Here's one ive been keeping back from you all. I started with a 6 month double entry non immigrant visa. I really messed my visa up this year by firstly forgetting to make my first stamp visit and over staying by 30 days. I just sat by the dest with the label "OVER STAY" writen on it. I ask them if that was it they said yes and told me to come back on 29th April, about two months later. April arrived my friend was visiting i told him i need to make my visa run and showed him my passport. He told me i was in alot of trouble because i was only showing a stamp out of Thailand on Febuary 29th. I got pretty worried and spoke to some local friends, of which one told me he has a friend in immigration at Burma who could help me. Anyway 2 more weeks past, and i met a nice lady who i explained to situation to and she offered to help by visiting the office at Ranong and explaining the details. What was actualy said i dont really know to this day but they told her to get me to give them my passport and they with get my details updated on the computer and everything will look good when i leave for UK, but i will have to contact the police and tell them ide lost my passport. Well i wasnt happy with that because i wasnt aware i could leave the counrty without a passport in hand, and i was at that time 3 weeks away from my flight date. Anyway to cut the story short. I went into the office personally and owned up to my misstake. I must say i was treated fairly well concidering. I was sat for a long time while they wrote on my passport, wrote on my entry tickets and cancelled one? Got me to sign many various pieces of paper. I paid them 12'000 baht because of my 62 days over stay at 200baht per day, then of i merryly went into Burma to complete the rest of the task. Pheew! It was only a few weeks before that ide heard about the people on Samui getting stopped after 3 hours overstay and deported. I suppose if the police had wanted to see my passport for anything i would of been in a different situation.

I suppose i was lucky?

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Up until what seems only forum members know, Overstay was common practice but things have changed. You are right, you were lucky and too the extreme considering the reports of the one day casualties. Whatever, you did the right thing in the end but sad to say there will be many others that won't too their peril.

These days the risks attached to overstay are just too great, and the consequences are out of proportion. Don't do it.