Define Working

[frankpelagic]

My wife has a motor bike with sidecar, and sells food around town. She has a Thai bloke working for her on the motorbike. The raw materials are stored in my freezer in my condo (its in my name, but we both live there). I sometimes take her shopping in my car so she can buy the food she sells. She has her own MAKRO card. Can anyone see anything gray or approaching illegality in being so close to her business (without having ever even sat on the motorbike??

Thanks

[mahtin]

The visa forum has the experts on this sort of thing.

[frankpelagic]

Should I repost there or can this post be rediredted?

[mahtin]

Should I repost there or can this post be rediredted?

Patience, a mod will be by.

[Crossy]

Should I repost there or can this post be rediredted?

Patience, a mod will be by.

How was that?

No problem with using the 'Report' button if a thread needs moving

[MrRespectable]

Buy driving your car to get stock for your wife's business your are taking away the opportunity for a Thai national to do that job, the law is the law.

[sotsira]

Buy driving your car to get stock for your wife's business your are taking away the opportunity for a Thai national to do that job, the law is the law.

What a ridiculous statement,

I take my wife shopping to Makro and all the other supermarkets too, but i don't consider that im breaking the law by working!

It's his wife for christ's sake, he has every right to take her shopping.

[Soutpeel]

Buy driving your car to get stock for your wife's business your are taking away the opportunity for a Thai national to do that job, the law is the law.

What a ridiculous statement,

I take my wife shopping to Makro and all the other supermarkets too, but i don't consider that im breaking the law by working!

It's his wife for christ's sake, he has every right to take her shopping.

But is you wife running a business using the shopping bought from Makro ?...

Whether you consider you are breaking the law or not is somewhat irrelevant, as its the Thai authrorites who determine whether you are breaking the law or not...

I am sure there are plenty of people in jails around the world who considered themselves "not breaking the law" either....

[CharlieH]

The key thing here is it doesnt matter one iota what you think, it doesnt matter what logic dictates, it makes no difference one bit what arguments you think you have, what does matter is what the THAI person/official thinks that matters, and what they wish to impose at the time and that's the end of it.

The only thing you can say that's relevant will be ....how much do I have to pay.

[sotsira]

Buy driving your car to get stock for your wife's business your are taking away the opportunity for a Thai national to do that job, the law is the law.

What a ridiculous statement,

I take my wife shopping to Makro and all the other supermarkets too, but i don't consider that im breaking the law by working!

It's his wife for christ's sake, he has every right to take her shopping.

But is you wife running a business using the shopping bought from Makro ?...

Whether you consider you are breaking the law or not is somewhat irrelevant, as its the Thai authrorites who determine whether you are breaking the law or not...

I am sure there are plenty of people in jails around the world who considered themselves "not breaking the law" either....

Still think it's a ridiculous assumption,

When i take my wife shopping she is free to buy what she wants and for whatever she wants to do with it after she's bought it.

It doesn't mean i'm breaking any law because i've driven her there.

Im sure the police and lawyers wouldn't even waste their time to take a matter like this to court, the judge would throw the case out!

If the OP is so worried then he should pop in to any lawyers office and just ask them the same question.

The problem with expats in Thailand is they hear these horror stories of corrupt police bribing so-called offenders that they become scared

for absolutely no reason.

[sotsira]

The key thing here is it doesnt matter one iota what you think, it doesnt matter what logic dictates, it makes no difference one bit what arguments you think you have, what does matter is what the THAI person/official thinks that matters, and what they wish to impose at the time and that's the end of it.

The only thing you can say that's relevant will be ....how much do I have to pay.

It's this kind of attitude that promotes officials and police to make a quick buck with extortion.

If you stand your ground and say you want to call your lawyer they would back off and move on to the next

numpty they can find to extort from.

Show some balls man!

[mahtin]

Should I repost there or can this post be rediredted?

Patience, a mod will be by.

How was that?

No problem with using the 'Report' button if a thread needs moving

Didn't want to take somebody else's job

[lazygourmet]

My partner is an architect...

I've just upgraded her laptop to the new "auto-cad" version.

Can I be sued -as an alien- by interfering to a professional occupation reserved to Thai citizen?!?

555!!!

[CharlieH]

The key thing here is it doesnt matter one iota what you think, it doesnt matter what logic dictates, it makes no difference one bit what arguments you think you have, what does matter is what the THAI person/official thinks that matters, and what they wish to impose at the time and that's the end of it.

The only thing you can say that's relevant will be ....how much do I have to pay.

It's this kind of attitude that promotes officials and police to make a quick buck with extortion.

If you stand your ground and say you want to call your lawyer they would back off and move on to the next

numpty they can find to extort from.

