If...........

[plachon]

I just woke up in a cold sweat. I was on the train across to Paris on my 3 monthly visa run and we'd just come out the Chunnel and I had that  "border checkpoint" feeling again. Were all my Thai passport and endless documents in order? Would I be stopped and searched? Did this new purge on dodgy visas, terrorists, foreigners, you name it, mean they would be pulling more people aside for questionning? irrational as I try and do things by the book, but you never quite knows what is going on in the minds of these "officers of the law" and the press is rife with examples of miscarraiges of justice in these European countries and anyway, I'm not keen on ever seeing the inside of a Gallic jail.

The train is just  pulling intoCalais station now and all being well, it is just going to take another two hours or so to reach Paris and with luck I could get my passport into the British Consulate by the midday deadlineHowever, if there are any delays down the line or long queues at the Consulate, then I'll have to wait another to just hand in my passport. Then it will be another day's wait to pick up the visa, all being well.

Still ,the trip to Paris, despite it costing me over a week's wages, not including lost pay, is not as bad as the trip I had to take last timedown to Madrid to try and get a year's visa, but couldn't. Refused and told to come back in 3 months time. The British authorities are funny - even though we've been legally married for years, they still insist on people like me leaving the country to renew visas. Even if we had the dosh to get a visa issued inside the country, I'd still   have to report to thwe Immigration cops every 3 months, like some criminal on probation.  It means so much wasted money and time, whichever way you do it, that one really wonders sometimes what kind of genius could think up such a system. One thing seems pretty obvious, he or they love control fantasies and have a pretty low opinion of foreigners, especially those foolish enough to marry a British woman.

Don'tyou just love these queues at the Consulates around UK? Last time I was at the Brussel's British consulate on yet another visa run, it took me 2.5 hours just to hand in the visa for processing. Sometimes it almost makes one tempted to slip a wad to the gateman to get it fast tracked, but  that's not my style. An even though the wily old Brits have just upped the cost of visas 4 fold (yeah, really!) I've yet to se any improvement in the service. Same surly faces and mish-mash info. Must be the cold weather over there or something?

Talking of queues, it's almost my turn at Calais stn., and I can see the officer taking a longtime thumbing through each an every passport. Must be something to do with this ASEM meeting coming up in London - terrified of some crazy terrorist sneaking in perhaps, or is it just the hordes of displaced third world migrants trying to burrow their way into "utopia" their trying to screen out? Who knows All I do know is that this whole visa run business is a time -consuming, monsy- wasting charade, when I might be at home earning a crust for my family or spending this dough I'm taking out locally.

Eh-up? Looks like it's my turn at last. Why can't these people ever smile when they tkae your passport? I know it's not the most scintillating job in the world, but really, we're not all criminals and it wouldn't hurt to learn just a few simple manners. And what on earth is the mini-TV turned on in the corner of the kiosk doing in the "workplace"? And it's not even as if these guys are too badly paid, what with all the little perks to the job and all, which seems to allow top of the range cars and Black Label palaces to be built. Oh dear, it is taking a long time today. Am I going to make theConsulate in time today or not? Now he's gone and taken my passport to go and confer withhis superior. I don't like the way he keeps looking at me and then down at my passport. Ah good, he's coming back now. But wait, where's the other one gone. Oh holy kee!, there's 6 gendarmes approaching me and one's getting out a pair of handcuffs. I knew we should have lived back in the Isaan boondocks instead! "Monsieur, venez avec moi.........." Chuay duay krap!

(PS Please feel free to correct my French Francois.)

[Maigo6]

It's ok, should be easier for you in time, Britain is expecting 1,000,000 Displaced Romany gypsies knocking on the door over the next 3 years.  

Wonder why i left in 1990?

[Nat]

heard the same story from an aussie working behind a bar in london  

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Whatever happened to poor Enoch Powell one time UK MP and anti Immigration advocate for the UK. He believed that the then open door policy of Britain would cause racial dissent and enormous problems for the UK. Read his Rivers of Blood speech, it'll be on the net.

[Dah fahrang]

Lovely stuff, Plachon! Maybe you could gull one of the 'daily rags' to print? Many are daft enough to sensationalise such a gross indignity imposed on one of its citizens by insensitive officials employed by discriminatory governments abroad? Maybe starting with the paper which published the "translation" of the Chiang Mai Immigration Officer a few weeks back.

