Genuine request for the benefit of all expats living in UT

[waanjai]

and when he was questioned about his reasons for leaving politics, he responded (very frankly) that he was feeling "relevance deprivation syndrome". As far as this thread is concerned, I am sure you can identify with that.

But Mr. Information never left Udon Expat politics voluntarily. He felt forced and now he suffers this syndrome. He really depends on our love and respect.

[stattointhailand]

Come on guys, cut it out, you ALL have far more brains than you are showing on this thread

If people are prepared to trust someone who refuses to say who they are ....... why should that be a problem for the rest of us...
just don't come whinging that you have been conned out of ideas/money/thoughts at a later date.

As for me, I have lived in Udon for long enough, and have been "stung" in the past, so will wait for Mr/Mrs/Ms Information to come clean with who they are before revealing any of my personal ideas and thoughts

[jackspratt]

and when he was questioned about his reasons for leaving politics, he responded (very frankly) that he was feeling "relevance deprivation syndrome". As far as this thread is concerned, I am sure you can identify with that.

But Mr. Information never left Udon Expat politics voluntarily. He felt forced and now he suffers this syndrome. He really depends on our love and respect.

Sweet heart, do you know more than the rest of us?

Please, do tell.

But if you are trying to introduce Udon Expat Club politics into UdonMap, please spare us.

[farlong68]

cant we all just get along john

[Laan Yaa Mo]

For the benefit of those who believe this is Danny trolling, I suggest you re-visit his posts from when he was such a valued member of the forum.

http://www.udonmap.com/udonthaniforum/s ... r_id=13592

Unless he has spent the last few years in intensive literacy tuition, there is no way he could have written what is in Information's posts.

So true. The Mighty Chang was focused on older men who followed their wives around in the Complex wearing Chang t-shirts with egg dripping on them. He had a unique name for these people, which I have forgotten.

In any case, despite what has happened in the past, it might be worth trying to put forward a positive agenda again. It can't hurt, and all you might lose is a bit of time. And time is what a lot of us have at this stage of our lives.

[Laan Yaa Mo]

I remember now, the new concept/phrase introduced to the world by the Mighty Chang was, 'seed lords'.

So, get your thinking caps on and help Information come up with some ideas that might better the lives of all of us that are, and eventually will, live in Thailand.

[waanjai]

Sweet heart, do you know more than the rest of us? Please, do tell.

Is that so difficult to conceive? I already informed You in this thread, that this is a rather dead horse and over a year old.
Maybe You should verify this first - not with the farangs, but with some Thai wives of farangs with good connections to the new ruling party - to better understand the initiative which was really there then. Not all politics ongoing informed the former incumbents of power, e.g. the old governor.

[pienmash]

Really really gentlemen ,,,,,,,,, shame on you all ,,,,turning a thread requesting information in to total farce , hang your heads for a fella who is trying to help expats living here ,,,, i note several making waves are not even living here , Canada , Aus , UK ,,,,,,,, SORRY GUYS 1 OR 2 MONTHS hols to see the girlfriend per year dont count in my book. ...

This is morphing into a piss take ,,,,, designed from far away ... to stir the nonsense ...

Its one thing investing real time effort n cash into a society ,,,,,then on the other hand have wasters , jealous idiots and part time lovers try to destroy the good work offered freely to assist at source ie: UDONS EXPATS.

I personally find the intervention of some members as TROUBLESOME and thats being mild ,, i find fact mr info even wants to try ,,, humbling ,,,,,,,,,, all the doubters n knockers ,,,, trolls n bullshitters ,,,,,,,,,,,, simply sad.

There again who am i ........ a simple shopkeeper ....... but loves a tryer

Sorry ive only had 5 pints of OSH so drunkeness can not be tagged to this post ,,,just honest opinion

[Khun Paul]

Some of you are so pathetic and some are not even here, so grow up and get a life why don't you. God children who'd have em eh !!

