MikeyIdea

1 hour ago, stevenl said:

Disagree with 'staying away from the family'. Show humanity and do pay her a visit in hospital. But don't admit to anything, leave that to the insurance company.

Yes, ghworkers. I also disagree with staying away from the family. About what the mother said, the words that you think she used means less than her attitude etc. I understand it as she was not blaming you but was just a sad poor mother whose daughter had just been hurt and also worried that she would have to pay which the family didn't have money to. If that's how she was, then I think you should go to the hospital

99.99% of all Thai's I have met the last 26 years here are like that and I actually don't know how westerners manage to find the 0.01% that are different (outside Pattaya and Phuket of course).

If you lose bonus / premium goes up in Thailand is not about whose fault it is as Fredob43 posts, it's a simple question of money. If the girl doesn't have insurance or doesn't pay, then your insurance company does if you use your insurance full stop. If it doesn't cost much, then they will not care but if it is more then they will want their money back = they'll probably raise the premium a bit. I doubt a motor cycle hitting the back of a car would reach that

Good Luck

Mikey

There are rankings, both the scientific type based on the standard ONET nation wide tests and popularity - ONET apply for all schools that use the Thai curriculum = Thai and bilingual schools and the test scores are consolidated nation wide. Ministry of Education MoE should have ONET ranking per khet/amphur

Both rankings are unfortunately mis-leading because the whole Thai educational system is "knowledge centered". One may think "of course, the nation wide tests are the same in the west" but it's more than that. The Thai tests benefit those who remember the words the MoE book used, not those who understand what the book meant. Some things are confusing if you bother to bring in understanding

University sample: I tutored my ex wife for some of her exams. She got zero for some things that I really know she understood and asked why: Probably because the person grading the exams didn't even bother to check the meaning, a quick glance and it was different from the book

Primary school sample: My daughter came home confused sometimes and asked me why the teacher said she was wrong and passed on the question to others and explained. It was clear that she had answered correctly, she really said the same thing in a different way and the teacher didn't even bother to think if the meaning was the same, she didn't say what the book said so automatically Next

Popularity is the same. Thai parents think knowledge and the more knowledge the school push, the more popular it is. I wanted a bilingual school with less home work but that's difficult, it's opposite to what Thai parents are looking for. A school with only 30 home work assignments per month in Bangkok isn't popular. The school my daughter goes to gives 40 or so homework assignments per month. I asked the principal if she thought that really benefited the children and she didn't answer my question. She answered: The Thai parents request more home work

I don't value neither the scientific ranking nor the popularity contest, both come with negative side effects. Decently close to home because of the traffic is important in Bangkok and most of all:

I do firmly believe that an active western parent really can help to bridge the gap and the child will thereby benefit from both worlds. This: Cannot send my kids to a Thai school because then she would not be good enough to perform in Europe and America is total rubbish. It's a lot of effort but also very rewarding

On ‎12‎/‎26‎/‎2016 at 11:08 PM, DrDweeb said:

The girl whom I love, and who likely still loves me is buried so deep that she will never be seen by me again.

It takes time to get over real love. It took me a full year of absolute hell to get over when the love of my life divorced me in 2000, I can still easily get tears in my eyes when I think about it 16 years later, *()@&mn, and it happened again. It took my mother 2 years to "get back to decently normal" as she said when her long time partner died, she was 80 when she said it 

Yes, love hurts but 1) No matter how horrible it feels when it is fresh, it does actually get better with time 2) It's worth it, how shallow wouldn't life be without love. I feel sorry for those who don't open their hearts for love

I would live my life again and I wouldn't change almost anything, certainly not the love, that's the most precious part

Mikey

9 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

Isn't it pretty straight forward, itunes on PC, plug in iphone and sync photos ? Am I missing something ?

Yes, you are missing that it is not possible to use iTunes if you have an apple with credit card option None selected. Cannot even open iTunes on the iPhone

Rule 1) She has an Apple ID but there is no Visa card connected to it and there never will be

30 minutes ago, thetruth revealer said:

It was explained different recently, when doing research how to register a Child   of unmarried parents , at Embassy. Are you sure this can only be obtained at age 7 ???maybe different handling in different provinces?

