PATTAYA – Eight Chinese nationals wanted for sex trafficking in Pattaya were among nearly 1,000 foreigners fined or arrested for overstaying their visas in a three-day regional immigration crackdown.
Top officials from Immigration Bureau Region 3 – covering the East and Central regions of Thailand – reported results of the Nov. 13-16 alien sweep Nov. 17, saying 983 people were either captured or surrendered to face charges they overstayed their visas.
Locally, immigration police arrested eight Chinese wanted on a prostitution warrant issued by Pattaya Provincial Court, another Chinese fugitive hiding the area and a Russian wanted on drug charges.
In all, 42 overstaying foreigners were arrested and 161 other surrendered to face fines in the eastern region.
Across Region 3, officers said, 911 foreigners surrendered and 72 were arrested.
For those who surrender, overstaying up to one year gets foreigners banned for a year from coming back to Thailand. Three-year bans await overstayers of 1-3 years while those who have lived here without a visa for 3-5 years are banned for five years. Overstayers of more than five years are banned for 10 years.
For those whose overstay is found upon arrest, the bans begin at five years for up to a year of overstay. Those here longer are blacklisted for 10 years.
