Open Letter To PM Yingluck Re: Updating Laws Affecting Foreigners From Drew Noyes

[soomak]

Well whatever is written on the letter seems to be benefiting the foreigners in Thailand. But is it fine to ask for a government to change its laws so suit someone who is a "Foreigner"? Its like going to someone's house and then asking them to serve the breakfast at 5 am because its better for you? I believe that, if we are choosing to live in Thailand we should accept its rules and not ask a change in its laws. Ever imagined what would happen if all these "requests" are granted ? I mean from a Thai's point of view.

I don't see what is so strange about a country that does something that will benefit people living in it which are not citizens.

Example:

My government (Israel) has changed the way the Thai agricultural workers are chosen, so that these poor workers don't have to pay the middlemen (and it was not easy changing that).

About the OP requests:

Being able to get a citizenship if you marry a Thai woman seems very reasonable, and I think most countries allow that.

The other requests are just wishful thinking - there is no moral or local logic that supports them.

[Beetlejuice]

Please accept this letter as a request on behalf of many foreigners living in Thailand like myself.

And what gives this idiot the right to assume that I am one of the foreigners he writes on behalf of?

What this guy is suggesting is charity. Any farang that is self-independent and is financially stable should have no problems staying in Thailand for the long term. As for any foreigners that cannot hack it over here under the present imposed requirements and regulations, than who wants them here anyway and what use are they to Thailand? Pattaya is a major example of what would transpire if the gates were left wide open to these people.

If the present Immigration requirements were relaxed and the suggestions of this guy granted, than Thailand would become a grazing ground for Western poor, underclass’s, real estate speculators, business opportunists, criminals and marriages of convenience would become rife, plus becoming a major threat to Thai culture that could alienate the Thai people against us.

My vote would be to place more restrictions on Westerners entering Thailand not to decrease them. I prefer Thailand just the way it is, with the less farangs, the better.

so in your perfect "thai world " , there are only rich thais and rich farang allowed , anyone on an average thai or western income should choose to live where exactly ? , do you think the majority of farang on £20,000 per annum is incapable of loving and living because they dont earn as much as you ? an english teacher for example ?? , ..... i agree the less farang the better , but money does'nt buy you love or happiness, .......look around you , most of those smilling faces are on around 300b per day !! , if a "poor " farang can provide a better life with only 1000b per day , good luck to them , ....you ,on the otherhand will always have doubts if shes with you for your money , i hope oneday you will find out !

Total rubbish.

I never mentioned Thais and this thread is about foreigners.

My point is that any Westerners wishing to reside in Thailand, this third world country, should not be reliant on working here, semi or fully supported by a Thai spouse or kindness or handouts in order to support themselves but should be totally financially supportive under the imposed Immigration requirements.

Where should an average or low-income farang go exactly? They should remain in their own countries rather than become a burden in Thailand, for example: medical and health care can be expensive.

As a matter of fact in Thailand a person can live like a king for £20000 per annum and I guess most of us including myself are on much less than that. The monetary requirements set on farangs in order to settle here are a lot less and much more generous than in many countries. So for those who cannot even afford and would be struggling on the bare minimum is as I said; what use are they to Thailand and who wants them here?

If you want to bring love into the equation, than love doesn’t pay the bills or help the economy of the country. Although a nice thought and perfect in the land of wonder and make believe and I fully agree that money does not buy love or happiness, but it does buy a one year stay visa in Thailand.

Sadly, in these modern competitive times, it`s business is business.

Time to wake up and join the harsh realities of the real world.

[prefabs]

Wow, so many of you people are slating this guy for trying.

Yes, there may be many errors in proposals and he could

have presented it in shorter form and maybe even to suit

you particular whingers more.....

But give the guy a break,,,,At least he is trying rather than

you bunch of whingers who probably have never ever tried

to assist in improving things for foreigners in Thailand..

Your just a bunch of moaning ex-pats who find anything

to moan about rather than trying to make it better....

You seem to enjoy putting the boot in more than trying

to do something about a situation.....

Shame on you all......I can only imagine that all of you

moaners are losers in life.......

