Newlyweds' Thai honeymoon spent in Bangkok detention

A newlywed Ugandan couple have spent three days of their honeymoon in detention at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport earlier this week, reports the Sydney Morning Herald, after they arrived from Melbourne without the appropriate visas.

According to the report, Jetstar admits the couple's visa problem should have been picked up by their counter staff as they prepared to depart Melbourne for Bangkok on February 14. The couple had earlier flown to Thailand from Uganda on single-entry visas. They then flew to Melbourne to visit friends and family, intending to return to Thailand a few days later. But their visa-contravening second arrival at Bangkok Airport saw them head to detention rather than the beach.

And although international aviation rules state it’s up to Jetstar to return them to their point of embarkation given they didn't spot the visa error, the airline couldn’t fly them back to Melbourne as they did not have a re-entry visa for Australia either. After days of negotiation, the couple were released for their homeward leg on Emirates to Uganda, reports the Australian daily.