Thailand to get tough on foreigners working without work permits, employers also targeted

[Bastos60]

57 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

Specifically against what the employment office and labour department have stated on the record. 

 

You can provide your sources for this guesswork ?? 

 

51 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

I have stated the laws, and the labour officials interpretation of them. 

 

Until you can present a counter fact, from the labour dept, your the one making it up. 

1) Anything you state is only about digital nomads allowed to work while on holiday/tourist visa.
     There are absolutely no other interpretations you can quote that counters anything I have stated which is from experience.

2) Again, you are only argueing something I have only confirmed, you can work while on holiday.

 

What you don't get is that you are a bit full of yourself. 
But if you put a little thought into it, you wouldn't be argueing that hard. While digital nomads are allowed to work remote from Thailand, you can only have Thai clientele under
certain conditions and I have explained them,  holding business meetings with Thai customers on their premises requires you to hold a business visa since you actually are conducting business, no police officer is going to check your visa if you enter or exit a Thai business.

 

Nothing is made up, that is just a simple assumption you make.  Don't assume everyone is an idiot. Apply some simple logic.

 

Conclusion : Because immigration officers say you can work for your online business or work remote on a tourist visa, doesn't make you any expert on immigration and labour in anyway.

[LannaGuy]

1 hour ago, Thai Ron said:

Investing in the SET or any other stock exchange in the world does NOT require a work permit.

Trading forex, futures, commodities etc does require one but in the years since it's been possible to do so via the internet, no one has ever been prosecuted for doing so.

 

Whether that's because it's nigh on impossible to catch someone or because the authorities simply don't give a damn is neither here nor there.

YOU brought in this and YOU brought in condos

 

I quoted THE POLICE as underlining that working online requires a WORK PERMIT you then chose to IGNORE the Police Colonel and claim it does not require a WP because it suits you but it's not a fact.  The FACT is that online working requires a WP  get it now?

[petedk]

Is writing a journal or stories and sharing with others as as enjoyable activity a business. Maybe a blog or something on Reddit. Seems there's also quite a cast of self-absorbed types doing YouTube Thailand Travel Log Selfies.

The government are hitting those that earn from YouTube channels in another way.

The top 44 (or how many ) have to register their channels by July 24(?) or face penalties.

[LannaGuy]

50 minutes ago, AloisAmrein said:

Valid for residents only, not for tourists.

links? proof?  you think tourists are allowed to WORK HERE???    absolutely AMAZING post of ignorance 

[ericthai]

12 hours ago, newatthis said:

That's exactly right.  "A permit holder shall not.....change the locality or place of work from that which is specified in the permit unless prior permission is obtained from the registrar." So teachers can only teach at the school noted on the permit and teaching extra classes at home is officially a "no-no."

 

Replying to an earlier post, the minimum wage for Westerners is Thailand is 50,000baht per month,, but teachers are exempt from this requirement.

My work permit had multiple locations listed in it. As we have am office in BKK, wharhouse in Lamchabang  and factory Ubon which I could be at any of them any day.  

 

Also there is no minimum salary for foreigners. The Salary requirement is from the labor department to issue a work permit. 

[brewsterbudgen]

By the way they treat Tourists they are not welcome either, I thought most expats where retired so did not work only those who did a runner from their own country seem to be the ones who work and hey ho fine them and maybe send them back to face the charges, but if they pay a bribe that's ok here
 
Nice people to do business with

I don't know what you're talking about. Thousands of expats work here and most have work permits. If tourists are treated badly why do they keep coming?

Sent from my SM-A500F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[little mary sunshine]

4 hours ago, Golden Triangle said:

And they are living in the same condo block as you ? surely with all your wealth you would move to somewhere more suitable, at 10 k a month don't sound to great to me, is it a shoe box ? at least I reside in a 3 bed 2 bath villa with private pool, and I'm one of those down at heel UK expats. Get a real life and stop building your part up, it's most unbecoming.

Try reading the post 78 sqm.  I have the best deal in the city....

most units as nice as mine rent for a minimum of 25k/month,

No, I,have never compromised my standard of living, just

the cost of living ....jealous now aren't you!

[Echo Tango]

So what.... Life's not fair sometimes.

Don't think there is anything stopping you from leaving to go back to America where you seem to think you will have a more privileged lifestyle.

