ScottMallon

I would think important information as to what documents or ID should be provided or be available upon request for a non-Thai in the Kingdom should be issued at a minimum on an official press release or Immigration website notification

When you start working for Thai Immigration, perhaps you can get this policy passed. Until then, this is what you got. If you don't like it, tough.

Thank you. I don't like it.

Like I said, tough. For now, be happy you're getting any information. If they really wanted to be pr****, they don't have to tell you anything.

So with all respect to you, Scott, do you think it is a good way to disseminate official information that a high-placed official talks informally, whether on the record or not, to you and you go on an unofficial website and give your interpretation of what was said?

What I think in this situation means very little. Immigration knew of my past work and I was asked to help. I agreed.

If someone tells me something, I report what was said. If I interpret anything, I state it as my opinion.

I would think important information as to what documents or ID should be provided or be available upon request for a non-Thai in the Kingdom should be issued at a minimum on an official press release or Immigration website notification

When you start working for Thai Immigration, perhaps you can get this policy passed. Until then, this is what you got. If you don't like it, tough.

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I'm disappointed with Thaivisa, it just seems they want to bring as many people to their website as possible - spread a rumour here, spread a rumour there, then act like the big hero - wahey we have solved the problem! Genius!

Please stop doing this!

Stop doing what? This is no rumor. This is from the Deputy Commander of Immigration. Above him is the Deputy Superintendent, Superintendent, and finally, the Commissioner General. That makes him pretty high up and I take it pretty personally that you call this a rumor when I am the one who spoke to the Colonel and I am the one who did so before. This isn't tabloid gossip and you can do one of two things, believe it, or not. It makes no difference to me at all.

Any reporter or journalist worth their salt will have 2 or 3 reliable sources on which to base a story.

Not: The official story today from this guy is... Tomorrow; The official story today from this guy is... etc.

How about talking to several officials on the same day about the same subject?

Flimsy reporting...

You're talking out the wrong orifice. Believe me when I tell you that you do not know what you're talking about with regards to what I personally have said publicly. Everything I've said has been verified by between 2-5 people.

Did Thaivisa.com contact Police Colonel Voravat Amornvivat for this clarification or did he notice the commotion and contact Thaivisa.com? Just wondering

If I've understood correctly, it was Scott Mallon who talked to Colonel Amornvivat (or the other way around, Scott can tell himself ?) and brought his replies to George's attention, who then followed up by making direct contact ?

In any case, direct contact is a good thing.

I put some written questions into immigration last week. I followed up Tuesday, and was told the Colonel would contact me. We spoke for about 30 minutes this morning. A short while later, George called me, and I gave him the information.

Those slightly down the ladder are not making changes without the Commissioner's approval. The Commissioner knows his people have been speaking with me, and they also know what I have said publicly.

Like I wrote earlier: Commissioner General, Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent, and Deputy Commander (Colonel Voravat).

I'm disappointed with Thaivisa, it just seems they want to bring as many people to their website as possible - spread a rumour here, spread a rumour there, then act like the big hero - wahey we have solved the problem! Genius!

Please stop doing this!

Stop doing what? This is no rumor. This is from the Deputy Commander of Immigration. Above him is the Deputy Superintendent, Superintendent, and finally, the Commissioner General. That makes him pretty high up and I take it pretty personally that you call this a a rumor when I am the one who spoke to the Colonel and I am the one who did so before. This isn't tabloid gossip and you can do one of two things, believe it, or not. It makes no difference to me at all.

I assume he meant both of the threads where things were 100% clarified by the hua hin boss.

I am baffled how anyone can talk to the boss of immigration on this issue, and not ask about the 24 hour TM28 reporting as stated by hua hin.. If they had his ear etc..

One starts to think the confusion and speculation is encouraged.. And the information drop fed.

There is limited time and limited access. It will be answered eventually.

Any confusion or speculation is due to people not always hearing what they want to hear. This and people trying to interpret things in any way, shape or form that can help them with their situation. It's very simple. If an official tells you something, you report it. If he doesn't follow through or it doesn't make sense, the onus is on the official. But if the public is being told something by immigration, my own suggestion is to believe what is being said until otherwise changed, disputed or disproved. Perhaps Hua Hin jumped the gun or misinterpreted something, I don't know. But I do know the names of those who gave me information, and all are high ranking officials. For me, that's enough.

