Over-stayers beware! BMW smart car comes for Brit who didn't renew his visa - blacklisted for 5 years

[webfact]

Picture: Naew Na

 

Naew Na reported that the Immigration Bureau's famous BMW smart cars were at it again keeping Thailand safe. 

 

This time the car - fitted with high tech gizmos like an internet connection - nabbed a British man named only as Mr Craig, 43, who was walking along Chaloke Rat road in Muang district of Surat Thani.

 

He was found to be on overstay of 349 days.

 

He admitted this and was taken to the Muang Surat Thani for prosecution.

 

When that has been done he will be put on a blacklist, deported and forbidden from coming to Thailand again for five years. 

 

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[steven100]

oh dear Mr Craig,   now you have to go back home.

[bbko]

20 minutes ago, webfact said:

This time the car - fitted with high tech gizmos like an internet connection

No details on how it tracked down the overstayer?  Facial recognition?  Cell phone tracking?  Vaccine induced microchip?

[gk10012001]

Oh Mr Johnnie bobak how could you be so mean, now all the neighbor's cats and dogs will never more be seen,. Sorry, an old song from my childhood boy scout days just popped into my head .

[Chivas]

5 years is not long enough. Persona Non Grata indefinately

Theres zero excuse for absolutely anyone to be on overstay (and lets be generous) for more than 30 days unless hospitalised etc

 

There really really isn't. Thailand are far too soft on this

[Gsxrnz]

The Empire has definitely struck back.

[tonray]

14 minutes ago, steven100 said:

oh dear Mr Craig,   now you have to go back home.

In the winter....oh boy...warm some mushy peas 

[gk10012001]

How can a person take such a risk?  There were plenty of ways to avoid this, and plenty of time to get things straightened out, COVID and lockdowns or not.  Just a horrible choice of risk vs. reward

[tonray]

5 minutes ago, bbko said:

No details on how it tracked down the overstayer?  Facial recognition?  Cell phone tracking?  Vaccine induced microchip?

It accidently hit him crossing an intersection

[lom]

I also have internet in my car, I don't consider that to be high tech..

[tonray]

Just now, gk10012001 said:

Just a horrible choice of risk vs. reward

Please leave BREXIT out of this...ha ha ha ha

[Ohyesuare]

8 minutes ago, gk10012001 said:

How can a person take such a risk?  There were plenty of ways to avoid this, and plenty of time to get things straightened out, COVID and lockdowns or not.  Just a horrible choice of risk vs. reward

Cheapness, laziness, thinking immigration outside of the big tourist cities won't really be looking for or care about overstayers. ????‍♂️

[gk10012001]

9 minutes ago, lom said:

I also have internet in my car, I don't consider that to be high tech..

I got internet on my phone which I carry with me.  And I grew up using rotary dial telephones!  Eiesenhower was president when I was born.  I remember using pay phones and thought those were pretty cool to be able to call home from most places if needed and if I could find a dime !  Remember putting dimes in the top of my loafer shoes!  It really came in handy some times

[RafPinto]

Does he wear a double mask?

[cyril sneer]

I thought they normally revealed the identities of these people

[RafPinto]

They were tricked into buying this BMW.

One of the smart officers went into a dealership and saw a message on the screen.

He called ChaCha and said: Boss, this BMW can talk.

Order them NOW, we need them to track the illegal farangs down. Do it NOW.

[BangkokReady]

49 minutes ago, webfact said:

This time the car - fitted with high tech gizmos like an internet connection - nabbed a British man named only as Mr Craig, 43, who was walking along Chaloke Rat road in Muang district of Surat Thani.

Are they claiming that they roam around in these cars and their cameras and facial recognition software scan and identify everyone they see and check their immigration status?

 

Or did someone just grass him up?

[Harsh Jones]

Here I thought the guy over stayed by a few days by accident. Yet he was over stayed for a year almost. He was asking for it

[hioctane]

48 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

Are they claiming that they roam around in these cars and their cameras and facial recognition software scan and identify everyone they see and check their immigration status?

 

Or did someone just grass him up?

There are already cameras all over the place. It wouldn’t be difficult to outfit them with facial recognition software and hook them up to every LE database there is.  Big brother is watching!

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, gk10012001 said:

I got internet on my phone which I carry with me.  And I grew up using rotary dial telephones!  Eiesenhower was president when I was born.  I remember using pay phones and thought those were pretty cool to be able to call home from most places if needed and if I could find a dime !  Remember putting dimes in the top of my loafer shoes!  It really came in handy some times

You're a young fella then. We had a party line and we had to crank the handle and ask the operator to call the number.

However, life was good then, before mobile phones, internet, stupid reality shows on tv ( no tv lol ), social media etc.

[Karma80]

I'm quite surprised they did not make him re-enact the crime by overstaying another year, like every other person they parade about.

[trainman34014]

Obviously didn't have the funds to buy himself out.    I had a Dutch friend who went three years overstay; cost him 60,000 Baht including new Extension and nod nod, wink wink, say no more !

[trainman34014]

2 hours ago, Ohyesuare said:

Cheapness, laziness, thinking immigration outside of the big tourist cities won't really be looking for or care about overstayers. ????‍♂️

The first place they look is in the Rural area's but they rely on Local's to give them the word on Farang's living in Villages etc as it would be almost impossible for them to find anyone without help; despite all the 'High Tech' equipment they drone on about.

[KhaoYai]

3 hours ago, lom said:

I also have internet in my car, I don't consider that to be high tech..

Ever heard of sarcasm?

[ThailandRyan]

I would think that like a hot sheet with the daily list of stolen cars we would get back in the US as a LEO, the immigration police who drive the BMW smart cars would be given a list of those on a list that have overstayed their visas, extension of stats etc.., and then sent out to start looking for them in the last known locations they had been seen or registered in.  With the camera system running as they drove about the computer does all of the work and a hit would be confirmed with the system and the person stopped and arrested much like finding those stolen vehicles.  Of course stolen cars would possibly take one on a pursuit but an out of shape overstayer would stand no chance.

[kotsak]

3 hours ago, RafPinto said:

They were tricked into buying this BMW.

One of the smart officers went into a dealership and saw a message on the screen.

He called ChaCha and said: Boss, this BMW can talk.

Order them NOW, we need them to track the illegal farangs down. Do it NOW.

AFAIK most of these vehicles are "donations" from manufacturer.  

[cvs04]

Oddly they are deporting him to the UK where if you stay there as an illegal immigrant then you get an apartment, colour telly and 100 quid per week from the Government!

[RichardColeman]

He's either very poor or an idiot. Whilst he could have used an agent for his 'poorness' , there no helping his stupidity in ignoring it !

[n00dle]

I am not one to judge, I have played thai immigration fast and loose with continuous residence in the country for over 20 years with the exception of a 5 year stint when I worked in the phils and split my time.

 

I have had tourist visas, non Os, non Bs,  and VOAs. I once even racked up about 3 months worth of overstay just because I could.

 

This fellow, with covid extension being bog simple to obtain for the last 1.5 years is just foolish.

 

 

[sucher]

Facial Recognition is not working that well these Days