Try being positive and don't bore us any more with your

whingeing,,,,or at least have the decency to P#*ss off back

to your own country and moan about that one...

Happy New Year by the way....

You silly little man, do some research. Mr Noyes never tries to help anyone except Drew Noyes. If you have read this, you will see that earlier posts, including mine, refer to his unsavoury nature. He has, at various times, been called a sociopath, a scoundrel, a liar, a cheat etc. Not just here but on many blogs, websites and other places. Just read his CV where he was invited into the Kingdom to advise after the economic crisis of the '90s. He ran a bar, which may or not have solved Thailand economic woes. His standing in the Pattaya area is somewhat lower than a snake's bellybutton

[Puccini]

Haha,Drew Noyes pulling some attention ( read free publicity) to his newspaper and law office once again...

You may have a point there. When I read the OP, my first thought was that this open letter is a clever publicity stunt, the author gets the name of his company into the paper, hoping to drum up some new business this way. I doubt, though, that it will work out this way.

[khundanny]

Thai Law.doc

[prefabs]

So far no comments from mr. Drew himself. Could it be that he is still on the phone after khun Yungrak called him for some more explanation and advise ?

Actually, he is quietly shitting bricks that this actually does get as far as the Prime Minister. Then she would ask an aide to find out who he actually is, is he maybe a little sick or is he indeed portraying himself as the saviour of all expats. At that time, all the government's woes would disappear as they would have found THEIR white knight, sent to help them in times like this. His arch enemy Niels Colon must be wetting himself at this faux pas by his rival Pattaya press baron

[Brewsta]

Folks,

I would suggest that any reasoned efforts to 'level' the playing field, giving legitimate expats a better opportunity to settle/reside longterm or spend more time with their partners (and often children or friends) should be supported and applauded.

In my travelling experiences,Thailand is certainly one of the harder countries to achieve these goals and I have lived in more than 20 nations or principalities worldwide. IMO, naturally.

So good luck to those who make the effort to remove these disparities and plain unfair issues.

Sawat dee pi mai to All,

Brewsta

[Brewsta]

Folks,

I would suggest that any reasoned efforts to 'level' the playing field, giving legitimate expats a better opportunity to settle/reside longterm or spend more time with their partners (and often children or friends) should be supported and applauded.

In my travelling experiences,Thailand is certainly one of the harder countries to achieve these goals, IMO naturally.and I have lived in more than 20 nations or principalities worldwide.

So good luck to those who make the effort to remove these disparities and plain unfair issues.

Sawat dee pi mai to All,

Brewsta

*** Hmmm....hiccup on saving/refresh = duplication of post after edit ;O) ***

Edited January 9, 2012 by Brewsta

[fogoyes]

Gustav Fogarascher Fogo

‎... and the government should look into the visa regulations for foreign teachers - we educate your kids and you should make our life in terms of visas, work permits, employment issues (contracts, insurance, permissions, etc.) more easy! it's not very nice to take a lot of money for all this from people working honest and positive minded for the future of the thai youth!

[vahack]

After having worked and saved in my country ,or if I was selling my house in my country for instance, I would want to be able to buy a house (with land) here without beeing "borderline" with "companies" and beeing scared to lose one day the fruits of my savings ! How horrible is this feeling...(so is "dual-pricing btw..)

It's just a fundamental democratic right to have your own house with a small land around it !

one small detail - Thailand is not your country. you are not owed rights in this country. if you need rights during your last years on earth then look at the neighbouring countries. you can own a business and get citizenship in Cambodia..

[siamrak]

"But now at least 30 million baht inbound funds is required for an investor’s visa."

A quick call to the Bangkok immigration office and we had the reply that 10 million is needed for an investment visa.

Someone like Drew, with his close relationship with Pattaya Immigration and also running a Law and Visa firm, might want to check the facts before writing such a letter...

Thank you for confirming this! I knew the figures this letter writer is quoting must be completely off. As I said in my original post, since when did Thailand elevate to the level of a Singapore, and require potential investors put up minimum of US$1 million towards investment?!?! The writer *seriously* needs to recheck his letter if it's for real!

