Saradoc1972

He has some family back home. Told me his mum finally got her pension and it amounted to the princely sum of 100 GBP a week.

And there's a brother he's not speaking to.

So... I guess I'll have to talk to him about drawing on that. Might work, the problem will be when he does not snap out of the parasite bit and decides to lay down until "they" get him.

I've been through the "psychology bit" with him, like asking if he would feel a failure if he had to return home, if he enjoyed his present life in Thailand,

if he could imagine a life back in the UK (on welfare, obviously). That went well enough.

I suppose I'll have to meet him and do some more talking to see him through.

Overstay bit might work hand himself in explain he can't pay overstay fine then deportation to UK. Might be an option

But you have to pay for your deportation, IDC will keep him locked up until he can pay for the ticket

...and the fine, immigration don't let you off that.

From what I know it'd be 100 days in detention to "pay off" the 20.000 max fine, i.e. 200 Baht a day. And then detention until he finds the money for a flight.

Eventually, don't ask me when, either Thailand or the Embassy would pay him the flight and try to recover the costs, the blacklisting part is probably the least worry.

But, no, this is "the hard option".

ok... the (UK) media might be interested in this, especially about a guy in distress needing medical help

Interested in what exactly ?

Reporting the "I don't care" attitude of British Embassy civil servants towards a British citizen in medical distress, possibly even with impaired judgement ?

And also possibly having him thrown into a Thai jail that can be potentially lethal to someone in his state ?

Makes a good story for sure.

If that was an option we'd be reading a lot more about this. I suppose there have been stories, but...

The way I see it, that Embassy's page is featuring about half a screen of information of things they cannot do,

including getting someone better medical inside jail for a reason.

Because they just don't, and there hasn't been much public outcry over it.

Two sides of the a coin, really. Freedom and self-reliance on one side, on the other side... yes, I suppose he's really blown it, including the health-cover bit.

Hopefully, if things really go south they will help him in some underhanded manner.

Where is "John" living now? What city?

Pattaya. And, no, I don't think he burned through whatever money he had in the first place.

Steady girlfriend for years, which apparently broke up two weeks ago.

Could not make much out of his ramblings how that came to pass.

Had some sort of income from the UK, but that must have broken away.

If he happens to be ex British Military then you can contact the Royal British Legion who would assist, they have a branch in Thailand :

http://branches.britishlegion.org.uk/branches/chonburi-thailand/

I am afraid I can offer no more than this.

Good point, but no. I'd have to ask this of him but I cannot image he ever served in an army. Still appreciated.

Ok, guys. I don't know if the visa-forum is the right one, but at least this touches on overstay and related issues...

An acquaintance of mine apparently got himself into a pickle, firstly "the usual" including an invalid passport, no visa, little money.

Over the last few days he turned to me for health problems, declaring he was sort of opening up for the first time. I am no medical

professional, a former lawyer rather, so I think this is because I helped him with something before and, well, "advise" people.

I am going to call him "John", UK citizen from somewhere round London, male, late thirties.

And before anybody starts, NO it's not me I am talking about. I am German and this questions pertains to dealing with the British Embassy, among other things.

The medical condition "John" described to me is actually not so much to the point. I see no point in discussing it as we are not going to find an answer, and even that would not help.

"Delusional parasitosis" is a swell English word, but calling it out does not help. I think he is a turf to psychiatry.

Anyway, whether "John" is actually ridden with parasites that may or may not find their way to his brain or is deluding about this, I had to tell him to get his arse to hospital, no matter what.

And chat up some native speaker of Thai with a good level of English to go there with him a and tell the doctors there his story, with a view to absences and sleeping disorders.

Ah yes... no health insurance, "the usual". I think the end of this journey should be some hospital in the UK, question here is: how is "John" getting there?

Are there any leads to this on TV, has this discussed before anywhere?

He will obviously not be able to pay any medical bills, let alone an in-patient treatment in a psychiatric ward (I don't think it'll be the parasitologist). I was loath to send him to the Embassy

first, those people tend to be total tits. Their web-page says they cannot avail him a ticket home, let alone pay medical bills, as was to be expected.

