Feolf

In a bid to make Phuket more attractive as a Cyber Paradise, the Ministry of Information and Community Technology (ICT) is pushing for visas and work permits to be processed in one day for 'knowledge workers'.

WOW!!! What a forward looking man! I hope he is successful. I hope this becomes a precedent. I hope the Minister for Education sees teachers as 'knowledge workers' who are just as important for the future of Thailand as IT professionals. And, I hope the Minister for Education is just as powerful as the Minister for Information and Community Technology. Not for me but for Thailand.

Epilogue

Last Monday classes resumed. I could not find my Head of Department. Saw him on Tuesday and he said, 'I have written your letter but would like to get someone to check it before I print it.'

Wednesday I didn't go to the office.

Thursday morning I get a message from the university admin to say that my work permit is ready at the Labour Office. Gee - he must have sent that letter already. But when I see him he says, 'I am busy, I will print your letter in the morning.'

Friday I take the letter with me to the Labour Office. They don't ask for it. I don't offer it. I get my work permit.

Thanks again to all those who have participated in this forum.

Feolf :cool:

Most of my Thai friends can live for a long time on 10,000 baht, Dr P. Perhaps my tastes are nearer to theirs than yours. In any case, as I said my account is [/b]well in excess of this. The point, surely, is not how much I have but how do I prove it to their satisfaction?

And you don't get rid of me that easily.

Cheers

Feolf

Thanks PREM-R, would be interested in the good Drs comments on this one.

Cheers

Feolf

PS. Excuse my ignorance, but what is TiT (and don't tell me a woman's breast!).

Thanks

F

Thanks to all who have responded. Your comments help me to see things from various viewpoints -- which must be the beauty of this sort of forum.

Another staff member here has taken up my case. We will see where that leads. I will keep you informed through this forum. I am still looking at other options. I have no expectations that anyone else will do too much on my behalf.

Sev, please explain how my head of department might be incriminated by helping me. I might add that I am not attempting to break the law. Mind you, you wouldn’t have to try very hard to become a criminal. My goal however is to set things right.

Assuming I go to Laos or anywhere else, I had seen my prospective return to Thailand as being a land crossing. There seems to be some disagreement among members as to what the requirements are for this. It would seem logical to me that if you enter the country by land that you might also leave by land. However rules and regulations are not always logical.

The sixty day visa option would be preferable in any case. Assuming they want the same thing there -- well, I have no problem with buying a ticket from Hat Yai to Penang (or something similar) after two months. That is not outside my budget. And I believe some airlines are flexible about changing ticket dates and destinations in case something else comes up.

What proof is needed for means of living expenses. Can I print my bank statement from the internet? It shows I have funds well in excess of 10,000 baht.

Thanks again. Look forward to your further responses.

Cheers

Feolf

Hi all, I came to Thailand six months ago to work as a volunteer at a university in the north–east. I have a non-immigrant B visa valid until 4 December 2003. This visa is required to be stamped every 90 days.

It was supposed by the university (apparently incorrectly) that as a volunteer I did not require a work permit. I have worked here since January without one. A chance visit to Immigration set this straight. The university has now applied for the permit on my behalf. The application and documents were submitted to the Labour Office. Now the Labour Office has requested a further document—basically a letter that someone at the university is required to write. My head of department offered to write the letter but whenever I ask him about it he is either ‘busy’ or ‘it is difficult’. I don’t fully understand what is required as the communication takes place in Thai.

Next week classes start for the new semester. If I do not have my work permit I cannot legally work. In fact, I believe I am not entitled to stay as this visa is conditional on my obtaining a work permit. I would appreciate comments on my situation from those with more experience in this area.

My goal is to stay in SE Asia on an ongoing basis and to base myself in Thailand for as much of the time as possible. I don’t need to work as I can support myself financially. However, I see work as a way of participating in and contributing to the community I live in. I am not rich but my needs are simple. I am 55 but do not have the wealth that would qualify me for a retired persons visa. I come from Australia and have dual Australian / British citizenship.

Assuming the work permit is not forthcoming I would like to review my options and would appreciate members thoughts on these also.

For the time being I expect I will head to Laos mainly because it is relatively close and I have contacts there. When my time there has expired I could apply for a 60 day tourist visa. After 60 days I could leave the country—gee, there are so many interesting countries in SE Asia to choose from—stay in the country of choice for the limit of the tourist visa available in that country and then apply once again to visit Thailand on a 60 day tourist visa. I assume I could continue this process indefinitely.

Another option might be to return on a visa on arrival for 30 days, hang around somewhere pleasant for that time, cross a border somewhere and return again on a 30 day visa on arrival. Once again, I assume I could continue this process indefinitely.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Recently I stayed with a Thai friend who has a son of ten. This kid is so cute with a lovely personality. Everybody loves him. Unfortunately, he does not seem to be aware of that. When I was about to leave, he said to his mother (in Thai), ‘I wish I was white.’

‘Why?’ she asked.

‘Because then everyone would love me.’

Why is it that at this tender age this boy is already unhappy with his skin colour? I wonder, could it have something to do with the racist ads that appear on Thai television day and night? I refer, in particular, to the ads for Ponds Whitening Cream which imply one has to be white to be beautiful.

Is anyone else offended by these ads? I wonder how long ads like these would last if Unilever chose to promote their products on American television in a similar way.

If you feel like I do, please join me in a personal boycott of all Unilever products.

I teach English at an Isaan university. Students’ ability to speak and understand English is assessed in an interview. We teachers  get to ask them all sorts of questions. When I ask what they plan to do when they graduate, many of the girls say they will return to their home town or village so they can look after their parents who are getting old (probably younger than me).

I come from Australia. These students, boys and girls, appear to me to be as innocent as the average Australian 12 year old.

I love these students. Many become personal friends and stay that way after they graduate. I can tell you that many of these girls still obey their parents in every way, even though they have graduated and are 22 years old!

How good is that?