hotbeds of serious organised crime. Wonder how many drug dealers were busy plying their trade down the road?

Were there any arrests for speeding or driving too fast for conditions or otherwise reckless driving on the roads and freeways, particularly speeding double-decker buses or young actresses in expensive, SUV type vehicles?

Edited April 12, 20188 yr by MaxYakov

12 minutes ago, ThreeEyedRaven said:

Ah yes! The hotbeds of serious organised crime. Wonder how many drug dealers were busy plying their trade down the road?

Who's paying what and to whom...?

42 minutes ago, webfact said:

 

He said 62 foreigners – 25 Laotians, 24 from Myanmar, four Indians, four Cambodians, two Vietnamese, one Pakistani, and one Liberian

And a partridge in a pear tree.

Why are they in a baby cot?

43 minutes ago, MaxYakov said:

Were there any arrests for speeding or driving too fast for conditions or otherwise reckless driving on the roads and freeways, particularly speeding double-decker buses or young actresses in expensive, SUV type vehicles?

No... because the Immigration Police do not police the roads, they police those breaking Immigration Law.

 

So, your criticism is of the Immigration Police not doing the job of another division?

 

 

2 minutes ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

Easy pickings.

 

Much easier than doing proper Police work. It meets their quota, doesn't factor any locals in the equation (very important), targets foreigners who will be scared and have absolutely no support from any local phu yais that could cause any problems later on, possible chance of picking up a few Baht from the foreigners trying to pay their way out of trouble and a photo opportunity and pats on the back all round.

 

Operation X-Ray Foreigner is a winner, winner, chicken dinner.  

I do suspect that if the Police were cracking down on motorbike drivers , you would complain about the Police not cracking down on illegal immigrants

53 minutes ago, ThreeEyedRaven said:

Ah yes! The hotbeds of serious organised crime. Wonder how many drug dealers were busy plying their trade down the road?

No but they are certainly the hotbeds of illegals, and everyone here longer than a week is well aware of that

52 minutes ago, MaxYakov said:

Were there any arrests for speeding or driving too fast for conditions or otherwise reckless driving on the roads and freeways, particularly speeding double-decker buses or young actresses in expensive, SUV type vehicles?

 

I'm sure you don't make such comments when immigration police in your home country removes illegals, in fact I'm almost sure that you are one of those that climb on their soapbox to shout they don't remove enough of them.

7 minutes ago, janclaes47 said:

No but they are certainly the hotbeds of illegals, and everyone here longer than a week is well aware of that

 

I'm sure you don't make such comments when immigration police in your home country removes illegals, in fact I'm almost sure that you are one of those that climb on their soapbox to shout they don't remove enough of them.

True no where near enough of them are deported!

These guys represent a very, very small numbers of the real magnitude

of the the total number of overstayers, some of them criminals,

in this country.....

 

Similar to "selective hearing".

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Surachet said 13 foreigners were arrested for overstaying their visas. They included four Laotians, three Indians, two Vietnamese, two Nigerians, one Cambodian and one Malaysian.

 

He said 62 foreigners – 25 Laotians, 24 from Myanmar, four Indians, four Cambodians, two Vietnamese, one Pakistani, and one Liberian – were arrested on charges of unlawful entry into the Kingdom.

 

Six others – four Indians, one from Myanmar and one Nigerian – were arrested on other charges, Surachet added.

 

Somehow, Laotians, Burmese, Cambodians, Vietnamese and Africans don't strike me as the likely folks working legally or illegally at your local schools or language schools here.

 

30 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

No... because the Immigration Police do not police the roads, they police those breaking Immigration Law.

 

So, your criticism is of the Immigration Police not doing the job of another division?

 

 

I saw no criticism of the immigration police, just a general comment on priorities

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

No... because the Immigration Police do not police the roads, they police those breaking Immigration Law.

 

So, your criticism is of the Immigration Police not doing the job of another division?

 

 

I did not specify that the road-related arrests had to be made by the immigration police, did I? I was making a point about the focus of law enforcement in Thailand in general and you completely missed the point of my post. Songkran is about to break out isn't it?

 

I've spent a fair amount of time on Thailand's roads and sightings of something even resembling the California Highway Patrol (as an example and maybe not a good one since California is largely an illegal alien sanctuary state) were not common. Even a lot of the road-related rescue work is donated and inadequately compensated if not completely unpaid, not to (have to) mention that Thailand's road kill rate is almost second to none (if not #1) on the planet. You might want to check out the current Thailand News illegal water gun enforcement article.

Edited April 12, 20188 yr by MaxYakov

I wonder if there has been or is ongoing a bit of a row between the various "recruiting agencies" for foreign teachers?

Someone cutting in on someone else's turf perhaps?

1 hour ago, baboon said:

Who's paying what and to whom...?

Or rather...who's up who and who's not paying?

38 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Somehow, Laotians, Burmese, Cambodians, Vietnamese and Africans don't strike me as the likely folks working legally or illegally at your local schools or language schools here.

 

They do have a better command of English than the locals though.

I for one who lived in Thailand for 30+ years legally and obeyed the law I am happy to see these postings of illegals getting caught. I wish there were more of these Immigration Police so they could really nail these illegals and deport them with bans for a very long time. The ones who can't prove how they got into the country need to go to jail.

24 minutes ago, MaxYakov said:

I did not specify that the road-related arrests had to be made by the immigration police, did I? I was making a point about the focus of law enforcement in Thailand in general and you completely missed the point of my post. Songkran is about to break out isn't it?

Geez...just because a few illegal foreigners have been arrested doesn't mean that that is where the RTP's focus is.  It means that this team was engaged in fulfilling their particular job while other officers allocated to other areas were doing theirs! 

