Thailand based blogger Richard Barrow reveals difficulties in renewing extension of stay

[KhaoNiaw]

1 hour ago, Raybangkok said:

Richard has stated on his facebook page that he has not been a teacher for 5 years and is not employed by the school where he says he is head of the English dept and head of other areas in the school. He said that he works for an outside company promoting the school he used to work at. 

 

From his official Twitter account: "Blogging is my hobby. My day job is teaching."
My point simply was that if he's had some leeway in the past regarding his status here and the activities he's been involved in, then that might come to an end. 

[soalbundy]

2 hours ago, davidst01 said:

just sit on your ass and do nothing. dont take a stand. I bet you've been like this your whole life ??? pathetic

This isn't Agincourt

[ThaiBunny]

4 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

This isn't Agincourt

I was put in mind immediately of the Spanish Inquisition sketch in Monty Python

[madmen]

He said he goes through this EVERY YEAR

 

Wake up peoples, nothing to do with petion

[Caine]

On 8/10/2019 at 5:44 AM, Thaiwrath said:

All the people who were saying "don't worry, just sign the petition' ! 

As many said, best to keep a low profile.

I sign every petition H. Dumpty, they are still looking for me the other side of the wall. ????????????

[sturdyd]

3 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

What a bunch of moaning people, see how much effort a Thai has to do to stay in a western country.

Speaking for the USA, practically none. Yes, hard to get into, but one there a Green Card is good for 10 years with no stings attached.

[Tagged]

7 hours ago, dunrudin said:

Gandhi was not campaigning for equal rights for all. He was only interested in equal status for Indians!

Read about young Ghandhi in South Africa, there be som proofs to your statement. 

 

 

[Tagged]

5 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

I think the immigration office has a stamp far mightier than the blogger's pen.

If Richard is denied new visa, what would that lead to? 100´s of Thai Visa members and followers move now, and 100´s later, or will life goes on as useal, and the same followers will adjust themselves to the system? 

 

If you have invested your life here, you will not leave before you have to, but if you have nothing, and just have your bags to pack up, it is easier, right? 

 

So what is the moral in the story? 

[Percy P]

On 8/10/2019 at 11:50 AM, NCC1701A said:

i follow Richard on twitter. i hope they don't throw him out.

he does a good job promoting Thailand and sometimes he will come down on some issues.

the last year or two he seems more vocal.

by coincidence i saw him doing a photo shoot in Mae Hong Son last November.  

interesting operation.

 

It's obvious they want him out so other other expats can't be informed as to what to do. They must think he is to informed as to what is going on.

[lamyai3]

4 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

His most recent tweet on this matter mentioned a further 7 day review, with some sort of decision by 16 August.

I wonder if they're waiting to hear what he has to say in his talk on Thursday evening (15th) at the FCC on "Thailand’s controversial immigration laws and their consequences”. 

[Fookhaht]

I thought having to go back to the IO I’m 7 days was the norm I have had to do that for the last few years for my extension of stay so,I always do my application 10 days before it expires just in case got to say on the initial visit the girls on the front desk go through it with a fine tooth comb take my money keep my passport and I collect it 7 days later.

I don’t get it. For 17 years, I’ve gotten my extension stamp within 30 minutes of making application. Dealt with six IOs. Is the long holdup mainly in Bangkok?


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[fforest1]

7 hours ago, Fex Bluse said:

Don't be surprised.

 

I am smart enough to know how Thailand works.

 

And though I have a very poor view of Thailand, what I do for Farang here is to be respectable, have plenty of money, not marry hookers, employ Thais in jobs that earn anywhere from 60,000 to 250,000 THB per month, try to warn Farang of what I think are the 'real' national characteristics of the local population.

 

I try to do my part.

Hey I would be more than interested in one of your 250,000 Baht a month jobs....Thats really good of you to be paying way above western wages.....

[Fookhaht]

Does anyone know whether immigration at Suvarnabhumi airport already demands to see that confirmation slip that everybody is supposed to carry around in their passport? Have there been any reports of people having problems exiting the country without that slip?
 
I am asking because my landlady is still waiting to receive her user ID and password... but I'll have to go on an overseas business trip in two weeks.
 
