Overstay discussion

[Guest IT Manager]

After returning from my recent trip to Rangoon, I was informed that one of my Thai friends was locked up in a suburban police station, so I went to see him.

Locked up with him was a European National, who is in for 12 months overstay. Currently he has been locked up for 4 months. He has been advised to go to IDC in Bangkok, which he is now preparing to do.

The reason I am putting this here, is that the night before he was arrested, he was drinking in a running and jogging oriented bar in Moon Muang Road, Chiang Mai, and fell into conversation with an aging Scottish expatriate who said he had been in Chiang Mai almost 20 years. Hoping to get some sort of information to help him sort out his problem, he told the foreigner about the overstay problem. The foreigner appeared genuinely interested and told the man that he would see what he could think of, and asked where he was staying, which information the man told him.

At 6.30 AM the next morning, his room was raided by police, who arrested him and put him into the jail at Mae Rim. 4 months later he is still locked up.

If you are in a visa problem situation, be careful who you talk to.

[tomy]

He is an unpaid informer

i wonder why all the trouble, what does he get out of all this ratting, interesting tho.  ???

[sinbadsailor]

Sounds a bit odd being banged up for 4 months, I guess this guy has no cash, and no mates.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Another fringe dweller ....but one living on the largesse of the cops.  This is not an unknown fact of life in the west either. Buying time.

[Guest IT Manager]

Sounds a bit odd being banged up for 4 months, I guess this guy has no cash, and no mates.

and no family.. wonder what happened to the consul?

[dr_Pat_Pong]

I was answering IT...but it is fair to ask what did happen to the Consul   ???

[samsara]

Great post, IT!!

Was my previous post deleted?

Regardless, here goes once again.

Though Dr. PP carries a major grudge against whom he refers to as "grundge dwellers", I really dont think such sentiments are justified, much less objective/rational.

Fair enough to say such people should clean up their act, but to aggressively pursue such individuals, seeking to get them out, seems just a tad irrational. How much of a threat do they pose? Very little, albeit if any, from my perspective. Such individuals only pose a threat to themselves. Thailand only prospers from their lifestyle.

Perhaps Thailand should reassess its agenda, and attempt to solve more pressing concerns. We all know of them.

[Guest IT Manager]

Thanks samsara. I agree that he is living of the good offices of the officers. They have been very fair to him indeed. He is fed adn watered, albeit he has to buy a bit extra, he does have some small money which I think comes from the prisons visitor.

It is our responsibility to keep abreast of developments which effect us as individuals pursuant to our own visa requirements as has been said here countless times. at the end of the day fringe/grunge dwellers are here because they can be and want to be, no matter our views on their lifestyle, that is their choice and essentially I doubt effects us who choose long term, to make Thailand home. Complain as much as you like about them, they make a choice, they screw up, they wear the consequences of their action or inaction as the case may be.

The only reason I brought this up was the fact of how he got busted, and while I would have said to him save up, get a ticket, go to immigration at the airport, the man he told didn't do that, and that makes me wonder about his motivation, a lot.

[Thailand]

Sure would not be too difficult to find out who the Scottish "gentleman" was- would it?

Be interesting to know his response!

[Mackerel]

The police in Pattaya were assisted recently by 25 ' foreign volunteers ' who would strike up conversation with girls on the beach road. Once the topic turned to sex and the couple moved on to some hotel, the Thai cops would  arrest the girl.

Not for me to judge what the girls or the police do. But I don't see the motivation for these foreign dogs. Maybe they're under some illusion they're doing some good.

[francois]

Sure would not be too difficult to find out who the Scottish "gentleman" was- would it?

sure not! I'm living in Chiang Mai, if you want to know, just ask to some girls around, and within a few days we will even know his name, where he's living ..etc?

interested?

this kind of people, just disgust me  

but anyway, it's so easy to follow the visa-time rules, it seems to me that being overstay is just a lack of mind ...

so very few time one can be in this situation, because of accident or any other kind of serious problem, but in these situations, we can always show what was the reason of the overstay, and then clear it in the immigration office.

like the Dr said, talk to immigration officers ONLY!

and if too serious, get out, clear this and come back with a new visa, is it that difficult?

bad luck for this guy, hoping that he is not too bad  ???

[sinbadsailor]

I guess it was a Hash bar judging from the first post, go find and lynch the guy. You can never trust a Scotsman.