One even might go as far and say he should know this without checking the facts before writing the letter...

Indeed! He is seriously disqualifying himself even before trying by being so wrong on such important details!

Edited January 9, 2012 by siamrak

[vahack]

What a load of nonsense I for one totally oppose any relaxation of laws relating to foreigners owning property here. If your married to a Thai it is more than reasonable to expect you to have a mere 400,000 baht in a bank to show you are not a pauper and im sorry to say that any foreigner who comes here marries a Thai and has a family by that wife is acting totally irresponsibly by starting such a family without proper financial support for that family and 400,000 baht a year is hardly even providing any real support. I would however think if your married to a thai who has funds then their should be no problem she can simply give you the 400,000 baht. If she cant and you dont have it your both acting totally irresponsibly. I have properly provided for my Thai wife and our 2 children to the extent that she now has around 40 million baht in her own name and right and while out of pure choice I have less than half of that if our marriage of over 16 years now is not baed on proper love then it is far better I am thrown out of the country than exist in a poor country on a pittance.

i sorta understand and agree with what you are saying, but would it be so wrong to proofread what you post on a public forum? lol

ya 400k is nothing. especially to a Thai wife that likes to shop. i make around 250k baht a month and bring 70% of it into Thailand for spending. every month, most or all of it is gone. we pay our bills, pay our house staff, fuel, food, clothing, diapers, and whatever is left we dump into home improvements.

i have a bunch of farang friends that live off a teacher's salary of 25-35k a month. to me, what is the point of living at such a low level? its better to be poor in a foreign country than your own?

[siamrak]

What a load of nonsense I for one totally oppose any relaxation of laws relating to foreigners owning property here. If your married to a Thai it is more than reasonable to expect you to have a mere 400,000 baht in a bank to show you are not a pauper and im sorry to say that any foreigner who comes here marries a Thai and has a family by that wife is acting totally irresponsibly by starting such a family without proper financial support for that family and 400,000 baht a year is hardly even providing any real support. I would however think if your married to a thai who has funds then their should be no problem she can simply give you the 400,000 baht. If she cant and you dont have it your both acting totally irresponsibly. I have properly provided for my Thai wife and our 2 children to the extent that she now has around 40 million baht in her own name and right and while out of pure choice I have less than half of that if our marriage of over 16 years now is not baed on proper love then it is far better I am thrown out of the country than exist in a poor country on a pittance.

i sorta understand and agree with what you are saying, but would it be so wrong to proofread what you post on a public forum? lol

ya 400k is nothing. especially to a Thai wife that likes to shop. i make around 250k baht a month and bring 70% of it into Thailand for spending. every month, most or all of it is gone. we pay our bills, pay our house staff, fuel, food, clothing, diapers, and whatever is left we dump into home improvements.

i have a bunch of farang friends that live off a teacher's salary of 25-35k a month. to me, what is the point of living at such a low level? its better to be poor in a foreign country than your own?

Isn't the cost of living at least much more affordable in Thailand. Especially away from BKK and in some other medium-sized city at least? I read a recent article that one can retire in Chiang Mai very comfortably for just US$1100/month...

[Satcommlee]

Wow, so many of you people are slating this guy for trying.

Yes, there may be many errors in proposals and he could

have presented it in shorter form and maybe even to suit

you particular whingers more.....

But give the guy a break,,,,At least he is trying rather than

you bunch of whingers who probably have never ever tried

to assist in improving things for foreigners in Thailand..

Your just a bunch of moaning ex-pats who find anything

to moan about rather than trying to make it better....

You seem to enjoy putting the boot in more than trying

to do something about a situation.....

Shame on you all......I can only imagine that all of you

moaners are losers in life.......

Try being positive and don't bore us any more with your

whingeing,,,,or at least have the decency to P#*ss off back

to your own country and moan about that one...

Happy New Year by the way....

You obviously don't know who this guy actually is.. and what he actually does and what his real motives are..

Google is your friend!

