Expat volunteers in Chiang Mai denied visas in work permit standoff

[Media1]

THAINESS 

[jimster]

1 hour ago, My Thai Life said:

These "volunteers" are  not really volunteers anyway, they are on very nice relocation packages.

 

A vile scam which exploits the poorest in the hills.

 

Glad to see the back of them.

 

Maybe their NGOs will send them to spread their word in Saudi, or muslim Nigeria, or Malaysia or Indonesia... now that I would support.

 

 

Nothing wrong with Malaysia though - in many places it's very cosmopolitan, comfortable and safe for westerners. But I can imagine a naive young western girl quickly being put in place if she were to be put up in a conservative Muslim village in Kelantan where there is no alcohol and strict segregation of the sexes, plus lots of local men ogling her.

[SpeakeasyThai]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

A few thousand rotten apples.

 I'm not a qualified expert on this subject as i have never seeked a back door loop hole to remain in LOS. I guess those 'in the know'  who have utilized the crooked  procedure will know more than i do.

[0815]

I was at the Thai Consulate at Savannaketh yesterday again to get a new NON-B, as I have to do every 90 days to follow the visa rules (I hold 49% of my Co.,Ltd. but don't have 4 Thai employees to qualify for a 1 year Non-B).
There is a special VOLUNTEER VISA since a long time posted at the black bords of Thai Embassies / Thai Consulates, maybe volunteers / foundations should just apply or the right visa to get it sorted and not hope for an open backdoor ?
Opened for just paying the right agencies...

[Bundooman]

17 hours ago, PJPom said:

Pay a lot of money and you too can become a volunteer, this has to be one of the biggest cons going. 

Unqualified and in some case totally untrustworthy people try to enter through the back door and in the process make some people very rich, about time it was clamped down on by Immigration.

I absolutely agree. How many of these so-called 'volunteers' are working in 'charity' work in orphanages, schools or any other places where vulnerable children, boys and girls are working - or even young adults for that matter?

 

How many of them have been vetted in their own country, or even in Thailand? Are their professional qualifications checked or are they locally produced? Have they been vetted for sexual offences in their own countries as well?

 

It appears to be a wide open opportunity for fraud and Immigration are right to clamp down on it - while identifying those genuine cases who should get work permits.

[ThaiLifer]

Firstly let's say I have a lot of experience about this topic.

 

It's completely ludicrous how one office can do this and 76 others with the same information have not made such a stupid decision.

 

It's going to mess up a lot of lives who are actually helping Thai people with real needs and doing a lot of stuff Thai people wouldn't do. They help a lot more than most people here criticizing their work. And yes there are a number of bad people, but it's not just the volunteers who are bad, there are a lot of connected farangs doing not good activities and they still get visas somehow.

 

Back to the point. Thai needs volunteers and the money they bring into the country for development projects. There will be a way through this and a work around like some of the education visa options have helped other foreigners and some Thai entrepreneurs bank accounts.

 

Enjoy!

[Jimdandy]

[Vacuum]

1 hour ago, 1337markus said:

CNX Immigration is a total failure since the new " boss" took over wanting his tea money increased from agents.

Yes I know and I wonder if it would be possible to report this to 'higher authorities' in Bangkok?

[Preacher]

You apply for a work permit and if it it refused you can ask for the refusal in writing, with the reason why the application is refused. With this you can appeal the decision.  Would be interesting to know the official reason for the denial. 

 

I have volunteered for almost 15 years at government schools in Thailand. And received a lot of respect from the local governor and immigration.  Problems? just call me said the governor.

 

Yes, many volunteers for big international NGO's are not real volunteers. They don't receive a salary but do get expenses in the order of over 20,000 baht (15 years ago) plus boarding. 

[dictater]

Despite the normal TV forum / Thai Expat bitter old men who deride any other foreigner in the country doing anything besides bellying up to the beer bar in order to bitch about soi dogs or their wives or the driving, some come here when they are still young and interested in life. I know it's hard, but I didn't read anything negative comments about the recent volunteers who came here to save the cave boys. But that was two weeks ago and this is Thailand and what have you done for me lately?

[balo]

9 minutes ago, ThaiLifer said:

Back to the point. Thai needs volunteers and the money they bring into the country for development projects.

Really , what sort of development projects do Thais need ?  And who are behind them ?  Can you name a few? 

 

 

 

[marqus12]

In a few years here I met only 2 Thai people who spoke very good English
and one of them whose a man who comes from Lahu people.
He learned the language thanks to the Christian charity organization
who sent him to a school in the Philippines .
(he complained that he is treated like a second-class citizen in Thailand)
so there are charities and "charities" 

[balo]

5 hours ago, Benmart said:

Details to support your disgust. First hand experience is always more credible

May, 2009
Sources in Chiangrai and Chiangmai say that quite a bit of money is being thrown around in this case, certain girls are being asked to recant or change their stories about what happened at the north Burma mission.

Other sources close to the story say that there are other missionaries at this same mission who have been suspected of sexually abusing girls as well.