If immigration is not coming up with a solution that actually works very soon, this is all going to end in utter chaos for everybody.

It took me 4-5 months to get an ID and password. I’m hearing as short as six weeks in some cases.

[hgma]

maybe we just wait till judgement day,before we speculate on issues related or not.

[Fex Bluse]

52 minutes ago, fforest1 said:

Hey I would be more than interested in one of your 250,000 Baht a month jobs....Thats really good of you to be paying way above western wages.....

Not above western wages. Westerners with similar roles earn significantly more in western countries. 

 

250,000 Baht per month is not alot of money for a Harvard PhD with 20 years of experience in a professional field like Finance. 

 

It's just a decent middle class salary. 

[meand]

5 hours ago, KhaoNiaw said:

Richard will probably get through unless he's left himself open to the authorities who are looking for something. I think there was a period where he tried to present himself as a travel blogger / new media journalist and very much played down his job as a teacher. In this thread many people seem to think he's a journalist, writer or even works for TAT (something going to ring bells with the word 'work'). The last couple of years he's back to emphasizing that he's a full-time teacher and blogging is a hobby. If I remember correctly from previous occasions he's referred to his annual extensions, he actually has a company and his posts refer to immigration officials at his office, so maybe he's not a direct employee of his school?

So I guess it could be a fishing trip to see if everything's in order and whether any of his activities are incompatible with his visa status. I doubt they'll refuse his extension unless they can point to specific reasons. I'm sure Richard has contacts that can pull a few strings on his behalf, although I suppose that would go against his own principles and might come with strings attached about what he could continue to say in the future. 

You seem to understand the situation far better than I. 

 

When you say "hobby" though, what about the paypal links on the website. I suppose cnn could claim to be hobbyists and just post paypal donate links everywhere, but i do not think it works like that. I would think if you are receiving funds from an obviously large reader base, it is not a hobby and it can be assumed you are making a substantial income (relative to Thai workers). 

 

Or maybe he does in fact have a work per it for the blog income? 

[metisdead]

Some off topic bickering posts have been removed. 

[DrTuner]

6 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

What a bunch of moaning people, see how much effort a Thai has to do to stay in a western country.

Lodge an application for residence permit based on marriage, wait about six months, move in and that's it. Thailand could do the same if they wanted to. They don't.

[gunderhill]

Fuss over  nothing, Ive  had the month go by by well over a  week they were  just either busy or slow at that particular  time.

[KhaoYai]

7 hours ago, FarFlungFalang said:

One aught to learn to be wary of things written and not always believe what you think you are seeing or reading.

I don't, which is why I am questioning the allegation.

[Chongalulu]

On 8/10/2019 at 6:16 AM, Vacuum said:

Well, I've been in Thailand for 20 years and never experienced the 'problems' you have. What am doing wrong?

Rather like the bloke who never wears a seatbelt saying ' I’ve been ok for 20 years' . You are until suddenly it isn’t.

[drbeach]

3 hours ago, Percy P said:

It's obvious they want him out so other other expats can't be informed as to what to do. They must think he is to informed as to what is going on.

why would he be thrown out? He hasn't violated any laws. He counts immigration staff as his friends.

[brewsterbudgen]

Absolutely none. Once they're in, they're in. At least in the U.S.A.

Very different in the UK!

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[drbeach]

5 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

He should change his nationality to Chinese, the stuff they pull and get away with, including the purchasing of Thai nationality is amazing. It's not what you know but who you know and it's not always that expensive either, we as falangs are treated differently to non native Chinese living here, I know it for a fact.

Chinese can't do that anymore, at least not ordinary Chinese. I'm sure very rich farang with the right connections could do the same as you mention.

[Orton Rd]

I know some that do as I mentioned and the bribes are nowhere near what a rich falang would be asked for.

[drbeach]

9 hours ago, JAG said:

Ah, but someone dealing with Mr Barrow's paperwork obviously feels that he has lost face, and is making things difficult.

 

The clumsy legislation, uncoordinated application of said legislation, and perhaps the venal approach of some in position of (local) authority reacting to the petition are why he has this problem.

