KOH PHANGAN: A Gambian man who has eluded Thai authorities for seven years is apprehended by Koh Phangan Tourist Police. When he was taken into custody, he yelled, “Bingo!”

On July 19, 2024, at 1:30 a.m., Mr. Saikou Jawara, 52, a Gambian national living in Ban Chaloklum, Moo 7, Koh Phangan Subdistrict, Koh Phangan District, Surat Thani Province, was taken into custody by Koh Phangan Tourist Police. “Being a foreigner entering and staying in the Kingdom without permission” was the charge brought against him.

As Mr. Saikou was ready to enter Warren Bar, he was stopped while meandering along the street. He attempted to run to a poorly lit corner of the bar after noticing the tourist police patrol car.

He yelled “Bingo!” and was unable to produce a passport or any other such document when authorities caught up to him and demanded documents. He was thereafter taken by the arresting police to the Koh Phangan Tourist Police Unit for interrogation. See https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2024/07/19/bingo-game-over-for-gambian-mans-7-year-run-in-koh-phangan for more information.

At first, Mr. Saikou claimed to be a Gambian national named Mr. John Ako. Subsequently, the officers discovered documentation of his boat departure via Tammalang Port, Satun Immigration, on November 10, 2016, at 16:16. They were able to verify that it was the same person by comparing his current look with the documents.

The suspect admitted that he misplaced his passport while living in Malaysia after leaving Thailand. He paid a Malaysian acquaintance $200 US dollars to facilitate a connection between him and a Thai friend when he decided to return to Thailand.

According to a police inquiry, the Thai individual who assisted in Mr. Saikou’s smuggling into Thailand also brought in three additional foreign individuals living in Moo 8, Koh Phangan Subdistrict, who were also of unknown nationality. Since 2017, he had shared a home with a close female partner.

When questioned, the woman said she had never seen his passport throughout their time together and was ignorant of his unauthorized arrival. Up to his imprisonment, this state of affairs persisted for seven years. After that, he was moved to the Koh Phangan Police Station in order to continue his legal proceedings… See https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2024/07/19/bingo-game-over-for-gambian-mans-7-year-run-in-koh-phangan for more information.