French resort manager, Ukrainian tour guide nabbed in work permit raids

[ThaidDown]

Just Google " Wolfgang Ulrich - Pattaya" to see what will happen to you and your business if you become too succesful in Thailand. The classic "stitch-up" ! !

Sorry off topic but you really picked the wrong person as an example. Yes Google will show what sort of person he was and certainly was not a 'stitch-up'.

[VocalNeal]

A few years ago there was a story about a bar owner in Phuket who was arrested for sitting on the customer side of the bar and talking to customers. He was charged with working without a permit on the basis that he was actively "marketing" the bar while sitting and talking to customers. He was deported and lost everything.

Also happens in Pattaya et al. If you own a bar don't sit in it sit next door. If you have a neighbour exchange bar stool location.

Really stupid to be working without a permit it is not that difficult to get one!

I think the last guy caught in Pattaya was a swimming pool contractor! Well at least the last one that made the news!

Edited March 27, 2014 by VocalNeal

[EASYDOGG]

A good job by the BIB. Why all the negative press here?

[JO1973]

How about just 'Foreign resort manager'. Does it always have to be 'Farang'? (The story's headline and the lead-in on the Thaivisa email say different things.)

[sydneyjed]

It's all happening in down town Kamala just now...who needs James Bond Island?

[ChiangraiTony]

Immigration officials, plain clothes, and Chiang Mai police at night... I think we will see more of this taking place. Never before until recently have I seen Chiang Mai police stopping people at night for not wearing helmets while riding their motorbikes. Every night now!

[Nemesis7]

What a joke... First charge him for not having work permit and then charge him for not working properly....

Well TAT......amazing

[pantareiyingluck]

For USD$500 I have an authentic work permit for him. If he change his looks a bit he can use until Sep.2015.

[Docno]

What a joke... First charge him for not having work permit and then charge him for not working properly....

Well TAT......amazing

Oh, I get it.... You're saying that if he breaks one law, then it's ok to the break all the others? So if I drive a bus without the proper license, then it's ok for me not ensure the proper maintence of that bus, not to wear a seatbelt when I'm driving it, etc. etc.

[Docno]

Seriously? The guy in the photo is only 55?? I hope I don't look like that in 3 years' time. Is that what living in Phuket does to people?

[gemguy]

Hardly a crime worth pursuing.

Meantime the Thai officials are all eager to have their photo taken with the big King Pin of crime.

Meantime all around them there is hard core crime and occurring and they waste their resources apprehending the manager of a resort for a violation of a very unimportant law.

Big deal, he is working without a work permit and this is front page news.

And there are members here that support this sort enforcement of unimportant regulations...as if they are all 100% squeaky clean themselves.

[gemguy]

A good job by the BIB. Why all the negative press here?

Yep good job ..praise them for their skillful police work...that is until ( you ) are arrested for some minor infraction of any Thai law that exists and could be applied to you.

Then you will not be so impressed by the good job performed by the BIB.

[chrisinth]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

SOTIRIOS, on 27 Mar 2014 - 15:08, said:

....of course the deck is stacked against us....

...you invest your time and money...to make a living...with a work permit....you need to employ 4 Thais.....right off the bat you are at a disadvantage....

...arbitrary application of the law also does not help.....

Unless you are married to a Thai and then you only require 2 Thais employed for the work permit. The financial stipulations for the company are also halved......

Edited March 28, 2014 by chrisinth

[keestha]

Big deal, he is working without a work permit and this is front page news.

And there are members here that support this sort enforcement of unimportant regulations...as if they are all 100% squeaky clean themselves.

Well, the costs of running a business legally are pretty high and you have to jump through many bureaucratic loops, so of course you are not overjoyed by the presence of illegally operating competitors.

[stickylies]

A good job by the BIB. Why all the negative press here?

Yep good job ..praise them for their skillful police work...that is until ( you ) are arrested for some minor infraction of any Thai law that exists and could be applied to you.

