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| Southeast Asia |
| Thai police arrest six visa-overstayers |
| 2004-01-12 |
| Let’s play "Spot the clue". Six foreign tourists staying on Thailand’s backpacker mecca Khao San Road were arrested Sunday for overstaying their visas in a crackdown that also saw 13 Thai guesthouse owners fined. Deputy immigration commissioner Pongsapat Pongcharoen told AFP the tourists, including at least four Nigerians, would be fined and faced deportation after spot checks by police at the scores of guesthouses along the famed road. Nigerian backpackers, huh? Nigerians have been in the news a lot lately, and not in a good way. He could not immediately confirm where the other nationals were from. Or if any turbans were found in their backpacks. As part of the crackdown, which Pongsapat said would be expanded to other tourist spots across the country, police also fined 13 guesthouse owners for failing to report the names and numbers of foreign guests staying with them. "If we didn’t have this law, we would not be able to know where tourists were after they entered the country," he told AFP. "How could we find them if something happened?" "How could we ID their bodies if they blew themselves up?" |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #1 Screw Khao San Road, just that's where the newbies stay. Try checking some of the Pakis up on Soi Rambutri. For Nigerians take a peek around the back alleys of Sukhumvit Soi 16. But do it quiet, the Nigerians usually get tipped off when immigration police are on the way. One big problem: Brits. UK passport holders who run low on cash often "lose" (sell) their passports for quick money, and then just apply for a new one. I don't remember if it's a free service of the British consulate or not, but even if there's a re-application fee it's very low. For contrast, an American who "loses" their passport has to pay something like $300 for a new one. |
| Posted by: Scooter McGruder 2004-1-12 1:09:29 PM |