Agricultural Activities And The Law.

[soundman]

Work permits are location and job specific usually not being issued if the job work is considered something a Thai national can perform.

So, a quick question if I may...

Do all you guys who are working parcels of land have work permits, or do you sub all the actual work out & sit around "supervising"?

Those that have work permits - What "job descriptions" have you had the work permit issued under and how often do you find yourself working outside those descriptions?

The reason I ask, is that quite often when I have spare time, I am out on our land doing stuff that could easily be considered by the authorities to be "work".

Any feedback on this subject would be much appreciated.

Cheers,

Soundman.

[Gary A]

Work permits are location and job specific usually not being issued if the job work is considered something a Thai national can perform.

So, a quick question if I may...

Do all you guys who are working parcels of land have work permits, or do you sub all the actual work out & sit around "supervising"?

Those that have work permits - What "job descriptions" have you had the work permit issued under and how often do you find yourself working outside those descriptions?

The reason I ask, is that quite often when I have spare time, I am out on our land doing stuff that could easily be considered by the authorities to be "work".

Any feedback on this subject would be much appreciated.

Cheers,

Soundman.

I'm retired and have no work permit, not that I work anyways. My wife does the supervising. I seldom do anything right so her nephew is the official tractor driver. I would guess that I could be turned in if someone had a problem with me so it helps to keep a low profile and do the neighbors little favors. I pull their trucks out of the mud and spread the dirt when they get a truckload of fill. I play with my tractor but it could be considered working if someone complained.

[Smithson]

The reason I ask, is that quite often when I have spare time, I am out on our land doing stuff that could easily be considered by the authorities to be "work".

Soundman.

I think just about anything could be considered work, such as doing the garden/vegie patch, washing the car, painting the house or even taking out the garbage.

Ozzydom's example of helping out the neighbors is ironic, because this could definitely be considered work.

I remember several years ago when a pair of Australian auditors were arrested for working outside their office when they had gone to check the accounts at PTT (I think it was PTT). The Aust embassy wasn't happy.

It always comes down to how they choose to apply the law, when they cracked down on gem's traders in Chantaburi, there was concern that they would crack down on ppl buying clothes for export. There are lots of international meetings held in Bangkok, with participants arriving on tourist visas.

[Khonwan]

Hi Soundman

The subject has been well covered here: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=116206

Rgds

Khonwan

[soundman]

Hi Soundman

The subject has been well covered here: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=116206

Rgds

Khonwan

Thanks for that link khonwan.

Hi Maizefarmer

I've driven my tractor on the roads from time to time for years (no WP) - never knew a drivers licence was required. I have my บ2 licence for 10-wheelers; what's required for the tractor?

Rgds

Khonwan

Just a question if I may.

Was it merely a formality of doing the one day course or did you have to make a special application & show a work permit to get the บ2 licence?

Cheers,

Soundman.

[Khonwan]

....

Hi Maizefarmer

I've driven my tractor on the roads from time to time for years (no WP) - never knew a drivers licence was required. I have my บ2 licence for 10-wheelers; what's required for the tractor?

Rgds

Khonwan

Just a question if I may.

Was it merely a formality of doing the one day course or did you have to make a special application & show a work permit to get the บ2 licence?

Cheers,

Soundman.

Two-day 'course': 1st day watching a video and listening to a policeman. nothing that would actually help on the test. 2nd day: 40 multiple choice questions in Thai plus a short driving test in a 10-wheeler. You may (as I did) take a Thai friend with you to help translate the questions.

No special application. No mention of WP. บ2 is limited to "own business" driving a truck with a black on white reg plate (not yellow plate, which is for hire). No under-the-table payments. Very straightforward - very easy. Renewable every 3 years - I renewed mine last year.

Rgds

Khonwan

[soundman]

Two-day 'course': 1st day watching a video and listening to a policeman. nothing that would actually help on the test. 2nd day: 40 multiple choice questions in Thai plus a short driving test in a 10-wheeler. You may (as I did) take a Thai friend with you to help translate the questions.

No special application. No mention of WP. บ2 is limited to "own business" driving a truck with a black on white reg plate (not yellow plate, which is for hire). No under-the-table payments. Very straightforward - very easy. Renewable every 3 years - I renewed mine last year.

Rgds

Khonwan

Thanx for that.

Good to know. I'm regurarely moving trucks short distances around the local area & have always been dreading the "what if" scenario.

Cheers.

[Khonwan]

Two-day 'course': 1st day watching a video and listening to a policeman. nothing that would actually help on the test. 2nd day: 40 multiple choice questions in Thai plus a short driving test in a 10-wheeler. You may (as I did) take a Thai friend with you to help translate the questions.

No special application. No mention of WP. บ2 is limited to "own business" driving a truck with a black on white reg plate (not yellow plate, which is for hire). No under-the-table payments. Very straightforward - very easy. Renewable every 3 years - I renewed mine last year.

