Expat volunteers in Chiang Mai denied visas in work permit standoff

[Lampang2]

There is nothing wrong to have a choice and for sure it is not worse
than pushing the child from the age of 2.5 in school to the "state" religion

Choice of no religion is also a choice

The best.

Religion is just power structures.
Nothing anyone needs.

[jgarbo]

20 hours ago, ThaiPauly said:

You couldn't make this stuff up...sheesh

 

They are trying to HELP, they are asking for NOTHING IN RETURN

 

Unbelieveable

It's the law. "Using your knowledge, with or without compensation" is work, which needs a permit.

Volunteering is illegal in Thailand. You don't like it, go back to your own country and volunteer there. Simple.

[totally thaied up]

I could go into great depth here.  Really,  this was something that needed clamping down. Only a very few people here are doing good work. The rest,  easy way to keep a visa and many Nomads or "others under 50" that have no skills at all in this area/field are going to hurt righteously so.  I saw this coming two years ago. It may be a storm in a tea cup now but I am with the side view you should be fully vetted as you deal with a lot of young children.  You only got to look at the rot in the Australian Catholic Church for starters. I hope those I know doing good work are not harmed. There are good people doing massive raising of funds for clothes,  books,  tree planting, water and toilet blocks in very remote areas. Just the basics but they go a long way to help. 

[wealthychef]

20 hours ago, ukrules said:

This new 'head of the labour office' is clearly not following the rules or doing their job properly.

 

Report them to the main department in Bangkok and get him / her bought into line or fired.

 

You mean someone is not giving them their envelopes on schedule?  Tsk tsk.  Not following the rules, not doing their job properly.  How very unusual!  LOL

 

[BigC]

What kind of volunteer work as some people use a loophole just to get a visa 

[Happyman58]

3 minutes ago, wealthychef said:

 

You mean someone is not giving them their envelopes on schedule?  Tsk tsk.  Not following the rules, not doing their job properly.  How very unusual!  LOL

 

Yeah, I agree. Looks like Thais have learned the phase well "Rules are made to broken" It is good they are learning 

[ThaiPauly]

15 minutes ago, jgarbo said:

It's the law. "Using your knowledge, with or without compensation" is work, which needs a permit.

Volunteering is illegal in Thailand. You don't like it, go back to your own country and volunteer there. Simple.

Oh I see you are one of those "if you don't like it go back home " types. We get a few like you from time to time.

 

Yes we all KNOW that it's the law, what most of us (except you) seem to be saying is that it's a crazy law that does not help this country in the least, it's not a rich country like the ones in the west and they really need all the help they can get. People offer it for free and get treated like criminals

[Happyman58]

29 minutes ago, Russell17au said:

It always amuses me about the way that a lot of people react to things like this. I see it as Thailand cleaning up its act and only allowing genuine volunteers in to the country and it is a pity that they do not take it further and check everybody who applies for a non-immigrant visa for what ever reason because I believe that there are a lot of farangs who have cheated the system to obtain their visas and their extensions. As for the volunteers, I believe that the only ones that should be worried about this are those that are not genuine volunteers and that have paid their way in to Thailand.

Well said, Russell, The people rorting the system will be the ones who will make it hard for the genuine ones who do the right thing. Happened in Queensland with the worker's compensation board with the rorters nearly sending it broke that the compensation board had to impose really tough laws to keep it afloat, therefore, denying the people who really needed it to never getting what they deserved from real accidents. Like, lose an arm in a work accident they put a figure on what it was worth by losing an arm.  Really in monetary terms does anybody know what it is worth to lose an arm in a work accident, Of course, they didn't. but that is what they had to do  Really how could anybody work that out and the worker's board knew that, But that is what they had to do to stop growing broke thanks to the rorters, Before it was open slather and which rorter had the best lawyer got the most

[paulwalker30]

Yeah maybe some are honest volunteers but quite a few teachers working at my girlfriends school in Bangkok have those "volunteer" work permits, as always someone will find a way to screw up things for those really in need of them.

[0815]

1 hour ago, ThaiPauly said:

Oh I see you are one of those "if you don't like it go back home " types. We get a few like you from time to time.

 

Yes we all KNOW that it's the law, what most of us (except you) seem to be saying is that it's a crazy law that does not help this country in the least, it's not a rich country like the ones in the west and they really need all the help they can get. People offer it for free and get treated like criminals

So you think there are no Thais who do a great volunteer job ?
Only foreigners are doing it ?
You may be quite wrong then.
Be serious please. How many "volunteers" are just using this form of help to get a long term visa only ?
As much as are /where here on ED visas, but never showed up in a school regularely ?

[GalaxyMan]

21 hours ago, ukrules said:

It doesn't matter why they're doing it, banning work permits for all volunteers is just about one of the dumbest things I've ever heard.

 

If there are a few bad apples then they should find them by doing their jobs. You can't blanket ban everyone.

 

Word will make its way back to the top and this situation will end.

Throwing out the baby with the bath water. 

[moontang]

Always a few nutjobs advocating open borders...not gonna happen.  Try entering Malaysia or Mexico illegally.  They aren't building a wall so people can simply call themselves volunteers.  You would have 50,000 African "volunteers" in CM alone.

[thaimelody]

22 hours ago, Briggsy said:

How many of these volunteers are evangelists?

Christ Knows!

[marqus12]

1 hour ago, Lampang2 said:

Choice of no religion is also a choice

The best.

Religion is just power structures.
Nothing anyone needs.

Lack of religion means that after all 189 genders got all the rights they wanted,
now in the media the fight for the rights of pedophiles begins...
after all, they are also a minority and they feel persecuted by the majority.

Just one example .