 

 

Why are you so condescending, bro? Nah, nothing is stopping me from returning to the states. I'm a contract pilot and the only reason I live here with my family is because I work nearby and it's a short commute on my days off. Sure, life isn't fair, but agreements between countries should be! Should they not? Thais can immigrate to the US and they don't have to deposit 400,000 THB in a US bank just to stay with their spouse and family. I have to deposit 400k in a Thai bank just to hold one of their crappy multiple-entry-marriage-visas. 400k is chump-change for me, but I'd rather have that money invested somewhere else for better return$!!! So, what's the problem with me asking for the same thing a Thai gets in my country for free? This has nothing to do with living a privileged lifestyle in America, but everything to to do with fairness and my basic human rights. The right to be with my family.

 

[AloisAmrein]

3 hours ago, LannaGuy said:

links? proof?  you think tourists are allowed to WORK HERE???    absolutely AMAZING post of ignorance 

Not working in Thailand, working in my home country for a company there and my own company. Thai laws are valid in Thailand only, and that's good enough so. We are lucky not to have such stupid laws in Europe. Working in Thailand is only for the desperate who cannot bring enough money to support himself. I earn in one day what a Thai worker earns in a month. The ignorant is you who thinks that I have to work in Thailand.

[Bastos60]

11 minutes ago, AloisAmrein said:

Not working in Thailand, working in my home country for a company there and my own company. Thai laws are valid in Thailand only, and that's good enough so. We are lucky not to have such stupid laws in Europe. Working in Thailand is only for the desperate who cannot bring enough money to support himself. I earn in one day what a Thai worker earns in a month. The ignorant is you who thinks that I have to work in Thailand.

Agreed. But in Europe, Non-EU employees still need a work permit and every country still has its own labour laws (some of them still stupid).

[Bastos60]

3 hours ago, petedk said:

The government are hitting those that earn from YouTube channels in another way.

The top 44 (or how many ) have to register their channels by July 24(?) or face penalties.
 

 

Are you talking about people having to register their youtube channels?

[Kim1950]

So is every commentator on ThaiVisa technically working on-line with or without work permits. Is this Whole Thing Click bait or simply shaking down all these third rate on-site merchant sales or how to date Thai Girls. Besides what do digital nomads do, but seem to Social Media with each other.

[balo]

7 hours ago, LivinLOS said:

If you are in Thailand, working online, the labour department has been absolutely clear. That kind of working online needs a work permit. 

 

Well come and arrest me then. You can interpret the laws as much as you like.

 

My business is in Europe as it has been for the last 7 years.  I enjoy my time in Thailand with money from my business.   And I use my laptop to communicate with my friends and business people in Europe like 100000 ++ others do here in Thailand. 

 

Officals in Chiang Mai welcomes digital nomads ,  , others in Phuket ask for work permits without even mentioning digital nomads because they don't have a clue. 

 

This morning I have been online 3 hours from my cozy chair at home , on Facebook, Skype, e-mail , and I even did a remote session .  I have nothing to hide , if Thai officials have a problem to accept it , no money will be spent in Thailand and I have to relocate to Cambodia.  But it will never happen. 

 

 

 

 

 

[ericthai]

1 hour ago, Echo Tango said:

 

Why are you so condescending, bro? Nah, nothing is stopping me from returning to the states. I'm a contract pilot and the only reason I live here with my family is because I work nearby and it's a short commute on my days off. Sure, life isn't fair, but agreements between countries should be! Should they not? Thais can immigrate to the US and they don't have to deposit 400,000 THB in a US bank just to stay with their spouse and family. I have to deposit 400k in a Thai bank just to hold one of their crappy multiple-entry-marriage-visas. 400k is chump-change for me, but I'd rather have that money invested somewhere else for better return$!!! So, what's the problem with me asking for the same thing a Thai gets in my country for free? This has nothing to do with living a privileged lifestyle in America, but everything to to do with fairness and my basic human rights. The right to be with my family.

 

You dont need the 400K in the bank, you can get a letter of income verification from your embassy to prove you make more than 40K a month. 

 

A Thai does not get in the USA for free. a Tourist visa is $150 USD so  only about 70% of 1 months wage for the average Thai. TFor a Thai to live in the USA long term youTo get a green card is about $1500 USD and prior to that to get a F1 visa you have to pay homeland security over $500 USD, plus visa fee.   So not free.

[jspill]

8 hours ago, LivinLOS said:

People drive bikes without helmets.. That doesnt make the act of driving a bike without a helmet legal. People have been charged with the crime of working online and deported, how can that happen if its a not a crime ??

 

You are confusing enforcement with legality. You then backtrack and say "even if it is illegal" so you really deep down know the truth.. 

