Swedish and Brazilian overstayers busted in South Thailand this week
A Swedish man and a Brazilian man were busted in South Thailand’s Surat Thani province for overstaying their visas in Thailand this week.
Surat Thani Immigration officers arrested the Swedish man in Koh Samui, on Chaweng Beach Road in front of Central Samui, in the Pho Phut sub-district. The man, 34 year old Christopher Tony Setfors, overstayed his visa by 75 days. The officers brought Setfors to Bo Phut Police Station to face overstaying charges and await further legal proceedings.
Officers arrested the Brazillian on Monday at Surat Thani Hospital in the Markham Tia sub-district of the main city district. The man, 64 year old Pinto Adilson Brasileiro, overstayed his visa by 10 days. Surat Thani Immigration officers brought Brasileiro to Muang Surat Thani Police Station to face overstaying charges and await further legal proceedings.
This news comes after Surat Thani immigration last week arrested a French woman in Koh Pha Ngan. The woman, 36 year old Myriam Naima Bakhoury, overstayed her visa by six days, the officers said. Bakhoury was arrested in front of the Bounty Resort on 85/1 Moo 8.
Also last week, a Russian national on the island was arrested on Koh Pha Ngan for overstaying his visa by a staggering 188 days. The 50 year old Russian man was apprehended in front of a convenience store in the northern town of Chalok Lam.
Thailand takes immigration laws very seriously and overstaying a visa, even by a few days, can result in detention, hefty fines, and deportation.
In November last year, Deputy Police Chief and former Chief of Immigration Surachate “Big Joke” Hakpark ordered a crackdown on foreigners overstaying their visas, following crimes by Chinese gangs in Thailand.
In Surat Thani, the province that contains Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan, and Koh Tao, the immigration office is employing new technology. Officers have equipped Smart Patrol Cars with advanced facial recognition to check foreigners quickly. Immigration officers are patrolling in WiFi-enabled cars, usually a BMW, to crack down on foreigners who have overstayed.
