Immigration ban leaves Phuket expat knife attack victim in exile

[rooster59]

Immigration ban leaves Phuket expat knife attack victim in exile

The Phuket News

The ‘Good Guys In, Bad Guys Out’ campaign received much support, even from expats, but John Young of Karon has been caught in the crossfire, leaving him in exile and his children cared for by friends.

PHUKET: A Phuket expat is hoping the Immigration Bureau later this month will lift his ban on re-entering Thailand instituted after an incident in which he was attacked by a woman with a knife, while the ban has left his children to be cared for by friends for over a year and a half.

John Young, who has lived in Phuket for more than 12 years, is in forced exile after he was attacked by a neighbour with a knife near his home in Karon seven years ago, but it wasn’t until February last year that he was denied permission to re-enter Thailand at Sadao, on the Malaysian border.

The officer processing his re-entry to Thailand explained that the Immigration Bureau had declared Mr Young an unfit person to enter the country for being found guilty of trespass and a minor assault charge.

With the re-entry ban in place, Mr Young has been unable to see or care for his own children. Even though he is the sole parent to Jack, 13, and Katie, just 7, due to Thailand’s child-protection laws both children until recently had been unable to leave the country to see their father. After finally being issued his passport, Jack flew to Penang on July 6 to see his dad. Katie had to remain behind.

“The impact on my children has been very distressing and had a serious impact on their education and well being without any parents to guide them,” Mr Young told The Phuket News this week.

Appeals for assistance for Mr Young to re-enter the country have been sent to the Office of HRH Chakri Sirindhorn and the Office of the Prime Minister, while Mr Young’s case already has the support of the Office of the Phuket Public Prosecutor.

In response to a written request for assistance dated June 22, the Phuket Public Prosecutor’s Office said they were “already providing assistance” and had sent a letter to Immigration Bureau to request to find a solution “to consider allowing (Mr Young) to re-enter the country”. The letter was signed by Maj Boonthop Larnthong.

The Phuket Public Prosecutor has long supported Mr Young, with recommendations sent to the Phuket Provincial Court to levy only minor penalties for the charges against him as Mr Young was “known to be of good behaviour”.

After years in court, on August 16, 2014, Mr Young was subsequently sentenced to one year probation and fined B3,500. The probation was duly completed and the fine paid.

Full story: http://www.thephuketnews.com/immigration-ban-leaves-phuket-expat-knife-attack-victim-in-exile-58361.php

-- Phuket News 2016-07-24

[cockatoowho]

Immigration officers will be xxxxxing their jeans knowing they are causing a farang so much hardship and pain.

[LivinginKata]

He was found guilty in a Thai court. No surprise that he has been denied entry to Thailand. Would be the same in any country he was found guilty of a crime.

Tough situation for his Thai family ...

[Hawk]

It would appear that the woman next door filed a complaint with the police, perhaps saying that she feared that he would attack her again or such like, the original fight did occur on her property, the cops then forwarded the complaint to the immigration and bingo, blacklisted.

[NamKangMan]

ALL expats need and exit plan, or Plan B, for Thailand.

We all have no right to be here, except for a little sticker in our passports.

Edited July 24, 2016 by NamKangMan

[bearpolar]

It would appear that the woman next door filed a complaint with the police, perhaps saying that she feared that he would attack her again or such like, the original fight did occur on her property, the cops then forwarded the complaint to the immigration and bingo, blacklisted.

after he was attacked by a neighbour with a knife

They make it sound like he was the victim

[Hawk]

It would appear that the woman next door filed a complaint with the police, perhaps saying that she feared that he would attack her again or such like, the original fight did occur on her property, the cops then forwarded the complaint to the immigration and bingo, blacklisted.

after he was attacked by a neighbour with a knife

They make it sound like he was the victim

He entered her property, he was tresspassing.

[NamKangMan]

I Googled for an article on the original incident and found this. John Young is a common name, but maybe it's this guy.

http://www.johnyoungthailand.com/properties/land-at-koh-siray-phuket/

Edited July 24, 2016 by NamKangMan

[bubblegum]

He was found guilty in a Thai court. No surprise that he has been denied entry to Thailand. Would be the same in any country he was found guilty of a crime.

Tough situation for his Thai family ...

He paid his fine !

And he was paroled !

[sweatalot]

Immigration officers will be xxxxxing their jeans knowing they are causing a farang so much hardship and pain.

