Russian-Canadian arrested for visa overstay and begging on Koh Phangan Island

A Russian man detained on the tourist island of Koh Phangan following residents’ complaints he was begging for food was found to have overstayed his visa by more than four years, tourist police said. 

Dmitri Babaitsev, 56, was found sleeping in front of the Banana IT shop’s Koh Phangan branch, tourist police said on Monday.

During questioning, he told police he had both Russian and Canadian passports, and had entered Thailand using his Russian documents.

A check found that he entered the country on Feb 19, 2020 via Surat Thani immigration checkpoint on a 30-day visa. He had overstayed his visa by 1,599 days.

Mr Babaitsev has been charged with overstaying his visa and handed over to police on Koh Phangan for legal procedures.

Read the full story at Bangkok Post – Russian beggar arrested on Koh Phangan which was brought to us by Google Alerts.

Photo credit @ Bangkok Post Assawin Pakkawan | A tourist policeman talks to 56-year-old Russian Dmitri Babaitsev, an overstayer accused of begging, during his arrest on Koh Phangan in Surat Thani.