I did also make it a point to ask if overstaying by a day gets the person banned for five years. YES. If they are arrested, they get booted and a five year ban. If they turn themselves in, the penalty is 500 baht a day up to 20,000 baht for the first 89 days. It's pretty simple—don't overstay—if by chance you are going to overstay, turn yourself in to immigration before being caught and banned.

While it is good to hear from a senior official, I don't see how it is going to change things much: if a police officer suspects you are on overstay they want to see your passport. If you do not have it with you then you are still going to be held or 'fined'...

I would think if an official thinks you are on overstay he would want to see your pp and would be happy to go to your home and view it!

Actually, they would prefer someone brings the passport to wherever you're located.

What I was told by the Colonel is that if you have the copy and can provide your passport to the authorities, you will not be fined. If you can't produce it, then you'll get a fine and a bit of time in the pokey until you come up with it or are deported.

Yesterday people were posting it was a reasonable request,

and it's always been the law,

so if you don't like it leave.

Now Deputy Commander Voravat,

​is fortunately confirming what we were being slammed about discussing just yesterday.

“Making all foreigners in Thailand carry their original passports with them would be very difficult.”

I'm so glad to see Deputy Commander Voravat has more common judgement that most of the people posting their attacks

against the people who could properly evaluate just how difficult it would have been,

and try to discuss it on TV.

Respects for Deputy Commander Voravat.

One more thing. Colonel Voravat made it a point to say that although the foreigner does not have to carry the passport at all times, they should be able to have someone bring it to them if necessary. He also stated that in most cases, foreigners are not going to be asked for their passports. If there is a problem, if someone gets into an accident, a fight, whatever, then the foreigner can be asked for their passport.

 

Now I know never to waste 3min of my life on this fellow.

The wife he describes at the first of this talk describes my wife.  I guess he picked his while he was drunk.

Sad fellow.

I can’t say his first description matches my wife.  My wife is my equal, and we treat each other that way.  As for Mr. Looney, his name is appropriate.  I could not agree more with Khnom.  If Mallon's production is truly reflective of his experience, then one can conclude that he exercises no discretion.  I only made it as far as 2:50 into the production before I had to turn it off as a complete waste of my time.

 

Yes, Scott, you're a sad puppy.  Sorry to hear you have had such bad experiences with Thai women.

 

Ugggggh....pure satire, in this case as Andy Rooney/Looney. If you hate him, you hate me, and vice versa. Frankly, I don't give a flying F***. Hate all you want.

Bad experiences? Au Contraire. None....Sad puppy? You're a moron. I've been happily married for 16 years, we have two kids together, and I'm quite happy that she has a good career earning more than many of the whiners on this board. 

You wanna talk about sad? Take a look in the mirror girls. 555.

Now I know never to waste 3min of my life on this fellow.

The wife he describes at the first of this talk describes my wife.  I guess he picked his while he was drunk.

Sad fellow.

I didn't pick a dirty little bar girl with no brains and no life until she met me, if that's what you mean. 

Oh, I don't drink either. 

I guess your mother didn't teach you right. You know, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all?" 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6lqjasYPgo

This is no different than Myanmar. It is difficult to go anywhere without a Burmese knowing where you are at all times.

Coolpix, on 28 Jul 2014 - 17:20, said:

Labour Department in Phuket using very old and outdated instruction/attachment to the law and claiming that Photography as occupation is forbidden for foreigners in Thailand,even this is not really true.

It was, but Thailand changed the law and removed the photography from this list if forbidden occupations.

Now that is true Coolpix.

This next question is not for you by the way.

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Do we, Photographers, have to have a Company to be registered for our Work Permit with or just apply for one without a Company for this Work Permit ?

Take photos, sell them in and around of Thailand and then to the whole wide world?

Win

This is perfectly fitting to all the arguments for artists and content creators I am trying to make in the digital nomad thread.. I assume you mean like shutterstock sales or similar ??

I could be wrong but photography of this type is like wedding photography, it's something Thais can do and is prohibited. Technically speaking, of course. Those who are working for a media outlet, as correspondents, are the ones getting work permits.

Dettol and a wire brush. You can't get cleaner than that.

Den

Ouch...

No work permit. You just do what you have to do. So long as no one spills the beans on you, like one of the grumpy old haters here, no one will know the wiser.

One of these days, counties will wake up to fact that people can now support themselves by working freelance or online, while on the road. There needs to be a new visa for those who can prove income for these types of jobs, so they don't have to keep getting BS visas and break the law.

Nobody needs a BS visa at all.

There must be plenty of other places to take photos, if that is your true passion.

