Elderly British man overstays visa in Thailand by 11 years

Immigration Police arrested a 76 year old British man in Bangkok who overstayed his visa in Thailand by a total of 4,142 days (11.3 years), reports KhaoSod.

Thailand’s immigration authorities are taking their latest crackdown on foreign overstayers in the kingdom seriously – catching a British national who managed to slip through their net for more than a decade. He might be the longest overstayer to hit the headlines yet.

According to his passport, 76 year old Joseph Taylor’s permission to stay in Thailand expired on November 26, 2011.

Police said that they were tipped off by a “spy” (whose name they did not disclose) that a British national was living illegally in Soi 42/1, Phra Kanong subdistrict, Klong Tan district, Bangkok.

Immigration officers arrested Taylor outside of his residence in Bangkok and took him to Khong Tan Police Station to face interrogation.

The spy also informed the police that there was another foreign overstayer, a Singaporean national, living illegally in Soi Pracha Uthit 37, Bang Mod subdistrict, Tung Khru district, Bangkok.

The spy’s information led immigration officers to arrest 62 year old Ng Wing Oon, from Singapore, on charges of being a foreigner residing in the kingdom illegally. The Singaporean overstayed his permission to stay in Thailand by 1,373 days (3.76 years).

Immigration’s latest hunt for illegal foreigners comes under orders from the Chief of Police Pol. Gen. Damrogsak Kittiprapas to eradicate the kingdom of foreigners who behave inappropriately and break the law, “causing danger to the peace and safety of life or property of the population, damaging the image of the country.”

Immigration asks for your cooperation in catching foreign criminals. If you have information about any criminal activity committed by foreigners in Thailand, please report them on immigration’s hotline 1178 or at www.immigration.go.th

Earlier this week, Immigration Police arrested a 38 year old Indian man in Chon Buri province found to have overstayed his visa in Thailand by 2,048 days (over 5.5 years).