Happy New Year....immigration swoop on 83 year old Brit on 4,929 day overstay

[Mbaki]

5 hours ago, Sticky Wicket said:

Any decent person would have turned the other cheek but not these jobsworths 

Alternatively just put him on the next Thai Airways flight to the UK, there are plenty of empty seats!!

Does immigration in other countries turn the other check when visa violators are found?

[Salerno]

3 hours ago, Sticky Wicket said:

They wouldn't be arrested by the police, which sh1thole do you come from? It's definitely not a western country!! 

If you say so 

[saminoz]

1 hour ago, Just Weird said:

Sorry to disappoint you but I did get nominated.

Yeah, sure, by yourself or the government?

[Sticky Wicket]

1 minute ago, Salerno said:

If you say so 

I know so!

[tropo]

5 hours ago, robblok said:

Yes but most locals have no clue about your immigration status. Your GF / wife might have so people close to you are the ones to worry about if your on overstay. 

They might have picked it up when combing through records. Maybe they have computerized everything and the computer brought it up.

[Salerno]

5 minutes ago, Sticky Wicket said:

I know so!

Unless you're being pedantic about the agencies involved you apparently don't know <deleted>.

[todlad]

5 hours ago, geronimo said:

How on earth would the public know whether anyone is overstaying? It isn't something you'd advertise ....

 

I met a man a few years ago and in the space of a ten minute chat he revealed a lot about himself, including his multiple year overstay. I never met him again so I've no idea where and how he is.

It turns out his case was a bit famous as a friend talked about him a couple of years after I'd met the man.

[Will27]

54 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

Overstaying & illegal entry are criminal offences in Thailand, whether we like it or not. In fact Thailand ain't that different to many other countries in that regard. Do the same thing in Australia and you could end up on Christmas Island (there are/were Kiwi nationals there). I'm not picking on Oz, just that that's an example. 

 

 

Pretty sure most of the Kiwi's on Christmas Island are hard core criminals, not overstayers.

[steven100]

1 hour ago, Neeranam said:

Why do you expect that?

he's been here 13 yrs on overstay, you think he's amassed a fortune ... 

[JAG]

26 minutes ago, Mbaki said:

Does immigration in other countries turn the other check when visa violators are found?

No, they would almost certainly take steps to resolve the issue in some way. The degree of empathy and flexibility shown to the subject (offender if you like) will of course vary - but it is very unlikely in most countries with even a pretence to civilised governance that:

1) a senior police officer would need to boast publicly that in apprehending an 83 year old visa overstayer that he ( the heroic police officer) was taking part in some sort of existentialist struggle against vicious criminals,

2) an 83 year old would  be  taken from his home (and perhaps family) and placed indefinitely in a detention establishment (which we understand to be far below  recognised international standards) for what is quite likely to be an extended or even indefinite stay.

 

Now I may be considered a bleeding heart liberal ( notwithstanding dare I say real parachute training and real - earned - medals), but I think (1) is pathetic and (2) is unnecessarily  severe, in fact savage.

Edited January 4, 2020 by JAG

[transam]

38 minutes ago, Mister Fixit said:

I have to say that the training we had at the para school was some of the best, most professional training I have ever had.  

It was also one of the best two weeks I spent in my entire life.  It was 1973 and I had just turned 24.

From a disparate bunch of part time Marines, paras, combat engineers and SAS with all the inter-corp rivalry, within 4 or 5 days the instructors made us into a highly cohesive bunch who would have done anything for each other.  The true meaning of esprit de corps.

It was also nice to think we came out of it alive!

Here's a snap of my stick with our instructor, a brilliant chap.  I'm the good looking one.  

 

Not sure, but I thought SAS photos were not allowed on here, as it will get the Pattaya bar stool brigade all sitting up from their normal slouch then draining the local hospitals of valuable resources...????....................????....

[Sydebolle]

It shows how completely and utterly inefficient the system and the immigration officers are. 

I mean, the media refers to this incident as "to rid Thailand of unwanted criminal elements and foster peace and stability in the kingdom". An 83 years old man does NOT go unnoticed for 10+ years. I would also wonder the gentleman's "criminal element" avoiding "fostering piece" while destabilizing matter in the kingdom. 

A total farce, clear out the entire lot of thousands of clowns and introduce an immigration system befitting the 21st century to the needs and security of the kingdom. In line with that the entire visa process might be looked at otherwise all these holy police colonels and generals might be out of a job and wondering, what the hell happened. 

Dont always make Thailand the laughing stock of the planet - or try at least in 2020, will you? 

 

[Rimmer]

Troll posts and baiting flames removed

[JAG]

10 minutes ago, transam said:

Not sure, but I thought SAS photos were not allowed on here, as it will get the Pattaya bar stool brigade all sitting up from their normal slouch then draining the local hospitals of valuable resources...????....................????....

Fake news Transam - the Hereford Hooligans would have a strip of masking tape over their eyes, the Para would have his cap badge over his left ear and the flap of his beret pulled down over his eyes like a jockanese coal heaver, and the Royal Marine would be stark <deleted> naked, armed with a rolled up sleeping mat, unless he was off duty in which case he would probably be in drag!

Edited January 4, 2020 by JAG

[giddyup]

52 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Indeed, what a thought. 

 

He should have thought ahead.

 

Cases like this were the reason I decided to get Thai citizenship. 