Thai law allow for legitimization 3 ways, marriage, court order or amphur

I legitimized my daughter at the amphur in Loei where she had her tabien baan. It took 2-3 hours and cost 50 baht or so. All three must agree = mother, father and child

Working class Thai's don't worry too much until it is too late but I have several Thai friends in the office, fathers, who legitimized their children at the amphur too. It is a normal process that all amphur supervisors know about. If mother, father and 7 year old child go to the amphur with the correct paperwork and still cannot get it done, then it's because mother or child does not agree

Embassies may have different rules. I have a laughable story to tell about the Swedish Embassy. It is true

I legitimized at the amphur and certified the translation at the Consular Affairs department and happily went to the Swedish Embassy. They promptly denied accepting the paperwork for the citizenship application with motivation that their rules said legitimization by court order only

I went to Loei and talked to the Provincial District Attorney and he laughed actually, he also said that he will not allow me to go to court to get legitimized because I already had everything that Thai law could give me. He advised that surely the Swedish Embassy would accept and if they didn't then I should petition the court to get legitimized again which the court of course would throw out without action and use that evidence

I called the embassy and told them about the district attorney's last recommendation and they turned around and were suddenly happy to accept non court legitimization

Mikey

19 hours ago, thetruth revealer said:

With a Kor Ror 11 Form ,  (Fathership recognition trough a Thai Court) , most probably you could apply for the Passport at your Embassy, since its Birth Right is the Nationality of the father or mother as well.

Kor Ror is legal father certification, it can be processed via court when child is at any age or via amphur if child is approx. 7 years old or older and all parties agree (mother, father and child)

As Larry said, all assets are considered. It'd be good to talk to Larry's wife I think, she's more likely to support you well than most other interpretors and especially Thai lawyers. The courts are good and fair, it's your Thai lawyer you can't trust

If the land has a title or not only affects the value of the property, not how it is shared. What is important is that you have evidence of what is invested and evidence of rental income, both affecting value. Shouldn't be too difficult to find out if it has title or not. It probably has at least some kind of lower title

I see a couple of things here

Rental income: Whatever rental income there is will be shared. Your wife has now moved that income and that is just an attempt to hide it where you can't get evidence and I don't see that as bad. To move it and then not declare it in the court proceeding is of course an offence in a court of law. The same if she moved a lump sum too and don't declare it. You decide yourself if you want to pursue criminal charges for that in Thailand. It's easy to petition the court to get evidence from her bank accounts. It is very rare that it doesn't go through. Should be easy to get evidence from the western tenant too I would think, not as good  though

Leverage: 

Most experienced family lawyers in Thailand I have talked to say that women are stronger than men most of the time and they benefit from it. The wife wants to keep the property = you can force to get half = she must pay up or force to have it sold. Use that as leverage, especially as she doesn't want that. Get used to the idea that it needs to be sold I think. You will have an almost impossible time getting half of the rental income anyway - outside a court room anyway

10 hours ago, mjmcpo said:

I’m trying to do the right thing and have offered half of all marital assets and some continued support

Wife Alimony... You are not trying to do the right thing, you are trying to be a Christian, very different. Thai law reflects Buddhist belief and that is that what you bring into a marriage is yours when you leave, what you two earned and bought while you were married you share when you separate and that is it. Why continued support? Not Thai tradition at all

Her rights in America? Hardly going to work - Not much in it as you already offer half the assets - That's her initiative -> She won't do it

Mikey

23 minutes ago, AlexRich said:

There is no crime? The girlfriend may have thought better of making a false charge to the Police. The OP's girlfriend doesn't have a legal route to pursue. The OP just needs to ease her out of his house as soon as he can and make sure that he's not the victim of a knife attack ... it only takes one jab in the right place to end a life, so something to be avoided. 

