faranginbkk

Obviously, some people have been kindly treated at Suan Phlu, though far from all. I was actually short-changed. I gave 1,000 Baht to the woman behind the counter to pay a 500 Baht fee, and change was not given. When I pointed this out to her, she got angry and did not want to accept my papers or do anything.....

I gave up, no use to complain to her superior as they all support each other.

I have a BIG wish. Get rid of the 're-entry permit'! Or, at least process it together with the visa. As it is now, it's just another form to fill in, pay some money and wait in another queue. I don't mind paying the fee, but it should be done together with - and not in addition to - getting your visa processed.

I was soooo happy when the customs at the airport finally decided to let go of the 'customs declaration form' - which nobody cared about anyway! The forms were probably just thrown away, or stored in large bins in a state owned warehouse.

Re-engineering please

For the full article, click here

Thai police have filed defamation charges against a prominent forensic expert for questioning whether a fugitive murder suspect shot five times really committed suicide or was the victim of extrajudicial killing by police.

The defamation charges have been condemned by the Asian Human Rights Commission as an attempt to "intimidate and silence" people speaking out about human rights abuses in Thailand.

Dr Porntip, a celebrity in Thailand, has a reputation for speaking out against police and military brutality. She was the first to reveal the Tak Bai massacre in which 78 men suffocated when they were stacked one on top of the other in army trucks in southern Thailand last year.

Dr Porntip is a brave woman! She dares to face the obviously corrupt and incompetent police force. She faces struggles on many fronts such as in the South, for tsunami victims and in various murder cases. She deserves vocal support from all of us. Among a climate of fear and repression, she stands out and dares to speak her opinions and challenge the men in power.

Another poster said:

"Unfortunatley, she (Dr Porntip) is making some very dangerous enemies and I must repeat what I said in another link earlier this week, she needs to tread very carefully and watch her back..."

Let us make sure nothing happens to her. We (farangs) should make perfectly clear what we think, and I hope the Thais also will be vocal in their concern and support.

Yes, he has a lot of control of media.  I know some newspapers have begun to tow the party line.  But I can't figure out why --

This is quite simple. T & Friends have threatened to withhold advertising money. Since the newspapers cannot manage financially without ads, they are forced to implement self-censorship, alas in line with T's wishes.

Thanks! This is assuring.

Thailand is not like China.........thank God......not yet at least.

I have a question to the administrators. Considering that the govt seems to be more and more controlling and paranoid about critisism, how 'safe' are our postings? I mean, will thaivisa.com give out our unique ISP no. if requested by the govt so they can identify the poster by name?

I am reluctant to write freely until this is clarified. Thanks.

"The primary reason given for the post-WW2 name change to Thailand was that "Siam" was a name imposed by foreigners. ".

I don't think so. I talked to a Thai academic and he told me the following. The name was changed from Siam to Thailand in 1939 by a general. Time and person are not insignificant.

The general (Pibul) looked at the neighbouring countries in 1939 and envisioned a 'greater Thailand' - a land of Thai/Tai speakers. This included Shan State (Burma), parts of Laos, parts of Vietnam and parts of Yunnan. 'Greater Thailand' in 1939......sounds similar to what a certain European nation was up to.....

Anyway, the general did not succeed with his expansion plans, but the new name became official.

In view of the above......I prefer Siam.

IT SEEMS  THAT  THE BRITS DONT RESPECT OTHER PEOPLES WOMEN!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This is really a stupid statement. Not so much because it blames the British - which is not fair - to generalise as have been said before. But, because the assumption is that women 'belong' to men. What do the women on this board say?

The boyfriend of a friend of mine paid the immagration some extra money to ensure he would get the PR, and he got it. I don't know how much, but he's rich, so I suppose it was substantial. He said this is the easiest way to obtain it.

I like the term coined by BK Magazine - New Perfect Thailand (NPT) - as a way of describing the current policies by the govt. For us who apply for PR, I am afraid the consequence is that we also have to be pretty 'perfect' in all aspects to have any chance of being granted PR. This is rather unlikely...........is my judegment.

dont think applying for residency is much easier anywhere else.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A friend of mine has a Swedish boyfriend, and she first gets a 1 year visa, then 2 yrs visa and then 3 yrs visa before being granted PR. She does not have to prove a certain level of income, etc. In fact, at least some western European countries give you PR when you have lived there continously for 5-6 years. You don't have to be rich to apply.

In Cambodia it's simple. You can get a business visa for $ 25, and it can be extended indefinitely!

The company I worked for at the time I got PR had capitalization of only 6 million baht.  I imagine the more capital the better, but like most other considerations, it is only one of many things that goes into the decision pool.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I am not so sure they look at the whole picture. I used to be a UN employee, and in my present job pays all kinds of taxes (personal income tax, corporate income tax, social security tax, VAT, withholding tax). I speak Thai quite ok. But, I am under the impression that if one factor, such as salary or capitalization, is not within their range, it does not matter that you have other factors working in your favour.

Also, they are NOT transparent about the criteria. If they could state clearly what the requirements are, it would save us a lot of (wasted) time and money.

I have lived and worked in Thailand for ten years. Good jobs, but my current salary is (only) 60,000 so when I applied for PR, it failed. I think I fullfilled the other criteria, and I was the only applicant from my (west Euro) country. Do I have to go through the whole process all over again, or is there a shortcut? Perhaps I should have objected to the decision, raised my salary to 80,000, and asked them to re-consider.......? I don't really know their way of thinking.

They also hinted that the company you work for (I am CEO), should have a registered capital of minimum 20 mill Baht. Does anybody know about this criterium? Thanks.