Richard Barrow may not have his visa renewed and could be forced to leave Thailand

[ericthai]

10 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Are you enjoying not having to file your TM30 each and every time you return home from short break. 

 

How do you think this change came about? 

 

Perhaps publicity such as below, along with the group of Expats who met with officials after signing arranging to have a petition signed in protest of the TM30.

 

 

https://www.richardbarrow.com/2019/08/everything-i-know-about-the-tm30-form-after-attending-chamber-of-commerce-meetings-and-speaking-at-the-fcct/

 

 

Improvement is never going to happen if its not attempted. 

 

You really hate the Thai govt dont you? 

 

So the ending of TM30 was all because of Richard? I have a hard time believing that.  The TM30 was an old law that was being enforced in full force again, but this is a typical Thai thing.  Crack down on some old rule then realize too much work and stop.

 

Same when they started the 6 month rule (around 2003-4ish) that you couldn't stay in Thailand more than 6 months of the year if on tourist visas or visa exempt. Caused allot of work, IOs trying to count days in passports etc. so they scrapped that. Maybe Richard helped with that too?

[bubba]

3 hours ago, Ricebarnandrooms said:

I haven’t heard of him or his blogs before so took a look at his twitter account. Seems like a useful site but I did notice he says “My work permit as web designer has already been renewed” 

But he says that his actual work is at the school? If he’s working at the school he has a contract of employment with the school which allows the work permit and no reason not to have his extension.  Sorry something isn’t quite right and as he has been here for as long as me he should know what’s what. Somethings not being said (and forget the conspiracy theories)

I agree. I too am unclear what his permitted employment is. Is he a web designer? Is he a teacher? Is he a compensated travel writer? A journalist?

 

He says immigration officers spent three hours at his “workplace”, although never specifies what that workplace is. I doubt immigration spent three hours at his workplace chatting over tea. They don’t spend three hours investigating onsite if they are trying to invent reasons to deny an extension. 
 

I am not sure we should immediately jump to his defense because "bad immigration guys" with sketchy details like this. It is entirely possible that there was evidence or information that he ran afoul of regulations in one or more ways and immigration are doing their job by investigating. 

[pookondee]

3 minutes ago, bubba said:

I agree. I too am unclear what his permitted employment is. Is he a web designer? Is he a teacher? Is he a compensated travel writer? A journalist?

 

He says immigration officers spent three hours at his “workplace”, although never specifies what that workplace is. I doubt immigration spent three hours at his workplace chatting over tea. They don’t spend three hours investigating onsite if they are trying to invent reasons to deny an extension. 
 

I am not sure we should immediately jump to his defense because "bad immigration guys" with sketchy details like this. It is entirely possible that there was evidence or information that he ran afoul of regulations in one or more ways and immigration are doing their job by investigating. 

Or the price went up and Mr Barrow wasn't prepared (or couldnt) stump up with a wheel-barrow full of Baht.

 

Anyway, if he is making as much money as what people are claiming here, why not just get an Elite visa??   

[bubba]

2 hours ago, MRToMRT said:

He has now removed the post from his Facebook page that reported this.

Nice. So after all the publicity from this spectacular story, how many new site traffic visitors, links and additional revenue generating clicks resulted?

[bubba]

2 minutes ago, pookondee said:

Or the price went up and Mr Barrow wasn't prepared (or couldnt) stump up with a wheel-barrow full of Baht.

 

Anyway, if he is making as much money as what people are claiming here, why not just get an Elite visa??   

On the other hand, I have done a total of 22 annual extensions and never handed immigration one baht nor have I ever been asked to. I also don't have an audience that would be publicly outraged had they ever asked. 

[GAZZPA]

15 hours ago, Skallywag said:

I never understood how Tweeting or Blogging could be considered a "business" anywhere.  Guess I still live in the past.  Hope he gets his Visa worked out.

yes you do. problem is it sounds like (from pervious posts) he blogged the scams in Thailand. Thai authorities hate to have negative press and they will always respond badly. thats the nature of a corrupt society..

