old wanderer

I am a firm supporter of PAD and the protest....

It has always been a peaceful protest, in hopes of stopping further corruption and theft of the country to benefit a few at the top.

My wife bears the scars of the May 92 protest, when another corrupt government did the same thing to the people that were peacefully assembled. Many were killed and wounded.

The most peaceful outcome would be for word from on High to come down for Samak to find life elsewhere. I thought it would after his visit to Hua Hin last week.

With Samak declaring martial law, does anybody thing this is not a move to remove the courts, and wipe the slate clean for Thaskin and his thieving family>>

I voted YES for PAD..

How soon we all forget that until the PPP came to power Thaskin and his family stayed clear of Thailand.

When his wife relitive attorney was caught trying to bribe the Supreme Court and promptly put in jail, the tide began to change, when Pochiman was convicted and given 3 years in prison, a new day was born in Thai politics. When Thaskin and his wife were due to appear before the Supreme Court (being unable to delay any more), then ran for England, because conviction was a certainty, and there would have been no delay for the usual "appeal".

Meanwhile the PPP was working to get the laws off the books so their mentor could be free to continue business as usual.

Way too many of you have that hippy attitude that all people are equal....and loudly condemn the PAD as "elitist" I strongly support them (the PAD) as as my wife carries the scars of the protest back in the 80's when many of the students were shot for protesting the government, it is all I can do to keep her here at home as her spirit really wants to join her countrymen in Bangkok.

She hates the corruption in Thailand. As the most successful person in her little village in Issan, finally some of the people are starting to listen to what the results of giving a vote for 200 baht means. She remains glued to her TV set and ASTV....

We have also contributed financially to the PAD

Boy reading these post make me homesick for my old ranch. I bought a used International 150 HP tractor with 1400 hours on it. That thing ran like a swiss watch for 10 years...I did every thing with that tractor, sub-soil, plow, disk, and plant.

Really wish I had one in Thailand when we finally get moved over there.

(International 1566)

Clearly he is not wanted in Thailand.

Let's not forget that just 8 months ago his incarnates (PPP) were voted into power. The fact is, he is wanted in Thailand by the people in the northeast and they comprise the majority of voters. Scary isn't it?

I have had to put up with my Thai wife in the USA getting up at all hours of the night to turn on ASTV....(She is from Surin). When she has had some pretty heated talks with relatives at home, the consistent story is...."Why should we hate Thaskin, he gave us more money to vote for him than anyone else offered?!!!!!" Democracy....I think not...

Look at what has happened....you take a lot of minimal educated people have the government offer to loan money against the land they eek out a living on, then when they cannot pay, (in fact they never even tried to consider how they could repay the money), government takes the land, sell it to government employees, and keep the poor Thai farmer, even poorer....

Look no further than Zimbabwe to see the far side of this kind of a policy....

Certainly IMHO Thaskin and his family gene pool should be eliminated.

Against what I wanted to do, we have picked up some of this land rather than letting it be forfeited to the government.

I do believe he and the entire family should be brought back.

There is now Arrest warrants issued by the Supreme Court. The trials will continue, with or without his presence. His attorneys will be there to argue his case.

I believe that pathetic fax just enraged the judges....He basically called them crooks because they did not do the normal thing and accept his 2,000,000 bribe. I full expect that he and his family and friends, will be found guilty and sentenced over the next 30 days. The court already forfeited the $346,000 bail he and family had posted.

For sure it was a shock when his wife's relative/attorney got scooped up with the 2 million baht bribe and went straight to jail for 6 months, then has to come back and stand criminal trial with a possible 5 year sentence. Then Ponjiman was sentenced to 3 years along with 2 of her conspirators. What a BS story she told.

The healthiest thing Thailand could do is to break the mold of the rich can do anything, and put the whole family including children in jail. (Thailand might be better off without that gene pool).

I do believe the Supreme court is willing, and now the lower judges are getting bolder.

It was only 1 lower judge that allowed him and wife to leave, I am sure it was not voted on by the Supreme court. The next cases are mostly before the Supreme Court, and if convicted there is no appeal and he would have to go directly from courtroom to jail.

He accused the country's legal system of employing "double standard" in their proceeding with legal matters against him and his family.