How is this going to work out? If he gets to hospital and cannot pay for anything. They do emergency patching-up, but are they going to shove him out on the street in the condition he is in?

Psychiatry is done best with a native speaker of the patient's language, but even so, are they even into this stuff in Thailand?

Any ideas how to get "John" back home and into medical care anyone?

A O-A visa is really designed for people who want to live in Thailand and retire here.

That's why it is available for people over 50 years of age....the Thai "retirement" age.

If you have an O-a visa when you firs enter Thailand you will get stamped on arrival with a "permitted to stay" stamp of one year from your date of entry.

You are not required to leave Thailand unless you want to during that first year.

Since your stay will be over 90 days however, you will need to do 90 day reporting, as everyone does who stays over 90 days continuously in Thailand.

I believe, but I may be wrong, that the first year of an O-A visa acts like a multiple entry visa.... in which you may enter and exit Thailand as many times as you wish. No restrictions on exits and re-entries.

Near the end of your first year on an O-A visa you may leave Thailand and re-enter and will receive another stamp for One more year as you re-enter Thailand.

That makes your O-A visa effectively a 2 year visa to reside in Thailand as a retiree, if used properly.

During that 2nd year , if you wish to take a holiday outside of Thailand you will need to purchase a exit re-entry permit, which will cost 1000 Baht for each single exit re-entry or 3800 Baht for multiple exit re-entries (if you wish) during the 2nd year of that O-A visa.

The exit re-entry permit during the 2nd year allows you to keep your current O-A visa valid while you take a short holiday from Thailand if you want to do that.

I believe after the 2nd year you can get an annual retirement extension from immigration, but that annual retirement extension requires having a Thai bank account of 800K Thai Baht or a monthly income of 65K Thai Baht monthly.

The big advantage of an O-A retirement visa over a non O visa for retirement is that a O-A, although it is initially more expense to get, it basically gives you two years of stay in Thailand once you arrive at minimal cost.

It's especially good if you are on a retirement pension from your home country, because it gives you two years to get settled in Thailand as a retiree to transition to living in Thailand and setting yourself up in Thailand.

That seems to explain all the little misunderstandings in this discussion about re-entry permits and seasoning of deposits.

Regarding the Hon. Consulates I was referring to "Non-O"s, we got it mixed up here. Well done!

A "Non-O" is a visa for "Other purposes", while a "Non-O-A" is a visa for retirees over 50.

[...]

Further the requirements for the Non-O-A encompass proof of financial status, those 800k THB, while for the Non-O some sort of reliable income seems to suffice.

At least that is the case with my friendly Honorary Consulate in Essen, Germany.

Your post provides misinformation !

All O/A visas are multi entry and a re entry permit is not required whilst the visa is valid.

It is not a requirement that 800k baht is shown to qualify for an O/A visa . The equivalent sum in any currency can be shown and it can be in a "foreign" bank.

You might be right on the multi entry of O/As. But better triple check, just imagine being stranded in Cambo and trying to get your papers together for a new visa application.

I did not write anything about the 800k having to be in a Thai bank, but as far as I am informed that actually is the requirement and that money actually needs to have been in that account for 90 days prior to application.

It's however nothing the OP asked about, he got his visa.

I doubt an Hon Consulate is authorised to issue O/A visas.

That one I know for a definite fact. Did it twice in Germany.

A "Non-O" is a visa for "Other purposes", while a "Non-O-A" is a visa for retirees over 50.

The difference is that with the Non-O you will need to get out of Thailand every 90 days and then re-enter for a 90-day-stamp,

Those will be either "S" or "M" for single or multiple entries, the latter is actually good for close to 15 months in Thailand if you time your entries right

(i.e. enter for the last time on the "best before" date of 1 year).

With the "Non-O-A" you got now you can stay in Thailand for one year and do not have to leave the country, but you will need to register with

immigration in person or by letter every 90 days. To leave the country and return you'd have to get a re-entry permit (single or multiple) first,

or you will have a problem re-entering as your Non-O-A is valid for only one entry.

Further the requirements for the Non-O-A encompass proof of financial status, those 800k THB, while for the Non-O some sort of reliable income seems to suffice.