 

Immigration, and consulates, are not responsible for labour law.. Never have been.. May as well go and ask the noodle shop or the dentist.. Given I have provided you 2 direct sources, with names, from the responsible department, can you provide any country facts from the labour department or employment office saying its fine by them. I mean your making the claim, I gave you 2 sources showing thats not correct, your source at the labour department who says otherwise is ??? Them being the actual people responsible for it. 

In those cases the crime and deportation was over producing online porn in Thailand, running an online gambling den, etc. Those are irrelevant, they could be done offline and the result would the same. We're talking about just being an amazon affiliate, blogger, internet marketer, freelance writer for overseas clients, etc. etc. No one has ever been convicted of a crime and deported for anything like that, i.e. purely being a digital nomad who doesn't take jobs from Thais or break Thai laws. 

 

No I'm just saying even if it is illegal to add to my post and say who really cares if it is. If anyone's being dishonest here it's you talking about deportations, you know it's never happened to a digital nomad. I've seen you link to cases of online porn producers being charged with crimes and say oh look you can't work online. Totally unrelated. 

 

Yes I know it's the DOL's remit not immigration but the DOL isn't doing anything and clearly if it was an issue immigration would say something about it too at some point. 

[Kim1950]

1 hour ago, Echo Tango said:

 

Why are you so condescending, bro? Nah, nothing is stopping me from returning to the states. I'm a contract pilot and the only reason I live here with my family is because I work nearby and it's a short commute on my days off. Sure, life isn't fair, but agreements between countries should be! Should they not? Thais can immigrate to the US and they don't have to deposit 400,000 THB in a US bank just to stay with their spouse and family. I have to deposit 400k in a Thai bank just to hold one of their crappy multiple-entry-marriage-visas. 400k is chump-change for me, but I'd rather have that money invested somewhere else for better return$!!! So, what's the problem with me asking for the same thing a Thai gets in my country for free? This has nothing to do with living a privileged lifestyle in America, but everything to to do with fairness and my basic human rights. The right to be with my family.

 

With ya, everybody hates the stink'en American's. But, most well educated college graduates from all over the world would love to live in America. People risk death to come to America. Why, because there's opportunity, and no matter, Thai or whoever your children and you can become an American. No bank deposits required. And, of course, Thailand can run their country, there way. 

[Echo Tango]

You dont need the 400K in the bank, you can get a letter of income verification from your embassy to prove you make more than 40K a month. 
 
A Thai does not get in the USA for free. a Tourist visa is $150 USD so  only about 70% of 1 months wage for the average Thai. TFor a Thai to live in the USA long term youTo get a green card is about $1500 USD and prior to that to get a F1 visa you have to pay homeland security over $500 USD, plus visa fee.   So not free.

You didn't read my post completely or you didn't comprehend what I wrote. I never said Thais go to the US for free. EVERY country has application fees and I don't have a problem with that. It's the requirement that you must deposit a certain amount of money in the bank, that you can never use, just to live with your family that I'm upset about. Thais do not have to do that when they immigrate to the US! Period! Also, you're a damn fool if you ever tell the Thai government how much money you make. That's why I use the 400k in-the-bank-method.....it's a lot easier and it protects my privacy.

The fees you quoted for immigrating to the US are infinitesimal compared to the opportunities for potential earnings and quality of life. Also, you get to stay there! Permanently! That's quite different than the crappy marriage visa they give you that you have to audition for every year!

[AloisAmrein]

3 hours ago, Bastos60 said:

Agreed. But in Europe, Non-EU employees still need a work permit and every country still has its own labour laws (some of them still stupid).

That is only partially true. Switzerland is not a EU member, but I can work in the whole EU (if the salary or the payment is not to low). But mostly I work for my own customers or companies in Switzerland. If on holidays in Thailand or not I simply not care. I work where I want and I will never ask the Thai junta if I can support my customers abroad. The law of the Thai junta is from before yesterday, middle age. If I cannot work during my holidays in Thailand, I also cannot support the family of my Thai wife, because of loss of income. The law is absolutily shortviewed and stupid. Thai system. Stupid. One more family facing poverty. The Thai government will be responsible.The Thai system is very racist and xenophe, they not even give residence to husbands of Thai women, which is normal in Europe. Thailand is 200 years behind of our time, perhaps because they never have been a colony of the British Empire.

 

[jethro69]

19 hours ago, YetAnother said:

here we go again, now i will have to show a work permit for mowing my grass

Let me know when you get one, was thinking myself to get a Bush cutter to clean around the lays's farmland.