I can certainly sympathize with his opinion. After all every other time you sent some rag tag relative to the court with 2,000.000b disguised as a candy box, they had always ruled there was no substance to the charges. How did thing ever get so twisted in the Thai justice system

I am sure when the attorney and his staff were sent directly to jail for 6 months, (no appeals allowed, and were to be brought back for trial when they got back for a possible 5 year sentences, then the puppet master herself being found guilty and sentenced to 3 years in jail, would have really shaken my understanding and faith in the Thai legal system. After all he knew how it was supposed to work.

Regarding the latest development some event come to mind....

"King Bhumibol Adulyadej called on the courts to be, in effect, political referees, saying, "If you do not follow legal principles, correct administration principles, the country will not survive as it is today."

Since then, the courts have taken steps that have curbed the power of Thaksin and his allies, nullifying an election, disbanding a political party and barring him and 110 other party officials from politics for five years.

"This judicial activism is justified because the other branches, I mean the legislative and executive, do not function well," said Somchai Homlaor, who heads Forum Asia, a human rights group. "This is a crucial period for the judiciary. If they get good support from the public and they function well, this will be the turning point of Thai politics. If this judicial activism fails to reform our politics, this will end up as a disaster for our society."

Did his words finally bear some fruit?

Source:

and on it goes...

"In the latest case, military-backed investigators accused the fallen premier of conflict of interest in a loan granted by the Export-Import Bank of Thailand so that Myanmar could buy satellite services from Thaksin's Shin Satellite.

The investigators claim Thaksin wrongly ordered the Exim Bank to increase a three-billion-baht (89.6-million-dollar) loan to four billion baht, so that Myanmar's ruling junta could buy more services from ShinSat.

ShinSat is part of the Shin Corp telecom firm, which Thaksin founded. His family sold the company to Singapore's state-linked Temasek Holdings in January 2006 in a tax-free deal that prompted street protests leading to the military coup against him.

‘The charges submitted by the (investigators) are enough to warrant a hearing. The court decided to take the case,’ Judge Panya Suthibodi told the court, setting the first hearing for September 15.

Neither Thaksin nor his lawyer attended the hearing Wednesday.

The case is the latest in the mounting legal challenges against Thaksin. He also faces trial at the Supreme Court for allegedly arranging for his wife to buy a prime chunk of real estate for just one-third its appraised value, while other graft cases are pending."

Source:

I made the mistake of hooking up my wife's Thai TV here in the USA after we moved. She sits in front of it, sometimes sleeps on the floor in front of it, all the time glued to ASTV and the situation and protest going on. I think she even had her sister take some money to the protest in Suam Luang. She love Sondhi. She believes he is the best hope of Thai people finally hearing the truth on what is going on.

Also he is on the phone to her village in Issan yelling at people about Thaksin.

When this government is finally thrown out, and a new government is installed hopefully the King's words will spread to the rest of the government as it seems to have effected the Court..

I am sure when Thaksin attorney and helpers were thrown in jail last month, no appeal, no bail, (including a woman), and they still have to face criminal charges of 5 years for attempted bribery, it was a wake-up call that maybe the rules of the game have changed.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej seldom speaks, but if there is one revered person in Thailand, it is His Royal Highness, King Bhumibol. A few words and everyone tries to please him.

Thaksin make the mistake of trying to replace him with his self.

Here at my home in the USA we have had Thai TV specifically ASTV running 20 hours a day with our Thai friends watching the protest and listening to the speeches....

Even those that were initially pro Thaskin, and now very anti Thaskin and current government.

My wife wanted to fly to Thailand to protest with the group.

Well my wife and I are living in the USA at this time. ASTV has been going non stop 24 hours a day about this and Thaskin.

Some facts that are being reported here are:

1. A monk that was a life long friend of the attorney talked to him prior to when he became associated with Thaskin. He told him that only bad would follow, and if any thing happened Thaskin and his wife would pretty much trow him under the bus and not look back. He went to visit him in prison, then he finally saw the truth in those words, and want to say sorry....

2. There was a total of 10 million baht of which only 2 million was wrapped in the candy box....(Wonder if somebody was skimming again?)

