- WA Rebels member Kevin Michael Lawrence had his residency visa cancelled
- Mr Lawrence left Perth last week to attend a motorcycle show in Thailand
- He had no idea of the visa cancellation until he tried to board a flight back home
- Claims he had a limited criminal record for minor offences committed years ago
- Other Rebels senior members weren’t permitted to enter Thailand last week
- Australian Border Force aims to disrupt the activities of organised crime groups
A senior Western Australian bikie member doesn’t know when he’ll return to home to his young family after Federal authorities cancelled his residency visa while he was holidaying in Thailand.
Rebels member Kevin Michael Lawrence, 56, came to Australia from Britain as a child in the 1960s and never applied to become an Australian citizen.
Mr Lawrence left Australia last week to attend a motorcycle show in the Thai resort town of Pattaya and had no idea authorities cancelled his visa until he tried to board his flight home this week.
Senior Rebels member Kevin Michael Lawrence had his residency visa cancelled without notice while he was of the country last week
Mr Lawrence plans to appeal the visa cancellation so he can return home to his partner and three children aged under-12 in Perth
The Perth father-of-three told The Weekend West he had a mortgage to pay, had always worked for a living and had only a limited criminal record for minor offences committed years ago.
He plans to lodge an appeal against the visa cancellation.
Mr Lawrence was one of several senior Rebels who flew to Bangkok on February 8.
State president Nick Martin, and its vice president Mark Rodgers were stopped at the arrival gates and put on the next available flight back to Perth, according to The Weekend West.
Mr Lawrence was one of several senior Rebels who flew to Bangkok on February 8. The state and vice president were stopped at the arrival gates and put on the next available flight back to Perth. Mr Lawrence travelled to the resort town of Pattaya in Thaliand to attend a motorcycle show
A spokesman for the gang claimed Mr Martin and Mr Rodgers were shown paperwork detailing of their roles in the gang and criminal records by Thai immigration officials.
The documents appeared to have been sent to them by the Australian Federal Police while the men’s plane had been in the air between Perth and Bangkok.
It’s not the first time overseas-born bikie gang members have had their visas cancelled.
The Rebels national president Alex Vella lost his residency visa after flying to Malta for a holiday in 2014.
An Australian Border Force spokesman told Daily Mail Australia that it works closely with the Australian Federal Police and WA Police to disrupt the activities of serious organised crime groups operating in Western Australia.
‘There are provisions under the Migration Act 1958 (the Act) that allow the Department of Home Affairs to cancel visas upon a range of grounds,’ he said.
‘If a foreign national’s visa is cancelled while they are offshore, then the cancellation will occur without any notice. ‘