Sea-home pioneer’s visa cancelled

[snoop1130]

Sea-home pioneer’s visa cancelled

By The Nation

 

 

An American bitcoin investor who set up a floating “seasteading” structure off the coast of Phuket has had his visa revoked and he was put on a blacklist after the Thai Navy accused him of violating the country's sovereignty by building a waterborne homestead.

 

Chad Andrew Elwartowski, an early bitcoin adopter, and his Thai girlfriend, Suprenee Thepdet (also known as Nadia Summergirl), launched their seastead project on February 2 off the southeast coast of Phuket.

 

The couple are facing charges of threatening the kingdom's independence after the Royal Thai Navy and Phuket Maritime personnel boarded the structure on Sunday, saying it violates criminal law and posed a navigational hazard.  

 

Phuket Immigration Chief Lt Col Kathatorn Kumthieng said on Wednesday that his office had revoked Elwartowski’s 90-day, non-immigrant visa after he was deemed to be a threat to Thai society, Thai citizens and the national security under Article 12 of immigration law.   

 

Elwartowski was also declared a persona non grata, Kathathorn said. 

 

After his visa is revoked, Elwartowski can no longer legally stay in Thailand and has to report to the police, said Kathatorn.

 

The 90-day-visa is issued to foreigners who wish to enter Thailand for study, business, investment, retirement and other purposes. 

 

Kathatorn said the American entered Thailand late last year and lived with his Thai girlfriend in Phuket.   

 

However, the police are unable to locate him and there was no information that he had left the country so the police are looking for him across various provinces. 

 

Elwartowski posted on Facebook yesterday that they are in hiding and safe.

 

He claims that his home is outside Thailand’s maritime boundaries. 

 

According to the Siam Legal international law firm, “Section 119: Intent to cause injury to the nation” states: “Whoever does any act with intent to cause the country or any part thereof to descend under the sovereignty of any foreign state, or to deteriorate the independence of the state, shall be punished with death or imprisonment for life.”

 

So far, the authorities have not demolished the seastead home as they are still studying the floating home’s legal status.

 

Phuket province set up a working panel to follow the legal issues.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30367861

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-17

[cornishcarlos]

1 minute ago, snoop1130 said:

he was deemed to be a threat to Thai society, Thai citizens and the national security 

 

If one guy in a floating shed is a threat, they gonna need more than a couple submarines to protect their coastline !! 

What a load of sh ite 

[MeePeeMai]

"Elwartowski posted on Facebook yesterday that they are in hiding and safe."

 

Unfortunately, you can run but you cannot hide.  Running seems to be useless today as well.  Good luck to this gentleman, he needs it.

[Katipo]

If only Prayuth had his fleet of submarines. They could have blown this insideous threat to the country's sovereignty out of the water before it even got started. You can't treat these kind of things lightly, or before you know it, every Tom, Dick, and Somchai will start building there own territories in the middle of the ocean somewhere. 

[ratcatcher]

12 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Phuket Immigration Chief Lt Col Kathatorn Kumthieng said on Wednesday that his office had revoked Elwartowski’s 90-day, non-immigrant visa after he was deemed to be a threat to Thai society, Thai citizens and the national security under Article 12 of immigration law.   

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

16 minutes ago, MeePeeMai said:

"Elwartowski posted on Facebook yesterday that they are in hiding and safe."

 

Unfortunately, you can run but you cannot hide.  Running seems to be useless today as well.  Good luck to this gentleman, he needs it.

 

He'd better be careful...  If they authorities ever catch up with him, he might end up facing a charge of sedition...  After all, they've already pulled one of those out of their hat (or another bodily orifice). So another wouldn't be so tough.

 

[anterian]

Presumably he needed a boat to get to his homestead so he does not need to cross a Thai border to escape. 

[Happy Grumpy]

Quote

So far, the authorities have not demolished the seastead home as they are still studying the floating home’s legal status. 

 

So they don't know the legality, but revoke his visa and blacklist him? 

 

???? 

[ballpoint]

It seems that people will rush to the defense of every loonie and crackpot who comes up against Thai law.  Try building a structure 12 miles off the coast of your own country, yet alone a foreign one, declare it an independent state, and see what happens.  

[steelepulse]

You have to wonder if these guys thought they could just set up shop and not cut a few people in on things to make sure everything runs smoothly.

[donim]

Amerian claimed his sea home as on international waters.

This is in fact leaving Thai space.

Without a re-entry permit, his visa was void once he left.

Did he come back on shore, he was illegal as no new stamp of arrival

was made.

 

IF the seahome was on waters, then the authority would take him on

other reasons, failing of the TM28 and 30 for example.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

If you live, and really was acknowledge as such, on international water.

Then he had to have a boat, and enter Thailand soil on the port and pass customs here.

 

His girlfriend can 'swim' to the nearest beach.  And come back with shopping.

But no tax refundable, only for foreigners 555

[kandi]

31 minutes ago, ballpoint said:

It seems that people will rush to the defense of every loonie and crackpot who comes up against Thai law.  Try building a structure 12 miles off the coast of your own country, yet alone a foreign one, declare it an independent state, and see what happens.  

He never had the intention of "declaring it an independent state".

