A special day! Former US citizen and now Thai funnyman goes with parents to get his Thai ID card

[lust]

7 hours ago, lemonjelly said:

What are the pros and cons of you giving up your dual citizenship? It’s just that I feel that your judgement has been clouded by patriotism to Thailand.

Most likely so that Thailand can’t reverse the decision after realizing the mistake this “funny man” made, or just so people can’t say stuff like, ‘but you’re not really thai, you have a us passport’. 

 

 

[Captain Monday]

9 hours ago, Dumbastheycome said:

Interesting response ! Maybe it is  brave to abandon official identity of one nationality in favor of that which you choose to identify with now but it is unlikely that general Thai society  will  see you as any other than a  farang. I have extended family that despite being born and bred in Thailand  with mixed ethnic parents and who present as  blonde caucasion are viewed by the wider  community as curious foreign.

May be true but so? The same experience happens to people all the time in countries where people should know better. I just heard from an Indian American work colleague, born in US not that it matters, accosted by a white woman at a gas station just yesterday. She told him to go back to his country and accused him of carrying  diseases. 

 

The attendant offered to pay for his items and kicked the woman out.  There will always be bigots and ignoramuses.

[Creasy]

How many years to qualify ? And how many hoops did he have to jump through ? Just to get Thai citizenship ????

[Curt1591]

Now he can be afforded all the great benefits of Thai citizenship - like the government health scheme. Not too far off he can even get the elder discount of the BTS when visiting Bangkok!

And, with is anxiously anticipated Thai passport, he can enjoy the scrutiny and fees when trying for visas to Western countries ...

 

[Grumpy John]

To early to  take the dogs for a walk, it's sTill dark outside...so I am checking out threads I come across. Comment:  We all make decisions on what we think is right at the time. This guy made his decision and now has to live with it.  Seems a bit crazy to pay a lot of money to un-couple from the USA but it was his money not mine...so I wish him well and leave it at that.

[Fex Bluse]

11 hours ago, Dumbastheycome said:

Interesting response ! Maybe it is  brave to abandon official identity of one nationality in favor of that which you choose to identify with now but it is unlikely that general Thai society  will  see you as any other than a  farang. I have extended family that despite being born and bred in Thailand  with mixed ethnic parents and who present as  blonde caucasion are viewed by the wider  community as curious foreign.

His own sister wrote an article in the BKP describing her troubles getting citizenship and the specific difficulty she has because she is not ethnically Chinese or Thai.

 

Any white person who thinks Thais will broadly accept them as Thai obviously really doesn't understand Thai (and especially ethnic Chinese) society.

 

Anyway, he seems like a nice guy so I hope he never is made to face such a reality that he will ALWAYS be an outsider. Thais will laugh and be entertained by him but they will always see his skin color.

[Fex Bluse]

10 hours ago, tlandtday said:

He will have to praise thailand to get anywhere with this approach.  He should wake up and see how his fellow expats are being treated.

If he's genuinely Thai, I suppose he won't care how non-Thais are treated.

 

Maybe that's a good test actually.

[djayz]

The Never Ending Story... 

 

 

[Poilu]

Bonne chance, good luck to you Udom.

[geriatrickid]

14 hours ago, Canuck1966 said:

How much coverage does this bloke get, it's a bit OTT

Country needs good news. This is gold because it is a farang praising Thailand.

[samran]

14 hours ago, exparte said:

If he is so Patriotic to Thailand, then why did he wait until he was too old for the Thai Army Draft Lottery?

F.F.S if are going to sledge the fella, at least do so based on a few facts rather than just some stuff you’ve made up.  
 

He was never eligible. Naturalised citizens aren’t. 
 

He didn’t wait. He’s been trying for 20 odd years to get citizenship and has been blocked at most turns until recently. 

[samran]

13 hours ago, EricTh said:

 

One look at him and Thai people will try to ask him for 'passport please' instead of 'Thai ID please'.

 

If he travels out of Thailand, nobody in other countries will believe he's 'Thai' maybe even thinking that his passport is a fake.

 

I really wonder why he needed to relinquish his US nationality which is one of the most coveted in the world and reflects his true identity.

 

Alas, East Asians can assimilate readily into Thai society but not a westerner.

My blond haired blue eyed daughter hasn’t ever had her Thai passport question when we travel. Why should he?

[samran]

5 hours ago, Thechook said:

Tens of thousands of people get citizenship around the globe every year.  Why is it news, is this a first for Thailand?

Cause he’s been trying for 20 years which unfortunately due to a gap in the law, people like him miss out. 
 

There’s been a lot of reform on Thai citizenship law in the past 15 odd years. You should look it up. 

[Colabamumbai]

15 hours ago, samsensam said:

 

good luck to him.

 

thankfully i come from a country that doesn't  require its citizens to have an ID card.

A Social Insurance No. is the same. 

[Dante99]

14 hours ago, lemonjelly said:

Why didn’t he keep dual citizenship? Is there a logical reason or is he just a bit dim?

Keep US citizenship and pay US income taxes forever, he is not dim about this aspect.

[Hank Gunn]

1 minute ago, Dante99 said:

Keep US citizenship and pay US income taxes forever, he is not dim about this aspect.

This came up in the other thread. US citizens pay no taxes on earnings below $100k/yr. (now slightly over that amount). With a resident address in Thailand he would also be exempt from any state income taxes. So that point is totally moot.

 

Really, most of the “negative” posts are fair criticisms of an act of burning a bridge that never had to be burned. 

[herwin1234]

15 hours ago, Farang Muang Phrae said:

I was NOT the one that waited, just so you know.  I will glady serve my country to make up for an oportunity that I was never given when I was young.

