Italian Tourist Locked in Office Over Visa Refund Dispute

[webfact]

Picture courtesy: Facebook/ข่าว สวท.สมุย

 

An Italian man called the police for help after being locked in an office by a Myanmar woman following a dispute over a visa refund. This unusual incident took place on the serene island of Koh Phangan in Surat Thani Province on August 30.

 

Mr. Pietro, a 34-year-old Italian tourist, found himself in a dire situation at an office that handles visa extensions for travellers like himself.

 

The office, part of a registered service company in Moo 8, Koh Phangan Subdistrict, was the scene of a tense negotiation gone wrong. Pietro had visited to request a refund for his visa and work permit fees but ended up being detained instead.

 

The 191 emergency hotline received Pietro's distress call about being locked in the office. This alerted the local police.

 

Superintendent Pol. Col. Panya Niratimanon and District Chief Mr. Noppadon Kaomali, in coordination with the Koh Phangan Immigration Office, quickly sent a team to investigate.

Upon arrival, authorities found the office's door locked, with 25-year-old Miss Su Su Aye, a Myanmar national and employee, blocking the exit. Pietro was seen signalling for help through the door. Police negotiated the release with another staff member, Ms. Nunticha, who eventually opened the door, freeing a visibly emotional Pietro.

 

The backstory revealed that Pietro’s request for a refund had escalated quickly. When negotiations failed, both parties began recording the interaction on their phones. Miss Su Su Aye eventually locked the door and detained Pietro, waiting for legal advice on having the recordings deleted.

 

In response, the police charged Miss Su Su Aye with unlawful detention and unauthorised work beyond her permitted duties. Three mobile phones used in recording the incident were seized for further evidence.

 

Miss Su Su Aye has been handed over to the Koh Phangan Police Station for legal proceedings. So far, no further comments have been made from either party or the service company.

 

Picture courtesy: Facebook/ข่าว สวท.สมุย

 

-- 2024-09-03

 

 

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[KhunLA]

Got to love ... "just use an agent" advice given on the forum.   

 

She really screwed herself & agency, maybe.   That's going to cost a few baht to disappear.   Hopefully not, and they get shut down, though doubtful.

 

Do what ever you want, but don't hit the news.  

Edited September 3 by KhunLA

[steven100]

9 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Got to love ... "just use an agent" advice given on the forum.   

 

She really screwed herself & agency, maybe.   That's going to cost a few baht to disappear.   Hopefully not, and they get shut down, though doubtful.

 

Do what ever you want, but don't hit the news.  

She is one stupid agent out of hundreds,   so your ' got to love agent's doesn't mean anything.

reputable agent's are fine, no waiting queue's all day,  no dealing with idiots, no hassles at all.

cheap charlies save a few baht by accepting all the headache, up to him.

 

she's toast now after making a scene and especially locking him up ....  haha ..

throw the god damn book at her   !!

 

 

[JoePai]

6 minutes ago, steven100 said:

She is one stupid agent out of hundreds,   so your ' got to love agent's doesn't mean anything.

reputable agent's are fine, no waiting queue's all day,  no dealing with idiots, no hassles at all.

cheap charlies save a few baht by accepting all the headache, up to him.

 

she's toast now after making a scene and especially locking him up ....  haha ..

throw the god damn book at her   !!

 

 

Agree Agents are fine - for people who are either very very busy (say working), not enough money to do it legally or just plain lazy 

[KhunLA]

3 minutes ago, steven100 said:

She is one stupid agent out of hundreds,   so your ' got to love agent's doesn't mean anything.

reputable agent's are fine, no waiting queue's all day,  no dealing with idiots, no hassles at all.

cheap charlies save a few baht by accepting all the headache, up to him.

 

she's toast now after making a scene and especially locking him up ....  haha ..

throw the god damn book at her   !!

Unless doing something illegal, all you're paying that agent for, is to jump the Q at Imm office.  I can sit there reading the internet on my phone for an hour or less, and pay myself 5k baht & up.

 

It might be different if I didn't have to be there at all, but since you do, and I've already done everything else, why would I pay an agent 5k baht / $150 USD, or more, just to jump the Q ?

[Chwooly]

7 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Unless doing something illegal, all you're paying that agent for, is to jump the Q at Imm office.  I can sit there reading the internet on my phone for an hour or less, and pay myself 5k baht & up.

