Kuwaiti overstayer busted in Koh Pha Ngan, Thailand

Police busted a Kuwaiti overstayer on Thailand’s island of Koh Pha Ngan, as Thai cops continue to crack down on overstayers.

The man, 56 year old Rashed Hea Juma, overstayed his visa by 16 days, according to police. Surat Thani Immigration officers arrested Rashed at a house in the Baan Tai sub-district earlier this week.

Rashed was taken to the Koh Pha Ngan Police Station to face overstaying charges, and is waiting to be deported, The Phuket Express reported.

This news comes after another two foreigners were reported to have been arrested for overstaying just yesterday.

One foreigner arrested was a Chinese man in Rayong, 43 year old Chao. Police arrested Chao at YESMUM Chinese restaurant in Pluak Daeng district on Tuesday.

Another foreigner arrested was a British man in the northeast province of Sisaket. The man, 30 year old Michael McLaughlin, admitted to immigration officers that overstaying in the country was wrong but he loved Thailand so much that he did not want to leave.

Last week, another three foreigners were arrested in Koh Pha Ngan. The group included a Russian man, a French woman, and a Lao man.

A few weeks ago, a Chinese man was arrested at a condo in Bangkok after police found he overstayed his visa in Thailand by over seven years (2,662 days).

Immigration is getting tighter all over the nation after Deputy Police Chief and former Chief of Immigration Pol. Gen. Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn ordered a crackdown on foreign visa overstayers in Thailand.

The penalties for overstaying in Thailand are divided into two main types below…

Overstaying foreigners surrender themselves to the officers:

• Overstaying less than 90 days will result in a fine of 500 baht/day (maximum 20,000 baht)
• Overstaying more than 90 days will result in a one-year ban from entering the country and a fine of 20,000 baht
• Overstaying more than one year will result in a three-year ban from entering the country and a fine of 20,000 baht
• Overstaying more than three years will result in a five-year ban from entering the country and a fine of 20,000 baht
• Overstaying more than five years will result in a 10-year ban from entering the country and a fine of 20,000 baht

Overstating foreigners who are caught by the officers:

• Overstaying from one day to one year will result in a five-year ban from entering the country and a fine from 500 to 20,000 baht
• Overstaying more than one year will result in a ten-year ban from entering the country and a fine of 20,000 baht