US pensioner arrested for staying in Thailand illegally

[monkeycu]

1 hour ago, geoffbezoz said:

So it took 5 IOs to arrest one 69 year old man ? Guess that's about right for Thais. Mind you it states that "police captain (female) Wilai Thaiphakdee as having sneaked into Thailand through the exit area" so was she more upset he came in the back door ?  ????.

That would depend on who's back door he entered 

[Kasane]

If Thai's took a leaf out of Trump's America, his children would be in a cage.

[ballpoint]

42 minutes ago, PingRoundTheWorld said:

From the sound of it, and his age, it might've been an honest mistake rather than a criminal mastermind. He did go back to attempt and "fix" his mistake which is when he was arrested (or to be more accurate turned himself in). Hardly a hardened criminal, so parading him around on media like that is unwarranted, and he will probably be banned for a good few years which at his age is a lot - all the fuss over 10 days when you have thousands of people from Myanmar/Laos/etc enter and stay illegally for much longer. Not to mention overstayers which BJ claimed to have cleared out but I'm sure there's plenty left.

Yes, I often get confused when crossing a land border, and wind up back in the country I just left, mysteriously bypassing immigration, and then travel 500km or so back to where I had just come from, all the while wondering why the new country looks so similar to the previous.  And then, a week later, I finally realise my mistake and, rather than go directly to the immigration where I am, retrace my steps to where I illegally entered, and try to leave the country.  He did not attempt to 'fix' his mistake.  He did not turn himself in - both of those could have been done far more easily in Bangkok.  He tried to leave the country.  My guess is he had something he wanted to do in Bangkok, but couldn't get another extension, so came back, did it and then tried to slip out again.  Of course, that's just speculation, but far more likely than it being an honest mistake, which he attempted to rectify over a week later.

 

The age business is interesting though.  Still having well over a decade to go before reaching the grand old age of 69 (if ever), I had no idea that ones mental faculties were likely to become so deteriorated by then. Maybe immigration should enforce a psychiatric assessment for anyone over 65 wanting a visa or extension, to make sure they actually know what country they're in?

Edited June 18, 2019 by ballpoint

[Myran]

2 hours ago, bangkokfrog said:

Am I missing something? All this fuss over a 10 day overstay?

For an overstay you need to have an entry stamp. This guy stamped himself out of Thailand and then sneaked back in illegally.

[FarFlungFalang]

May be he stamped out of Thailand then stamped back in without entering Loas and paying 1500 baht and a huge visa sticker that takes up a whole page in his passport?

[MaxYakov]

Someone should send these overzealous, OCD IOs to the US southern border to train the border patrol agents there in illegal migrant apprehension.

[KhunFred]

Pedophiles In....Pensioners OUT.

[Nong Khai Man]

18 minutes ago, FarFlungFalang said:

May be he stamped out of Thailand then stamped back in without entering Loas and paying 1500 baht and a huge visa sticker that takes up a whole page in his passport?

Maybe He Forgot his Wallet to pay for the Laos Visa ?/...................Yeah That's it.....NO Cards accepted for Visa's !!

[Puchaiyank]

You can not fix dumb arse!

[Borzandy]

4 hours ago, bangkokfrog said:

Am I missing something? All this fuss over a 10 day overstay?

Welcome in LOS

[stanleycoin]

3 hours ago, champers said:

Looks like intimidation and bullying to me. 5 officers onto 1 OAP. How proud they look.

Yes, Not much different to motor cycle taxi riders / drivers.

Falang, on over stay,  Get him, now,  the scum, 69 year old foreigner. 

 

The other news today

Thailand's murderous, Drivers and Riders, have killed 65 more people on the roads today.

Nice one,   some will be children as well.

 

You got your priorities just perfect. Thailand. 

 

 

Edited June 18, 2019 by stanleycoin

[RichardColeman]

Came here thinking that this would be a story about a 10 year over stay or something - not 10 days

[khunbillmex]

4 hours ago, Estrada said:

 I do not believe that there is anything in the regulations that stated you have to enter another country after receiving an exit stamp. 

Maybe just another dimension would be enough?

[bluesofa]

4 hours ago, Estrada said:

{snipped} I do not believe that there is anything in the regulations that stated you have to enter another country after receiving an exit stamp.

Regarding the Bridge at Nong Khai, IIRC Thai immigration will not allow you (back) into Thailand without an exit stamp from Laos.

[Traubert]

45 minutes ago, stanleycoin said:

Yes, Not much different to motor cycle taxi riders / drivers.

Falang, on over stay,  Get him, now,  the scum, 69 year old foreigner. 

 

The other news today

Thailand's murderous, Drivers and Riders, have killed 65 more people on the roads today.

Nice one,   some will be children as well.

 

You got your priorities just perfect. Thailand. 

 

 

It's not like they've got the cattle prods out and his feet in a bucket of water is it? It's just a photograph.

 

Plus I'm fairly sure the Immigration Police have no input on traffic safety. They probably leave that to the Traffic Police. Do you call a plumber when your computer blows up?

[owl sees all]

11 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

Regarding the Bridge at Nong Khai, IIRC Thai immigration will not allow you (back) into Thailand without an exit stamp from Laos.

I reckon you are right there bluesofa.

 

A few years ago I did the Veitienne visa and handed in two passports at the Embassy. They put the visa on the old passport but the stamp out of Thailand and the stamp into Laos was in the new. Because the old passport didn't have enough time.

 

On the way back; out of Laos no problem but at the Thai side they refused me entry. I had to go back to Laos and get another out stamp on the other passport. The Laos officials thought it funny.

 

Went back across the river and got stamped in no prob'.

 

These things happen.