 

I don't think there is a policy to drive out foreigners, if there were then it would be far less subtle, and far more effective. In the last few months we would have been gone. We are really statistically insignificant. The current round of enforcement of rules on tourist visas is because (like visa exempt entry and Education Visas) people have abused them to - de facto - live here, often with all that implies in terms of working illegally. The more rigorous interpretation of existing regulations regarding Visa extensions for marriage ad retirement are again the result of some people openly "gaming the system" (and gleefully boasting of doing so). The TM 30 actions are, I suspect, driven by an intent to get a handle on the very large number of migrant workers from neighbouring countries who no longer live, or work, where they are registered as doing so.

 

No doubt for some these three policies are frustrating, tedious, but I don't think that they represent a campaign against "Farangs".

Exactly. Very good analysis. I agree with you that there is definitely no co-ordinated effort to get rid of farangs specifically. That's a nonsensical conspiracy theory some expats like to believe in, but it has no basis in reality. Going by the daily postings of people who are asking about how to stay longer with a tourist visa it's clear many foreigners (mostly farang) continue to try to game the system.

[drbeach]

16 hours ago, CNXexpat said:

I signed and also wrote my explanation: that I like to make weekend trips with my wife to Nan, Chiang Rai, Pai, Mae Hong Son, etc. With the new law (ok, it´s not new) we´ll think twice if we are in the mood to drive at the next day after we came back 30 minutes to the immigration office in Chiang Mai, wait a long time (I have heard, the queue is very long and you have to come at 8 am) and drive 30 minutes back. If we decide that´s not worth to have all the action, it´s bad luck for the hotels and restaurants in the cities we wanted to go - less money for them.

 

My hope is that many people write something like this, the lawmakers didn´t thought at this aspect and start thinking again. It´s not criticising the law, the government or whoever, it´s only to show that´s perhaps not the best idea to make this law, or to enforce it strictly. If they decide to enforce it, I can live with it.

I agree with you but why don't you mail in the TM30 report? Who goes in person to immigration when you can mail it in?

[rott]

On 8/10/2019 at 3:41 PM, crazykopite said:

I thought having to go back to the IO I’m 7 days was the norm I have had to do that for the last few years for my extension of stay so,I always do my application 10 days before it expires just in case got to say on the initial visit the girls on the front desk go through it with a fine tooth comb take my money keep my passport and I collect it 7 days later.

Did you read the OP before posting?

[drbeach]

11 hours ago, Fex Bluse said:

The petition is

• very poorly executed
• unprofessional and sloppy
• did not even state the case of foreigners well -- e.g. by leaving out entire classes of foreigners affected
• reflects badly on the Farang population in Thailand
• displays dangerous naivete of how Thais (or even Asians more broadly) and especially those in authority would react to a loss of Face
• provides no solutions or ways for the Thais to save Face - which, while a dumb and childish characteristic, cannot be ignored

Imagine if a bunch of Asian immigrants in a Western country had done the same. Would anyone expect resulting positive action? I would not.

 

Even with all the above, I STILL thank fellow Farang who have made an effort. But, I now only expect things to get worse.

 

 

What is your solution to "save face"? I don't see why that should be important in this particular case. Because if it becomes too much, foreigners will just leave the country permanently, potentially leaving immigration officers here without a job. That would surely cause a much greater "loss of face".

Edited August 11, 2019 by drbeach

[drbeach]

23 hours ago, Pilotman said:

to say that he has been in LOS for 25 years, he is acting rather naively.  They would deport him at the drop of a hat and may yet do so if the authorities think that he is too much of an influencer, stoking up discontent, just ask Jonathan Head. As the financial gurus are happy to quote; past performance is no guarantee of future returns.   

Johnathan head was an instigator of trouble, working for various western interests and reporting only one side of the news. He is extremely biased as is the BBC who hired him. I'm not surprised to see him gone.

 

Very different to a blogger who talks mostly about travel and everyday issues like immigration. I don't think Mr. Head ever talked about TM30 or even cared about the issues everyday westerners living here are facing. If Mr. Barrow were deported (which I highly doubt) then that might signal a dangerous trend in the wrong direction and all of us still here need to take heed. Someone like him is not likely going anywhere, his being concerned about his extension is probably just designed for fearmongering purposes. He is too influential and too well liked, both by Thais and expats to be forced out that easily.