richard_smith237

This.... all those expressing ‘anti-vax' concern regarding pericarditis and myocarditis always overlook this very issue.... these issues [pericarditis and myocarditis] are far more common from Covid-19 than the vaccines. These issues are far more common in influenza sufferers with an estimated 10% of those who catch the ‘flu’ suffering from pericarditis and myocarditis. The complications caused by vaccines can only be evaluated intelligently and with balance in comparison with control groups. Too many anti-vaxxers completely and perhaps selectively and deliberately overlook this.

It happened at a School in Chonburi.... But I agree, this is National News... Are we about to see another ‘crack-down’ on school vans where ‘authority figures’ will posture, make announcements?.... then just like ‘crossing a road’... nothing will actually change at all.

There's nothing like a superiority complex to endear the local population with whom you live amongst lord it over... Given your comments it would be understandable why people do not wai you first. It seems you don’t feel you need to show any degree of respect, so why would they show you any respect ?

Your question: Why should I show respect?...... Then you identify there is a general hatred of white folk... Perhaps your experience reflects your attitude....

It would certainly help... In fact quite a few of the BiB I know are commissioned officers, some educated overseas and speak excellent English.... However, these are not the guys on the streets carrying our traffic stops or searching tourists on the pavement etc... The lower ‘non-commissioned’ ranks of the Thai Police force are made up of those with poor education, it would be unfair to expect them to speak English. ------ But that is a separate point: Speaking Thai here helps, things are smoother. IF someone has tried to learn Thai and just can’t, I think thats fair enough, they will have picked up a few key words, they will have also picked up on cultural facets of Thai behaviour and still know how to carry themselves respectfully and be respectful of others across cultural boundaries. But, there are those who argue 'why bother?' [to learn Thai] it is these characters who can easily be criticised for their attitudes... these same characters are the ones who argue that we shouldn’t Wai anyone etc... Its this lack of effort to be respectful as if Thai’s are below them which can be criticised.

This has happened way too many times. Thailand has never dealt with this issue correctly or effectively - it happens numerous times every year. IF a child is left in a van the driver deserves a fixed jail sentence - there is no if, but, what about. The driver is wholly responsible for any passenger in their vehicle. Once the children are dropped off - check the Van, it's really not hard at all. Adults in Thailand (and anywhere else) need to be ‘forced’ to take responsibility for their actions. This can only happen when there are definite and specific consequences. Additionally - in this case there are numerous safety protocols which should be, but which are not followed - i.e. aren’t all vans with children supposed to have a ‘van monitor’ i.e. another adult to supervise young children ? A student is missing in class - the parents should be contacted immediately ask asked where the child is. IF the child was sent to school but never arrived in class then search protocol commences immediately. Thailand is so very very far behind on its care of minors. This is why we do 15,000 KM per year and spend 25,000 baht every year on expressway fees for the school run alone.... We will not use a Van (even for a top tier int’l school).

Agreed... Habibi is used all over the middle east... meaning ‘my close friend’... guys and friends, working colleagues use it all the time with each other. Where was it used in this context ? I didn’t get much from the video in the linked article at all. That said: Champion also means something positive until Australians use it sarcastically as a slur against another... isn’t that right champ ?

I think the covid extensions were a great idea handled poorly at the beginning. They could have just dished out yearly exertions and been done with it. They still could... but there is also another issue of people coming to Thailand from poorer countries to work here, displacing Thai’s... it is the job of immigration to prevent this.

If she has a booked flight out in September, she probably doesn't want to stay for a long time... That was a ‘throw away ticket’ to meet the entry requirements - a primary reason she was permitted entry. The Op has already highlighted that the lady in question has applied for an Ed Visa... her intention all along was to game the system and stay long term - nothing wrong with that in my opinion - but it gave cause for immigration to enter a line of questioning.

At BritTim and bradiston.... this is an interesting debate, primarily so because the opinions on something so simple differ so significantly. For the record, I too would feel aggrieved and dislike the idea that I or anyone I know is questioned in this manner by people who have the power to decide my immediate future. In fact I did feel aggrieved when I was stuck outside of Thailand and when Thailand re-opened, it only did so for those with Work Permits and those who were married had to wait a little longer - but, those were the rules made at the time and MoPH and immigration were just doing there job according the guidelines set out under Emergency Decree. Conversely, this young lady has ‘had it easier’ because of the covid extensions based guidelines set out under Emergency Decree. Immigration did her some favours ! Ultimately, Immigration were doing their jobs - we may not like that. But, its still their job.

