Cops bust 6 overstayers in northeast Thailand ahead of Songkran

Cops busted six overstayers in northeast Thailand’s Buriram province ahead of the Songkran festival.

A crackdown by Immigration Police in Buriram led to the detention of six foreigners for overstaying their visas. The operation took place from March 27 to April 10 and was aimed at preventing and suppressing crime during the Songkran Festival, according to Naewna.

Pol. Maj. Gen. Ketchakat Nilpradap, head of Immigration Division 4, led the police officers who conducted the raids and detained the foreigners. Two detained foreigners were fined for overstaying their visas, one was arrested for working without a permit, and four were held for illegal entry.

Immigration Police warned that foreigners caught breaking the law in Thailand and who meet the criteria of being a prohibited person will be blacklisted.

The crackdown was ordered by Pol. Maj. Gen. Phanthana Nuchanart, deputy chief of the Immigration Bureau, who directed his officers to take strict action against foreign nationals who flout immigration rules.

Buriram is not the only spot in Thailand where authorities have been on the prowl for overstayers.

On April 5, Pattaya authorities hunted across the city for foreign overstayers and criminals. The operation involved about 50 law enforcement officers who inspected nightclubs in Pattaya.

The officials mostly targeted foreigners who were working illegally in Pattaya, overstayers, and illegal migrant workers. The police and immigration were separated into three groups, and they visited nightclubs and several venues around crowded tourist spots such as Walking Street and Soi 6 to check tourists’ passports for overstayers. They also inspected the venues’ employees to see if they carried weapons or illicit drugs.

In Chon Buri, on the same day, Immigration Bureau Division 3 officers arrested a Chinese man in Chon Buri for overstaying his visa by about 800 days and for evading corruption charges in China. Officers in Chon Buri summoned a Chinese man named Jian Sen for acting suspiciously and questioned him thoroughly, which led to the discovery of his overstay.