1 hour ago, dcnx said:

Here is the problem, westerners look for all of the corrupt things happening here and only see them as corrupt. Some, based on principle, refuse to participate. Life is harder for these people. But ALL of Thailand is corrupt. Every branch of every government at every level. Every policeman, every politician, everyone, everywhere. Where we see corruption, it’s just a way of life for them.

 

Don’t look at anything as corrupt (or question if it is) and make judgment. Assume it all is and accept that this is how Thais operate. In most cases it’s not corruption to them, it’s life. Wealthy Thais know this better than the rest, it’s why most of them are wealthy.

 

Once you fully understand this and accept it, and work within their rules (corrupt or not), life gets unbelievably easy here. Backs get scratched, money trumps everything, and everyone is on the take. EVERYONE. You just have to learn how to approach it without offending them, because despite everyone being on the take, there is a right and a wrong way to do it. The right way is the Thai way. The wrong way is the western way.

 

Leave your western values in the west and forget about if it’s right or wrong to play on their level, because they don’t care if you lose. In fact, they hope you do and have set everything up here so they always have the upper hand. So play on their level, get your hands dirty, and life is so, so much easier. 

 

Take notes from wealthy Thais if you know any. 

 

No no idea why I wrote all of that. ????

The wealthy Thais Ive met are dead set against corruption, in fact they despise it

58 minutes ago, baansgr said:

The wealthy Thais Ive met are dead set against corruption, in fact they despise it

They are saving face.

 

They don’t admit it to you because it makes them and Thais/Thailand look bad. 

2 hours ago, baansgr said:

The wealthy Thais Ive met are dead set against corruption, in fact they despise it

Wanted to edit my first reply to you but it won’t let me. ????

 

They very well might despise corruption, but it’s still a very big part of their life and they use it to their benefit. They wouldn’t be where they are otherwise. It’s just a way of life for them.

 

I don’t like doing a lot of things but I do them because I have to. 

3 hours ago, Will27 said:

You should've put more time into the application rather than blaming Thai employee's

and everyone else.

 

FWIW, when an Aussie provides financial support for the applicant, the decision to grant

or refuse is reviewed by an Aussie member of staff.

 

That's not to say mistakes don't happen, but by and large it's an easy process with a high grant rate. 

Maybe I should have. However, there isn't a meter on the application which explains how much time I am supposed to devote to it.

Mistakes do happen in any bureaucracy. Denying an Australian citizen the right to appeal a decision IMHO demonstrates  arrogance. The term public servant should not be an oxymoron.

Were you a public servant yourself? That would explain your attitude.

10 years I've been doing a marriage visa, no problems. To get in and out of Immigration office within 1hour 30 minutes you've done well. Fresh pics every year are needed.

On 1/13/2019 at 4:28 PM, dcnx said:

Once you fully understand this and accept it, and work within their rules (corrupt or not), life gets unbelievably easy here. Backs get scratched, money trumps everything, and everyone is on the take. EVERYONE. You just have to learn how to approach it without offending them, because despite everyone being on the take, there is a right and a wrong way to do it. The right way is the Thai way. The wrong way is the western way.

Everyone here is on the take? I'm here, and I'm not on the take. In fact I manage to live here quite nicely without paying bribes to anyone and without accepting them either.

 

Right and wrong kinds of bribery? No, they are all wrong, and if you play along with it you are just selling your soul. Not much of a loss for many people in Thailand though, of all nationalities.

On 1/12/2019 at 3:38 PM, ubonjoe said:

I would can it a paid favor. If he had to to pay to have the photos printed it would of been covered with what you gave him.

500B prints a lot of photos.

 

And 500B is more than many (most?) Thais earn in a day.

On ‎1‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 4:41 PM, ExpatDraco said:

I would have said: here's 1000, can I come to the party also? :-D

and your wife?

5 hours ago, KittenKong said:

Right and wrong kinds of bribery? No, they are all wrong, and if you play along with it you are just selling your soul. Not much of a loss for many people in Thailand though, of all nationalities.

Sometimes slipping the guy a couple of red notes is by far easier than traipsing all the way to the police station, trying to park, paying substantially more after queuing up for an hour and then finding out that they haven't got your licence, and vainly searching for the original policeman with the receipt, who has deliberately made himself scarce.

4 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Sometimes slipping the guy a couple of red notes is by far easier than traipsing all the way to the police station, trying to park, paying substantially more after queuing up for an hour and then finding out that they haven't got your licence, and vainly searching for the original policeman with the receipt, who has deliberately made himself scarce.

In 8 years I have only been fined once, for not wearing a seat belt, and I was 100% guilty of that. It is not a mistake I will make again.

 

The policeman suggested that I could pay him 800B or go to the police station and pay 400B. As the police station was only a couple of km away, and on my route, and has plenty of parking, you can probably guess which I chose.
I will never forget the glower on the face of the policeman when he appeared on his motorbike a few minutes later, having been summoned by radio to the station to give me back my licence. It may have lost me 20 minutes but it really made my day.

25 minutes ago, KittenKong said:

In 8 years I have only been fined once, for not wearing a seat belt, and I was 100% guilty of that. It is not a mistake I will make again.

 

The policeman suggested that I could pay him 800B or go to the police station and pay 400B. As the police station was only a couple of km away, and on my route, and has plenty of parking, you can probably guess which I chose.
I will never forget the glower on the face of the policeman when he appeared on his motorbike a few minutes later, having been summoned by radio to the station to give back my licence. It may have lost me 20 minutes but it really made my day.

Worked for you and all is fine until next time you two meet. Sometimes they take your vehicle!

23 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Worked for you and all is fine until next time you two meet. Sometimes they take your vehicle!

They say that Thais have long memories for faces. As someone who generally forgets people within about 30 seconds of meeting them, I've often wondered if it is true (and, if it is true, how on earth they do it).