'HELL ON EARTH': Brit traveller spent nightmare week in cockroach-infested Thai prison because handwash leaked on his passport

[dotpoom]

I seen two cockroaches.....if that's infestation......I'd like to know what name to put on some of the places I have stayed in,

[Orac]

If true, he basically turned up at Thai immigration with no visa, a damaged passport and possibly a stamp refusing entry to Vietnam - he would need to come up against an extremely cooperative immigration officer to get round that and they are few and far between.

[madmitch]

Something's not right about this story, and being The Sun, who are in the habit of sensationalising, it doesn't surprise me.

 

Has anyone else experienced having to pay for the privilege of being accommodated in a Thai detention centre? Normally it's used for those that can't pay the overstay fine. And, as was pointed out earlier, it looks quite luxurious compared to the detention centre at Phuket Immigration office and any Thai jail.

 

Why wasn't he told to get the next flight back to Britain if they wouldn't let him in? There are ways of getting cash.

 

Also despite the defaced passport, his details would have already been on the Immigration system. I assume the chip and strip on the passport weren't damaged. 

 

 

[hawker9000]

34 minutes ago, Ianatlarge said:

Just what is wrong with the people here criticizing this backpacker? He was imprisoned for no good reason. Shirt, tats, attitude, none of these are reasons for imprisonment. Perhaps it is officialdom who need an attitude adjustment? It is called justice, where people who have travel problems receive assistance, and people who kill other people on the road go to jail. Not the other way around.

 

Technically, you're totally correct.  However, most of us know that's just plain unrealistic, that it's not about "justice" or "reason" in the entitlement sense that many westerners treat as gospel these days, and IS definitely to some degree about attitude, in some places on the planet anyway.  Attitude adjustment?  For "officialdom"??  Vis-à-vis foreigners???  In the Land of Smiles????  You can 't be serious. 

[Emster23]

Wouldn't have happened had he been 'Merican. I sent my passport through washing machine once no problem!

[Dante99]

Poor baby, hope they let him keep his hand gel when he was locked up in that luxurious room.  Next time maybe he can make up a story somebody will give a sheet about.

 

Hell on Earth, what is he still on his momma's teat.

 

[Yann55]

1 hour ago, Andrew65 said:

I'm a bit confused by this, did he have a 2/3 month multi-entry. (Acquired before he travelled to Thailand).

 

The Sun says that his 30 day visa had expired, I was under the impression that the 30 day stamp that one receives on arrival is finished once one exits Thailand, having only here maybe for a day or two.

 

 

LOL ... 'The Sun says' ....

[BSJ]

I don't know anything about this guy but I do know I had a spot of bother at the airport in Phnom Penh.  Not saying to much, smiling, nodding my head and some US$$'s fixed the problem!

[bark]

Different from the men and women in the Battle of Britain. 

[DLang]

Looks like a palace compared to where some TEFLers and OAP's live.

[Jimbo2014]

That place looked cleaner and safer than half the rural hotels around Asia.  What type of backpacker wouldnt be happy with those digs.

[BritTim]

The Sun reporting is useless, but here is my guesswork:

• He left Bangkok for Vietnam having overstayed his 30-day visa exempt entry (for which he was presumably fined).
• He damaged his passport while en route between Bangkok and Vietnam (looking at the Sun story, the photo in his passport was no longer recognizable: goodness knows how he managed to have the passport open right next to a full tube of hair gel).
• Vietnam refused him entry, returning him to Bangkok.
• His Thai exit stamp was canceled, and he was placed into detention until a further fine could be levied, and newpassport plus flight home could be arranged.

[worgeordie]

I hope that learns him to take proper care with his passport,

too many travellers ,loose,damage,their passports,mine I guard

with my life,it's the most important thing while traveling.

regards worgeordie

[HuaHinHim]

While accidents do happen, I keep my passport well protected even when I'm not travelling. Perhaps after this he will too

[bkkcanuck8]

2 hours ago, JAG said:

My understanding  is that he travelled to Vietnam  from Bangkok, was refused entry because of his damaged passport,was returned to Bangkok where he was again refused entry ( and a further 30 day entry ).

 

It would be very interesting to know how he approached the immigration officials in both countries.  I rather imagine that has a  lot to do with how he was treated. 

