New red card system: after 2 offenses, Thailand expels tourists

Thailand has launched its new red card system to get rid of foreign offenders in Phuket, but the program is expected to be extended to other provinces.

After having had many problems with foreign offenders, particularly the French, the Phuket police have put in place a new system to quickly get rid of these undesirable travelers who harm the island's tourist image and make life difficult for locals.

See: Fights, criminal acts, French delinquents let loose in Thailand

The Phuket Immigration Bureau has just announced that 6 people have already been sanctioned by its yellow and red card system for foreigners who misbehave.

If a foreigner commits an offense for the first time, they will receive a yellow card and their behavior will be reported to the consulates.

If they reoffend, they receive a red card, their visa is revoked, and they are expelled.

Since the beginning of the month, two foreigners have received a red card and four a yellow card.

The authorities also note that 181 foreigners are currently involved in criminal cases and in legal proceedings.

According to the Phuket Immigration Office, most of the foreigners involved in these cases are from Russia, France, the United Kingdom, Myanmar and Cambodia.

See: Russians and French are the main foreign offenders in Phuket

The majority of cases took place in Phuket's most famous beach resort, Patong.

The most common offenses are drunk driving, overstaying, illegal entry into the kingdom and working without a permit.

Phuket's immigration services have adopted a system of cards similar to footballs, explaining that a red card results in visa suspension and immediate departure from Thailand.

The severity of the offense determines the duration of the ban on re-entering Thailand.

According to immigration, a large number of foreigners who come to Phuket are not familiar with Thai customs and regulations.

Therefore, many of them claim they were not aware of the laws or regulations they had violated, nor the consequences of their actions.

Many defend themselves by saying they saw other people doing the same thing without being punished, and so they assumed they could do the same thing without consequences.

Immigration services have made it clear that what others do or what others are caught doing is of no importance, and that the only consideration in punishment is the individual's action.

Because indeed, according to many testimonies, foreign tourists are more likely to be arrested than Thais, for example, for driving without a helmet.

But just because some Thais don't wear helmets doesn't mean you should imitate them; helmets are mandatory, and Thailand's roads are particularly hazardous.

It is incumbent upon travelers to familiarize themselves with the laws of the countries they visit.

The police or immigration services are not required to teach every law and regulation to every tourist who arrives.

During the first half of March, two French nationals, one Ukrainian, and one Swede received yellow cards.

Red cards were issued to a Swede and a French national, who were subsequently expelled.

The card program, currently operational only in Phuket, could be extended to other major tourist destinations such as Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Koh Samui if it proves effective.

However, several uncertainties surround this initiative, particularly regarding the actions and offenses that would result in the issuance of yellow cards.

The Phuket Immigration Bureau responded by assuring that compliance with Thai laws and regulations should allow foreign visitors to avoid trouble.

They pointed out that their statistics suggest that very few tourists and foreigners get into serious enough trouble to deserve a yellow or red card.

See also:

Thai police launch hunt for pickpockets in Chatuchak market

The latest arrests of foreign criminals in Thailand

Source: The Thaiger