Brit caught working for 50 Baht per day on overstay visa
A 57-year-old man from the UK, whose name has not been released, was arrested for overstaying his visa. That’s not exactly breaking news but the story he told police is shocking.
He told tourist police that he has been working as a construction worker for THB50 (US$1.55) per day because his Thai girlfriend stole his passport, money, and credit cards and abandoned him.
He said he had no choice but to perform manual labor for well under the minimum wage in order to survive after she left him penniless. For police, the simple visa overstay situation has become a possible theft case and they are searching for the alleged Thai female perpetrator, reported The Nation.
The man told police he met the Thai woman during a vacation in Lopburi and she invited him to stay at her house before stealing his valuables. He said that he is saving money to return to his country. It is also unclear where the woman went, especially since he knows where she lives.
Tourist Police Bureau deputy commissioner Pol. Maj. General Surachet Hakparn said, during a press conference yesterday, that the man claims he was a postman in the UK and is retired. He said that he gets a monthly pension of GBP300 (THB13,000), but has been unable to access it since his cards were stolen.
He told police that he would like to file a lawsuit against the woman for theft and the police have contacted Bangkok’s British Embassy to see if they can assist in sending him back to the UK. Coconuts has contacted the embassy with a request for the man’s name and how they plan to help him. If they provide details, we will update this story.
The man was one of nine foreigners arrested in immigration police raids around Bangkok yesterday. Local, tourist, and immigration police worked together to perform 28 raids on addresses around the city that were suspected of housing undocumented foreigners.
Source: Coconuts
