"My Mate Nate" under investigation - police want to know is he working legally and paying taxes

[gandalf12]

20 minutes ago, scorecard said:

Read the original report, he can speak Thai, he was formerly a mormon missionary posted to Thailand, they all learn to speak the language (at an advanced level) before they arrive in their designated country to do their 'missionary' work.

 

Seen it before in Japan, many of them on the streets, in shopping malls and railway stations etc., they all spoke Japanese language at an advanced level (my Japanese work buddy mentioned that their Japanese language was quite advanced). 

 

If spreading the word on how to be an idiot is their bag then they have succeeded

[Lupatria]

2 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Thailand has strict animal cruelty laws

The problem is that mahouts, tiger monks, crocodile stunt artist, and zoo staff don't give damn while the authorities turn a blind eye, because of the money involved.

[RBOP]

what about that poor scorpion!

[jonclark]

40 minutes ago, 1SteveC said:

I doubt that Nate has a work permit for selling clothes and hats in Thailand.

 

http://www.mymatenate.com/store.php

 

The problem with Thailand is that its work permit system is just not fit for purpose. Does anyone really give a crap if he sells at most a couple of hundred items of clothing - I mean printing them no doubt put pennies in the hand of the Thai screen printer, which fed his family and paid his bills.  The work permit system functions more as a deterrent to work legally than as a useful system to encourage gainful, tax paying employment. 

 

And when you compare it to the brown envelope system of patronage encouraging people to look elsewhere here it just smacks of utter, utter hypocrisy to say one is illegal and the other is acceptable   - Just a nonsense. 

 

As for cruelty to animals - This is Thailand - The front page of another newspaper today commented on elephants at an open zoo, being forced to swim underwater for the amusement of visitors who watched the spectacle from behind a specially designed glass viewing area! And those old pachyderms are forced to do it several times a day, each and everyday while annoying kids bang on the glass window and the parents coo and take photos of the whole thing. Cruelty???  Again total hypocrisy. 

 

BTW - I'd imagine the cat has forgotten the whole thing by now. 

 

 

[Mickmouse1]

What a load of ........the guy got his publicity alright?????

Police after their Brown Envelope of course. .....?

[IMA_FARANG]

It really does not matter.

If he is making money from his on-line activities and dos NOT have a work permit, then Technically he is still in violation of Thai labor law.

Simply, because previously the Thai authorities have chosen not to charge him with violating  the labor law by not enforcing the Thai labor law, probably because the simply don't have the resources and people to check each person who is on-line, that does not change the fact that he is in violation of the law.

[daboyz1]

2 hours ago, Rob13 said:

 

I dunno but feeding scorpions to house cats is a job a Thai can do. 

Now that was funny.

[Muggi1968]

I work in Thailand
I have a workpermit
I pay tax...

Why should these people be on a free ride ??

[FritsSikkink]

2 hours ago, djayz said:

I don't believe in deporting rubbish. The guy's an attention-seeking, wannabe celebrity idiot. If you deport him, he'll just continue his antics somewhere else.

What country should he be deported to? I can think of a few in the Middle East that wouldn't put up with his nonsense.

Wasn't he in the lime light half a year ago for some other idiotic "video" that he had to apologize for?  He's obviously a slow learner... 

 

To the country he came from (USA)

[chrisinth]

Just as an observation, with no firm facts, if I was a digital nomad living and working here I would be paying close attention to this investigation.

Even though it is about animal cruelty, the check for untaxed income could open a can of worms across a broad spectrum.

When people don't take advice on keeping low profiles here (assuming he isn't paying tax on income made online) it only takes one idiot to screw it up for many. Note this incident, this may escalate....

[impulse]

42 minutes ago, IMA_FARANG said:

It really does not matter.

If he is making money from his on-line activities and dos NOT have a work permit, then Technically he is still in violation of Thai labor law.

 

Like it or not, this may be a case that sets the precedent for whether digital nomads are legal, illegal but tolerated, or illegal and at risk.

 

[impulse]

Just now, Father Fintan Stack said:

Anyone that manages to avoid paying governments tax money is ok in my book. 

 

It's a state sponsored scam to deprive you of wealth so they can spend it and enrich themselves.

 

Surely anyone that has been alive more than 12 years would have worked this out by now. 

 

Maybe, but I kind of like having roads to drive on, water to drink, airports with immigration guys to stamp me in, and cops to keep the muggers away.  None of which are free.

 

[rwdrwdrwd]

7 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Like it or not, this may be a case that sets the precedent for whether digital nomads are legal, illegal but tolerated, or illegal and at risk.

 

 

I think it more likely they will just do him for the blatant in person work he's been doing in the country - http://www.mymatenate.com/blog_post.php?id=8, or use the threat of it to negotiate a suitable 'settlement'.

"Soon after, someone offered me a job in Thailand. He hired me to make a video for Thailand. It is easy to travel around Thailand and video to promote travel. I was very happy and then answered ok"

Don't think there's much argument there about whether or not that's "working in Thailand".

Edited June 11, 2017 by rwdrwdrwd

[simon43]

Former Mormon missionary perhaps, but I wonder how his Christian conscience sits with committing animal cruelty.

 

Oh I forgot!  lots of Youtube clicks ==> steady income.

[impulse]

1 minute ago, rwdrwdrwd said:

I think it more likely they will just do him for the blatant in person work he's been doing in the country - http://www.mymatenate.com/blog_post.php?id=8, or use the threat of it to negotiate a suitable 'settlement'.

 

That linked website looks like dozens of others I've seen and hundreds (perhaps thousands) that I haven't.  Bloggers documenting their adventures in Thailand, with and without merchandise tie- ins.

 

It will be interesting...  

