vinny

Bangkok's battles a rehearsal for civil war

Thailand: challenging the "heroic revolution" archetype

I wanted to send some sort of holiday greetings to my friends & colleagues, but it is difficult in today's world to know exactly what to say without offending someone. So I met with my solicitor & on his advice I wish to say the following for the record:

From us (“the wishors”) to you (“hereinafter called the wishee”):

Please accept without obligation, explicit or implicit, our best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, politically correct, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion or secular practice of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions.

Please also accept, under aforesaid waiver of obligation on your part, our best wishes for a financially successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of this calendar year of the Common Era, but with due respect for the calendars of all cultures or sects, and for the race, creed, colour, age, physical ability, religious faith, choice of computer platform or dietary preference of the wishee.

By accepting this greeting you acknowledge that:

* This greeting is subject to further clarification or withdrawal at the wishor’s discretion.

* This greeting is freely transferable provided that no alteration shall be made to the original greeting and that the proprietary rights of the wishor are acknowledged.

* This greeting implies no warranty on the part of the wishors to fulfill these wishes, nor any ability of the wishors to do so, merely a beneficent hope on the part of the wishors that they in fact occur.

* This greeting may not be enforceable in certain jurisdictions and/or the restrictions herein may not be binding upon certain wishees in certain jurisdictions and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wishors.

* This greeting is warranted to perform as reasonably may be expected within the usual application of good tidings, for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first.

* The wishor warrants this greeting only for the limited replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wishor.

Any references in this greeting to “the Lord”, “Father Christmas”, “Our Saviour”, or any other festive figures, whether actual or fictitious, dead or alive, shall not imply any endorsement by or from them in respect of this greeting, and all proprietary rights in any referenced third party names and images are hereby acknowledged.

Sincerely,

Your Solicitors

Don't forget about sole responsibility.

Annex M - Guidance General > 4. SOLE RESPONSIBILITY - PARAGRAPHS 297(i)(e), 298(i)(c ) & 301(i)(b )

TD (Paragraph 297(i)(e): "sole responsibility") Yemen [2006] UKAIT 00049.

Happy Birthday 2009 and Happy New Year 2010

If parents' accommodation is adequate, then there is no need to move out.

I believe that switching is possible immediately after marriage.

Try asking the embassy if they have a 'Passport Renewal Roadshow' scheduled near you.

Finger prints and photograph taken on site.

In-person application at Embassy required:

Please be informed that the process of applying for a new passport takes 6-8 weeks as the new passport must be issued by the Consular Department in Bangkok, Thailand.

It will be interesting to see what the final judgment will say.

Restrictions to third party maintenance support may lead to strange determinations. For example, a student may have third party sponsors, but his dependants cannot rely on it

If you are British or settled, then see also Switching from another category.

See also 6. Retention of the right of Residence.

See also Tough new points system for earning citizenship

Earning the right to British citizenship

What’s the point?

See also Claiming Child Tax Credit Whilst On Flr, Now we need to apply for ILR.

See also Claiming Child Tax Credit Whilst On Flr, Now we need to apply for ILR.

Grieving widow detained on way to husband's funeral:

Tuesday, April 21, 2009, 15:59

THE GRIEVING Thai widow of a popular Newquay fisherman was interrogated at immigration for five hours while her husband's body was transported home.

Distraught Thipwaree 'Oum' Paksi, who lost her husband of three years Stephen West in a biking accident in Thailand on March 27, thought she would never make it to his funeral.

Stephen, 37, and Oum, 31, had lived together in Thailand and Newquay and she was desperate to bring him back to Newquay to rest.

When she landed at terminal four at Heathrow airport on Sunday, April 12 she was hauled into the immigration department where she was searched and questioned about her journey to the UK. She said: "I was scared and nervous because I didn't understand what was going on or why they had stopped me.

"I can't believe the awful people in immigration; they're heartless.

"I wanted to bring him back here because he's English and he would want to rest at his home; if I had known it would be like this I would have laid him to rest in Thailand; it would've been a lot more peaceful."

Her friend Sasithorn Screech, who owns the Lotus Thai restaurant on Cheltenham Place, had travelled to Heathrow to collect Oum and bring her back to Newquay for the funeral.

Sasithorn said: "Oum had two months left on her visa but when I spoke to the lady in immigration she said that because her husband had died Oum's visa was cancelled immediately.

"I said 'her husbands body has landed, this is impossible; have some respect for him; she's bought someone's body all the way back from Thailand and your going to send her back?'

"They treated her like a criminal."

After hours of grilling, Oum was finally let into the country after an immigration advisor intervened, because of 'considerable compelling and compassionate circumstances'.

Stephen, who moved to Newquay from Birmingham as a child, was a keen fisherman who was well known around the harbour and the town and loved Thailand, where he frequently holidayed before meeting Oum in 2001.

Oum said: "He enjoyed his life so much and he would always get on with everybody.

"My family liked him, he would get on with everybody, he was a very friendly person.

"He enjoyed being free like a bird and liked travelling and working in the open, especially fishing.

"When he was in Thailand he liked to do gardening, play with the dogs and ride motorbikes."

His funeral took place at St Michael's Church on Wednesday, April 15 before he was buried at Fairpark Cemetery.

Immigration advisor Ralph Davies, an ex-immigration officer who is dealing with Oum's case, said: "The Border Agency changing their mind and allowing her in to the UK does not detract from the fact that she was initially refused entry.

"She was detained for five hours, during which time she was subjected to examination whilst her husband was being carted off in a hearse, and this on top of the uncertainty that she would be able to attend his funeral.

"What happened really is Kafkaesque and beyond belief."

A spokesman for the UK Border Agency said: "Before allowing someone entry to the UK, immigration officers may question them to clarify their immigration status or to explain how further applications can be made in-country.

"People are not able to 'switch' their entry clearance on arrival in the UK – this should be done either before travel or after entry."

Take care not to die overseas, as she may be refused entry due to a change of circumstances (on the basis that her marriage cannot possibly be subsisting if her husband is dead)!

Your Bereaved TW (Thai Wife?) may apply for ILR under 287(.

Remember that as you are the father the child will be both British and Thai, even if you have not yet married; provided you ensure that you are named as the father on the birth certificate and you register the birth at the ampur yourself.

Father must be British otherwise than by descent. Else, child may register to become British under either section 3(2) or subsequently 3(5).

I'm not sure if you need to register the birth at the ampur yourself, as the hospital may handle the registration.

For the UK, see also 26.17 - Refusal where the applicant has previously breached the UK's immigration laws.