Feeling Safe In Retirement

[strawberry]

Hi all This is my first post and I think its about time I found a place to share my winges

I have been here 12 years now and after 4 years in Chiang mai moved to my wifes village here in the pichit provence where we grow fruit trees

its quiet here and mostly I feel safe,which I think is important for an old guy in retirement

that feels like changing now what with this new government and its policies toward us farangs, it seems we are really not welcome here and perhaps that is a misunderstanding on my part

there has always been an understanding that my wife would look after me and I would look after her and her 3 children and over the past 12 years this has been a good arrangement.

I think if the big business man has his way this could change

at the moment I'm making enough to make me welcome (financially) but that can change

I have already spend a lot of money here and soon intend building a house for my wife and family

the problem for me is if in the future Mr.T says out ''you don't meet our financial requirements'' I'm screwed, got to go back to aust. having spent all my money here and nothing left to set myself up

on top of all that should I go back and have to seperate from my wife she won't be receiving the 75% of my pension she would have been receiving had we been together, that is on my death, this would be in excess of 50,000 baht per month,perhaps MR. T will help her out?

to add to this feeling of insecurity, couple of months ago I get a message from the local police HQ to report there, where I'm told to furnish my passport and show my visa then I'm told that when I leave home for longer than 24 hours I'm to report this to them, and then I'm to report to the police at my destination and report again on my return. what is this becoming ? a police state

I think that all us farangs ought to be contacting our respective governments and suggesting that they treat all thai nationals the same way we are treated here.

many thai nationals are working in our countries and sending monies back to thailand which in turn assists the thai economy

imagine the uproar if thai wifes or husbands married to farangs and living in our countries had to report to the imigration and pay 1900baht per year

we need to write to our polies back home to suggest that they treat thai citizens the same way the thai government treat us, after all if its good enough for them its good enough for us

Regards Joe Strawberry

[pnustedt]

couple of months ago I get a message from  the local police HQ to report there, where I'm told to furnish my passport and show my visa then I'm told that when I leave home for longer than 24 hours I'm to report this to them, and then I'm to report to the police at my destination and report again on my return. what is this becoming ? a police state

What have you done (or what do they think you have done) to upset the police? Do you have the correct visas?

Normally, if you are abiding by the rules, you should be able to live your life with your Thai wife and family without too much hassle.

Is there something you haven't told us?

[A. BOOZER]

Sorry you sound so unhappy, but have you upset someone at your local police station? After twelve years I would have thought you would have had things pretty much sussed! Maybe I will be better placed to comment when I have completed that length of time in LOS.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

What visa, if any at all, are you in Thailand on ? Something has gone very wrong for you by the sound of it.

[Guest IT Manager]

If you have done nothing wrong, please accept this as serious, go to the Police Regional Office in your new Changwat, and ask to see the most senior officer in the building. Don't say anything to anyone with less than 3 stars on his shoulders.

Report what has happened and ask for an explanation. If it is not forthcoming, come back to CM, go to Region 5 headquarters and report it there.

There is absolutely no law or regulation requiring that, except if you are on bail.

If there is any problems, PM me and I will put you in touch with the recipient of salutes from majors. I suspect one admin could put you in touch with the man my friend salutes.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

IT something is wrong here. Maybe he doesn't know what ...but if it ain't him it's a family member in doo doo.

[lopburi3]

We don't have much information:

1. What type of visa(s) does he have?

2. If a visa extension is the 90 day address reporting being done?

3. Did landlord/house owner ever report foreigner living there? There is a 24 hour requirement (mostly only observed by hotels) so perhaps this is the source of a misunderstanding.

4. Was this perhaps a knee-jerk reaction to the APEC scares? And he was in the wrong place at the wrong time?

5. Could there have been a misunderstanding by any/all parties?

6. Quite likely there are many factors involved. Understand the poster being upset from the understanding he has of the matter but look forward to learning more. Do not believe it is any policy or we would have heard more stories.

[hawaiiguy]

It is obvious that you have been summoned by the Police because you are suspected of being a drug dealer/producer; probably deduced by your interest in agriculture.

Alternatively, you have been mentioned by a competitor or aggrieved local folk in the investigations for the murder of other drug dealers. Many patsies will have to be set-up to take the falls for thousands of murders. What better outcome for the authorities than to pin blame on foreigners?

