4:15PM Tuesday July 17, 2007

A Thai man thrown out of New Zealand as an overstayer twice returned to the country using a false passport, a court was told yesterday.

Kamphon Singwee, 24, faced two charges of fraudulently providing a passport and four charges of providing false information to immigration officers, the Marlborough Express reported.

Singwee, also known as Somdet Chatae, pleaded guilty to all charges in Blenheim District Court and was jailed for 16 months.

The court was told Singwee visited New Zealand in March 2002 as a tourist and was allowed to extend his stay after applying for a work permit.

He then tried to claim refugee status but was returned to Thailand in November, 2004, as an overstayer.

On October 28, 2005, Singwee returned to New Zealand with a work permit for Somdet Chatae and a passport under the same name.

Returning to Thailand for a short time, he used the false passport to return to New Zealand in January 2006.

When applying for work permits he supplied immigration staff on four occasions with false information about Somdet Chatae.

Sam Houliston, lawyer for the Department of Labour, said Singwee's actions were an "official challenge" to the integrity of the country's immigration system.

Singwee's lawyer Bryony Senior said while his offending could not be justified, she wondered if anyone in the court could comprehend the poverty Singwee faced in Thailand.

In jailing Singwee Judge David McKegg said "the opportunity to live and work in New Zealand is a privilege, not a right".

Well, he got what he wanted; an overstay.

The moral of the story is: Be careful where you get your next passport made!

Singwee's lawyer Bryony Senior said while his offending could not be justified, she wondered if anyone in the court could comprehend the poverty Singwee faced in Thailand.

Groan . . . if he had enough money to continue paying for tickets then his level of poverty just might have been above the breadline.

<deleted>' White-Boy PC crap justification

im surprised they caught him.

the western world doesnt get any more naieve and gullible than new zealand.

im surprised they caught him.

the western world doesnt get any more naieve and gullible than new zealand.

a Thai person in Blenheim (top of the Sth Island) would be easy to spot and would stand out like dogs b@lls.

NZ does have its fair share of overstayers thou- esp from the pacific islands, now to track them down would be difficult as many of them blend into the community in Sth Akl.

Asians can easily blend in in Auckland and now even Christchurch . . . Double-digit population percentage now, I believe.

im surprised they caught him.

the western world doesnt get any more naieve and gullible than new zealand.

a Thai person in Blenheim (top of the Sth Island) would be easy to spot and would stand out like dogs b@lls.

NZ does have its fair share of overstayers thou- esp from the pacific islands, now to track them down would be difficult as many of them blend into the community in Sth Akl.

plenty of asians in the horticultural areas,including blenheim, im still surprised they caught him though ,theyre hardly the most worldly wise enforcement agency guys around.

im surprised they caught him.

the western world doesnt get any more naieve and gullible than new zealand.

a Thai person in Blenheim (top of the Sth Island) would be easy to spot and would stand out like dogs b@lls.

NZ does have its fair share of overstayers thou- esp from the pacific islands, now to track them down would be difficult as many of them blend into the community in Sth Akl.

plenty of asians in the horticultural areas,including blenheim, im still surprised they caught him though ,theyre hardly the most worldly wise enforcement agency guys around.

Their computer system is pretty ###### good, so I don't know where you get this info from

Easy enough for a Thai to get a "second" passport if they have either a brother,sister cousin that looks similar to themselves.Seen it done before.

Plenty of Asians living in Blenheim now too.