The local Thai's here (that were here in my home watching ASTV) believe that in 8 days some change will be forced in this government, even though Thaskin has already bribed the upper military.

I hope that the turmoil has ended by the time we come in December.

I went through this exact scenario with my wife.

Arrived in USA and got married....Got all the stuff translated and certified, then took her passport to the Consulate in Los Angeles and the added and endorsement showing she was now MRS XXXXXX. (That was all 10 years ago before the E-Passport)

Well as we were getting ready to return to Thailand, had the tickets (Using her married name). I asked her "When does your passport expire....Suprise....it would expire during our visit. So we still had 6 weeks, a dash down to Los Angeles BUT Now the E-passport can only be issued in EXACTLY the name shown on her Thai ID card....We got her new passport, and what a pain going through security with the ticket in her married name.

She took off from our place to Se Sai Ket to get a new ID card (6 hour drive). We had all the papers including one stamped my the Thai Consulate office certifying the marriage 12 years ago. The local office would not accept it with a "GREEN" stamp from the Minister of Consular Affairs in Bangkok. This was also holiday time and the offices were going to be closed and we were scheduled to return to the USA> I gave our paper work to our attorney at Sun Belt and they obtained the "GREEN" stamp. She got her ID card in about 1 hour the next trip. Then we returned to Los Angeles (again) and got to pay for another E-passport that took 5 weeks again to receive.

This next trip, we are transferring a bunch of Chanotes to her married name. (This is where you go to the local land office, take a box of donuts, and little white envelopes with some tea money inside so you are not there for all day or a month of delays.....It is the custom of how business is done, and it works. )

Believe me this is bureaucracy at its best. Logic plays no part in this.

Be Prepared....Get the "GREEN stamp on the documents certifying you marriage, then change the ID card, then get a new E-passport.....

My wife has her old Thai passport in her former name, and has our marraige certificate. I don't think, however, that she has her old ID card. Is it possible for her to get a new passport while still in the U.S., or is she going to have to wait until she enters as a tourist and gets everything she needs on that trip? It would be nice if she could get that passport--that would save one visa when we go next time.

To get her Thai passport in her married name, 1st you must change her Thai ID card.

This was a Pain in the butt when my wife did it. 1st under the old system you simply took a certified copy of your marriage license and they did a name change endorsement. Now with the biometric passports, they use the data on her Thai ID card ONLY NO EXCEPTIONS>

After she renewed her passport just before we left on a trip (space case did not notice her Thai passport had expired). It was in her single name, even though we had changed the previous passport. Got all the forms to change her Thai ID card stamped by the consulate, went all the way to Surin, (Actually Sukornikohn...as you must change ID cards where you were born) and they were rejected because they lacked a Green Stamp for the Minister of Consular Affairs (I think that was the office). So back to Bangkok but we did not bring all the certified documents with us, since we had the form we thought we needed. Next trip we got it all sorted out, and she got her new ID card, then we had to pay for a new passport when we returned to the USA.

In the mean time, all the tickets were purchased in her married name, and getting through security was "interesting".

Did this just that simple last year with my wife. I had made a deposit on the land, the woman we were dealing with was "old school" and wanted "CASH"... I spent 10k baht and had an attorney do a title search a few weeks before I arrived to do the transfer.

Showed up when the land office opened with over 3 million baht, and we were out of there by 10:30AM with the Chanote in my wifes name....Some of the relatives were still arguing as we left, as they had forgot to deduct the deposit and had anticipated getting more money. (Also they agreed to pay all taxes and transfer costs as I did not haggle the asking price.

Nice to have an attorney to cut through the language barrier for me, and cheap insurance too.

Why is it sad to say? Are you Spanophobic?

I am indeed a Spanophobic. I used to own a home in Mexico, traveled there a lot for vacations and just to play. I figure I have spend somewhere around $20,000 in Mordita (bribes) for doing nothing wrong....corruption is rampant, xenophobic, yes the Mexican government is, (however the people usually are warm and friendly).

