By far, what are the biggest common legal issues facing foreigners normally and now with COVID?

No legal issues here before/during/after covid.

I would think that the biggest legal issue for a foreigner to face in normal times would be indictment on a murder charge.  Probably the same when Covid's around also.

14 minutes ago, SailingHome said:

By far, what are the biggest common legal issues facing foreigners normally and now with COVID?

Are you referring to legal issues like getting investigated because of some crime?

Or legal issues like buying a house or setting up a company?

 

I think a relative common issue is people working without a work permit.

And people who like to somehow own property and try to work around the existing laws.

10 minutes ago, Don Mega said:

No legal issues here before/during/after covid.

In CM it was police extortion at roadside stops.

But COVID seems to have put a stop to that, not enough foreigners left to make it worth their while.

How to get one particular immigration officer removed from office...

Divorce!

19 hours ago, beachproperty said:

Divorce!

If you can get an Amphur divorce it can be done in 20 minutes.

 

The clerk at the front desk of the Amphur re-types the terms of the divorce and then the head of the office attaches the terms of the divorce to the divorce agreement and then read to the wife in Thai and you in English to make sure that both of you agree the terms. Then 5 minutes later after payment of a minimal amount you are divorced. 

Edited August 20, 20205 yr by JusticeGB
Typo

Dealing with the government. Or other authorities like the police. How to do normal activities in line with what seems to be unnecessarily complicated, illogical, random rules that are interpreted and enforced arbitrarily and differently by different authorities and at different times.

 

In the last 20 - 30 years, most modern western government have started to do their best to treat citizens like customers of services and try to make people's lives easier by reducing the number of forms needed and making processes as simple as they can. They store information and share it among departments so that people don't have to bring the same information every time or go to one department to get records to show to another.

 

The Thai government is 30 years behind. It treat's its citizens as if it is the parent and people are children. It deliberately makes very complicated rules and processes and puts a huge burden on citizens if they want to access services. Partly through incompetence, and partly as a way of reinforcing this relationship of power so they can control whether people can get the services they need or not. This reduces transparency and facilitates corruption so that officials can enrich themselves.

Edited August 20, 20205 yr by Ketyo

Entering the country on a 30 days exempt visa on arrival while ur return flight ticket date is scheduled in 60 days !!

Big problem !!

 

1 hour ago, Ketyo said:

Dealing with the government. Or other authorities like the police. How to do normal activities in line with what seems to be unnecessarily complicated, illogical, random rules that are interpreted and enforced arbitrarily and differently by different authorities and at different times.

 

In the last 20 - 30 years, most modern western government have started to do their best to treat citizens like customers of services and try to make people's lives easier by reducing the number of forms needed and making processes as simple as they can. They store information and share it among departments so that people don't have to bring the same information every time or go to one department to get records to show to another.

 

The Thai government is 30 years behind. It treat's its citizens as if it is the parent and people are children. It deliberately makes very complicated rules and processes and puts a huge burden on citizens if they want to access services. Partly through incompetence, and partly as a way of reinforcing this relationship of power so they can control whether people can get the services they need or not. This reduces transparency and facilitates corruption so that officials can enrich themselves.

 dont agree at all. I have been living in Thailand for 35 years. I find things getting much easier. It's only people who don't qualify or have the right qualifications to live here who have problems. We immigrated to Australia from Thailand and stayed a three years  before coming back here. The red tape in Australia was incredible. We had to fill in 30 pages every year to declare our income tax even if we didn't earn any money/ the forms were so difficult to fill in that most Australians have to employ a tax expert to help them. I wanted to rent out my car to earn a bit extra money and I was told I had to take a special exam and buy a lot of books to read first. My wife who was a great cook started supplying Thai dishes to our neighbour and she was charged for not having a specific permit and that her kitchen had to be specifically inspected by health officials. I had to get an architect and a government permit to lengthen an existing balcony. I was also told I would have to get a government electrician and inspector before I could add any lighting to my greenhouse. I could add many things. Like trying to get permission to sell liquor in your restaurant.