 

It might be different if I didn't have to be there at all, but since you do, and I've already done everything else, why would I pay an agent 5k baht / $150 USD, or more, just to jump the Q ?

How much is your time worth? I use an agent because i don't want the hassle, bringing in the money and trying to navigate paperwork that I don't understand. Call me lazy but my time is worth more  to me than sitting in an Immigration office on the off chance that I got everything correct the very first time, How long do you have to wait at the bank to get the correct paper work. That needs to be added to the calculation of sitting in the immigration office plus travel time. So your 1 can easily become 3 or more if everything works perfectly and you remember all your documents and they are filled in correctly. 

 

This article like most of the articles in Thai media is sorely lacking in details. So we can only speculate as to what the real problem was. 

[steven100]

21 minutes ago, JoePai said:

Agree Agents are fine - for people who are either very very busy (say working), not enough money to do it legally or just plain lazy 

I'll repeat what I said incase you didn't understand ...

 

reputable agent's are fine, no waiting queue's all day,  no dealing with idiots, no hassles at all.

nothing to do with being busy,  or lazy or whatever ....   just smarter.  

That's my take on agent's ...   no hassles or headache and no idiots.  

 

 

Edited September 3 by steven100

[steven100]

Thai's will do everything they can to avoid paying a refund ... even when they are wrong and have to ... they hate handing money back.

and this is exactly what was happening here ....

[steven100]

28 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Unless doing something illegal, all you're paying that agent for, is to jump the Q at Imm office.  I can sit there reading the internet on my phone for an hour or less, and pay myself 5k baht & up.

 

It might be different if I didn't have to be there at all, but since you do, and I've already done everything else, why would I pay an agent 5k baht / $150 USD, or more, just to jump the Q ?

 

anyway, this subject has been hammered to death many times.  so we'll leave it at that.

 

each to his own choice ...  

[Tropicalevo]

4 minutes ago, steven100 said:

Thai's will do everything they can to avoid paying a refund ... even when they are wrong and have to ... they hate handing money back.

and this is exactly what was happening here ....

 

Except that this lady is Burmese.

[steven100]

2 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

 

Except that this lady is Burmese.

 

well,  she must have learnt it from Thais 

[steven100]

I suggest she gives him a birds nest basket and he takes her out for a pizza .... then wai's all around, hugs and kisses and it's all a big misunderstanding. 

[KhunLA]

15 minutes ago, steven100 said:

anyway, this subject has been hammered to death many times.  so we'll leave it at that.

 

each to his own choice ...  

Why I didn't respond earlier.

 

As I don't find the process of extending a hassle or time consuming, and that's probably Imm office dependent.

 

But when someone posts ... " I use an agent because i don't want the hassle, bringing in the money and trying to navigate paperwork that I don't understand."

 

Then I guess the agent has a customer for life, for those unwilling or unable to DIY it.  Reckon the same people pay someone to do their taxes and need a bit of hand holding all through life.  

 

I actually enjoy being independent.   Now if the agent would come to the house, pick up my PP and bring it back with a stamp in it for a reasonable price, then I might use agent.  But $150 USD to jump a 1 hour Q, if that, then no, I don't think so.  I can think of something else to spend the money on, that puts a much bigger smile on my face.

[CharlieH]

Derogatory generalisation  and response removed.

[smedly]

59 minutes ago, steven100 said:

cheap charlies save a few baht by accepting all the headache

I take exception to that comment, your so called cheap charlies actually have the financials to do things legally - hardly cheap charlies are they. I'd say those living on a shoestring budget from day to day are the real problem when most of them cannot afford to be here.

[steven100]

4 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

But when someone posts ... " I use an agent because i don't want the hassle, bringing in the money and trying to navigate paperwork that I don't understand."

 

that wasn't even mentioned .... 

 

but.... enough said.  tks. 

[atpeace]

Her lower back looks sexy.  She probably doesn't like be pushed around and has the temper of a wronged Isaan girl.  In the moment some just see red. 

 

I know better than to mess around with the type and would have just left and come up with an alternative means to get my money or revenge 🙂 or  most likely just walked away from the transaction.

[oxo1947]

I have never done a Visa in BKK, but I hear the waiting times are bad---- Pattaya  when I lived there was getting to be the same. 