12 years ago when I went to the Los Angles INS office to inquire about what visa were available for Thai, I was brushed off and told I would have to ask the Bangkok Embassy. When I insisted that I would like the same information explained to me in English that was being explained in Spanish at the cube next to me, again I was told he did not understand the question. At that time I asked to see the supervisor, and in a few minutes another Mexican (supervisor) was brought in to talk with me. Again I told him (this time in Spanish) I would like some advise and information on various visa I might help my Thai girlfriend apply. In fact I told him just exactly the same information that was being explained in Spanish by his countrymen to the other Mexican applicants at tables near by.

Well the "countrymen" snipe really lit him up, and he explained he was an American. My reply was "now". I was told I would have to leave and they call security and were going to charge me with "disturbing" the peace.

I came to Los Angeles where I grew up to take care of my mother. I was the only "gringo" on the block. When people knock on the door and I answer "Hello", usually the response I get is "Tu no habla Espanol??" Where I reply Kuhn poot Thai dai mai krap?

I took my wife to Seattle earlier this year, as we are moving there. In the airport on the shuttle train, the announcement was 1st in English, "The doors are closing..........." the in Japanese. My wife mouth dropped open and she asked me....."You mean we don't have to listen to Spanish up here any more?"...Everybody in the train car cracked up.

If I as an American have a step child living in Thailand I cannot deduct them as a Dependant, but if they live in Mexico, I can...that is the law.

I absolutely hate what the USA government as encouraged with the INVASION from Mexico. This crap about just people looking for a better life for their family's sort of fly's apart when you watch things like a Mexico vs USA soccer match, and see the "immigrants" spitting and throwing beer on the USA players.....Where is that burning desire to become part of this country. To march and protest our laws waving Mexican flags.....beyond belief. We have got the dumbest, illiterate, and xenophobic group from Mexico. Each year they send billions of dollars that are illegally earned here back to "their country".

I am such a Spanophobic that for the past 4 years I have refused to eat in a Mexican restaurant, since they had the boycott of American business.

As to the OP story, I am really sorry about the way my government treats its own citizens and their invited guest while bending over backwards to cater to the unwashed Mexicans.

I have written in response to similar Posts in the past.

I cannot tell you whether it is easier for a Thai to adopt than it is for a Farang, however you should be VERY careful to make sure that your Wife is 100% happy with adopting a child from outside her own family.

It is quite common for Thais to adopt from within the immediate family – even, as your wife has suggested, arranging for a relative to have a baby and give it up at birth.

It is VERY unusual for Thais to adopt a strange child.

Similar to your own comment about “gene pool” (partly made in jest I am sure) Thais believe that a child is born with certain characteristics, traits and behavior patterns inherited from the biological parents, and these cannot be changed even if the child knows nothing of its real parents, their social background, level of education etc..

The belief is that even if the child is raised in completely different social and economic circumstances these traits (called “sandarn” in Thai) will eventually surface and cause problems for the adoptive family. Further, the fact that the child is available for adoption - i.e. has no family member wiling to take care of it - indicates to the average Thai that the parents are uneducated or low class, thus the "sandarn" of the child will be similar.

Patrick

Patrick,

Yes I am aware of those thoughts as well. It is something that is ingrained in the culture. I know a few years ago we were seeing a very well known mahdoo (fortune teller) that has a home at our resort. He invited us for a session. I was a bit shocked when he made a point of saying "Do not adopt any children, either have your own or none".

Personally I am at the point in life where as long as the wife is happy, my life is easy....BUT if personally I had wanted a family I would have had one many years ago. The few children I did father did not turn into anything I am proud of.

Thanks for the thoughtful input.

Well after 12 years of marriage and living here in the USA, my wife now getting into her early 40's wants to have a baby. I took care of that problem for myself more than 15 years ago. (The doc and his laser did it in 15 minutes).

I suggested we adopt 1 or 2 kids if that is what would make her happy. I looked at all the "stuff" a foreigner has to go through to adopt and then found a few hints that Thais adopting Thais is pretty quick and easy.

Does anyone have some insight on this. She even asked her sister if she would could consider having 1 more baby and giving it too us..... (Not my favorite gene pool there).

We will be coming to Thailand to live in about 5 years. However she want to take care of this now.

I have helped 3 people get K1 visas. In each case everything went smooth....What I find is people read the instructions, then ask "do I need to have this??" YES. File it in exactly the order it is listed on the instructions.....(Not required, but show the person reviewing the paperwork you are organized).

