Immigration Bureau officers from Krabi arrested a 51-year-old German national identified as Mr Manuel on Ko Lanta on Monday, December 18th. He faces prosecution for a 5-month visa overstay and deportation.

Local police in Krabi confirm a national crackdown on overstaying tourists is underway. A heartbroken German, drowning his sorrows in beer, was arrested on Ko Lanta after being spurned in love. He is among the first to be detained. Immigration’s festive blitz is underway targeting boisterous drinkers.

Immigration police have launched another national crackdown targeting visa overstayers and most especially foreign tourists overindulging in alcohol in the runup to Christmas and the New Year. On Monday, a 51-year-old German man drowned his sorrows after suffering rejection in love on the island of Ko Lanta. Later, he was nabbed after a tip-off to Krabi Police from locals. 

 

It was a case of Murphy’s law, for a 51-year-old German tourist on Monday. The European found himself amid a pre-Christmas nightmare on December 18th on Ko Lanta, the picturesque island in Southern Thailand, near Krabi.

 

Previously, the unlucky foreigner, whose visa expired five months ago, set off from the notorious resort city of Pattaya seeking love and reconciliation with his estranged Thai girlfriend in Krabi. He had high hopes.

 

by Carla Boonkong & Pranee O' Connor

 

Full story: Thai Examiner.com 2023-12-20

 

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Hmmm…. Pesky foreigners?

what a quandary, Thailand is desperate for more tourists but eager to kick out tourists that overstay. if only there was an amnesty to get them legal so they can stay and spend more money. the visa process is frustrating and that doesn't help either

6 minutes ago, cncltd1973 said:

what a quandary, Thailand is desperate for more tourists but eager to kick out tourists that overstay. if only there was an amnesty to get them legal so they can stay and spend more money. the visa process is frustrating and that doesn't help either

Thailand is packed with tourists now and a retirement visa couldn't be simpler to get .

As the saying goes .. there is one born every minute.

Probably part of the newest new 90-day plan to improve the economy!

Don't ask how or why, just go along with it like the rest of Thailand is asked to do!

I'm not sure even sherlock could solve this mystery he can not get back together with girlfriend then someone tips off immigration 

20 minutes ago, yankee99 said:

Thailand is packed with tourists now and a retirement visa couldn't be simpler to get .

It is if you're under 50!

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Previously, the unlucky foreigner, whose visa expired five months ago, set off from the notorious resort city of Pattaya seeking love and reconciliation with his estranged Thai girlfriend in Krabi. He had high hopes.

I wonder if she was the one who tipped-off immigration.

They want money yet instead if doing an automatic 90 day extension they lock up and deport the overstayers and ban them....go figure 

I wonder how many farang are actually banned from entering Thailand for overstaying? I know of 2, 

''He was on a 30-day tourist visa. Significantly, he was residing illegally in the country for the last five months after the expiration of his visa period. ''

 

Came in via Ban Laem. Above quote from the report.

 

They don't even understand the difference between visa exempt and tourist visa themselves. Grotty reporting. Again.

25 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

They want money yet instead if doing an automatic 90 day extension they lock up and deport the overstayers and ban them....go figure 

Apparently they don't want or need criminal's money.  It's easy enough to stay in TH a very long time.  Simply follow the rules, especially @ 50+ yrs old.

 

If they are violating the imm laws, what else are they doing ?  Working, taking employment from locals who need it, or criminal activity to support themselves.  

 

We all seem to dislike criminal immigrants & tourist in our home country, but for seem reason, have compassion for them here ... 

13 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

I wonder how many farang are actually banned from entering Thailand for overstaying? I know of 2, 

Obviously travel in different circles, as I don't know any.  I know a few that couldn't make the financials to stay like they wanted, and TH is better off without them ... IMHO

3 hours ago, webfact said:

He is among the first to be detained. Immigration’s festive blitz is underway targeting boisterous drinkers.

Festive blitz ?  sounds more like a dream holiday harassment for everybody else

Long overdue..

Posters that say his arrest is bad obviously have no problem with illegal immigrants in their country.

1 hour ago, cncltd1973 said:

what a quandary, Thailand is desperate for more tourists but eager to kick out tourists that overstay. if only there was an amnesty to get them legal so they can stay and spend more money. the visa process is frustrating and that doesn't help either

at least revert to the short-lived 45 day Visa.

