Thanks for helping us: Foreign cave rescuers all to be given Thai Elite cards

[Neeranam]

36 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Well here's an honest answer, I have a friend who is 76 years old, has been married to a Thai for about 25 years.

Why should someone like him have to do 90 day reports?

 

How many countries in the world would have  guys like my friend having to do 90 day reports?

He can get someone to do it for him.

 

[Tongjaw]

31 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Well here's an honest answer, I have a friend who is 76 years old, has been married to a Thai for about 25 years.

Why should someone like him have to do 90 day reports?

 

How many countries in the world would have  guys like my friend having to do 90 day reports?

Unfortunately that’s the law, not saying I agree with it though. We all knew the rules before making Thailand our home so no point in complaining after the fact. Your friend can do his 90 day reporting online which has made it easier for some. I’ve heard you can also get a 3rd party to do it for you but I don’t personally know anyone who has tried it. 

[NoshowJones]

26 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

He can get someone to do it for him.

 

I know he can, but why should he have to?

and as I asked, how many other countries do westerners have to do 90 day reports?

[lvr181]

20 hours ago, brucec64 said:

Credit where credit is due - the Thai government has made a very appropriate gesture to a group of people who wholeheartedly deserve it.

The "appropriate gesture" should have been made by the PM accompanied by his DPMs!

 

Seems very hard for some to give appropriate thanks when they so willingly (with foot in mouth) play blame games.

[sambum]

20 hours ago, Thechook said:

Really, is that all?  A tour of chiang rai and an elite card.  Wow thanks for paying your own way and next time you come back for a visit you can get a 5% discount with this card.

Read the full post  before making your comments, or get yourself to Specsavers!

[NoshowJones]

30 minutes ago, Tongjaw said:

Unfortunately that’s the law, not saying I agree with it though. We all knew the rules before making Thailand our home so no point in complaining after the fact. Your friend can do his 90 day reporting online which has made it easier for some. I’ve heard you can also get a 3rd party to do it for you but I don’t personally know anyone who has tried it. 

"We all knew the rules before making Thailand our home". Yes, that's right, but although I knew about the 90 day report, before I decided to stay here with my girlfriend (now wife) if I knew they were going to make it very difficult to live here on tourist visas, I would never had bought my house, though it did not matter in the end as I started work as a school teacher for a few years and always had a work permit.

[sambum]

2 hours ago, DrTuner said:

I think most would be dead of old age before that would have been processed.

Deleted

[sambum]

18 minutes ago, lvr181 said:

The "appropriate gesture" should have been made by the PM accompanied by his DPMs!

 

Seems very hard for some to give appropriate thanks when they so willingly (with foot in mouth) play blame games.

Agreed - yet another missed PR opportunity! 

[Thechook]

Momentum is building in Australia for Dr Harris to be awarded the Cross of Valour. 

 

 Australian Bravery Decorations recognise acts of bravery by members of the community. They selflessly put themselves in jeopardy to protect the lives or property of others.

 

Bravery or courage differs from fortitude in a crisis situation. Bravery is a deliberate choice to go from a place of safety to danger or remain in a perilous position to provide help.

 

The Cross of Valour is the highest bravery decoration. It is awarded for acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril.

 

The civilian version of the Victoria Cross

 

There are also calls for him to receive the Australian of the year award.

 

 

 

[sambum]

27 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

"We all knew the rules before making Thailand our home". Yes, that's right, but although I knew about the 90 day report, before I decided to stay here with my girlfriend (now wife) if I knew they were going to make it very difficult to live here on tourist visas, I would never had bought my house, though it did not matter in the end as I started work as a school teacher for a few years and always had a work permit.

"We all knew the rules before making Thailand our home".

Agreed, but we didn't think they would change them/move the goalposts at the first opportunity! And we didn't realise that one Immigration Office may not use the same set of rules as another Immigration Office!

[africasiaeuro]

Well done!

Well deserved.

[NoshowJones]

40 minutes ago, sambum said:

"We all knew the rules before making Thailand our home".

Agreed, but we didn't think they would change them/move the goalposts at the first opportunity! And we didn't realise that one Immigration Office may not use the same set of rules as another Immigration Office!

Great post, you have just said what I have said all along, each immigration office has different rules and just mess us about, give them their pretty uniforms and they just love using their authority.

[Neeranam]

1 hour ago, Thechook said:

Momentum is building in Australia for Dr Harris to be awarded the Cross of Valour. 

 

 Australian Bravery Decorations recognise acts of bravery by members of the community. They selflessly put themselves in jeopardy to protect the lives or property of others.

 

Bravery or courage differs from fortitude in a crisis situation. Bravery is a deliberate choice to go from a place of safety to danger or remain in a perilous position to provide help.

