Big Joke's latest crackdown on foreigners - but has the fanfare run out of noise?

[webfact]

Big Joke's latest crackdown on foreigners - but has the fanfare run out of noise?

 

 

Crime buster Surachet Hakpal was in Nana in Bangkok early this morning announcing the results of the latest crackdown on illegal foreigners.

 

But the figures showed that the 18th "X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner" drive may have run out of steam.

 

Billed as a crackdown on such things as marriage scams, drugs and other serious crime there were no reported arrests in this regard.

 

The deputy commissioner of the tourist police bureau said that 62 places had been raided nationwide resulting in 35 arrests of foreigners.

 

Nine of those arrested were on overstay , 25 had entered illegally and there was one solitary Indian who was neither, reported Thai Rath.

 

A large entourage of Region 1 cops joined the Major General along with drugs suppression cops, 191 special branch and the Lumpini force at the Nana Plaza Hotel in the heart of the area's notorious red light district.

 

The overstaying tourists were six from India and one each from China, Cameroon and Germany.

 

The illegal entries were seven from Laos, five from Myanmar, five Indians, four from Cambodia and one each from Yemen, Egypt, Syria and Uganda.

 

Surachet said that 3 language institutes were targeted, 11 schools and 48 other places.

 

Source: Thai Rath

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-07-25

[bluesofa]

7 minutes ago, webfact said:

But the figures showed that the 18th "X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner" drive may have run out of steam.

Run out of steam! I'm sure the Tourist Police will be quick to put their own spin on it:

Look how successful we've been - we've driven them all out of the kingdom. There's hardly any left!

 

[spidermike007]

What an impact this big joke is making on Thai society. Talk about cleaning up the woes that face the nation. Overstay! Wow. What a threat to the well being of the country. 

 

How about going after the taxi mafia? The drug trade? Human trafficking? Slave trading? Corruption at the very top of the pyramid. Traffic safety, or lack thereof. Jet ski scammers. Anything that means anything. 

[Get Real]

Everytime I read the number of arrests and how many place they have targetet already, it seems to sometimes be up and very many time smaller than they said before.

I guess that´s what we can call trustworthy news.

[Farangwithaplan]

Walking down lower Sukhumvit on the odd numbered side the other weekend for the first time in a while and the amount of times someone of non thai decent - based on looks - whispered if I wanted some chemicals was astonishing. For the first time I recall I did not feel very comfortable in that part of town.

 

Maybe the police could modify the current "X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner" drive to  "X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner selling drugs on lower Sukhumvit" drive.

[sammieuk1]

Its a script for a jesters tear and no garden party for the jockster. 

[FritsSikkink]

22 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

What an impact this big joke is making on Thai society. Talk about cleaning up the woes that face the nation. Overstay! Wow. What a threat to the well being of the country. 

 

How about going after the taxi mafia? The drug trade? Human trafficking? Slave trading? Corruption at the very top of the pyramid. Traffic safety, or lack thereof. Jet ski scammers. Anything that means anything. 

Funny how people always refer to other crimes as being more serious. Don't look at me, what he did is much worse (not saying you are on overstay). 35 people out, who shouldn't be here is still good. who says they didn't other illegal things as they don't have a legal way of earning income here.  

Edited July 25, 2018 by FritsSikkink

[nikmar]

6 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

Its a script for a jesters tear and no garden party for the jockster. 

OK, I' ll bite. Why the Marillion reference?

[sammieuk1]

1 minute ago, nikmar said:

OK, I' ll bite. Why the Marillion reference?

Its raining and I have flu ☹️

[nikmar]

10 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

Its raining and I have flu ☹️

at least its not Monday and you aint in Chelsea. 

[sammieuk1]

1 minute ago, nikmar said:

at least its not Monday and you aint in Chelsea. 

Luckily my dad said your not forgotten son?

[webfact]

Thirty-five foreigners arrested in tourist police's weekly round-up

By The Nation

 

Tourist police on Tuesday night arrested 35 foreigners in the nationwide weekly crackdown on visa overstayers.
 