 

If I understand correctly, since he never was allowed to enter Vietnam he would not have completed the exit from Thailand -- on return his exit would have been cancelled.  (i.e. if you go through immigration and fail to board the plane they will reverse / cancel the exit).   I am surprised he was not granted something like a 7 day extension where he should have been able to get emergency travel documents to at least travel home.

[Old Croc]

The trouble with these sort of stories is that you only get one side of the event, and that is usually garnished and blown out of proportion.  Authorities in most countries will not be doing interviews, and giving the actual facts, about individual cases, so an individual is able to BS to his hearts content.

I wouldn't have landed him with that damaged passport, at least not without a full interview and close check of his identity and story. Liquid under the laminate would normally indicate an attempt to change or disguise basic details, or effect a photo substitution. Hard to get something like that under the laminate accidentally.

The guy's claims to have a ludicrously paid job offer in Vietnam, and the complete lack of detail on why he wasn't landed upon returning to Thailand, indicate he is not very forthcoming nor trustworthy.  

[Old Croc]

2 minutes ago, bkkcanuck8 said:

 

If I understand correctly, since he never was allowed to enter Vietnam he would not have completed the exit from Thailand -- on return his exit would have been cancelled.  (i.e. if you go through immigration and fail to board the plane they will reverse / cancel the exit).   I am surprised he was not granted something like a 7 day extension where he should have been able to get emergency travel documents to at least travel home.

No.. He departed Thailand. His return was a new arrival. There must have been reasons they wouldn't land him again.

[captspectre]

3 hours ago, seahorse said:

Luxury. That isn't even a Thai prison. It's just a detention centre.

back packer willNEVER learn! 

[BritTim]

5 minutes ago, bkkcanuck8 said:

 

If I understand correctly, since he never was allowed to enter Vietnam he would not have completed the exit from Thailand -- on return his exit would have been cancelled.  (i.e. if you go through immigration and fail to board the plane they will reverse / cancel the exit).   I am surprised he was not granted something like a 7 day extension where he should have been able to get emergency travel documents to at least travel home.

 

I think he probably would have been given 7 days to leave the country if he was not already on overstay, though the damaged passport might have been an issue even then.

[gk10002000]

Need to clarify what the article means when it says his 30 day visa expired.  Did it expire on the day he was traveling?  Did he stay in Bangkok for a few days or a week or whatever and then the visa expired?  If the latter, well that's his fault and he should have bought an extension, gotten a replacement passport, transferred the Visa and gotten re-stamped or whatever.  Reading the article in the Sun it says: "Gavin, from Bournemouth, was sent back to Thailand because of the stain on the passport, but his visa had already expired ".  So this sounds like the guy let his visa expire then was trying to leave Thailand.  Well, don't wait until the last freaking minute, hour, day, or week!

[aussieinthailand]

1 hour ago, greenchair said:

And thanks to the media coverage of being allowed to keep his phone and the way he had used it to criticise the Thai authorities for doing their job. 

I imagine future foreigner will have their phone confiscated, making it extremely difficult for them. 

Ungrateful sod. 

"Ungrateful sod"   What the #@&*! is wrong with you?

A soap stain on his passport is not justification for six day's in a roach infested gaol cell IMO.

And exposing the conditions people are held in by immigration should very much be made public knowledge,  there is a massive difference with first world country's and country's like Thailand and the  conditions people are held in immigration airport detention centers and if the Thai people loose face because they WILL NOT do their job by having clean holding facility's then do something about it......

I would hope more of this is exposed and the people responsible are held to account.

As for your other comment's "Ungrateful sod"  <deleted>??? grateful for what? being able to keep his phone,,, DID he commit a crime???  NO!!!

A soap stain on his passport is something that should have been cleared up with a phone call to the Brattish embassy.

IMO the british embassy should be ashamed of it's self for it's little regard for one of it's nationals, appalling lazy behavior by them, remember they work for him as a tax payer NOT the other way around an great that they also are being exposed for their laziness.

 

Also justify if you can how a very well connected girl can run a bus off the road and kill 9 innocent people and get 40 hours community service and no gaol time, and this bloke get gaol for six day's

 

[Fookhaht]

Awww.  Had to sleep on a mat on the floor.  Welcome to the lifestyle of 130 million other people in Thailand.  Wait,  Thais don't have cushioned mats--just a grass mat.  Sorry, my tiny violin just slipped through the net hole of my comfortable hammock.   Excuse me while I grab another tissue...


