Thailand orders legal changes to speed deportation of foreigners who break the law

Thailand's government has ordered officials to draft legal amendments to speed up the deportation of foreign nationals who break the law, following concerns that the current process takes too long.

Government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek said after the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday that Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul had assigned Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilprapunt, the Immigration Bureau and the Interior Ministry to prepare changes to immigration law and related regulations.

According to Rachada, the prime minister told the Cabinet that while foreign suspects are being arrested and prosecuted, deportations can be delayed because criminal proceedings in Thailand must be completed before removal can take place. She said lengthy procedures including appeals, legal processing, documentation and inter-agency coordination remain a bottleneck.

Foreigners facing charges can be released on bail, but they are usually required to surrender their passports. Authorities say some then return to normal criminal activity.

After local criminal cases are concluded, foreigners ordered deported are taken to an immigration detention centre until the deportation is carried out.

Rachada said the amendments were being prepared to accelerate the deportation of foreign nationals convicted of crimes. She said the prime minister instructed officials to prepare the changes promptly in line with national security, public interest and Thailand's international obligations.

The government has said existing provisions under the Immigration Act (B.E. 2522) already allow officials to deport foreigners who overstay, enter without permission or commit criminal offences, but that implementation can be protracted.

"Thailand is glad to welcome foreign tourists, investors and business operators," Rachada quoted Anutin as saying at the meeting. "For those who arrive and violate laws or cause damage to the country, they must be prosecuted decisively and deported as soon as possible."

Rachada added that the government has been tackling problems linked to foreigners involved in transnational crime, call scams, proxy business and other illicit operations.

Police have said foreign criminal suspects tend to gather in major tourist destinations where they can blend into expatriate communities and business networks. Authorities have recently expanded surveillance and investigative operations in several areas, including Phuket.