Thailand is a key transit point for foreign refugees, but their treatment here depends on who’s chasing them

Re: “No country for old men – the new Thai immigration laws begin to bite”, Have Your Say, February 7.

Re: “How many expat retirees are now being forced to leave Thailand?” Have Your Say, yesterday.

Six Chinese people have been arrested for begging across Bangkok, Thai immigration chief Pol Maj-General Surachet Hakpal told a press conference on Wednesday.

At 90 years of age, I will now have to move out of Thailand because of new Thai Immigration requirements.

To require ex-pats to maintain Bt800,000 in a Thai bank or deposit Bt65,000 into a Thai bank every month is what it is – a Thai Immigration law or directive.

Thai immigration says it is willing to show leniency to foreigners on the subject of proving their income when applying for retirement and marriage visas and visa extensions.

There just too many conflicting “truths” in the case of the Saudi asylum-seeker. The Thai Immigration chief said she did not have travel documents like onward ticket and a visa to Australia or money?

So long as the plight of the Saudi teenager is prominent in the international news, I suggest that the English-language newspapers should refrain from spelling the nickname of the chief of Thai Immigration as “Big Joke”.

Wouldn’t it be nice if Thai Immigration personnel took an unbiased, neutral stance to travellers?

THE UNITED Nations refugee agency has asked Australia to consider resettlement of the Saudi teenager who was detained at Suvarnabhumi Airport last week after Thai immigration staff said her travelling documents were insufficient.

Thai immigration police bureau will issue a warning to Kuwait Airways for allowing Saudi teen Rahaf Mohammed Al-Qunun to board its flight to Bangkok although she had insufficient travel documents.

The father and brother of a Saudi teenager, whose flight and plea for asylum has made international headlines, will travel to Thailand later today to give their accounts to the UN refugee agency, the Thai Immigration police chief said on Tuesday.

A Saudi woman held at Bangkok airport said she would be killed if she was repatriated by Thai immigration officials, who confirmed the 18-year-old was denied entry to the country Sunday.

An 18-year-old Saudi woman seeking asylum was denied entry to Thailand and held in Bangkok's airport, a Thai official said on Sunday.