Work Permit Clampdown Or One-off?

[Digger]

I posted something about a potential clampdown on foreigner developers starting in Phuket a couple of months ago and my understanding that it would be extended to Pattaya quickly thereafter.

Just heard that the farang guy behind Temple Court houses was nabbed on Saturday and deported on Monday for working without a work permit. This was second hand info but believe the source is pretty well connected with the property business in Pattaya so likely to be correct. Of course, no mention of anything on the comic 'news' shows websites. Have not seen any of the TV shows though as I am not in Pattaya at the moment.

Wonder how this will affect other wannabee developers in Pattaya. Not sure if its a one off or the first of a series of investigations. Has anybody seen or heard anything about this?

[Humphrey Bear]

If the guy is a property developer, then he should have had the basic 2 million to form a company (with 4 Thai employees) and got his WP. Or was he an employee of a Thai developer?

There again, I have problems with my work permit - I am in-Kingdom for about ten days of every fortnight - also working in Singapore. So every time I get a new visa stamp I am supposed to go to the WP people and get an update. Yesterday a colleague of mine arrived there at eight-thirty, left at four in the afternoon - a whole day wasted. We cannot afford that - we're often working 6 1/2 days a week anyway.

The Thai system is not geared up for people like us - may suit ajarn-types who will spend at least six months in one place, but not people like me, travelling to Singapore on Monday, Beijing on Wednesday night, back to BKK on Saturday - missing the Songkran holiday in order to work - then put in my passport and WP (that reminds me, my passport needs to be replaced - it's full - does this mean changing WP??) - I can see myself being in trouble - however hard I try to follow the (unworkable) rules.

[Digger]

By the sound of things he did not have a work permit and in all liklihood, he would not have got one from Chonburi's current Governor - at least based on what I have heard - seemingly he is adamant that farang cannot get work permits as property developers - anything sounding remotely like a company that develops and then sells houses (i.e a property developer) is not granted work permits in Chonburi unless the company is declaring everything, buying land in its name, splitting chanots and then paying VAT and corporation taxes on each and every transaction. Somehow I cant see that happening with many small time developers.

Concerning this guy, I found an old copy of some real estate magazine showing an ad of their project. Probably does not help their cause that the company is called 'One Thai UK Ltd' and has a UK based e-mail address. I guess there will be more 'shady' developers either running for the hills or getting legit as quick as they can, if they can.

[Bel Mondo]

No sympathy!

I own and run several businesses. I have had a work permit for years as well as the foreigners I employ. I pay the necessary taxes and my accountant files all the necessary forms.

Want to "skirt" the law---suffer the consequences!

[monty]

Bit of a strange story...

Temple court is being build by Town&Country property. This is a rather big and completely legit real estate agent owned and run by a dutch guy.

They do a lot of construction and have several Thai architects in their employment...

Strange that they would let themselves get cought like that!

The OneThaiUK is not a company but just the name of their website. The company is clearly mentioned at the bottom of evry page as Town & Country Property Co.Ltd...

http://www.onethaiuk.com/introduction.html

[Digger]

Bit of a strange story...

Temple court is being build by Town&Country property. This is a rather big and completely legit real estate agent owned and run by a dutch guy.

They do a lot of construction and have several Thai architects in their employment...

Strange that they would let themselves get cought like that!

The OneThaiUK is not a company but just the name of their website. The company is clearly mentioned at the bottom of evry page as Town & Country Property Co.Ltd...

http://www.onethaiuk.com/introduction.html

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think you will find thats a smoke and mirrors special effect. The printed ad makes no mention of Town and Country Property - local pay as you go mobile, UK website and UK e-mail address.

Probably the website has been changed in last few days as a reaction to the deportation. Certainly T&C have been involved in some 'shady' new projects so it would not surprise me if they actually grassed him up - I have seen recently this development being listed with other agents, whereas before it was only T&C advertising it as one of their projects - in fact looking in the same magazine, the T&C ad does not even mention the project anymore. The book I have is the March edition of the 'Real Estate Magazine'.

Not sure about the new Dutch owner but the reputation of the old owner was not exactly upstanding in terms of business ethics.

