Thailand: Hundreds arrested amid 'Outlaw Foreigners' raids on January 11

Event

On the morning (local time) of Friday, January 11, 375 people suspected of immigration offences were arrested amid a fresh "Outlaw Foreigners" raid. The operation was launched in over 230 locations across the country. The arrested foreign citizens - including nationals from India, Laos, Myanmar, Germany, Sweden, Vietnam, the USA, Russia, and Italy - were accused of overstaying their visas.

Context

The raids were part of the 28th phase of the ongoing "X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner'' crackdown aimed at sweeping out alleged foreign criminals entering the country to commit crime and those overstaying their visas. To date, nearly 6500 people have been arrested during raids across the kingdom.

Advice

As a reminder, travelers to Thailand must enter the country with a passport valid for the next six months. Most of foreign nationals arriving by air or land can enter the country without a visa, for a period not exceeding 30 days. In case of a longer stay, the original visa may be extented for up to 30 days from the expiry date.