[trubrit]

Awake now . Feeling refreshed, so here I go .
Re-reading this topic I seemed to remember a previous discussion about Expat groups and anonymity which rang a bell so I did some searching. Now I am not saying this IS connected but the context seems remarkably similar don't you think? It certainly highlights the reason for my concern in this present discussion.Don't suggest downloading the topic as my point is made in the post not in the subject .
Swiss man arrested in Udon for embezzlement

Postby khondiau » December 28, 2011, 11:35 pm

grievous wrote:I'm still confused why the two major parties with input on this thread chose to use an alias. It possibly could have been an alias (or two) that allowed the swiss con-man to do what he did.

I presume this is a consequence of a rather authoritarian climate of opinion within the club. So why bother to speak out like a citizen would do?
The former president or vice president resp. who was in charge when the final court verdict in Switzerland arrived in January in Udon Thani province always wanted to protect the Swiss man. He even was of the opinion - and still is - that criminal behavior of club members do not interest the club, nor have to. Disregarding any obligations even farang clubs in Thailand own their guests.
He even tried and still is trying to persuade them to voluntarily destroy all information they might have gathered on the following aspects of their fellow members: "any records that relate in any way to immigration, passport details, visas, police investigations, law enforcement, courts, court actions, criminal or illegal activities, criminal events or records, alleged irregular activities, use of substances and drugs, or other allegations, and the like"
Point f on page 3 of the document "NOTES FOR SAFE & LEGAL CONDUCT_2.pdf" you can download from their site:
http://www.udonexpatclub.com/download_f ... ONDUCT.pdf
They should not even ask criminals critical questions, as this would be "quite definitely ‘unfriendly’" to the criminal.

[bumper]

Well if it did nothing else got some people thinking and even emotions involved. not all bad. Something to do.

I for one can say I have been guilty of taking the forum, much to seriously at times

Not directed at anyone

[BobHelm]

If you can see any correlation between the circumstances surrounding the appointment of a person convicted of fraud to a job involving the safekeeping of money & a person asking for suggestions then I can understand why we can never agree on this issue Val.
By the way, he (the ex Treasurer of the ex-Pats Club) was NOT anonymous, all who voted for him had met & knew him. The majority were just unaware of the fraud conviction, or was that going to be your next demand to Information??


On a more positive note it is encouraging to see that some posters on UT have taken the question in the manner in which it was intended.
I would commend Information to search the Forum out & read the thread entitled
Your personal list of how to make things better for expats

Some cracking suggestions by Brick & some nice add-ons by Irish Alan & cali4995.
Congratulations to them!!

[wiking]

I wish Mr. information good luck

hope you can get change only a little bit - if not, we farangs have not lost anything

I want to ask all who complain about you, to inform us other farangs what they have done to help other farangs

to all other who look on this with positive eyes - help him - give him some input

I look forward to get some information, after you had the meeting

[bumper]

I know he would never say so. But, truebrit has done a lot of volunteer work on our behalf in the past. But, maybe a new approach will have some luck. No idea.

[jai yen yen]

Really really gentlemen ,,,,,,,,, shame on you all ,,,,turning a thread requesting information in to total farce , hang your heads for a fella who is trying to help expats living here ,,,, i note several making waves are not even living here , Canada , Aus , UK ,,,,,,,, SORRY GUYS 1 OR 2 MONTHS hols to see the girlfriend per year dont count in my book. ...

This is morphing into a piss take ,,,,, designed from far away ... to stir the nonsense ...

Its one thing investing real time effort n cash into a society ,,,,,then on the other hand have wasters , jealous idiots and part time lovers try to destroy the good work offered freely to assist at source ie: UDONS EXPATS.

I personally find the intervention of some members as TROUBLESOME and thats being mild ,, i find fact mr info even wants to try ,,, humbling ,,,,,,,,,, all the doubters n knockers ,,,, trolls n bullshitters ,,,,,,,,,,,, simply sad.