 

 

[pookondee]

24 minutes ago, bubba said:

On the other hand, I have done a total of 22 annual extensions and never handed immigration one baht nor have I ever been asked to. I also don't have an audience that would be publicly outraged had they ever asked. 

 Its well known that if you are missing 1 otherwise crucial document, there is a very easy way of making that 1 crucial problem suddenly dissapear.

 

Im guessing you probably had all your visa documents in order so no problem..

 

This guy is high profile and maybe theres a thing or 2 that might need to be overlooked in his case, and for him the price is a bit higher.

 

 

[ericthai]

10 hours ago, Eindhoven said:

 

I visited the same attractions before the advent of dual pricing. They are still there, but now they have different prices for foreigners.

 

Can you tell me when that was? As far as I recall there has always been double pricing!

[ericthai]

10 hours ago, MRToMRT said:

He will get it renewed, same as last time. He has friends NOT like us.

 

His double price Facebook thing started after a meeting with a TAT honcho, so you can bet he will OK. They are just ruffling his feathers a bit like last year.

yes, he has friends!! 

 

 I find it ironic that he's against corruption, dual pricing etc, but then uses "his friends" to help with his visa! I guess corruption is ok when it works for him!

[mstevens]

6 hours ago, Jack Hna said:

He is a 50 something blogger that acts like he is still a prefect at college and never grew up. 

 

Richard's a sold guy, respectable, respectful, speaks good Thai and is very well liked by Thais who know him.

 

Richard has promoted tourism in Thailand and highlighted the parts of Thailand that the Thais like to see highlighted. When he has referenced some of the downsides he has done it in a reasonable and respectful way.

 

Richard has never promoted the seedy side if Thailand and eschews it. He doesn't promote any of the illegal activities that so many bloggers and vloggers do.

 

He's a prolific blogger and his info is usually reliable, his analysis usually on the money. His posts have helped a lot of people over a very long period of time. If you don't know him it doesn't mean he hasn't been hugely helpful to many.

 

I find it disturbing and distasteful that there are so many nasty comments about someone who has done so much for so many and been so positive about Thailand for so long.

 

 

[lamyai3]

11 hours ago, tribalfusion001 said:

Thailand's reputation has been built on easily available women and beaches, nothing much to do with the culture.

Maybe that is the culture. There's temples as well of course, but even there they sometimes host coyote dancers. 

[Compass Call]

Reading through the responses on this thread, it would seem that he is an EXSPERT.

 

EX = Has Been

SPERT = Drip Under Pressure

 

This would explain a lot!

[lamyai3]

12 hours ago, Heppinger said:

I stated that the 95% of Thais are your average working class Thais and not wealthy

You're living in cloud cuckoo land if you think this 95% are among those who benefit from institutionalised price gouging. 

[torturedsole]

21 minutes ago, lamyai3 said:

There's temples as well of course, but even there they sometimes host coyote dancers. 

It's a community centre.  ????

[thaibeachlovers]

17 hours ago, PatOngo said:

He is a farang helping farang with accurate information and he has campaigned ruthlessly against 2 tier pricing in Thailand. They don't like the truth!

He is a farang helping farang with accurate information and he has campaigned ruthlessly

So well known I don't recognise his name.

 

Two tier pricing in western countries too. Perhaps he can campaign against that as well.

 

More to the point, he's an alien staying in LOS on visas, so he obviously didn't learn much about how LOS works during his stay- they do not take kindly to criticism, and certainly not from foreigners.

Whether he is right or not is irrelevant to the reality.

Edited August 14, 2020 by thaibeachlovers

[SiSePuede419]

I was one of the first bloggers and now I’m probably the longest running travel blogger in Thailand. 

 

Stickman Bangkok also started his blog in 1998 and he traveled all over reviewing "entertainment" venues, 555.

 

Also Bernard Trink wrote a "Nite Owl" column for the Bangkok Post  for 37 years, which makes him the longest running "blogger", young feller. ????

Edited August 14, 2020 by SiSePuede419

[bbbbooboo]

Hmmm, my first thought was “who is Richard Barrow”? Is this a very famous dignitary that perchance I have never heard of? It appears not(sob)

[473geo]

9 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Does it have to be?

 

NGO’s targeting trafficking? is not their country either? 