I was shocked to read this, but you have a very one sided opinion of immigration officers. In many years I have not met one who was unkind or unjust to me or did not do their duty. One time a female officer gave me a wrong stamp 4 weeks instead of 3 months. I went back after finding out and she imidiately fixed it. I think there are many decent people among them.

In this case it is not even the immigration's fault but the fault of a very unjust law or of an inappropriate interpretation of the law. Or may be of the court - they should have known better - giving the victim AND HIS CHILDREN a much harder penalty than the offender.

I would not blame him if he leaves the country with his children as soon as he can come in and then make this known all over the world - may be write a book. Of course then they never will let him in again and he probably won't care. May be it would help others.

It is good to learn that he has help from Thai officials as well. He should thank them and if he leaves the country for good he owes an apology to them.

Edited July 24, 2016 by sweatalot

[naiharn]

He was found guilty in a Thai court. No surprise that he has been denied entry to Thailand. Would be the same in any country he was found guilty of a crime.

Tough situation for his Thai family ...

There are tens, no hundreds, of thousands of Thais living in various western countries around the world. Do you REALLY believe that they are automatically deported when found guilty of a crime?

Or barred from re-entry?

[futsukayoi]

He is a convicted criminal and they have every right to keep him out. Crazy that many other countries don't deport foreign criminals. Obviously they should be allowing his children out. Also says his son visited him in Penang. Is he still with him or is it not really getting his family back together that he wants and is just using his kids as a way to try to get back into Thailand.

[AlQaholic]

Clear case of Thai against Farang, Farang always lose.

[hobobo]

He is a convicted criminal and they have every right to keep him out. Crazy that many other countries don't deport foreign criminals. Obviously they should be allowing his children out. Also says his son visited him in Penang. Is he still with him or is it not really getting his family back together that he wants and is just using his kids as a way to try to get back into Thailand.

Presumptious <deleted>!

[IAMHERE]

He was found guilty in a Thai court. No surprise that he has been denied entry to Thailand. Would be the same in any country he was found guilty of a crime.

Tough situation for his Thai family ...

Not true, America finally relented and let the dope smoking Beatle in.

[sahibji]

not quite sure about this case.

he was attacked and yet he is suffering

further reprisals.

am i missing something>

[williamgeorgeallen]

ALL expats need and exit plan, or Plan B, for Thailand.

We all have no right to be here, except for a little sticker in our passports.

agree with you. dont become grounded here. we are visitors. keep life simple. if you have kids and there are some problems first step is getting sole custody. dont buy anything you arent prepared to walk away from. things can go very bad here very quickly and our guest privileges can be revoked. seems this guy has had a number of years to sort this out.i am preparing to leave thailand, selling property, pickup and a business takes a long time and i am glad to not be doing it under duress.

[Bangkok Barry]

I would not blame him if he leaves the country with his children as soon as he can come in and then make this known all over the world - may be write a book.

The rest of the world really doesn't care about what goes on in Thailand. It's an insignificant backwater to most and plays no part at all in world affairs.

[hdkane]

ALL expats need and exit plan, or Plan B, for Thailand.

We all have no right to be here, except for a little sticker in our passports.

agree with you. dont become grounded here. we are visitors. keep life simple. if you have kids and there are some problems first step is getting sole custody. dont buy anything you arent prepared to walk away from. things can go very bad here very quickly and our guest privileges can be revoked. seems this guy has had a number of years to sort this out.i am preparing to leave thailand, selling property, pickup and a business takes a long time and i am glad to not be doing it under duress.

I am also trying to divest myself of Thailand...takes a lot longer to sell here than to buy...if I had to do it over again, I'd keep things much more simple...I simply didn't factor in the determined stupidity of Thais...I think things will get worse here for Thais, which means there must be a scapegoat, and I believe it will be farangs...perhaps things won't change too much in terms of policy and laws...but I think attitudes of most people toward farangs will become more negative..

[gk10002000]

Sounds like the penalty is not fitting the crime, but the article does assert he was found guilty of two charges. Was there a court hearing and was he there?

[louse1953]

He was found guilty in a Thai court. No surprise that he has been denied entry to Thailand. Would be the same in any country he was found guilty of a crime.

Tough situation for his Thai family ...

Not true, America finally relented and let the dope smoking Beatle in.

Only to murder him.

[SOTIRIOS]

...no justice for foreigners = no human rights....

...he was the victim.....

...time for the foreign governments and embassies to speak up....