Edited January 9, 2012 by Satcommlee

[WunMoneyBunny]

I consider this to be a wasted exercise. I will explain why by relating my story, which I hope will show readers what I believe is the true nature of the Thai govenment & its attitude towards "Farangs", & especially retirees who take up residence in Thailand, & perhaps buy property here, & possibly marry a Thai national.

6 years ago, I applied for & received a Thai Non O-A Retirement Visa while I was living & working in Hong Kong where I had been located for the previous 11 years. I was about to turn 60 years of age, & wanted to retire to Thailand, partly because I liked the place, & partly because, about two years before, I had met a Thai lady who was born in Thailand & who had lived there all of her life. I married her a year later & we took up residence together in one of the 3 pieces of real estate that I have purchased in Thailand.

For the next 6 years after receiving my Retirement Visa & the associated Extension Of Stay, I annually renewed them at the regional immigration office. More recently, specifically over the past 10 months, I have been out of Thailand for an extended period. This was my very first extended period out of the country in those 6 years. I used the time to visit friends & relatives in several international countries. During that period, my Retirement Visa expired as did my Extension Of Stay. For one reason or another, I was unable, or it was inconvenient for me to return to Thailand to renew the Visa & Extension before the expiry date.

I have just finished making enquiries with the Thai Immigration authorities in the regional office where I had completed my previous annual renewals. I have been advised that I will not be able to complete the standard renewal procedure this time, & that I will have to start the whole tedious process again of applying for a Non O-A Retirement Visa as I did several years ago when I first applied. It's as if I've never ever been to Thailand!

To add insult to injury, I will need to complete an application for the Retirement Visa from within the country associated with either of my two passports. These are countries where I have not permanently lived for at least 20 years. I assume the reason for this is to allow the Thai authorities to determine that I have not undergone a permanent Dr Jekyll to Mr. Hyde transformation, & that I am still of good character, & at least as acceptable as I was when I went through this process some 6 years ago. I guess they want to ensure that my 10 months of international travel, away from the controlling-mother influence of benign Thailand, has not allowed me to become a decadent individual who might taint, or be a burden upon the pristine standards of Thai society.

To confirm that I have not strayed from the straight & narrow, I must yet again submit, as do all Farangs who are first applicants for Retirement Visas, to tests that will prove that I am still of a sufficiently moral character (have committed no crimes), who is sufficiently healthy (no elephantitis, aids etc), & is reasonably capable of helping to support the Thai economy (have a fat bank account).

To now insist on me providing the same details as before, from countries that have hardly seen me for the past 10 to 20 years, is totally preposterous. The following facts, which are readily available to the Thai government but not to the governments associated with my passports, should be taken into account by the Thai authorities responsible for renewing my Retirement Visa & Extension:

That my wife of 6 years is Thai, lives in Thailand & has done so for all of her life.

That the location which I have nominated as my country of residence whenever I have had to declare such on immigration forms when entering Thailand or any other country, is Thailand & has been so for the past 6+ years.

That my one & only place of residence is located in Thailand, & that it is one of the three pieces of Thai real estate that I own. I do not own real estate in any other country.

That I have committed no crimes in Thailand or elsewhere for that matter, for the past 6 years or prior to that. I have not even received a speeding ticket, a traffic violation or a parking fine!

That my financial status, as could be confirmed by statements from various Thai banks, is very secure.

The Thai government chooses not to consider in any way, the above facts in this situation. This clearly demonstrates the reprehensible nature of the Thai government, & the utter contempt with which the government treats its foreign "residents" & "retirees"! This attitude is compounded & reinforced by the preposterous & time wasting exercise of reporting every 90 days, to confirm one's address. It reminds me of the requirement for criminals to regularly report their whereabouts when on parole! How demeaning! The reliability & stable nature of an individual such as myself, who has reported exactly the same address for the past 6 years, & which coincides with the very address of the high-class real estate which I own, seems to be of no consequence to the Thai authorities.

Well, I've had enough of acting like a first class citizen, but being treated like a Z-grade one! I'm out of here! My very best wishes to those of you who don't mind being treated like this, & who choose to stay. I hope things improve for you, but I doubt they will.

