3 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Not sure you can blame guys using agents for having to keep money in bank longer. Corruption is part of the Thailand charm is it not?

Corruption charm? no it's one of the countries biggest problems. The money in the bank longer was introduced because of people using agents, so is directly linked to agent fraud on bank accounts, not charming at all.

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

So I can drive at 180kph through town and if not stopped, cited and convicted its not illegal...what planet are you on, surely not ours.. 

You are showing me that you do not understand what my point is . Therefore I just let it rest 

27 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Explain that to a courtroom and judge when arrested and charged..... "Your honor it's not my fault I did like all of the other lemmings did, so why am I being singled out and charged, it's the laws fault really and then the police never enforced the law, so tell me why it was not ok"  your begging to be classified as Woke.

Somebody who is classified as woke is not so bad as being blind to the facts as you are showing .

On 3/10/2023 at 7:59 AM, NONG CHOK said:

To me it appears to be provinces close to borders where entry is so easy. It would be almost impossible to do it at either Bangkok airport where officials are under very heavy scrutiny.

So just bribe the people scrutinizing, duh!  

Why does he need 9 cardboards full of paper when everybody can read everywhere of an "Visa agent" who can guarantee a Visa extension without the needed requirements?

A big joke, Mr. Joke ...

4 hours ago, Gecko123 said:

Finally, my post wasn't self-righteous. It comes from resentment from having experienced mistreatment on a couple of occasions at immigration.  I suspect the officer was deliberately trying to make things as difficult as possible in the hopes that I would become so exasperated that I would resort to using an agent, which would in turn provide additional under-the-table revenue as well.

Good for you, integrity is something many are lacking. 

Don't fear Immigration, know your rights and pay 1900 baht not 16,000. 

 Headline soon - "1 million+ foreigners deported and blacklisted for obtaining visa fraudulently." 

Many I know seem to think they are above the law. 

47 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Corruption happens in every aspect of Thai life. you don't benefit nor do you suffer.

Explain how one does not suffer when forced to pay corrupt individuals more than what an item costs such as a visa....oh right you believe it's always consensual

25 minutes ago, itsari said:

Somebody who is classified as woke is not so bad as being blind to the facts as you are showing .

There are none so blind as those that can't see....the corruption and paying to have your visa processed when on the outside you do not qualify is illegal...and so is the bribe the agent is paying on your behalf...adios back to watching the lemmings jump from the cliff where following the leader is the norm.

57 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Explain that to a courtroom and judge when arrested and charged..... "Your honor it's not my fault I did like all of the other lemmings did, so why am I being singled out and charged, it's the laws fault really and then the police never enforced the law, so tell me why it was not ok"  your begging to be classified as Woke.

A judge has the power to refuse to apply a law that by not responding to persistent nonenforcement , the legislature has abandoned the law's application. A sudden decision to enforce the law converts agents of the executive branch into defacto lawmakers .

4 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

There are none so blind as those that can't see....the corruption and paying to have your visa processed when on the outside you do not qualify is illegal...and so is the bribe the agent is paying on your behalf...adios back to watching the lemmings jump from the cliff where following the leader is the norm.

It is not illegal . 

4 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Explain how one does not suffer when forced to pay corrupt individuals more than what an item costs such as a visa....oh right you believe it's always consensual

When I apply for extension using the monthly deposit method I make sure I have time to hire an agent if for some unforeseen reason it's needed. Mine's coming up in the next few months.

 

No one is forced to use an agent. If you don't qualify for an extension you are free to hire an agent and you're free to depart Thailand. It's all consensual. The rules are clear, sort of.  

13 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

When I apply for extension using the monthly deposit method I make sure I have time to hire an agent if for some unforeseen reason it's needed.

Do you mean if you don't meet the legal requirements to stay here, you can hire an agent to bribe the police, as you don't know how to yourself? Or is it because you think that by using an agent, you are not breaking the law?

17 hours ago, Crossy said:

 

Headline tomorrow:-

"Major fire rips through Weluwan police HQ in Khon Kaen. Electrical fault suspected!"

Good to point this out Crossy. Cardboard boxes! A discarded fag-butt? Paper eating insects? Lost boxes; mistaken for discarded trash?

 

My input - for what it's worth - is that nothing what-so-ever will come of this. Too many IOs involved.

 

 

Think it is worth pointing out that there are different types of 'agent'.

 

There are the back-of-a-taxi bods. There are agents that use other agents (such as the agents that will renew a passport). And then there are the accredited ones; with an office and English speaking staff; all in uniform.

 

I've heard that one agent in Sakon Nakon agent was awarded a 'Charter Mark.. That is proudly displayed of their paperwork. Charter marks do not grow on trees. Have to be earned.

46 minutes ago, itsari said:

It is not illegal . 

Not illegal to what, pay money to bribe an IO to act like you had all the required needed documents.  Is there a waiver form that is filled in by the IO and submitted in place of the documents they have in each stack of Visa applications?  your still barking up a tree and acting like its not illegal and wrong to bribe someone.  Once again your trying to justify illegal activity which should never be condoned.  Is it done here, well hell yes it is, is it done daily, well hell yes it is, is it legal to do so, Hell No it is not legal.  Just because something done illegally over and over again and is thus assumed legal does not make it legal.....

38 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Not illegal to what, pay money to bribe an IO to act like you had all the required needed documents.