There again who am i ........ a simple shopkeeper ....... but loves a tryer

Sorry ive only had 5 pints of OSH so drunkeness can not be tagged to this post ,,,just honest opinion

You are too sensitive, maybe you can get some help for that.

[Jello]

I would commend Information to search the Forum out & read the thread entitled
Your personal list of how to make things better for expats

Agreed
And once again, a disclaimer:
MR INFORMATION, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO IGNORE The rest of THIS POST AS IT HAS NO SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR AGENDA.

Why do I post a disclaimer you ask?

To those people who wish to attack or decry this effort, I do not judge your reasons for doing so; it just takes more reading time for me.

Because regardless of if you approve or disapprove of the request, ALL of you have given this guy 115 posts to wade through. (except mine of course, their marked Ignore). I think if all the conjecture (both negative and positive)were removed you would have around 10 posts with actual suggestions.

Here is a report of a similar (?) meeting. Depending on the filter you are looking through, it will give insight to the doubtful, justification to the haters and faith to the hopeful. Enjoy.

Ministry of Interior holds road show on rights of foreigners in Thailand
By Shana Kongmun

The Ministry of Interior came to Chiang Mai Grandview Hotel on Thursday, June 16, 2010 to answer a few questions and to determine what expatriate residents, consulates and the media feel are needed changes in some of the fundamentals of life for foreigners in Thailand.
Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior Kwanchai Wongnitkorn opened the session asking for people to contribute their ideas freely to the symposium.
Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior Kwanchai Wongnitkorn opened the event by remarking to the crowd that this was the second such conference, one had been held in Bangkok in February and another was planned for Songkhla. He told the gathered crowd that included Mrs. Junko Yakata, the Japanese Consul General, Ben Svasti Thomson, the British Honourary Consul, Chinese Consul General Zhu Weimin, and other representatives of consulates in Chiang Mai that they had been assigned by the Ministry of Interior to discuss ideas. He said the Prime Minister Abhisit Vejajiva wanted the Ministry to see if the government has any room for improvement or anything it can extend to its expatriate residents to help promote investment and habitation rights.
The conferences are being held to collect information and suggestions that will be sent to a committee for refinement and then sent to the Cabinet for consideration. The goal, he said, “is to provide the best possible consistent system for everyone”.
He added, “they have to be plausible and feasible concepts that fall under the law, we can’t start everything new but we can come up with some reasonable propositions.”
The Director of the Foreign Affairs Division Tassana Vichaitanapat laid out the framework of the conference and the 5 major issues to be addressed; rights to nationality, immigration and habitation rights, right to work, investment rights and alien’s rights to property.
Director Tassana said, “We are trying to improve our legal framework. Part of our expectation is that we can develop frameworks about laws that foreigners can read.”
“The starting point,” he added, “is to hear your suggestions and recommendations. In our talks, we want to make sure that we will adhere to the law. We can think outside the box but our underlying focus is the legality of the propositions and that we understand our legal frameworks.”
The first issue of naturalization to Thai citizenship by foreigner was addressed by the Department of Provincial Administration representative. Foreigners must add themselves to the census registration (house registration, ie tabien ban). Holders of Permanent residency can get a blue book (Tor Ror 14) and holders of temporary visas can get on the yellow book (Tor Ror 13) before they can apply for naturalization. The Provincial Administration reiterated an important point, that foreigners have the right to be listed on the census registration, “It is not well known even among officials. We have contacted registration officials that you have this right and you should insist on it.”
The official discussed the inequalities facing Thai women married to foreigners stating that it is a cultural construct, “While we have equal rights under the Constitution, the law is different. Men are regarded as the head of the family in our culture, they need to be able to earn a living and support their wives.”
The requirements for naturalization were laid out, including the income requirements for both those married to Thais and those not married to Thais. The linguistics requirement has been reduced but the applicant must be able to sing the National and Royal anthems. Speaking and listening is mandatory but reading and writing is no longer required.
Application can be made to either the Special Branch Police department in Bangkok or the Provincial Police in the province the foreigner resides.