If anyone is able to dispute the information that I've been fed about me having to undertake a totally new application process, instead of just renewing my expired Non O-A Retirement Visa, then I would be pleased to hear from you via a posting here. Cheers & thanks in anticipation.

[Jingthing]

I consider this to be a wasted exercise. I will explain why by relating my story, which I hope will show readers what I believe is the true nature of the Thai govenment & its attitude towards "Farangs", & especially retirees who take up residence in Thailand, & perhaps buy property here, & possibly marry a Thai national.

6 years ago, I applied for & received a Thai Non O-A Retirement Visa while I was living & working in Hong Kong where I had been located for the previous 11 years. I was about to turn 60 years of age, & wanted to retire to Thailand, partly because I liked the place, & partly because, about two years before, I had met a Thai lady who was born in Thailand & who had lived there all of her life. I married her a year later & we took up residence together in one of the 3 pieces of real estate that I have purchased in Thailand.

For the next 6 years after receiving my Retirement Visa & the associated Extension Of Stay, I annually renewed them at the regional immigration office. More recently, specifically over the past 10 months, I have been out of Thailand for an extended period. This was my very first extended period out of the country in those 6 years. I used the time to visit friends & relatives in several international countries. During that period, my Retirement Visa expired as did my Extension Of Stay. For one reason or another, I was unable, or it was inconvenient for me to return to Thailand to renew the Visa & Extension before the expiry date.

I have just finished making enquiries with the Thai Immigration authorities in the regional office where I had completed my previous annual renewals. I have been advised that I will not be able to complete the standard renewal procedure this time, & that I will have to start the whole tedious process again of applying for a Non O-A Retirement Visa as I did several years ago when I first applied. It's as if I've never ever been to Thailand!

To add insult to injury, I will need to complete an application for the Retirement Visa from within the country associated with either of my two passports. These are countries where I have not permanently lived for at least 20 years. I assume the reason for this is to allow the Thai authorities to determine that I have not undergone a permanent Dr Jekyll to Mr. Hyde transformation, & that I am still of good character, & at least as acceptable as I was when I went through this process some 6 years ago. I guess they want to ensure that my 10 months of international travel, away from the controlling-mother influence of benign Thailand, has not allowed me to become a decadent individual who might taint, or be a burden upon the pristine standards of Thai society.

To confirm that I have not strayed from the straight & narrow, I must yet again submit, as do all Farangs who are first applicants for Retirement Visas, to tests that will prove that I am still of a sufficiently moral character (have committed no crimes), who is sufficiently healthy (no elephantitis, aids etc), & is reasonably capable of helping to support the Thai economy (have a fat bank account).

To now insist on me providing the same details as before, from countries that have hardly seen me for the past 10 to 20 years, is totally preposterous. The following facts, which are readily available to the Thai government but not to the governments associated with my passports, should be taken into account by the Thai authorities responsible for renewing my Retirement Visa & Extension:

That my wife of 6 years is Thai, lives in Thailand & has done so for all of her life.

That the location which I have nominated as my country of residence whenever I have had to declare such on immigration forms when entering Thailand or any other country, is Thailand & has been so for the past 6+ years.

That my one & only place of residence is located in Thailand, & that it is one of the three pieces of Thai real estate that I own. I do not own real estate in any other country.

That I have committed no crimes in Thailand or elsewhere for that matter, for the past 6 years or prior to that. I have not even received a speeding ticket, a traffic violation or a parking fine!

That my financial status, as could be confirmed by statements from various Thai banks, is very secure.

The Thai government chooses not to consider in any way, the above facts in this situation. This clearly demonstrates the reprehensible nature of the Thai government, & the utter contempt with which the government treats its foreign "residents" & "retirees"! This attitude is compounded & reinforced by the preposterous & time wasting exercise of reporting every 90 days, to confirm one's address. It reminds me of the requirement for criminals to regularly report their whereabouts when on parole! How demeaning! The reliability & stable nature of an individual such as myself, who has reported exactly the same address for the past 6 years, & which coincides with the very address of the high-class real estate which I own, seems to be of no consequence to the Thai authorities.