[turgid]

4 hours ago, Estrada said:

I had this problem once. Flew to Singapore for a meeting in the airport transit area with a friends transiting through Singapore Airport. Neither of us entered Singapore but I exited Thailand. They gave my agro at Immigration because they said I must enter the other country. (Thai logic). I remember years ago a friend used to go to a border crossing, get stamped out and then go to the the end of the building and get stamped back in again. It seems like there are people still using this system. I do not believe that there is anything in the regulations that stated you have to enter another country after receiving an exit stamp.

I did it on the Cambodian border when we couldn't meet the extortion "administration" fees and document surrender  for driving the car into  Cambodia which appeared to be based on the assumption we couldn't go back.  We were heavily grilled on return to make sure we weren't trying to cheat the visa system and asked if we'd purchased duty free.  The thing that seemed to frustrate  the Thai side the most was the computer wasn't to set up to allow Thailand  as both arrival and destination and the solution was to  cancel the exit in the end.   I felt we were dealt with reasonably on  the Thai side although it  took a hour to process. 

 

In Singapore  you will be fined if you pass through passport control and don't leave the Country without a very good excuse. It was a thing for a while where kids were not buying a ticket or  buying the cheapest ticket possible to mob  pop stars inside and grabbing a bit of duty free on the way out. I think the fine is  S$1000.

[stanleycoin]

3 minutes ago, Traubert said:

It's not like they've got the cattle prods out and his feet in a bucket of water is it? It's just a photograph.

 

Plus I'm fairly sure the Immigration Police have no input on traffic safety. They probably leave that to the Traffic Police. Do you call a plumber when your computer blows up?

A cop is a cop in Thailand.

The guy is 69 years old.

And 5 big cops all standing behind him, 

The big bust of the century.

This should not,  have even made any news. 

It's just more fuel for the xenophobia fire,  that is burning so bright at present.

Good day.

 

 

 

Edited June 18, 2019 by stanleycoin

[sanemax]

5 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

Sounds like he misunderstood something and now they are making him look like the evil foreigner. He certainly tried as he travelled to the bridge twice. 

No, he deliberately got stamped out of Thailand and then stayed in Thailand instead of going to Laos

[atyclb]

5 hours ago, geoffbezoz said:

so was she more upset he came in the back door ? 

 

do i sense a sexual innuendo?

[sanemax]

5 hours ago, colinneil said:

This is just a case of the IOs involved making a major thing out of nothing.

Oh look we are doing a fantastic job, we nabbed this farang offender, took 5 of us, pathetic.

Who knows maybe the poor man got confused, made a simple error, it does happen sometimes to older folk.

I dont believe that it was a mistake at all , he knew what he was doing 

[bluesofa]

3 minutes ago, sanemax said:

No, he deliberately got stamped out of Thailand and then stayed in Thailand instead of going to Laos

I remember a local journalist telling me years ago he went to Nong Khai and over the bridge to Laos.

When he arrived on the Laos side, he didn't have enough cash, and there were no ATMs originally.

He got on the bus back to the Thai side, walked behind the immigration office and got a tuk tuk into town to find an ATM.

Then he reversed the process to arrive back on the Laos side with enough cash for a Laos visa.

[Pattaya46]

1 hour ago, stanleycoin said:

Yes, Not much different to motor cycle taxi riders / drivers.

Falang, on over stay,  Get him, now,  the scum, 69 year old foreigner. 

 

The other news today

Thailand's murderous, Drivers and Riders, have killed 65 more people on the roads today.

Nice one,   some will be children as well.

 

You got your priorities just perfect. Thailand. 

Uh? You are reading news on a farang forum in English language, and you are surprised that the priority is given to news about farangs? Seriously? 

 

Just go read some Thai news websites and you will see that - by far - priorities in Thai news are on Thai people and Thailand related news.  Farangs retirees are very very far in Thailand priorities list.

Edited June 18, 2019 by Pattaya46

[monkeycu]

26 minutes ago, Traubert said:

It's not like they've got the cattle prods out and his feet in a bucket of water is it? It's just a photograph.

 

Plus I'm fairly sure the Immigration Police have no input on traffic safety. They probably leave that to the Traffic Police. Do you call a plumber when your computer blows up?

In Thailand, it may work out cheaper getting the plumbers 8 y o to fix

[stanleycoin]

25 minutes ago, Pattaya46 said:

Uh? You are reading news on a farang forum in English language, and you are surprised that the priority is given to news about farangs? Seriously? 

 

Just go read some Thai news websites and you will see that - by far - priorities in Thai news are on Thai people and Thailand related news.  Farangs retirees are very very far in Thailand priorities list.

Think you will find that photo was taken for Thai news.

 

And yes, it's Thai people killing Thai and Falang people on the Thai roads.

was there any real point to your post. 

 

 

Edited June 18, 2019 by stanleycoin

[malibukid]

another big fish to fry

[reargunnerph3]

Serious crime prevention, an old farang overstay. Well done. 555

[Cereal]

15 hours ago, Isaanbiker said:

First, the media call him a criminal, then another foreigner on an anonymous forum. What exactly was his crime? 10 days overstay? 

 

  We don't know why he didn't cross the bridge, could he have some personal issues? But that doesn't seem to matter, does it? 

 

  

You answered your own question.

[sanemax]

6 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Yesterday - Monday 17th June - he presented his passport to go to Laos but it was found that he had never crossed the border on the 9th.

 

Did he present his PP on the Thai or Laos side ?

[LongTang]

6 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

Sounds like he misunderstood something and now they are making him look like the evil foreigner. He certainly tried as he travelled to the bridge twice. 

 

Totally agree, This kind of new makes me want to vomit !

Shaming an old man like that for an obvious mixup is absolutely despicable ! ????????????