Taking a few drops of the old urine would be great fun!

Chorp maak!

[singa-traz]

True Story in Roissy Charles de Gaule:

Came back from Singapore to France with my little kid ... arrived early morning, around 6.00 am.

Time to cross the immigration ... at 6.00 am, you have 2 full planes that arrives at the same time (one from Asia and one from Africa) ... so around 600 peoples to clear the immigration ... and only two officers to do the job.

For those who have done it before, the queuing system is not really working in Roissy Charles de Gaule ...

So ... you queue ... and of course, the officers take a lot of time on the African passports ... until someone get frustrated, and shout to the officers: "This is a shame for this country, to have such inefficient process".

Officer stand up and ask: "Is there a problem ?"

(Stupid) Me: "Yes, I  think there is a problem. It is taking way to long to clear this immigration." ... it's very long when you queue and hold your child at the same time.

Officer: "OK, come here."

(Stupid) Me: the officer is nice, he notices I have a child with me, and offers me to bypass the queue.

Officer: "OK, now follow me."

(Stupid) Me: oh oh ...

Officer's Boss: So ... you are the one insulting an immigration officer, show me your passport ...

...

Whenever I arrived in Bangkok Airport, with my young babies, I often got help from Immigration official, to bypass the queue, and clear the immigration faster ...

[Nat]

Found the rivers of blood speech - very interesting (the pictures of Powell have a stricking resemblance to Hitler  ??? ). What I found particularly interesting is that the speech was written in 1968 and while I lived in the UK there were many people who still held similar views. I'm not just talking about the older generation, but many of the younger people blamed the "asians" (took me a while to realise this included people from india, pakistan etc) for the problems in society. Many claimed the system worked against them and that they were the ones experiencing the racism while the "asians" reaped the benefits (not going to share my personal opinion on that, but life is what you make of it). The scary thing was many congratulated australia's reaction to the "boat people" situations and agreed with the white australia policy (which thankfully was abolished in 1973). I'm not even going start on australia's past actions and performances (just hope they do better in the rugby world cup   ). Immigration is a touchy subject which can get many people defensive (as we often see here   ) so on that note I'll bow out gracefully.

[the scouser]

Whatever happened to poor Enoch Powell

He's pushing up daisies.

Scouse.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Nat   an Aussie politician said two wongs don't make a white. 30 yrs ago but he said it

[SeaVisionBurma]

Two Wongs don't make a white.

--

Arthur Caldwell, Australian Minister for Immigration, 1947

DrPP - That stirred up a quick search on the old goooogle, which produced this little gem site full of other clever quotes from various broad-minded folk over the centuries...

www.falstad.com/experts

nice read.

[Nat]

Trust an aussie to say something like that   . Seriously though, at the time the statement was made there was a fear by the working classes that their livelihood would be threatened by massive Asian immigration. These irrational fears are partly to blame for the white australia policy. I'm not condoning or justifying this - personally think it's awful and feel ashamed, esp since some of these views are still ripe today. Every country has its flaws   .

SVB - great site, never saw myself as a tree bearing fruit waiting to be picked  

[SeaVisionBurma]

never saw myself as a tree bearing fruit waiting to be picked

Yes, good old Napoleon - what a charming fellow he must have been with the ladies...

Nat - given one of the other quotes on that site, I would hope that you're not a scholar?  

[dr_Pat_Pong]

SVB   wouldn't plucked be a more apt descriptive word ?  

[Nat]

SVB   wouldn't plucked be a more apt descriptive word ?  

hee...hee I actually typed that first but thought twice about it  

SVB - unfortunately I'm doomed never to be a scholar  

Have always admired Nietzsche, wouldn't have minded an examination from him just to make sure all is intact  ::  

[dr_Pat_Pong]

"intact"?  Didn't you fall off your bicycle Nat ?           I got abused today by a waster/walker for spending time in the farang ladies department hereabouts. Unwashed and jealous I'd guess.

[Nat]

it was a girly bicycle so no damage  

[dr_Pat_Pong]

wow ....you can be lucky huh. It will go one day so watch out. She lost her virginity but she's still got the box it came in