Ease her out is a good phrase to use, difficult to get that to work. I separated from my daughters mother 10 years ago but she is still in my house  She has categorically refused to leave for years. Our daughter is 12 now so she's old enough to see through the mess by now. She will perhaps not support me but at least she will not become my enemy if I force her mother out. Not much longer now. Patience is a virtue...

Problem the OP has is that he OP is not allowed to use force to get her out of course , nor is her allowed to throw her stuff out actually. It's not his stuff. She's breaking the law not taking them out, he's breaking the law throwing them out.

This could be a case where the police actually could help the OP at the end of the day. The police would want to negotiate the girl friend out rather than having to process criminal charges. Especially since the OP is happy to help with apartment and school costs in the beginning. But most westerners on ThaiVisa seem to think that is corruption and that it is much better to prosecute the mother... I suppose I am stupid, I don't understand the logic in that

Mikey

16 hours ago, MikeyIdea said:

The second step after that is for the police and the ex-girlfriend to formally push this to the district attorney and the higher level policeman will certainly not want to do that unless he clearly can see that she has been beaten up and probably not then either.

I forgot one thing for step 2 - the process for documenting wounds but let's bullet the whole process up so that it is more clear.

The process that must be followed for pushing criminal charges in Thailand is:

1) Police report - means nothing

2) Push to district attorney

Overview: The policeman processing the documentation has a law degree and has a working relationship with the district attorney. He is a second level policeman commonly called: "roiween". It is part of his job responsibilities to "filter out  things that can be solved with negotiations". This is what westerners incorrectly think the police do to get corruption money by the way... Boring when people who don't know don't even have enough sense to keep quiet. Or as the Thai saying is: People who don't know speak easily...

2a) A private person pushes criminal charges:

- If domestic violence: The police issue a form that the wounded person must take to a hospital, only a doctor with a special permission is allowed to examine

- The private person and the police proceed together process the documentation to push things to the district attorney. The policeman will not want to do this unless 1) negotiations have failed 2) there is clear evidence. He does actually not have the power to stop the process if the person insists - but he will correctly according to his job responsibilities try if he disagree

2b) The police pushes criminal charges: The police gather evidence and when he thinks that the district attorney will be satisfied then he process the paper work. If he can't find enough evidence then he will not push forward regardless of how "obvious" it is. Same as in the west.

3) District Attorney

-The district attorney considers evidence, if it is criminal intent or not and decides if he wants to push this forward or order the case closed without further action. He has one year to do this. A private person can force things to criminal court also if the district attorney orders the case closed

4) Criminal court: It's a long way to get there and penalties are normally lean, unless rape etc.

Most foreigners don't know this and many westerners post so much wrong information on ThaiVisa that it is laughable

Mikey
 

15 minutes ago, DrDweeb said:

Trust me, I am in physical danger when she flies off the handle.

 

..............

 

So, I am not overreacting or over reading the situation.

OK, then I even more think that your best defense is to encourage her to go to the police and make a police report. Let her use what she threatens to do and she has nothing left after that except the same empty threat

Mikey

DrDWeeb

First of all, she was just a nice girl with a hidden second life until not long ago. She has not become a dangerous criminal over night. She is threatening you, yes, but to go from threats to action that actually will hurt you is not going to happen. It didn't sound like that was in her nature before, what has happened has hardly changed that.

No need to over-react

How to tactically deal with the police

The separation and everything around it is of course civil law and the police is breaking the law if they interfere so you have absolutely nothing to worry from them. To stop providing support and a roof for the child is not even a civil offence as you have no legal obligations. If they do come then they will only be low level and you tactically clear all problems by saying: OK, let's go down to the police station, encourage the police to help the ex-girlfriend make a police report, which will be done by a higher level policeman with a law degree by the way. Trust me, it means nothing and they don't want to document that they have broken the law....

