20 Year Overstay

[sangfroid]

I don't doubt that he overstayed for 20 years.

What I can't understand is how he managed to avoid being put in the IDC.

Is bail allowed in such circumstances?

Why wasn't he detained?

Seems awful kind hearted to let him return to Isaan to wait for his flight.

What are the repercussions of such a lengthy overstay? I have read other posts suggesting the slate is wiped clean, and you may return without penalty. Does anyone know any different?

And what about the maximum overstay fee? which, IIRC is 20,000 baht. It's unlikely that the police would want to miss out on that.

[pumpuiman]

My conclusion is that the only police that care about you carrying a passport are the immigration police.

I think this is generally true. The Dutch guy must have made an enemy somewhere who complained to the police.

I'm still trying to get the details of his arrest.

I don't believe the cops just decided to show up..(although thats the story my wife heard)

He must have brushed someone the wrong way.

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi

An ex-colleague (German) of mine entered Thailand in 1985 overland from Malaysia, and on his first night in Thailand was robbed and had his passport stolen (among other things).

He stayed, illegal, got married to Thai woman too, had kids (marriage in temple, but no papers), worked illegal as teacher (his wife is personnel director in the school, comes in handy) and drove a car, without any license.

Never been asked for a passport in all the years.

Finally in 2006 he decided, all by himself, to get things straight - took a lawyer, got a new passport from the German embassy, paid 20k at immigration, flew to Germany and was back one week later with a valid non-B and has now got work permit and everything (still working as a teacher at that same school).

I myself have been in LOS since 2000, on various non-immigrant or tourist visas as well as 30-day stamps, and the only times i had to show my passport was at border checkpoints during visa runs. Even after being involved in an accident only my driving license was asked (and the German one accepted as the int'l one had expired). Needless to say i've got a Thai one now

Never had a single day overstay in all these years but after reading stories like these (and personally knowing people who "did it") i wonder if i could have done same and saved these many many thousands of Baht for visas and visa runs to get myself a shiny new car or something.

Best regards......

Thanh

[h90]

I am 4-5 years in Thailand with proper visa, but was never asked to show my passport, if I would have been here without visa noone would know it.

[jaiyenyen]

As the Dutch guy has found out, it's all fine until one day, life goes tits up and you find yourself down at the local nick and then ultimately, on a plane back to your native country. He may well find out that it's not so easy to get back into this country, where he has built some kind of life for himself over the past twenty years.

Maybe it's just me, but I would rather live my life within the law, especially in a country like Thailand.

[dseawarrior]

As the Dutch guy has found out, it's all fine until one day, life goes tits up and you find yourself down at the local nick and then ultimately, on a plane back to your native country. He may well find out that it's not so easy to get back into this country, where he has built some kind of life for himself over the past twenty years.

Maybe it's just me, but I would rather live my life within the law, especially in a country like Thailand.

Hear! Hear!

I can see this happening easily... Live her for years and years and no problems at all... Then brush up against the wrong person and it all goes down the toilet... And unfortunately you have few rights here as a non-citizen... He must have built up some good will with his wife and her relatives over the years... ???

Are they willing to petition to help him out? Would like to know more about how this works out for him...

Good luck to him... Sounds like he is going to need it... !

[dr_Pat_Pong]

As the Dutch guy has found out, it's all fine until one day, life goes tits up and you find yourself down at the local nick and then ultimately, on a plane back to your native country. He may well find out that it's not so easy to get back into this country, where he has built some kind of life for himself over the past twenty years.

Maybe it's just me, but I would rather live my life within the law, especially in a country like Thailand.

Hear! Hear!

I can see this happening easily... Live her for years and years and no problems at all... Then brush up against the wrong person and it all goes down the toilet... And unfortunately you have few rights here as a non-citizen... He must have built up some good will with his wife and her relatives over the years... ???

Are they willing to petition to help him out? Would like to know more about how this works out for him...

Good luck to him... Sounds like he is going to need it... !

I suspect that the Hollander has pissed the heavies off.

[slim]

My conclusion is that the only police that care about you carrying a passport are the immigration police.

I think this is generally true. The Dutch guy must have made an enemy somewhere who complained to the police.

For over a year now I've caught flights from Khon Kaen (where I live) to Bangkok and only shown my Thai driving license at KK airport and at Don Muang. I check into hotels using my Thai driving license and keep my passport in my safe where it stays until I need it.

