Arrests made in visa-sticker scam; civil servants involved

[Lite Beer]

MISSING VISAS
Arrests made in visa-sticker scam; civil servants involved
The Sunday Nation

BANGKOK: -- Immigration police investigator Pol Col Chatchai Eam-Seang yesterday revealed that authorities had retrieved 55 of the 300-stolen visa stamps found to be missing on Thursday from the Thai embassy in Malaysia.

He also said a number of arrests had been made in connection with 12 stamps that had already been used.

Five civil servants are expected of being involved, including a Malaysian woman. Police found their bank accounts showed transactions of at over Bt1 million a month. The information would be submitted to the Anti-money Laundering Office tomorrow, said Chatchai.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Surapong Tovichakchaikul said officials had discovered that some Thai consulates issued visas without reporting back to Thai embassies creating a loophole for visa-stamp theft gangs.

He said two people had been arrested after their passports were found to carry the stolen visa stamps.

The ministry would also ask hotel operators to record visa numbers and submits them to the ministry to help in the probe, he added.

-- The Nation 2013-08-25

[chooka]

He said two people had been arrested after their passports were found to carry the stolen visa stamps. However they have at least one Russian and 3 Nigerians in custody for allegedly having stolen visas in their passports, so how many is it?

Five civil servants are expected of being involved, including a Malaysian woman - One Malaysian, what nationality are the others as they have already publically announced after a thorough investigation that "NO" Thais were involved. What nationalities are they EXPECTING to charge for this?

Every single news report contradicts the others.

[NongKhaiKid]

This article is not particularly well written so I hope I've got it right and my comments well founded.

It says 5 civil servants are expected (sic ) of being involved including a Malaysian woman so I'm presuming it should read suspected of involvement. I'm also presuming this means Thai civil servants so how can a Malaysian be a Thai civil servant ? A locally recruited employee maybe.

My main point however si that only 48 hours ago Thai officialdom jumped the gun as usual with assurances that no Thais were involved and many posters correctly said why don't they wait until the situation is clear before making definitive statements but apart from anything else that would need Thais in prominent positions to change the habits of a lifetime.

They have to talk and talk as often and as early as they can and to hell with the consequences.

[chooka]

This article is not particularly well written so I hope I've got it right and my comments well founded.

It says 5 civil servants are expected (sic ) of being involved including a Malaysian woman so I'm presuming it should read suspected of involvement. I'm also presuming this means Thai civil servants so how can a Malaysian be a Thai civil servant ? A locally recruited employee maybe.

My main point however si that only 48 hours ago Thai officialdom jumped the gun as usual with assurances that no Thais were involved and many posters correctly said why don't they wait until the situation is clear before making definitive statements but apart from anything else that would need Thais in prominent positions to change the habits of a lifetime.

They have to talk and talk as often and as early as they can and to hell with the consequences.

I think the main problem is that there is to many people after their 15 minutes of fame and want the media publicity. A little like all these photo opportunities. There is no leader in the organisation who speaks instead a lot of chooks running around try to be 1st in the spotlight.

[NongKhaiKid]

This article is not particularly well written so I hope I've got it right and my comments well founded.

It says 5 civil servants are expected (sic ) of being involved including a Malaysian woman so I'm presuming it should read suspected of involvement. I'm also presuming this means Thai civil servants so how can a Malaysian be a Thai civil servant ? A locally recruited employee maybe.

My main point however si that only 48 hours ago Thai officialdom jumped the gun as usual with assurances that no Thais were involved and many posters correctly said why don't they wait until the situation is clear before making definitive statements but apart from anything else that would need Thais in prominent positions to change the habits of a lifetime.

They have to talk and talk as often and as early as they can and to hell with the consequences.

I think the main problem is that there is to many people after their 15 minutes of fame and want the media publicity. A little like all these photo opportunities. There is no leader in the organisation who speaks instead a lot of chooks running around try to be 1st in the spotlight.

Exactly. I'm sure if a department nominated a single spokesperson or issued speaking note guidelines no one would pay a blind bit of notice as they want in on the act.

Produce a microphone anywhere near a Thai official and they're off and running off at the mouth.

It seems to be held as a failure to say " I'll get back to you ", " please wait until the situation is clearer " and all the usual polite and not necessarily evasive sidesteps until hard fact can be released.

