TOURIST Police arrested a South African man on Koh Phangan for overstaying in Thailand for 1,255 days after he was accused of extorting money from tourists claiming it was to treat his disabled leg, Naewna newspaper said today (July 9).
Mr. Schalk Jacobus Botha, 51, was arrested after police got a complaint that he had been extorting money from tourists and even snatched their handbags and that he was currently drunk and yelling and threatening holidaymakers near a restaurant and also causing chaos within the premises.
Upon being questioned Botha said his visa expired a long time ago and his passport was with an agency because he had not paid for his visa extension.
He added that he had overstayed in Thailand 10 times and personally paid the fine but then from January 2022 onwards he no longer had any money to renew it so has been staying illegally in the country.
Later at 10 a.m. while a police team was patrolling the tourist island they saw another foreigner who walked into a multipurpose building with his shirt off. When he saw them he started acting suspiciously and tried to escape.
He was then arrested and upon being questioned identified himself as Mr. Zaw Ni Tun, 30, from Myanmar, admitting that he had overstayed for 510 days because he had no money to process documents and renew the visa.
He too was charged with overstaying in Thailand.
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The South African man, above and Front Page, and Myanmar man, insert, arrested and charged with overstaying on Koh Phangan. Photos: Naewna
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