I have enough to help him

[treetops]

10 hours ago, bigt3116 said:

There is only one IDC

 

According to an article from 5 years ago in the newspaper we can't quote, there are 22 IDCs in Thailand.

[Liquorice]

56 minutes ago, treetops said:

 

According to an article from 5 years ago in the newspaper we can't quote, there are 22 IDCs in Thailand.

Concur.

https://www.fortifyrights.org/tha-inv-2020-05-01/

[Liquorice]

5 hours ago, thaibreaker said:

Btw, the fine at the IDC court for this guy, will be approximately 6.000 baht, if his passport has expired (3000 if it's not). Plus his ticket back to his home country.

The 20k baht fine is waived for all at IDC.

Or he could just be imprisoned for up to 2 years.

[thaibreaker]

22 hours ago, Liquorice said:

Or he could just be imprisoned for up to 2 years.

That's for his fine, and if so he will be held at a different prison, with almost only Thais. But he will still be sent back to IDC after serving that time, and held there until his ticket home is paid.

[thaibreaker]

23 hours ago, treetops said:

 

According to an article from 5 years ago in the newspaper we can't quote, there are 22 IDCs in Thailand.

21 of them are only a temporary stay, until you are sent to the 22nd, the one and only for long time stayers, IDC in Bangkok. People there have been brought there from all parts of the country.

 

The longest stay when I served time there more than a decade ago, was done by a Korean. He had been there for 14 years. Still had no hope of getting home. Two Chinese men for 8 and 10 years. No one claims them. Or help them home. Or someone might be stuck for political reasons, like these Chinese were.

[Liquorice]

2 hours ago, thaibreaker said:

That's for his fine, and if so he will be held at a different prison, with almost only Thais. But he will still be sent back to IDC after serving that time, and held there until his ticket home is paid.

He could be fined and imprisoned.

[JimTripper]

2 hours ago, thaibreaker said:

IDC in Bangkok. People there have been brought there from all parts of the country.

 

The longest stay when I served time there more than a decade ago

Can you tell us some stories about conditions there?

[thaibreaker]

On 12/28/2023 at 11:52 PM, JimTripper said:

Can you tell us some stories about conditions there?

I told my story many years back. It was a long thread. Got a lot of comments and questions. 

I wonder if it still might be searchable here? Haven't checked.

[thaibreaker]

On 12/28/2023 at 11:29 PM, Liquorice said:

He could be fined and imprisoned.

Being detained at IDC means you are imprisoned there. 

Here is what will happen (not could happen). He will be fined when he has his case to a judge, at a prison a 30-45 minutes drive away from IDC. Everyone at IDC must through that. The fine is 3-6000 baht. Depends on if you have a valid passport or not.

 

Then, if you pay the fine, you will be driven back to IDC, and imprisoned there, until you can pay for your ticket home. No more fines.

 

If you can't pay the fine, you will serve time at that Thai prison where the judge is, deducted 200 baht a day. When that is served, you will be driven back to IDC, and held there, until your ticket is paid.

 

So he will definitely be fined, where he goes from there, depends on if he is able to pay it.

Either way you end up at IDC again.

[thaibreaker]

Just now, thaibreaker said:

Here is what happens. He will get fined when he is in front of a judge, a 30 minutes drive away from IDC. Everyone at IDC must through that. 3-6000 baht.

 

Then, if you pay the fine, you will be driven back to IDC, and imprisoned there, until you can pay gor the ticket home. No more fines.

 

If you can't pay the fine, you will serve time at thdt Thai prison, deducted 200 baht a day. When that is served, you will be driven back to IDC, and held there, until your ticket is paid.

 

[Liquorice]

3 hours ago, thaibreaker said:

Here is what will happen (not could happen). He will be fined when he has his case to a judge, at a prison a 30-45 minutes drive away from IDC. Everyone at IDC must through that. The fine is 3-6000 baht. Depends on if you have a valid passport or not.

That was your experience, every case is different, dependent on the reason and length of overstay.

According to the law, section 81 of the Immigration Act.
Section 81 : Any alien who stay in the Kingdom without permission or with permission expired or revoked shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding two years or a fine not exceeding 20,000 Baht or both.

[JimTripper]

5 hours ago, thaibreaker said:

Being detained at IDC means you are imprisoned there. 

Here is what will happen (not could happen). He will be fined when he has his case to a judge, at a prison a 30-45 minutes drive away from IDC. Everyone at IDC must through that. The fine is 3-6000 baht. Depends on if you have a valid passport or not.

 

Then, if you pay the fine, you will be driven back to IDC, and imprisoned there, until you can pay for your ticket home. No more fines.

