Overstayers face stiff re-entry bans

Weak regulations on overstaying visas may be tightened considerably if the prime ministry uses his powers to impose lengthy re-entry bans on overstayers.

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Overstayers face stiff re-entry bans

Post Reporters

The Immigration Bureau has asked Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to exercise his special powers to issue a ban on foreigners found guilty of overstaying in Thailand from re-entering the country for one to 10 years.

The move is aimed at cutting the number of illegal migrants by 80%, down from the current crop of overstayers estimated at 800,000 people.

Pol Lt Gen Nathathorn Prousoontorn, the bureau chief, said in cases of overstaying of more than 90 days to one year, the ban from re-entry will be one year.

In cases of overstaying between more than one year and three years, the ban from re-entry will be three years, while those found guilty of overstaying between more than three years and five years will face a ban from re-entry of five years.

For those found guilty of overstaying more than five years, the ban from re-entry will be 10 years.

Most illegal migrants in Thailand came originally from Africa, India and Bangladesh and their motives for breaking the immigration law here were mainly that they wanted to use Thailand as a temporary shelter before migrating on to a third country, said Pol Lt Gen Nathathorn.

One reason for the growth of overstayers was the rather weak penalties for overstaying that comprise a fine of 500 baht-20,000 baht and deportation, he said.

Currently overstayers are only subject to a fine of 500 baht-20,000 baht and deportation and fines can be paid off by jail terms at a rate of 200 baht a day. There are no restrictions on returning to the country, says Immigration Bureau chief Pol Lt Gen Nathathorn Prousoontorn.

Anyone who doesn't have money for the fine can opt for imprisonment in which one day is equivalent to the payment of 200 baht in fines, he said.

However, under the present law, after being deported to their countries of origin, those illegal migrants can still return to Thailand again and again, he said.

The proposal to impose a re-entry ban on illegal migrants via the prime minister's order under Section 44 of the interim charter has won approval from the Interior Ministry and is now being considered by the prime minister, he said.

In a crackdown over the past week, 9,265 foreign suspects were arrested, 97.5% of whom were accused of violating the immigration law by overstaying, said Pol Lt Gen Nathathorn.

Of this number, only 18 people were detained on other criminal charges.

A vast majority of the detained suspects were African people, he said.

There was no indication when the prime minister was likely to make a decision on the call for re-entry bans.

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