epampersonal

4 hours ago, mike787 said:

Welcome to the land of smiles.  This is just one of the many things as foreigners we either need to accept or NOT.  It's the thai way of doing business.  NOTHING any foreigner will or can do to change this. Period!  I can only hope NO foreigner finds themselves in circumstances that complicate or injure their lives in such irreconcilable ways.  

Good point! And ask oneself a question - do I really need this in my life? Will this cultural experience, no civil rights, always perceived as an alien, always taking care of immature someone, either a wife, or one's own kids, without being able to really influence both, ever bring do favor in one's life? There are many other cultures in the world, with more or less globally equalized rights for foreigners, as compared with locals, which offer more value, than just tasty diverse spicy food, hot sun, cheap hotels and amazing beaches. And smiles are free everywhere. 

11 hours ago, notasmartassknowitallfarag said:

What a surprise all the Thais gang up on the foreigner. Still they are losing so they get a weapon. Happens every single time

They don't really gang up on the foreigner. They were intuitively protecting their fellow, just following the cultural guideline planted into their hearts by decades of patriotic and collectivist upbringing. You can't really blame then for that, because that won't raise critical reflection in the mentality. Thailand, right like many other cultures in Asia, is marked by high collectivism, low individualism, high power distance, and uncertainty avoidance based more on traditions and customs rather than laws. In contrast to the dominating traditionalism and collectivist mentality, the globalization and influx of smart ruse westerners, make Thais open their minds and communicate back with a lot of interest and passion, which is limited only by the force of cultural inertia. But, imagine the context once again. Soi 11, virtually the vice city, packed with criminals, beggars, hookers, drunkards and corrupted police. Early morning after a booze spree, sleepless night, conscience is sleepy. brain is half asleep, the animal instincts are on. No one should be surprised. The wrong cultural discourse, on the wrong time, at the wrong place. The murderer will be released soon, since he did not disrupt the bases of the Thai society. An alien is an alien. 

I was reading Arkady Babchenko's public posts on facebook for quite a long time, and his posts had been surprising me with a very profound knowledge of war, survival in the field, expert advice on how to identify flying missiles by their sound and take proper cover, besides, hos writing style and great sense of humor... I was trusting his personal experience as a combatant in two Chechen wars and his professional experience as a war journalist in the Serbian, Georgian-Ossetian, and Ukrainian armed conflicts... Even though i didn't like his habit to ask for donation at the end of his every post, and most of all, his hate to Russia, his calls to crash Russia, inflict strikes of the 'civilized' international community on Russia, turn Russia into a civil war zone 'from one sea all the down to another sea'. It was his hatred to Russia repeatedly expressed over and over again in nearly all his posts, that in the end made me unsubscribe from Babchenko's news feed on facebook. He ended up in the Ukraine, where thousands of other haters give him support and new ideas for this 'sacred' total war on Russia. Including the current fake murder alert. Hundreds of public people in Russia had already issued comments or articles in memoriam of his murder, when suddenly he came out safe and sound with 'revelations' how his joke stopped the whole network of Russian assassins. It reminds an old Thai tale about a shepherd kid who liked joking about a tiger coming to the herd of sheep. After the kid's fake alert on a tiger, everyone ignored the kid's true alert on a real tiger... 

3 hours ago, selftaopath said:

Oh how I agree jaltsc. This country is full of enablers. Parenting skills are appallingly lacking. Parents seem to not understand how to say NO to their children. Seems like kids her are given authority over parents. I'll never understand this. Oh and permissive parenting is the least respected amongst grown children. But again I wonder about Thai women. They raise males and then bitch about lazy Thai men. Wellllllllllllllllll who allowed this to develop. I point mainly to Thai women b/c many/most Thai men take off when the woman gets pregnant... at least around here (Isaan) they do. 

