15 hours ago, champers said:

Sounds like the comrades are agents. Considering that many Russians do not speak Thai or English, agents would provide a very useful service. I think there is more to this "story" than meets the eye.

Maybe they want to show Big Joke that they have things covered and don’t need his help.

2 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Not at all. People use agents to escape immigration checking them out. 

95% of people using agents are cheating the system, they don't have enough cash in the bank, they pretend they are studying Thai, etc. Its a disgrace and sadly most foreigners think it's OK for police to accept bribes. 

"95% of people using agents are cheating the system, they don't have enough cash in the bank". I can afford the cash in the bank, but I don't trust a country that is run by Military Academy educated soldiers playing at being politicians as has been the case for most of the time I have lived here.

I keep my money safely in my own country and only keep enough here for living expenses. 

 

Why should I trust a country which only allows me to stay here on a year to year basis and has me reporting to them like a criminal every 90 days?

2 hours ago, Neeranam said:

95% of people using agents are cheating the system, they don't have enough cash in the bank, they pretend they are studying Thai, etc. Its a disgrace and sadly most foreigners think it's OK for police to accept bribes. 

that wasn't my point. I agree they are doing it for cash reasons, my point was they are being checked or can be checked for criminality. If a farang chooses to live on noodles and water , but us paying money into the thai economy, abide the laws and taking nothing in return then my own view is they should be ok to stay. Thailand in my opinion would be a far poorer place both monetarily and socially without them. I also think if they addressed the right of family members- husbands and wives - of that nationals to stay permanently say after 10 years that would also help 

6 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

that wasn't my point. I agree they are doing it for cash reasons, my point was they are being checked or can be checked for criminality. If a farang chooses to live on noodles and water , but us paying money into the thai economy, abide the laws and taking nothing in return then my own view is they should be ok to stay. Thailand in my opinion would be a far poorer place both monetarily and socially without them. I also think if they addressed the right of family members- husbands and wives - of that nationals to stay permanently say after 10 years that would also help 

Those foreigners ARE breaking the law by using these agents.

 

Thailand is very accommodating already to foreigners, especially retirees. One only needs to SHOW 800k in the bank. If I want to retire to the US, I must INVEST 16,000,000 baht! 

 

The problem with family members is that many foreigners marry criminals, women who work in the sex industry and marry for financial benefit only. This doesn't happen in Western countries.

 

 

 

5 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

The problem with family members is that many foreigners marry criminals, women who work in the sex industry and marry for financial benefit only.

Some of us marry well educated school teachers, who are not criminals and are richer than us 

19 hours ago, GeorgeCross said:

in other news back handers for retirement extensions still actively 

16 hours ago, EricTh said:

Russians do speak English. In fact, there is a Russian Youtuber living in Thailand and speaks English.

10 years hard labour in a rock breaking camp in chiang mai 

12 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Some of us marry well educated school teachers, who are not criminals and are richer than us 

Well said mate, my wife is a school director, well educated and her salary is a hell of a lot more than my pension.

14 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Those foreigners ARE breaking the law by using these agents.

 

Thailand is very accommodating already to foreigners, especially retirees. One only needs to SHOW 800k in the bank. If I want to retire to the US, I must INVEST 16,000,000 baht! 

 

The problem with family members is that many foreigners marry criminals, women who work in the sex industry and marry for financial benefit only. This doesn't happen in Western countries.

 

 

 

Ahhh wrong.  In western countries you can marry for a Green Card in the USA as an example .  A financial benifit and means of getting a US citizenship legally or not.  Thailand is not very accommodating if you compare to many other countries courting retirees.  I was legally married to a Thai for 12 years and dumped millions of baht into rhe thai economy.......deemed a visitor still.  Most other countries afford you more welcoming “rights”

7 minutes ago, Bkktodd said:

Ahhh wrong.  In western countries you can marry for a Green Card in the USA as an example .  A financial benifit and means of getting a US citizenship legally or not.  Thailand is not very accommodating if you compare to many other countries courting retirees.  I was legally married to a Thai for 12 years and dumped millions of baht into rhe thai economy.......deemed a visitor still.  Most other countries afford you more welcoming “rights”

Wrong, Thailand is much more accommodating than Western countries to foreigners wishing to stay permanently. 