[jocool140]

Just adding a story:  There was this guy, okay dodgy farang doing dodgy things to earn money, a long story.... anyway he ended up in jail for overstay.  He had no money and the standard 1,500bt fine for overstay which he could work off at so many baht per day.  When that was finished he would have been stranded forever in the jail.  No Zim consulate in thailand - where does he go for help?  I personally did not like him much but he had no-one, so ended up visiting everyday, supplying water and food everyday.  Contacted his family in SA etc.  It was a complete nightmare but, if I hadn't of helped him he would still be in jail up country or transferred to BKK where he would still be now about a year later.

Obvioiusly I didn't help him out of choice, I just couldn't in good conscience not help as I was free and had the ability to help, and it suited me to help him as it got him out the country

[dr_Pat_Pong]

1500 baht cannot be right...do you mean 15,ooo baht ? I do not know, but suggest you talk to the South African Embassy in Bkk for advice 02 2253 8473-6

[lumphun]

I know who the aging Scottish gentleman is, not a friend of mine, but I find the "conclusion" that he informed the police extremely unlikely. More likely ITs' foreign overstayer was dobbed in by one of the locals who overheard his conversation.  ???

[Johnt]

If he go to court and say he want to be deported home, then he will not have to pay the maximun amount 20.000 for overstay. But he will have to pay max 2500baht to the court, and then for the ticket home. Nothing more.

I went home same way, for 9 month overstay. Anyhow he have to leave the country, so why not save the 20.000 baht. To be deported is not bad at all, no handcuff and so, and you are allowed to enter the country again, next day.

They only blacklist people if they go prison for drugs.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

You liked the IDC John ? A home away from home huh.  Making the ' black list ' for overstay if you are caught IS highly likely ( black list=persona non grata )

[francois]

right Dr ... I can even say that they keep records of all your entries and re-entries ... for how long? I don't know, but, one day .. few years ago, I was overstay 2 days (my daughter just born...), when I went to restamp, they told me, oh but in 91, you had a few days overstay too ... hum ..yes..sorry, blabla,

but with a smile, the officer said to me, it's ok, don't worry, "is your daughter alright?" ... oh yes, thanks, I answered a little shocked .. and he gave me back my passport, "chokdee na kap"

have a nice day, I replied and walked away with a smile

I love this country, where, even with tough regulations, officers still act humanly

just don't f..*$ with them!

be polite end and talk true, always the best with them  ::

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Francois...NEVER, EVER argue with a man in a uniform heheheh

I think you know that    

[Guest IT Manager]

I know who the aging Scottish gentleman is, not a friend of mine, but I find the "conclusion" that he informed the police extremely unlikely. More likely ITs' foreign overstayer was dobbed in by one of the locals who overheard his conversation.  ???

Local as in Thai or other expat? I also know now who the scotch man was. I also agree after 2 "PM"s from members. It was him, not a Thai. He has informed to local and international police on at least 2 other occasions.

[Axel]

Quite a few years ago I arrived with wife and son (must have been 11 yrs old) and only in the plane realized son's re-entry had no date under "valid until".

Quite some arguments, actual the date is the same as the visa expiration date, of course. Told my son not to get nervous in a dialect.

Finally, asked the officer: "Wife OK?" Yes

"Me ok?" Yes.

That's when I walked away, down the escalator. Took about 15 minutes and the officer desperately trying to get eye-contact with me down-stairs at the arrival duty free shop in BKK. Finally, he chopped him in. 4 months later got a call from IMHO to send over the pp. That's when they corrected the mistake in the long time expired re-entry permit.

Or another time, I was allowed to stay until 31 July, my re-entry expires 13th July. I did not care, but the imm. did.

Again months later, send the pp and they corrected the date although it was 'overruled' by at least 5 more entries with the correct date. THEY WATCH YOU!  ???

[Guest IT Manager]

<font color='#000000'>I agree. Immigration Police Officers may get on your goat, but they have an excellent system in place. They use it very well and don't go out of their way to make life difficult. Stay legal then no problems.</font>

[Guest IT Manager]

<font color='#000000'>I know who the aging Scottish gentleman is, not a friend of mine, but I find the "conclusion" that he informed the police extremely unlikely. More likely ITs' foreign overstayer was dobbed in by one of the locals who overheard his conversation.  ???</font>

Just had an interesting chat with a man who runs in the Hash and drinks at the Hash Pub.

He recalled the same "gentleman" going in there one day in full army uniform, quite drunk as usual, at 1.00 PM regaling all and sundry with the news that he had been out "assisting" immigration investigate someone on a visa/passport matter.

Not sure now about the "local" reporting anything.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

In a full army uniform. That'd be illegal here too. The Thai army might be pissed. An officer or O.R ?

[Guest IT Manager]

British Army Major with whip.