mrdc

this story reminds me of one my first encounters with the great natives of CR....the wifi kept going out and you know how sometimes when your are using windows to check connections and resolve problems, it tells you to do various things, one of them being unplugging the router for 10 seconds.

so, one day i unplugged the router outside my doorway for 10 seconds....the landlord saw me do it with her own eyes....said nothing to me at all. the next day at work, my supervisor calls me into his office and tells me that the landlord called and said i destroyed property and that i was never to touch the router again, etc...he really enjoyed saying all of that to me as well.....

complete BS in my opinion....

although complimenting the Brits (and UK in general) is difficult for me to do...i have to say that it seems that they are trying their best to see that these two young lads are getting proper legal council. i just hope they don't fizzle out....or something unseemly doesn't happen to those 2 boys while they wait for justice.

so, hats off to the UK government for stepping-up for these 2 boys. i wish you would do more of it.

How can there not be any smoke alarms or smoke detectors in a house where 38 students sleep every night? That technology is from the last century.

I am a dedicated and experienced teacher, my students like my classes, but I still get a sour bitter attitude from many of my thai colleagues. why? because I dare make a suggestion about how to do something.

and it doesn't matter how diplomatic or accurate the suggestion is.....

and if you do any traveling around thialand and read hotel reviews from tourists, you will find a lot of comments about the unfriendliness of the reception....and how often the hotel tries to scam them for more money....

and if you read the news headlines from this website, it seems that thais are beating, robbing and killing a lot of foreigners....

and recently WHO revealed that Thailand has some of the most dangerous roads in the world

and, if you look at other hard scientific data you will discover that the land of smiles has a higher homicide rate than the craziest country on the planet (usa).

and if you look at the legal system...well.....I think my point is clear by now...

I don't know why thai people are so proud of their country ...honestly....they didn't make the mountains and skies or lakes and beaches...what they did make is patayya

well this discussion should did change quickly...from statues to philosophy of life.

of course I have 2 cents:

I have noticed a few farangs in chiang rai that have been here awhile who are so upset with even the slightest complaint of a new arrival..

they act as if you move here then you have to accept being taken advantage of at any time....and you should be thankful for it as well.

these farangs think they have become transplanted Buddhists and think it is so impolite to complain about the locals.

yet, at the same time, those same farangs are quick to judge others... with very little knowledge of a situation of even discussing the matter with the person they are judging.

I can think of an older lady here in town who thinks she is some kind of judge of other's...I heard her telling some gossip a few weeks back, accusing a farang of something he did not do, about something that happened a year ago, and casting dispersions on his character even though she herself has never had a conversation with the guy...

tell me ol' enlightened farangs of CR, is it Buddhist to hold a grudge and judge the character of people you don't even know?

we should all leave in protest....

Thai people do not like foreigners....you can see it everyday...on the news...in the streets....at work....they put up with foreigners to make money, but deep down, they do not like foreigners and would prefer that we all just be quiet and let them cheat us out of money as they wish. i'm sorry to say it...but so far, Thai people have not been so great to me. maybe your experience is better than mine...i hope so.

Anyone have some info about that? I am of course trying to contact the US embassy, and my fiancee is in China but we would like to marry on one of those islands in the south (not the one where everybody gets murdered or suicidal....one of the other ones).

thanks in advance.....

Hello...I'm not sure I understand your meaning. Do you work at the Thai embassy in Vientiane and those are the only days a person can apply for a non immigrant B visa?

Thanks and sorry for the confusion on my part...

mrdc

thanks for the input so far. other than the embassy in ChiangMai, every other US embassy site says they will not notarize or certify academic records any longer.

And unfortunately some of your input is no longer correct.....check out this link for the Thai consulate in Laos.....for a non-immigrant B visa at a university a criminal background check is required (number 7 below).

I am still hoping that someone can recommend an agency to handle this ....there are so many around but no way to tell which ones are reliable and which are not....thanks again!!!

For applicant who wishes to work for an academic institute; as full or part-time teacher, tutor or teaching assistant, documents required are;

1. Official letter from the Ministry of Education of Thailand, or other sub-authorities concerned, approving the
employment of foreign academic personnel
2. Recommendation letter from the institution addressed to the Embassy (stating about the employment and visa
application) and be accompanied with the certified copy of the ID of the endorser
3. Employment contract
4. Form of the Employment Certification
5. Copy of registration certificate of the concerned academic institute
6. Copy of applicant’s academic certificate/record
7. Copy of the recent police clearance or certificate of no criminal conviction.
8. Copy of the previous/current work permit (if any)

I have been offered a job at a university in ChiangRai. I have my university diploma from America in hand and transcripts. However, the employer here says that my diploma has to be "certified" by the US embassy. However, when I checked several US embassy websites they each said that they do not provide that service.

Has anyone else run into this issue? how was it resolved?

Has anyone obtained the non-imm B visa and not been asked to provide that certification?

Also, I have heard mixed info about criminal background checks from the home country. I know an American guy that was told by the Thai embassy in the US that he had to have it...but yet I can't find that requirement on the documents that my new employer has given me.

What a mess.....

mrdc