PM Prayuth to decide on tough new penalties for foreigners who overstay

[tbthailand]

far-right fascist government playing to the home-crowd with measures to punish foreigners when they could be reforming their visa requirements to make it easier for visitors to stay legally and allow them to properly support the local economies...

Fits right in with their moralistic views on drinking, films about monks, and scantily clad motorshow dancers...

[EnglishJohn]

Overstaying a visa is a pretty minor thing compared to overthrowing a government. Just sayin....

Quite true.

So is state sponsored terrorism to try and scare protesters off the streets after you committed the most disgusting abuse of power.

30 counts of murder and gross abuse of power for personal benefit - yet they didn't get any punishment at all for that : kind of makes the overstay penalties look harsh.

Just sayin ...

Edited October 25, 2015 by EnglishJohn

[MaiChai]

I have always been legal. However for those who have bent the rules and overstayed, the government should give notice of the change and set a date in future when the new rules come into effect. This will allow the over stayers to get their houses in order before the date. That is leave and re-enter with the correct visa, etc.

[Maestro]

The penalty in the form of maximum fine and prison term for overstaying is part of the Immigration Act.

The period of blacklisting is not mentioned in the Immigration Act.

An English translation of the Immigration Act is available here for consultation:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_id=277190

[cooked]

I went onto overstay without realising it, through stupidity and an almost unreadable smudged stamp that I misread ( as was confirmed by the immigration officer when I went over the border to get an 'O' visa to start again). 40 days. Screw all these holier than thou guys that cluster around to crow when somebody has the misfortune to go onto overstay. This is principally about S.E. Asian illegal workers, not about Farangs, who will unfortunately also be picked up in the rush to keep Thailand pure.

Some people that have been living here legally for years have found themselves on overstay through no fault of their own and forced to leave family, friends and house. Let's hope it doesn't happen to you.

[SpokaneAl]

far-right fascist government playing to the home-crowd with measures to punish foreigners when they could be reforming their visa requirements to make it easier for visitors to stay legally and allow them to properly support the local economies...

Fits right in with their moralistic views on drinking, films about monks, and scantily clad motorshow dancers...

I agree. Hard line blustering with an easy target - those nasty foreigners.

[Chicog]

Doubt it happens if it didn't last year, it's the same proposal. They'd have to change the 1971 immigration act.

No they don't. This can be enforced by regulation.

What does that even mean? Why are you trying to play Moderator, gleefully all over these types of crackdown threads 16hrs a day posting stuff you don't really know about.

See post #6 of this thread, from an actual moderator, who knows what he's talking about - it would require a change to the immigration act http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/801613-harsh-overstay-rules-ever-enforced/

And why the 'about time!' comments? You'd like to see families separated? Many people on overstay aren't committing crimes or dealing crack on lower Sukhumvit.

"Section 44 empowers the NCPO leader to issue any order "for the sake of the reforms in any field, the promotion of love and harmony amongst the people in the nation, or the prevention, abatement or suppression of any act detrimental to national order or security, royal throne, national economy or public administration, whether the act occurs inside or outside the kingdom". The orders so issued are all deemed "lawful, constitutional and final""

So in other words, he can do what he likes and this is an example.

[FritsSikkink]

far-right fascist government playing to the home-crowd with measures to punish foreigners when they could be reforming their visa requirements to make it easier for visitors to stay legally and allow them to properly support the local economies...

Fits right in with their moralistic views on drinking, films about monks, and scantily clad motorshow dancers...

what a BS

There are tourist visa's for visitors and if you have enough money to support the local economy you can get an investment visa.

[bapoboy]

there are many pepole that are overstaying there visa's but spend tons of Money in the country.

what do Thailand loose if somebody overtstay? NOTHING..

time to make it easier for those under 50 years to stay here longer without much hassle. ed visa to much bla bla bla

Edited October 25, 2015 by bapoboy

[Lampang2]

Overstaying a visa is a pretty minor thing compared to overthrowing a government. Just sayin....

Visa holders overthrowing the government.

Or what logic?

[hagler]

Whilst sometimes I do miss the "wilder" Thailand of 30 years ago when I first started to come both it and I have matured and grown over the years to a point now where we are both getting comfortable in our positions in life. It called getting older and more mature.

We now no longer need to do the young man actions of cutting corners and bending rules made by old fuddy duddies. We dont need to rebel against a system and make our own rules in order to survive. We are becoming the next generation of staid complacent "old fuddy duddies" and to be honest are ok with that.

If I was in my more carefree young 20's again I wouldnt be going to Thailand anyway. I'd be in Myanmar doing exactly what I did 30 years ago in Thailand today.

