stoffel45

Frankly, the defamation law in Thailand is a disgrace.

In most cases it is a tool for extortion.

Defamation should be a civil case - not criminal.

Many people who were cheated by the famous American in Pattaya will know how much he uses defamation as a matter of course.

It was Wu Tip - Wu Tip!

It's not the money for the drains which got "lost" - it's not the standard corruption of a crime family's town which ensured that the flooding problem never got past Committee stage.

It was Wu Tip...

I have a Moroccan neighbour who makes panini. We could send him to you if you send the fare?

It's simply not true that they are related to a certain criminal fugitive in Dubai......?

If you have a valid multiple entry visa you would not need to leave until your next border run for a new 90 day entry.

UbonJoe, are you sure that you can use your re-entry visas - if your visa is dependent on your work offer and the current WP expired?

Banharn Silpa Archa and Yingluck Shinawatra - The Sopranos Thai Style.

What if someone have a Dutch passport but living in Spain. He get deported to the Netherlands or he can choose the destination?

Thai authorities will only allow you to be deported to the country of your passport. No other.

You will have to chose a flight to that country. If there are two legs- your passport may be kept by the Captain of the aircraft.

Those who have done something criminally illegal in Thailand and have been arrested, tried in a Court, spent penal time in a jail or prison, taken to the Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) and finally put on a plane - is the PRINCIPAL route for ALL.

1. OVERSTAY & Work Permit offences - the criminal offences which cover about 80% of all foreign crimes.

The first rule is do NOT overstay your visa. In Thailand it is a CRIMINAL offence and do not be so stupid as to commence work without a Work Permit.

If your overstay is involuntary: (Work Permit offences are NEVER involuntary)

1.1. You are in hospital and the hospital issues a note saying you can not travel. In the Government hospitals - you or your friends, embassy have to have the form completed by the Hospital, taken to Immigration, where your visa is extended. If you have to stay longer, repeat the process.

IF you do not have Immigration extend your visa because you are in hospital and on discharge you go to the airport you will have to pay an Overstay charge of 500 baht per day. If your overstay is serious - 41 days or more - you will be arrested and will go the deportation Route.

2.2 If you are required by the Police to remain in Thailand.

On suspicion of having committed a crime, on bail for being on suspicion of having committed a crime, as a Police witness for a crime which has been committed - and then you are released or discharged - then YOU are responsible for getting the correct documentation from the authorities (Police or Immigration) to say your overstay was involuntary.

If you fail to do this you will be arrested for overstay when you present at the airport.

Punishment for Overstay.

Short term Overstays.

If you have an overstay and do not "Surrender" to Immigration - e.g. present yourself at the airport, you will be fined 500 baht per day overstayed.

If you are required to show your passport for ANY reason to the Police and it is not during exit from the airport -you WILL be arrested, sent to jail, sent to Court, returned to jail with a fine from the Court usually not exceeding 2,000 baht. A deduction of 200 baht is made for each day you have spent in jail - PRIOR to your appearance in Court. So if you are picked up in one of the now more common "Stops" - riding a motorcycle (seemingly for any reason, wearing a hat or not) - they will want to see your passport. If you are in overstay - one of the Phantom Zone idiots - then YOU will have invited yourself to one of the most hellish experiences. Time in a Thai jail.

How long will you spend in jail?

If for any reason on the day of your Court appearance you cannot pay your fine, let us say it is 1800 baht - then you will spend a sentence of 9 days in jail (200 baht per day) working off your fine with jail time.

THEN - will begin the process of being handed from the Police to Immigration.

This depends on a number of things.

Is your passport valid for travel? (ONLY your Embassy can fix this)

Do you have an Embassy? (IDC has a majority of African prisoners because their Passports cannot be updated - which is for a whole slew of reasons. No embassy in Thailand. Embassy doesn't care.

I have visited prisoners who have been there for over 12 years. One woman from the Congo told me she preferred horrific IDC to her home, because it was safer and she got food.

Do you have a VALID airticket?

Many people travel to Thailand on the least expensive category of air ticket. If not used on the day of the flight it is annulled and may not be reinstated. KNOW your ticket if you visit the Phantom Zone!