I know its vastly different and quite a poor example - but when is it acceptable to voice an opinion about issues in a country we live in, are married to (in), have children in, but were not born in?

 

 

 

 

When generations of your family have lived off subsistence farming, and you have learnt that advocating foreigners buying land is taking the food out of the mouths of future generations!! When you learn to be unselfish and generous to your hosts rather than look to make things easier for those who would come and trample all over them!!

 

 

 

[473geo]

9 hours ago, Pilotman said:

I think Thais get it for £2  ????

When I'm a guest I don't mind shouting my hosts a few beers in return for their 'generous' welcome

[lamyai3]

11 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

I think the ‘Average Westerner’ pays more tax in a year than the Average Thai pays over their life.

 

The tax argument just doesn’t cut it. 

According to a study from Chulalongkorn in March last year:

 

"25% of 38 million workers in Thailand submitted tax return forms to the Revenue Department and only 10%, equivalent to three million people, actually paid tax."

[Heppinger]

1 hour ago, lamyai3 said:

You're living in cloud cuckoo land if you think this 95% are among those who benefit from institutionalised price gouging. 

Are you drunk champ?  tourist attractions aren't institutions and price gouging refers to goods services or commodities. 

[PatOngo]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

So well known I don't recognise his name.

That just emphasizes how illinformed you are!

 

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Two tier pricing in western countries too. Perhaps he can campaign against that as well.

 You may not have noticed, this is a Thai news forum!

[lamyai3]

10 hours ago, Jack Hna said:

What accent does this Brit have?

He's either a Kentish Man, or a Man of Kent. 

[scoupeo]

Every year it's the same story, who still believes him ?

A little boy who misses his mama and keep whining years after years...

His travel posts are ridiculous, even if you pay me I wouldn't go to all the ridiculous places that he visits...

 

 

[Don Chance]

They have dual pricing in Kathmandu but right in the city, so you are walking a long and some cop/security person comes up and demands a ticket to walk through Durbar Sq.!

Even guesthouses on Freak street you will technically have to pay 500R per day.

[lamyai3]

 

1 hour ago, Heppinger said:

Are you drunk champ?  tourist attractions aren't institutions and price gouging refers to goods services or commodities. 

Price gouging obviously applies to opportunistic price hikes on entry fees, though I appreciate your efforts in tracking down the Wikipedia definition there.

 

Regarding institutionalised, you may want to work on your vocabulary:

 

Edited August 14, 2020 by lamyai3

[Aforek]

2 minutes ago, scoupeo said:

Every year it's the same story, who still believes him ?

A little boy who misses his mama and keep whining years after years...

His travel posts are ridiculous, even if you pay me I wouldn't go to all the ridiculous places that he visits...

 

 

i have never read anything from him, just heard of him ... he is a star here and I don't like star system : maybe he thinks he is over the law, but for Thais, he is just an "alien" 

[cyril sneer]

never knew you could get a work permit as a web designer in Thailand

 

maybe if he was willing to teach at the school he works at he wouldn't have these issues

[Mr Meeseeks]

1 hour ago, SiSePuede419 said:

I was one of the first bloggers and now I’m probably the longest running travel blogger in Thailand. 

 

Stickman Bangkok also started his blog in 1998 and he traveled all over reviewing "entertainment" venues, 555.

 

Also Bernard Trink wrote a "Nite Owl" column for the Bangkok Post  for 37 years, which makes him the longest running "blogger", young feller. ????

Trink's reports on the local demimondanes were the highlight of the paper. 

 

Those were the days. 

[checkered flag]

11 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Hurting Thailand? come on... How is he hurting Thailand ????

 

He’s raises awareness about issues many feel is unfair - Dual Pricing, TM30 and also re-tweets news.

I don’t follow him or any of his tweets, but I am aware of who is is due to the TM30 support and his current action against dual pricing which not quite the same as ‘going Rambo’ to make such a hyperbolic accusation weakens your point. 

 

Additionally, what difference whatsoever does it make where this guy is from in the UK (I have no idea). 

 

 

 

 

 

He stuck his nose in others business. Very British. Glade they were kicked out of most places.