At least that is the case with my friendly Honorary Consulate in Essen, Germany.

That would be a Non-O M ("O" as in "Other purposes"), as opposed to a Non-O-A for retirement.

It's what I get issued in Germany on basis of being on a state pension aged 43 with no hassle at all.

The 800k THB provision does not seem to apply if you prove sufficient reliable income

from that (whatever sufficient means here) and I never got asked for a plane ticket.

The "one year" applies to entering Thailand and getting stamped by immigration, so you could live in Thailand for almost 15 months if you time it right,

and it's actually not 3 months for the border-runs but 90 days.

Little follow-up here.

I successfully emigrated to Thailand on that initial visa with never a problem whatsoever when I did my visa-runs to Cambodia every 90 days.

I then went back to Germany in July 2015 to get a new one, a new passport, and settle some other business.

Applied for my new visa in Essen again, same chap at the consulate. I had saved up some 60k THB on a Bangkok bank account in case my pension was not quite high enough

to meet the 800k THB requirement for a Non-O-A visa (I still don't know if it even applies to my Non-O) with the baht having dropped to some 35 to the Euro at that time.

Chap did not even want to see that passbook when I offered it to him.

Spaghetti alle vongole, got visa after half an hour, back to Pattaya.

Little quirk with that new passport (for German citizens):

I officially cancelled residency in Germany when I left in July 2014 with all the proper paperwork.

So when I went to the town hall at my last place of residence (also happens to be my place of birth, but that actually does not matter)

to get my new passport there was a little commotion at the desk I struck how they had to go about this for lack of a residence in Germany.

Apparently the office in charge for me would have been the German Embassy to Bangkok, so they now charged some 60 Euro in additional fees.

Not so bad still, as I got my passport on fast-track within a week.

It's a bit of a trade-off if you are not living in Bangkok in the first place.

The fast-track system at the Embassy in Bangkok would only be for the desperate, as it only cuts down a 6 weeks' wait to some 4 weeks for your 30 Euro extra fees.

To get a new passport in Bangkok you'd have to go there twice and heavens forbid you haven't got all your paperwork together, so that will be two

2-hour drives from Pattaya, each of which runs up to some 15 Euro including public transport locally if you go by bus, rather 20 Euro with food and water and everything,

one way, getting an appointment, and potentially having to book accommodation.

Even with the fast-track fees on top it's about the same money, just more hassle. Much.

So... yes, getting that passport in Germany seems to have been the better option, even with hindsight.

Try applying at the Honorary Consulate in Essen.

Chap would have let me have my triple-entry tourist visa last year, even when I did not have a flight ticket, until he discovered I am on a pension and presented me a Non-O for 1 year. (not the one for over 50 y-o)

Well, OK, might not be on your flight route and doesn't have an airport...

Wasn't the first time, won't be the last time they raise the topic. No way.

Last time was when Europe decided if they were going to make the Euro criteria. After they were allowed to join, they shut up. See where that got us.

Germany is being adamant on the issue claiming the matter had been settled in the 2+4 treaties, where they carefully avoided the term "peace-treaty". I read that technically was having to do with possible reparations.

If Germany let them have their way even with those meager 6 billion Euro (charged against the some 80 billion Germany lend Greece so far), it is feared the rest of the gang, like Spain or Italy, could join the fray and as those possible reparations could theoretically run into the trillions, that is not going to be an option. Would be a post-WW1 experience.

I wonder if any of the antiquities in the Museum were also destroyed? If so then what with murder and kidnapping this ticks all the boxes for the behavior that has nothing to do with Islam for 1400 years, even though verses in Islamic scripture have been misunderstood by people thinking it explicitly called for such behavior, also for 1400 years. So again we are at war with an enemy we can't even define properly.

Defining them is easy. They call themselves Muslims, meaning "they who submit". And there are different brands of Muslims, each thinking only they got it right and hence by word of the prophet are "the perfect society" to the exclusion of all others and hence deserve to be caliph instead of the caliph, branding all others infidels, dhimmis or (different Muslims) as apostates.

Can't really talk sense into them apart from having the above bad-ass secret police around.

