Dutchman In Bangkok On Passport Charges

[george]

Dutchman on passport charges

BANGKOK: -- A Dutch man has been arrested on suspicion of being involved in a passport racket, Immigration Bureau commissioner Lt Gen Charnvut Vajrapuk said yesterday.

Jean E Philippe, 41, was detained for having in his possession 25 passports from European countries, such as Italy, Germany and the Netherlands, and fake traveller's cheques worth Bt2.6 million.

Acting on a tip-off, immigration police staged a sting operation to buy international passports from Philippe at his Ekkamai apartment in Bangkok, Charnvut said.

Philippe said he paid Bt10,000 for each passport bought from European tourists before selling them on,mostly to Middle Eastern customers.

He has admitted to helping his customers to switch the passport photos but denies involvement with the fake cheques, saying he was holding them on a friend's behalf.

The immigration commissioner said investigators were checking with their European counterparts to seeif Philippe was a member of an international racket peddling forged passports.

--The Nation 2004-08-15

[Airone]

Whoever gave the tip-off should get a medal. Even if it is a competitor!!!

In this day and age, trafficking in false passports, with the dangers of terrorists traveling wherever they like, should get hanged.

For the travelers' cheques, I would be more lenient: tough luck baby! Enjoy your Bangkok Hilton stay!

[Etienne]

To look at his name...I don't think he is a Dutch man.

The name sounds French or Belgian.

I guess he has been using one of the fake passports for himself

[Fah Dee]

I totally agree..whether he's dutch or any other nationality, should get a reasonable sentence cos this is a serious offence in our day and age. Why the ###### would you hold on to traveller's cheques worth 206 million baht anyway??

Silly and stupid.

[thaiflyer1]

would you hold on to traveller's cheques worth 206 million baht anyway??

Pay attention at the back.........2.6 million not 206 million.

[Richard W]

Philippe said he paid Bt10,000 for each passport bought from European tourists before selling them on,mostly to Middle Eastern customers.

£133 (GBP) for a passport? How much does that leave the original holder after the cost and hassle of replacing the passport? Not a lot for the risk taken! At that price, they sound more like stolen passports.

[arthsch]

i wish this criminal nice holidays in the thai-prison. but not to long! perhaps 10 years?

[deliriousdogma]

I lost my passport in thailand or it was stolen i hope he and his kind

get (*@?%&") and never see the light of day again

[Bizz]

Fake passports.

Big brother is out there now and rightly so. All we have to do is watch the news every day to see the results of terrorism. Lock him up a throw away the key who is he trying to fool 10000bart for a passport more like 10000euros.

This kind of criminal threatens everyone in society and should not be condoned in any form.

[yeti]

10 000 euros ? I would sell mine tomorow !!!

10 000 Bahts is quite the price people tell you in KSR.

Seems Ok for many farangs who wants to stay in LOS after selling their plane tickets, and before harassing you in Sukhumvit telling you that someone stole their money and that they need 1 000 baht to go airport and pay for airport taxes...

Anyway, risky business...

[DaveYo]

The tipster to Immigration was the person he was doing the favor. Read behind the lines folks.

[kenk3z]

It does sound more like a pickpocket ring, doesn't it? I certainly have to hope this is dealt with harshly. I think the future holds a biometric passport with a thumbprint or some such identifier. When you go through immigration, there may be a reader to compare your thumbprint with the passport. Probably a long way away in Thailand, but sooner in the west.

kenk3z

[sriracha john]

For the information of those that want to castrate the guy, none of the 9/11 hijackers had fake passports. I'm not opposed to punishing him, but to try and blame him for every terrorist act world-wide is a knee-jerk over-reaction. Terrorists don't seem to need fake passports to do their deeds and most fake passports are sold to wannabe immigrants.

[bangkok country gal]

My guess is that the tipster was a pissed off Thai girl - just a guess though. There are so many groups selling fake passports in Thailand, it is a lucrative business.

Walk around Nana and start asking the foreigners for their passports and see the "of shit" look on their faces. Not something i do for pleasure i might add, but related to my field of employment.

There are many refugees (legit and non legit of course) from Africa, Middle East and India who seek assylum in Thailand. Of course these people do not have a passport and usually make their money from passport selling and or other illegal activities. Westeners are lucky that international laws permit them to get a passport to anywhere with no/few questions asked - sadly not the same treatment if you are Indian, African, Middle Eastern. Not that i am justifying illegal activites by any means but just stating the reality of it all from my own experience with my job.

Story.....