Also talk with the American Embassy and see if you can get a package for her to start filling out.

Phone records

Letter

Photographs together

copies of emails

all the above are important in establishing the longer the paper trail the better.

You mentioned a daughter so you have probably been married before. You will need a certified copy of the divorce or death certificate for each prior marriage.

Read through the sites that were mentioned above to get an idea of the documentation. Download the K1 application and read and highlight each item that is required and then start now. There is a lot of paperwork

She will need to sign the Bio for her and you will need to subit one as well.

Best of luck, and if she can get a jump start on her paperwork, then she can apply for an interview that much quicker.

Well this little plan has really stirred up a hornets in my Mother-in-laws village. Who would have thought a simple thing like asking my sister-in-law to to and help her mother get a passport would be an international incident.

1st it started when her neighbor heard that I had invited Mother to visit in the USA.

then the questions....

Always 1st question: How much does it cost.....I told them I would fly there with my wife and we would all go back business class on Thai airways......that was not good enough ...how much does it cost????? Well I figured it would cost about $7500....How much does it cost in baht????? Well about a quarter million I figure....."250,000 baht for a plane ticket...No 3 plane tickets....why don't you just give the money to your mother-in-law.....my reply...."because nothing would change" "She has always farmed rice and made silk, plus tended to her cows and buffalo....that is her life"...If my Father-in-law was still alive he would drink and party it all away, but he died 2 years ago...(Unfortunately he is the one that really wanted to travel on an airplane. Mother will not even stay in Bangkok for a week, she misses her buffalo and cows")

Finally I got upset.....OK.....Thai people have to fly in the back of the airplane and the ticket will be free because I can use my frequent flier miles...I will fly in the front of the plane because I am a pilot...

Then the 2 question came about "why can she get a visa, and the niece of Toon could not get a visa??". I explained Toon worked in a "restaurant" and had no land or homes. Mother has a lot of land, and the #1 house in the village, and needs to come back to take care of everything...plus had a wealthy daughter that also has a lot of land (my wife" )

Question 3...How long does it take to get there.....1 day..."that is too far..what if?????? (and there was a never ending scenario of what could happen on the airplane.)

Now I love my Thai family, but in my life I have never seen such a bunch of jealous petty people in my life...after 12 years of marriage, I thought I could pretty well anticipate the reactions. I now have one aunt that is being sedated because she is so jealous, and has told he husband to leave. Another villager that claims her daughters Japanese boyfriend is much wealthier than I am and furthermore is going to build her a home that will be much more expensive that what I did for my Mother-in-law. Also 2 uncles want me to invest is some money loosing scheme that is never going to happen....

If I have one bit of suggestion for you out there, it is marry a city girl...there is nothing we can do that everybody in village does not know about, want to put in their ideas, and talk about for weeks on end....

Already I can see I will have to video the mothers trip to the USA, then burn it onto a DVD, buy a DVD player so she can play it 100 times for all the relatives and village people. Fortunately I will not have to tell the stories 100 times to the people.

I guess doing this stuff is what makes good stories, and keeps us all smiling.

Thanks for the replies and cautions. I believe we will not have a problem of getting a tourist visa for my Mother-in-law as we also have substantial holdings in Thailand, so we certainly not leaving all behind.l

I have been married to my Thai wife for 12 years. My Father-in-law pestered me for years about wanting to come and see the USA....Well he died, and asked why I had not helped him come and see the USA just 2 weeks before he passed away. Sort of stuck with my concience.

Well my Mother-in-law is just a simple village person, but we just bought a large new luxury home, and I would like her to come visit for a few weeks.

She lives outside Surin. \\

Questions:

Where is the closes place she can apply for a passport.

Does it take 3 or 4 weeks still?

I expect the same stuff at the US Embassy, but while she does not have much money in the bank, owns a nice home, and 100 rai of farm land so don't expect too much problem in getting the tourist visa. Are there any new wrinkles in getting a toursit visa?

I am luck, that once she leaves home for a week or so, she want to get back to her buffalos and cows....so do not think I am taking on a liability.

Several years ago I told her and her husband to get passports, but they were both worried what people would say if they got passports and could not get visa..."everybody would say bad things about them".