 

If you can't pay the fine, you will serve time at that Thai prison where the judge is, deducted 200 baht a day. When that is served, you will be driven back to IDC, and held there, until your ticket is paid.

 

So he will definitely be fined, where he goes from there, depends on if he is able to pay it.

Either way you end up at IDC again.

Someone said before that the 200 baht a day thing was only for Thai's and not applicable to foreigners.

[Liverpool Lou]

On 12/26/2023 at 11:07 AM, dddave said:

What your friend needs to realize is that he could face an indeterminate incarceration in an IDC if arrested and they are very unpleasant places.

Those arrested do not just get thrown in IDC for an indeterminate period, they appear in court and get a specific sentence that is usually a fine and deportation, not imprisonment in IDC.  Detention only happens until the fine is paid.

[Liquorice]

5 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Those arrested do not just get thrown in IDC for an indeterminate period, they appear in court and get a specific sentence that is usually a fine and deportation, not imprisonment in IDC.  Detention only happens until the fine is paid.

Where do suppose they stay once arrested and waiting to appear in court, the Ritz hotel?

[Liverpool Lou]

4 minutes ago, Liquorice said:

6 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Those arrested do not just get thrown in IDC for an indeterminate period, they appear in court and get a specific sentence that is usually a fine and deportation, not imprisonment in IDC.  Detention only happens until the fine is paid.

Where do suppose they stay once arrested and waiting to appear in court, the Ritz hotel?

IDC, obviously, but not for an indeterminate time (as claimed by dddave) which was my point.

[Liverpool Lou]

On 12/27/2023 at 10:08 PM, treetops said:

 

According to an article from 5 years ago in the newspaper we can't quote, there are 22 IDCs in Thailand.

The Bangkok Post ran that article also.  We are allowed to mention the Bangkok Post!

[thaibreaker]

9 hours ago, JimTripper said:

Someone said before that the 200 baht a day thing was only for Thai's and not applicable to foreigners.

Not true. Many foreigners actually can't pay that fine, and they serve that time in another prison than IDC. Then end up back there, when that serving is finished.

[thaibreaker]

10 hours ago, Liquorice said:

That was your experience, every case is different, dependent on the reason and length of overstay.

According to the law, section 81 of the Immigration Act.
Section 81 : Any alien who stay in the Kingdom without permission or with permission expired or revoked shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding two years or a fine not exceeding 20,000 Baht or both.

I can't speak for today's practice, but back then, a decade ago, everyone got this same experience. The section you post, is just a text that has been unchanged for a long, long time. Same text back then. Practice was this same for all, if you were sent to IDC in Bangkok.

 

They have a court system other places also, like for instance at Koh Samui, so the fine might be given elsewhere. Rules are the same though.

[thaibreaker]

On 12/28/2023 at 11:52 PM, JimTripper said:

Can you tell us some stories about conditions there?

I can give it a try.

 

We were "stewed away", around 70 people in one big room, room 7 at IDC, after being taken to the judge and got our fine, two days after we got to a temporary room.

At room 7 we got one tiny blanket to lie on, straight on the concrete floor, and got about 60 cm space or so, beside your "neighbour". We were of course stripped of phones, luggage (went into a store room) and such, so no contact possible with people on the outside.

 

The food was terrible, some cucumber and rice 3 times a day. Spicy. I hardly ate at all. The lights were on 24 hours a day, no daylight, so the only sense of time was a clock on the wall. Very hard to sleep. 

 

Two times a week, for one hour, we were let out to a room downstairs to stretch our legs, or play some ball. A little daylight there, not much. 

That was it. Otherwise you were locked up 24/7, in these horrendous conditions. 

 

if one catched a cold or a flu, everyone probably got it. I was held there for 10 days until my embassy came to talk with me. I almost went nuts before that time. First then I could arrange for my release and ticket home, even having the funds all along. Deported on day 14.

 

After my ticket was purchased, I was called up a few hours before the flight, collecting my stuff, and was driven to Suvarnabhumi. Usually in handcuffs I was told, but I wasn't. Had a terrible cold when I left, and my body was hurting after two weeks lying straight on the floor.

The immigration officer escorted me through check-in, via their immigration office at the airport for some papers, and stamped my passport, and then escorted me to the boarding of my flight. 

 

Not a pleasant stay, that's for sure. Can't imagine how people survived being held in that same room for many years. Like one Korean, and two Chinese men were. 

[DrJack54]

15 minutes ago, thaibreaker said:

Not a pleasant stay, that's for sure. Can't imagine how people survived being held in that same room for many years. Like one Korean, and two Chinese men were. 

