A Thai man thrown out of New Zealand as an overstayer twice returned to the country using a false passport, a court was told yesterday.
Kamphon Singwee, 24, faced two charges of fraudulently providing a passport and four charges of providing false information to immigration officers, the MarlboroughExpress reported.
Singwee, also known as Somdet Chatae, pleaded guilty to all charges in Blenheim District Court and was jailed for 16 months.
The court was told Singwee visited New Zealand in March 2002 as a tourist and was allowed to extend his stay after applying for a work permit.
He then tried to claim refugee status but was returned to Thailand in November, 2004, as an overstayer.
On October 28, 2005, Singwee returned to New Zealand with a work permit for Somdet Chatae and a passport under the same name.
Returning to Thailand for a short time, he used the false passport to return to New Zealand in January 2006.
When applying for work permits he supplied immigration staff on four occasions with false information about Somdet Chatae.
Sam Houliston, lawyer for the Department of Labour, said Singwee's actions were an "official challenge" to the integrity of the country's immigration system.
Singwee's lawyer Bryony Senior said while his offending could not be justified, she wondered if anyone in the court could comprehend the poverty Singwee faced in Thailand.
In jailing Singwee Judge David McKegg said "the opportunity to live and work in New Zealand is a privilege, not a right".