If you are trying to understand them, past defining them, I just dug this up: http://www.citizentimes.eu/2009/12/18/the-one-thing-muslim-immigrants-fear-is-being-deported/

"My experience from working psychologically with Muslims shows that the Muslim culture does not find it easy to be “equal.”

Either you are over or you are under: You can be different and unequal, but you cannot be different and equal.

The chiefs of the police and many politicians hope for some kind of “mutual acceptance,” but this is not possible in cultures developed under Islam."

Article also gives some advice if you already got them in your home-country.

Oh, and here: http://www.citizentimes.eu/2014/04/02/why-moderate-islam-is-an-oxymoron/

" The real question, then, is what do Allah and his prophet command Muslims (“they who submit”) to do? Are radicals “exaggerating” their orders?

Or are moderate Muslims simply “observing reasonable limits”—a euphemism for negligence?—when it comes to fulfilling their commandments?

In our highly secularized era, where we are told that religious truths are flexible or simply non-existent, and that any and all interpretations and exegeses are valid,

the all-important question of “What does Islam command?” loses all relevance.

Hence why the modern West is incapable of understanding Islam."

From my personal experience as a lawyer they *are* fighting extradition tooth and nail, even plead for a shorter term of exile, while criminal sentences apparently only elicit some sort of "only Allah can judge" feeling.

Where there are Muslims, there is Islam, and hence peace...

It's an ancient society based on clan-warfare, where every clan wants to be the caliph instead of the caliph. Started even before Mohammed died.

Hence, unless there is some sort of a "superpower-clan" to rule them all (sometimes called dictator or absolute monarch with a bad-ass secret police), this is what you get.

Ooops... back to topic. I posted prior to that moderator post.

Israel appears to be spreading it's economic (including military) insterests away from Europe and the US, the present right-wing Netanyahu government is apparently feeling seriously misunderstood

by the possibly somewhat Palestine-friendly politics from there.

Can't really blame them not trusting especially the Gaza-Palestinians with anything at all, including a two-state-solution (meaning without continued terrorism by some splinter-group of Hamas, whatever they are going to call themselves).

This appears to be slightly discriminatory.

Interesting, but accurate. I did not know that.

Well, let's see the positive side here: Israel is acknowledging foreign marriages, irrespective of denomination, same-sex or not.

So, if you definitely need to have some cross-religion or gay marriage, there is a way. Have your honeymoon in Cyprus or Germany, while you're at it.

Let's call it a democratic process, and rule of law. Some democracies are slower than others in some respects. But things are apparently moving in Israel, and at least capable of doing so.

Try and get your same-sex marriage or Muslim women/non-Muslim-man marriage acknowlegded in Pakistan ... DON'T !!

Earning... 100 Euro ... a day? 3.000 Euro a month? Net? Being a cleaner of some sort in Germany?

I assume he is not cleaning toxic waste and that somehow got lost in the translation?

I somehow always felt law school was a waste of time.

nobody works 30 days per month in Germany and €100/day can be easily earned, e.g. by a good housekeeper who gets between €12 and €15 per hour.

That's quite enough now, I was being jocular about practising law and the prospects of earnings here.

And I suppose you mean "working under the table" (legalese: "unreported employment"). Not necessarily in some rich areas, but let's just say I've had some cases regarding that.

And insight knowledge regarding what an employed building cleaner is earning per hour. Well OK, the proprietor of that company is a millionair since a good couple of years and the largest employer in my home town with 2,300 employees)

We now have minimum wages in Germany since start of this very year, and those are higher. 8.50 Euro gross.

I've done tax returns for a German-Turkish bus-driver making 3,5 k Euro gross a month.

There are obvioulsy considerations as to what passes as intellectually stimulating work and as to not having to report for work 6 am in the morning somewhere and for late shifts on top of that.

That's part of the problem. It's not just a religion it is a whole set of social mores and customs and laws which are just incompatible with civilised behavior. I want all of them out of my home country and Europe.

This is exactly what I think (regarding first sentence only).

This religion is inextricably linked with what you call "social mores and customs", I usually call it a tribal culture rooted back in times well before even medieval times (sometimes called "The Dark Ages").