It is not it the culture to forbid kids from doing what they want. Kids are allowed to do whatever they want (almost). But this habit reflects the features of the Thai culture itself. Grown ups don't like having prohibitions themselves. Kids are the reflections of the adults, they way they are taught, and the kids absorb the behaviour of the adults as a sponge. When we see motorcyclists driving on the contrary of the road, it reflects their selfish superficial characters, whose roots come from their childhood and upbringing, and their childhood is defined by the culture itself. Thais don't like bans and prohibitions, there is even no such a word as 'No', there is only "mai chai' = "not yes". Inability to say 'no' no oneself, to one's selfish needs multiplied by rather superficial mentality (on average) of a tropical hot country, gives us a comfortable place to live, where one can do whatever one wants, living on the present day and not being afraid of a reproach. I am not saying this is too bad, it is good for a while. But the degrading population, whom you can find anywhere in any country and culture, will have in their crimes peculiar features of the culture to which they belong. This culture is lazy, therefore laziness-related crimes are often here... Take some northern tough culture, you will see ways more active and tougher crimes... 

All the forms to take and fill out are here http://www.doe.go.th/en/document-category/%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B3%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A3%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%95%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%94%E0%B9%89%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A7 Accounting papers to be attached according to the list.

Better take someone from thai staff with you, if you are too advanced and handle everything yourself, they will tell you something like 'Cannot represent yourself, bring khon Thai'. Besides, some license for a company hiring foreigners is needed. For renewal (WP5) might be ok, but for first time WP3 it is in the list.

I guess it also looks different from the business side and teachers' side

Not sure how you can make true friends with the immigration officers in uniform. They will mildly bark at you, "Leave the country". And will be right.

Yes, the balance is being broken after armed interventions... I heard that many isil warlords used to be officers in Saddam's army. Just sifting from one dictatorship into another. After ousting of Gaddafi, waves of migrants are invading Europe, cause Gaddafi used to stop the immigration from Africa at Lybian borders.

Also they have to give notice if you have been working for them for some time. Immediate termination is not legal.

One month notice is required along with a severance pay if staff is laid off (1 to 6 months monthly salaries depending on the time worked). But no foreigner will go to the Thai labor court, especially if WP and visa have been canceled, and a foreigner himself has become illegal.

What is absolutely sure is that you need to leave, get a visa abroad and enter again. Then there are details about visa types.

If your old WP has already been canceled, then your visa has been canceled too, and you don’t even have to get a cancellation stamp at the immigration, no 7 days permission to stay is possible too. You can leave the country straight away. You might be fined for a few days overstay at the airport, or they might not even notice it (happens often).

You decide what job offer you take. If the sooner one, then you can go abroad for a tourist visa, or straight for non B visa by asking your employer to apply for a WP.3. But you will have to be abroad while they apply and get the preapproval letter and send it to you by DHL, which you then submit to the embassy for a non B visa. You will have to hang out abroad for around a week then.

If your take the May job offer, then you can cross the border, get a tourist visa, and can check out your job offers before you finally make up your mind.

I tried to renew a work permit of my friend at the department of employment last week, who let it expire too. They didn't allow (WP5). Only to apply for a new one (WP1). After you have applied and got a new one, you have to extend your non B visa. In the end, my friend went on leave abroad, and I applied for a WP3 (preapproval worl permit letter), which I am gonna send to him by DHL, and he will apply for a non B visa straight at a thai embassy abroad.

And in your case your Non B seems already extended, so probably the most reasonable way is to apply for a new WP.1, and then bring your new WP book to the immigration, where they will let your extended visa continue. Still they might find faults cause your extended visa pertains to your old WP, not your new one. Normally, a non B visa is deemed canceled when you WP expires.

mopar71, of course the war was manufactured; Igor Strelkov is the Russian Intelligence' nominee. When they can't find people to fight and have to import them from Russia, - that is what I meant by saying it's the war of the ultra-right, and lots of ultra-right Russian civilians volunteer. While squads, companies' leaders come from Russian regular army ranks, predominantly volunteers too. The military want to excel in their job. This war discharges Russia from its very combative ultra-right and nationalist activists, who can't fail to take the bait and go practice at war. Otherwise they make highly organized terror inside Russia. Lots of ultra-right activists in Russia are in prisons, since their last attempt to bring in a 'White revolution' in 2006-2008. You can't imagine how many skinhead gangs were dismissed and partially captured after a series of blasts, attacks on immigrants, street fights and blasts in public places in Moscow, Moscow region, SPb. Very well organized and backed up by elected people in legislatures and even federal parliament.