Because they were desperately looking for a good excuse to deny entry, and she resisted their initial attempts to pressure her into buying a new ticket and leaving immediately. Your prejudice is that they were prejudice ???? But.. I agree... They saw a young female from a poor country who had been here repeatedly and staying for a long time on short visas, extensions and exemptions... with ticket in 30 days time?... I think any immigration officer in the world would question this.... In the UK she’d also have her baggage searched and be x-rayed.

It's likely they did profile her as that.... thats not a reason to deny entry, suspected of working illegally in Thailand is.... I think this is the difference between both sides of this debate: You feel immigration acted with prejudice where as others feel Immigration profiled the lady. The reality is profiling is using specific identifiers and prejudices to establish a conclusion... - In this case: Single, Young, long term stays, Short term Visa, from a poor country. It could be argued that Immigration operates in an unjust manner the roll itself requires a degree of unjustness when people are profiled and suspected, targeted.... In much the same way border hopping middle aged men are questioned as to whether or not they are working here, they are asked to show proof of funds, asked to show onward tickets etc.... they’ve been profiled, in some cases rejected because repeated back to back visa exempts not permitted etc...

Yet there are lots of people here working illegally... there are also lots of people turned around at point of entry. A fair comparison.... you wrote... 'because an official did not like the fact that he had spend a lot of time here’... you make it sound personal.... The official is just doing their jobs and IF someone is here for a long time on lots of different short term visas, exemptions and extensions further entry draws attention, just as it always has done for someone of any nationality... we’ve seen this time and time again on this forum and guys are questioned and told they have too many back to back Visa exempt entries or too many back to back tourist visas. Conversely, IF the girl (or guy in the hypothetical comparison) had a 5 year or 20 year Thai Elite Visa there would be no issues. IF they had an 1 year extensions of a Non-Imm O based on marriage or retirement there would be no issues.... IF they had a 1 year Extension based on Non-imm B work permit, there would be no issues. The issue immigration spotted is repeat longterm visas on short term visas and someone who fits the demographic of maybe working here.

So why doesn’t the Wealthy Boyfriend get her the correct visa ??? (i.e Thai Elite Visa). The lady can then enter on the correct visa and be profiled correctly as someone who has ‘means’ to stay here without working. You have made it crystal clear that this lady is with a wealthy sponsor 42 years her elder - good luck to them both. You previously said she ‘couldn’t go home because of covid’... now you mention they are living together for 5 years.... So you really mean.... Covid was provided a convenient way of extending her stay here. We all know she is gaming the system and using whatever visa is available to her to stay here. We all know that the 1 month return ticket is a ’throw away ticket' We all know that she was never going to return in 30 days at the end of her visa exempt permission. Nothing wrong with any of that... no judgement whatsoever, its what many people do. BUT... the judgement is on you for getting upset with immigration who are ‘doing their jobs’ to identify people who may be working here illegally or staying long term without using long term visas.

Gosh, do you think that would have helped? Possibly / possibly not, but she didn’t need it. She handled herself well and was permitted entry. The only issue seems to be that you became upset that Immigration did their job and profiled and questioned the lady.

You're getting upset by ‘quote’ marks ???.... Not end of.... Immigration did not know her ticket wasn’t fake until they checked. Why did they check ?.... because they had profiled her as some one who may be entering to stay longer than the validity of her ticket, so the ticket could just be a ‘fake’. No... You are missing the point... WE (many of us) already know exactly what immigration were suspecting when the saw a young, single, female from a poorer country who had repeated long term stays in Thailand.... They suspected her of ‘working’. Questioning her to get something out of her to back up or dismiss their profile - that their job. I'm just another human being... If you want to project entitled, thats your projection your world. It certainly seems that you feel that a ‘friend’ of yours is beyond profiling or suspicions... Entitled you say ??? Thai immigration treat everyone with contempt !!!.... it's their job to be suspicious of anyone, particularly those who fit specific criteria... that could be a combination of age, gender, amount of visits etc... ...... IF this were a family of 4 coming for a 1 week vacation in Bangkok, there would no or very little questioning.... why ????... because the profile is ‘clean'.

Yes... thats exactly what they were trying to do... Thats exactly what their [Immigration] job is. They profiled a young single lady from a poorer country who had repeat visits. This lady wasn’t a two-week tourist with a hotel booking on Samui who last came 5 years ago. You really seem to be struggling with the concept of what an Immigration officer actually does.