As in: it's "our" tribe against the others, let's enrich "our" tribe by stealing "their" women, children and camels. And general notions of "I want to be the Caliphe instead of the Caliphe"; or something along those lines.

And the whole thing is raising multi-resistant defences against being integrated into a modern, pluralist, western, democratic society.

On the other hand, regarding that second sentence:

Don't forget, a lot of Muslims left their home countries because they were totally fed up with Sharia and whatever else down there.

I' d think a certain percentage of Muslims are beautifully integrated, some others are OK for all practical purposes (let's make it 20% and 30%).

Some others test our tolerant society's patience with their inbred intolerance, and then ... well let's say I wouldn't mind about a third of them to go home, whereever that may be.

Please do go "POP" and vanish.

I run a chicken and fish farm in Thailand.

My first wife was from Italy but I met her in Australia and we spoke Australian.

My second wife was from Fiji and we married in the Pearl Village in Phuket.

My third wife was Thai and I speak Thai.

My current wife is Chinese and I taught her English and Spanish and in return she is teaching me Chinese.

Challenge me when I say that they should all be kicked out of the UK.

Good on you.

And I do agree Australian English is at least some sort of a semi-independent language.

This is the kind of mindset Muslims in the UK have. Shift the onus onto and blame those trying to prevent terror attacks, all the while minimizing one's own guilt.

Failing this, the race card ("homophobia", "bigotry" etc.) will be played (see TV's own Islamists) as a way to silence any criticism.

Cage stated that Mohammed Emwazi had earlier traveled to Tanzania. He told security services he was there on 'safari'.

Security services believed he wanted to join al-Shabab in Somalia and sent him back to the UK.

The BBC wrote that "They (Emwazi and two cohorts) were interrogated and Emwazi later claimed to Cage, a campaign group in London, that they had been subject to harassment and abuse."

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-31641569

"Harassment and abuse."??? The poor dears. that's enough to turn anyone into a serial beheader of innocent aid-workers.

If these people are so focused on being muslims and living as muslims Why T F are they not living in a muslim country - what T F are they doing in the UK

Ok people should have the right to live where they want regardless of faith up to a point provided they are willing to live by the law and keep it to themselves - that no longer seems possible and I now support that all these muslims should be removed from the UK unless they are willing to comply to a very strict set of rules and keep their beliefs and customs behind closed doors and to themselves.

Are you living like a Thai in Thailand ?

This is not about living like a Thai in Thailand or living like a Brit in Britian or like a German in Germany.

This is about not sticking out like a sore thumb, about not being someone you'd have to suspect turning into a living bomb for ... whatever reason or general grudge there might be. I am told it's nothing to do with Islam; all over.

They can wear their headscarves or knit caps, go to a mosque, read the quran, pray 5 times a day, I could not care less.

But they MAKE me care (not in the UK, I am German), because they are "enraged" about this or that and do imply there's hell to pay just because of that.

Earning... 100 Euro ... a day? 3.000 Euro a month? Net? Being a cleaner of some sort in Germany?

I assume he is not cleaning toxic waste and that somehow got lost in the translation?

I somehow always felt law school was a waste of time.

You are so right.

You would never have graduated.

I did.

Earning... 100 Euro ... a day? 3.000 Euro a month? Net? Being a cleaner of some sort in Germany?

I assume he is not cleaning toxic waste and that somehow got lost in the translation?

I somehow always felt law school was a waste of time.

its seems it was, based on what you have written I wouldn't want you writing the brief for any case I was involved with

maybe being a cleaner is more your vocation

Would very much depend on the case you might have presented me... I wasn't a half-bad lawyer, if I say so myself, and if your case had not been in my field of expertise (revenue, social law, and the ubiquitous general civil law), I would have you referred to a colleague.

Thing is, unless you get work in a big law firm, the average income of a freelance German lawyer is around 1,600 Euro a month after all expenses, taxes, and social insurance.

There are just too many of us, and you have to take too many cases on legal aid and there are lots of nice clients not paying your bills.

Earning... 100 Euro ... a day? 3.000 Euro a month? Net? Being a cleaner of some sort in Germany?

I assume he is not cleaning toxic waste and that somehow got lost in the translation?

I somehow always felt law school was a waste of time.