 

[brewsterbudgen]

You didn't read my post completely or you didn't comprehend what I wrote. I never said Thais go to the US for free. EVERY country has application fees and I don't have a problem with that. It's the requirement that you must deposit a certain amount of money in the bank, that you can never use, just to live with your family that I'm upset about. Thais do not have to do that when they immigrate to the US! Period! Also, you're a damn fool if you ever tell the Thai government how much money you make. That's why I use the 400k in-the-bank-method.....it's a lot easier and it protects my privacy.

The fees you quoted for immigrating to the US are infinitesimal compared to the opportunities for potential earnings and quality of life. Also, you get to stay there! Permanently! That's quite different than the crappy marriage visa they give you that you have to audition for every year!

I didn't know the American system didn't require a level of income or savings in order for a foreign spouse to settle there. In the UK an annual salary of £18,600 or savings of £62,500 needs to be shown at the visa stage and then again 30 months later, and again after that, before the spouse can remain permanently. The Thai system is more straightforward.

Sent from my SM-A500F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Thai Ron]

14 hours ago, LannaGuy said:

YOU brought in this and YOU brought in condos

 

I quoted THE POLICE as underlining that working online requires a WORK PERMIT you then chose to IGNORE the Police Colonel and claim it does not require a WP because it suits you but it's not a fact.  The FACT is that online working requires a WP  get it now?

Oh give it a rest.

The LAW states that investing on the SET or any other stock exchange doesn't require a work permit.

That means if I sit in my condo, log into my broker's trading platform, buy a load of PTT shares on the SET or sell a thousand shares of BP. on the FTSE, I don't need a work permit.

 

The ramblings of a flat-footed Police Colonel are no more relevant than yours right now

[perthperson]

This development should surprise no one. 

 

The Thai government has been gradually tightening the screws via immigration in an attemp to remove illegal workers. 

 

Where I live locals were delighted when there was a move against the vsa mill 'schools' and "Ed visa" types who were working for time-share companies.

 

One can now enter the town without being accosted by these pests. 

[LannaGuy]

25 minutes ago, Thai Ron said:

Oh give it a rest.

The LAW states that investing on the SET or any other stock exchange doesn't require a work permit.

That means if I sit in my condo, log into my broker's trading platform, buy a load of PTT shares on the SET or sell a thousand shares of BP. on the FTSE, I don't need a work permit.

 

The ramblings of a flat-footed Police Colonel are no more relevant than yours right now

I did NOT say it required a WP - what's the matter with you you can't read English???  go READ my post and ENGAGE brain

 

We are talking about online working and that is illegal. stop trolling and going off-topic

[jimster]

If this law is really enforced, tens (hundreds?) of thousands of Burmese, Lao and Cambodian labourers could be in trouble. And that's only the tip of the iceberg.

 

Other questions are:

 

- What about Burmese traders who come to Thailand (Mae Sot, Mae Sai, Ranong etc.) for one day to sell their wares? Will they all be arrested? Good luck, because in Mae Sot alone reportedly up to 70-80% of the labour force is Burmese. The same can be said for Cambodians, where if you go to the Rong Kluea border market in Aranyaprathet next to the Cambodian border town of Poipet, the vast majority of shop employees (official or otherwise) are Cambodian. Rarely does one find a Thai working in these shops.

 

- Filipino waitresses/nannies/English teachers. They could pass for Thai, but they aren't. Only the latter group of workers is usually in possession of a work permit, though very many aren't. Are the authorities going to inspect every single employer without notice to find out whether they are employing foreign workers?

 

- Western financial advisers, many working across countries, some are working on retirement visas (for those aged 50 and up) without a work permit of course. It's hard to identify or find these types, they usually work from home, sometimes they may be seen talking business with potential or actual clients at coffee shops, restaurants and other places. Most (all?) of their clients are non-Thais. This group of workers would probably be the hardest to apprehend, especially if they work from home rather than from an office or co-working space. Even in the latter case, they could say they work for a company based abroad and thus be exempt from prosecution.

 

- Many positions require their employees to work in different locations, not merely at the main office, which is usually the only location listed on their work permits. Could be a big problem for employees working even in 2 locations, let alone multiple places.

 

- Foreigners about to receive a work permit but have already started work. This could apply to just about any type of company or position.

