Chao Phraya murder case highlights potential link between crime and visa overstays

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Chao Phraya murder case highlights potential link between crime and visa overstays
STAFF WRITER


Featured image is of Artur Segarra Princep upon his arrest in Sihanoukville; via Huy Bunleng / Preah Sihanouk Police

BANGKOK: -- The Thai immigration authorities are once again stepping up their crackdown on visa overstayers in the wake of the brutal murder and dismemberment of Spanish businessman David Bernat, whose body parts washed up in the Chao Phraya river recently.

The prime suspect in the crime, fellow Spaniard Artur Segarra Princep, had reportedly overstayed his current visa since December and had entered Thailand over 200 times in the past ten years, reports the Bangkok Post.

Recognising the apparent link between crimes committed in the Kingdom by foreigners and significant visa overstays, the Immigration Bureau will be asking hotels to continue cooperating with the authorities by proactively reporting information about foreign guests. The Central Investigation Bureau, meanwhile, will be investigating foreign criminal gangs thought to be operating in Thailand.

In a bid to attract so-called quality tourists, the Thai authorities have recently been developing new punishments for visa overstays, operating on the mantra of “good guys in, bad guys out.”

Under the new rules, due to be enacted from 20 March onwards, people overstaying the terms of their visa may be banned from re-entering the Kingdom for between one and ten years, depending on the length of time they’ve overstayed and whether they have been arrested and duly prosecuted.

Full story: http://whatsonsukhumvit.com/chao-phraya-murder-case-highlights-potential-link-between-crime-and-visa-overstays/


-- (c) What's on Sukhumvit 2016-02-15

[HooHaa]

To the contrary, i would say the majority of folks on overstay are just plain skint rather than criminals.

one dead man and a killer with an overstay hardly a link makes

Edited February 15, 2016 by HooHaa

[Hawk]

To the contrary, i would say the majority of folks on overstay are just plain skint rather than criminals.

one dead man and a killer with an overstay hardly a link makes

But it makes a great excuse for yet another shakedown on all foreigners, getting the Thai public to cooperate.

[mrrizzla]

To the contrary, i would say the majority of folks on overstay are just plain skint rather than criminals.

one dead man and a killer with an overstay hardly a link makes

Ex friend of mine is on about 5 years overstay now and never seems to have a problem finding odd jobs. Still, I wouldn't wanna be in his shoes.

[Artisi]

Next week they are going to investigate the link between overstayers and the fraudulent connections of foreigner's with the Easter Bunny and Father Xmas.....

[trogers]

To the contrary, i would say the majority of folks on overstay are just plain skint rather than criminals.

one dead man and a killer with an overstay hardly a link makes

And being skint is a good excuse, like helmetless Thais on motorcycles.

[jaidam]

Artur needs a good lawyer. He was so stressed by an inability to meet the ever changing visa requirements, which chop and change following no logic or rationale. He panicked that he would lose his friends, investments, dreams built over his decade stay in Thailand. This led to his mental breakdown and in a bid to jump through the impossible hoops, Davids murder. So, the Thai govt with it's brutal xenophobia is responsible not the unintentional overstayer.

[DavisH]

Are hotels required to report any overstayers to immigration? I usually book a hotel under my wife's name and never show my passport to them. I'm not on overstay btw....just askin'.

[WhizBang]

Are hotels required to report any overstayers to immigration? I usually book a hotel under my wife's name and never show my passport to them. I'm not on overstay btw....just askin'.

Hotels are required to submit the particulars of all foreign guests. Not sure if Thais have to be reported too.

I am surprised that the hotels do not ask you for some form of ID.

[smedly]

To the contrary, i would say the majority of folks on overstay are just plain skint rather than criminals.

one dead man and a killer with an overstay hardly a link makes

I have mentioned this before several times on TVF over the past few years

You are mostly right about these people being skint but what happenes then is they become so desperate that it leads to crime

[terryp]

Just another load of garbage spouted by witless buffoons..and that covers many both on and off ‘tinternet

It is painfully obvious that the Hotels/guest houses, private renters etc INSIDE this messed up place are not doing their guest/ rental agreement notifications as required by Thai Immigration rules.

This guy had ALREADY LEFT thailand …he was in Cambodia for <deleted> sake

[Reigntax]

But moreso highlights the relationship between incompetence and the RTP. Then again, this is confirmed daily.

[jpinx]

Will this mean that the owners of rented room blocks will have to report to immigration all the Myanmar, Cambodia, etc folks?. That is going to be such a pita for them. They could always use the arrival card information to check up accommodation providers.

[elviajero]

Are hotels required to report any overstayers to immigration? I usually book a hotel under my wife's name and never show my passport to them. I'm not on overstay btw....just askin'.

No just report that a foreigner is staying with them.

I haven't used a passport to check in to a hotel for years and always use my driving licence.

[darrendsd]

Just another load of garbage spouted by witless buffoons..and that covers many both on and off ‘tinternet

It is painfully obvious that the Hotels/guest houses, private renters etc INSIDE this messed up place are not doing their guest/ rental agreement notifications as required by Thai Immigration rules.

This guy had ALREADY LEFT thailand …he was in Cambodia for <deleted> sake

I suggest your get your facts right, he was on a 2 month overstay when the Police suspect he committed the murder, when his face was shown on TV he THEN fled to Cambodia

[mrrizzla]

Are hotels required to report any overstayers to immigration? I usually book a hotel under my wife's name and never show my passport to them. I'm not on overstay btw....just askin'.

