Condo squat Brit moved to Bangkok, fined, awaiting deportation

By The Phuket News

 

David Maclean speaks to officers after he was taken into custody last Thursday (May 2). Photo: Supplied

 

PHUKET:-- Australian-born British national David Maclean has been fined by the Phuket Provincial Court for overstaying in the country and transferred to Bangkok, where he awaits deportation, Immigration Police have confirmed.
 

“He arrived at the Immigration facility at Soi Suan Plu in Bangkok yesterday afternoon (May 7), after he was fined about B2,500 or B3,000 by the Phuket Provincial Court for overstaying,” Maj Tosapon Kitilap of the Phuket Immigration Office told The Phuket News today (May 8).

 

“His health is fine and normal. He can walk and eat well,” Maj Tosapon added.

Full Story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/condo-squat-brit-moved-to-bangkok-fined-awaiting-deportation-71353.php#k5ZLOMIuPE5Vv42q.97

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2019-05-08

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Reading between the lines, and I'm no expert, but the lack of a return flight to the UK appears to be due to insufficient funds to pay for said flight.  

In the meantime he resides in less than salubrious detention.  

 

 

What he probably doesn't realize is he's racking up overstay fines while being locked up.

Poor guy clearly has taken a lifebeating. Hope he gets help. Good luck

36 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

His health is fine and normal. He can walk and eat well,”

How about the mental health? Can he even talk?

Back to the real world Dave, good luck.

If he doesn't get himself sorted he could end up spending years in detention, very sad and confusing story! I really feel cases such as this, the respective embassy should get involved due to possible mental illness /lack of any supporting family playing a big part in this man's situation. To leave him in a hell hole possibly for years because he lacks the mental capacity as well as funds to be repatrated is inhumane.  

10 hours ago, daboyz1 said:

What he probably doesn't realize is he's racking up overstay fines while being locked up.

Unlikely as he's already been fined for that.

All this started because the children of the landlord refused to give him a receipt for his rent money. He just refused to pay any more till he got a receipt. This could have been nipped in the bud before it got out of hand!

11 hours ago, daboyz1 said:

What he probably doesn't realize is he's racking up overstay fines while being locked up.

The source for your comment? Personal experience or heresay?

he was fined about B2,500 or B3,000 by the Phuket Provincial Court for overstaying,” Maj Tosapon Kitilap of the Phuket Immigration Office told The Phuket News today (May 8).

 

This guys permit ran out on the 21/2/19. Why is the overstay fine only 2500 or 3000? I dont get it.

6 minutes ago, GBW said:

he was fined about B2,500 or B3,000 by the Phuket Provincial Court for overstaying,” Maj Tosapon Kitilap of the Phuket Immigration Office told The Phuket News today (May 8).

 

This guys permit ran out on the 21/2/19. Why is the overstay fine only 2500 or 3000? I dont get it.

Maybe that's all the money he had.

You cant get blood out of a stone.

His visa/extension ran out 21/2/19. Why the heck didn't he open the door a couple of days before that date, what was he thinking?

11 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

How about the mental health? Can he even talk?

He spoke to the officers....satisfied?

11 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

Poor guy clearly has taken a lifebeating. Hope he gets help. Good luck

He was a non-paying tenant that had to be forcefully evicted.

I dont have much sympathy for him.

The landlord will be stuck paying for the damage to the house caused by him!

 

"He can walk and eat well."

 

Looks like dude hasn't been eating much lately. Give that guy a sandwich.

Feel for this guy as we are all vulnerable to tragedy and poor decisions with consequences.  But this man is a poster board of why all countries should require all expats old and young and all tourists to have a certain verifiable minimum of assets and paid up to date health insurance ( or self insured money amount).

 

If you don’t have these minimum assets then you cannot financially take care of yourself. IMO you should be located in your birth country to help take care of you paid for by your birth countries tax money and charities.  Humans don’t have the right to live anywhere in the world we want and not be financially stable. 

Bye bye

He certainly looks like a scummy low life that hasn’t walked very close to a razor in a long time. Probably wouldn’t recognize a tooth brush either.

Man after last night I don’t feel like checking out of my hotel at noon to catch the bus back to Korat this afternoon.  I think I’ll barricade myself in my hotel room for months. 

 

Actually no darn it we’ve got a cat at home in Korat that’s probably wondering where we are by now and the extra food and water I left for him looks like it’s starting to run low judging by what I see on one of my indoor surveillance cameras so I guess I’ll have to suck up the minor hangover and get back home tonight.  