 

- African, Ukrainian and Russian prostitutes (mainly in Pattaya). Not only is prostitution illegal in Thailand (although Thais engaging in this practice are usually left alone), it is illegal for a foreigner to enter Thailand for the purposes of engaging in prostitution. Certainly no work permit can be issued for this type of work. I picked out these nationalities in particular, due to their distinct physical differences compared to Thais - hence it would be child's play for an immigration enforcement officer to spot a skimpy (or fat) African or Eastern European woman going into an area of a bar that is normally reserved for employees only and bust them. I am aware of there being even larger numbers of Burmese, Cambodian, Lao and even Chinese, Vietnamese and South Asian nationals working in the industry in Thailand. With the exception of the latter, these 5 nationalities blend in more easily with the Thais around them, though they are in just as much danger if they get caught.

 

- Foreigners (of various nationalities) running boiler room scams, card scams, passport forgery and other dubious activities. Including of course foreign mafia engaging in child trafficking and other illegal activities. Sometimes legitimate businesses such as travel agencies are set up as fronts while the real money is made behind the scenes. One often sees middle Easterners, Russians, Indians/South Asians and Africans working front desk in these businesses (mainly in the Nana area for middle Eastern and African businesses, Pattaya, Phuket and other beach towns in the case of Russians and Indians/South Asians), when it is my understanding that all receptionist/customer service type work must be undertaken by Thais. A lot of Indians and Nepalis stand outside restaurants in popular tourist haunts like Ao Nang, Krabi and Khao Lak, Phang Nga to advertise for business. Perhaps in the near future all these guys will be booted out of the country?

 

Personally, I think if the authorities wanted to clean up undesirables who work illegally, they would mainly target the bottom two categories (prostitution and general illegal activities including legitimate businesses that illegally employ foreigners especially from 3rd countries not surrounding Thailand for simple, low-skilled tasks like being a receptionist or a waiter/waitress).

 

If they start going after foreigners painting their own fences or holding up a ladder for a tradesman fixing their roof gutter system (like someone mentioned earlier in this thread), you'll know they have either gotten their priorities wrong or the country has decided to put out all stops and dramatically overhaul the system in a way never seen before. If Thailand were capable of doing that, they would be more successful than probably every other country on the planet, though I'm not sure that would be something to be proud of.

 

Although I'm not in any way a proponent of open borders and "let everyone in" like a lot of people are these days, going to the extreme opposite direction is just as ridiculous. Thailand has a labour shortage in many areas and until robots/automation replaces these jobs (probably in the next 5-10 years they will), bringing in foreigners from neighboring countries fills the void. Then you have English teachers and many other positions that require advanced foreign language skills often in combination with advanced technical skills that only foreigners can perform. A successful economy these days should recognise the need for foreign talent and as long as only a limited percentage of the workforce is composed of foreigners, alongside all the necessary steps taken to ensure Thais have been given the opportunity to apply for these jobs first, there should be no concern that foreigners are taking away locals' jobs. Certainly your average Joe Blo office worker, English teacher, consultant engineer, marketer, oil and gas worker, insert job description here shouldn't be blamed for taking away anyone's job - they earned that position.

[brewsterbudgen]

In answer to the lengthy post above, yes the law is enforced when illegal workers of any nationality are caught.

[jimster]

9 hours ago, AloisAmrein said:

That is only partially true. Switzerland is not a EU member, but I can work in the whole EU (if the salary or the payment is not to low). But mostly I work for my own customers or companies in Switzerland. If on holidays in Thailand or not I simply not care. I work where I want and I will never ask the Thai junta if I can support my customers abroad. The law of the Thai junta is from before yesterday, middle age. If I cannot work during my holidays in Thailand, I also cannot support the family of my Thai wife, because of loss of income. The law is absolutily shortviewed and stupid. Thai system. Stupid. One more family facing poverty. The Thai government will be responsible.The Thai system is very racist and xenophe, they not even give residence to husbands of Thai women, which is normal in Europe. Thailand is 200 years behind of our time, perhaps because they never have been a colony of the British Empire.

 

I think you meant "short-sighted" not "shortviewed" and "xenophobic" not "xenophe" but I get your point.

 

I agree with you in part, although every sovereign country should be allowed to determine it's own immigration policies. Note that being part of the British empire in the past has nothing to do with anything, case in point is Myanmar (Burma), a former colony of Britain (part of British India) that gained it's independence in 1948 but until recently, foreigners faced many major restrictions in traveling to many parts of the country including arriving overland (this only changed in 2013, though some parts of the country are still off-limits to foreigners) and this included taking up residence in the country - foreigners could by all accounts only reside in places like Yangon and Mandalay and nowhere else. Most laws governing the activities of foreigners have only been made in the last couple of years. By contrast, foreigners have been residing in Thailand with official status for decades. I agree that foreigners married to Thais should be given more rights, especially if the marriage is legitimate and there are children in the relationship. Yes there is a pathway to apply for citizenship after being married to a Thai without first being required to become a permanent resident, though it usually takes far longer than the official minimum length of time claimed.

