jspill

BP reporting that Ambassador Kent was going to attend Pomyot's press conference on Tuesday then backed out. Something definitely has changed and now Amnesty International showing an interest. This is getting very big, very fast.

Hope they bring the whole diseased, corrupt temple down on their heads. It's gonna be biblical

Yeah Coconuts isn't a particularly reliable source sadly.

'accused recant confessions' http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2014/10/07/koh-tao-murders-accused-men-recant-confessions-tell-embassy-lawyer-they-were-tortured

Could just like the page CSI LA on Facebook and share some of the pertinent posts in a mix of Thai and English on there, with Thais already commenting.

I haven't needed to post anything myself, some Thai friends are vitriolic in their posts 'I hate the <expetive> Thai police' etc. so I just like / comment on those, if it's public it'll then appear in other people's feeds so it's as good as posting myself.

' "Crucifixion? Good, line on the left, one cross each." "Er, no, freedom for me, they said I hadn't done it and could go free and live on an island somewhere..." '

The UK Daily has been blacked out for raising points the Thai authority cannot contradict in regards to the Koh Tao murders. Welcome to North Korea.

Have a link? I can read on vpn. If I google UK daily I just get the daily mail, that was blocked by Thailand months ago for comments about the monarchy.

'Let me join the forum to spam this article I'm affiliated with telling people it's illegal to work on TR / Ed visa, when in fact that's a debatable issue, in the hope they sign up to Iglu through me'.

Plenty of people seem to still like it here. Maybe it's you that changed?

After living here 10 years it becomes mandatory to refer to 'the good old days' or how 'Thailand used to better', it's the law.

Enjoy it while you can.... be kind to people while you're at it

P.S. We don't get to choose what our taxes our spent on - nobody should be exempt from this, legal or not - its a community responsibility plus its a complete cop out to refer to wars etc

I don't belive in taxes, thus I don't pay them. If my own country wants remove my citizenship, I would not care. Just because something is written down on a piece of paper doesnt mean I SHOULD do it. I do what I think is just and right, and will follow the path it takes me. But we are going a bit off topic, so feel free to continue this in PM. Otherwise I will try to keep it more on topic to the news thread. *thumbs up*

This is a public discussion where you have openly stated you don't believe in contributing your fair share to the community, which effectively means you are taking advantage of me and the rest of us, not some faceless government

Ron Paul, Marx, many others publicly doesn't believe in income taxes either. http://www.ronpaul.com/on-the-issues/taxes/

Anyway as Harry posted he previously payed taxes, so if he paid X, later claims Y in benefits and Y < X he isn't taking advantage even by your definitions.

A co-working space is just a glorified coffee shop or internet cafe with a fancy name. They are designed for people to check emails or do a little work whilst abroad.

Many people in them would literally be tourists just passing through.

And without twenty Thai kids playing World of Warcraft screaming and shouting.

I don't belive in taxes, thus I don't pay them.

That's fine. As long as you also don't believe in public services, and don't use any that the rest of us pay for.

Don't need income tax to pay for those. http://www.ronpaul.com/on-the-issues/taxes/

On another note, while I do love Thailand and can understand its lure for people, I do often wonder why so many people wish to spend 4,5,6,10 years straight in a country they have no family/relationship/business connection to? Is your home country really that bad? Is Thailand so amazing? Or is it just the exchange rate?

1 in 10 Brits don't live in Britain anymore. It's pretty bad.

I'm in my 20s and don't want to marry / start a family this or next decade. Physical businesses are archaic, now it's all about crowdfunded online startups, see the latest South Park episode.

Digital nomads and similar groups all have sites on facebook and are openly encouraging and teaching farangs how to run online businesses and make money online here and there are those cashing in on these groups by organising meetings and being self appointed so-called digital instructors.

Let this be a warning to those who believe that the Thai authorities will turn a blind eye towards those who create and run such groups, and think they can get away with running these kinds of outfits without the official permissions and work permits. This also applies to certain other clubs that have pay subscription memberships.

Are you in that facebook group. I am. It's for people to network and bounce ideas off each other. A few guys met up for coffee and a guy volunteered info on how to set up WP sites to make money anywhere. No payment, no 'digital instructor' title so I don't see why you're painting it as some hive of illegal activity with spammers cashing in.

That was his post, one 'free talk' is all I've seen.

As for the 2nd part of your post, I don't see this as a warning I see it as validation that digital nomads aren't at risk. The authorities thought everyone was working for Punspace, not AT Punspace. They made a mistake. Then they let everyone go.