However here they give an answer, any answer and it usually backfires big time.

This does not apply to the PM of course whose response to questioning is to smile and leg it.

[worgeordie]

Looks like the Malaysian is going to be the fall guy,as a Thai

would never ever be involved in something like this !

regards Worgeordie

[theblether]

Part of the problem with the news reports we get is that they are filtered through a filter and then a hall of mirrors and they get distorted. It certainly seems that many Thai spokesmen like to rabble on with their mouths open and brain shut, but then we get some inept journalist picking out what he thinks has been said and misreporting, and to finish it all off that articles get mangled by translation.

The articles then land in front of we fluent English speakers and we pick them to pieces over singular stray words. We just need to accept that until we speak Thai, or until we can 100% trust the translation, that a lot of the stories we are getting are incorrect from the original.

If you ever click through to Khaosod for example, and auto translate, what you read is often hysterical. The auto translate has got a great sense of humour

[culicine]

So those with stolen visa stamps will be / are arrested? Perhaps they didn't know the stamps were stolen? How is that different than not paying import tax on a luxury car? Perhaps they didn't know either? Both are honest mistakes.....

[unanimosity]

He said two people had been arrested after their passports were found to carry the stolen visa stamps. However they have at least one Russian and 3 Nigerians in custody for allegedly having stolen visas in their passports, so how many is it?

Five civil servants are expected of being involved, including a Malaysian woman - One Malaysian, what nationality are the others as they have already publically announced after a thorough investigation that "NO" Thais were involved. What nationalities are they EXPECTING to charge for this?

Every single news report contradicts the others.

Call the schoolkids that won that math contest abroad, they'll have the answer.

[unanimosity]

So those with stolen visa stamps will be / are arrested? Perhaps they didn't know the stamps were stolen? How is that different than not paying import tax on a luxury car? Perhaps they didn't know either? Both are honest mistakes.....

Could somebody working in a consulate process the visa illegally and pocket the fees without the traveller knowing?

[deecee10]

The usual jigsaw puzzle with half the pieces missing.

It raises more questions than answers.

[slapout]

The locals, in this case Malaysian,take advantage of the systems shortcomings, with guidance by those who oversee the system.

This and similar scams have been found in consulates/embassies of many countries, around the world. The difference in handling that countriesnationals involved (they always are somehow) is not to publically point fingers at locals but too accept 'we bad', but this attitude would seem to clash with the Thai finger pointing, save face mentality.

[drdoom6996]

He said two people had been arrested after their passports were found to carry the stolen visa stamps. However they have at least one Russian and 3 Nigerians in custody for allegedly having stolen visas in their passports, so how many is it?

Five civil servants are expected of being involved, including a Malaysian woman - One Malaysian, what nationality are the others as they have already publically announced after a thorough investigation that "NO" Thais were involved. What nationalities are they EXPECTING to charge for this?

Every single news report contradicts the others.

What do you expect in the "Land of Scams"? Misinformation is an ally, just like a lack of education.

[pisico]

Looks like the Malaysian is going to be the fall guy,as a Thai

would never ever be involved in something like this !

regards Worgeordie

INDEED!!!

Thais are egocentric and assume that they are beyond reproach because they are Buddhist, etc., the reason their first reaction is to assume that the theft of the 300 stamps in Malaysia had to be made by non-Thai personnel.

My Thai friend (a teacher who has traveled around Asian countries) has always that reaction when we talk about officials or Thai businesses caught red handed in their transgressions. Even without knowing the details of the case, my good friend always: 1- tries to diminish the severity of the transgression by speculating the reasons as to why he/she did it.

2- he says that maybe a Farang gave him/her the idea.

He just can't accept the fact that there are bad and good people in Thailand.. like in the rest of the world.

Consistent with the deeply rooted feeling that: Thai person good. Farang *edited out* (bad).

Remember famous Suthep's words right before the election that defeated him?

"We do not need international people overseeing our elections: I don't trust Farang!"

Amen!

[noitom]

But, but, it was clearly reported previously that no Thais were involved.

[Halion]

He said two people had been arrested after their passports were found to carry the stolen visa stamps. However they have at least one Russian and 3 Nigerians in custody for allegedly having stolen visas in their passports, so how many is it?

