Crime
Top Australian Biker Gang Member Exiled in Phuket, Denied Re-Entry to Australia
Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton made the decision not to allow Bandidos bikie member back in Australia
PHUKET– UK-born Daniel Roach a top Bandidos biker gang member is stranded in Phuket Thailand after the Australian Federal Government refused to renew his Australian visa.
Daniel Roach, travels on a British passport and is alleged to be the sergeant-at-arms in a Bandidos chapter.
According to the Phuketwan, Mr Roach has been on Phuket, training at Thai kickboxing in the south of the island, telling his Facebook friends that he had lost four kilos in nine weeks.
However, after his photograph appeared on the front page of Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper today with the headline ”BIKIE EXILE Bandidos enforcer trapped in Thailand” he wrote: ”Shutting down my Facebook. F*** you dogs.”
Australia’s Immigration Minister Peter Dutton personally intervened to refuse a return visa for UK-born Daniel Roach while he was in Thailand on “character grounds”, News Corp Australia reported on Tuesday.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said the decision not to renew his visa was based on character grounds.
“I can confirm that in relation to a high-profile member of an outlaw motorcycle gang, I have taken the decision to cancel the visa in that particular case,” he said.
“It’s not taken lightly; I look at all the circumstances before I make a decision.”
Mr Dutton said while he could not comment on individual cases, in the past he had cancelled visas where there was evidence of criminal conduct.
“Where I have evidence of people acting against the national interest, or not contributing to Australian society in a way that we would want people to contribute, then we’ll act to cancel those visas wherever that’s possible,” he said.
In a post on Facebook, Mr Roach said he had received hundreds of messages of support.
He called the reports about his plight “media propaganda”.
“Please respect what my family is going through, especially Kate and the kids because if you know me you know this is just bullshit,” he said in a post.
He also said he was shutting down his Facebook page.