If you have no ticket and no one to arrange one - yes - you could spend many many years in the hell of IDC.

Other Crimes - More serious.

Theft, Fraud, the Thai crime of "Cheating", Bilking (not paying your Hotel bill) Defamation, Libel, lese majesty, Murder, Assault, Robbery with a weapon. Child sex offences. There are many.

On arrest, you are jailed awaiting Court. For minor criminal offences like overstay, you are presented in Court very quickly within 2 days. For more serious offences the Police will ask for time to investigate and you will be jailed for a further 30 days. Your Trial in Court could take as little as one year or up to 4 years.

Then you will spend your sentence if guilty in prison. On release you will be returned to the first jail.

If there are no "other" charges discovered by the Police during your absence in prison, you will be handed over to Immigration.

Again you need valid Passport (Embassy), Airticket and money.

IDC will charge you - usually less than 3,000 baht to "escort you to the airport".

Helping YOU.

Family: Whilst in jail have someone contact your family. Always there are Christian charities who will do this for you by bringing a mobile phone for you to use. THEY will call the number YOU give them and explain that you are in jail in (town, Thailand) and ask that they call back to their phone.

YOU WILL need money. Quite a lot. The fastest way and the most secure way to receive money in jail is to have your money sent to your Embassy. It is nearly instant. Remember you cannot just pop in to an ATM.

Embassy help.

Embassies will contact family, friends, ex-employers, if you give them the details - to ask for money for your deportation expenses and airtickets.

Some embassies will "lend" money for airtickets.

Remember at ALL times - YOU got yourself into this situation - and it is YOUR responsibility to speed up your exit.

Deportation Due to External Government request.

If the Thai Ministry of Justice allows you to be deported - you just sit back and (don't) enjoy the ride.

Bangkok Express.

This is where certain "helpful/self-helpful" people will offer you a way from the Courtroom steps to the airport. Currently the Bangkok Express costs about 40,000 baht but can be 90,000 baht.

If you have committed crimes of a more serious nature the tariff is in the millions.

Save a lot of money - save a lot of grief - STAY LEGAL.

Of course, China wants a through train system in ASEAN. Trains to carry the Chinese Army.

Why do you think the Vietnamese have a totally different guage from the Chinese border?

As well as Bangsuan's detailed post - you could try Jim Thompson fabrics at their shop beside Home Pro behind Big C South.

Yes, the name Jim Thompson rings expensive alarm bells - but if you want good fabric for furniture or curtains, good measuring and the fitting - they are not really expensive at all.

Really don't want to put a dampener on this topic but when the foreign firms in Ayuddhya were abandoned by the authorities who rushed only to assist the Chinese owned companies and left the others to - literally - sink - they learned a valuable lesson.

When Thai Government officials talk about flood control - they mean to the needy with the biggest red envelope.

Drain offs, side canals, pumps, barriers needed to protect people against the normal "didn't someone tell <deleted> Shinawatra's sister it happens every year?) flooding - are not built, are not available.

As the waters rise - so does the size of the red envelope.

Most of the foreign firms went out and purchased their own equipment having noted the quality of those in authority.

Flood lands / water meadows. These can absorb and divert truly heroic amounts of water. But the landowners - won't permit it - can anyone guess why?

I used to visit foreign prisoners in jail, in Thailand, every day, for 11 years.

The majority of these poor creatures, were incarcerated in truly uncivilised and hellish conditions. (Think Spain 12th Century). Most of their rights were suspended/removed. Most of the jails were more of a "business" for those in charge than a detention facility.

Most common offence. Visa problems. Overstay. Second most common offence. Work permit.

So many folks, PERHAPS like the OP, come to Thailand, fall in love with its Thainess in all things, including its people, climate, comparative cost of living - and make the mistake, sometimes fatal - literally of following the advice of a Phantom Zone character who told them, "You don't have to worry, if you overstay you can pay your fine at the airport on the way out."

Unless some official asks to see your passport first.

For those who don't know - a Phantom Zoner is one who is working illegally and or whose visa is in overstay. They are only half a step from arrest EVERY day.