Well, I've had enough of acting like a first class citizen, but being treated like a Z-grade one! I'm out of here! My very best wishes to those of you who don't mind being treated like this, & who choose to stay. I hope things improve for you, but I doubt they will.

If anyone is able to dispute the information that I've been fed about me having to undertake a totally new application process, instead of just renewing my expired Non O-A Retirement Visa, then I would be pleased to hear from you via a posting here. Cheers & thanks in anticipation.

Please post in the visa forum. I assure you you don't need a new O-A visa. In fact you can enter Thailand on a 30 day stamp or tourist visa and do a change of visa status to an O visa (not an O-A) and after that apply for your extension of stay based on retirement with the same needed financial qualifications as before. Another way is to get a single entry O visa (again not an O-A) in Malaysia or Laos. No need for police report or health form for either option.

On the other hand, I have been posting for YEARS now how crappy it is that there is no possible path for increased status for long term expat retirees! One minute or thirty years, same rules, same status. Oh well ...

Again, post on the visa forum and you can get your issue sorted out. Again, absolutely no need to do an new O-A in your home country (unless you want to).

Edited January 9, 2012 by Jingthing

[tombkk]

I consider this to be a wasted exercise. I will explain why by relating my story, which I hope will show readers what I believe is the true nature of the Thai govenment & its attitude towards "Farangs", & especially retirees who take up residence in Thailand, & perhaps buy property here, & possibly marry a Thai national.

[...] For one reason or another, I was unable, or it was inconvenient for me to return to Thailand to renew the Visa & Extension before the expiry date.

[...]

The Thai government chooses not to consider in any way, the above facts in this situation. This clearly demonstrates the reprehensible nature of the Thai government, & the utter contempt with which the government treats its foreign "residents" & "retirees"! [...] I'm out of here! [...]

Hm, you knew the rules, but they were "inconvenient" for you. Now you complain the the Thai government treats you with contempt, rather than you treating the rules of the country with contempt?

Good-bye then.

[tombkk]

Wow, so many of you people are slating this guy for trying.

Yes, there may be many errors in proposals and he could

have presented it in shorter form and maybe even to suit

you particular whingers more.....

But give the guy a break,,,,At least he is trying rather than

you bunch of whingers who probably have never ever tried

to assist in improving things for foreigners in Thailand..

Your just a bunch of moaning ex-pats who find anything

to moan about rather than trying to make it better....

You seem to enjoy putting the boot in more than trying

to do something about a situation.....

Shame on you all......I can only imagine that all of you

moaners are losers in life.......

Try being positive and don't bore us any more with your

whingeing,,,,or at least have the decency to P#*ss off back

to your own country and moan about that one...

Happy New Year by the way....

Joedee, you are not getting why people are against this letter ever being sent to the PM. Sure, any attempt at making our lives better should be lauded, but an attempt that is not well-thought out, contains factual mistakes and bad grammar and simply is not on the level, is counter-productive. If this person claimed to represent me, I would shudder. No, I do not want to be represented by someone who publishes something like this.

In addition, it's the messenger, i.e. the person who writes this letter saying that he represents "many" foreigners. Obviously, he is not of best repute (at least Google says so), another reason why I would not like to be counted in on the people he claims to represent.

[vahack]

ya 400k is nothing. especially to a Thai wife that likes to shop. i make around 250k baht a month and bring 70% of it into Thailand for spending. every month, most or all of it is gone. we pay our bills, pay our house staff, fuel, food, clothing, diapers, and whatever is left we dump into home improvements.

i have a bunch of farang friends that live off a teacher's salary of 25-35k a month. to me, what is the point of living at such a low level? its better to be poor in a foreign country than your own?

Isn't the cost of living at least much more affordable in Thailand. Especially away from BKK and in some other medium-sized city at least? I read a recent article that one can retire in Chiang Mai very comfortably for just US$1100/month...

ya as i mentioned i have many friends living off the $1000 USD a month they make teaching. entire families in my village live off 5,000 baht or less a month. Thailand can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be.

