Belgian man arrested for working as tour guide

[larsjohnsson]

I am a little surprised that no one from TV forum's 'Visa Terminology Police' has jumped on this from the OP "....carried a Belgian passport with 90-day tourist visa stamp".

Probably a 60-days tourist visa and a 30-days extension.

He will not get a 90 day stamp from that combo

[tonbridgebrit]

work permit, passport, tax, visa, is part of the past. we live in a global world today where race, religion, are all mixed.

when I read a guy who is arrested because he got a little job as a translator , that s make me laugh.! you think it s going to stop people to work to get their own food.?

why not ask to stop prostitution in this case? prostitution is illegal in Thailand and many work without a work permit. even Walmart hire illegals.(sorry, I mean undocumented immigrants)

why do you think our governments are now broke? USA 18t debt, Europe 20t debt,....

the system is old, kaput, finished, terminated....

Once again another of your posts is worth a comment.

You seem to be advocating the abolition of passports, visas, work permits, and taxes.

Do you live in the real world? What do you think would happen if everybody was free to move to wherever they choose without any sort of controls? Maybe we should do away with governments and all related services like police and military.

Do you think it is right for thousands of people to invade a country just because they don't have enough of a particular food?

Prostitution is the oldest profession and will continue to exist long after we are departed.

Governments create laws and rules to protect their citizens from problems. This Belgian was arrested for breaking a simple law. He knew what he was doing, took the chance and got caught.Rightly or wrongly, in your mind, he was caught.

No doubt there are hundreds if not thousands of foreigners working here in Thailand illegally as dive instructors, teachers at non-government schools and doing other various jobs without work permits, and good luck to them all until that tap on the shoulder or knock on the door. and the words "Passport and work permit please".

Then the nightmare begins with a visit to the luxurious IDC and further questions.

Your dream world of open borders and free to work anywhere and live anywhere will never happen. Humanity is not the same as the zebra and wildebeeste herds on the Serengeti who can move wherever they like with no problem.

Ever so slowly, the world is opening up more and more so maybe one day it will be possible to live and work anywhere. Look at Europe, now any EU/Schengen citizen has freedom of movement and can live anywhere in Europe, stay as long as they want, get any job, do whatever they want, no restrictions whatsoever. The only barrier to integration may be language, but that's it. This has only been the case for about 20 years or so, or about 60 in the case of individual agreements between the Scandinavian states for example.

Australia and NZ have a similar agreement to the EU, with very few restrictions apart from needing to wait to access welfare, in the case of NZ citizens going to live in Australia.

Although AEC 2015 will not be like that anytime soon, eventually it could become like that.

Most foreigners here in Thailand won't ever face problems with the police regarding work permits. Most will probably just pay off the police or their employers will IF they were ever questioned by police. This tour guide was only caught because some local tour guides complained. However, it's unlikely a Thai English teacher would complain about an "illegal" foreigner working as a teacher for a school or privately where there is no demand for Thai teachers anyway.

As long as corruption and bending the rules is the way things are done in Thailand, you can get away with almost anything. Only when you make someone lose face and everyone lobbies the police to take action against you, do things turn bad. Or of course if you commit a serious crime like murder. Although some people would say...again, it depends on who you know and how powerful you are, even in those cases.

Hello Tomtomtom69. Interesting comment you've made.

Okay, "Ever so slowly, the world is opening up more and more so maybe one day it will be possible to live and work anywhere. Look at Europe, now any EU/Schengen citizen has freedom of movement and can live anywhere in Europe, stay as long as they want, get any job, do whatever they want, no restrictions whatsoever. The only barrier to integration may be language, but that's it. This has only been the case for about 20 years or so, or about 60 in the case of individual agreements between the Scandinavian states for example."

Hold on man, wait a minute !

The EEC was created back in the 1950s. Yes, this club meant benefits for it's members. But, surely, like any club or gang, the benefits are for members, the benefits are not for outsiders ? Actually, in prison, any club or gang is formed to generate benefits for it's members, and protection as well, and it is done AT THE EXPENSE of others 9non-members).

How about, in any club or alliance, an alliance is sometimes defined by WHO IS THE COMMON ENEMY ? Without the common enemy, or any enemies, what is the point of that alliance or club ?

The EU is about "free trade between us (our own members), but we collectively do a partial block of goods coming in IF we feel like it". Nobody can criticise the EU for this, every nation acts in it's own interests.

In Thailand's case, Thailand wants to export to Europe without the taxes and quotas imposed, but Thailand wants to impose tariffs and quotas on European goods when it feels like it, this is done to protect Thai companies in Thailand. We can't criticise or blame Thailand for this, Thailand is looking after it's own interests. But Thailand is only one country, it is not that strong when negotiating tariffs and quotas with the EU regarding transport of goods between Thailand and Europe. Off-course, the EU is stronger, it can threaten Thailand with quotas and tariffs on Thai seafood entering Europe IF Thailand carries out a partial block of European goods entering Thailand. That's why Thailand needs to be in ASEAN, ASEAN negotiating collectively will be stronger in demanding "we want to export to Europe with reduced tariffs and quotas, but we want to impose tariffs and quotas on European goods when we feel like it".