Definitely not a good time to be a long nose in the provinces.

[monitorlizard]

If you have done nothing wrong, please accept this as serious, go to the Police Regional Office in your new Changwat, and ask to see the most senior officer in the building. Don't say anything to anyone with less than 3 stars on his shoulders.

Report what has happened and ask for an explanation. If it is not forthcoming, come back to CM, go to Region 5 headquarters and report it there.

There is absolutely no law or regulation requiring that, except if you are on bail.

Take this as sound advice. I agree that there is more to the story. You certainly do not have write about it on this forum. But there is no way that this is a policy or a law in Thailand. And people should not believe this to be so. One needs to use common sense. Can you imagine ALL foreigners living in Thailand reporting to police when they leave town? An interesting concept but I doubt any country in the world is up to this task.

Also, you are saying that you are NOW spending all of your money on your wife and family. In a few years it will be gone and you expect your wife to take care of you? I am a little confused about this statement. I assume your wife relies on you for support. So the logical question is how is she going to support you in the future? Doesn't make sense.

[Nam Kao]

Joe, if your story is true, and your not doing anything illegal,

Watch your back! Someones setting you up

[Guest IT Manager]

I actually agree with Nam Kao very strongly. Someone with grunt does not like you or someone close to you.

[translator]

Throughout this problem of yours. Be kind and respectful. Dont loose your cool in the moment. Sometimes its whats wanted. Get your family to assist in polite questions at the police station or with any contacts they have. Maybe this police officer cant interpret the conditions set out for retirement visa, or has misunderstood the time periods associated with a visa... you never know !

[Nam Kao]

Joe, search thru your vehicles and house, make sure no one plants any drugs

on you. Keep your ship tight.

Advice from my wife from Tapphan Hin

[Khun ?]

Sounds like you may be suspected of working on this fruit farm and someone does not feel A farang should be involved. Maybe someone back home has reported you for leaving a family back there and ran off with the family cash and

paying no child supprot or whatever else you may of done back home. 12 years is a long time for something to catch up with you but for sure they have something

coming up soon. It did take them a long time to find you huh? Have you been reporting every 3 months for sure you cannot be a 12 year tourist. Does it not require your spouse to live so many years in your country before they will be entitled to her to get part of your pension after your death. Becareful you may be worth more dead than alive to someone.

[Guest IT Manager]

It is obvious that you have been summoned by the Police because you are suspected of being a drug dealer/producer; probably deduced by your interest in agriculture.

Alternatively, you have been mentioned by a competitor or aggrieved local folk in the investigations for the murder of other drug dealers.  Many patsies will have to be set-up to take the falls for thousands of murders.  What better outcome for the authorities than to pin blame on foreigners?

Definitely not a good time to be a long nose in the provinces.

Ha kwai e guy you are becoming tiresome. Message from the provinces.. fewer 500 baht night wives than you are used to but very few problems.

This man has a problem, you are very obviously not equipped to handle it. Shut up.

Stay in nana plaza and leave the rest to work out the real world as needed.

Joe, read what nam kao says and do it.

[gangstar]

My only advice would be to take I.T's advice, be very carefull take a good look around and try to imagine who could benifit from you being out of the picture, and take everything ya told with a bag of salt, beleive half of what ya hear and all of what ya see, there are two many horror stories about expats building up homes and business's only to get booted out for no apparent reason, but half of thease are probably just that,, stories

[Khun ?]

Just speculation on this but under normal circumstances for something he was doing wrong in Thailand, his wife would be given a bit of a heads up on what was wrong unlessd it was serious. Now if it may be an arrest for activitey from back home in the works it could take a little more procedure until it is straightened out is why they want to know his where abouts at all times. Then again english names

are some times common and you could be mistaken for someone else.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Strawberry musta had his 'puter seized or something. He has ceased communications. A troller perhaps ?

[strawberry]

When I wrote my first post in on my above problems I mentioned the police thing as a fishing expidition to try and find out if other farangs were being subjected to this. now after receiving the feed back I'm scared that someone believes I'm involved in criminal activities and I'm going to be given a rough time,and quite frankly I'm not equiped for that. I'm not or have ever been involved with criminal activities.