If your ex-girlfriend claims that you have hit her, then that is criminal law and you clear that the same way. Deny it and let's go down to the police station... Encourage the police to help the ex-girlfriend make a police report. The second step after that is for the police and the ex-girlfriend to formally push this to the district attorney and the higher level policeman will certainly not want to do that unless he clearly can see that she has been beaten up and probably not then either. The 3rd step is the district attorney and he will probably just close the case anyway. The 4th step is criminal court, it's extremely unlikely to get there. You have nothing to worry about

It sounds to me that she's just trying to keep her old privileges, probably because of the child

Mikey

11 minutes ago, PattayaAJF said:

 

please forgive my ignorance .. what is a "TM officer" ?

Tor Mor, the Thai abbreviation for immigration

1 hour ago, sanemax said:

 

    What are the new rules ?

 

I contacted a TM officer I know at Section D and she told me. The new rules aren't really new (with one exception), they are basically the same as before but immigration has been ordered to enforce them harder 

Any person bringing a minor out of Thailand must provide written consent from all legal guardians not present

Evidence that a parent is not a legal guardian must have :) 

The new rule: Infants shall not be allowed to leave Thailand without their mother except by court order - this is a response to the surrogacy law

I asked for more details but as always, the memo wasn't all clear. It said nothing about if the written consent must be the amphur form or not, it didn't state what evidence that a parent is not a legal guardian was, didn't say if "minor" was referring only to Thai citizen or not (but she thought it did). Disappointed that not even TM had clear information but that's the way it is

We should expect that there will be some "variations" to how strictly this will be enforced of course :)

On 04/12/2016 at 0:42 PM, Puyai said:

Yes that is correct. We do have the same surnames and I am named as the father on the birth certificate.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

If you do that again on a blank passport and without the mother today, then you will be denied with the new rules that has been implemented

And I think it is great that Thailand is enforcing child abduction controls nowadays

Please confirm: Who is the owner of the land on the chanote? Aare there loans registered on the chanote? And if ex wife now is owner of the land on the chanote, when did this transaction take place?

I would expect the (more correct) way is to get her evicted. I expect that she will leave or court will eventually issue an arrest warrant

I am surprised about "force her to sell". She is the legal owner of the land on the chanote, isn't she? and there are no loans on it, right? How can a court then order her to sell? They can't, they do not have the power too; Unless she became owner of the land on the chanote while you were married. But then this should be solved in a Family court and not provincial court. The sale could take several years

Also, how can she possible sell land that someone else has the right to occupy for the next 27 years? I leased land for many years in Bangkok, the owner of the land had the right to sell of course but by the power of the lease registered at the land office, I would never have left until lease was out and value of the land would surely have dropped

Maybe there is a way to do this and maybe you want the money more than the right to live there. Maybe this is one of those perfect Thai win-win scenarios that the court would be happy to support  You get half, she gets half and you don't want to live there for the next 27 years anyway

I would confirm this with another lawyer, should take longer time to get it sold than to get her evicted for sure. Sounds a bit too much advantage for her

Mikey

20 hours ago, Anthony5 said:

 

That is correct, you will always need a Thai guarantor.

 

Your Thai ID card and yellow book are both just a proof of address, nothing more.

No, you do no always have to provide a guarantor, I actually don't see a difference if it is Thai or westerner really. Most Thai's as well as westerners require guarantor but it is at the end of the day up to the evidence you provide.

I showed p.n.d.91 tax return for the last 5 years and 16 years consecutive work permits and was offered loan without guarantor at both Toyota and Ford

I don't have first hand experience of any of the schools, that must be said. This is just my brain dump but I have been here a while so should be worth something I hope

Keewalee is way up North outside Bangkok. I would expect a good campus as land prices will have dropped a lot. Still possible to commute from a bit north in Bangkok if you're close to the right express way. Need to check teachers, could be good choice -> if you live and work in the North of Bangkok

RC - Doesn't say when it was opened but it's in the same soi where the old Ruamrudee international school was 25 years ago before it moved so very central close to Wireless Road. You really need to check this but I think it is fairly new, I've heard of the learning centre many times but rarely the international school. As I said, check to confirm. I expect that it has built on grades since it started and it's at grade 7 now so not complete secondary education. Their plan should be to complete it before your kids get to that age I suppose but no one knows with so many international schools in Bangkok now. 