 

It's amazing how many irrational members of Thaivisa's The-RTP-Can't-Do-Right-For-Doing-Wrong-Club seem to think that the officers referred to in the OP are the only officers in the police force!

2 hours ago, webfact said:

55 normal schools

 

There are that many here?

6 minutes ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

No it doesn't.

 

It's easy pickings as I explained in an earlier post. 

 

Low hanging fruit always gets picked first. 

Yes, it does.

You didn't "explain" anything, you gave your irrational opinion which seems to be that only one crime at a time can be investigated by an entire police force or that this exercise took priority over every other investigation. 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

During the operations, police searched 11 international schools, 21 language institutes, 55 normal schools and other places.

I guess they knew they had a problem when all the kids started sounding like Jar Jar Binks

2 minutes ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

Eh? I said nothing of the sort.

 

I explained fully why this operation was taking place and why. 

From your 1st comment...

"Much easier than doing proper Police work".

If that didn't suggest that other investigations weren't being done when this operation took place, I don't know what would.

 

"I explained fully..."

What?  You seem to think that (a) an explanation why this operation took place was needed and (b) you are in a position to "explain" it!  You aren't, you're just expressing your irrational opinion.

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

These guys represent a very, very small numbers of the real magnitude

of the the total number of overstayers, some of them criminals,

in this country.....

But the others are caucasian......call themselves real estate agents.....and contribute to the police pension fund

They are protected species...

Simple as that.....

1 hour ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

Then you'd be wrong.

 

The Thais have used (and got extremely rich off) the slave labour of Burmese, Cambodians and Laotians to build nearly every large, commercial building in Bangkok and none of them were 'legal' back in the day. There were millions of these so-called illegal workers here in the 90's and early 00's. The recent registering and monitoring of these workers is just another step towards increasing xenophobia and nationalism that is gradually making this country a more unpleasant place to be.

 

Despite that, this operation X-Ray Foreigner is nothing more than a joke so the local plod can laze about all day but still show results by arresting a few nobodies.

 

If you think otherwise you haven't worked this place or the locals out yet. 

 

 

the recent registering is thai xenaphobia is it?

 

nothing to do with recent outside pressure to focus on migrant workers rights etc then?

38 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

Geez...just because a few illegal foreigners have been arrested doesn't mean that that is where the RTP's focus is.  It means that this team was engaged in fulfilling their particular job while other officers allocated to other areas were doing theirs! 

 

It's amazing how many irrational members of Thaivisa's The-RTP-Can't-Do-Right-For-Doing-Wrong-Club seem to think that the officers referred to in the OP are the only officers in the police force!

Sorry, missed again! I didn't even imply that immigration were the only RTP officers, but I have been off-topic since my initial reply, haven't I?

 

Then, pray tell, where is and should be the RTP's focus if you were making strategic decisions for law enforcement in Thailand?

 

Irrational Max 

Edited April 12, 20188 yr by MaxYakov

1 hour ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

Then you'd be wrong.

 

The Thais have used (and got extremely rich off) the slave labour of Burmese, Cambodians and Laotians to build nearly every large, commercial building in Bangkok and none of them were 'legal' back in the day. There were millions of these so-called illegal workers here in the 90's and early 00's. The recent registering and monitoring of these workers is just another step towards increasing xenophobia and nationalism that is gradually making this country a more unpleasant place to be.

 

Despite that, this operation X-Ray Foreigner is nothing more than a joke so the local plod can laze about all day but still show results by arresting a few nobodies.

 

If you think otherwise you haven't worked this place or the locals out yet. 

 

 

 

It's also another way in ensuring that those who are work permitted have medical care (30 baht scheme).

It ensures fewer criminals (Police checks are required - especially for Foreign teachers).

 

While many suspect these targetted raids are xenophobic (and they may be right) Thailand has become an easy place for those with a criminal history live and work. Stepping up measures against this is not necessarily a bad thing. 

 

Where do all the Thai Criminals go? at the poorest end of the scale, neighboring countries, the same works for those criminals in neighboring countries. 

 

There is nothing wrong at all in legalizing a labor force. 

 

 

This is not a perfect world, there is no black and white, no perfect answer. Periodic raids scratch the surface, but its something and a step in the direction of protecting Thai citizens... If that is xenophobic, well then so are many other countries who insist on work permits for its foreign labor force... 

 

Making Thailand great again, one deportation at a time.

Damned fashion followers!

 

 

Edited April 12, 20188 yr by bendejo

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Tourist police joined forces with other police agencies nationwide to search 123 spots around the country and arrested 81 foreigners on several charges.

 

During the operations, police searched 11 international schools, 21 language institutes, 55 normal schools and other places.

Surachet threatened to take action against schools that hired foreign teachers whose visas has expired.

 

Surachet said 13 foreigners were arrested for overstaying their visas. They included four Laotians, three Indians, two Vietnamese, two Nigerians, one Cambodian and one Malaysian.

 

He said 62 foreigners – 25 Laotians, 24 from Myanmar, four Indians, four Cambodians, two Vietnamese, one Pakistani, and one Liberian – were arrested on charges of unlawful entry into the Kingdom.

 

Six others – four Indians, one from Myanmar and one Nigerian – were arrested on other charges, Surachet added.

Without trying to be hypocritical to the Nation's article, or the reporting to the Nation by K. Surachet, this uncovers a much deeper problem than breaking immigration laws. What sort of education system exists here if the multinationals in the article, none of them being native speakers, were arrested in 87 educational facilities?

 

Or, of the 123 spots around the country that were raided, were they arrested in the 'other' 36 locations and arrest numbers actually has nothing to do with schools?

 

If they weren't arrested in the 'other' locations, then yes, IMO even given the fact that some may not have been teaching English, then the parents need to ask the Thai education system what they were teaching.........................