Immigration Police Enforce the Law
Jittra Hongchindawut/HUA HINLast month the immigration department visited many offices in Hua Hin that employ foreigners. Both the visa and the work permit were subject to scrutiny by officials. It is a simple procedure. The expiry dates are checked. The work permit is checked to make sure that the employer, company and location of the business are all correct.
All employees must work under the specific conditions that their work permit allows for. When a foreigner is doing a job that is not noted in his permit the terms of the permit must be changed. Violations will lead to the arrest of the person involved. Most of the problems encountered are to do with foreigners on retirement visas taking up employment. Often they set up a business in the name of their Thai wives but work in the business themselves. In Thailand retirees are not allowed to work at all in any capacity. If they wish to work they must leave the country and return on another type of visa. No one entering Thailand on a tourist visa is allowed to work. If they establish a company and become a director they are still not allowed to work unless they change their visa and get a work permit.
Speaking to our Hua Hin Mirror reporter, Police Captain Saksuthee said that there are many foreigners who own companies and work without permits. He pointed out that there are now two investigation officers permanently at work checking permits and visas. While the immigration office is not in the business of persecuting law-abiding citizens, they will enforce the law.
�Hua Hin is a special city with a very peaceful atmosphere and the office is determined that no �bad farang� will be allowed to live in Hua Hin�, said Pol.Capt. Saksuthee. Police Captain would like to receive full cooperation from residents, be they Thai or Foreigner. If anyone wants further information then they can check the Immigration Bureau website at http://www.imm.police.go.th/nov2004/base.php
Please note that when inspections are conducted it is possible to levy an on the spot fine of up to 10000 baht. The police are reluctant to use this power however if the offence is a minor one they may take this option. With serious offences the police prefer to enforce the law by arresting and prosecuting the offence in the courts.
Immigration Police: Friendly but Firm
Paitaya Puenpatom/HUA HIN
All members of the immigration office at Hua Hin police station speak English. In this office a full service is offered to the public except for changing the type of visa. While it is possible to change to a retirement visa all other types of visa must be dealt with in Bangkok.
Without seeing the type of passport it is impossible for the office to answer telephone enquiries relating to visas. In order to avoid misunderstandings you should bring your passport with you to the office.
The office is extremely busy for its size. The statistics released are impressive. Last year the office received 7,714,000 baht for visa extensions and 2,961,400 baht for re-entry fees. The overstay fine total was 1,630,900. Last December alone, more than one thousand cases were processed by this office.
When you apply for a work permit the office normally checks to see if the job can be done by a Thai person. If a Thai person can do the job the employer will be asked why they need to hire a foreigner. The work permit will be issued according to the visa type and renewal date. Normally it is initially for only a maximum of three months.
There are 9 full time staff. Apart from the sub-inspector, there are 2 investigators, 5 to administer visa extensions and 1 person to receive reports on foreigners staying in the kingdom. Operating hours are 8.30hrs. to 15.30hrs. Monday to Friday except Public holidays.
immigration Common Problems
Paitaya Puenpatom/Hua Hin
Deportation
Before the immigration police can deport someone there has to be a successful prosecution in court. If the behavior of the foreigner is considered to be threatening Thailand or Thai society then the police can cancel the visa. This process requires that evidence be presented to a special committee at the Immigration Bureau. When a foreigner is arrested by the immigration department, a local police inspector normally questions him. The matter is then reported to the court and to his embassy. Normally the embassy will send someone to interview the prisoner. After this, the matter has to go before the courts to be resolved.
If the court finds that your behavior is threatening Thai society or members of Thai society you can be banned from Thailand for a minimum of 100 years!
Overstay
The fine for overstaying your visa is 500 baht per day. If you voluntarily report that you have overstayed you will not be fined more than 20000 baht. If your overstay problem is discovered by the police then you will be reported to the court and the fine can be very expensive. Remember, if you overstay, you can pay at the airport however if you refuse to pay you will be arrested and your case will be referred to the court. Those who refuse to pay the fine will be imprisoned in Thailand. Every day spent in jail is a deduction of 200 baht from your fine. However as you are fined 500 baht per day this means that you will need to spend 2 and a half days in jail for every day that you overstay�Unbelievably, there are some people who believe that this is the best solution! When you have served the required number of days you will be expelled from Thailand.
Illegal workers
For those who have a work permit but do not work in accordance with the permit will also be arrested and brought before a court. Normally in this case bail will be granted and it will not be necessary to spend time in jail. As they have a work permit they can continue to work in accordance with the terms of the permit until the court hears the case.
Immigration Police: Busted!
Paitaya Puenpatom/Hua Hin
Since the beginning of 2007, charges have been brought in five cases concerning immigration offenses in Hua Hin. Most of those arrested were working without a work permit.
- The German owner of a local restaurant, who has a work permit, hired two Philippine singers who did not have a work permit. Both the owner and the two singers were arrested.
- A Swedish person who was helping his wife to cook in the kitchen of their business was arrested.
- A guesthouse did not make a report within 24 hours and the owner was charged accordingly.
- A German man whose mother is Thai was arrested for serving drinks to his German friends in his mothers business.
- A Thai builder was arrested for hiring two Burmese workers who did not have work permits.
Lunch money!
PR Department/Hua Hin Municipality/HUA HIN
The municipality has a budget of 6.1 million baht to pay for lunches for the students of seven Hua Hin schools in 2007. Vice mayor Nopporn Wutthikul said that hungry students are not able to focus on their study. Municipal schoolchildren will be able to have a free lunch paid for by the municipality. 60% of the budget is from the municipality and 40% is from the local administrative office. Some kind people in the community also make special donations. The project is now in its third year.
During the academic year the school milk project is paid for by budget from local community administration office. Milk is available for students from grade 1 to grade 4. The municipality intends to expand this to include everyone. The municipality has plans for a school uniform project, a school books project and a school camp project.