I'm a retired fireman and in Australia you don't get jobs like that if you are a crook.

I am what I say I am ''an amatuer organic gardener''. I don't speak Thai very good but can get around and it wasn't possible for me to communicate with the police inspector in a way that I could get a reasonable answer to my queries.

I'm an exdrunk and druggie but that was coming up for 18 years ago which was 6 years before coming to Thailand.

I've gone through my mind to try and find a reason what I might have done to create this problem and nothing comes to mind that makes sense except this== When my wife first got together I told her of my past misdeads and now she proudly tells all her friends how I beat the problem. Quite often I'm to explain to others that the problem can be fixed. Possibly my bad Thai has caused a misunderstanding, and people or person thinks I'm still using.

In this small village I don;t think its possible to live here without creating some bad feeling even if its only jealousy,there seems to be a fair bit of that here amongst the poor folks.

The cop that I see at the local headquarters is I understand the top cop and I can't remember what he has on his shoulders. Also this is the regional office or at least I think it is. This is amper Pothalay in the Pichit provence.

The thing that concerns me is not the reporting to the police here when I leave home but if I'm the only farang that has to report to police at my destination they are liable to think that I'm involved in criminal activities.

To answer some of the questions that were asked in members responses.

I'm on a 12 visa retirement status

and yes I do report every 90 days

The land that we have is approx. 4 rai and has about 500 fruit trees not much room for growing gunga or poppies, besides we have people coming on all the time to inspect our dragon fruit

this started before apec

I've been living in this house for 8 years and the police have been here and everyone knows me. My blue eyes and bald head stick out like dogs you know whats

no family back home

About the 500 baht night wives, think someone should tell Mr Trink cause I remember him writting in his column couple of years back that he was having to pay 2000 baht per night for his

I really do appreciate finding this web site and I'd like to thank you all for being there. It gets a bit lonely here in this village.

Regards Joe Strawberry

Post moved form Forum Support Desk to here by Admin

Edited December 13, 2003 by george

[Nam Kao]

Joe, I am a little north of you in Sak Lek, I'd come down and see you

but then I'd have to report to the police the same as you. :')

What you need to do is very soon go back to the Pho Thalay station with someone

who speaks English and Thai and find out what the heck is going on. Nip this

in the bud now. The more this simmers your goose becomes more cooked.

It could be a simple mis-understanding. And stop talking about drugs period.

Someone wants you out. Are there other Thais growing and selling the same?

This could be cause for great jealousy etc.

I have never seen so greedy people here. There is a mountain near my baan where they

found gold. You may have heard of this. At night they go out digging. They

think the deeper you dig the more gold you'll find. Tunnel after tunnel collapses

killing 3-12 at a time AND THEY KEEP COMING BACK. Whole families being killed.

For awhile I could not

run down my soi without passing a funeral party at someones house. Our wat

was angry they didnt get the bodies/business because the bodies were lost.

The policeman that controls my area is a little nuts. At every public festival

he gets drunk and very angry (not sure why) and fires clip after clip into

the sky running around yelling. The village top brass are afraid and are going

to vote him out (they hope).

regards

nam

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Can I be assured that he has really gone .... aggressive sodomite. Good riddance.

[strawberry]

Joe Strawberry here again

Couple of things I missed out on

When I need medical attention I go to the Christian hospital at Manorom near Chai Naat. They have farang doctors there and most of them have been here most of their lives. When I told them of the of the problem with the police they said that reporting as in the way I've been asked to do was the way it used to be done.

The other thing is that each time I go to the police station I am required to make out a form that is a government paper in both english and thai, is similar to the form I make out for my 90 day report

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Absolutely IT....Copyrot not claimed.....go for it......

[strawberry]

Joe Strawberry here just thought I'd keep you up to date on my problem with the cops. sitting down quietly with a friend we decided that the cop had misunderstood his orders. If you look into the TM card you will find it covered either the cop or the underling has misread it. The local inspector is new here and possible his first post as OIC. I'm probable the only farang under his watch. If I go to him its just possible his mistake will cause him a loss of face and I'm pretty sure if I go to his superior that it will and that might cause me more problems than than just having to do what he wants me to do. Its no big deal.

Thanks for all the interest and advice