Oops! Illegal Indian's great Thai language skills proved to be his downfall after his arrest in Chumphon

 

Picture: Naew Na

 

Immigration officers in Chumphon in the south of Thailand became suspicious after an Indian man who claimed to have just arrived in Thailand could speak such good Thai. 

 

They delved a little deeper and found out with the help of some local informants that "Ama" was not who he said he was.

 

PIBICS and the biometrics system flagged him up as a person of interest. 

 

It emerged that Mr Amarnath first arrived in Thailand in 2012 on a tourist visa

 

He was subsequently arrested for working without a permit and was deported and blacklisted in 2014.

 

A briefing at immigration HQ in Bangkok yesterday gave yet more details of the last 8 years for the man everyone called Ama. 

 

In 2015 he managed to get back into Thailand on a new passport again under the name of Mr Amarnath but this time with a new date of birth. This managed to fox the system.

 

He then overstayed his welcome by 453 days and turned himself in on 28th August 2018. According to the regulations he was given a three year ban on entering Thailand until August 2021. 

 

He was deported for a second time.

 

This did not deter the intrepid Indian who returned in 2019 on yet another new passport that had different details so his identity was not in the database.

 

Inquiries into foreigners in Chumphon by Region 6 immigration found a lot of suspicious behavior by Ama. Not least of all was his excellent Thai ability, especially for someone who had been in Thailand barely a year.

 

The locals soon pointed to him as someone who had been in the kingdom for ages and he was arrested on an immigration law (Article 82) dating back to 1979. 

 

He now looks set to be deported for a third time. 

 

Source: Naew Na

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-11-05

 

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Never speak Thai with Immigration.

One of the first rules I learned in Thailand, now I only say "I don't understand" as many times as they like.

 

Did the Indian guy change his fingerprints every-time he entered as well, or are we all to assume the fingerprint scanners are just for show and don't actually do anything.

so 3 easy entries, good  job Biometrics, proof  if  ever its a roaring success

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

Never speak Thai with Immigration.

One of the first rules I learned in Thailand, now I only say "I don't understand" as many times as they like.

NEVER speak with any authorities, they are  set up for you to incriminate  yourself

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

Never speak Thai with Immigration.

One of the first rules I learned in Thailand, now I only say "I don't understand" as many times as they like.

I do the same with any Police stops or  just  utter garbage

I feel a lot safer now; I can speak only two words of Thai: "boom" and.. "boom".

22 minutes ago, bodga said:

so 3 easy entries, good  job Biometrics, proof  if  ever its a roaring success

Sure, blame a system that wasn't implemented yet back then. The fact that he could do this is one of the reasons why the system is in place now..

22 minutes ago, bodga said:

NEVER speak with any authorities, they are  set up for you to incriminate  yourself

If you incriminate yourself, you are not being smart.

1 hour ago, webfact said:

PIBICS and the biometrics system flagged him up as a person of interest. 

....

In 2015 he managed to get back into Thailand on a new passport again under the name of Mr Amarnath but this time with a new date of birth. This managed to fox the system.

They've improved their system/biometrics since 2015? (Or two distinct systems involved?)

1 hour ago, bodga said:

so 3 easy entries, good  job Biometrics, proof  if  ever its a roaring success

Smart BMW was broken, he got thru the holes

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Never speak Thai with Immigration.

One of the first rules I learned in Thailand, now I only say "I don't understand" as many times as they like.

 

After lost money at road shake downs to cops who speak some English I have now started to only speak in Swedish with them, even if I can speak, read and write Thai. Most of them let me go after five minutes without any made up traffic fines paid. 

i never see Indian or South Asians at immigration. I wonder how many are working illegally here. Maybe its because I am not right in Bangkok.

1 hour ago, Boomer6969 said:

I feel a lot safer now; I can speak only two words of Thai: "boom" and.. "boom".

 

That's one word. You're half as fluent than you think you are. ????

1 hour ago, Lowryderen said:

Sure, blame a system that wasn't implemented yet back then. The fact that he could do this is one of the reasons why the system is in place now..

and its working sooooooooooo well

26 minutes ago, Chelseafan said:

 

That's one word. You're half as fluent than you think you are. ????

That's great; I am twice as safe.

20 minutes ago, Boomer6969 said:

That's great; I am twice as safe.

Unless he's a poof!

3 hours ago, webfact said:

He now looks set to be deported for a third time. 

 

He'll be back.

So if you study Thai, and learn to speak and read it outside of the country in order to speak with your extended family or, for whatever reason you may be looked at suspiciously when you come into the country for the first time and speak Thai to the Immigration officer. Wow, good to know.  I will tell my kids to forget taking Thai classes in the US and, to just wing it when they come to visit here.  

I know where to get a new passport if i need it. 

Other than 'overstaying', is he a bad guy ?  Rape and pillage and such ?

 

7 hours ago, webfact said:

The locals soon pointed to him as someone who had been in the kingdom for ages and he was arrested on an immigration law (Article 82) dating back to 1979. 

So it took the locals to point him out and not the infallible immigration system?

9 hours ago, webfact said:

In 2015 he managed to get back into Thailand on a new passport again under the name of Mr Amarnath but this time with a new date of birth.

Stange and not reliable indian system

8 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Never speak Thai with Immigration.

What's the problem if you enter legally ??

This is actually really funny.  Poor guy.

7 hours ago, Chelseafan said:

 

That's one word. You're half as fluent than you think you are. ????

Two different tones ...

This guy has proven his love for Thailand and should be granted honorary citizenship. 

15 hours ago, TooBigToFit said:

i never see Indian or South Asians at immigration. I wonder how many are working illegally here. Maybe its because I am not right in Bangkok.

True, I don't either and they are out and about where I live in Isaan because they are working in the silk business.

17 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Never speak Thai with Immigration.

One of the first rules I learned in Thailand, now I only say "I don't understand" as many times as they like.

 

Did the Indian guy change his fingerprints every-time he entered as well, or are we all to assume the fingerprint scanners are just for show and don't actually do anything.

I have to remind myself this too...as soon as I fly in and IO is eyeing up my passport I play the stupid tourist

 

Same goes for the cops pulling us over on mbike hustles........I know nothing Im just a dirty falang (smiles)

23 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Never speak Thai with Immigration.

One of the first rules I learned in Thailand, now I only say "I don't understand" as many times as they like.

 

Did the Indian guy change his fingerprints every-time he entered as well, or are we all to assume the fingerprint scanners are just for show and don't actually do anything.

Advice given to me many years ago. 'It's easy to speak enough Thai to get you into trouble, but hard to speak enough to get you out of it.' That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.????

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