Thai Girl Wins Visa Battle

[Farma]

Thai girl wins visa battle

PLARM Pongprom has finally won the right to call Australia home after a gruelling battle with immigration authorities spanning more than five years.

The plucky 15-year-old, who was abandoned by her drug-addicted parents and faced a life of poverty in Thailand, has been granted a permanent visa allowing her to stay in the country with her loving grandparents.

The Mareeba High School student was forced to take her case to the High Court in a bitter fight involving three successive immigration ministers amid allegations of police corruption, sex abuse and child pornography.

Plarm was rescued and brought to Australia on a tourist visa by her grandmother, Sunan, who found the then-nine-year-old, alone and unloved, selling eggs in a street market in central Thailand in December 2001.

Continued here with photo http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0...59-3102,00.html

[Jai Dee]

A touching story and nice to see a postitive result for a change.

Topic moved to News Forum.

/Moved.

[Mighty Mouse]

"I'm proud to call myself an Aussie," said the elated teen, who was told yesterday that she had been granted an orphan visa.

.........and we Aussies are proud to have her here.

[marginline]

"I'm proud to call myself an Aussie," said the elated teen, who was told yesterday that she had been granted an orphan visa.

.........and we Aussies are proud to have her here.

Now if only there was a reciprocal arrangement so that the Thais would make it easier for Australians to obtain permanent residence in LOS.

[Scott]

It's difficult to believe that they made it so difficult for her. Happy to see the outcome was worth the wait and the anxiety.

[leisurely]

Why make somebody's life hel_l? Why not just agree that she has loving and responsible next of kin and leave it at that.

Glad to read something positive for a change!

[Simmo]

The story is light on details but let's reverse the situation. Can you imagine any Thai caring about an Australian that overstayed their tourist visa here?.

[dingue2rep]

All countries have formalities that control the influx of foreigners, and all countries have civil servants who will make it as difficult as possible to find a place in the sun! It is like that everywhere in the world. So stop whining about the Thai visa rules... live with it, work around it but don't look for sympathy, not from immigration officials anyway! Pay to stay 'cos VISA RUNS are BIG business in Thailand! There are more and more people doing it, or wanting to do it - otherwise forums like this would not exist. Long live RED TAPE!

[cooL_guY_corY]

anymore information regarding this ? the article was kind of short, i am assuming the farang grandfather is not of blood relation ? Glad that she should could stay after growing up there..

[Farma]

A previous ThaiVisa thread is here. http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=10018

[cdnvic]

"I'm proud to call myself an Aussie," said the elated teen, who was told yesterday that she had been granted an orphan visa.

.........and we Aussies are proud to have her here.

Now if only there was a reciprocal arrangement so that the Thais would make it easier for Australians to obtain permanent residence in LOS.

Do you really want a reciprocal agreement that makes it equally as difficult for others to go to Thailand as it does for Thais to go to Aus?

Maybe you have some Thai grandparents that can sponsor you.