Recording Every Interview

[phetaroi]

Sadly your post has at least some truth to it. Although whether this interesting observation has anything to do with the topic of this thread which is about recording every interview is dubious at best. Especially when talking about a first world country like the US or UK versus a developing third world one like Thailand or the Philippines. They are apples and oranges in that regard.

Actually, I think there is a tie in with the OP.

Having lived in the Washington, D.C. area for years, and having had a lot of students who came from overseas, I heard many horror stories about having to visit either an embassy or any kind of immigration office. It didn't seem to matter what country or office it was...almost everyone had a horror story somewhere along the line...and it seemed to be connected with power. I used to get my visas at the Thai embassy at Washington. It so happened that the father of one of my students was very high up in the embassy. Sometimes he would just take care of it all for me, but one year, right after they had moved into the new embassy, he said to drop it off myself and when I came to pick it up we would have lunch together. When I went to pick it up, they couldn't find it and didn't seem to be much into finding it. Just then he walked in and realized there was a problem. He literally snapped his fingers and said, "Find Khun Vincent's passport." Amazing how they found it in less than 30 seconds. I once took a Thai friend to the old Thai embassy in D.C. to conduct some minor business. I have never seen a Thai person as angry as he was when he came out...all about their rudeness.

I have heard such stories from virtually every nationality I have ever talked to about it.

It seems that people in these kinds of jobs often develop an attitude.

Fortunately, for the most part, I've had pretty good situations both in the States and here...except for a few instances in dealing with U.S. customs and immigration. And it's not the hoops I've occasionally had to jump through that bothered me...it was the attitude.

My favorite little story was of a return to the US one year. When we landed in Detroit (first point of entry) I had to go to the bathroom so very bad I think I looked panic stricken. They shuttled me over to the area where there was much more of an inspection process, although I'm not talking about the private room scenario. I happened to be right behind a Thai fellow that had a green card. With a very surly attitude the official asked him what kind of work he did in America and where -- it turned out to be mushroom farming in Minnesota (believe it or not). "I don't think they grow mushrooms in Minnesota." Well, the guy ultimately made it through, but as an American, I was embarrassed by my own government. Then it was my turn. They opened every single suitcase and had just begun to search and the questions began. Again, it wasn't the process so much as the attitude that bothered me. About the third question down the official said, "What do you do for a living." "I'm a school principal." Everything stopped. "Oh, then you can go right through." Is that really the way it should work??? Funny how the attitude suddenly changed. Two years ago I drove back into America from the Canadian Rockies. The guy at the gate...again...worst attitude I could imagine. I guess fat, bald Vincent just oozes terrorism or something.

[jazzbo]

My name is on the US security watch list (one level below 'no fly') for what reasons one is not allowed to be informed. It is not possible to be removed from the list until TSA decides to do so... common name? extensive travel to PR China in late 80s? They who know will not tell... usually only a few questions and I am out but I dread the snafu.

[phetpeter]

Thank you, tod-daniels, for your patience in trying to explain to peterandcat the literal meaning of clause (6) of paragraph 2.18 of the Police Order 777/2551.

Peterandcat, it is true that the English language can be, and quite often is, ambiguous in some contexts. When you say "I went to the cinema", it does not exclude the possibility that your were accompanied by another person on your visit to the cinema. Perhaps it is for this reason that when you read "…the husband who is an alien must have... a money deposit in a local Thai bank of not less than 400,000 baht..." that you believe that this does not exclude the possibility that an account in a local Thai bank held jointly in your name and the name of a second person, eg your wife, should be acceptable. Here we have an excellent example why it is always stated that in case of doubt, the original Thai text applies.

Without wanting to question your understanding of the Thai language or the understanding of your wife and friends whom you consulted in this matter, I wish to suggest for your consideration that an immigration official is obviously in a better position to interpret this particular clause in the Police Order and to know the correct intent of this clause, in case also the Thai text should be ambiguous, but which apparently it is not.

The only official way that you could challenge the interpretation and application of the aforementioned clause (6) of paragraph 2.18 of the Police Order 777/2551 by a competent government official would be to take it to court, at which point you could then call your wife and friends as witnesses to give their version of the interpretation of this clause. Should you go this route, it would be greatly appreciated by me – and probably by many other readers of this forum – if you kindly scanned the court decision and posted it here.

--

Maestro

To you and 'Tod' who seem to be the fountains of all knowledge on all subjects, don't understand I am just a ick from the stick and my wife and friends are just simple brown skinned country folk. We don't live in the Big cities. My inital forum question was that I believe that ALL interviews should be recorded.

As some of the other writers have stated in the UK and US all interviews are... Here in Thailand even the 7/11 have every transaction recorded.

So it is up to us the people who have to us the service to ask for this service to stop all bad manners on both sides of the desk. To ensure a standard equal service at every office and by every agent. and to stop those who ask for and those who give 'treats' .

The wording in Thai and English and the translations of said....I leave to the armchair warriors.