In North America, the USA, Canada and Mexico, they're creating NAFTA. Some people feel that NAFTA is being done to 'combat' the EU ! NAFTA has been created so that those three countries can say to Europe "don't partially block our goods entering Europe, but we want to reserve the right to partially block your goods entering into NAFTA" !

Sorry, I'm only trying to say, the world, is similar to prison or any community. Countries form clubs, the point of the club is to generate benefits for it's own members. And that's why, we will probably NEVER see a world where every nation is in ONE giant free-trade zone. Is there any prison where ALL the prisoners are all in one giant club ? Surely not ?

[gemguy]

Gem

The Farang guide was not Dutch, he was from Belgium.

The police got a complaint from local tour guides. The violation was so blatant it couldn't be overlooked.

Mostly the tour guides for Chinese tour groups are Thai (but the agency in China often sends a coordinator along - but they are the wranglers not guides or translators -they need the Thai guides for translation)

I hear you.......but he was accused of being a tour guide when he was simply interpreting for the Tourists.

The whole affair is rigged in a manor that the foreigner is criminalized by some small minded disgruntled local tour guides.

Can any of the Thais fluently speak the mans language or the tourists language.....nope.

Anyhow he broke a law that is hardly important and the only reason it was enforced was because local tour guides are unhappy and the police are opportunistic in such cases concerning foreigners.

The police officer should have told the tour guides to take it up with the labor department......not the police department......but the police get involved because their thinking there may be some good money to be made, somehow or some way....especially if it involves a white foreigner......if you know what I mean.

Cheers

He admitted to being the tour guide then changed his story. Regardless, he admitted to breaking the law. Why are you blaming anyone but the Tourist working illegally?

My personal experience with the police has been far more positive than negative here in Thailand.

Fine...until someone turns you into the police for some small minded insignificant self serving reason....and then watch you be criminalized.

Edited March 11, 2015 by gemguy

[gerry1011]

243 posts about this insignificant story...

I guess that if the guide was Russian, there would have been no debate and all here would have condemned the bad bad bad Russians again.

But since this one is Belgian, we see many comments in his favor... Funny

[gemguy]

243 posts about this insignificant story...

I guess that if the guide was Russian, there would have been no debate and all here would have condemned the bad bad bad Russians again.

But since this one is Belgian, we see many comments in his favor... Funny

Not so insignificant because it is relative to all foreigners staying long term and or living here and or working here.

You are far more vulnerable than you think while you can easily be a target of some disgruntled person or people while the Thai police are often used as a tool to achieve other peoples sinister agenda.

[jdinasia]

Gem

The Farang guide was not Dutch, he was from Belgium.

The police got a complaint from local tour guides. The violation was so blatant it couldn't be overlooked.

Mostly the tour guides for Chinese tour groups are Thai (but the agency in China often sends a coordinator along - but they are the wranglers not guides or translators -they need the Thai guides for translation)

I hear you.......but he was accused of being a tour guide when he was simply interpreting for the Tourists.

The whole affair is rigged in a manor that the foreigner is criminalized by some small minded disgruntled local tour guides.

Can any of the Thais fluently speak the mans language or the tourists language.....nope.

Anyhow he broke a law that is hardly important and the only reason it was enforced was because local tour guides are unhappy and the police are opportunistic in such cases concerning foreigners.

The police officer should have told the tour guides to take it up with the labor department......not the police department......but the police get involved because their thinking there may be some good money to be made, somehow or some way....especially if it involves a white foreigner......if you know what I mean.

Cheers

He admitted to being the tour guide then changed his story. Regardless, he admitted to breaking the law. Why are you blaming anyone but the Tourist working illegally?

My personal experience with the police has been far more positive than negative here in Thailand.

Fine...until someone turns you into the police for some small minded insignificant self serving reason....and then watch you be criminalized.

A former employer accused me of menacing. The police investigation took 1 hour or so to prove I was nowhere near. (that employer had just lost a labor court case to me)

[jdinasia]

243 posts about this insignificant story...

I guess that if the guide was Russian, there would have been no debate and all here would have condemned the bad bad bad Russians again.

But since this one is Belgian, we see many comments in his favor... Funny

Not so insignificant because it is relative to all foreigners staying long term and or living here and or working here.

You are far more vulnerable than you think while you can easily be a target of some disgruntled person or people while the Thai police are often used as a tool to achieve other peoples sinister agenda.

I am not nearly so paranoid. This is about someone visibly breaking the law and not anything else.