Was out at dinner the other night and a farang person was handing out cards asking for 50 baht to buy a plastic keyring. On the card it was written that he was deaf. i thought i would test this and started communicating in sign language - he was quick to go to another table with a look of 'busted' on his face.

chok dii

[astral]

Why is it that the Thai police never manage to do anything on their own?

It is always......."acting on tip off".

However I agree that he is better off the streets,

there is no way of knowing who would have bought these passports from him.

Edited August 16, 2004 by astral

[dighambara]

Someone mentioned police! What are those? I've been here 8 months and haven't seen enough policemen to fill a small Baht Bus (Loht Baht). Once a month, Udon has 2 or 3 policemen stationed to catch unlicensed motorbikes (the ones that stop, of course). Otherwise, they are completely invisible.

Michael Weldon

Udon Thani

[Teach]

Someone mentioned police! What are those? I've been here 8 months and haven't seen enough policemen to fill a small Baht Bus (Loht Baht). Once a month, Udon has 2 or 3 policemen stationed to catch unlicensed motorbikes (the ones that stop, of course). Otherwise, they are completely invisible.

Michael Weldon

Udon Thani

Don't knock it pal, that sounds like utopia. You come down to the big smog and you bless each day you don't wake up with one hanging over you rifleing your bedside drawers.

I wonder if when they (police) check these passports they're able to cross off one or two from Qbar, afterall 104 without passports. The mind boggles

Teach

[DaveYo]

That raid you mentioned Teach, is like this. The owner and the Police and the Mob could not agree on terms and bingo, they act and comes the raid. Are you not aware that the Mob runs the shows down there???? Money does the talking and the talking does the walking.

Catch my drift???? Besides its election time!!!!!!!!!!

Daveyo

[tracer0]

I totally agree..whether he's dutch or any other nationality, should get a reasonable sentence cos this is a serious offence in our day and age. Why the ###### would you hold on to traveller's cheques worth 206 million baht anyway??

Silly and stupid.

agreed, keeping them, why if they are fake.

keeping them where they can be found...... stupid..

I agree, unlikely this guy is Dutch but then I heard that maybe 50% of people living in Holland arent Dutch as Dutch people would prefer them...

Stick him in jail, who minds...

[tracer0]

    Someone mentioned police!  What are those?  I've been here 8 months and haven't seen enough policemen to fill a small Baht Bus (Loht Baht).  Once a month, Udon has 2 or 3 policemen stationed to catch unlicensed motorbikes (the ones that stop, of course).  Otherwise, they are completely invisible.

                                              Michael Weldon

                                              Udon Thani

From what I heard from friends going to Udon, they were stopped about 5 times as local plod said they were going to fast, please pay 500 baht.

I heard from another tourist, allas (g) long gone home who had a baseball bat which reduced these salary increases to 0. He never had to hit one..

[tracer0]

Fake passports.

Big brother is out there now and rightly so. All we have to do is watch the news every day to see the results of terrorism. Lock him up a throw away the key who is he trying to fool 10000bart for a passport more like 10000euros.

This kind of criminal threatens everyone in society and should not be condoned in any form.

But most terrorists can buy REAL passports from many countries..

All it needs is money and connections...

Surely most get them free from sympathiser countries.

Secondly if I remember correctly in many countries you can buy nationality, all thats required is cash....

Note not meaning Thailand here, I remember south America, some eec countries etc etc.

On the other hand if someone comes in with $1000000 I would be surpised if it wouldnt get him a Thai pass port even if he looks look a zulu...

Whatever with that money they could likely settle in Europe, settle down legally and get several passports.

[meom]

On the other hand if someone comes in with $1000000 I would be surpised if it wouldnt get him a Thai pass port even if he looks look a zulu...

Whatever with that money they could likely settle in Europe, settle down legally and get several passports.

How big a suitcase you need to fill $1000000?

[stefano lucio]

Fake passports.

Big brother is out there now and rightly so. All we have to do is watch the news every day to see the results of terrorism. Lock him up a throw away the key who is he trying to fool 10000bart for a passport more like 10000euros.

This kind of criminal threatens everyone in society and should not be condoned in any form.

But most terrorists can buy REAL passports from many countries..

All it needs is money and connections...

Surely most get them free from sympathiser countries.

Secondly if I remember correctly in many countries you can buy nationality, all thats required is cash....

Note not meaning Thailand here, I remember south America, some eec countries etc etc.

On the other hand if someone comes in with $1000000 I would be surpised if it wouldnt get him a Thai pass port even if he looks look a zulu...

Whatever with that money they could likely settle in Europe, settle down legally and get several passports.

And not to forgetting the Israeli Mossad in New Zealand. 6 months for buy NZ passport. Wonder what for they wanted it.

Perhaps these are the terrorist need to be watched closest.