[Jessi]

I consider this to be a wasted exercise. I will explain why by relating my story, which I hope will show readers what I believe is the true nature of the Thai govenment & its attitude towards "Farangs", & especially retirees who take up residence in Thailand, & perhaps buy property here, & possibly marry a Thai national.

6 years ago, I applied for & received a Thai Non O-A Retirement Visa while I was living & working in Hong Kong where I had been located for the previous 11 years. I was about to turn 60 years of age, & wanted to retire to Thailand, partly because I liked the place, & partly because, about two years before, I had met a Thai lady who was born in Thailand & who had lived there all of her life. I married her a year later & we took up residence together in one of the 3 pieces of real estate that I have purchased in Thailand.

For the next 6 years after receiving my Retirement Visa & the associated Extension Of Stay, I annually renewed them at the regional immigration office. More recently, specifically over the past 10 months, I have been out of Thailand for an extended period. This was my very first extended period out of the country in those 6 years. I used the time to visit friends & relatives in several international countries. During that period, my Retirement Visa expired as did my Extension Of Stay. For one reason or another, I was unable, or it was inconvenient for me to return to Thailand to renew the Visa & Extension before the expiry date.

I have just finished making enquiries with the Thai Immigration authorities in the regional office where I had completed my previous annual renewals. I have been advised that I will not be able to complete the standard renewal procedure this time, & that I will have to start the whole tedious process again of applying for a Non O-A Retirement Visa as I did several years ago when I first applied. It's as if I've never ever been to Thailand!

To add insult to injury, I will need to complete an application for the Retirement Visa from within the country associated with either of my two passports. These are countries where I have not permanently lived for at least 20 years. I assume the reason for this is to allow the Thai authorities to determine that I have not undergone a permanent Dr Jekyll to Mr. Hyde transformation, & that I am still of good character, & at least as acceptable as I was when I went through this process some 6 years ago. I guess they want to ensure that my 10 months of international travel, away from the controlling-mother influence of benign Thailand, has not allowed me to become a decadent individual who might taint, or be a burden upon the pristine standards of Thai society.

To confirm that I have not strayed from the straight & narrow, I must yet again submit, as do all Farangs who are first applicants for Retirement Visas, to tests that will prove that I am still of a sufficiently moral character (have committed no crimes), who is sufficiently healthy (no elephantitis, aids etc), & is reasonably capable of helping to support the Thai economy (have a fat bank account).

To now insist on me providing the same details as before, from countries that have hardly seen me for the past 10 to 20 years, is totally preposterous. The following facts, which are readily available to the Thai government but not to the governments associated with my passports, should be taken into account by the Thai authorities responsible for renewing my Retirement Visa & Extension:

That my wife of 6 years is Thai, lives in Thailand & has done so for all of her life.

That the location which I have nominated as my country of residence whenever I have had to declare such on immigration forms when entering Thailand or any other country, is Thailand & has been so for the past 6+ years.

That my one & only place of residence is located in Thailand, & that it is one of the three pieces of Thai real estate that I own. I do not own real estate in any other country.

That I have committed no crimes in Thailand or elsewhere for that matter, for the past 6 years or prior to that. I have not even received a speeding ticket, a traffic violation or a parking fine!

That my financial status, as could be confirmed by statements from various Thai banks, is very secure.

The Thai government chooses not to consider in any way, the above facts in this situation. This clearly demonstrates the reprehensible nature of the Thai government, & the utter contempt with which the government treats its foreign "residents" & "retirees"! This attitude is compounded & reinforced by the preposterous & time wasting exercise of reporting every 90 days, to confirm one's address. It reminds me of the requirement for criminals to regularly report their whereabouts when on parole! How demeaning! The reliability & stable nature of an individual such as myself, who has reported exactly the same address for the past 6 years, & which coincides with the very address of the high-class real estate which I own, seems to be of no consequence to the Thai authorities.