Five civil servants are expected of being involved, including a Malaysian woman - One Malaysian, what nationality are the others as they have already publically announced after a thorough investigation that "NO" Thais were involved. What nationalities are they EXPECTING to charge for this?

Every single news report contradicts the others.

Totally Agree. Thai journalism at it's best in this country of contradiction.

[moe666]

So those with stolen visa stamps will be / are arrested? Perhaps they didn't know the stamps were stolen? How is that different than not paying import tax on a luxury car? Perhaps they didn't know either? Both are honest mistakes.....

Why wwould you not know usually more expensive, and you do not go to the embassy or the consulate to obtain one of these. Yea I know I gave my passport to an agent I guess you are aware giving up your passport to anyone other than a representative of your own country is breaking the law. Your passport belongs to the country of issue. In several of the cases involved the bearer of the visa stamp from Malaysia didn't have entry or exit stamps from Malaysia, I would say he knew.

[HUAHIN62]

The question is why would anyone want to pay B 30 000 for a visa? If you know you cant enter Thailand legally then you might spend that money. The Russians caught dont even need a visa and for a 1 year non immigrant B you must apply in your home country. For me the guys that bought the visas are either extremely stupid or up to no good. There was a program on Aussie TV last year regarding fake passports that was sold in BKK but these passports came from a gang in Malaysia, wonder if there are a link.

[Songhua]

No mention of 'Mama'. Just the dastardly Malaysian and those criminal foreigners.

[DGIE]

Five civil servants are expected of being involved, including a Malaysian woman.

So, I was correct that the one where the visas were stolen is involved.

[scorecard]

So those with stolen visa stamps will be / are arrested? Perhaps they didn't know the stamps were stolen? How is that different than not paying import tax on a luxury car? Perhaps they didn't know either? Both are honest mistakes..... alt=wai2.gif width=20 height=20>

[ginjag]

So those with stolen visa stamps will be / are arrested? Perhaps they didn't know the stamps were stolen? How is that different than not paying import tax on a luxury car? Perhaps they didn't know either? Both are honest mistakes..... alt=wai2.gif width=20 height=20>

" It's not me/us it's THEM" have I heard this before somewhere??? or is it me just imagining things??

[DekDaeng]

"Five civil servants are expected of being involved, including a Malaysian woman."

Pls order 5 more inactive post desks and chairs, Somsak.

[SOTIRIOS]

He said two people had been arrested after their passports were found to carry the stolen visa stamps. However they have at least one Russian and 3 Nigerians in custody for allegedly having stolen visas in their passports, so how many is it?

Five civil servants are expected of being involved, including a Malaysian woman - One Malaysian, what nationality are the others as they have already publically announced after a thorough investigation that "NO" Thais were involved. What nationalities are they EXPECTING to charge for this?

Every single news report contradicts the others.

....of course they are Thai......

[Psych01]

Thais never do anything bad in the public eye in these kind of cases, the standard format. Once they [the officials looking into it] find it is Thais, then it will go into the quagmire of paperwork and be lost etc..

Also, why arrest the people with the stamp/visa in their passport? I understand questioning them as to where they actually got their visa from and making them produce evidence, if they can not, then arrest them. So, has this already been done?

[phetphet]

I wonder if this will make them tighten up procedures everywhere now...at least for a while.

[transam]

So are we to assume the other four were Thai ?

[Bagwan]

No mention of 'Mama'. Just the dastardly Malaysian and those criminal foreigners.

Maybe because Mamma used her noodle(s) and slid out from under?

[allan michaud]

He said two people had been arrested after their passports were found to carry the stolen visa stamps. However they have at least one Russian and 3 Nigerians in custody for allegedly having stolen visas in their passports, so how many is it?

Five civil servants are expected of being involved, including a Malaysian woman - One Malaysian, what nationality are the others as they have already publically announced after a thorough investigation that "NO" Thais were involved. What nationalities are they EXPECTING to charge for this?

Every single news report contradicts the others.

Don't worry, the other 4 will be "Asian looking."

[Tatsujin]

You all know the "Thai's" NEVER, EVER do anything bad . . . however, when it's found that some of them actually ARE involved (and they can't blame the Malaysians or any other nationality) then they'll simply move them to another post.