Immigration Chief visits Phuket, says overstay rules are to keep the bad guys out

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Immigration Chief visits Phuket, says overstay rules are to keep the bad guys out
The Phuket News


Immigration Bureau Chief Lt Gen Nathathorn Prousoontorn speaks at today’s meeting at Boat Lagoon in Koh Kaew. Photo: Darawan Naknakhon

PHUKET: The Thailand Immigration Bureau Chief visited Phuket today (Mar 25) to explain the new immigration overstay rules and stressed that officers will strictly enforce the rules to keep bad guys out in a bid to stabilise the country.

Immigration Bureau chief Lt Gen Nathathorn Prousoontorn arrived at Boat Lagoon in Koh Kaew where he presided over an immigration meeting to promote the stricter punishments rules applying to those who overstay their visas which will take effect from March 20.
Also in attendance at the meeting were Chief of Immigration Division 6 Maj Gen Nitipong Niemnoy, Phuket Immigration Chief Col Sunchai Chokkajaykij, hotel operators, tour guides, educational institution operators and others.

Lt Gen Nathathorn said that the main objective of today’s meeting was to make sure that everyone understand the new immigration overstay rules which were issued by the Prime Minister and Interior Ministry on November 27, 2015.

During the meeting Lt Gen Nathathorn said, “After we announced the new rules our records showed that the number of foreigners overstaying in Thailand significantly decreased.

Full story: http://www.thephuketnews.com/immigration-chief-visits-phuket-says-overstay-rules-are-to-keep-the-bad-guys-out-56773.php


-- Phuket News 2016-03-25

[canopus1969]

Errrr if the bad guys are on overstay surely they must be here already

[Nicolas32]

Hmmm keep looking there is 100000 people who have overstayed there visa and already they are patting themselves on the back ..

Edited March 25, 2016 by Nicolas32

[terryp]

I guess some fools will believe this horse sh....

So I can be a crim come here get a 30 day on arrival bounce a couple of times by air (so i will have been here around 90 days) then just blend in for 360 days during that time I become a bad guy ....Idiots

[LivinginKata]

Errrr if the bad guys are on overstay surely they must be here already

Exactly ... just some beaurocrat patting himself on the back. Might be a few folks don't realise they are overstaying, but the majority well know they are overstayed and just playing the odds.

[madmitch]

I don't understand how this keeps the bad guys out. I'm sure there must be plenty of idiots out there who have proper, up to date visas and possibly plenty of decent fellows that have overstayed. But I suppose that overstaying now makes them a criminal, hence a bad person. Yes, now I understand their logic. Or do I?

[Chang_paarp]

They seem to have missed a large % of those being deported seem to have tattoos, I wonder if the powers that be will twig to this and act on it. Another characteristic is a lot of them seem to be males.

[bamukloy]

If you deliberately flaunt the law and overstay you are a bad guy..end of.

cant get away with this in many countries and not have the book thrown at you.

On the other hand, i recall reading news of a few bad guys getting pulled for overstay, who on closer scrutiny, were found to have warrants out for them in their own country.

I would have thought it you were a bad guy, it would be more prudent, and a lot easier to slip through the cracks, if you got your clean passport handed back to you by a copper on the street

and let go on your merry way.

then again crims arent the sharpest tools in the shed.

if a few bad guys get found out through being on overstay im all for it.

if a few non bad guys get busted for overstay im all for that as well

[stevenl]

Bad guys will have passport problems, so are more likely on overstay than others.

[seedy]

Off Topic posts - and Quoted Replies - Removed

Derogatory posts Removed

[hansnl]

Overstayers destabilise the country.

I am all for "regulating" the visa dodging, but overstayers destabilise the country?

[terminatorchiangmai]

Are the bad guy's not working in government positions ?

[Siriam]

the impeccable Thai logic

[Miami Bob]

Sometimes I hesitate to read the comments in these articles because I know it will be the usual suspects finding witty ways to trash Thailand and make expats feel superior. Thai immigration may be corrupt and do some stupid things but overall I would say their policies are much smarter than western countries that open their borders to hordes of penny-less immigrants with no job skills or respect for the local culture and many of whom are terrorists and then give them all freebies at local tax payer expense! How stupid is that !

Edited March 26, 2016 by Miami Bob

[technologybytes]

Yes, right. Stabilise the country, of course the county is unstable because of those pesky overstayers.

[Time Traveller]

Errrr if the bad guys are on overstay surely they must be here already

Proving that only the dumbest of public servants end up working in the immigration dept.

[gandalf12]

I don't agree with overstaying anywhere in the world. You should follow the rules of the country but I don't see how someone over staying is a destabilizing factor for the country. What are they destabilizing?

If they are working illegally then it is also the responsibility of the person employing them who knows they don't have the right documentation to work. As they say it takes two to tango but only one is being considered.

[colonialboy]

Lock up most of police & immigration that will eliminate most of the crime in Thailand

[mercman24]

post 7 didn't take long did it for the old tattoo thing to be posted,99 % of thai girls have tattoos idiot. so they are criminals,? for your information i have tattoos, was MD of my own company, oh and i am living here legitimately. OK,

[gamini]

post 7 didn't take long did it for the old tattoo thing to be posted,99 % of thai girls have tattoos idiot. so they are criminals,? for your information i have tattoos, was MD of my own company, oh and i am living here legitimately. OK,

you mean 99% of Thai bar girls. Presumably those are the only ones you know.

[mikosan]

I'm more than happy for them to introduce and enforce this rule. Every little counts with regards to trying to clear out the riff raff farangs from this country. Someday they might even try sorting out the Thai riff raff as well and in that I include the corrupt in the higher echelons of Thai society.

[wabothai]

Keeping bad guys out has nothing to do with overstayers they are are already in.

Has everything to do with immigration not being able to keep the bad guys out when they enter.

And this guy is chief !?

[andy8017]

Will that include the rich over stayers or just the ones that run out of money?

[stevenl]

I'm more than happy for them to introduce and enforce this rule. Every little counts with regards to trying to clear out the riff raff farangs from this country. Someday they might even try sorting out the Thai riff raff as well and in that I include the corrupt in the higher echelons of Thai society.

This is much more aimed at other Asians than at farang.

[Terryjc55]

this is all good but there are more bad thai guys than farang, so is he going to deport them to be with other thai crims who have done runners

[BangkokKen]

Well, with every visa at 40k-100k a year I would say it's rather the poor guys that will be out.

[Stargeezr]

I just wished that Thailand and its departments like Immigration and Tourism would modernize and

let us Tourists, and travellers stay for 90 days without the need to get visas

and extensions, that are only a money grab, of their old style ways.

There is enough corruption in the world already, and it would be a lot nicer

to be able to fly across the ocean from Canada and only be allowed to stay for 30 days

before it being necessary to get a visa.

Please Thailand, modernize yourself, thanks and good night!

[kiwikeith]

Are the bad guy's not working in government positions ?

Exactly, I wonder what their numbers would add up to.

[cesarm001]

For those complainers and disrespectful people .... I suggest you go and have a look at the Indonesian immigration policy on overstaying ..... you go to Jail and/or pay a lot of money so 20,000 or 50,000 is nothing in comparison so be happy with what we have is good in fact is very very good.

Look at the immigration policy of other Asian Countries and also New Zealand Australia USA etc ....

[NoshowJones]

Are the bad guy's not working in government positions ?

In some cases I would say so.