You're wrong about tuition fee for RC, I get it to 12 + 65*3 (3 terms) = 205. It really sounds cheap to be so central actually and I don't know why. Probably half or slightly less than half native English speakers and the rest Philippine teachers. Not saying that is bad by the way, they are pretty good with education degrees too, I doubt that all the western teachers will have that. Will need to check school carefully.

RC sounds too cheap, are they selling cheap to get number of students up or are they caught in the competition with too many international schools, struggling and need to reduce prices? Check carefully, could be great choice or?

Modern IS: I think it is an exclusively Indian teacher school, probably great education to a very price worthy price but I bet the vast majority of the students are Indians with some Pakistanis. I was thinking of Modern myself but decided for St. John's instead. I remember the campus when it was brand new and tuition was among the very highest in Bangkok so it's a bit of a dream for me to be able to afford to send my daughter there. My experience of my daughters primary school in Bangkok has led me to look for old schools with tradition and experience, that's why I chose St. John's. 40 years as school, 25 as international school.

Trinity : Christian school which I don't want so never checked closer. Maybe it is right for you. Very central, another Why is it so cheap? Or is it a gold mine non-profit Christian school? I bet 50% non native but not a problem for me

You should really try refusing to pay the registration fee, there are too many international schools in Bangkok nowadays and most of them are struggling to fill class rooms. Buyers market so to speak

Good luck. PM me if you want

Michael

Don't know any international school at 200K

Where the school is located is important with the Bangkok traffic, I checked the area inside - Victory Monument to Sukhumvit, Ramkhamhaeng, Bangkapi and the area north of that up to Kaset Nawamin to Wiphavawee (not including RamIntra) sort of 6 months ago and the by far best choice I found was:

St. John's International School close to Central Latprao. It is an old international school with a good tradition and big campus. It is well priced at a bit over 300K, 10% discount for 1 year up payment front and some discount if you enroll 2 kids I suppose. Only around 10 to max 15 pupils in each class, that is absolutely great for learning. I will move my daughter there next year

200K? More outskirts of Bangkok. I never checked Nonhaburi, Pathum Thani etc

Good luck

Mikey

Just to let you all know. I emailed IKEA and asked when their real Christmas trees will come this year and they responded that they will not sell them at all this year

Christmas without the smell of Christmas  

My daughters mother borrowed money on the family car behind my back 

She went to "Money stuck to the wheels" and they happily transferred the car to their name and let her borrow - Let's see: Car worth perhaps 250K, she borrowed a bit less than 200K and total cost when everything was paid back again was 270K?

I would guess between 260 and 300K in your case. Just call "Money stuck to the wheels" if your Thai is OK or bring it to an outlet and you will quickly give you an answer. Bring the Tisco originals showing that you are reliable

I suppose you plan to take out a loan on the car because you want the land in your daughters name directly = her name on the Chanote = there must be no loans on the land => cannot give responsibility to a child. That is a very good idea

Mikey

22 hours ago, happylarry said:

Good post Mikey except for one thing I don't agree with, when you say bring your own interpreter to the court.....are you serious mate.

Before I explain I have to say that I am biased because my wife is a court interpreter, and a damn good one too.

Anyway good interpreters are few and far between so you can't just grab someone off the street. You may know someone who speaks English quite well but do they know all the legal terms that would be used. I doubt it. Similarly when it comes to having my car serviced at a garage, my wife can't tell me what parts the mechanic are talking about because she simply has never come across these words.

Also you need to consider that the interpreter isnt just there to fill you in on what the judge is saying, the interpreter is actually representing you in the court as much as the lawyer is, because when you are being questioned it is the interpreter who has to interpret your answers and put it over to the court, so you definitely don't want someone who is going to be umming and aaahhhhhing.

My wife and I have been together for thirteen years now and she now speaks English like a native and not only has she been working in the courts for over four years but she is also doing a law degree so she can become a lawyer herself eventually, anyway that's my bit of marketing over but seriously Mikey you want to consider all this carefully before you give that bit of advise again.