Of course taking photos in Thailand wouldn't have anything to do with party time, cheap booze and available, affordable pussy, now, would it?

What an idiotic post -

Thailand is one of the most target rich countries in the whole world - and it's periodic outbreaks of street violence make it even more so. It's a professional photographers dream location.

It's a fantastic location, without a doubt, but it is also a location milked by photographers for everything it's worth.

Also, as I understood it and was told by the MOFA, they wanted to know the circulation, how long the magazine/publication had been in business, etc., etc. They also checked via telephone interview the first time I applied to see if the publication I worked for was legit.

Will be interesting to see if and when the country catches up with the idea that print media and hierarchical organisations are not the only way people publish..

I dont see it near term anyway.

It's already caught up. One of the places that sponsored me was a website. This was around 7 years ago and I know a couple of guys who have media visas writing and shooting for online publications.

They don't have a work permit because they can't get one. You can search the many threads for "freelances" of any type and the answer is always the same: not legally possible.

This is simply not true. I know because I had a media visa for years as a photojournalist. It is not all that difficult if you have a legitimate sponsor and are earning enough money. My occupation was freelance journalist/correspondent for the sponsor publication.

While it is possible to work as a photographer or photojournalist here without a work permit, without the work permit you won't be getting the Thai press card. In some cases, this is important. I went into two prisons here and both times I was asked for my press card before I was given permission to go inside. If there is something that requires more than just someone standing out in the public taking photos, a press card can come in handy.

Also, as I understood it and was told by the MOFA, they wanted to know the circulation, how long the magazine/publication had been in business, etc., etc. They also checked via telephone interview the first time I applied to see if the publication I worked for was legit.

All of my income comes from outside of Thailand, some of it is from photo sales and projects I do outside of the country.

When I first started, I was working for several publications. I asked the person at the MOFA how I could legally do this as my work permit only showed the sponsoring publication. She told me that the MOFA and Press Department are aware of how journalists operate and they do not have a problem with people working for multiple publications. Of course...should you get in trouble, there might be a problem.

To each is own but I'll take water over TP any day. The only time I use the left hand to wipe is when there's no bum gun. Admittedly, that's a bit nasty but 99% of the time I use the bum gun and if you have decent pressure, the particles wash away.

BTW - when I go home to the US, I'll do my business, give a perfunctory wipe to clear away any mass, then hop in the shower to give a good wash, of course, with soap. Scraping the bunghole just doesn't leave me with the fresh feeling I get from the bum gun.

Anything less than the bum gun would be—uncivilized.

Funny, I actually had a guy write me about this very subject because he thought his Cambodian girlfriend might be less than fresh.

" I was in a coma and in the hospital for a month, couldn't walk for almost a year, and somehow I managed not to overstay. So I don't buy it."

Whilst I would think not overstaying would be the least of your worries, you managed to not overstay, good on you.

How about showing some compassion for people that didn't manage to not overstay and were in a similar situation as you ?

Bottom line here, the punishment does not fit the crime, certainly not if minor overstays if apprehended are being treated as some believe they will.

Maybe you could use your apparent connections with imiigration and ask them about the intend of their message as there seems to be some confusion.

How about showing some compassion for people that didn't manage to not overstay and were in a similar situation as you ?

Because very few are in this sort of situation. Also, I'm not the sort of person to get overly emotional or attached because of someone else's screw-up.

I understand things happen, of course. But being overstayed a couple of months doesn't just happen. A day or two seems forgivable to me, a month or a year does not. Of course, this is only my opinion which means nothing to the overall picture.

Bottom line here, the punishment does not fit the crime, certainly not if minor overstays if apprehended are being treated as some believe they will.

What you or I think about the punishment fitting the crime makes absolutely no difference. It is what it is. If you get caught with a couple of tablets of speed in Iraq they might chop your head off. Punishment doesn't fit the crime but if you carried those tablets, it's your responsibility to know what you're getting into.

Maybe you could use your apparent connections with immigration and ask them about the intend of their message as there seems to be some confusion.

The intent of their message is clear—DO NOT OVERSTAY. How much clearer do you need it to be? How confusing is this? If you turn yourself in, the punishment is less than if someone drags you in.

Oh we got that message loud and clear. In fact considering the history this has Always been a very good advice in Thailand.

My question which I raised several times now, is if Thai immigration really intends to give people a five year ban in case of a one day overstay if apprehened. Some people claim they don't, some claim they do.

This is what I was given by immigration. Personally, I wouldn't want to be apprehended if I was overstayed.