The foreign nationals were detained during a search of 62 areas, including three language schools and 11 ordinary schools, around the country.

 

Pol Maj-General Surachet Hakpal, deputy commissioner of the Tourist Police Bureau, announced the results of the 18th so-called X-Ray Outlaw Foreigners Operation to press gathered at the Nana Plaza Hotel on Soi Sukhumvit 4 at 2am.

 

He said nine foreigners were arrested for overstaying their visas: six Indians, one Chinese, one Cameroonian, and one German.

 

Surachet added that 25 foreigners were arrested for sneaking into the Kingdom, seven Lao nationals, five from Myanmar, five Indians, four Cambodians, one Syrian, one Egyptian, one Yemen national and one Ugandan.

 

Another Indian was arrested on a criminal charge, he said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30350771

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-07-25

[CanuckThai]

Yay!   Ok, where was I....oh yeah, back to chewing tinfoil

[watcharacters]

 

Again, I wonder why  news of this sort is of any interest to TVF members or  expats living in Thai.

 

Why people get upset about those who overstay is a mystery to me.

 

I simply could not care less about it.

 

[webfact]

35 Foreigners Arrested At Bangkok’s Nana Plaza

By Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

 

Tourist Police Deputy Commissioner Maj. Gen. Surachet Hakpal, standing second from right, stares Wednesday at those arrested in Bangkok’s Nana Plaza.

 

BANGKOK — Dozens of foreigners were arrested early Wednesday when authorities raided the city’s red light district.

 

At about 2am on Wednesday, Tourist Police Deputy Commissioner Maj. Gen. Surachet Hakpal led officers to Nana Plaza on Soi Sukhumvit 4 as a part of an ongoing operation they’ve called “X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner.” A total of 35 foreigners were arrested and charged various offenses, including illegal entry and overstaying their visas.

 

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/featured/2018/07/25/35-foreigners-arrested-at-bangkoks-nana-plaza/

 

-- © Copyright Khaosod English 2018-07-25

[HooHaa]

3 hours ago, Farangwithaplan said:

Walking down lower Sukhumvit on the odd numbered side the other weekend for the first time in a while and the amount of times someone of non thai decent - based on looks - whispered if I wanted some chemicals was astonishing. For the first time I recall I did not feel very comfortable in that part of town.

 

Maybe the police could modify the current "X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner" drive to  "X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner selling drugs on lower Sukhumvit" drive.

well not everybody can be thai "decent".

netizens would have nothing to be in a uproar about.

[kingstonkid]

2 hours ago, watcharacters said:

 

Again, I wonder why  news of this sort is of any interest to TVF members or  expats living in Thai.

 

Why people get upset about those who overstay is a mystery to me.

 

I simply could not care less about it.

 

While overstaying is not a huge deal it is against the law.  The fact that they are still running " schools" says a lot. Also a lot of the overstay they find usually are up to no good.

 

Personally I look at the low numbers as a sign the same way I looked at ride stops that did not find drunk drivers.  Yes they are still around but not as many

[zaphod reborn]

2 hours ago, watcharacters said:

 

Again, I wonder why  news of this sort is of any interest to TVF members or  expats living in Thai.

 

Why people get upset about those who overstay is a mystery to me.

 

I simply could not care less about it.

 

I have no sympathy for overstayers, but conducting dozens of weekly random checks to ferret out overstayers is unreasonable, harassing, and a waste of resources.  It is an authoritarian tactic aimed at the expat community.  The focus should be following up on foreigners who entered on visa-exempt entry and never left, but should never just be random police raids.

[Farangwithaplan]

32 minutes ago, HooHaa said:

well not everybody can be thai "decent".

netizens would have nothing to be in a uproar about.

Very decent of you to pick up my descent typo!

[Bob12345]

4 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

What an impact this big joke is making on Thai society. Talk about cleaning up the woes that face the nation. Overstay! Wow. What a threat to the well being of the country. 

 

How about going after the taxi mafia? The drug trade? Human trafficking? Slave trading? Corruption at the very top of the pyramid. Traffic safety, or lack thereof. Jet ski scammers. Anything that means anything. 