The only down side to this thing is the extra money for my wife to make 2 round trips in order to ride with her mother that has never been on a plane.

1st....Do not declare it to customs....there are no currency restrictions on importation of foreign currency.

2. Bring large fairly new bills.

3. Arrange for a driver to meet you at the airport ahead of time.

I brought $150,000 in cash last year for some land purchases. I shopped "Supper Rich" and some other places for the best exchange rate when I arrived. I have had the same driver for 5 years, and so did not have a security worry when I left the airport.

I came from the USA so I did declare the currency at Customs at the airport on my departure, it is just a single page form, and they never asked to see the money, just be sure to include "ALL" the money that is on your person not just the big bills. If from another country then they have different laws.

You will get your money in nicely bundled 1 million baht packages. I just used a soft computer bag to put the baht into. It took about 30 minutes to do the exchange. I use a local cell phone to call my driver to pick me up outside the office.

Security comes from being discreet and aware of your surroundings. Plan ahead.

Good luck

Every time I read stories like this I feel so "Blessed" to have a really great Thai wife.....well not exactly Thai as she is one of the Thai tribal people (Suay). We have been married for almost 12 years now. We (she) owns over 12 million baht of real estate in Thailand.

I would share these stories with her over the years, but she always replied:

"Do good; get good,

Do bad get bad

Buddha always make everybody pay".

She grew up in a very small village outside of Surin, dirt poor, had an alcoholic father that like to get drunk and beat on her mother, but her mother usually won the fights. Started working as a maid at the age of 15, started her own sewing company at 22.

I met her when she was 28. Now she is #1 in her village and has brought respect for her family and herself. I do not think she would do anything to change that.

Don't have a clew on what advise to give anybody on how to pick a winner for a wife, but it took me 4 other wives, twice lost million dollar fortunes, and more girlfriends than I can remember to find the right one. (Now the problem for me is how too not screw it up )

I once had a Thai GF 15 years ago, that sounds like Lek, built a house on a mountain side over a lake, thought I had found paradise, right up till I found a cell phone bill with 7 calls to England and 4 to Germany..... found out both were engaged to marry her and were sending money to pay for my home.....I burned it down and left without saying good by. That cured me from "bar girls" even though I know there are some really nice women to be found there, it is beyond my ability to sort them out.

Every once in a while we get squabbling like married people do, and my wife gets really upset with me, she say, "I will call your girlfriend in Sokothai and give you back" "You never remember how good you have with me" (She know the story of the burned house). Makes me smile every time she does that.

I believe true love is possible......just seems a little rare in Thailand.

Those are not normal Consulates requirements for a multi entry non immigrant O visa. Passport/photo/copy of marriage certificate/copy of spouse ID card and fee should be all that is required in a home country Thai Consulate.

The 3 month/40k income is a specific Immigration requirement for one year extensions of stay. I do not know of any Consulate that requires that.

That is the point I was trying to make in my post above.

You did forget one important piece of paper that has too be subitted:

You will need a letter from your wife stating you are still married and living together.

Other than that it is a piece of cake to get a multiple entry O visa IN YOU HOME COUNTRY

I was in the Los Angeles consulate office today with my Thai wife. (She was getting a new passport). On the web site it notes that "O" visa with multi entries are on a "case by case" basis. I have a current "O" multiple entry visa that will expire soon. I inquired if I would have any problem getting another multiple entry visa. The answer was "No Problem you are married to a Thai"> If I wanted to do it today they would just cancel by current visa and I could pick up my new 1 yr visa tomorrow. At $150 now for a multi visa, I decided to wait until my current one expires.

Getting a new O visa does not require any showing of money. Only when you renew your visa does this apply.

I just get a new visa each year.

As a person that lives only 1 mile fro Los Angeles International Airport, I do have quite a bit of sympathy for the people near the new airport. I did not move into my situation, but the jet age came, and the nice drone of propeller aircraft left to the shreek of the jets. (Family purchased the home in 1953).

The airport spent $85,000 on my home to negate the problem, and it works fine inside the house. I can no longer even hear a loud party next door.

If you own property, others simply do not have the right to raise the noise level by thier activities to where it becomes abnoxious to the property owner.

Property ownership comes with some expetations of privacy and not being invaded by noise from others.