No just report that a foreigner is staying with them.

I haven't used a passport to check in to a hotel for years and always use my driving licence.

I was wondering what is going on there. Because I was required to show my passport and visa page scanned. That ex-friend of mine is some how managing to rent a place with 5 years or so overstay....

I guess if you chuck a few extra grand in with your deposit some landlords might look the other way

Edited February 15, 2016 by mrrizzla

[WorriedNoodle]

To the contrary, i would say the majority of folks on overstay are just plain skint rather than criminals.

one dead man and a killer with an overstay hardly a link makes

Agreed, but it makes a great headline if your a young upwardly mobile journalist don't ya think?

[djayz]

Are hotels required to report any overstayers to immigration? I usually book a hotel under my wife's name and never show my passport to them. I'm not on overstay btw....just askin'.

No just report that a foreigner is staying with them.

I haven't used a passport to check in to a hotel for years and always use my driving licence.

Pretty much the same thing - your passport number is printed on your (Thai) driving licence.

[elviajero]

Are hotels required to report any overstayers to immigration? I usually book a hotel under my wife's name and never show my passport to them. I'm not on overstay btw....just askin'.

No just report that a foreigner is staying with them.

I haven't used a passport to check in to a hotel for years and always use my driving licence.

Pretty much the same thing - your passport number is printed on your (Thai) driving licence.

Yes but the Hotel have no way of knowing my immigration status from a driving licence. The point is that they are supposed to report everyone, and as far as I know hotels aren't under instructions or legal obligation to specifically report overstayers.

[djayz]

Are hotels required to report any overstayers to immigration? I usually book a hotel under my wife's name and never show my passport to them. I'm not on overstay btw....just askin'.

No just report that a foreigner is staying with them.

I haven't used a passport to check in to a hotel for years and always use my driving licence.

Pretty much the same thing - your passport number is printed on your (Thai) driving licence.

Yes but the Hotel have no way of knowing my immigration status from a driving licence. The point is that they are supposed to report everyone, and as far as I know hotels aren't under instructions or legal obligation to specifically report overstayers.

Good point but the hotels report guests' names and passport numbers. The police (or immigration officials??) then check this info in the computer system. They know when you arrived, on what visa you entered the Kingdom and how long your visa is valid for.

[Artisi]

Is it a function of the hotels etc, to play immigration police and check your visa status, 90 day is up to date, work permit properly issued etc, employment contract duly signed (if applicable), etc. and then report the facts -- don't think so and why should they ??

[elviajero]

Good point but the hotels report guests' names and passport numbers. The police (or immigration officials??) then check this info in the computer system. They know when you arrived, on what visa you entered the Kingdom and how long your visa is valid for.

The system doesn't give immigration officers info in real time. For a start the hotel has 24 hours to make the report in which time the guest could be long gone. The TM30 paper or online reports that hotels use, I believe, are only recorded in local databases which are not linked to the national system so it would take an IO to check the foreigner reported on the TM30 reports against the national database to confirm if they were on overstay. Given the time and man power required I doubt that happens. The reporting system is meant as a way to track where foreigners are staying and not geared up to catch out overstayers.

[Ianatlarge]

What a paradise it would be, if the only crime in Thailand was that committed by overstaying farang?

[happysanook]

To the contrary, i would say the majority of folks on overstay are just plain skint rather than criminals.

one dead man and a killer with an overstay hardly a link makes

There are no words for the silliness of headlines such as this.

[chrisinth]

To the contrary, i would say the majority of folks on overstay are just plain skint rather than criminals.

one dead man and a killer with an overstay hardly a link makes

I agree with all the above.

What the authorities don't seem to realize is that the real criminals, proper organized crime, are all here on proper visas hiding in plain sight.

Perhaps more effort (on the criminal element anyway) should be aimed at the detection, prevention and arrests of the rogues already active in the LOS?

To suggest there is a potential link between overstaying and the dismembering of bodies baffles me, and I'm sure anyone else with a grain of common sense in their noggin.

The authorities shouldn't need to make excuses, just do the jobs they are being paid to do.

[prakhonchai nick]

Are hotels required to report any overstayers to immigration? I usually book a hotel under my wife's name and never show my passport to them. I'm not on overstay btw....just askin'.

Hotels are required to submit the particulars of all foreign guests. Not sure if Thais have to be reported too.

I am surprised that the hotels do not ask you for some form of ID.

When travelling around Thailand with a group of farang friends, it is quite normal for ID to be required only from the farang who booked the hotel.

[cocorico2558]

Overstayers of more than 2 weeks should be arrested, heavily fined (or let them linger in Thai prison for a few years if they don't pay) before they are getting expelled of Thailand for the rest of their life.

We do need such cheap idiots here! Hunt them down and finish these clockroaches of!

[Jim walker]

I have overstayed a few times worst was 20’000 Baht worth but never had the urge to chop someone up and dump body in Chao Phrara river so all over stayers are not murderers.

[phycokiller]

when are they going to have their "good girls in, bad girls out" promotion

[phycokiller]

Overstayers of more than 2 weeks should be arrested, heavily fined (or let them linger in Thai prison for a few years if they don't pay) before they are getting expelled of Thailand for the rest of their life.

We do need such cheap idiots here! Hunt them down and finish these clockroaches of!

great idea, but before you start heres a hint, dont leave the bodyparts in public places like your fellow cockroach killer did