If I cash travellers cheques at the bank I show my Thai driving license.

If I intended to stay in Thailand for the rest of my life, never leave the country and never get arrested it would be as easy to stay here without the proper documentation as it would any country - the UK's full of people who have no right to stay there.

When we used to take our step-daughter to school we used to see an old guy (falang) near one of the poorer wats out in the sticks - I suspect he slept there. He didn't look like he'd shaved or been to the barbers for about 10 years and wore rags. He couldn't possibly have fulfilled the requirements necessary to remain legally in the country and he must have been known to the police - who just left him alone.

[gbswales]

I had a neighbor who was at least on ten year overstay, living in Chiang Mai city. It is possible.

I am sure it's possible - happens in the UK all the time! - if his wife handled all the business and finance. I think 20 years is a long time and he is obviously no threat to Thailand if he has been there that long - even in the UK he would be treated as an exceptional case and probably be given leave to stay.

I actually find it quite interesting there seem to be as many people in the Uk who would like to live there as there are Thai's wanting to live here in the UK - seems simple to me - just open up the "borders" between our two countries and save millions of pounds by not processing visas or passports

Seriously I think that there should be a basic human right to able to live and work wherever in the world you please - the only reason for excluding anyone from the right to live anywhere is the commission of serious crimes. It would be a messy 50 years or so while people looked for streets paved with gold - but once they had begun to realise there wernt any things would settle down. If any country decided to close it's borders then the closure should automatically work both ways - halting all travel in and out of the country concerned and effectivley ending any investment or international trade - that would ensure that any regime which felt nationalism was important would quickly get toppled. I doubt this will happen in my lifetime but I belive it can one day.

[gbswales]

Oh and before anyone makes a comment about my avatar - I use it to indicate where I choose to live and not to display nationalistic tendancies - if that were my motivation then I would have the cross of St George instead!

[littlebritain]

I have a friend who has been here two years and lost his passport 20 months ago.

He was stopped and arrested in Pattaya and taken to the local jail.He was put in with muggers,molesters,drunkards and all the other criminals around.He told them about his overstay situation.They let him ring his girlfriend who turned up with 15,000 baht....and then released him !

Now if the policeman,who arrested him sees him,he just looks away....the policeman not my friend !

[moe666]

Maybe his wife and family got tired of taking care of the loser and turned him in. Why all this sympathy for a loser and dead beat who has been breaking the law for years. This is the kind of guy that causes crack downs and creates more scrunity for those doing it legal.

[Trevor]

Maybe his wife and family got tired of taking care of the loser and turned him in. Why all this sympathy for a loser and dead beat who has been breaking the law for years. This is the kind of guy that causes crack downs and creates more scrunity for those doing it legal.

Stupid comment. His wife bailed him out!

He was probably turned-in by jealous, malicious locals who had nothing to lose.

The incident probably extended his life by knocking him out of his alcoholic coma for a while.

[sriracha john]

Maybe his wife and family got tired of taking care of the loser and turned him in. Why all this sympathy for a loser and dead beat who has been breaking the law for years. This is the kind of guy that causes crack downs and creates more scrutiny for those doing it legal.

Do you have any corroboration that any crackdown or increased scrutiny of all foreigners at any time in the entire history of Thai Immigrations is due to handicapped, elderly, half-blind, alcoholic, diabetics living in small rural villages whose only crime is an overstay?

It's not uncommon for most people to often have sympathy for the dying and harmless.

[Trevor]

I had a neighbor who was at least on ten year overstay, living in Chiang Mai city. It is possible.

I am sure it's possible - happens in the UK all the time! - if his wife handled all the business and finance. I think 20 years is a long time and he is obviously no threat to Thailand if he has been there that long - even in the UK he would be treated as an exceptional case and probably be given leave to stay.

I actually find it quite interesting there seem to be as many people in the Uk who would like to live there as there are Thai's wanting to live here in the UK - seems simple to me - just open up the "borders" between our two countries and save millions of pounds by not processing visas or passports

Seriously I think that there should be a basic human right to able to live and work wherever in the world you please - the only reason for excluding anyone from the right to live anywhere is the commission of serious crimes. It would be a messy 50 years or so while people looked for streets paved with gold - but once they had begun to realise there wernt any things would settle down. If any country decided to close it's borders then the closure should automatically work both ways - halting all travel in and out of the country concerned and effectivley ending any investment or international trade - that would ensure that any regime which felt nationalism was important would quickly get toppled. I doubt this will happen in my lifetime but I belive it can one day.