The country has moved on and upwards and sadly a lot of the foreign low hangning fruit hasnt. You cant have it both way folks. You can't have the "wild west" of a third world country and the facilities, infrastructure and governance of one bordering on First World.

The country has moved on. If you havent too then maybe it's time to find a new playground to suit your stage or way of life instead of trying to turn back the clock of the one you are in.

Edited October 25, 2015 by hagler

[selftaopath]

Not rocket science. Don't overstay ......... respect the law ....... problem sorted.

I agree. We foreigners ought to respect the law. Someone's gotta do it. Thais don't that's for sure.

[terryp]

Whatever these Numpties think there is ONE VERY BIG road block on the road map ..its called the UNITED NATIONS of which thailand is a signatory, the way around it is why they are installing biometric and fingerprint scanners at border points ...they will just refuse entry (even if you get a visa in a new passport)

[StefanBBK]

I still believe the process could be simplified. Just charge us a flat sum per day or month and all will be good. Something like 200 baht, stay as long as you like without visa....

[JohnOFphon]

So if you know someone who has overstayed, who can you report it to?

[HooHaa]

Under these penalties, I can't see why anyone would ever turn themselves in when their overstay exceeds 90 days.

because you cant leave the country otherwise.

[chainarong]

P.M. Prayut makes quite a few decisions a week, must be tough being a one man band , however the way the Junta is going and the amount of disgruntled foreigners growing by the hour, I 'd say that if the Junta doesn't get back to Democracy soon not very many farang will be left in Thailand, well the one's with freedom to move anyway.

[technologybytes]

You cannot overstay your visas! You can only overstay your entry stamp..... its NOT the same.

[jlwilliamsjr18]

If someone turns themselves in, can they expect a free flight home? Nope, didn't think so.

[rafish]

About time! Although 90 days is too generous before bans kick in.

Looks like Prayut needs to expand the Prison system if he's going to "enforce," Immigration laws. The prisons will fill in no time with Burmese, Lao, Cambodians etc. Then what? No one to do the work Thai's refuse to do theirselves. Western overstays are minor when compared to neighbors of Thailand.

No sense of Reality in this guys head it seems.

[Estrada]

Immigration Chaengwattana already makes foreigners sign a declaration that they accept that they be banned from 1 to 10years for overstaying 90days+. I signed one two weeks ago.

[diehard60]

This is good. Should have been done years ago.

[chrissables]

good overstayers are nothing but trouble for the rest of us who abide by the rules, it's not hard.

Please explain how a person overstaying affects you in any way at all. Total rubbish.

[Tatsujin]

good overstayers are nothing but trouble for the rest of us who abide by the rules, it's not hard.

Please explain how a person overstaying affects you in any way at all. Total rubbish.

It's quite simple. By overstaying and breaking the law, they tar "all" foreigners with the same brush, making it more likely that other visa restrictions/regulations also get tightened up in the near future rather than loosened.

[Minnehaha]

heads up: chaeng wattana queues are extraordinarily long.

word on the street is that the head of Immigration got 'replaced' after the bombing.

the new guy is tightening things all down the chain of command. officers are assigned 'quotas'. that is... they must show rejections increase a certain number or % and so are looking at every single document for anything... misspellings etc.

[willyumiii]

Good, many ppl overstay thinking its fine...I will never get caught etc...GET RID

Why is the army general now controling immigration ? Did anyone thing that ?

Because he is controlling the entire government!

Did you "thing" of that?

[mochafan]

The penalties are not harsh enough ! But it is about time. Thousands of dodgy foreigners are crapping in their pants right now. GOOD!

And what is a dodgy foreigner? And why do you think the penalties are not harsh enough? When i left THailand last year( 3 years overstay), how did that affect you in any way whatsoever? There are really much worse things going on in this world to worry about, really.

[willyumiii]

If someone turns themselves in, can they expect a free flight home? Nope, didn't think so.

I believe th way it works is that you sit in a cell until someone pays for your flight home.

Your embassy MAY pay for your flight, but you are responsible to pay them back.

They are not obligated to get you home.

Yes, it is easier and more pleasant to just take care of business on time and not overstay.

[utkb]

So overstaying by 2 days, arrested for it = barred for 5 years.

Seems a bit harsh.

[willyumiii]

The penalties are not harsh enough ! But it is about time. Thousands of dodgy foreigners are crapping in their pants right now. GOOD!

And what is a dodgy foreigner? And why do you think the penalties are not harsh enough? When i left THailand last year( 3 years overstay), how did that affect you in any way whatsoever? There are really much worse things going on in this world to worry about, really.

As a foreigner, what you do in Thailand reflects on all foreigners in Thailand, even if they would rather not be associated with people like you.