[Humphrey Bear]

Digger,

You seem to have a mistrust of Pattaya businessmen, especially property dealers.

Do you think this is widespread, or something you need to discuss?

[thaihome]

...There again, I have problems with my work permit - I am in-Kingdom for about ten days of every fortnight - also working in Singapore. So every time I get a new visa stamp I am supposed to go to the WP people and get an update. Yesterday a colleague of mine arrived there at eight-thirty, left at four in the afternoon - a whole day wasted. We cannot afford that - we're often working 6 1/2 days a week anyway.

The Thai system is not geared up for people like us - may suit ajarn-types who will spend at least six months in one place, but not people like me, travelling to Singapore on Monday, Beijing on Wednesday night, back to BKK on Saturday - missing the Songkran holiday in order to work - then put in my passport and WP (that reminds me, my passport needs to be replaced - it's full - does this mean changing WP??) - I can see myself being in trouble - however hard I try to follow the (unworkable) rules.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Don't understand why you have to report to the Labor Dept (WP people) every time you arrive back in the country. Why don't you get your Non-Imm visa and work permit extended, get a multi reentry permit and just come and go as you please. That is what the rules say you should be doing.

TH

[Humphrey Bear]

...There again, I have problems with my work permit - I am in-Kingdom for about ten days of every fortnight - also working in Singapore. So every time I get a new visa stamp I am supposed to go to the WP people and get an update. Yesterday a colleague of mine arrived there at eight-thirty, left at four in the afternoon - a whole day wasted. We cannot afford that - we're often working 6 1/2 days a week anyway.

The Thai system is not geared up for people like us - may suit ajarn-types who will spend at least six months in one place, but not people like me, travelling to Singapore on Monday, Beijing on Wednesday night, back to BKK on Saturday - missing the Songkran holiday in order to work - then put in my passport and WP (that reminds me, my passport needs to be replaced - it's full - does this mean changing WP??) - I can see myself being in trouble - however hard I try to follow the (unworkable) rules.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Don't understand why you have to report to the Labor Dept (WP people) every time you arrive back in the country. Why don't you get your Non-Imm visa and work permit extended, get a multi reentry permit and just come and go as you please. That is what the rules say you should be doing.

TH

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't understand either - I am trying to follow what the guy employed to sort out visa problems tells me. Maybe we just employ the wrong guy.

The Non-Imm visa is valid for one year - from July 04 to July 05 - but this is an 'O' (marriage) visa. I'll have to put up the 400k soon to get a one-year extension. But it still entitles me to a work permit. the problem seems to be that our guy gets the WP extended for the 90-day period that is allowed every time I come into LOS, and as that changes every fortnight, he can't keep up with the dates in the Labour Dept.

The job will be finished soon, then I can go and earn a proper living in Singapore and not have all the problems of running a project in Thailand.

[Digger]

Digger,

You seem to have a mistrust of Pattaya businessmen, especially property dealers.

Do you think this is widespread, or something you need to discuss? 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Probably about as many honest farang developers as there are devoutly religous church going folk living in Pattaya.

Somthing need to discuss? I thought I did that too much already

[thai_norman]

The Pattaya police at soi 9, have a list of at least 30 farang builders working here illegally, ie no work permit etc, and this was at least six months ago that I saw that list, so I have know idea how many are on it now, Generally the police will do nothing, But for some reason, I assume the builder, they have a clamp down on certain people.

So it comes down to who he upset or who he refused to pay.

[Digger]

The Pattaya police at soi 9, have a list of at least 30 farang builders working here illegally, ie no work permit etc, and this was at least six months ago that I saw that list, so I have know idea how many are on it now, Generally the police will do nothing, But for some reason, I assume the builder, they have a clamp down on certain people.

So it comes down to who he upset or who he refused to pay.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Why would the main police station have it, yet its the immigration police that are concerned with what people are doing while they are here?

Interesting that you have seen the list. Care to expand on that with some more details?

[zoro]

I posted something about a potential clampdown on foreigner developers starting in Phuket a couple of months ago and my understanding that it would be extended to Pattaya quickly thereafter.

