British Man Arrested in Thailand After 25-Year Visa Overstay

[richard_smith237]

4 minutes ago, theblether said:

There was a guy in Mae Hong Son who overstayed for 22 years. When the Thais introduced mandatory bans from the Kingdom ( around 2015/16 ) he left voluntarily, flew to the UK, obtained a visa and returned. 

 

This guy has just caught a mandatory ten year ban from Thailand. 

 

I know he's broken the law etc... he's overstayed by an age etc etc...

 

But really, what harm has he caused anyone ??....   Has he hurt anyone ? 

Has he taken any jobs away from Thai's etc ?

 

Has be been supporting a Thai family with his pension etc ??

 

------

 

The point I want to make is that while there is of course going to be a strong contingent of those who say "guys like this make it harder for the rest of us"... or "he knew the law and still overstayed"....  even the "hangem high posts"....

... If he has been contributing in some form to society, i.e. via his family and supporting them etc....   

 

Then what has he really don't wrong when looking at the bigger picture ?

 

Can't Thai's issue longer retirement visas ?... 

 

Its just a bit of paper at the end of the day... surely... 

 

[theblether]

1 minute ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

I know he's broken the law etc... he's overstayed by an age etc etc...

 

But really, what harm has he caused anyone ??....   Has he hurt anyone ? 

Has he taken any jobs away from Thai's etc ?

 

Has be been supporting a Thai family with his pension etc ??

 

------

 

The point I want to make is that while there is of course going to be a strong contingent of those who say "guys like this make it harder for the rest of us"... or "he knew the law and still overstayed"....  even the "hangem high posts"....

... If he has been contributing in some form to society, i.e. via his family and supporting them etc....   

 

Then what has he really don't wrong when looking at the bigger picture ?

 

Can't Thai's issue longer retirement visas ?... 

 

Its just a bit of paper at the end of the day... surely... 

 

 

I was thinking that myself. It must be a devastating blow. He made it impossible by not surrendering. 

 

I have a memory of the late, lamented NancyL being involved in a case where the man involved had dementia and was on overstay. Thai authorities waived enforcement and he was placed in assisted living, at who's expense, I don't know. 

 

You can sometimes luck out by doing the right thing. 

[dddave]

2 hours ago, Gobbler said:

They will never tell us how he did it. It must be a good story.

Likely, pretty simple.  He arrived in 2000, before immigration was computerized and before TM-30s were enforced.  He probably lived in casually rented accommodations from people who didn't bother with any kind of reporting. If he lived quietly enough, not calling attention to himself or causing others problems, it was easy to just blend in.  

[rough diamond]

1 hour ago, Ralf001 said:

Why would he have had to do 90 day reporting ?

Why should anyone as it is totally pointless and just a bureaucratic job for the boys!

[bannork]

Think how much paper he has saved Thai authorities over the years, avoiding all those visa renewal forms.

Probably enough for a small forest in Chiang Mai.

 

[proton]

2 hours ago, Gobbler said:

They will never tell us how he did it. It must be a good story.

 

Or how they caught the scumbag

[Stocky]

A quarter century!

Well played sir.

[JoseThailand]

1 hour ago, Purdey said:

He should get naturalization after that length of time.

 

In Europe, illegal migrants get naturalization in a much shorter amount of time

[Harrisfan]

Imagine 50 years. Started 20yo, worked illegally, caught him at 70yo. Fathered 10 children. Living legend.

[Eloquent pilgrim]

 

 

Buddy, don't forget to ask for a re-entry permit when you leave 

 

 

[norfolkandchance]

1 hour ago, proton said:

 

Or how they caught the scumbag

At least he wasn't a Spam.

[proton]

47 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

I envy bank robbers who get away with it.

 

Living in the past, how about pig butchering scammers in Cambodia ?

[proton]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Let me have a stab at that... 

 

Because he's not staying for free in a hotel

He hasn't stabbed anyone in the name of Allah

He hasn't driven his car at a group of shoppers at a Christmas market

He hasn't been hanging around in gangs

He wasn't a member of 1400 person grooming gang

He not been receiving any benefits from the Thai government

 

I know, I know... lots of strong responses to that... but I think I made the right wing bigoted point strongly enough to make the wokerarti wee a little bit... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But he IS a criminal and could have been up to all sorts of bad things

[richard_smith237]

8 minutes ago, proton said:

 

But he IS a criminal and could have been up to all sorts of bad things

 

Wrong.