So what do you think?

HL

 

Harry, I think the same as you, the interpretor is sometimes more important than the lawyer in court. What I mainly mean is that it should not be one recommended by or someone who knows the lawyer well but I also have a serious concern to consider with interpretors attached to the court. I'll explain below

We already know that a lawyer = one who is within the establishment so to speak feels the pressure of the hierarchy so much that he often doesn't advice that it is better to go against the judges wishes and just let the court order even though he knows it is true

This is not necessarily because he is bad, this is simply the force of Thai culture. It is starting already in early childhood and it is reinforced all through the school years and continues through university. It is not a coincidence that a teacher or a professor teaches the same mistake year after year because no student ever tells him that he is wrong. It's the power of the culture and it doesn't stop when we enter a court room. If you find a lawyer who recommends you to "let them order," then stick to him, they're pretty difficult to find

I wrote what I did because if an interpretor is attached to the court and feels he is part of the establishment, then he also feels the the same pressure. He works and walks in the same corridors where the judges get the same respect as God. If he can distance himself from all this, if he can think "I am outside this" then he/she is a superb choice. That is difficult! 

I can think of many Thai's in the office I work who would be excellent interpreters, but I'd of course rather choose an interpretor attached to the court than a lower educated person or one who lacks self confidence and authority.. I agree with you, an interpretor is equally important to the lawyer or sometimes more important too. I have seen the tough lawyer shrink to nothing when he was told off by the judge, an interpretor must not! 

I think that a Thai interpretor married to a farang and used to the western style would be absolutely excellent. I think that I and your wife would make a great team and happily argue the judges to death politely not caring even one bit about their status :)  I doubt many of the other court interpretors would 

Totally depends on who 

I'm interested in your wife's opinion about the other interpretors attached to the court. Do they feel the same pressure as the lawyers or do they consider themselves outside that?

Mikey

12 hours ago, smccolley said:

Since living in Thailand I have gotten a loan from Thanachart bank to both purchase a used truck and get a loan on a used truck. The truck was in my name and at the time I did not have a work permit. Interest rates were fine and no hassle on the paperwork. I'd ask a few banks before thinking it was impossible.

Yes, with Thai guarantee should be no problem and I've been offered it without guarantee too

There is so much information floating around on TV that simply is not true...

If the assets were bought after you two legally married, then your chances are good indeed. Juvenile court will split assets 50/50 and they will also ignore any agreement that you perhaps had to sign at the land office/amphur. I have seen this happen in court myself

Your have 2 risks here

1) Your Thai lawyer

2) Wifey refuses to sell, puts price so high that it will never sell etc. That will prolong things considerably but should not affect the end result

Any kids involved? 

Ground Rules:

You can trust the court but not your Thai lawyer. Tell your lawyer from the beginning that you will let the court order and appeal if you don't get 50% and follow through on it. Never show any hesitation when you tell your lawyer that. Any Thai lawyer who says that appeal takes more than a year is exaggerating, Family court is normally quick. If you sign a mutual agreement, then you stand no chance appealing it so never sign anything that you are not happy with. Always bring your own interpretor and don't let him get close to your lawyer. Any Thai lawyer who suggests that you should/could get less than 50% because of whatever is most likely not fighting well for you. Any lawyer who says that you can't get 50% because of the agreement that you perhaps signed at the land office/amphur is not fighting well enough for you, just let the court order and that will most likely change.  Most Thai lawyers don't know that you have to appeal for assets not transferred as per court agreement within one year of original court agreement date regardless of if the other party appeals, don't miss this. If you don't get 50% of assets in court for whatever reason (foul play...) then most likely better take your chances in the appeals court. If you have doubts that your lawyer supported you as he should, then replace him for the Appeals court

Courts have a different working style in Thailand but they are generally very fair and not biased against foreigners and fathers, these posts can teach you more what to expect in court

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/948816-daughter-travelling-with-mewill-i-have-difficulty-leaving-thailand-with-her/?page=2#comment-11375871

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/949770-does-the-court-listen-to-12-year-old-childrens-wishes-in-case-of-divorce/#comment-11258492

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/944516-child-maintenance/#comment-11190079

Harry is always posting good advice :)

Good Luck

Mikey 

On ‎11‎/‎24‎/‎2016 at 10:26 AM, Paul Catton said:

Fascinating subjects Mikey, Immigration & Family Law, ambiguous at the best of times even for the legal fraternity.