Rgds

Khonwan

Thanx for that.

Good to know. I'm regurarely moving trucks short distances around the local area & have always been dreading the "what if" scenario.

Cheers.

Get the licence! My wife's cousin-in-law (Thai chap) was pulled over by the police whilst driving my truck. He only had the normal 4-wheel licence. He spent a day in court and received a fine of Bt7,000 (which I reimbursed) and a serious warning of much heavier consequences should he be hauled up again. That's when I decided to get myself a licence since I too was used to driving it myself like you without the appropriate licence. No appropriate licence, no Por Ror Bor insurance coverage (or any other insurance coverage). I had been told by my local office that I couldn't get such a licence but I enquired at Bangkok and was told otherwise. They gave me a copy of the regulations, which I then presented to my local office.

Khonwan

[soundman]

Get the licence! My wife's cousin-in-law (Thai chap) was pulled over by the police whilst driving my truck. He only had the normal 4-wheel licence. He spent a day in court and received a fine of Bt7,000 (which I reimbursed) and a serious warning of much heavier consequences should he be hauled up again. That's when I decided to get myself a licence since I too was used to driving it myself like you without the appropriate licence. No appropriate licence, no Por Ror Bor insurance coverage (or any other insurance coverage). I had been told by my local office that I couldn't get such a licence but I enquired at Bangkok and was told otherwise. They gave me a copy of the regulations, which I then presented to my local office.

Khonwan

Concur.

I have been under the (mistaken obviously) impression that one would require a work permit to qualify for licenses for บ.2,3,4. etc.

Thanx again.

[torrenova]

Just a side note but I think you could make the case that if you were not depriving a Thai of a job, a job being an activity which provided some reward, then it could not be considered work as work itself derives some reward from the activity. Simply, if you worked your own land for your own crops which were not sold for profit then I don't think you could be shopped in.

I am aware that even voluntary work requires a WP but voluntary work could be depriving a Thai of paid employment. My argument would be that there was no job for anyone and you were just tending your own land.

Probably still get busted though (TIT) but I think the argument has validity.

[Lickey]

Being a hobby farmer on our 40 rai farm, i just go there to help the Mrs, she is always busy in her salon, yes, we do employ thai labour for various things, planting, fertilizer spreading, spraying weedkiller ect,

They sucesfully burnt out the irrigation booster punp [after numerous instructions how to turn it off] another was caught putting our fertilizer on his cassava, I calculated how much Paraquat was needed to do the cassava and a mtr around it, the weeds have grown over the cassava outer rows, so where has the rest of the weedkiller gone?

The chippes who use the sawmill on the farm leave a mess too, I collected all there food containers, glue bottles, coffe bottles in a big carrier bag, when they were leaving, i dumped the contents into their pick-up, they stopped and jumped out! words were exchanged with my mrs, basically, you didnt find the farm like this, so dont leave it like this! take your shit home with you!!

I know this post is way off topic, but from now on in, i wont have thai labour on the farm unsupervised and watched carefully..

Oh yes, im retired, so perhaps i dont need a permit? Cheers, Lickey.

[missismiggins]

Being a hobby farmer on our 40 rai farm, i just go there to help the Mrs, she is always busy in her salon, yes, we do employ thai labour for various things, planting, fertilizer spreading, spraying weedkiller ect,

They sucesfully burnt out the irrigation booster punp [after numerous instructions how to turn it off] another was caught putting our fertilizer on his cassava, I calculated how much Paraquat was needed to do the cassava and a mtr around it, the weeds have grown over the cassava outer rows, so where has the rest of the weedkiller gone?

The chippes who use the sawmill on the farm leave a mess too, I collected all there food containers, glue bottles, coffe bottles in a big carrier bag, when they were leaving, i dumped the contents into their pick-up, they stopped and jumped out! words were exchanged with my mrs, basically, you didnt find the farm like this, so dont leave it like this! take your shit home with you!!

I know this post is way off topic, but from now on in, i wont have thai labour on the farm unsupervised and watched carefully..

Oh yes, im retired, so perhaps i dont need a permit? Cheers, Lickey.

LOL, boy I know where you are coming from there! 200 baht a day for labour, thousands in theft, incompetence.

I have been using one of those push mowers with the 6 hp engine to cut the grass on our 20 Rai, (I have been doing this for the past 4 years with no problem) I got caught up with some other work and the missus hired a "good" local guy to finish the cutting.

Not half an hour later, the machine was completely buggered - the idiot hd tightened the belt so tight that it pulled the bearings and oil seal out of the crankshaft!

And, it was amazing just how little coverage the last 4 litres of roundup got when I was back in the UK, not half of what I usually get. The other thing too is you spend more time having to watch them or they simply skive - not worth the pain!