Australian-born British national David Maclean will be deported and banned from re-entering Thailand for five years after he was forcibly removed from a condo in Phuket Town this week
Mr Maclean was taken into custody at about 3pm yesterday after Phuket Immigration officers entered the ninth-floor condo at the “Supalai Park at Phuket City” complex on Nakorn Rd from a fire truck ladder.
The officers smashed a window to gain entry to the rear of the condo while regular police officers kept Mr Maclean occupied by talking to him through the front door.
Mr Maclean, who had suffered extensive weight loss from his four months locked inside the condo, was immediately taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital for medical attention.
However, Maj Ekkachai Siri of the Phuket Tourist Police told The Phuket News today that Mr Maclean refused medical treatment at the hospital.
“We tried to convince him to recover first at the hospital, but he insisted that he would recover by himself,” Maj Ekkachai said.
“He insisted on this and refused the help we offered him, so in the end we brought him to Phuket City Police Station to begin the legal process to have him charged for overstaying, for which he will be deported,” Maj Ekkachai explained.
Maj Ekkachai also explained, “Mr Maclean is very thin, but he is not in any danger health wise. He is able to move properly unassisted and is coherent when talking to us. We just wanted him to recover his health fully first before we started the legal process.”
Mr Maclean’s permit to stay expired on Feb 21 while he was still locked inside the condo, which he had refused to leave since Jan 14 amid a dispute with the landlord over the failure to provide receipts for rent that he said he had paid.
The owner of the condo has assured police that the rent was never paid.
In an email to The Phuket News when the situation began in January, Mr Maclean explained that he needed the rent receipts to provide to Phuket Immigration as proof of his residence while applying for a long-term permit to stay in the country.
Phuket Immigration Chief Col Kathathorn Kumthieng confirmed to The Phuket News that Mr Maclean will now face charges for overstaying in the Kingdom of Thailand.
“The process to deport him is starting now. He will be deported because he was arrested and did not present himself to authorities for overstaying for a period of less than one year. In accordance with immigration regulations, he will be banned from re-entering the country for five years.” Col Kathathorn said.
The Phuket News has confirmed that a British Embassy representative was at Phuket City Police Station last night and that Mr Maclean is being provided ongoing consular assistance