The term custody is being dropped from Family Law terminology, Primary Care, Day-to-Day-Care, Contact, Parental Responsibility are the vogue.

 

A British mother has a child with me and we have shared custody but I live in Thailand with the child. We go on holiday to the UK. Has the British mother no right to stop her British child from leaving the UK again? That is not so. She certainly does.

 

Her rights (assuming consents/orders were initially addressed upon separation/dissolution) would be dubious and doubtful in attempting to stop you leaving with the child being in your primary care, if the child is habitually resident in Thailand, and has entered the UK as a Thai national and on an official Thai Passport.

She would no doubt have to make an application to Family Court (presumably on an ex-parte basis), which should be transferred to an "on notice application" and if the history was similar to OP's in all likelihood it should fail and then she should be facing a significant costs award against her.

 

I don't agree with fascinating any longer. It was in the beginning but it quickly changed to just pain seeing the sometimes stupidity of the foreigner, the action of the Thai lawyer supposed to support his client or dirt throwing of a parent to gain unfair advantage. The only thing I am not disappointed in is the court itself here. They always kept priority with the child's best. I do not have that respect for Juvenile in Western countries at all

I went to Juvenile as an interpreter the first time to help a friend here. I was surprised about the problems he had, the case should have been quite clear. I found that the mother had used police reports which I knew myself was wrong to change the tide of the court and my friends lawyer supported the mother to get a mutual agreement because he wouldn't go against the judges of course...

I and the father took over and the lawyer simply sat quiet for the next 2 court sessions. It was a comic moment when the judges pushed for the agreement that the lawyer had agreed to and I and the father decided to just let them order. I said - Go on and order then. Everybody were shocked and the lawyer said "You should respect your lawyer"  Jesus how he lost face...I just said - There will be no mutual decision in this court that is not good for the child. Silence while the wind of the court changed tack and the mother was suddenly pushed hard to agree instead.

I went to court another 8 times in other cases and then I had enough.

1) The Brit who trusted his wife, they agreed to shared custody and divorced at the amphur and the mother had made a deal and the officer write sole custody for the mother, she brought the police and extracted the child a while later and he never saw his child again. 

2) Mothers who alienated the children and paraded them in court having them tell well rehearsed and memorized phrases

3) The fathers Thai lawyer who tried to stop him from providing video evidence proving the opposite

4) The fathers Thai lawyer who tried to stop even excellent witnesses like teachers from coming to court

5) Innocent fathers who simply were not accustomed to the evilness...

6) Stupid fathers who wouldn't listen to advice

7) The fathers Thai lawyer deliberately requesting enforcement based on nonsense instead of the childs best

There are many variations but the only two things that were consistent was that the foreigners lawyer would not go against the judges and the court took or thought they took decisions in the long term interest of the child

What you write above about habitual residence will eventually win yes (unless the mother claim abduction and the father has no evidence of a mutual agreement), but regardless of passport that child entered on, the decision is up to the court so the child will not be allowed to leave Thailand pending that decision. It is quite useless to argue with immigration

Mikey

Should be no problem at all if the car really is in your name = no loans. Just bring the book and go to "money stuck to the wheels" they will be happy to rip you off by giving you money, after they have transferred the car to their company name. Interests are at max of what is legally allowed of course and fixed costs are not low as they don't want people who just borrow little

Borrow money to buy a car: No problems at all if you have history. I was offered loans at both Toyota and Ford without Thai guarantee within the same day.

Anthony: Does that count for one hundred or two hundred baht? :)   Several consecutive work permits and decent salary is what is needed, emphasis on the several rather than good salary

Mikey