[impulse]

14 minutes ago, kandi said:

He never had the intention of "declaring it an independent state".

 

He may not have, but the folks behind the project certainly did...

 

https://ocean.builders/official-statement-about-the-sinking-of-the-first-seastead/

 

https://reason.com/2019/03/01/first-seastead-in-international-waters-n

[MeePeeMai]

I guess it just goes to show how much good it did getting the "go ahead, mai pen rai" approval from an attorney in Bangkok (prior to setting up and manning this deathtrap on the high seas).

 

If I was him, I would have considered trying something like this off the coast of my own country (USA) vs testing the Thai authorities' patience and eventual heavy handed response.

 

The word "foolish" comes to mind.

 

 

[ukrules]

4 hours ago, impulse said:

 

He may not have, but the folks behind the project certainly did...

 

https://ocean.builders/official-statement-about-the-sinking-of-the-first-seastead/

 

https://reason.com/2019/03/01/first-seastead-in-international-waters-n

But the article states that he's behind the project which he got banned for. He's not.

 

This article is full of crap.

[balo]

6 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Elwartowski posted on Facebook yesterday that they are in hiding and safe.

Maybe he's hiding under the ocean with Captain Nemo. Should be safe there.  

[impulse]

7 hours ago, ballpoint said:

It seems that people will rush to the defense of every loonie and crackpot who comes up against Thai law.  Try building a structure 12 miles off the coast of your own country, yet alone a foreign one, declare it an independent state, and see what happens.  

 

Google "pirate radio" and see what happens when you try something like this in a country run under the rule of law. 

 

Better yet, watch the movie, "Pirate Radio"

 

Hint:  The government didn't like it a bit, but they adhered to international law.  Nobody was threatened with life in prison, much less the death penalty.

 

Edited April 17, 2019 by impulse

[ezzra]

Just one question... What was he thinking? establishing a domicile outside the territorial waters of Thailand? over the past 100 years, this country went out ot wars for much less than that, and as long he plan to reach "his home" from Thai territory, he will have problems...

[jerojero]

Threat to society? Must have ruffled some big Elite feathers to be branded such a threat.

[theonetrueaussie]

heres the thing it was outside the 12 Nautical mile limit but within the economic zone of thailand. Under international law economic zone states

"A coastal nation has control of all economic resources within its exclusive economic zone, including fishing, mining, oil exploration, and any pollution of those resources. However, it cannot prohibit passage or loitering above, on, or under the surface of the sea"

Thai Law also does not apply in the economic zone, If he fights this in international court it will be very interesting to see the outcome.

 

 

 

[inThailand]

I thought I heard it all. This banana republic has gone ape s..t.

[impulse]

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

Just one question... What was he thinking? establishing a domicile outside the territorial waters of Thailand? over the past 100 years, this country went out ot wars for much less than that, and as long he plan to reach "his home" from Thai territory, he will have problems...

 

Not much different from Uber violating hack laws all over the world, or AirBNB violating hotel and tax laws, or Napster violating copyright law, or Bitcoin violating all kinds of currency laws.

 

His backers ran a $$ trillion dollar concept up the flagpole as early adopters.  He hopped on the bandwagon.  Like Napster, they got shot down (at least in Thailand).  Uber and AirBNB and Bitcoin have made $$ billions for their investors and early adopters.  Long term viability is questionable, but they have big war chests to fight the lawmakers.

 

 

 

[peter14]

Shame on Thailand 

[kingstonkid]

They screwed up read and listen to the REASON link every second word is politics or taking over or not being responsible.  As soon as they published that and a Thai surfer saw it they were done.

 

They have threatened the political climate of Thailand and other countries.

 

If they had built it kept their mouth shut and just gone on with their lives they might have been okay but the last thing Thailand or any country wants is to have people circumventing their government.

 

Note that they are approaching countries that are not big. If this was such a good idea why are they not building them in the Med.  Weather is nice. there too.

 

As to the waves being smaller, I am not sure about that with all the storms there have been.

 

 

[Benmart]

10 hours ago, ballpoint said:

It seems that people will rush to the defense of every loonie and crackpot who comes up against Thai law.  Try building a structure 12 miles off the coast of your own country, yet alone a foreign one, declare it an independent state, and see what happens.  

I don't know what qualifies as a crackpot or loonie, nor what may happen in another country that isn't specified; for an event that hasn't happened, involving people and circumstances that are not known. I only read and am thankful I am not involved or think I know more than what was printed, which is often not fact.

[yellowboat]

10 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Phuket province set up a working panel to follow the legal issues.

Make a mountain out of a molehill and cheching it is raining ฿

 

The last place on earth you want to try something like this is near Thailand where itchy trigger fingers, lack of due process and over reaction are normal.  He should have tried a place where conversation and parlay are put before jack boots.

[orchidlady]

Anyone know if they are dumping sewage into the ocean? That could be a reason for all of the fish hanging around. 

[observer90210]

Why did the innovative visionnary gentleman not buy an island off some secluded ocean coast ? He could have then declared it his own no-mans-(is)land, printed his currency, passports and thus created his own country and made his own visa rules !! ????

[TonyR101]

Anyone who makes their money dealing in virtual currency deserves an "unwanted" status.

[miamiman123]

Who is his lawyer? I’d like to know.