Well, I've had enough of acting like a first class citizen, but being treated like a Z-grade one! I'm out of here! My very best wishes to those of you who don't mind being treated like this, & who choose to stay. I hope things improve for you, but I doubt they will.

If anyone is able to dispute the information that I've been fed about me having to undertake a totally new application process, instead of just renewing my expired Non O-A Retirement Visa, then I would be pleased to hear from you via a posting here. Cheers & thanks in anticipation.

I understand how you feel but please do not get Drew to try & fix your problem, He is not a Lawyer, he is just an embarrsment to other foreigners in Thailand,

[sirchai]

Dear Prime Minister Yingluck,

Please give all foreigners living in the Kingdom of Thailand the right to breathe. Free tablet PCs and WIFI for all foreigners with white skin.

With Regards and salutations,

Khun Baksida

Edited January 10, 2012 by sirchai

[meatboy]

i have just read 75posts and not one mention why we are treated like criminals on probation having to sign on every 90days.and for droping the yearly amount you need in the bank for 2months before your extension like its already been said if y cant find these amounts dont bother coming to los.

[hellodolly]

I consider this to be a wasted exercise. I will explain why by relating my story, which I hope will show readers what I believe is the true nature of the Thai govenment & its attitude towards "Farangs", & especially retirees who take up residence in Thailand, & perhaps buy property here, & possibly marry a Thai national.

[...] For one reason or another, I was unable, or it was inconvenient for me to return to Thailand to renew the Visa & Extension before the expiry date.

[...]

The Thai government chooses not to consider in any way, the above facts in this situation. This clearly demonstrates the reprehensible nature of the Thai government, & the utter contempt with which the government treats its foreign "residents" & "retirees"! [...] I'm out of here! [...]

Hm, you knew the rules, but they were "inconvenient" for you. Now you complain the the Thai government treats you with contempt, rather than you treating the rules of the country with contempt?

Good-bye then.

+1 Exactly

Just checked this is mister better than you's first post.

Edited January 10, 2012 by hellodolly

[samsiam]

Haha,Drew Noyes pulling some attention ( read free publicity) to his newspaper and law office once again,and again TV is stepping into it with both feet or is scratching each others back.

Why doesn't he send the letter straight to Yingluck,I'm sure he has the address.

This guy has never written anything more than a ( bad ) joke and is in the same boat as that other media Mongol oops mogul who's name is very sensitive on this board.

Scratching backs me thinks...birds of a feather and all that.......

[softgeorge]

This has to be the most idiotic thing ever, I take it the person responsible for this naive idea has just arrived in Thailand as anyone who has spent time here knows quite defiantly that NON Thais are viewed as buffalo dung by any Thai elite or Hi-So

More like an advertising campaign that has also not been thought about........oh and good luck on renewing your work Permit and company registry as you will be well and truly placed on the watch list

Take it from me over 40 years here ...NOTHING will ever change for the good of Foreigners here especially the 4 points raised

Just look how a Thai woman gives up here rights when marrying a non Thai

How does a Thai woman give up her rights by marrying a non Thai.

[ya5702]

All will be lost in the translation (figuratively and literally.)

[samsiam]

All will be lost in the translation (figuratively and literally.)

For softgeorge for sure...

[pomchop]

It seems to me that a visit to google would be one of the first steps for anyone trying to determine what is the background,creditabliity, and qualifications ,if any, of a person who posts such a letter. Then decide for yourself if you want this person to "represent you" in a letter to the PM of Thailand.

[JurgenG]

Try to do something and you will have all the sexpat up in arms on their barstool to criticize you.

I don't know Mr Drew Noyes and maybe his letter is not perfectly written but at least he tries to do something about a subject that seems to be important to great number of foreigners living in Thailand.

You don't like what he does ? So, what do you suggest ?

I really appreciate the fighting spirit of expats in Hong Kong, China and other parts of Asia. The problem is if Thailand doesn't revise it's immigration policy, Thailand will always be stuck with the whiners and losers and Thailand will have only itself to blame for that.

Edited January 10, 2012 by JurgenG

[xenophon]

What a dreadfully written letter!!! Rewrite and sack the author.