Boyo, will there be a welcome in the hillsides for 120 million dirt-poor Bangladeshis?

What a stupid suggestion. Any country which did this would see instant flight of capital to a country with proper laws.

[thaikahuna]

Mate I have friends who left viet nam for the US and never arrived. The ones I have kept in contact with came to Thailand in the period 68-1970 and just never returned. They are happy and doing the local thing which is not all that bad. Have a great 4th of July/ MCPO

25 yrs. is nothing compared to happy"ness.

I concur! I know a couple guys who came here in the late 60s and never left. They kept their old military ID cards and when challenged showed them to the cops who at the time were not any wiser. One is still on overstay officially but living local and the other now has a retirement visa. Keeping a low profile helps too...

Loving life in the Land of Smiles....

Edited July 6, 2008 by thaikahuna

[kowneeoh]

Whats even more amazing .. is that no one in good old "TV" land has mentioned that there is a 20,000 Baht maximum payable for overstays .. even if it was for 500 years!

[Issangeorge]

Through my many years of coming to Thailand (23) I have known many people who overstayed. I knew one Frenchman who worked for Air America in the sixties and never left, he lived as a Thai man for Thai wages and never had a problem, unfortunately he died a few years back. I knew an Englishman who would stay for a year without doing any visa runs and then pay the ฿20,000 overstay and then leave the country and come right back in, and do it again the second time he did it he paid the overstay on Koh Samui and then stayed another month and had to pay another overstay when he left the country at the border, he again came back in and if memory serves me right overstayed again by a year, but by then he was getting older and decided he needed a real job in England. I new another Englishman who overstayed and all the police knew it, he drank with most of them. When I first came to Thailand 23 years ago you got a free 15 days, which is all I thought I would need, but I ended up over staying for 4 days, at that time the charge was ฿100 a day it then went to ฿200 and now is ฿500. The daily charges have gone up, but the maximum charge was ฿20,000 23 years ago and is still ฿20,000. Issangeorge.

[pipchatel]

Hi there my first post in a long time Out of the LOS But I must say a long time past I have decide that in around 10 years in the future I just wont bother with all this visa renewal stuff/crap. If you live rural a good life good local peple around you, then theres no risk. How this poor sod got reported is the real issue of this thread??????????????/

Once I asked the Imm at CM what the situation was if you were too sick, too old to come and do the Paper work?? The girl looked toatqally shocked "YOU MUST COME" was her reply.

I decided then, later on I just wont bother. I just cannot image here (very very Rural and Poor) how I could be reported?

may be a lot of guys doing this and I wish them well. i too was in Nam If we had not gone through that the 'the long haul', Thailand would have been reading the Good book of communissim now for sure!!!

[pipchatel]

I had a neighbor who was at least on ten year overstay, living in Chiang Mai city. It is possible.

I am sure it's possible - happens in the UK all the time! - if his wife handled all the business and finance. I think 20 years is a long time and he is obviously no threat to Thailand if he has been there that long - even in the UK he would be treated as an exceptional case and probably be given leave to stay.

I actually find it quite interesting there seem to be as many people in the Uk who would like to live there as there are Thai's wanting to live here in the UK - seems simple to me - just open up the "borders" between our two countries and save millions of pounds by not processing visas or passports

Seriously I think that there should be a basic human right to able to live and work wherever in the world you please - the only reason for excluding anyone from the right to live anywhere is the commission of serious crimes. It would be a messy 50 years or so while people looked for streets paved with gold - but once they had begun to realise there wernt any things would settle down. If any country decided to close it's borders then the closure should automatically work both ways - halting all travel in and out of the country concerned and effectivley ending any investment or international trade - that would ensure that any regime which felt nationalism was important would quickly get toppled. I doubt this will happen in my lifetime but I belive it can one day.

WE certainly should have had the Thai Visa stuff for Welsh people years ago Always in London singing about how good it is in Wales

Poor Harry!