Thanks for first hand detailed report.

Excellent detail. 

[thaibreaker]

16 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Thanks for first hand detailed report.

Excellent detail. 

Thanks 🙏

 

Btw, it might have interest for some how I was arrested. I came out of a mall in the centre of Bangkok after watching a movie, "The Equalizer". On my way walking back to my hotel, I was randomly confronted by two immigration officers. They asked to see my passport. It was completely random, since I didn't know anyone in this area. No one reported me. I was alone, staying in a hotel, waiting for my flight out of Thailand the next day, in fact. 

Didn't get that far...

 

I said I didn't have the pp with me, but they asked for my name (which I told them), so they called it in for a computer check. They then discovered I was on overstay.

 

Luckily I was driven to my hotel, so I could pick up my luggage and stuff. They don't always do that, I was told, so be aware. 

 

The back of this pickup was loaded with overstaying black people, handcuffed together. I was the only white person in that truck. 

 

We were driven to an immigration police office connected to IDC, where these black people were offered to pay a bribe for their release. A person from outside came to their rescue, and must have paid up, so a few of them were released.

I didn't have the 60.000 baht or so they wanted, nor did I want to pay a bribe, so I went through the picture sequence with a couple of officers. You know the drill. Bragging about how they caught an overstayer I guess.

The rest of us, were brought to the prison section, and to a temporary room on the ground floor, awaiting our time in front of a judge.

 

Maybe this is of interest, the bribe thing actually shocked me, but these black people had contacts. They obviously knew who to call when they got there. Maybe this had occured several times before, it seemed that way.

 

Anyway, the rest of the story you already know.

[JimTripper]

9 minutes ago, thaibreaker said:

Thanks 🙏

 

Btw, it might have interest for some how I was arrested. I came out of a mall in the centre of Bangkok after watching a movie, "The Equalizer". On my way walking back to my hotel, I was randomly confronted by two immigration officers. They asked to see my passport. It was completely random, since I didn't know anyone in this area. No one reported me. I was alone, staying in a hotel, waiting for my flight out of Thailand the next day, in fact. 

Didn't get that far...

 

I said I didn't have the pp with me, but they asked for my name (which I told them), so they called it in for a computer check. They then discovered I was on overstay.

 

Luckily I was driven to my hotel, so I could pick up my luggage and stuff. They don't always do that, I was told, so be aware. 

 

The back of this pickup was loaded with overstaying black people, handcuffed together. I was the only white person in that truck. 

 

We were driven to an immigration police office connected to IDC, where these black people were offered to pay a bribe for their release. A person from outside came to their rescue, and must have paid up, so a few of them were released.

I didn't have the 60.000 baht or so they wanted, not did I want to pay a bribe, so I went through the picture sequence with a couple of officers. You know the drill. Bragging about how they caught an overstayer I guess.

The rest of us, were brought to the prison section, and to a temporary room on the ground floor, awaiting our time in front of a judge.

 

Maybe this is of interest, the bribe thing actually shocked me, but these black people had contacts. They obviously knew who to call when they got there. Maybe this had occured several times before, it seemed that way.

 

Anyway, the rest of the story you already know.

How did they suggest you get the money? Was there an ATM on site, or did you feel like they would drive you to an ATM? Or did it need to be paid in cash on the spot?

[thaibreaker]

19 minutes ago, JimTripper said:

How did they suggest you get the money? Was there an ATM on site, or did you feel like they would drive you to an ATM? Or did it need to be paid in cash on the spot?

This guy from the outside brought the money I guess.

 

But right outside of IDC they have an ATM, so escorted by an immigration officer, they'll let you use that one.

 

Also, when you are fined at the prison where you appear in front of a judge, you will be escorted to an ATM there too, so you can pay the fine. I was escorted there. I was also allowed to be escorted to the ATM at IDC too, so I could get some drinks. There is a small shop for beverages and other light stuff you need, at the premises there. You could do that at your two weekly hours of fresh air. The queue was very long though...

 

Btw, one should not count on paying their way out of an arrest. This might have been only for this contact they obviously already had with this outside (black) man. It was also more than a decade ago, so it might not be that easy today.

[brianthainess]

22 hours ago, Liquorice said:

Where do suppose they stay once arrested and waiting to appear in court, the Ritz hotel?

Nah the Bangkok Hilton, buffet breakfast included.

[brianthainess]

If he needs a new Thai ATM card, he will be stuffed without a valid passport, or any other transactions. How does he pay his rent/bills or does he 'own' where he lives?