No foreigners receive yellow or red cards in April, reports Phuket Immigration
Foreigners were on their best behaviour in Phuket, southern Thailand, last month with 0 foreign tourists receiving yellow or red cards, reports Phuket Immigration.
Phuket Immigration launched the yellow and red card scheme in March to combat the problem of wayward foreigners on the island. The system sees law-breaking foreign tourists deported from the kingdom after two offences.
Any tourist who commits an offence will receive a yellow card as an official warning. If they offend again, they will receive a red card, which sends them packing and blacklisted from Thailand.
During April 1 – 29, 29 foreigners were arrested in Phuket for violating immigration laws, reports the Phuket Express. Immigration did not provide further details about the offences.
Phuket Immigration arrested 17 Thai landlords who failed to report that foreigners were staying on their property as required (ม.38.)
The system was designed to catch naughty tourists, but no cards were dealt to tourists last month. In fact, four Thais received cards last month. Four of the 17 landlords arrested were handed yellow cards by Phuket Immigration for failing to report the whereabouts of their foreign guests.
If a Thai receives a yellow card for immigration offences and reoffends, they face a hefty fine and possible jail time.
In March, two foreigners received red cards and four received yellow cards. A Swedish national and a French national received red cards and their visas were withdrawn and they were deported. Two French nationals, a Swedish national and a Ukrainian national received yellow cards in Phuket in March.
Phuket Immigration reported in March that a total of 181 foreigners were undergoing criminal cases in Phuket – most being Russian, French, British, Burmese, and Cambodian.
Most offences occur in Patong, reports Phuket Immigration. For example, a brawl broke out between three foreign staff members at a restaurant in Patong and five drunk foreign tourists in late March. An Australian man admitted to starting the fight by throwing a bottle after he was told he would have to wait for his food like the rest of the customers. He blamed his violent behaviour on alcohol and said it was out of character.
