Wrong Place,Wrong place.Need Help Getting home from Thailand

Hi everyone,

I’m stuck. My visa is expired, my passport is being held, and I have no legal status left here. I’ve run out of money and options.

If you can support me — even just a little — it would mean the world. If you can’t donate, please consider sharing this with others. I’m trying to stay strong, but I can’t do this alone.

I never imagined I’d be writing something like this. Right now, I’m stranded in Thailand after a traumatic legal situation, and I urgently need help to cover the costs of deportation and return home.

A few weeks ago, I was stopped by Thai police while riding a motorbike. They searched my bag and found a single pill — the last dose of a prescribed medication I had been taking for a medical condition. I had forgotten it was still in my bag.

What I didn’t know is that this medication — although legal with a prescription in my home country and even available in Thai pharmacies — is considered illegal to possess here. The police made it very clear: people are rarely punished for selling it, but tourists are often fined just for having it.

Despite showing proof of my prescription and medical history, it wasn’t enough. My doctor couldn’t send updated documentation until Monday — but the court hearing had already passed due to the time zone difference.

Before court, I was forced to spend two nights in Thai jail — one of the most horrifying experiences of my life. There were no beds, no chairs, no soap (I only got soap after agreeing to sign a not-entirely-true statement the officers wrote for me). Cockroaches crawled out of holes in the ground. I was in disbelief, terrified, and completely alone.

At court, the lawyer assigned to me barely translated anything. He pressured me to pay 50,000 baht — the last of my savings — claiming it would help. Later, I found out the fine should have only been 4,000 baht. That moment broke my trust and left me feeling helpless.

Since then, I’ve reached out to multiple EU embassies for help. Most said the same thing: “We can’t do much. Go to the police to get your passport.” But when I did, the police told me I can’t retrieve my passport without going through the deportation process.

They told me if I can pay the 150,000 baht (~€4,000) deportation costs, I’ll be kept in a holding cell for about a week, then sent home. But if I can’t, I could be detained in those same conditions for several months.

Thank you for reading, for caring, and for helping me find a way home.

With love and hope,

Līva Feldmane