Just heard that the farang guy behind Temple Court houses was nabbed on Saturday and deported on Monday for working without a work permit.  This was second hand info but believe the source is pretty well connected with the property business in Pattaya so likely to be correct.  Of course, no mention of anything on the comic 'news' shows websites.  Have not seen any of the TV shows though as I am not in Pattaya at the moment.

Wonder how this will affect other wannabee developers in Pattaya.  Not sure if its a one off or the first of a series of investigations.  Has anybody seen or heard anything about this?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You are correct you would not see this on any farang news shows as all of these front men for the shows who are volenter cops permit required.One is now advertising real estate for sale with himself as the contact i doubt he has a registed company or stated on his work he is allowed to conduct that type of buisness.All these guys are interested in is getting info about cambodians getting nabbed for doing constrution work so they can show these poor people being rounded up at soi 8 so they can get their face on tv .No falangs just in case they get checked out.

[bino]

The OneThaiUK is not a company but just the name of their website. The company is clearly mentioned at the bottom of evry page as Town & Country Property Co.Ltd...

http://www.onethaiuk.com/introduction.html

Probably the website has been changed in last few days as a reaction to the deportation.

I personally know the designer who built this site on behalf of T&C, and it has been online in the exact same form since Oct 2004. No smoke and mirrors.

[wcr]

Not sure about the new Dutch owner but the reputation of the old owner was not exactly upstanding in terms of business ethics.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Interesting! What do you know about the old M.D?

[Digger]

Not sure about the new Dutch owner but the reputation of the old owner was not exactly upstanding in terms of business ethics.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Interesting! What do you know about the old M.D?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Whispering Palms - a T&C project - selling land before they owned it and also telling people that they had access through Horseshoe Points private road, when they neglected to ask the people who actually owned the road. Not to mention the fact that the picture in the brochure is taken from a US copyright magazine of house designs and the house in question is about 450 SQM, but the ones they are selling were 250 SQM - other than those obvious clerical errors, they are truly upstanding citizens.

[wcr]

Not sure about the new Dutch owner but the reputation of the old owner was not exactly upstanding in terms of business ethics.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Interesting! What do you know about the old M.D?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Whispering Palms - a T&C project - selling land before they owned it and also telling people that they had access through Horseshoe Points private road, when they neglected to ask the people who actually owned the road. Not to mention the fact that the picture in the brochure is taken from a US copyright magazine of house designs and the house in question is about 450 SQM, but the ones they are selling were 250 SQM - other than those obvious clerical errors, they are truly upstanding citizens.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for that, wasn't aware. W.P's is still being promoted by the new guys I understand.

[zoro]

No sympathy!

I own and run several businesses.  I have had a work permit for years as well as the foreigners I employ.  I pay the necessary taxes and my accountant files all the necessary forms.

Want to "skirt" the law---suffer the consequences!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A falang working in a greengrocery in a very busy soi can one aquire a work permit for doing this type work in thailand.

[wcr]

I bumped into one of the farang developers of this project last week and asked him what had happened.

Apparently Immigration received 6 phone calls from someone informing them about this development and farang working. They said they had to attend even though it was reluctantly, as they needed to be seen to taking action!

The person caught was sort of deported, as he did a U-Turn and came straight back.

[Humphrey Bear]

No sympathy!

I own and run several businesses.  I have had a work permit for years as well as the foreigners I employ.  I pay the necessary taxes and my accountant files all the necessary forms.

Want to "skirt" the law---suffer the consequences!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A falang working in a greengrocery in a very busy soi can one aquire a work permit for doing this type work in thailand.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No. Basic rule of thumb - if the job can be done by a Thai, no work permit allowed. You must have particular skills, or have set up a business yourself, to qualify for a WP.

[Rumpole]

I can see myself being in trouble - however hard I try to follow the (unworkable) rules.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Spot on. This was for me one of the main considerations in my decision to leave Thailand.

[Rumpole]

Want to "skirt" the law---suffer the consequences!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Want to skirt the law----work for a Thai organization! You'll probably have to, whether you want to or not.

Edited June 2, 2005 by Rumpole