 

(At least he isn't posting home-made porn like a lot of guys have on offer- or maybe I didn't drill down enough?)

 

[rwdrwdrwd]

22 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

That linked website looks like dozens of others I've seen and hundreds (perhaps thousands) that I haven't.  Bloggers documenting their adventures in Thailand, with and without merchandise tie- ins.

 

It will be interesting...  

 

(At least he isn't posting home-made porn like a lot of guys have on offer- or maybe I didn't drill down enough?)

 

(Google translate) "Soon after, someone offered me a job in Thailand. He hired me to make a video for Thailand. It is easy to travel around Thailand and video to promote travel. I was very happy and then answered ok"

"job in thailand"

"He hired me to make a video"

 

"I learned a lot from working with this company and then having fun. But I quit that company after I worked there for a year because I did not like it."
 

....

I disagree that many 'digital nomads' are stating that on their websites - that is not 'online income' - I think personally if the authorities take any action they will just target these easy wins - especially as he's written in Thai stating that he took a job in Thailand making a video. Maybe he had a WP though, who knows.

Edited June 11, 2017 by rwdrwdrwd

[metisdead]

Posts commenting on moderation have been removed.

[Muggi1968]

Anyone that manages to avoid paying governments tax money is ok in my book. 
 
It's a state sponsored scam to deprive you of wealth so they can spend it and enrich themselves.
 
Surely anyone that has been alive more than 12 years would have worked this out by now. 

So you are a criminal, who do not respect the law and therefore are not better than the people you complaint about[emoji38] [emoji38] [emoji38] [emoji38] [emoji38]

Sent from my SM-G610F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[rwdrwdrwd]

He said avoid not evade, avoidance is legal.

[impulse]

19 minutes ago, rwdrwdrwd said:

He said avoid not evade, avoidance is legal.

 

In the context of the OP, if the guy is living in the Kingdom over 180 days a year and makes over 150,000 baht (+/-), OR if he's selling merchandise in Thailand subject to VAT, he's either paying taxes or he's evading them- which is also avoiding them illegally.

 

[kwak250]

3 hours ago, tomwct said:

I agree deport him! He's not retired or over 50. What type of visa does he have? Good folks In Bad Folks Out. Time to return to Utah!

Marriage visa maybe?

[atyclb]

compared with the mainstream soap opera mania his videos deserve a medal. admittedly some pranks seem foolish and or cruel butas far as foolish and cruel goes, he's surely in the right country.  water seeks its own level. his brand of notoriety stems from speaking thai and internet videos some of which have educational value.  we, us may gain notoriety from ordering the girls a round of drinks at a beer bar aka supporting prostitution venues.  who is better or worse, nate or us?

[impulse]

6 minutes ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

We managed fine long before centralised governmental control, and we will manage fine afterwards too. 

 

Said the guy posting on the interweb...

 

[atyclb]

http://www.mymatenate.com/watch.php?id=401

 

 

if this is his gf he might find the same or better looking at gogo bars

[wwest5829]

3 hours ago, djayz said:

I don't believe in deporting rubbish. The guy's an attention-seeking, wannabe celebrity idiot. If you deport him, he'll just continue his antics somewhere else.

What country should he be deported to? I can think of a few in the Middle East that wouldn't put up with his nonsense.

Wasn't he in the lime light half a year ago for some other idiotic "video" that he had to apologize for?  He's obviously a slow learner... 

 

Deport him back to the USA. As an American he is an embarrassment to the country. Now if we could only do that for some US elected folk as an embarrassment to the country!!!

[idman]

It would be nice to have a run in with that piece of garbage sometime. A lesson in common decency administered by verbal and physical plummeling might knock some sense in him.

Sent from my SM-T805 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[jenifer d]

3 hours ago, djayz said:

I don't believe in deporting rubbish. The guy's an attention-seeking, wannabe celebrity idiot. If you deport him, he'll just continue his antics somewhere else.

What country should he be deported to? I can think of a few in the Middle East that wouldn't put up with his nonsense.

Wasn't he in the lime light half a year ago for some other idiotic "video" that he had to apologize for?  He's obviously a slow learner... 

 

that's the point, let him continue his antics somewhere else!!!

yes, he has had several he has had to apologize for; in one vid, he purposely made Thais look bad by speaking

idiom-heavy English rapidly and belittling the responses, in another he froze a fish w/liquid nitrogen then brought it to life...

my friends, TRUE Thai expat celebrities,  Andrew Biggs and Luke Cassady-Dorian absolutely hate this ignoramous;

just the fact that he is a missionary should qualify him for expulsion even not considering his asinine antics 

[jenifer d]

1 hour ago, rwdrwdrwd said:

(Google translate) "Soon after, someone offered me a job in Thailand. He hired me to make a video for Thailand. It is easy to travel around Thailand and video to promote travel. I was very happy and then answered ok"

"job in thailand"

"He hired me to make a video"

 

"I learned a lot from working with this company and then having fun. But I quit that company after I worked there for a year because I did not like it."
 

....

I disagree that many 'digital nomads' are stating that on their websites - that is not 'online income' - I think personally if the authorities take any action they will just target these easy wins - especially as he's written in Thai stating that he took a job in Thailand making a video. Maybe he had a WP though, who knows.

i can assure you, he has never had a work permit

[Artisi]

9 minutes ago, jenifer d said:

i can assure you, he has never had a work permit

So what visa or extension is he currently using or not using with out even considering is he here legally at the moment?

[Displaynameinusebyanotherm]

A lot of jealousy around here. Nate is a clown but he plays it smart and since he speaks the language fluently im sure he will know how to twist this scorpion non-event soon! The guy is a businessman/manipulator not some pattaya bar stool.