 

Some here have this Colonial attitude that think they have some kind of right to stay here for a long time, while their only contributing to Thailand is maybe by helping a Northeastern buffalo vet.

 

Stop moaning about immigration laws and do what needs to be done to comply, it isn't that hard. 

I have a neighbor in a similar position, he sits at home all day moaning about the weather, politics etc, can't even speak to his neighbours as in his 49 years here he thinks Thais should learn English!

I wasn't moaning, neither did I say it wasn't justified in returning him home, I was just commenting that it was a terrible position to find yourself in at 83. I doubt if everyone is as smart as you who can learn Thai, sing the anthem or whatever else you have to do to gain Thai citizenship.

[bkk6060]

56 minutes ago, Raymonddiaz said:

An 83 years old criminal, really???? Police should arrest drunk drivers....

I guess you have not caught up with the news as they arrested over 9,000 DUI in the past 7 days.

Good to see though they also had time to arrest this overstay criminal.

[Mister Fixit]

19 minutes ago, transam said:

Not sure, but I thought SAS photos were not allowed on here, as it will get the Pattaya bar stool brigade all sitting up from their normal slouch then draining the local hospitals of valuable resources...????....................????....

Yeah, should have blanked out the faces just to look hard ...  And who would know who was who in that photo anyway?

 

Don't forget we were reserves, not the hairy-a**ed brigade in Hereford.  I don't think anyone will come looking after 47 years though. 

 

Note to whoever it was who said he'd done 'real' parachute training - so did I mate, and probably long before your time.  ALL of our training was 'real', AND we gave up our free time to do it too.  

Edited January 4, 2020 by Mister Fixit

[Trujillo]

People need to disregard his age and understand that the application of the laws should be uniform. That means if you overstay your visa, regardless of age, you are subject to be deported. 

 

As far as being an "undesirable" element, we know nothing of what he was doing here. For all you know, he was involved in any number of illegal activities, overstaying being the least of which. 

 

I have no sympathy for these people. The rest of us do everything we are asked every 90 days, every year. We keep the right amount in the bank or provide the proof immigration wants for extended stays. If you can't follow the laws, then don't let the door hit your ass on the way out....

[giddyup]

2 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

I guess you have not caught up with the news as they arrested over 9,000 DUI in the past 7 days.

Good to see though they also had time to arrest this overstay criminal.

So, how do you rate an overstayer with a drunk driver. Drunk drivers are either warned to drive carefully or at worst get a a couple of thousand baht fine. He broke the law, no disputing that, but he didn't risk killing anyone did he?

[giddyup]

4 minutes ago, Trujillo said:

People need to disregard his age and understand that the application of the laws should be uniform. That means if you overstay your visa, regardless of age, you are subject to be deported. 

 

As far as being an "undesirable" element, we know nothing of what he was doing here. For all you know, he was involved in any number of illegal activities, overstaying being the least of which. 

 

I have no sympathy for these people. The rest of us do everything we are asked every 90 days, every year. We keep the right amount in the bank or provide the proof immigration wants for extended stays. If you can't follow the laws, then don't let the door hit your ass on the way out....

Yeah, at 83 he was probably rolling drunks in Walking Street. I would suggest the reason for his overstay was lack of funds, hardly what we'd expect of a master criminal.

Edited January 4, 2020 by giddyup

[rech]

so sad for him, which him the best.

[Neeranam]

10 minutes ago, giddyup said:

I wasn't moaning, neither did I say it wasn't justified in returning him home, I was just commenting that it was a terrible position to find yourself in at 83. I doubt if everyone is as smart as you who can learn Thai, sing the anthem or whatever else you have to do to gain Thai citizenship.

Sorry if you thought I said you were moaning, I was just having a little rant.

I agreed with what you said.

 

Learning Thai when staying in Thailand isn't exactly rocket science.

[Trujillo]

"Yeah, at 83 he was probably rolling drunks in Walking Street."

 

Or indulging in underage sex, or growing ganja, or dealing ice, ... at the very least he was scamming the system. 

[giddyup]

1 minute ago, Neeranam said:

 Learning Thai when staying in Thailand isn't exactly rocket science.

I don't know how old you are, but it's a fact the older you are the more difficult it is to learn a language, especially Thai. I've been here 10 years and will admit that my Thai is almost non-existent.

[Neeranam]

39 minutes ago, steven100 said:

he's been here 13 yrs on overstay, you think he's amassed a fortune ... 

No idea.

 

I did know one guy who didn't bother with visas, paying overstay occasionally, but had influential friends.

Not advisable if you don't.

[giddyup]

2 minutes ago, Trujillo said:

"Yeah, at 83 he was probably rolling drunks in Walking Street."

 

Or indulging in underage sex, or growing ganja, or dealing ice, ... at the very least he was scamming the system. 

OK, he was on overstay, no disputing that, but now you want to make him out to be a criminal as well. If you can't back that up you should be sued for slander.

[giddyup]

1 minute ago, Neeranam said:

No idea.

 

I did know one guy who didn't bother with visas, paying overstay occasionally, but had influential friends.

Not advisable if you don't.

No idea, really?

[Gecko123]

I would never turn someone into immigration. Blackmail them every month maybe, but call a hotline, never.

[giddyup]

1 minute ago, Gecko123 said:

I would never turn someone into immigration. Blackmail them every month maybe, but call a hotline, never.

i would imagine the pickings for blackmailing this 83 year old man would be slim indeed.

[Drax]

He’ll probably be in Vietname soon lol.