voyager1970 » 29 окт 2006, 14:10
Last week's arrests of western tourists by Thai police were on a much larger scale than I had realised (See Goodbye APEC and good riddance). However, the story has not been reported in the papers.
Raids of all of the popular nightlife districts in Bangkok were backed up by sweeps of the cheaper apartment buildings favoured by westerners - including those on Soi Ekkamai. Those who could not produce passports or valid visas were taken away in handcuffs. No details have been released but it is thought that hundreds were arrested.
Currently, the Thai authorities are taking visa overstays very seriously. Tourists are ending up in jail, sometimes for months, pending deportation. For an idea of the appalling conditions they have to suffer, take a look at the posting (See Smile, you're in Thai jail
Carpe Diem
"He who controls the present, controls the past. He who controls the past, controls the future."
-- George Orwell