(A 90 Day Visa would be more appropriate)..IMO

"National crackdown underway "

 

How many times a year do have this 'National Crackdown'?

If they did their job,immigration, surely there would be no need?

This guy may be an over-staying, beer-swilling, drunk-driving, loud-mouth, cop-dodging, love-sick whore-mongerer but I still found the tone of this article to be insufferably smug, almost to the point of indulging in feminist schadenfreude.

 

Ho, ho, ho

Merry Christmas 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Later, he was nabbed after a tip-off to Krabi Police from locals. 

 

Never trust strangers or ex-girlfriends . Even he spent his money there , somebody reported him to police .

He probably talked about his overstay .

 

24 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Apparently they don't want or need criminal's money.  It's easy enough to stay in TH a very long time.  Simply follow the rules, especially @ 50+ yrs old.

 

If they are violating the imm laws, what else are they doing ?  Working, taking employment from locals who need it, or criminal activity to support themselves.  

 

We all seem to dislike criminal immigrants & tourist in our home country, but for seem reason, have compassion for them here ... 

Every word you say is true.

You mention the word 'criminal' or criminal's several times and indeed overstayers, if caught are criminals, I wonder though if the immigration and police would be allowed to carry on their criminality in other countries as they do in Thailand?

 

7 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

This guy may be an over-staying, beer-swilling, drunk-driving, loud-mouth, cop-dodging, love-sick whore-mongerer but I still found the tone of this article to be insufferably smug, almost to the point of indulging in feminist schadenfreude.

 

 

It is. Just more pathetic Thai reporting, from someone who doesn't know the difference between writing news and writing an opinion or commentary piece. Do they even have journalism courses in Thailand?

They tolerate farang until the money euns low or your behavior is out of hand.  Probably not smart to act boisterous for months in and around a place like Krabi. 

8 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

Every word you say is true.

You mention the word 'criminal' or criminal's several times and indeed overstayers, if caught are criminals, I wonder though if the immigration and police would be allowed to carry on their criminality in other countries as they do in Thailand?

 

HAHAHA... you live in <deleted>cago... just open your eyes and you have the answer

Such a Huge  crime overstaying your visa and getting drunk in a bar but I would like to know why it is not a crime here in Phuket to get so drunk that you can run down 2 kids on a motor bike,, Kill them both on cctv and just go on with your life as nothing has happened maybe these Russians are above the law or paid the law off??? Please take a look at this cctv footage and give me one reason why this women is not locked up, her name is Ireana Pavalova. 

2 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

Every word you say is true.

You mention the word 'criminal' or criminal's several times and indeed overstayers, if caught are criminals, I wonder though if the immigration and police would be allowed to carry on their criminality in other countries as they do in Thailand?

Surely it happens, maybe not to the scale that it does here (low level criminals), as other countries may be a bit more discreet, or it goes higher up the chain, as I read 'human trafficking' is a billion $$$ business.  

 

Large scale illegal immigration operations can only operate with corrupt official, ground level, and up.  You really cant traffic that many people, if #s are even close to accurate, without more than a few people turning a blind eye, with the hand out, collecting big bucks.

 

Back to TH, IF not for so many willing to part with their money to support the Imm corruption here via use of agents, maybe the corruption wouldn't be so rampant.  You do need both the supply & demand for it to prevail.  A self supporting business by criminals on both sides of the equation.

 

Why I'm totally against the use of agents at Imm, unless simply for convenience sake, of simply not Q'ing up, then fine.  But to skirt the requirement, then no, but yet, so many forum members support it, even recommend it.

 

But surely against it in their home country.  Hypocrites

6 minutes ago, Skipalongcassidy said:

HAHAHA... you live in <deleted>cago... just open your eyes and you have the answer

For the confused... he lives in chicago... the most corrupt city in the states and he worried about Thailand IOs and police being corrupt... it's hard to sometimes fathom the stupidity but it abounds

You can't beat a good old-fashioned 'Immigration crackdown '

 

It must have been days since the last one.

 

 

31 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

This guy may be an over-staying, beer-swilling, drunk-driving, loud-mouth, cop-dodging, love-sick whore-mongerer but I still found the tone of this article to be insufferably smug, almost to the point of indulging in feminist schadenfreude.

 

 

And apart from the above he was a great guy I should imagine.

 

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

I wonder if she was the one who tipped-off immigration.

 

 

Mmmm, do you think so?