 

Religion is the basis of culture.

[sanemax]

3 minutes ago, marqus12 said:

Lack of religion means that after all 189 genders got all the rights they wanted,
now in the media the fight for the rights of pedophiles begins...
after all, they are also a minority and they feel persecuted by the majority.
Just one example .

Where is that happening ?

Where in the media are pedophiles fighting for their rights ?

Is it really occurring or are you just looking for an excuse to talk about TV's favorite subject ?

[Rhys]

Need another royal decree?

[marqus12]

8 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Where is that happening ?

Where in the media are pedophiles fighting for their rights ?

Is it really occurring or are you just looking for an excuse to talk about TV's favorite subject ?

Wait and see .. bye byee

[dpspike]

Seems like a battle of the "this is your problem, not my problem" attitudes.

If it is a matter of "bad apples" faking volunteer positions with fly-by-night NGOs, this would take actual work to investigate and obtain evidence of deceiving Thai government agencies. Easier to just deny work permits and visas for all volunteers in their jurisdiction. Maybe they will get really serious about it, and pass a new regulation that won't be enforced any more than the previous one, but will allow the Labor Office to squeeze the genuine volunteers and NGOs for more money. Or maybe CM Immigration will just "let" the farang pay a 1600 baht fine every 90 days because their Thai landlord won't submit a TM-30. That's the current treatment for Retired and Marriage visas in CM nowadays. 

[hashmodha]

This is deeper than it appears at outset!

[0815]

22 minutes ago, marqus12 said:

Lack of religion means that after all 189 genders got all the rights they wanted,
now in the media the fight for the rights of pedophiles begins...
after all, they are also a minority and they feel persecuted by the majority.

Just one example .

 

Religion is the basis of culture.

So I don't have a culture ?

[sanemax]

11 minutes ago, marqus12 said:

Wait and see .. bye byee

Oh OK, it was just something that you are predicting that you think will happen in the future

[moontang]

1 hour ago, Happyman58 said:

Well said, Russell, The people rorting the system will be the ones who will make it hard for the genuine ones who do the right thing. Happened in Queensland with the worker's compensation board with the rorters nearly sending it broke that the compensation board had to impose really tough laws to keep it afloat, therefore, denying the people who really needed it to never getting what they deserved from real accidents. Like, lose an arm in a work accident they put a figure on what it was worth by losing an arm.  Really in monetary terms does anybody know what it is worth to lose an arm in a work accident, Of course, they didn't. but that is what they had to do  Really how could anybody work that out and the worker's board knew that, But that is what they had to do to stop growing broke thanks to the rorters, Before it was open slather and which rorter had the best lawyer got the most

like half the disabled veterans in the US...their entire lives are now devoted to squeezing ever penny possible out of the VA...many had never seen action, meanwhile those who deserve and need help are put through the ringer.  PTSD?  more of a scam than whiplash.

[wvavin]

Just what the Labour department has done is correct to rid off bogus volunteers in this country. 

[marqus12]

35 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Oh OK, it was just something that you are predicting that you think will happen in the future

It is predicted by people smarter than me years ago ...and today..

pedophilia is being tamed under the term MAP Minor Attracted Person

[Monkeyrobot]

You cannot do volunteer work without a work permit. Unless you can cave drive .

[sanemax]

3 minutes ago, Monkeyrobot said:

You cannot do volunteer work without a work permit. Unless you can cave drive .

As thats a reference to the felang cave rescuers , that was a special occasion and normal visa rules did not apply

[totally thaied up]

1 hour ago, marqus12 said:

It is predicted by people smarter than me years ago ...and today..

pedophilia is being tamed under the term MAP Minor Attracted Person

I have friends on the front-line fighting MAP.  MAP has its own flag now and it is in the future,  going to be a major problem. My friends had two daughters defiled at a very young age by a pedophile and what I have seen sent to me by them what is being propagated across the internet (as in open group talks to the governments) is mind blowing. Places like Cambodia or the Philippines would be a treasure chest for such people and what is no better way at getting to the children is via unvetted people that have a history,  coming in.

 

My Thai wife and I taught for some time legally and half the volunteers had very little  or no education and would show up with not even a lesson plan and just wing it. I foresee these days as being over in the future if the Department is serious. I have been away from this now for years,  but I gather,  not much has changed unless some big news comes down from the top and this current storm, goes away. 

[balo]

 

Nonsense, it's in the religion most of the peados are hiding , that's a fact ,  Catholic church , monks in temples, missionaries in CM .  Need I carry on ? 

 

Blame the society  for not having a religion , utter nonsense. When you can't hide behind your "religious wall" any longer , we can see who you really are.

'

 

[sweatalot]

22 hours ago, moontang said:

just one small detail and difference:  they were highly skilled.

... and urgently needed

and they did not need a one year visa

[NomadRip]

8 hours ago, Russell17au said:

It always amuses me about the way that a lot of people react to things like this. I see it as Thailand cleaning up its act and only allowing genuine volunteers in to the country and it is a pity that they do not take it further and check everybody who applies for a non-immigrant visa for what ever reason because I believe that there are a lot of farangs who have cheated the system to obtain their visas and their extensions. As for the volunteers, I believe that the only ones that should be worried about this are those that are not genuine volunteers and that have paid their way in to Thailand.

I believe it's exactly the opposite of that.

 

The ones who have been through the vetting process, did everything by the book, turned in the reams of paperwork, did the background checks, the multiple interviews with multiple agencies, and multiple surprise inspections during the fairly expensive process to getting legit volunteer visas over the six month period it takes to get a long term visa (if all goes well and on time, anyway) are being targeted just the same in this new inter department kerfluffle.

 

Why should they not worry?