Police raid resort and arrest group of visa overstayers
The group of 16 families were staying at the Long Lake Hillside Resort. The police team, which included immigration officials and local officials, found 32 adults, 31 people under 15 years old and three children. All were carrying Chinese passports and some had expired UNHCR cards, according to the Bangkok Post .
It is unclear how these people obtained the CNHCR cards when they did not declare refugee status, a source said. Some of the children also had birth certificates issued by a hospital in Bangkok.
Most of the 66 people arrested had overstayed their visas in Thailand by less than a year, and some had stayed for more than a month. All were taken to police stations before being deported.
Deputy Director General of the Thai National Police Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn earlier met with the Immigration and Tourism Police in Pattaya to request a crackdown on illegal immigrant workers and foreign workers residing illegally in Thailand.
Thailand has faced a number of problems with foreign tourists since reopening to international visitors after the pandemic. According to the Bangkok Post , more than 181 foreigners have faced criminal charges in Phuket since the beginning of the year, with the top offender coming from Russia.
Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew met with 23 consuls general from 23 countries in late March to update them on issues related to foreigners in the popular tourist city.
Police also mentioned a human trafficking case in March discovered at a bar in the Patong area, where minors were allegedly lured into "adult" work.
China and Russia are Thailand's two largest tourist markets. In 2023, Thailand aims to welcome 7-9 million Chinese tourists, out of a total of 30 million international visitors.
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