Strange Tale Of Brit Expat Dispute With Thai Landlady To End In Deportation

A British expat involved in a rent dispute with his Phuket landlady is now to be deported for overstaying his visa.

Briton David Maclean had locked himself in his ninth-floor Phuket condo in January as a result of a rent dispute with his landlady, initiated when he requested receipts for rents paid in order to present them to Thai immigration when he renewed his visa. He’d taken up the tenancy last October and claims he was prevented from paying for two months due to the landlady’s adult children refusing to give receipts for moneys paid. In protest, he’d barricaded himself inside the condo, thus missing out on his annual visa extension. He also claims two attempts at forced entry by unknowns.

Maclean contacted a local English language newspaper, giving a detailed account of events, places and names and, according to the newspaper, the British Embassy in Thailand said it was aware of the situation and was providing assistance. It’s now not certain what assistance the Embassy had providing as, after Maclean had been locked in his home for almost four months, immigration police finally removed him from the apartment by means of a fire-truck ladder and the breaking of a window to gain access. It was reported that concern for Maclean’s state of health has been the reason for his removal, as dispute resolution seems not to have been possible.

Police officers kept the expat talking at the front door whilst immigration officers broke in at the back. Emaciated as a result of his ordeal, Maclean was arrested and taken to a local hospital, but refused treatment. It seems that, after his visa had expired on February 21st, the local immigration office decided to have him forcibly removed from the condo. The head of Phuket’s immigration office told local media that overstaying a visa is a criminal offence, adding they’d later told Maclean not to worry.

Apparently, the deportation process is now under way, with Maclean charged with overstaying for less than one year. He faces deportation and a five-year ban on re-entering Thailand. According to local media, a British Embassy representative attended Phuket City’s police station last week to provide Maclean with ‘ongoing consular assistance’. Nothing has been mentioned about his inability to renew his visa without the signed rent receipts, nor has any mention been made about the landlady or her adult childrens’ place in this seemingly still ongoing saga