Then you will not be so impressed by the good job performed by the BIB.

working without a WP is not a minor infraction.

been here *many* years and was never fined sofar because i also respect the law. also when thai people (including cops!) tell me not to worry ...

better safe than sorry...

IMO thailand is very tolerant/flexible already. eg. tourists drive motorbikes w/out licence and pay what if they get caught ? 100THB 200THB?

it doesn't matter that thai kids drive w/out licence too. if they get caught they also pay. why expecting positive discrimination?

try doing this in the west where u get 150 euro fine for driving a bycicle in one way street...

if you have a solid business plan for a business suitable for thailand, you can work here.

[onni4me]

And the corruption buster asks foreigners to have proof that there exists corruption in Thailand...and as we know from the testimony of so many here, there is no corruption in Thailand. Nothing to see here. Go home!

In normal countries graft busters collect their own evidence but here that task is left for the possible victims...unbelievable!

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/714375-corruption-buster-urges-phuket-dive-firms-to-provide-extortion-evidence/?utm_source=newsletter-20140328-0751&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news

[LBD1]

A few years ago there was a story about a bar owner in Phuket who was arrested for sitting on the customer side of the bar and talking to customers. He was charged with working without a permit on the basis that he was actively "marketing" the bar while sitting and talking to customers. He was deported and lost everything.

It would seem that the laws are such that if you get on anyone's shit list anywhere, they can "tip off" authorities and have you busted and deported for essentially doing nothing. Perhaps someone wants your bar or guesthouse; perhaps your wife wants you gone; perhaps you didn't pay the local police enough... whatever. The fact is, there is NO protection under the law in Thailand. It doesn't matter if you have family here that you are supporting, that you are paying taxes here, hiring and paying Thai's an actual living wage, building a successful business, etc. Nothing matters; there is simply no protection under the law.

This man may have gotten on a black list for one or more very undesirable things--we cannot know. But what we can see and know is that the same thing could happen to most any of us if anyone had it out for us for any reason: an unhappy neighbor, envy, jealousy, an unhappy employee who was actually expected to work, etc. It is one of many things that make it difficult for me to be optimistic about Thailand's future.

Mate, if you have a valid work permit - no problem, the same as in any other (your) country. Don't slag this place off because you don't want to comply with the requirements.

Edited March 28, 2014 by LivinginKata
Insult removed

[slipperylobster]

would love to know how many Thais work abroad illegally .... I know a lot in Germany already

Hey... tens of thousands of illegal working mexicans in the USA...

but, this being said, has absolutely nothing to do with a farang working in Thailand.

[LukKrueng]

A few years ago there was a story about a bar owner in Phuket who was arrested for sitting on the customer side of the bar and talking to customers. He was charged with working without a permit on the basis that he was actively "marketing" the bar while sitting and talking to customers. He was deported and lost everything.

It would seem that the laws are such that if you get on anyone's shit list anywhere, they can "tip off" authorities and have you busted and deported for essentially doing nothing. Perhaps someone wants your bar or guesthouse; perhaps your wife wants you gone; perhaps you didn't pay the local police enough... whatever. The fact is, there is NO protection under the law in Thailand. It doesn't matter if you have family here that you are supporting, that you are paying taxes here, hiring and paying Thai's an actual living wage, building a successful business, etc. Nothing matters; there is simply no protection under the law.

This man may have gotten on a black list for one or more very undesirable things--we cannot know. But what we can see and know is that the same thing could happen to most any of us if anyone had it out for us for any reason: an unhappy neighbor, envy, jealousy, an unhappy employee who was actually expected to work, etc. It is one of many things that make it difficult for me to be optimistic about Thailand's future.

Don't believe EVERY story you hear. People don't get deported for working illegally. They get a fine and some jail time. If they are the legal owners of a business, no one can take away their business. If they own property - this can't be just taken away either. There are rules and laws in Thailand, and like in any other country one should follow them or pay.