Meanwhile the Morse website insists that Bobby Morse is innocent, and the website continues to ask for money.
North Burma Christian

Enquiries at the US Embassy by Oregon Congressman Wu's office regarding the case and the Protect Act of 2003 were met with a rebuff, that the Privacy Act prevents the Embassy from telling a congressman anything. We have always considered that at BEST the Embassy turns a blind eye to these things given the long term relationship to powerful wartime missionaries.

Robert Moss identified as Bobby Morse on this website:
Thai Visa Forum

[balo]

[BritManToo]

16 minutes ago, dictater said:

Despite the normal TV forum / Thai Expat bitter old men who deride any other foreigner in the country doing anything besides bellying up to the beer bar in order to bitch about soi dogs or their wives or the driving, some come here when they are still young and interested in life. I know it's hard, but I didn't read anything negative comments about the recent volunteers who came here to save the cave boys. But that was two weeks ago and this is Thailand and what have you done for me lately?

Most of Asia reserve the right to limit foreigners coming into their countries, who they are and how long they can stay.

It's their country and I believe they have that right, I only wish Europe was the same.

I don't see how believing in a countries sovereignty makes me bitter, but if it does, so be it.

The cave rescuers would have been OK with a VISA waiver on entry, no charity or NGOs required.

(but allegedly given 5-year VISAs FoC)

[balo]

From the Thai newspaper

 

"Mr Morse and a Thai man were arrested and charged on a number of child abuse charges. Research on the internet and local people tell me that Bobby Morse is well known in Northern Thailand and Myanmar, particularly Yangon for his continuous work with the Church of Christ, various orphanages and youth training centres."

 

 

[0815]

4 minutes ago, marqus12 said:

In a few years here I met only 2 Thai people who spoke very good English
and one of them whose a man who comes from Lahu people.
He learned the language thanks to the Christian charity organization
who sent him to a school in the Philippines .
(he complained that he is treated like a second-class citizen in Thailand)
so there are charities and "charities" 

In a "few years here" I met quite a lot Thais (and hill tribes) who speak good English without the "help" of a Christian Charity Organization...

[Lampang2]

How many of these volunteers are evangelists?

Exactly.

Pain in the ass people trying to push their religion onto others.
Throw them out instantly.
Period.

[0815]

Just a simple question:
Who gave those "churches" the right to turn over the life of the hill tribes here in Northern Thailand ?
Waiting for answers...

[BritManToo]

1 minute ago, 0815 said:

Who gave those "churches" the right to turn over the life of the hill tribes here in Northern Thailand ?

God?

[0815]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

God?

Which of the gods?
The god of the tribes or of the so called churches ?

[marqus12]

13 minutes ago, Lampang2 said:

Exactly.

Pain in the ass people trying to push their religion onto others.
Throw them out instantly.
Period.

There is nothing wrong to have a choice and for sure it is not worse

than pushing the child from the age of 2.5 in school to the "state" religion

[0815]

2 minutes ago, marqus12 said:

There is nothing wrong to have a choice and for sure it is not worse

than pushing the child from the age of 2.5 in school to the "state" religion

Ouch !
I had an Akha girlfriend some years ago and remember the foul tricks of the western priests to give a "choice" very well...

[trainman34014]

20 hours ago, ukrules said:

This new 'head of the labour office' is clearly not following the rules or doing their job properly.

 

Report them to the main department in Bangkok and get him / her bought into line or fired.

No chance of him being fired; just moving to an 'inactive post', which would mean burdening another Province with his arrogant nonsense.   Seen it all before up close, they just will not get rid of problem people, they just keep moving them around like deck chairs on the Titanic !

[balo]

42 minutes ago, balo said:

"Mr Morse and a Thai man were arrested and charged on a number of child abuse charges.

This is the man I'm talking about and he still lives in Chiang Mai .  

 

Yes , I find it disgusting. 

 

[marqus12]

15 minutes ago, 0815 said:

Ouch !
I had an Akha girlfriend some years ago and remember the foul tricks of the western priests to give a "choice" very well...

I felt good seeing the big Christian temple in the center of Chiang Rai.

By the way ... Have you heard the stories about a monk and a dog?

[elephant45]

A lot of these people are doing things that are  not quite ethical to the helpless children. And I have also also wondered why they don't  go back to their own countries and help the needy there?

[IAMHERE]

6 hours ago, BobBKK said:

I am not a Christian but I tend to take the 'half a loaf is better than none' attitude.

I am not  a Religious type, I tend to want the first half of the loaf.

[kannot]

20 hours ago, ThaiPauly said:

You couldn't make this stuff up...sheesh

 

They are trying to HELP, they are asking for NOTHING IN RETURN

 

Unbelieveable

a  gave up "giving a <deleted>"    about Thailand a long time ago, I expect crap everywhere i go here and am not usually disappointed.

[Russell17au]

It always amuses me about the way that a lot of people react to things like this. I see it as Thailand cleaning up its act and only allowing genuine volunteers in to the country and it is a pity that they do not take it further and check everybody who applies for a non-immigrant visa for what ever reason because I believe that there are a lot of farangs who have cheated the system to obtain their visas and their extensions. As for the volunteers, I believe that the only ones that should be worried about this are those that are not genuine volunteers and that have paid their way in to Thailand.