A New Zealander has been arrested in Thailand for overstaying his visa for nearly six years and is facing deportation.
Thai media reports identified the man as 60-year-old Grant Douglas Corrine. Thai police were quoted as saying he was caught outside a convenience store near Jomtien Beach in Pattaya.
Thai police Lieutenant Colonel Weerachai Thinkhamut, superintendent of the Immigration Police for Chon Buri province, said Corrine was arrested as a part of an operation dubbed X-ray.
The operation was aimed at cracking down on visa offenders and foreign citizens who committed crimes or encroached on professions reserved for Thai people.
By law, professions such as traditional Thai masseuses and masseurs, street hawkers, barbers and public transport drivers could only be undertaken by Thai citizens.
Corrine’s visa had expired 2173 days before his arrest and he admitted to police he managed to evade detection by avoiding making local friends and rarely appearing in public.
He left his home only in the evenings to buy essentials to minimise encounters with law enforcement.
Thinkhamut said Corrine had been notified of his violation and was undergoing legal proceedings in Pattaya before facing deportation.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Thailand was one of the more popular holiday destinations for New Zealanders, with about 113,000 heading there in 2019.
However, that number had dropped to about 80,000 – part of the reason attributed to the lack of direct air connectivity between Thailand and New Zealand.
