Getting Refused Entry To Thailand - Help Needed!

[TheChap2012]

OK so looking for serious advice/help

I have a friend from Argentina who has been traveling backpacking around Asia and recently went to Korea..Korea refused him entry giving him a letter that states that entry was refused due to not being able to prove his intentions while in Korea (sound like BS to me)

So Korea returned him on the next flight back to BKK where he arrived from and now immigration at BKK are denying him entry back into Thai on the bases that he was refused entry to Korea.

They are holding him in a horrible immigration/refugee room and treating him like a criminal when he has done nothing wrong apart from being given the letter by Korean immigration on arrival there

he has offered to leave voluntary but they will not allow him to fly to another country in Asia and have held his passport for a full day now so he then offered to leave to go back to Nz where he was working before his trip around Asia and they are still not agreeing to letting him go saying there are no flights today.

Can anyone advise on wether they can do this?

I told him to call his embassy but it is closed because its a Sunday.

Anybody have any advice? And also does anybody know if when he goes back to NZ they will send a crew member with his passport to immigration there to make the situation worse?

I have no idea how to advise him

[NewlyMintedThai]

Sounds very irregular that Korea would deny entry. Is there something you're not telling us?

Anyway, my advice: wait until Monday and call his embassy.

[NancyL]

Has anyone tried to call your friend's Embassy? Many embassies have a recording about how to contact them 24/7/365 for an emergency involving one of their citizens.

[Eff1n2ret]

I recall on a previous thread someone saying that the Thai authorities are now very reluctant to remove anyone to their destination on a flight via a transit country, thus in this case if they are satisfied that he is acceptable for re-entry into NZ they would only put him on a direct flight.

I don't know if that would be their intention in this case, as the previous statement was made in connection with a British national who was wanted by the police in England. There was no formal extradition, and they put him on a transit flight from which he subsequently disappeared.

If they have any doubts that this guy will be re-admitted to NZ they can only set removal directions for Argentina, although I don't suppose there are any direct flights from BKK.

[Ohyesuare]

As far as I know every country has the right to refuse non citizens from entering the country if they have any suspicions. From what you are telling us he hasn't done anything wrong, so I suspect they will send him on his way back to his home country soon. Did he have an unkempt appearance like some backpackers do? One could mistake that for being homeless, on drugs etc..

[NewlyMintedThai]

They Thai authorities won't "send" you anywhere. You will stay in the cell until you can send yourself.

[mickjn]

As soon as he can get him to Argentina if the wants to have a go fighting do it from home.When he can get him out of Thailand ASAP

[Colabamumbai]

Has anyone tried to call your friend's Embassy? Many embassies have a recording about how to contact them 24/7/365 for an emergency involving one of their citizens.

Most embassies have an emergency number as you say.

[mahjongguy]

The website for the Argentine Embassy does not list any emergency numbers but someone who speaks Spanish could call and see what might be on the announcement.

South Korea has visa waiver for Argentine citizens but as always there are some conditions. Remaining validity of passport, sufficient blank pages in passport, etc.. Though not mentioned, they may at their discretion require additional qualifications, e.g. some amount of cash on hand.

[TheChap2012]

No emergency number on embassy..just rings with no reply

[skills32]

There is an Asian agreement that if someone is refused entry into an Asian country all other Asian countries will refuse entry as well.

His only way out of this is to return to Argentina.

He will not be further banned from entering Thailand or other Asian countries but would suggest giving Korea a miss.

[skills32]

There is an Asian agreement that if someone is refused entry into an Asian country all other Asian countries will refuse entry as well.

His only way out of this is to return to Argentina.

He will not be further banned from entering Thailand or other Asian countries but would suggest giving Korea a miss.

Oh and he will stay in detention until the plane departs; even if that is 12 months.

[paz]

Out of curiosity I searched skyscanner.com and the next/cheapest flight to Aukland, is Mon 24th, for $682 in 'only' 13 hours.

If that is all what the misadventure will cost him monetarily, it could have been much, much worst.

bad luck really.

[seabear]

The exorcist story and the hotel soap story are funnier than this one.

[MacWalen]

I feel sorry for your friend. Terrible situation to be in.

[TheChap2012]

Now he says they are trying to force him to buy a 150,000 bht flight with Thai air which he obviously doesn't have and I just looked myself and emirates fly to ba via Dubai for 50k but he says they are telling he no no cannot only thaiairways! And they are lying to him saying it goes via KL so not allowed when it clearly doesn't!

