Mr Tomas (full name withheld) was apprehended in front of McDonald’s on Bangla Road around 9pm on Thursday (Mar 7) amid the islandwide crackdown on “bad foreigners.” Mr Tomas was taken to Patong Police Station for further legal proceedings.
The case was reported by Patong Police in two separate Facebook posts, one of which was later shared by Phuket Provincial Authorities. However, officials have not clarified whether the man had a visa at some point or entered the Kingdom without completing any immigration formalities at all.
Although Patong Police have not specified the exact section of the Immigration Act violated by Mr Tomas, they did not mention any revocation of his visa or overstay.
The charges levied against him align with Section 81 of the Immigration Act, which covers all instances of illegal stay within the country, including illegal entry and overstay.
A copy of the Immigration Act 1979 on Phuket Immigration’s website provides to following translaion of Section 81: “Section 81: Any alien who stays in the Kingdom without permission, or whose permission has expired or been revoked, shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding two years or a fine not exceeding B20,000, or both.”
The version of the translation, available on the Royal Thai Police website, states the same.