So - if you have a family and business and property - you better so it all correctly and get a work permit to run your business too

[DLP]

A few years ago there was a story about a bar owner in Phuket who was arrested for sitting on the customer side of the bar and talking to customers. He was charged with working without a permit on the basis that he was actively "marketing" the bar while sitting and talking to customers. He was deported and lost everything.

It would seem that the laws are such that if you get on anyone's shit list anywhere, they can "tip off" authorities and have you busted and deported for essentially doing nothing. Perhaps someone wants your bar or guesthouse; perhaps your wife wants you gone; perhaps you didn't pay the local police enough... whatever. The fact is, there is NO protection under the law in Thailand. It doesn't matter if you have family here that you are supporting, that you are paying taxes here, hiring and paying Thai's an actual living wage, building a successful business, etc. Nothing matters; there is simply no protection under the law.

This man may have gotten on a black list for one or more very undesirable things--we cannot know. But what we can see and know is that the same thing could happen to most any of us if anyone had it out for us for any reason: an unhappy neighbor, envy, jealousy, an unhappy employee who was actually expected to work, etc. It is one of many things that make it difficult for me to be optimistic about Thailand's future.

Don't believe EVERY story you hear. People don't get deported for working illegally. They get a fine and some jail time. If they are the legal owners of a business, no one can take away their business. If they own property - this can't be just taken away either. There are rules and laws in Thailand, and like in any other country one should follow them or pay.

So - if you have a family and business and property - you better so it all correctly and get a work permit to run your business too

If you are found guilty in a Thai court and sentenced you will automatically be deported. Unless you have plenty of money

[grumpyoldman]

This guy or his help booked a lady into the hotel who had been tortured.

How much did he get paid to do that and look the other way? He brought this attention onto himself so I hope the authorities barbecue the guy.

Considering two years ago his African mistress and son were openly working without permits (hmmmmm.......black people in Bangtao, you see that everday! NOT) in his restaurant and hotel and no immigration paid attention, it's about time they noticed this guy.

[Yahooka]

A few years ago there was a story about a bar owner in Phuket who was arrested for sitting on the customer side of the bar and talking to customers. He was charged with working without a permit on the basis that he was actively "marketing" the bar while sitting and talking to customers. He was deported and lost everything.

It would seem that the laws are such that if you get on anyone's shit list anywhere, they can "tip off" authorities and have you busted and deported for essentially doing nothing. Perhaps someone wants your bar or guesthouse; perhaps your wife wants you gone; perhaps you didn't pay the local police enough... whatever. The fact is, there is NO protection under the law in Thailand. It doesn't matter if you have family here that you are supporting, that you are paying taxes here, hiring and paying Thai's an actual living wage, building a successful business, etc. Nothing matters; there is simply no protection under the law.

This man may have gotten on a black list for one or more very undesirable things--we cannot know. But what we can see and know is that the same thing could happen to most any of us if anyone had it out for us for any reason: an unhappy neighbor, envy, jealousy, an unhappy employee who was actually expected to work, etc. It is one of many things that make it difficult for me to be optimistic about Thailand's future.

Thats a story alright, but it was more to it then the guy was talking with customers.

And most of the people Ive known here over the years never had a work permit for owning a bar which mean that they cannot do ANY kind of work in it.

Never heard of any of them getting in to problems sitting outside their bar talking with customers.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S II

Edited March 29, 2014 by Yahooka

[grumpyoldman]

A few years ago there was a story about a bar owner in Phuket who was arrested for sitting on the customer side of the bar and talking to customers. He was charged with working without a permit on the basis that he was actively "marketing" the bar while sitting and talking to customers. He was deported and lost everything.

It would seem that the laws are such that if you get on anyone's shit list anywhere, they can "tip off" authorities and have you busted and deported for essentially doing nothing. Perhaps someone wants your bar or guesthouse; perhaps your wife wants you gone; perhaps you didn't pay the local police enough... whatever. The fact is, there is NO protection under the law in Thailand. It doesn't matter if you have family here that you are supporting, that you are paying taxes here, hiring and paying Thai's an actual living wage, building a successful business, etc. Nothing matters; there is simply no protection under the law.