Probably noticed the bad Engrish lol

40 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Wrong, Thailand is much more accommodating than Western countries to foreigners wishing to stay permanently. 

Really ? Not for married people it is not. My wife comes and lives in UK, 4 years or so she can be have permanent residence and a UK passport, no need to show income or get new visa after 4 years - 4 years in thailand I cannot have permanent residence or a thai passport and every year I have to show my income to stay with my wife or be forced away from her. Call that accommodating ? 

Just now, RichardColeman said:

Really ? Not for married people it is not. My wife comes and lives in UK, 4 years or so she can be have permanent residence and a UK passport, no need to show income or get new visa after 4 years - 4 years in thailand I cannot have permanent residence or a thai passport and every year I have to show my income to stay with my wife or be forced away from her. Call that accoomating ? 

It's the same here, actually easier for women married to Thais. 

I got a Thai passport 3 years after applying on the basis of being married to a Thai national. 

But I was actually talking about 1 year visas. There are many Thais wanting to live in the UK but can't. Any old Brit can live in Thailand, even if not working. 

 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

The Thai police are going after Russians who used a fraudulent service provided by two compatriots to show they had money in the bank for visa extensions when they had none.

How about just going after anyone who used an agent?

 

3 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

How about just going after anyone who used an agent?

 

You been chatting with BigJoke? 

So, let's get this straight.

 

This pair of Russians were nabbed because the police are worried that " . . . they might be assisting Russian criminals and gangsters to remain in Thailand and influence the local community."

 

And the nabbed Russians are doing this by " . . . falsifying bank statements which show (that these Pattaya gangsters) have 800,000 baht in the bank."

 

Either it's a practice run for April 1st (coming up in just over a week). Or the standard of living for Russian gangsters in today's modern world is shamefully low.

 

All the gangsters I know have so much money in the bank that they get their longstay visas via normal immigration channels.

 

 

26 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

How about just going after anyone who used an agent?

Not so easy because there are bona fide agents who simply do all of the work for you with regards to getting a retirement extension and don't have to "fiddle the books" with regards to the 800 K in the bank, because the applicant already has it.

 

On the other hand there are those agents who will do everything for you, including "finding" the 800 K for you if you don't have it, or at least producing documentation that purports to show you do have it.

 

Then of course you have the unusual but typical Thai method, whereby the head honcho of any immigration office has the power to issue a retirement visa, even if the funds are not in the bank or shown to be available.....although a "sweetener" may be needed and that is where the agent can help.

 

After all TIT.

53 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Not so easy because there are bona fide agents who simply do all of the work for you with regards to getting a retirement extension and don't have to "fiddle the books" with regards to the 800 K in the bank, because the applicant already has it.

I don't need a visa, but out of interest, how much does a bona fide agent charge for waiting in a queue? 

 

If its more than 1,000 baht, chances are they are doing something illegal. 

15 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

I don't need a visa, but out of interest, how much does a bona fide agent charge for waiting in a queue? 

 

If its more than 1,000 baht, chances are they are doing something illegal. 

I'm not sure of the cost, however I think you'll find it's way more than 1000 baht, because they do all the paperwork for you and so on.

 

It's a handy service for those who have just arrived in the country and who are not sure of the processes, and I used them when I first arrived here (permanently) in 2006, but I really can't remember what the cost was!

19 hours ago, EricTh said:

Russians do speak English. In fact, there is a Russian Youtuber living in Thailand and speaks English.

Some Russians do speak English, however in general they do not!

9 hours ago, LennyW said:

Oops, treading on the toes of the myriad of Thai agents that do this daily, naughty naughty!