Oh come now Ryan. Some farang use an accredited agent. They trust them to proceed in their best interest.

 

Surely you are not suggesting that one should cross-examine an agent to establish where every baht of the fee goes.

I know of an expat who travels from BKK to Pattaya 4 times a year to do this. The only thing being, I don't know why. Money's not an issue for him, and he was doing it the legal way for about 12 years.

21 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

Oh come now Ryan. Some farang use an accredited agent. They trust them to proceed in their best interest.

 

Surely you are not suggesting that one should cross-examine an agent to establish where every baht of the fee goes.

No, I have no problem with folks using an agent to get their Visa or extension of stay done if they meet all of the requirements, and do so because they can not take the time to spend a day to go to immigration themselves as they have no means of travel to and from, or because they have medical problems, or because they just do not want to do it themselves as they can not be bothered, just like doing the 90 day. 

 

However, to hire an agent to smooth the rails out because you do not meet the requirements as you have no funds in the bank or meet the monthly requirements, and maybe have no insurance etc...that is the root cause of the illegal activity and plays into the corruption issue.  Find a proper type of visa, meet the requirements but if you do not do not tell people that what your doing is legal and above board.  Show me the waivers which allow this, and a brown envelope filled with money is not a waiver. 

3 hours ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Why should agents and corrupt IO's be able to benefit from an illegal act. The law is the law. BTW I don't benefit from their actions.

Ahhh, yes.......the law.

2 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

No, I have no problem with folks using an agent to get their Visa or extension of stay done if they meet all of the requirements, and do so because they can not take the time to spend a day to go to immigration themselves as they have no means of travel to and from, or because they have medical problems, or because they just do not want to do it themselves as they can not be bothered, just like doing the 90 day. 

 

However, to hire an agent to smooth the rails out because you do not meet the requirements as you have no funds in the bank or meet the monthly requirements, and maybe have no insurance etc...that is the root cause of the illegal activity and plays into the corruption issue.  Find a proper type of visa, meet the requirements but if you do not do not tell people that what your doing is legal and above board.  Show me the waivers which allow this, and a brown envelope filled with money is not a waiver. 

When in Rome,,,,,.

4 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

I know of an expat who travels from BKK to Pattaya 4 times a year to do this. The only thing being, I don't know why. Money's not an issue for him, and he was doing it the legal way for about 12 years.

A Danish guy, some years back, rode his moped the 370km, one way, from our village to Pattaya 4 times a year to go to immigration.

4 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

When in Rome,,,,,.

That saying is to do with culture. Not illegal practices.

how about just requiring criminal back ground checks rather than 800k in the banks. 

4 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

That saying is to do with culture. Not illegal practices.

Culture! Yes, I'm with you on that Ivor.

 

Illegal practices!! In Thailand? You'r havin a laff.

11 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

No, I have no problem with folks using an agent to get their Visa or extension of stay done if they meet all of the requirements, and do so because they can not take the time to spend a day to go to immigration themselves as they have no means of travel to and from, or because they have medical problems, or because they just do not want to do it themselves as they can not be bothered, just like doing the 90 day. 

 

However, to hire an agent to smooth the rails out because you do not meet the requirements as you have no funds in the bank or meet the monthly requirements, and maybe have no insurance etc...that is the root cause of the illegal activity and plays into the corruption issue.  Find a proper type of visa, meet the requirements but if you do not do not tell people that what your doing is legal and above board.  Show me the waivers which allow this, and a brown envelope filled with money is not a waiver. 

The excuse the guy I know uses is that if he does this he can leave the 800k overseas and make some interest on it. The only thing being is that I would think it costs him 20,000+ Baht a year to use the agent, if you include 4 trips pa BKK-Pattaya. He did it the legal way for about 12 years before. I couldn't see why he started using an agent when as far as I could see he could just carry on doing it the legal way.

4 minutes ago, malibukid said:

how about just requiring criminal back ground checks rather than 800k in the banks. 

I think an IQ test. And - most importantly - the ability to speak 100 words; but not in counting.

 

Also; why we are talking numbers. 100,00 sheets of paper, in just 40 boxes. That's 2500 sheets in each box (approximately). Those boxes are heavy.

5 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

The excuse the guy I know uses is that if he does this he can leave the 800k overseas and make some interest on it. The only thing being is that I would think it costs him 20,000+ Baht a year to use the agent, if you include 4 trips pa BKK-Pattaya. He did it the legal way for about 12 years before. I couldn't see why he started using an agent when as far as I could see he could just carry on doing it the legal way.

Maybe there is a different Visa he could qualify for like the new LTR Wealthy Pensioner visa and he would not need a bank with 800K Thb in it here.  I obtained the new Visa and repatriated the money back to the US and into a High Yield Savings account......

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

Not illegal to what, pay money to bribe an IO to act like you had all the required needed documents.  Is there a waiver form that is filled in by the IO and submitted in place of the documents they have in each stack of Visa applications?  your still barking up a tree and acting like its not illegal and wrong to bribe someone.  Once again your trying to justify illegal activity which should never be condoned.  Is it done here, well hell yes it is, is it done daily, well hell yes it is, is it legal to do so, Hell No it is not legal.  Just because something done illegally over and over again and is thus assumed legal does not make it legal.....

Only you and a few strange thinking people think it is illegal .

The practice of using agents when not all the requirements are met has been active for decades .

Big joke will not change anything on that line I am quite sure .