[Mario2008]

Contact his embassy for assistence.

[Dork]

It occurred to me that there may be some confusion about his flight home because until very recently, the most direct route between Bangkok and Buenos Aires was via Auckland connecting with Aerolineas Argentinas. Since the op says he was in New Zealand previously that is probably the route (in reverse) that he took.

However in July Aerolineas Argentinas dropped the AKL-BUE route. Maybe the op's friend is not aware of that.

[Mario2008]

Immigration will want him to take a direct flight home, they can refuse to accept a flight with a stop over.

[Dork]

Immigration will want him to take a direct flight home, they can refuse to accept a flight with a stop over.

Then he will be waiting until Boeing or Airbus build a plane that can do that.

[Mario2008]

Wich might be why they want him to fly Thai Airways.

They will give his passport to the captain, who will return it after landing in his home country. That way he cannot leave at the stop-over, where he might be denied entry also and be send back to Thailand where he came from. To be send back to his home country again by Thai immirgation.

[TheChap2012]

All the numbers given on internet on the Argentina official embassy site just ring through

What a great country that turns their back on a person wen they are in need

Can anyone pls advise why the embassy is in contactable?

Tried every number given on the official site

And yes there would be no direct route home for him so what he just stays in BKK airport forever?

[Dork]

What about having a visa issued for a neighboring country, say Cambodia? Then Thailand couldn't stop him - I think.....

I suggest Cambodia because someone can apply for him online. Don't need possession of his original passport and in my experience the Cambodian evisa is issued very quickly. Maybe a few hours.

Any reason this wouldn't work?

[Mario2008]

A visa is no guarantee that he will be allowed entry, so it will not do. Only a place where entry is guaranteed will do.

[simple1]

All the numbers given on internet on the Argentina official embassy site just ring through

What a great country that turns their back on a person wen they are in need

Can anyone pls advise why the embassy is in contactable?

Tried every number given on the official site

And yes there would be no direct route home for him so what he just stays in BKK airport forever?

Cheaptickets is quoting 105,220 baht incl tax with Thai to Frankfurt, then connecting to Buenos Aires via Lufthansa,

[NewlyMintedThai]

I'd still like to know what got the guy in trouble to begin with. There has to be more to this story.

[Crossy]

To our OP.

Do you have anyone in BKK who can actually visit the embassy with your friends details (PP number etc.)?

I understand that immigration are supposed to contact the embassy of anyone they detain so they may already be aware and be just as reactive as my home embassy

[paz]

I'd still like to know what got the guy in trouble to begin with. There has to be more to this story.

What personal need of you would that satisfy? To show that the Koreans were right?

It has been said on the opening post. Budget traveller withy no return ticket, that is plenty to be refused entry. I think it was particularly bad because the Koreans knew perfectly that the he would have been detained in Thailand, but preferred to bounce him off by paying a cheap ticket rather than send him back home.

Anyway, another possibility is to contact one or two Argentinea newspaper, they routinely publish stories about their citizens being stranded somewhere for no fault of them, in turn that creates the visibility needed so their otherwise idling consulate does something about.

[NewlyMintedThai]

I'd still like to know what got the guy in trouble to begin with. There has to be more to this story.

What personal need of you would that satisfy? To show that the Koreans were right?

It has been said on the opening post. Budget traveller withy no return ticket, that is plenty to be refused entry. I think it was particularly bad because the Koreans knew perfectly that the he would have been detained in Thailand, but preferred to bounce him off by paying a cheap ticket rather than send him back home.

Anyway, another possibility is to contact one or two Argentinea newspaper, they routinely publish stories about their citizens being stranded somewhere for no fault of them, in turn that creates the visibility needed so their otherwise idling consulate does something about.

The only "personal need" it would satisfy would be my curiosity...and the hope that the knowledge would also go towards the common good, so that others could learn from whatever mistake was made.

[paz]

The only "personal need" it would satisfy would be my curiosity...and the hope that the knowledge would also go towards the common good, so that others could learn from whatever mistake was made.

To me it seems you've a problem accepting the simple fact that backpackers are not always welcome when travelling. Or that every Immigration office may have to reach a 'quote' to show he's doing his job well. Other than that I think you will have to live with the curiosity, as ain't likely that you will ever lean that the guy was blacklisted already.