Russian arrested for 188-day overstay on Koh Pha Ngan

A Russian national has been arrested at Koh Pha Ngan in Surat Thani for overstaying his visa by a staggering 188 days. Surat Thani Immigration officers confirmed the arrest of 50 year old Leonid Toisloi.

The Russian man was apprehended in front of a convenience store in the northern town of Chalok Lam earlier this week.

The authorities have taken action and charged him with overstaying his visa. He is now being held at Koh Pha Ngan Police Station and is awaiting deportation for his overstay.

It is not known how Toisloi came to the attention of the immigration authorities, but the case is one of many instances of Thailand’s recent enforcement of visa regulations.

Immigration offices around the country have been cracking down on foreigners overstaying their stamps or visas. A campaign at the end of last year aggressively sought out tourists who have remained in the kingdom long past the date stamped in their passports.

In Surat Thani, the province that contains Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, 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.

Surat Thani Immigration Police, and Koh Pha Ngan Provincial Police went on a tour of Thailand’s fifth-biggest island in November on the hunt for visa overstayers in the kingdom.

Three foreigners were arrested and detained at Koh Pha Ngan Police Station. Russian Alexander Makevich was nabbed for overstaying his visa by 29 days. Police also arrested a French woman, Ophelia Marie Miriam Jacque, for overstaying her visa by 93 days. Both were charged under suspicion of, “being an alien whose permitted entry into the kingdom has run out.”

One foreigner living on the island was found to have no history of ever having a valid visa in Thailand. Police arrested Kaew Inthong Laladwo Kham, of Laos nationality, under suspicion of, “being an alien entering and staying in the kingdom without permission,” violating Section 54 of the Immigration Act of 1979.

Then, two weeks later, Police busted a Kuwaiti overstayer on Koh Pha Ngan. The man, 56 year old Rashed Hea Juma, overstayed his visa by 16 days, according to police.