Work Permit.

The WP fee is 3,000 baht and then there is an admin charge of 100 baht.

If your papers are in order - YOU can go to a Labour office with your documents - you may have to wait for 2 - 5 hours. Then it is stamp stamp and you have your WP. OK sometimes it takes a couple of days.

Many "Lawyers" sell a service to get a Work Permit. They will charge 30, 40, 50, 70 - thousand baht.

Employers, will ask you for a silly sum, 10,000 baht or a LOT more. You will never see your Work Permit.

Most of the Work Permit offenders I met, arrived in Thailand on a Tourist visa or even the 30 day exemption - raked around to find a job teaching. The "school" told them that they would fix the WP. Then when the summer holidays came around, with the last month working and two months holiday - the school would phone Immigration - and bang you were in jail - and the employer didn't have to pay a penny.

There's a saying in Thailand. It's a bit like going to the toilet. If your paperwork is all correct then you don't land in the ......

Just in the passing, and with all plaudits due to Marcus Aurelius......

"It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt."

Mark Twain

Yes, there are negative Khun Cannots around. I live in Belgium where, in a store, after one has waited for up to half an hour for "service" everything is pre- and suffixed by NO.

Try to get anything repaired. "It is cheaper to buy a new one." sales assistant turns away disinterested.

Panasonic camera - needed a new reflector. Normal cost about 40 euro. "Better to buy a new camera!". Hold it right there. I want you as the agent for Panasonic to get this camera fixed. A new one of these costs over 5,000 euro.

Great sighs of exasperation. "Very well, we can send it to Luxembourg and it will take 2-3 months - maybe longer to repair. You have to pay 200 euro for return delivery charges."

Yes, I sympathise with the original poster, and I am certain that that shop in Samui will soon be closed. But in Thailand doing business for repairs or purchases is a delight compared to dealing with the grim faced, impolite morons we have here.

Count your blessings. (and learning Thai will help a lot too.)

Sirchai, I most heartily recommend, The Rajapruek Resort in Lipa Noi . It's located on the very spoilt West coast about 10 minutes South of the Samui capital, Nathon.

Think 9 kms of soft golden sand in a crescent between 2 headlands, fringed by palm trees (of course).

Rajapruek's Restaurant, "Sea Breezes" serves lovely food with views over the sea to the Ang Thong National Marine Park.

Rajapruek is very much a family run hotel, typical warm, polite, eager to please, management and staff.

They gave up their business with Russian tour operators so you won't see many of those.

Though Lipa Noi is on the Quiet "Sunset Coast" it is easy to get to the "Noisy Coast" resorts of Lamai and Chaweng.

Khun Chu acts as GM and can arrange almost any kind of tour, restaurant, or Spa Visit. Car Hire is easy and the hotel has a selection of motorcycles for rent.

MONSOON

Yes October can be Very wet all over Thailand - but as you know it's not Every Day and somettimes thumps down Noah style and dries up after an hour or so.

If you decide to visit, just say Dr Magali and Thais said hi.

Look on the bright side - when ' it ' returns 'it' is within reach of millions of Patriots.

Tatsujin - though accurate your comment is not original.

Your list of suggested criminal activities resulted in a Dubai residence for Thailand's number one Crime Family head.

For those committing criminal offences, red-shirt leaders and Pheu Thai have argued that their violations stemmed from their political ideology, so they deserve amnesty.

Am off to rob a bank, then burn it down, then commit various other criminal offences . . . cos my political ideology says I can do this and therefore I'll get amnesty. Seems fair, right? Bunch of clowns.

Mr Worldwide, you seem so sad and - well, jaded.

Recommend you spend just 6 months in, say, Belgium.

You'll soon be Howling for Thailand - including its faults. Promise!

Of course, there is the Takkie Solution!

For a Fee the girl's age is increased to show she is 20!

Anyone have their names?

Perhaps more Romany than Turkish.

I know you'll correct me if I'm wrong...but...wasn't there a Minister...now living in the desert wastes of Dubai...who proclaimed very loudly and emphatically, that he would fix Bangkok's traffic problem ....in 6 months.