Foreigners had been on their best behaviour in Phuket, southern Thailand, final month with 0 foreign tourists receiving yellow or pink playing cards, reports Phuket Immigration.
Phuket Immigration launched the yellow and purple card scheme in March to fight the issue of wayward foreigners on the island. The system sees law-breaking foreign vacationers deported from the kingdom after two offences.
Any vacationer who commits an offence will receive a yellow card as an official warning. If Swipe offend again, they will obtain a red card, which sends them packing and blacklisted from Thailand.
During April 1 – 29, 29 foreigners have been arrested in Phuket for violating immigration laws, stories the Phuket Express. Immigration didn’t provide additional particulars concerning the offences.
Phuket Immigration arrested 17 Thai landlords who did not report that foreigners had been staying on their property as required (ม.38.)
The system was designed to catch naughty vacationers, but no playing cards have been dealt to vacationers final month. In reality, 4 Thais obtained playing cards last month. Four of the 17 landlords arrested have been handed yellow playing cards by Phuket Immigration for failing to report the whereabouts of their international friends.
If a Thai receives a yellow card for immigration offences and reoffends, they face a hefty fine and potential jail time.
In March, two foreigners acquired purple playing cards and 4 received yellow cards. A Swedish nationwide and a French national received purple cards and their visas have been withdrawn and so they were deported. Two French nationals, a Swedish national and a Ukrainian nationwide acquired yellow cards in Phuket in March.
Phuket Immigration reported in March that a total of 181 foreigners have been undergoing felony cases in Phuket – most being Russian, French, British, Burmese, and Cambodian.
Most offences happen in Patong, reviews Phuket Immigration. For example, a brawl broke out between three foreign staff members at a restaurant in Patong and 5 drunk international vacationers in late March. An Australian man admitted to beginning the battle by throwing a bottle after he was informed he would have to anticipate his food like the rest of the shoppers. He blamed his violent behaviour on alcohol and stated it was out of character..