Seven arrested with forged visas

THALANG: Phuket Immigration on Wednesday arrested seven Bangladeshi men who tried to enter Thailand through Phuket International Airport using forged visas.

Pol Col Chirdchai Rattanametanon, the new Superintendent of the Phuket Immigration Office, told the Gazette that the men were arrested at Immigration at about 9 pm after arriving in Phuket on a flight from Singapore.

Col Chirdchai explained, “They didn’t behave like normal tourists. They had no suitcases and carried only small bags containing a single change of clothes. I believe they came here to try to find work.”

During questioning at the Tah Chat Chai Police Station, the seven told Immigration officers that they had bought the bogus visas for US$700 (28,000 baht) apiece from a travel agency in Bangladesh. They are being held for further questioning.

Many poor South Asians come to Phuket to work illegally in the tourism industry, often using their English language skills to find work as touts.