P
Peter-Horst
Gast
FOREIGN TRAVEL
Tourists held for 37 hours
Group detained in Korea and Singapore
Bhanravee Tansubhapol
A group of Thai tourists who were held for a total of 37 hours at airport detention rooms after being refused entry into South Korea submitted a complaint yesterday to the country's embassy.
Pajisri Chantasiriwan said she was among five tourists travelling on a group package who were held in a windowless room at Incheon international airport with more than one hundred other detainees and only one toilet.
Eleven others on the same tour were immediately returned to Bangkok upon their arrival.
Detained with Ms Pajisri was her 9-year-old niece, who suffers from asthma.
``Throughout the whole ordeal, the Korean guards smoked and spoke very aggressively toward us,'' she said. ``They treated us like we had committed heinous crimes.''
An hour passed before the group was provided with food, she said.
Other Thai tourists being held in the same room said they had been told to wait for interviews with immigration authorities, which never took place.
After spending 12 hours at Incheon airport, Ms Pajisri's group was flown to Changi airport in Singapore, where they were photographed and held for a further 15 hours.
``Korean immigration officials stamped our passports `blacklist,' although we did nothing wrong,'' said Pattarin Hiranyasiripong, who was also detained.
South Korean consular general Jon Dae-won yesterday expressed regret over the incident and promised to forward the group's letter of complaint to his government.
Mr Jon said immigration measures had been stepped up for the Asian Games, currently being held in Busan, adding 18,700 Thais were currently working illegally in South Korea after being permitted entry on tourist visas.
von Bangkok Post
Tourists held for 37 hours
Group detained in Korea and Singapore
Bhanravee Tansubhapol
A group of Thai tourists who were held for a total of 37 hours at airport detention rooms after being refused entry into South Korea submitted a complaint yesterday to the country's embassy.
Pajisri Chantasiriwan said she was among five tourists travelling on a group package who were held in a windowless room at Incheon international airport with more than one hundred other detainees and only one toilet.
Eleven others on the same tour were immediately returned to Bangkok upon their arrival.
Detained with Ms Pajisri was her 9-year-old niece, who suffers from asthma.
``Throughout the whole ordeal, the Korean guards smoked and spoke very aggressively toward us,'' she said. ``They treated us like we had committed heinous crimes.''
An hour passed before the group was provided with food, she said.
Other Thai tourists being held in the same room said they had been told to wait for interviews with immigration authorities, which never took place.
After spending 12 hours at Incheon airport, Ms Pajisri's group was flown to Changi airport in Singapore, where they were photographed and held for a further 15 hours.
``Korean immigration officials stamped our passports `blacklist,' although we did nothing wrong,'' said Pattarin Hiranyasiripong, who was also detained.
South Korean consular general Jon Dae-won yesterday expressed regret over the incident and promised to forward the group's letter of complaint to his government.
Mr Jon said immigration measures had been stepped up for the Asian Games, currently being held in Busan, adding 18,700 Thais were currently working illegally in South Korea after being permitted entry on tourist visas.
von Bangkok Post