(I've volunteer-taught in Thai prisons, and this poor Brit's detention accommodation was the Ritz.  Follow the link to see the pictures. I chuckled my way through every photo which exposed his "hardship."  His meals are also 3-star Michelin.  Normally, no meat at all in a Thai prison.  Relatives have to bring food to their inmate relatives for them to maintain adequate health.)  

[Familyaffairs]

Europe should build special, filthy, cockroach infested prisons especially for citizens from countries who apply the same basic disrespect to foreign nationals. 

[Bangkok Barry]

More to this that meets the eye. Why was a UK citizen carrying a valid (though dirty) UK passport refused entry to Thailand, where he does not need a visa of any kind? Okay, maybe an immigration officer in Vietnam was having a bad day and decided to make an issue of the stained passport, even though it clearly belonged to the person presenting it, but for it to happen in Thailand too? We only have one side of the story - his. People are not detained for no reason. There's something we are not being told

[bkkcanuck8]

14 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

No.. He departed Thailand. His return was a new arrival. There must have been reasons they wouldn't land him again.

Are you sure Thailand treats it that way?  

 

When you cross a land boarder between the two immigration checkpoints you are in no mans land and you have not completed your exit until you have been accepted entry into the other country.   If the other country rejects entry, you must be readmitted to the country you left -- but you never really completed leaving the country (you are not arriving from another country -- you are arriving from the same country - thus visa waiver immigration processes would not be valid -- thus a cancelling of the exit not another entry).   Air travel is just an extended version of the same process.  

[BritTim]

1 minute ago, Bangkok Barry said:

More to this that meets the eye. Why was a UK citizen carrying a valid (though dirty) UK passport refused entry to Thailand, where he does not need a visa of any kind? Okay, maybe an immigration officer in Vietnam was having a bad day and decided to make an issue of the stained passport, even though it clearly belonged to the person presenting it, but for it to happen in Thailand too? We only have one side of the story - his. People are not detained for no reason. There's something we are not being told

 

The full story is unclear. I think the UK citizen had been given a 30-day visa exempt entry which he overstayed before departing for Vietnam. On his return, since he had not technically entered another country, his exit stamp would normally be canceled. Immigration might have bent the rules and given him a fresh visa exempt entry, but (i) the overstay on the previous entry; (ii) the denied entry into another country; and (iii) the fact that the passport was so badly damaged that the photo was no longer recognizable makes it unsurprising that they were strict.

[i claudius]

3 hours ago, CelticBhoy said:

Looks like the Indians have his back covered   

 

Thats where the hand cream came in handy

[bannork]

What a wimp, 2 cockroaches and some bed bugs! Whoah! Sheer terror. Let's start a discomfort thread, I once spent 12 hours on the train from Surat to Bangkok standing cheek to jowel, couldn't move a muscle because it was New Year and the train was so crowded. People standing in the toilets too, to go for a slash you had to wait till the train stopped in the fields and dash out.

So what, a little discomfort makes you appreciate the simple things of life. The only thing this bloke suffered was his loss of freedom for 6 days which is a bummer but he'll take better care of his passport next time. 

[Caveman]

1 hour ago, colinneil said:

Big girls blouse !! Get over it you will survive.

Been there done that, i survived.

Thai prison at least he had a mat to sleep on, i had to sleep on the concrete.

Run home to mummy she will take care of you.

Couldn't agree more mate, big girls blouse. I did 18 months which was a little more interesting.

[Old Croc]

5 minutes ago, bkkcanuck8 said:

Are you sure Thailand treats it that way?  

 

When you cross a land boarder between the two immigration checkpoints you are in no mans land and you have not completed your exit until you have been accepted entry into the other country.   If the other country rejects entry, you must be readmitted to the country you left -- but you never really completed leaving the country (you are not arriving from another country -- you are arriving from the same country - thus visa waiver immigration processes would not be valid -- thus a cancelling of the exit not another entry).   Air travel is just an extended version of the same process.  

When a plane leaves one country's airspace and arrives in another country it has departed the first. If a passenger is refused entry it doesn't reset his stay in the first country.

(Of course, if a plane returns to the departure port because of engine problems, and is not departing again anytime soon, it is reasonable to cancel the entire departure record. This would cause problems with passengers who left on the last day of their permit.) 

My experience is in Australia - no land borders.  I'm not sure how they would treat passengers in your scenario. Except to say I would be looking closely at the reasons for refusal at the other border. It could affect a decision to allow entry again.