 

Obviously as you say the Thai government can't control the activities of foreigners who come to Thailand on holiday or temporary business and decide/need to check work emails, call their office, call clients etc. often from their hotel rooms. If the government were somehow able to "crack down" on people like this, the whole tourist industry would collapse and they'd be left only with 5 day Chinese fly-in, fly-out tour groups bussed around from place to place and young jobless backpackers who don't need to check work emails because they don't have a job.

[DLock]

I find the whole digital nomad and working online thing, and those that insist you need a WP to work online quite funny.

 

Whilst I no longer have any online businesses, there is no way they could have ever found me. I took bookings online, got paid overseas and used an ATM card to withdraw those funds from International accounts. 

 

It's a mute argument. DM's are untouchable, unprovable, untraceable and essentially ghosts in the system. Perhaps technically you do need a WP, but no DM is going to hire 4 Thai's and go through the hassle of setting up a company and getting yearly audits and WP's...when he is a ghost.

 

Why is there so much hate towards DM? Is it because they work a few hours a day, when they want, and enjoy the digital life?

 

Dumbest argument ever.

 

 

 

 

[jimster]

12 hours ago, Kim1950 said:

So is every commentator on ThaiVisa technically working on-line with or without work permits. Is this Whole Thing Click bait or simply shaking down all these third rate on-site merchant sales or how to date Thai Girls. Besides what do digital nomads do, but seem to Social Media with each other.

True, though without placing any judgement, this applies mainly to some of the moderators or others with knowledge/experience in a specialised area who are known for giving advice to members. I doubt any of these people have work permits though it's none of my business, but just saying. Same thing can be said for any other Thailand based forum, even a Facebook page (based in Thailand at least). I'll leave out digital nomads because technically they are not working in Thailand, if they don't have any dealings with Thai based companies or clientele. It's been debated back and forth whether the latter group is working in Thailand, the legal consensus seems to be no, but you never know what kind of interpretation officials may have.

[jimster]

3 minutes ago, DLock said:

I find the whole digital nomad and working online thing, and those that insist you need a WP to work online quite funny.

 

Whilst I no longer have any online businesses, there is no way they could have ever found me. I took bookings online, got paid overseas and used an ATM card to withdraw those funds from International accounts. 

 

It's a mute argument. DM's are untouchable, unprovable, untraceable and essentially ghosts in the system. Perhaps technically you do need a WP, but no DM is going to hire 4 Thai's and go through the hassle of setting up a company and getting yearly audits and WP's...when he is a ghost.

 

Why is there so much hate towards DM? Is it because they work a few hours a day, when they want, and enjoy the digital life?

 

Dumbest argument ever.

 

 

 

 

100% agreed.

 

Many DM's work from home (though some of them, due to wanting a bit of a social life and having limited funds prefer to hang out in coffee shops, co-working spaces etc.) and therefore it can't be proven that they are doing anything illegal just by typing away on their laptop inside a coffee shop.

 

There have been articles here in the past about DM's getting busted on having been suspected of working illegally, but they were released when it was determined they were not working for a Thai based firm. This seems to prove that DM's don't require a work permit if they work for a company (including freelance) based abroad and have no dealings with any Thai based entities (whether private or corporations).

 

Why isn't there more focus on foreigners engaging in illegal activities, including visible foreigners performing visibly illegal activities like prostitution, drug dealing, selling wares at a market, working in travel agencies, restaurants and other businesses where they don't employ Thais? Any enforcement officer going for a stroll down Walking Street in Pattaya, Nana Soi 3 or Karon Beach in Phuket could easily round up dozens of foreigners working illegally in minutes. Some of these foreigners are so blase as to almost want to be arrested because their activities are so open. Nigerian drug dealers, Russian prostitutes and travel agency workers, Indian restaurant workers, Bangladeshi roti sellers and the list goes on.

[perthperson]

"It's a mute argument. DM's are untouchable, unprovable, untraceable" 

 

Keep dreaming.  If the government wished to trace active DN's  be assured they could. DN's  leave a big dirty electronic smear which can be identified to a particular house, condo etc. 

 

This tracing is currently done to identify and arrest on line child groomers, pornographers, drug dealers and other criminal types.