I don't think the Thai agents forge letters or actually forge anything. They are just an 'in between'' and don't do anything illegal, they assist customers with getting extensions or whatever. Even ThaiVisa has a Visa service for expats.

Thaivisa launches new visa service for expats in Thailand

1 hour ago, xylophone said:

I'm not sure of the cost, however I think you'll find it's way more than 1000 baht, because they do all the paperwork for you and so on.

 

It's a handy service for those who have just arrived in the country and who are not sure of the processes, and I used them when I first arrived here (permanently) in 2006, but I really can't remember what the cost was!

I've a friend in Pattaya who pays about 20,000 baht to get his bank book fixed and a retirement extension . He naively believes he's doing nothing illegal, even after telling me there's an immigration officer in the bank! 

A lot of people here in denial, as far as I can see. Fair enough if you're OK with corruption, but don't complain about it elsewhere. 

 

2 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

I've a friend in Pattaya who pays about 20,000 baht to get his bank book fixed and a retirement extension . He naively believes he's doing nothing illegal, even after telling me there's an immigration officer in the bank! 

A lot of people here in denial, as far as I can see. Fair enough if you're OK with corruption, but don't complain about it elsewhere. 

 

Those friends again, theyjust won,t learn! 

9 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

I've a friend in Pattaya who pays about 20,000 baht to get his bank book fixed and a retirement extension . He naively believes he's doing nothing illegal, even after telling me there's an immigration officer in the bank! 

A lot of people here in denial, as far as I can see. Fair enough if you're OK with corruption, but don't complain about it elsewhere. 

 

An interesting point to note is that, as I said in a previous post, the chief of the immigration office is allowed to issue a retirement extension of his own volition whether or not the applicant has the required funds in the bank!

 

So the final decision lies with that head honcho, whether or not the applicant has the money in the bank or from a monthly income, so strictly speaking, it cannot be considered corruption!

 

Of course that "flexibility" of the rules can leave the way open for corruption, and as this is Thailand, then I leave it to your imagination.

 

All this was covered off in great detail a year or two ago, and the rules regarding this were actually posted from a government notice.

31 minutes ago, xylophone said:

All this was covered off in great detail a year or two ago, and the rules regarding this were actually posted from a government notice.

Wow, I'd love to see that, if it exists!

31 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Wow, I'd love to see that, if it exists!

Yes it does, so do some research on it from the archives of TV, if there is still access after the recent "changes".

9 hours ago, possum1931 said:

"95% of people using agents are cheating the system, they don't have enough cash in the bank". I can afford the cash in the bank, but I don't trust a country that is run by Military Academy educated soldiers playing at being politicians as has been the case for most of the time I have lived here.

I keep my money safely in my own country and only keep enough here for living expenses. 

 

Why should I trust a country which only allows me to stay here on a year to year basis and has me reporting to them like a criminal every 90 days?

There you go again, using your usual saddo emotican and running away, lets see you discussing this over a PM then you won't get embarrassed.

14 hours ago, mikeymike100 said:

I don't think the Thai agents forge letters or actually forge anything. They are just an 'in between'' and don't do anything illegal, they assist customers with getting extensions or whatever. Even ThaiVisa has a Visa service for expats.

Thaivisa launches new visa service for expats in Thailand

Oh you are so naive!!

42 minutes ago, LennyW said:

Oh you are so naive!!

Why so? Think scaremonger! 

38 minutes ago, Olmate said:

Why so? Think scaremonger! 

Do you know what these Thai "agents" that loiter outside the immigration office actually do?

For around 20K they will create a seasoned bank account for you to present to immigration, get false statements from the bank to back up the false account, close the account after you are done with it.....  These will be the toes that are being trod on by Russian "agents" doing exactly the same thing.

 

These Thai "agents" are different from the ones that have companies with staff just doing the service for people, collecting and submitting their documents on their clients behalf.