[louse1953]

ALL expats need and exit plan, or Plan B, for Thailand.

We all have no right to be here, except for a little sticker in our passports.

agree with you. dont become grounded here. we are visitors. keep life simple. if you have kids and there are some problems first step is getting sole custody. dont buy anything you arent prepared to walk away from. things can go very bad here very quickly and our guest privileges can be revoked. seems this guy has had a number of years to sort this out.i am preparing to leave thailand, selling property, pickup and a business takes a long time and i am glad to not be doing it under duress.

I am also trying to divest myself of Thailand...takes a lot longer to sell here than to buy...if I had to do it over again, I'd keep things much more simple...I simply didn't factor in the determined stupidity of Thais...I think things will get worse here for Thais, which means there must be a scapegoat, and I believe it will be farangs...perhaps things won't change too much in terms of policy and laws...but I think attitudes of most people toward farangs will become more negative..

A lot of countries use immigrants as scapegoats for all their woes,including pollies.Why would Thailand be any different.It is time we walked in other peoples shoes and learn.

[Mbaki]

He was found guilty in a Thai court. No surprise that he has been denied entry to Thailand. Would be the same in any country he was found guilty of a crime.

Tough situation for his Thai family ...

There are tens, no hundreds, of thousands of Thais living in various western countries around the world. Do you REALLY believe that they are automatically deported when found guilty of a crime?

Or barred from re-entry?

Different countries, different laws and yes other countries do deport non citizens if they are convicted of a crime.

[siam2007]

He was found guilty in a Thai court. No surprise that he has been denied entry to Thailand. Would be the same in any country he was found guilty of a crime.

Tough situation for his Thai family ...

that is utter nonsense. I don' think any European country would have barred him for a minor offence

[spidermike007]

It sounds like she knows some people and has some cash. She was entirely in the wrong. The only line he stepped over was to step foot onto her property. If he was a bit smarter he would have mouthed off to her, and provoked her into leaving her property. Then, it might have been different. But probably not. The reality is, that a foreigner cannot win a fight here. If you kick their ass, typically they are going to be a very sore loser, and not take it well. Or there will be witnesses to the assault. Of a dozen Thais will join the fight. And if you get your ass kicked, you lose too. So, there is no winning. It is best to just avoid a battle to begin with.

She does sound like a horrific neighbor. Who wants to come home to a drunk neighbor cursing you out? But, still best to just ignore a loud worm. They are typically poisonous, as was the case here. If it were me I would just move. As far away from the worm as possible.

Immigration should just step up, and make the right call. But, they are not exactly famous for correct, moral, ethical, or proper decisions.

Edited July 25, 2016 by spidermike007

[F4UCorsair]

He was found guilty in a Thai court. No surprise that he has been denied entry to Thailand. Would be the same in any country he was found guilty of a crime.

Tough situation for his Thai family ...

It is tough, but as you say, likely the same in other countries.

I'm often intrigued how a person's offences are played down by those representing him...... trespass and a minor assault. I guess the stabbing was a result of the trespass and minor assault?

This is just a minor case of murder your honour, and I suggest he be released immediately.

[LivinginKata]

He was found guilty in a Thai court. No surprise that he has been denied entry to Thailand. Would be the same in any country he was found guilty of a crime.

Tough situation for his Thai family ...

There are tens, no hundreds, of thousands of Thais living in various western countries around the world. Do you REALLY believe that they are automatically deported when found guilty of a crime?

Or barred from re-entry?

All countries have the right to eject or reject 'visitors'. Whether enforced - just your luck. And who was paid off.

[elgordo38]

He was found guilty in a Thai court. No surprise that he has been denied entry to Thailand. Would be the same in any country he was found guilty of a crime.

Tough situation for his Thai family ...

Its the justice that is being questioned and the evidence there of. Since when is protecting oneself a crime?? The lady with the knife should go to jail for a couple years and he should get commendation.I agree with another poster she splashed the cash to sidestep a serious problem and put the blame on the this guys shoulders. The velocity of money here sure does double time. Edited July 25, 2016 by elgordo38

[elgordo38]

It would appear that the woman next door filed a complaint with the police, perhaps saying that she feared that he would attack her again or such like, the original fight did occur on her property, the cops then forwarded the complaint to the immigration and bingo, blacklisted.

after he was attacked by a neighbour with a knife

They make it sound like he was the victim

Fear or hysterics????