Stranded tourists flocked to Suvarnabhumi Airport on Wednesday amid warnings they would be arrested for overstaying once the visa amnesty ends.

Thailand banned international arrivals on March 22 before giving a temporary reprieve for those stuck in the country during the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, police chiefs warned this week that an estimated 150,000 foreigners still in the country with expired visas would be tracked down and arrested if they had not left before September 26.

Immigration Bureau deputy spokesperson Pakpong Sai-ubol said: ”Overstaying the tourist visa is punishable by both a jail term and fine under the Immigration Act.”

Footage from the Suvarnabhumi Airport shows hundreds of passengers queueing for flights to the Philippines and India.

Some of those in the lines said they had been in Thailand since before the pandemic and ”wanted to stay” but were ”not able to renew their visas”.

Thailand has ranked highest in a global survey for its effective handling of Covid-19 and recovery from the crisis. There have been just two local transmissions of Covid-19 in more than 100 days.