That depends on your ‘game’ and of course your age.... there are plenty of guys with well educated respectable women who are financially independent.... Such women are of course no longer interested in me, why would they be? (rhetorical), I am now too old, late-40s, married... Wife is still cool, arty, far more fashionable, funny etc than I ever will be... Three years younger, she looks fifteen years younger !.... Why me and not a Thai guy of similar socio-economic standing ???... I guess back in the day I had some game !!!! Never knock yourself... but if we’re the sort of guy who makes no effort at all, the sort of person who thinks 'why bother there is no need to converse with the locals' then for the most part their attitude already precludes them from any meaningful and mutually respectful friendship or relationship.... In many cases not at all.... In some cases its a hinderance.... ..... there is no quicker identifier of socio-economic status than a foreigner using ‘bar girl Thai’ and telling his new ‘middle-class bit of fluff’ that he will ‘dop-sallop-sallai’ her !!!! .... she’s cringing and already working on escape strategy !!!

I'd also like to ask you... Instead of a young Filipino lady, what if this were a 32 year old Nigerian male, with no offer of work, no business visa with a long history of being here on Visa Exempts, Ed Visas, Covid extensions ??? Should he be profiled and questioned ???.... Why is it wrong to profile and question either of them? and when going through the questioning and profiling process its not really good technique to make them feel welcome and at ease - the officer wants them on edge so they make a mistake.

Which is fine.. But don’t get upset and hurt when questioned... that too is part of the game. Additionally, the division of Immigration at the airport is no the same division that gives out Ed Visas - their job rolls are different.

Thailand sets up the system in such a way and allows the system to played.... people play it, fair enough. Many people do, they switch visas, border hop, plan extensions... its just the way Thailand makes some people ‘dance’ through their system. There’s nothing wrong with that... This lady most certainly is abusing the ‘Ed Visa’ and Thailand also knows that. Immigration officers will mostly likely be taking their cut and also ‘gaming the system’. But... When questioned, caught or refused entry etc... its all part of the same game. To avoid this, meet the specific requirements. In this case: IF the a person under 50 wants to stay long term here without working, then its either get married to a Thai or get a Thai Elite Visa.

No... She did not brake any Immigration rules which is why they let her in. But, she was profiled and thats why the questioned her to check she wasn’t breaking any rules. She wasn’t punished, she was questioned, perhaps too firmly for the liking of some people, but that is a technique to apply pressure. The Visa was not denied - she was permitted entry and is now continuing to play the game as she (and her sponsor) had planned it through out. Well Played I’d say. The only criticism of all of this that I have is the butt-hurtness of the Op in his belief that this lady should never have been questioned or was not treated nicely. The Op seems to think immigration are a welcoming committee and does not appear to know what the job of an immigration officer is.

Agree... Nothing is quite clear cut in Thailand. They had rules with no back to back exemptions, no more than 3 visa exempts in 180 days, no more than 3 tourist visas in 180 days and so forth. A lot of people were caught out... This happens in the UK... ‘on the balance of probabilities’.... I know this is not the UK, but on the balance of probabilities this lady was not going to travel back at the end of her 30 day extension, but that doesn’t mean she was breaking any immigration law. Though is ‘playing the system’ but the system is set up in such a way that it can be easily played. Thats part of Immigration questioning - they try to make the subject feel pressured so they crack and own up to whatever it is they are up to. They clearly believed they were correct about the ‘fake ticket’ and pushed that avenue of questioning until proven wrong. In these cases it would be simpler to allow freedom of movement of Asean nationals, but the huge economic disparity does not permit this freedom of movement that would see excess numbers of foreign workers in Thailand displacing the Thai jobs - preventing this is one of the primary rolls of immigration (protecting the Thai workforce). Where a poor female has a sponsor the waters become muddied... It can be proven she’s not here for work, then what visa ? perpetual Tourist ?... perhaps this is where a long term visa could come into play for someone who plans on being in Thailand for a number of years without working, but the options are limited... The long term visa is the Elite Visa of course, but I very much doubt any sponsor is keen to make that sort of financial commitment in similar circumstances.

I'm confused. Are you saying one needs to speak Thai in order to "bed" hi-so career women? I think he may have just assumed this is such a remote possibility the idea is off his radar !!!

Or over seas educated women of equal socio-economic status....