4 minutes ago, gamini said:

 dont agree at all. I have been living in Thailand for 35 years. I find things getting much easier. It's only people who don't qualify or have the right qualifications to live here who have problems. We immigrated to Australia from Thailand and stayed a three years  before coming back here. The red tape in Australia was incredible. We had to fill in 30 pages every year to declare our income tax even if we didn't earn any money/ the forms were so difficult to fill in that most Australians have to employ a tax expert to help them. I wanted to rent out my car to earn a bit extra money and I was told I had to take a special exam and buy a lot of books to read first. My wife who was a great cook started supplying Thai dishes to our neighbour and she was charged for not having a specific permit and that her kitchen had to be specifically inspected by health officials. I had to get an architect and a government permit to lengthen an existing balcony. I was also told I would have to get a government electrician and inspector before I could add any lighting to my greenhouse. I could add many things. Like trying to get permission to sell liquor in your restaurant.

Most likely, many of those items that caused so much red tape and grief in Australia, can also be experienced here in Thailand if it is competing with a Thai who informs the authorities; or if it presents an opportunity for a civil servant to make some quick cash by "subtile means". I've never been coerced to pay tea money back home.

 

The qualification for an expat to live here legally are quite simple, if one meets the requirements. Immigration is only one aspect where one can run afoul of the system, which affords limited, if any protection under the law.

 

My tactic of peaceful living in Thailand these many years is complying with the law, flying low under the radar and staying out of the business of expats and locals.

Pretty good rule of thumb for foreigners living in Thailand is to minimise the amount of shootouts you have with law enforcement, and also try not to throw paint at the Royal family.   Hope this helps.

Swings and roundabouts comparing with other countries.

17 hours ago, JusticeGB said:

If you can get an Amphur divorce it can be done in 20 minutes.

 

The clerk at the front desk of the Amphur re-types the terms of the divorce and then the head of the office attaches the terms of the divorce to the divorce agreement and then read to the wife in Thai and you in English to make sure that both of you agree the terms. Then 5 minutes later after payment of a minimal amount you are divorced. 

If you think its that easy dealing with a thai women AND getting her to agree to something .....well ,have I got a deal for you on a bridge!????

Edited August 21, 20205 yr by beachproperty

8 minutes ago, beachproperty said:

If you think its that easy dealing with a thai women AND getting her to agree to something .....well ,have I got a deal for you on a bridge!????

Depends on the woman depends what your willing to give up.

 

I kept the car the house and was not ripped off. Still friends now. It all depends what kind of woman you select. (I made 1 error my first Thai wife) after that never stupid things like that anymore.

 

Find woman that work (a normal job) and are not the cutest best looking (need to be ok in relation to yourself) and check them out during dating. Not about sex but how they are intelligence wise and so on if you have enough things in common. Quite basic actually but everyone wants something different.

 

 

On 8/19/2020 at 1:19 PM, beachproperty said:

Divorce!

The legal issues of divorce are easy to avoid. Simply never get married! No upside benefit of marriage for men (especially in Thailand).

47 minutes ago, soi3eddie said:

The legal issues of divorce are easy to avoid. Simply never get married! No upside benefit of marriage for men (especially in Thailand).

Marriage is an even worse contract for men in the west.

On 8/20/2020 at 5:16 PM, gamini said:

 dont agree at all. I have been living in Thailand for 35 years. I find things getting much easier. It's only people who don't qualify or have the right qualifications to live here who have problems. We immigrated to Australia from Thailand and stayed a three years  before coming back here. The red tape in Australia was incredible. We had to fill in 30 pages every year to declare our income tax even if we didn't earn any money/ the forms were so difficult to fill in that most Australians have to employ a tax expert to help them. I wanted to rent out my car to earn a bit extra money and I was told I had to take a special exam and buy a lot of books to read first. My wife who was a great cook started supplying Thai dishes to our neighbour and she was charged for not having a specific permit and that her kitchen had to be specifically inspected by health officials. I had to get an architect and a government permit to lengthen an existing balcony. I was also told I would have to get a government electrician and inspector before I could add any lighting to my greenhouse. I could add many things. Like trying to get permission to sell liquor in your restaurant.

I agree. Processes to do anything have become more difficult in America for years, and more expensive. The bureaucracy is the largest thing growing there. All the things you named are the same in USA.

 

Kids selling lemonade and church bake sales and neighborhood pot luck dinners are now governed and controlled by health departments. It goes on and on ad nauseum. 

 

IMO Thai people are more free than Americans to live their daily lives. For better or for worse, the rules/laws they disagree with are simply ignored, seldom having consequences. 

 

The reality is that there is no ideal country on the planet. 

On 8/20/2020 at 2:59 PM, JusticeGB said:

If you can get an Amphur divorce it can be done in 20 minutes.

That's easier than getting a yellowbook....????