Show some balls man!

You try that attitude and you would soon be eating fish head soup mate ! they couldnt careless about lawyers , what do you think this is the US ...hahaha...

they'd drag you and throw you in the back of a cell until they felt like it and you would have no say until they allowed you to.

Its nothing to do with "balls" its about knowing who you are dealing with and you clearly dont.

[sotsira]

CharlieH,

There's a big difference between actually doing something wrong and being dealt with severely by the BIB

and what the OP is asking in whether he can drive his wife to Makro to buy supplies for her business, which

is not illegal in any way.

[ludditeman]

If she were in the car with you and can drive, I think it would be OK.

I've seen many bar/restaurant owners getting supplies with their wife/business partner, some even do it on their own.

Hard to prove if the supplies were for the business or personal use anyway.

It's not like you are clearly taking a Thai job, like a musician singing in a bar or a chef in a restaurant kitchen.

[bunnydrops]

Its clear what the law is but not always clear if and how it will be enforced. I help in the building of my own home. I am sure I am breaking the law. I live about 3 doors down from the " aw ba daw" government building. They wave and ask how the job is going and seem to respect the fact that I don't mind getting dirty. On the other hand, I hear of the owner of a bar that got nicked for going behind the bar to change the CD. He had competition in the neighborhood no doubt.

[thaibeachlovers]

Its clear what the law is but not always clear if and how it will be enforced. I help in the building of my own home. I am sure I am breaking the law. I live about 3 doors down from the " aw ba daw" government building. They wave and ask how the job is going and seem to respect the fact that I don't mind getting dirty. On the other hand, I hear of the owner of a bar that got nicked for going behind the bar to change the CD. He had competition in the neighborhood no doubt.

It's your last sentence that is significant.

Unless there is someone looking to "get" you, you are quite safe. However, if you're wife was impinging on someone's "territory". or if someone wanted to take over her "territory" you might be at risk. The rights or wrongs don't come into it.

[thaibeachlovers]

The key thing here is it doesnt matter one iota what you think, it doesnt matter what logic dictates, it makes no difference one bit what arguments you think you have, what does matter is what the THAI person/official thinks that matters, and what they wish to impose at the time and that's the end of it.

The only thing you can say that's relevant will be ....how much do I have to pay.

So true.

[isanbirder]

The key thing here is it doesnt matter one iota what you think, it doesnt matter what logic dictates, it makes no difference one bit what arguments you think you have, what does matter is what the THAI person/official thinks that matters, and what they wish to impose at the time and that's the end of it.

The only thing you can say that's relevant will be ....how much do I have to pay.

Absolutely true. However, if your Thai partner is well integrated into the community, you may well get a roundabout warning, and no action will be taken. This happened when I was helping at his minimart, acting as the cashier when nobody else was available. A word in season to my partner... I stopped doing it.... and we heard no more.

People doing volunteer teaching at village schools may be warned, or a blind eye may be turned... but they are in fact breaking the law.

[sotsira]

I take my wife on nearly a daily basis either on my motor bike or car so she doesn't have to use

motor bike taxis, as she doesn't drive.

Does that mean im breaking the law as im taking away the opportunity for a taxi to take her instead?

No i didn't think so either!

In effect im doing the job that a taxi driver could have done, this is no different to what the OP is doing.

Some of the posters on this thread are so fickle with their scaremongering replies, it's actually quite funny

reading them.

[sotsira]

Its clear what the law is but not always clear if and how it will be enforced. I help in the building of my own home. I am sure I am breaking the law.

No, your not breaking the law, it's your house you can do whatever work you like in it.

I used to be a committee member in a condominium building and didn't require a work permit as i was a co-owner and owned a part share.

This was actually checked out by a lawyer before any of us started working on the committee.

[Mario2008]

Keep in mind what the alien labour law is trying to regulate. That is not doing a repair on your own house, but working (inlcuding volunteer work).

Yet, there will always be soem grey areas:

- repairing the mother in laws house (I can't see a judge sentencing anyone for that)

- repairing the house of a friend or labour (more difficut, as they can claim you might be getting paid for it, but still)

[PoorSucker]

You will be OK, not to worry.

The law states that you can not flush the toilet, you are then working, and taking shit from someone..

[CRUNCHER]

The Working of Aliens Act defines work thus:-

"work" means engaging in work by

exerting energy or using knowledge

whether or not in consideration of wages

or other benefit;

So, if you exert energy by getting out of your chair and apply your knowledge to boil an egg, even if no one pays you, you need a work permit.

Seriously though I can't imagine the OP is going to have any problems - unless his wife's competitors have "connections". That is always the curved ball.