Both third person, and every other reference contains only assumption from other members stating their interpretation of legislation. The statement from the Chiang Mai official is certainly the first I am aware published by a media organisation regarding workers that exclusively work for foreign organisations online whom are renumerated offshore, and whilst debunked at the time, the reported statements appear to be underpinned by todays activity.

The only statement I have seen which states something categorically came from an official in the Phuket Immigration/DOL office in response to a question from an Australian national who intended staying in Thailand for a "significant" amount of time and queried whether he could run his business in Thailand servicing his Aussie clients and the answer was the person would need a WP or don't work while in Thailand, It struck me as this was the first time I had ever seen such a categorical, non wishy washy statement

As regards the comments from CM official, TV member NancyL I think it was, attended that meeting and stated on TV that the comment made has been taken out of context by the jouro, it was an off the cuff remark and related to legitimate tourist's checking work emails while on holiday in Thailand.

I guess you're referring to this or similar http://legacy.phuketgazette.net/issuesanswers/details.asp?id=1175

Seems clear to me they don't understand the question, they think the online business will be have an online presence AND be related to Thailand in some way, involving Thai customers, the transaction of Baht, and so on. I don't think they understand what affiliate marketing or adsense sites are (these two individuals I mean, I'm sure there are smart tech-savvy Thais, before JLCrab posts that the Chairman of the Treasury went to Oxford or whatever)

I never thought the CM official giving digital nomads the ok was categorical either. Nothing is categorical if it comes out of the mouth of 1 or 2 spokesmen.

But still we have no arrests of digital nomads, even after 20 armed police show up at a co-working space.

If he widened the scope to any companies that might be interested, not just Robinson's, and went to expat hangout / organised meetups for networking, I'd imagine he'd be fine. Part of his work is also done from home. Are you deliberately trolling again?

He wasn't saying he'd don a suit and tie and walk into board rooms without a work permit, as much as you'd like to paint it that way.

Not sure why the facetiousness, he said he'd be chatting to expats in pubs and later finding prospective business owners through those contacts.

French business owners in pubs and restaurants / through email or phone. Not physically going in & out of any company offices. Perhaps OP can clarify.

So are you asking whether it is OK to physically go in&out of the Thai/Bangkok offices of Thai companies / advertising agencies / media buyers selling ad time -- whether yourself or by referral to those in Belgium -- on an internet radio station without a work permit?

I read French expats in pubs and restaurants, not Thai companies.

So don't work in a bar while on overstay and associate with people that will inform the authorities. Got it, thanks for the advice.

"A study also found that only 40 per cent of teenagers used condoms during sex, which caused unwanted pregnancies and the spread of diseases."

Someone needs to check their english. The word "which" is connective like the word "and", giving the meaning to the statement as "condoms caused unwanted pregnancies and the spread of diseases." And just because 60% of teenagers who did not use condoms does not mean that all became pregnant or spread diseases. This is an amateur article at best.

Also, while the lack of a condom may lead to an unwanted pregnancy (ie., there has to be an egg to fertilize within several days of intercourse), there are a variety of inexpensive (as little as B50) and effective "day-after" chemical abortion pills available at almost every pharmacy. If taken within 72 hours of intercourse, no pregnancy.

Morning after pill is ~75% effective, not 100%. See wiki

I didn't read or take part in any of the threads dealing with this dreadful crime because I figured there'd probably be a gaggle of the usual suspects railing against what tourists get up to, their apparent lack of respect for Thai culture and sensibilities and endless castigation of the police investigation; all directed from the comfort of their armchairs.

Hell, I'm sure if I had a look at a thread now, there'd be some joker asking if the victims were visa runners on overstay

One guy surmised that since Sean Mcanna was working as a barman without a permit, logically he had no moral scruples whatsoever and would surely commit further 'crimes' like perverting the course of justice in a murder investigation ^^

He was convicted of child pornography possession last year - does that prove lack of morals?

That emerged after the work permit posts.

The visa 'crackdown' hardly amounted to much. People are still staying on consecutive TR visas, the overstay blacklisting rules haven't been passed into law, language schools didn't start strictly enforcing attendance. One poster reported a school increasing tuition hours to keep immigration happy, but kept prices the same, knowing no one would turn up so they wouldn't need to hire more teachers to fill the classes. Only visa exemptions are really being scrutinized.

I'm not buying that the past actions of westerners exacerbated the miltary's decisions to any significant degree.