Indeed, the ultra-right in Ukraine dominate the government. Take a look here in English or here from German MP (I'm not citing Russian media, like Russia today, they are too biased). Donbass itself has been too criminalized since 1990s, this is why its residents welcomed taking arms instead of putting up with new power and compromising with it. Russia itself nearly avoided ultra-right takeovers in 1990s, when its economy was low. Since now it is getting lower, there is a real threat of it again. If you can see what I mean, you would realize how sophisticated and smart the politics of Russian authorities led by Putin are. While US presidents manipulate democracy with real economy tycoons behind their backs, Putin has utmost authority inside the country. Like a tsar, or like Joseph (Stalin).

It is silly to support him as a strong leader of course, like over 80% of the population do. You cannot change the people's nature or force them to anything. Who could predict so cultural Germany would back up horrible Hitler 70 years ago... And it was like almost like yesterday.

You can't bring up these people by NATO shells too.

It is just a messy bloody civil war over there; neither Russia, nor Ukraine are doing the right thing. Ukraine is subduing its separatist regions. Russia used to be in the same shoes too, when it invaded its separatist region Chechnya twice. Many helped Chechnya from around the world, including by paramilitaries and arms. Georgia invaded its separatist regions South Ossetia and Abkhazia a few times, the rebels being helped from outside. Serbia invaded its predominantly Albanian separatist region of Kosovo. Its former region.

It is the war of the ultra-right. Ukrainian ultra-right, who made a coup d’etat in 2014 out of a democratic meeting in the beginning. The ultra-right started using weapons against the police, not vice versa. Now the ultra-right dominate the government. These guys cannot negotiate with separatists. From the Russian side this is a war of intelligence services, most aggressive regular army ranks who are being sent to command over the rebels, and lots of ultra-right Russian volunteers who fight as paramilitaries.

A problem is not that much with Putin himself, but with the people’s call for the leaders like him. If not Putin, then his twin. At least Putin the king restricts the ultra-right who have no brain at all. After this fragile order is broken, a civil war would break out in Russia itself. Lots of ethnic minorities in the Russian Federation would not forgive Russian ultra-right if they discriminate. And they would, right like Ukrainian ultra-right do.

Protein bars, as well as protein powders, amino acids and other supplements are not healthy at all, no matter how and where they are produced. Bad side effects of their consumption can show up only later, consumers sometimes might not even link them to earlier consumption of the supplements. You can try earning on anything, but it is better not to have tricks of conscience later after many people suffer from a low-key food they ate. Liver, kidneys, skin, stomach etc. - everything is affected by the protein supplements... Since the revenue is low, why to try earning on dubious products at all. The people are supposed to eat this stuff, not just look at or touch it.

Any police station will issue a receipt on loss of your arrival/departure card in 10-15 minutes. Once I got it for my friend even without any power of attorney, just brought a passport with the entry stamp from the airport, and for free.

Right, posted on fb, and from the school, which already has got 600 worried parents asking the same questions. Few of them brought their kids to schools before to get a guardianship visa for themselves. All the kids already have a few months to a few years overstay.

No official information from the Immigration, but rumours

The ministerial order 1/2558 is about visa overstay effects, either adults or kids. Adults are to face a fine or ban for overstay, minors are to face nothing for overstay.

Still all foreign adults and minors need visas in Thailand; minors just can get a visa on arrival and leave and enter Thailand with their parents without overstay complications. To which there are numerous examples here, here , or here .

But indeed, there is a visa reminder from the Immigration saying since 20 March all kids have to get visas, otherwise they will be banned from Thailand for a minimum of 1 year.