 

The Cross of Valour is the highest bravery decoration. It is awarded for acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril.

 

The civilian version of the Victoria Cross

 

There are also calls for him to receive the Australian of the year award.

 

 

 

The order of the white elephant, 5 th order would be a nice gesture.

 

[Thechook]

22 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

The order of the white elephant, 5 th order would be a nice gesture.

 

Given to thai officials for 5 years service, not in the class of the Australian Cross of Valour.  In Australian standards it's like receiving the Australian military service medal (4year) and the Victoria Cross.  No offence intended but doesn't compare.

 

 The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant (Thai: เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันเป็นที่เชิดชูยิ่งช้างเผือก; RTGSKhrueang Ratcha Itsariyaphon An Pen Thi Choet Chu Ying Chang Phueak) is an order of Thailand. It was established in 1861 by King Rama IV of the Kingdom of Siam. Along with the Order of the Crown of Thailand, it is regularly awarded to government officials for each five years of service, making it Thailand's most-awarded order.

 

Serving 5 years as a Thai official doesn't equate to the bravery of Dr Harris when you consider a thai died in the rescue operation.

 

[sambum]

1 hour ago, possum1931 said:

Great post, you have just said what I have said all along, each immigration office has different rules and just mess us about, give them their pretty uniforms and they just love using their authority.

Thank you! P.S. I played bass for 30 years!

[bkk75]

23 hours ago, Bullie said:

Whoop-di-do, so with a little bit of luck they now do not have to pay overstay on the current trip.

It is good to finally know the exact worth of 13 Thai lives: a week's holiday, and a rather useless elite-card for the duration of 5 years. For most working stiffs a visa-exempt stay in Thailand of 2-3 weeks a year is all they can swing anyway, apart from the fact that your loved ones still would need visa's on extended stays.

 

Then again, the farangs in question are getting away lightly. For all we know they could have been given the honor of being appointed honorary Thai.

 

Thank goodness you're not one of the volunteers.  It's called volunteer and not paid work.  These heroes do it to save lives and not expecting anything in return!!

 

By your standards the recent widow of Suman should receive 10m...{roll eyes}.

 

I think the bitter overstay farangs need a dose of humbleness and take a vacation rather than look for any opportunity to bash their "second home".

[Neeranam]

33 minutes ago, Thechook said:

Given to thai officials for 5 years service, not in the class of the Australian Cross of Valour.  In Australian standards it's like receiving the Australian military service medal (4year) and the Victoria Cross.  No offence intended but doesn't compare.

 

 The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant (Thai: เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันเป็นที่เชิดชูยิ่งช้างเผือก; RTGSKhrueang Ratcha Itsariyaphon An Pen Thi Choet Chu Ying Chang Phueak) is an order of Thailand. It was established in 1861 by King Rama IV of the Kingdom of Siam. Along with the Order of the Crown of Thailand, it is regularly awarded to government officials for each five years of service, making it Thailand's most-awarded order.

 

Serving 5 years as a Thai official doesn't equate to the bravery of Dr Harris when you consider a thai died in the rescue operation.

 

There are 5 levels to this award, and I assure you, level 5 is a very high award.

[KiwiKiwi]

Excellent. Prize for helping - a Thai Elite card. Prize for being nowhere near it and not helping at all - 2 Thai Elite Cards.

 

They've got hundreds of thousands they couldn't sell, and will be happy to just give them away.

[NoshowJones]

26 minutes ago, sambum said:

Thank you! P.S. I played bass for 30 years!

Same here, a little more than that,

[GTgrizzly]

What a fantastic gesture, I'm sure non of the rescue teams expected anything, just another job well done for them

I cant believe the negative comments in this thread...unbelievable

Some of you guys must have a very sad life

[lust]

22 minutes ago, GTgrizzly said:

What a fantastic gesture, I'm sure non of the rescue teams expected anything, just another job well done for them

I cant believe the negative comments in this thread...unbelievable

Some of you guys must have a very sad life

Hahahaha.. But seriously, 5 years is a joke. This should be given for 5 years and if they desire they can renew it for life. This would cost all of 200baht for the cost of paper and ink.

[lvr181]

4 hours ago, Thechook said:

Momentum is building in Australia for Dr Harris to be awarded the Cross of Valour. 

 

 Australian Bravery Decorations recognise acts of bravery by members of the community. They selflessly put themselves in jeopardy to protect the lives or property of others.

 

Bravery or courage differs from fortitude in a crisis situation. Bravery is a deliberate choice to go from a place of safety to danger or remain in a perilous position to provide help.

 

The Cross of Valour is the highest bravery decoration. It is awarded for acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril.

 

The civilian version of the Victoria Cross

 

There are also calls for him to receive the Australian of the year award.

