Phuket Tourist Police did not report when the incident happened, but the Tourist Assistance Center at Phuket airport (TAC Phuket) posted a photo of the man being escorted through the terminal by Tourist Police last night (Jan 29).
According to a post on the official Phuket Tourist Police Facebook page, the man had completed check-in with Cathay Pacific Airways to board his flight home and presented himself at the immigration counter to exit the country.
The immigration officer at the counter pointed out to the man that he had overstayed in the country for 22 days, meaning he had to pay a fine of B11,000, determined by the standard overstay fine of B500 a day, Phuket Tourist Police reported.
The man said he had lost his wallet and had no money to pay the fine, said the report. The man showed that he had only B8,000 baht with him, as his credit cards were gone. He had money in a foreign account but was unable to access it.
It was explained to the man that he would not be allowed to leave the country without paying his overstay fine first, which sparked an angry outburst from the man, who Tourist Police said was drunk at the time.
The man continued his tirade, but eventually calmed down. He was told to “take it easy and get some rest”, and was directed to a nearby hotel to recover, Phuket Tourist Police explained.
Phuket Tourist Police said they contacted Australian consular officials in the hope they were able to provide assistance.
According to the post by Phuket Tourist Police earlier today, the man has already resolved the situation and board a flight home.