This man may have gotten on a black list for one or more very undesirable things--we cannot know. But what we can see and know is that the same thing could happen to most any of us if anyone had it out for us for any reason: an unhappy neighbor, envy, jealousy, an unhappy employee who was actually expected to work, etc. It is one of many things that make it difficult for me to be optimistic about Thailand's future.

Thats a story alright, but it was more to it then the guy was talking with customers.

And most of the people Ive known here over the years never had a work permit for owning a bar which mean that they cannot do ANY kind of work in it.

Never heard of any of them getting in to problems sitting outside their bar talking with customers.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S II

Anyway, this guy has everything to get a work permit and be legal, in this situation why not fly straight?

[Yahooka]

A few years ago there was a story about a bar owner in Phuket who was arrested for sitting on the customer side of the bar and talking to customers. He was charged with working without a permit on the basis that he was actively "marketing" the bar while sitting and talking to customers. He was deported and lost everything.

It would seem that the laws are such that if you get on anyone's shit list anywhere, they can "tip off" authorities and have you busted and deported for essentially doing nothing. Perhaps someone wants your bar or guesthouse; perhaps your wife wants you gone; perhaps you didn't pay the local police enough... whatever. The fact is, there is NO protection under the law in Thailand. It doesn't matter if you have family here that you are supporting, that you are paying taxes here, hiring and paying Thai's an actual living wage, building a successful business, etc. Nothing matters; there is simply no protection under the law.

This man may have gotten on a black list for one or more very undesirable things--we cannot know. But what we can see and know is that the same thing could happen to most any of us if anyone had it out for us for any reason: an unhappy neighbor, envy, jealousy, an unhappy employee who was actually expected to work, etc. It is one of many things that make it difficult for me to be optimistic about Thailand's future.

Thats a story alright, but it was more to it then the guy was talking with customers.

And most of the people Ive known here over the years never had a work permit for owning a bar which mean that they cannot do ANY kind of work in it.

Never heard of any of them getting in to problems sitting outside their bar talking with customers.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S II

Anyway, this guy has everything to get a work permit and be legal, in this situation why not fly straight?

Agree. But this guy probably thought that he was untouchable in his position.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[mochafan]

Sounds fine to me. I don't want tourists working illegally in my country either.

Why not? who cares?Really, How does it personally affect you?

[baabaabobo]

Same guy?

http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/French-expat-survives-savage-hatchet-attack/48281#ad-image-0

[stevenl]

Same guy?

http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/French-expat-survives-savage-hatchet-attack/48281#ad-image-0

Same name and looks the same as well. He seems to have lost 2 years in the mean time, with the reporting quality here that could easily happen.

So yes, looks the same guy to me, nice find.

[FritsSikkink]

A few years ago there was a story about a bar owner in Phuket who was arrested for sitting on the customer side of the bar and talking to customers. He was charged with working without a permit on the basis that he was actively "marketing" the bar while sitting and talking to customers. He was deported and lost everything.

It would seem that the laws are such that if you get on anyone's shit list anywhere, they can "tip off" authorities and have you busted and deported for essentially doing nothing. Perhaps someone wants your bar or guesthouse; perhaps your wife wants you gone; perhaps you didn't pay the local police enough... whatever. The fact is, there is NO protection under the law in Thailand. It doesn't matter if you have family here that you are supporting, that you are paying taxes here, hiring and paying Thai's an actual living wage, building a successful business, etc. Nothing matters; there is simply no protection under the law.

This man may have gotten on a black list for one or more very undesirable things--we cannot know. But what we can see and know is that the same thing could happen to most any of us if anyone had it out for us for any reason: an unhappy neighbor, envy, jealousy, an unhappy employee who was actually expected to work, etc. It is one of many things that make it difficult for me to be optimistic about Thailand's future.

Just get a work permit and you don't have any problems. Shouldn't be difficult if you:

" you are paying taxes here, hiring and paying Thai's an actual living wage, building a successful business, etc."