While i do think overstaying is a minor crime, while illegal entry into the country is much more serious, i guess we can agree upon that all the actions of Big Joke are just low hanging fruit and aimed at boosting his ego and improving chances of promotion.

 

As i said sometime earlier, his actions are kind of useless, as it is a 1-day crackdown without follow up. I rather see him focus on 1 thing, stamp it out, and keep it stamped out. It doesnt matter what he picks, but just solve it and stick to it.

 

That will attract much less media attention, but at least it will make a change.

Edited July 25, 2018 by Bob12345

[watcharacters]

13 minutes ago, kingstonkid said:

While overstaying is not a huge deal it is against the law.  The fact that they are still running " schools" says a lot. Also a lot of the overstay they find usually are up to no good.

 

Personally I look at the low numbers as a sign the same way I looked at ride stops that did not find drunk drivers.  Yes they are still around but not as many

 

 

Throwing a candy wrapper on the ground is against the law as well.    That's littering.  There are countless laws around though out the world.

 

I'm just saying there seems to be a special interest  from TVF and   many of its members to focus on overstayers.    

 

Concern about schools is hard for me to appreciate as  this is  not the place to educate a child in the first place.

 

Once more, I  find it curious how so many members of TVF and the controlling  editors  of the site have such interest in people who overstay a visa.   

 

Those overstay  people do me no harm whatsoever.

 

 

[BestB]

But why is tourist police doing this job? This is not their jurisdiction .

 

why is tourist police raiding schools and bars? 

[atyclb]

seems police raids on establishments the police depend on for lucrative income is counter productive in that it will discourage potential customers

[spidermike007]

16 minutes ago, Bob12345 said:

While i do think overstaying is a minor crime, while illegal entry into the country is much more serious, i guess we can agree upon that all the actions of Big Joke are just low hanging fruit and aimed at boosting his ego and improving chances of promotion.

 

As i said sometime earlier, his actions are kind of useless, as it is a 1-day crackdown without follow up. I rather see him focus on 1 thing, stamp it out, and keep it stamped out. It doesnt matter what he picks, but just solve it and stick to it.

 

That will attract much less media attention, but at least it will make a change.

But that is the M.O. of this entire administration. In the four years these neophyte goons have been in power, when have they ever followed up on one of their countless crackdowns? It used to be two or three crackdowns a week, until Little P. ran out of energy, and devolved into a fabulously weak, very small, rather pathetic, whining cartoon character. None were ever followed up. On a certain level, I guess that is a good thing. 

Edited July 25, 2018 by spidermike007

[Jonmarleesco]

4 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

Funny how people always refer to other crimes as being more serious. Don't look at me, what he did is much worse (not saying you are on overstay). 35 people out, who shouldn't be here is still good. who says they didn't other illegal things as they don't have a legal way of earning income here.  

Overstaying hardly counts as a crime, even if the RTP thinks otherwise.

[wvavin]

Those following such raids must have made themselves pretty wealthy. Those that have paid were not shown on this photo.

[tracker1]

The whole thing might be beyond a Big Joke !

[KhunBENQ]

3 hours ago, watcharacters said:

 

Again, I wonder why  news of this sort is of any interest to TVF members or  expats living in Thai.

 

Why people get upset about those who overstay is a mystery to me.

 

I simply could not care less about it.

 

It might be interesting to those in TVF who think they can do domestic travel without passport, go out without a passport copy, DL is enough.

Just tell big joke: I am not on overstay, I am a good guy.

[ScotBkk]

3 hours ago, watcharacters said:

 

Again, I wonder why  news of this sort is of any interest to TVF members or  expats living in Thai.

 

Why people get upset about those who overstay is a mystery to me.

 

I simply could not care less about it.

 

Nice to hear your point of view. I've been saying the same for many a year and the toxic retorts in that degree are somewhat amazing.   

[FritsSikkink]

25 minutes ago, Jonmarleesco said:

Overstaying hardly counts as a crime 

Only in the overstayer's mind.