 

 

 

I have already nominated him for Australian of the Year award a few days ago and I think that some others have already done the same.

 

Here is the online site:

https://www.australianoftheyear.org.au/nominate/

 

HTH

[kuzmabruk]

On 7/12/2018 at 7:26 PM, 55Jay said:

A JWD from the PM in person would be enough, in particular for the US Military active duty, who may also receive a lifesaving medal or other commendation, and a nice bullet in their fitrep/evaluation, which is good for the next promotion opportunity.

 

For the others without any restrictions on accepting gifts from foreign nations, this is a very nice gesture.

Two questions. First, which Thai Elite card do they receive? 20-year is 2 million baht value plus 20,000 per year. 

 

Second. Most first world citizens will have to declare and pay tax on the value of the gift. It is considered income in the US and Canada for example. This is something that the recipients’ respective governments might be on the lookout for. 

[KiwiKiwi]

2 hours ago, GTgrizzly said:

What a fantastic gesture, I'm sure non of the rescue teams expected anything, just another job well done for them

I cant believe the negative comments in this thread...unbelievable

Some of you guys must have a very sad life

 

Or perhaps they've just lived in Thailand for longer or otherwise no longer take things at face value..

 

But seriously, I'm sure nobody underestimates the expertise or contribution of the rescue teams, it's just the reward that seems a bit ...niggardly. Still, gift horse in the mouth I expect.

 

Perhaps they'd have been better handing out recycling bins or re-purposed shark fins or something no?

[KiwiKiwi]

3 hours ago, bkk75 said:

 

Thank goodness you're not one of the volunteers.  It's called volunteer and not paid work.  These heroes do it to save lives and not expecting anything in return!!

 

By your standards the recent widow of Suman should receive 10m...{roll eyes}.

 

I think the bitter overstay farangs need a dose of humbleness and take a vacation rather than look for any opportunity to bash their "second home".

 

 

Quite right too. We should all guard against losing the touristy 'stars in their eyes' and replacing them with completely unwarranted cynicism. Well said.

[chickenslegs]

6 hours ago, Thechook said:

Momentum is building in Australia for Dr Harris to be awarded the Cross of Valour. 

 

 Australian Bravery Decorations recognise acts of bravery by members of the community. They selflessly put themselves in jeopardy to protect the lives or property of others.

 

Bravery or courage differs from fortitude in a crisis situation. Bravery is a deliberate choice to go from a place of safety to danger or remain in a perilous position to provide help.

 

The Cross of Valour is the highest bravery decoration. It is awarded for acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril.

 

The civilian version of the Victoria Cross

 

There are also calls for him to receive the Australian of the year award.

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, lvr181 said:

I have already nominated him for Australian of the Year award a few days ago and I think that some others have already done the same.

 

Here is the online site:

https://www.australianoftheyear.org.au/nominate/

 

HTH

 

I'm sure I read in one of the many TV topics, that Dr Harris brought over with him his fellow-Australian diving partner. I don't ever remember reading this guys name and there has been little mention of him since (somebody may correct me if I'm wrong).

It took a whole team to find and rescue those people. I hope that no member of the team is overlooked when the medals/accolades are being handed out.

 

[cliffly]

Quote

10 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Reminds me of the Scottish mountain rescue team, risking their lives, often at huge expense, to get some English nob(toff), who has ignored weather warnings, off the top of Ben Nevis in the middle of winter. 

 

Out of order ! The weather can close in pretty fast up there even without warnings.

 

[Tongjaw]

5 hours ago, possum1931 said:

Great post, you have just said what I have said all along, each immigration office has different rules and just mess us about, give them their pretty uniforms and they just love using their authority.

Well to be honest in all the years I’ve been here I have used 3 different immigration offices. Had visas based on marriage and retirement over the years and have had no issues. I have read stories on here of people having issues so maybe I have been lucky all these years.

[KiwiKiwi]

2 minutes ago, Tongjaw said:

Well to be honest in all the years I’ve been here I have used 3 different immigration offices. Had visas based on marriage and retirement over the years and have had no issues. I have read stories on here of people having issues so maybe I have been lucky all these years.

 

Ditto, well, since I left BKK anyway. Perhaps I've been lucky too.

 

[NoshowJones]

16 minutes ago, Tongjaw said:

Well to be honest in all the years I’ve been here I have used 3 different immigration offices. Had visas based on marriage and retirement over the years and have had no issues. I have read stories on here of people having issues so maybe I have been lucky all these years.

 "so maybe I have been lucky all these years". Well I certainly haven't, been accused of having a 25 day overstay, but that has been documented enough here on TV.

I went to another office, and gave them all the proof that was needed for something, and they refused. I won't bother going into all the details.