Fourteen Vietnamese nationals in Thailand have been captured by local authorities for staying in the country with expired legal documents, the Vietnamese ambassador to Thailand confirmed on Thursday.

The fourteen were detained for failing to present legitimate documents when boarding a train traveling from Bangkok to the province of Nong Khai on January 19, Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Tat Thanh told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

The Vietnamese nationals sparked complaints from other passengers for talking loudly when the train was stopped at the station in the northeastern Thai province of Udon Thani, an employee at the Embassy of Vietnam in Thailand quoted local authorities as saying.

After arguing with the Vietnamese group, the train staff decided to call police to inspect them, according to the employee.

Twelve out of the fourteen Vietnamese were staying in Thailand with expired visas while the other two did not have any, he said.

“We contacted Thai authorities and were informed that thirteen people had been released after they agreed to pay fines. The embassy is now carrying the legal procedures to provide citizen protection for the other one,” the employee stated.

He added that the fourteen Vietnamese traveled to Nong Khai to go to Laos before catching a bus to return to Vietnam.

Initial investigation by Thailand's competent agencies showed that all of the Vietnamese people, including two women and 12 men aged from 14 to 50, were working illegally in the country on their expired visas, the Thai newspaper Thairath reported.

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