 

Overstaying entry / visa permissions in Thailand is not considered a criminal offence, its an immigration violation

[Harrisfan]

23 minutes ago, proton said:

 

Living in the past, how about pig butchering scammers in Cambodia ?

Or bitter lemons

[cdnvic]

Removed several posts. Misspelling profanities to bypass the filter can get you booted temporarily.

[connda]

Good show!

[connda]

4 hours ago, Gobbler said:

They will never tell us how he did it. It must be a good story.

May Netflix will pick it up! 

[NorthernRyland]

5 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Authorities are investigating his background and connections to understand how he managed to evade capture for so long and to check for any criminal history in the UK.

 

Because you didn't check his 90 day report in 25 years? You had a clear record of his entry and didn't do a single query in 25 years.

[connda]

If he was an over-staying "migrant" in the US, he'a get lawyer and eventually be naturalized when 50% of the country is screams about breaking up his Thai/American family.

Here in Thailand?  Unceremoniously imprisoned in Immigration Detention and then deported. And if he has a family who depends on him.  Mai bpen rai.  Too bad.  Sucks to be them.

One thing I know about Thailand - they don't give a da*m about foreign men and their Thai families. At all.
Not even a little bit.  Foreign men married to Thai women are the scum under Thailand's feet.

[billd766]

4 hours ago, rough diamond said:

If the 90Day and TM30 reporting systems are effective how did this happen?

 

All the more proof if it were ever needed that they should both be scrapped.

IMHO if he moved to a cheaper rental in the very early days, and the owner  did not report where he was staying, it would have been easy to get "lost" in the system, especially if he did not bother to report to Immigration in the first place. When he moved to Chiang Mai he probably did the same thing which obviously worked for him.

 

The 90 day report only works if  you report to Immigration in the first place, and the TM30 only works if the hotel/guest house/building owner submits the TM30 form to Immigration as well.

 

I don't think that every place in Thailand does that.

 

If he was not married to a Thai, kept his nose clean and caused no problem, most Thais would accept/believe that he had a visa and mind their own business..

 

How did he renew his passport? I have no real idea, but he may have sent it to a friend or a relative in the UK to be renewed via the Post Office is one possibility.

[billd766]

3 hours ago, worgeordie said:

I have lived here legally for 37 years now ,out in the wild I have only been

asked for my passport once ,by a soldier ,as at the time there was a coup

going on and there were road blocks everywhere , but maybe it does not

count as he was reading it upside down , 

 

regards worgeordie

Nobody has ever asked me for my passport, living out here in rural Kamphaeng Phet for over 20 years.

 

Perhaps that will change everywhere in the future, due to this idiot.

[madone]

2 hours ago, proton said:

 

Or how they caught the scumbag

 

indeed, 25 years under the radar without any altercations, offenses, or making any enemies. What a cad.

[scorecard]

4 hours ago, jim hayes said:

Got to say hats off to this guy. Given that a UK passport is valid for 10 years I presume he must have renewed it twice, or simply didn't bother after the first renewal!

 

Maybe his passport is now expired and he's never attempted to renew it. 

[milesinnz]

Terrible.. imagine the damage he has done to Thai society, or should that be the ego of Thai immigration and the Police.. ?

[wombat]

9 hours ago, jim hayes said:

Got to say hats off to this guy. Given that a UK passport is valid for 10 years I presume he must have renewed it twice, or simply didn't bother after the first renewal!

That was probably his mistake...

UK realised he was missing presumed where are you, dead? and asked if they'd seen him.

A long shot I know...no money involved.

🙃😊

[stevenrossvanduyn]

He should write a book. Could be a best seller.

[SanSaiExPat]

9 hours ago, quake said:

25 years.

Respect. 

I wonder if the bloke speaks Thai? 555

[hotchilli]

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

In a major crackdown, Chiang Mai Immigration recently arrested a British man who astonishingly overstayed his visa by 9,135 days—more than 25 years. This case marks one of the longest recorded visa overstays in Thailand's history.

The immigration computer system needs up dating

[hotchilli]

11 hours ago, Gobbler said:

They will never tell us how he did it. It must be a good story.

Must've been funding his stay