The official pointed out that if those people who naturalize as Thai citizens are found using the passport of their previous country the Thai citizenship will be revoked. Applicants must relinquish their previous nationality and the Ministry of Interior will report their cases to their embassies.
The next issue under discussion was Immigration and the right of habitation. Immigration officials discussed the various visas and how to obtain them as well as how to obtain Permanent Residency. The main issue of contention brought up by multiple Consul Generals, including Japanese Consul General Junko Yakata, was that of the 90 day reporting required of all foreigners on long stay visa extensions. Consul General Yakata told the officials that there are 3,000 Japanese nationals living in Northern Thailand. She requested a simplification of the process, perhaps by extending the length of time needed in between reports.
Chinese Consul General Zhu Weimin requested a change in the 90 day reporting procedure as well, citing the large numbers of Chinese students who attend Chiang Mai schools who cannot take time off from school to travel to Immigration to report. He suggested they open on the weekends for those who have jobs and classes.
The official justified the 90 day reporting by saying “it allows us the best possible protection. If someone goes missing then we have more recent information as to their whereabouts to give to the Embassy.”
The officials said they would consider amending the length of the report and might add reporting via the internet in the future.
Martin Venzky-Stalling of Chiang Mai University suggested they streamline their procedures to attract foreign investors. He recommended a business visa for those who come to conduct business in Thailand. He also suggested a form of a green card which contains both permanent residency and the right to work, and an extension for international students to stay on after they graduate to enable them to undertake internships or further job training.
The Labour Department was next, again citing the various regulations for work permits. Chris Hedges of the Chiang Mai Expats Club put forth a question that concerns many Chiang Mai residents; that of the definition of work and those retired expats who wish to volunteer to help in their new homes. The Labour Department official, while not refusing to put forth the idea to the committee stated, “Retirees are not here to work. Their visa is issued for one particular purpose and they have to adhere to that.”
Suggestions were put forth to amend this regulation as well as to implement a one stop service similar to that of Bangkok in Chiang Mai. The officials said that this would have to be approved by the Cabinet but that the suggestion would be put forth. Zhang Zhi Ren, Chinese Commercial Consul suggested that an accurate, updated website with different languages would be of great benefit as well as having officials who speak other languages.
Foreigners’ right to property was the final topic, with officials listing the requirements for owning and buying condos. Additionally, the spouse of a Thai person can inherit one rai of land for residential or commercial purposes or 10 rai of agricultural land if their Thai spouse dies. If the spouse held more than the requirement, then the foreign partner has one year to sell or to give away. Thai children can inherit from their parents, and foreign parents can buy land for their children if they are minors but must apply for a court ruling before purchasing.
Requests were made to make it easier for those living and working in Thailand to purchase a condo without having to bring money in from outside the country. Additionally, restrictions on condo ownership percentages were suggested to be relaxed.
The meeting concluded with Japanese Consul General Yakata saying,” We are encouraged that you come here to listen to our suggestions and we would like to know how they fare.”
Director Tassana ended by stating “We are here to take on your suggestions and to serve you to the best of our abilities. We will compile your questions and suggestions and submit them to a committee to see if we can address these issues.”

[trubrit]

and then they all went off to dinner.

[jackspratt]

And once again, a disclaimer:
MR INFORMATION, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO IGNORE The rest of THIS POST AS IT HAS NO SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR AGENDA.

Jello what is your rationalisation between treating the OP with such suspicion/negativity on this thread, but then posting an extensive list of "To Do's" on UT?

Seems very strange to me.

[Jello]

MR INFORMATION, THIS POST CONTAINS NO SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR AGENDA.

Jello what is your rationalisation between treating the OP with such suspicion/negativity on this thread, but then posting an extensive list of "To Do's" on UT?

Seems very strange to me.

Unfortunately I cannot provide you with that information at this particular juncture of the process. Please be patient.
Jackspratt, thank you for your valued input.


(Perhaps you've noted this thread has become a bit convoluted)

[rjj04]

Thank you Jello =D>