Congratulations. Must been a great day to finally become official citizen of your home country. And now for the passport, good luck. ????

[Dante99]

27 minutes ago, Hank Gunn said:

This came up in the other thread. US citizens pay no taxes on earnings below $100k/yr. (now slightly over that amount). With a resident address in Thailand he would also be exempt from any state income taxes. So that point is totally moot.

 

 

You are assuming he never earns more than the excluded amount,  that he never has unearned income which is taxed and not included in the excluded amount, that he never has state taxable income which could result from a lot of different sources and that the tax law does not impose additional limitations in the future.

 

 

[herwin1234]

14 hours ago, Boomer6969 said:

His parents' missionary position explains it all.

shouldnt this post be removed? isnt it against forum rules to denigrate or insult fellow forum members? 

he is a forum member and did post in this thread, to refer to his parents in an inapropiate sexual manner is highly offensive.

Removing this post and a temoprarey ban would be justified.

[TheFishman1]

Why didn’t he keep dual citizenship how about stupidity

[herwin1234]

14 hours ago, tlandtday said:

He will have to praise thailand to get anywhere with this approach.  He should wake up and see how his fellow expats are being treated.

good grief, and plz tell me how his fellow expats are (mis?)treated? Plz explain how Thai ppl are mistreating expats?

If you are so mistreated, why you come to Thailand? Dont have hookers in yr own country?

[Hanuman2547]

Good for him!  He obviously wants to be a Thai citizen and I'm glad that path has opened up to him.  Personally, I would have kept the US citizenship.  If he's making less than $100K a year he won't have to pay any taxes.  He declared his residence as Thailand so that lets him escape from any state that has a state income tax.  If he had to declare a state just pick one with no state income tax as there are several of them.  

[Hank Gunn]

51 minutes ago, Dante99 said:

You are assuming he never earns more than the excluded amount,  that he never has unearned income which is taxed and not included in the excluded amount, that he never has state taxable income which could result from a lot of different sources and that the tax law does not impose additional limitations in the future.

 

 

I think it's a much bigger assumption to make that he would make more than $100k+/year in Thailand. Since he's lived here in Thailand since he was 2 yrs. old (if my memory serves me) then he'd have never paid state taxes in I believe Wisconsin (where I believe he was born). IF he has investments in the US, he'd probably have to pay taxes on that no matter what his nationality is/was.

 

The only thing he'd have to do is to file a yearly FBAR (foreign bank account filing). I've done it the last three years here I've lived in Thailand. It takes about 5 min. Hardly a burden.

[herwin1234]

2 hours ago, TheFishman1 said:

Why didn’t he keep dual citizenship how about stupidity

if you dont know the reason why he decided against dual citizenship why you dont ask him? not difficult, he currently posts in this thread...

that would be more respectful and fair instead of jumping to yr little toygun and carelesly accusing a fellow forum member of stupidity for making a decision he cherished for decades.

 

maybe its bc in order to get a Thai passport you ultimately cannot have two nationalities, or, he feels Thailand is his genuine home country and has little roots with far away usa, and decides to FULLY choose for his Thai home country... Thats not a good reason you should respect?

 

and for you, what is the value of yr choiche of passport and home country? patriotic reasons or more small minded practical reasons like taxes, visa, etc. 

[Orton Rd]

4 hours ago, samran said:

F.F.S if are going to sledge the fella, at least do so based on a few facts rather than just some stuff you’ve made up.  
 

He was never eligible. Naturalised citizens aren’t. 
 

He didn’t wait. He’s been trying for 20 odd years to get citizenship and has been blocked at most turns until recently. 

He did not arrive until 2001, came here as a toddler then went back to the USA for higher education and University. Then fell out with the Christian cult he was brought up in over their 'alleged' abuse of children and damaging tribal cultures they were bullying into believing in their Pentecostal cult around the world, including Thailand. Has he become a Buddhist? we don't know as he only brags about this I got a Thai passport song and dance. Says Thailand is the best nationality but clearly not good enough to go to University in.

[Sujo]

4 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

He did not arrive until 2001, came here as a toddler then went back to the USA for higher education and University. Then fell out with the Christian cult he was brought up in over their 'alleged' abuse of children and damaging tribal cultures they were bullying into believing in their Pentecostal cult around the world, including Thailand. Has he become a Buddhist? we don't know as he only brags about this I got a Thai passport song and dance. Says Thailand is the best nationality but clearly not good enough to go to University in.

I know citizens of US and Oz that go to uni in other countries. Whats wrong with studying in other countries?

[Orton Rd]

3 minutes ago, Sujo said:

I know citizens of US and Oz that go to uni in other countries. Whats wrong with studying in other countries?

Nothing but it's a bit rich to drone on about how Thailand is the best nationality to have, but then judge that the Universities here are not good enough for you and scuttle off back to take advantage of what the USA had to offer before ditching his American citizenship, seems starry eyed on the one hand and ungrateful on the other.

[Orton Rd]

19 hours ago, Canuck1966 said:

How much coverage does this bloke get, it's a bit OTT

Novelty falang, Thais like as long as not too many of them, then the novelty wears off ????

[roo860]

4 hours ago, samran said:

My blond haired blue eyed daughter hasn’t ever had her Thai passport question when we travel. Why should he?

He?

[Orton Rd]

18 hours ago, Boomer6969 said:

His parents' missionary position explains it all.

They packed it in around 2004 I believe. The New Tribe Mission changed their name to Ethnos360, still bothering people for donations and pushing their beliefs on the poor and less educated around the world, they are still in Thailand.