 

Here in Issan its a walk in the park---- usually 30-45 minutes ---once a year---hit the comp for your 90 days.

[Taboo2]

Some folks in this part of the world lack critical thinking skills.

[EVENKEEL]

My agent meets me in Makro parking lot. No office.

[CanadaSam]

Another post with bickering members deflecting from the topic.

 

It's NOT about whether or not to use an agent, it's about ILLEGAL activities by THIS stupid agent, who is now in hot water.

 

Kudo's to the cops for getting there quick, freeing the guy, and also pressing charges against the agent, hope they get a long jail term for doing this to a customer.

[webfact]

Italian illegally detained by Burmese woman after visa dispute
Photo of Petch

 

Photo via Matichon

An Italian man sought help from the Thai police after being detained by a Burmese woman following an argument over a visa fee in a company office on Koh Pha Ngan, an island in the southern province of Surat Thani.

 

Officers from Koh Pha Ngan Police Station and the Tourist Police rushed to the company office on the island after the 34 year old Italian man, named Pietro Nigro, requested assistance. Upon arrival, officers found Nigro sitting inside a room within the office, while the Burmese woman, 25 year old Su Su Aye, stood at the door.

 

The front door was locked but the police could see the Italian man waving his hands and signalling for help through a glass window.

 

The officers then knocked on the door and instructed a Thai staff member, later identified as Nanticha, to open it. The police demanded the release of Nigro, who broke into tears immediately upon exiting the room.

Nigro told the police that he came to the company to inquire about his visa renewal and work permit. He demanded a refund but the company would not agree. When they could not resolve the matter, the Burmese woman, Su Su Aye, locked him in the room.

 

 

Nigro did not disclose to the public the reasons behind wanting his money back.

 

Burmese worker

 

Su Su Aye recounted that Nigro filmed her with his mobile phone while they were arguing about the visa fee refund. In response, she took out her phone and recorded him as well, and later contacted a lawyer to order Nigro to delete the videos.

 

While waiting for the lawyer, an Indian customer arrived at the office for a visa renewal service. Su Su Aye had to attend to the customer and asked Nigro to wait in the room until the lawyer arrived.

 

However, Nigro attempted to flee, prompting her to lock the door.

 

Su Su Aye faces two charges for her actions, including:

 

Section 310 of the Criminal Law: Detaining a person leading to death or severe injury. The penalty is imprisonment for three to 15 years.

Sections 8 and 101 of the Emergency Decree on Managing Foreign Workers: Working without a Work Permit. The penalty is a fine of 5,000 to 50,000 baht, deportation, and a ban on applying for a two-year work permit.

The police confirmed that the company where the incident occurred had a valid licence to register and renew visas for foreigners. Two company mobile phones and Su Su Aye’s phone were seized for investigation.

 

Photo via MGR Online

 

Source: The Thaiger

-- 2024-09-03

 

 

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[lom]

2 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

 

Except that this lady is Burmese.

working in a protected company well known for their Myanmar visa runs, I'm sure she has a work permit for what she is doing. This is a nothing burger, a minor mistake  that will be forgotten tomorrow.

[brianthainess]

3 hours ago, Chwooly said:

How long do you have to wait at the bank to get the correct paper work.

20 minutes max, if you don't use BKB. 

 

3 hours ago, Chwooly said:

bringing in the money and trying to navigate paperwork that I don't understand.

Can't you read English ? If you do it yourself one time you will realize how easy it is. Unless of course you don't have the required money in the bank. What IO do you use ? most have a list of what is required. Of course the nay Sayers will say that they changed it, but in reality they do not. I wouldn't call you lazy, more like scared. 

[Frankie baby]

Sounds like their was enough phone footage for the police to go on. Maybe they could have passed on a bit for this thread. 

[arick]

And what happened to the Thai woman that opened the door that runs the whole affair?

[arick]

Sounds like Italians are getting back from when they got all their money stolen and were held captured by the Nana police in Bangkok 8 years ago when they took money out of the ATM.

[spidermike007]

I don't think I have would have responded very well to her hostage tactics I likely would have broken one of her windows to get out of the office. It's a fairly bizarre incident. 

[klauskunkel]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Nigro, who broke into tears immediately upon exiting the room

Oh my...

[SbuxPlease]

Wait a moment... the visa agent was going to get this man a work permit, but she herself didn't have a work permit?

 

Whoops.