29 minutes ago, Kevin mcbeath said:

Bye bye

As a newbie, let's hope your later posts are more thought provoking and inspiring.

there is probably more guys in this position in Thailand hiding away hoping they don't get found out  no money ect 

his problem was barricading himself in and   bringing  attention to his plight 

no doubt will be reading about more in the future 

No sympathy from me.

Who does he think he is that he lives rent free and stay as long as you want, time to wake up and deal with life.

2 hours ago, GreenerGrass said:

If he doesn't get himself sorted he could end up spending years in detention, very sad and confusing story! I really feel cases such as this, the respective embassy should get involved due to possible mental illness /lack of any supporting family playing a big part in this man's situation. To leave him in a hell hole possibly for years because he lacks the mental capacity as well as funds to be repatrated is inhumane.  

Yes, it's mental illness. 

 

He probably saw and/or heard things that weren't real, but to him were hideous and frightening in the extreme. I guess he believed the condo owner or his/her representatives were out to get him. I guess he felt there was some sort of conspiracy and everyone was colluding. They were gonna kill him. 

 

So he barricaded himself in his condo. He was probably scared sh_tless. 

 

Google "paranoid schizophrenia" 

 

 

Hope he can get his life sorted out it’s not always greener on the other side of the fence. I hope his mental state is okay being able to walk and eat doesn’t tell you anything.

1 hour ago, onekoolguy said:

He was a non-paying tenant that had to be forcefully evicted.

I dont have much sympathy for him.

The landlord will be stuck paying for the damage to the house caused by him!

 

Maybe if you were in PHUKET instead of commenting from afar you would be aware of the back story to this. The landlord's son was  (apparently) the one collecting the rent but pocketing it and not issuing a receipt.

 

The guy clearly had issues but he was being fricked over. Far easier to deport him than conduct an investigation into the possible fraud/theft by the landlord's son though.

 

Thank goodness for the vision of Thaigeezers and their all seeing insight. I guess its easier to comment from a far than actually be aware of what was going on. Maybe I can pop up and comment on a Bangkok forum I know sod all about.

 

I notice most of the unsympathetic comments above are posted from a point of ignorance and locations nowhere near Phuket!

58 minutes ago, theboogeyman said:

Man after last night I don’t feel like checking out of my hotel at noon to catch the bus back to Korat this afternoon.  I think I’ll barricade myself in my hotel room for months. 

 

Actually no darn it we’ve got a cat at home in Korat that’s probably wondering where we are by now and the extra food and water I left for him looks like it’s starting to run low judging by what I see on one of my indoor surveillance cameras so I guess I’ll have to suck up the minor hangover and get back home tonight.  

Don’t forget to go to IMO and fill in your TM30

China will be the new "top dog" in Thai tourism for awhile.

There is a demographic imbalance in China.

It will take several generations to restore the balance.

Young Chinese millenials have the money. Thailand has the honey.

It is time for the white farangs to back off for awhile.

The guy is alive and it appears he is being treated humanely.

That is a good thing. He needs to get on the plane and clear out.  

The "moderators" may not like the truth.

I'm just telling you straight. 

Don’t forget to go to IMO and fill in your TM30

Even if the hotel had asked to see my passport which they actually DID NOT ask that still wouldn’t be necessary because immigration can tell the difference between a hotel address and a physical home address that’s already registered. I didn’t register my hotel address with immigration did I. Obviously not.

Regardless it doesn’t matter the hotel actually accepted my United States Driver’s License as proof of ID and they did not even make a copy of it. They also asked to see my wife’s Thai ID. The hotel never even so much as took our ID cards out of our hands. There’s a lot of mass hysteria because of supposed immigration hotel crack downs which are apparently not as bad as they made it sound. And we stayed at a very decent hotel to. If you are a single guy checking into a hotel or by yourself I’m sure they probably would ask for your passport. If I had left my passport at home no one would have been the wiser, I never needed it not for the hotel or the bus or anything.

Although I am NOT saying that you should not bring your passport on overnight trips definitely bring your passport on overnight trips just in case.


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It looks like there is a great deal more to the story.

 

His version is he would not pay as they would not give him a receipt.

 

Judging by his appearance he doesn't look like he has taken care of himself at all in the interim. Even in jail, it is possible to keep yourself clean and tidy with soap, toothbrushes, and safety razors available.

 

He is now in IDC as it looks like he has no return ticket.

 

The Embassy will not get involved for months and all avenues of funds from relatives, friends, etc will have to be exhausted first. Otherwise, every loser from the UK would be behaving and acting similarly and expecting the UK government to fund their return.

 

If he is in such a state, it draws you to think about how was he going to pay his rent for the following months, if his funds are so obviously depleted.