Crime 2 Foreign Nationals Face Prison Over Altered Visa Stamps

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of Daily News.

 

Two men have been arrested by immigration authorities for attempting to alter and forge visa stamps in a bid to extend their stay in Thailand illegally. The suspects now face up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to 200,000 baht under immigration and criminal law.

 

The arrests were announced by Pol. Maj. Gen. Prasat Khemaprasit, Commander of Immigration Division 1, following an operation led by Pol. Col. Thawatchai Nongbua, Pol. Col. Pholasit Suttiaj, and other investigators from the Division 1 investigative team.

 

The suspects, Mr. Tsai, a 40-year-old Taiwanese national and Mr. Zhang 39, a Chinese national, were apprehended at the Immigration Division 1 Service Centre on the sixth floor of the One Bangkok shopping mall on Witthayu Road, Pathum Wan district.

 

Mr. Tsai faces charges of forging official immigration stamps, while Mr. Zhang is charged with using forged immigration documents, both serious offences under the law.

 

The arrests followed an attempt in early July by Mr. Tsai to help Mr. Zhang apply for a visa extension to work as a skilled technician at a well-known company. However, an initial check revealed discrepancies in Mr. Zhang’s passport, specifically, an altered entry stamp originally marked “Tourist Visa 60 Days” which had been manually changed to read “NON-IB,” a type of business visa.

 

Authorities advised the pair that the passport alteration rendered the visa ineligible for extension. Despite this, they returned to the service centre on 24 July and submitted the same document. Officers noticed suspicious markings and signs of tampering, including erasures and handwritten amendments, prompting further investigation and the eventual arrests.

 

Mr. Zhang denied altering the stamp himself, claiming Mr. Tsai had made the changes before submitting the passport. Mr. Tsai later confessed during questioning.

 

Both men were charged and handed over to the Investigation Division of the Immigration Bureau for legal proceedings.

 

Immigration authorities reminded the public that tampering with passport stamps or using forged immigration documents is a serious criminal offence in Thailand. The penalties range from 1 to 10 years in prison and fines between 20,000 and 200,000 baht.

 

The Immigration Bureau urges anyone with information on similar offences to contact their hotline.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Daily News 2025-08-06

 

 

 

[SAFETY FIRST]

1 hour ago, Georgealbert said:

Two men have been arrested by immigration authorities for attempting to alter and forge visa stamps in a bid to extend their stay in Thailand illegally

Dumb and Dumber. 

 

The extremes some guys will do to stay in Thailand. 

I understand, I don't want to be anywhere else, I'm living the dream. 

 

[daveAustin]

They can’t have been coming here long and probably thought the Thais wouldn’t think it a big deal. Doing stuff like this, or messing with any official paperwork, is a big no no anywhere but especially here. Enjoy the fish head soup. 

[sammieuk1]

Hey! Keir' send all them illegals here for processing and all your problems will be solved 🤔