[tomuk76]

Do you have any corroboration that any crackdown or increased scrutiny of all foreigners at any time in the entire history of Thai Immigrations is due to handicapped, elderly, half-blind, alcoholic, diabetics living in small rural villages whose only crime is an overstay?

Well its just called overstay is it? In the UK its called illegal immigrant! Overstay is to light a word! I would have to agree with a few others and say send him home and dont let him back, thats the way i feel about the illegal immigrants in the UK so the same to him. haha

[sriracha john]

Do you have any corroboration that any crackdown or increased scrutiny of all foreigners at any time in the entire history of Thai Immigrations is due to handicapped, elderly, half-blind, alcoholic, diabetics living in small rural villages whose only crime is an overstay?

Well its just called overstay is it? In the UK its called illegal immigrant! Overstay is to light a word! I would have to agree with a few others and say send him home and dont let him back, thats the way i feel about the illegal immigrants in the UK so the same to him. haha

you forgot the rest of my post...

It's not uncommon for most people to often have sympathy for the dying and harmless.

So we can safely assume we can do a strike-through for your name on the "Most People" category, yes?

[blakegeee]

Do you know how he got caught? Or any suspicions?

[pumpuiman]

Do you know how he got caught? Or any suspicions?

I'm trying to get the details....but I'm getting third hand reports, over the telephone, probably translated from Dutch to English to Thai and back to English again.

Just "bad luck" is the explanation now.

I'll post if I hear more.

[apex2000]

The story didn't surprise me. Tucked away in villages and non touristy small towns there are probably many similar cases. Local authorities know little about immigration rules, and as long as the person doesn't make waves and never leaves the area, his status will never be checked.

I once asked the immigration police in Pibhun Mangsahan (Isaan) about staying in Thailand without a visa/work permit (in the event that I lost my job and work permit), and they said there are many foreigners living this way in Isaan. Provided they don't make trouble, immigration doesn't trouble them.

[kiwijor]

Regarding 10 yr overstay, I was overstay 1997 to 2007, went to local police station [friends], they took me to the local "Surin" court, I was fined 6,000 baht, and two days later transported by the local police to BKK, boy oh boy, were the lads at IDC peeved, kept me in the office overnight, fed me with biscuits and coffee, and next morning they took me to the Airport, where I caught the planned Flight back to my Homeland.

That was in Feb 2007, in October 2007 I went back for a 4 week stay, no Prob!

KiwiJor.

[Steps]

Do you have any corroboration that any crackdown or increased scrutiny of all foreigners at any time in the entire history of Thai Immigrations is due to handicapped, elderly, half-blind, alcoholic, diabetics living in small rural villages whose only crime is an overstay?

Well its just called overstay is it? In the UK its called illegal immigrant! Overstay is to light a word! I would have to agree with a few others and say send him home and dont let him back, thats the way i feel about the illegal immigrants in the UK so the same to him. haha

((flame removed)) There is a lot of good human beings out there looking for a better life who dont have the means or education to go by the book or shift through the bureaucracy. If these people do no harm to anbody and live the self sufficiant life that the good king of Thailand promotes then live and let live.

[Flhai]

I know of one American guy named John living in the Up-country near the Myanmar boarder that doesn't look like he has his Visa in order and for sure doesn't have a work permit for his crocodile farm. There was recently a 2 hour documentary all about him that I had a chance to see. He is an ex Vietnam Vet and a bit of a bad ass although he has put on a few pounds since they made the first 3 documentaries on him. I hope they don't send the Mib's to check his passport because all hel_l could break loose and there could be a fifth documentary about this guy.

Edited July 7, 2008 by Flhai

[Flhai]

HA HA!! I just had my joke post removed because it contained specific information about RAMBO!! HA HA Love it!

[Flhai]

Regarding 10 yr overstay, I was overstay 1997 to 2007, went to local police station [friends], they took me to the local "Surin" court, I was fined 6,000 baht, and two days later transported by the local police to BKK, boy oh boy, were the lads at IDC peeved, kept me in the office overnight, fed me with biscuits and coffee, and next morning they took me to the Airport, where I caught the planned Flight back to my Homeland.

That was in Feb 2007, in October 2007 I went back for a 4 week stay, no Prob!

KiwiJor.

Sounds like they where peeved. I bet the biscuits where not even Gourmet!!