Indians Among 117 Foreign Nationals Arrested in Ongoing Crackdown in Thailand

As many as 117 foreigners, including Indians, were detained in Bangkok for allegedly breaking the law, following a nationwide search conducted on March 14 and 15 by tourist, immigration and police agencies, the Nation reported.

The results of the fourth “X-ray Outlaw Foreigner” operation, during which the police conducted searches at 111 sites across Thailand, were announced by Tourist Police Deputy Commissioner Maj. Gen. Surachet Hakpal.

A total of 84 foreigners were arrested for entering the country illegally, including 25 Indians, 31 Myanmar nationals, 18 Laotians, four Cambodians, one Vietnamese, one Iraqi, two Nigerians and one Afghan, Hakpal said. The nationality of one suspect is still unknown.

Hakpal added that 20 foreigners were arrested for overstaying their tourist visas. The list comprised five Indians, two Egyptians, a Russian, a Dutch, a Laotian, a Myanmar national, a Grecian, four Cambodians, two Chinese, one Vietnamese and one person from Qatar. Also, 13 foreigners were arrested for working without permits or working in a job that was not permitted, which included eight Vietnamese and five Myanmar nationals, as well as a Thai employer.

Some of the foreigners worked unlawfully as language teachers, football players and priests. The police had searched 10 international schools and many football clubs in past operations.

According to Hakpal, the DNA samples of the accused will be taken and they will be blacklisted from re-entering the country for a period of time, based on their violations.

“X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner” is an ongoing police effort that began in February this year in Thailand to crack down on foreign nationals who are involved in illegal activities. More than 300 foreign nationals have been arrested until now for entering the country illegally, working without a permit and testing positive for drugs, reported Khaosod English.

Earlier this month, the tourist police hauled up 144 foreigners, most of whom were from Nigeria and Cameroon.

Hakpal said that the searches concentrated on “colored” people who arrived in Thailand to execute different kinds of crimes like romance scams, call center scams, prostitution, human trafficking and drug trafficking. Hakpal, who was leading the raids, repeated his order for a nationwide hunt for “illegal” foreigners, changing the name of the operation from “Operation Black Eagles” to “X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner,” according to the report.