Must Read So proud to be Thai! American born funny man gets Thai nationality at last

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So proud to be Thai! American born funny man gets Thai nationality at last

 

Pictures: Facebook Udomsuk

 

A well known American born man who has entertained thousands in the north of Thailand with humorous stories about his life has just been given Thai nationality.

 

Forty four year old Udom Suksanaih - born Allen Robert Dean Long - was one of 35 foreigners named in the Royal Gazette. 

 

A video on Udom's Facebook page showed him wai-ing deeply as he expressed his immense pride at being made a Thai.

 

Udom came to Thailand with his missionary parents when he was a small child. He went through the Thai education system but found it difficult to get citizenship.

 

Now his efforts have finally been successful - great news to his tens of thousands of followers who have loved his tales delivered in local northern Thai dialect over the years. 

 

Udom is married to Kanita Suksanaih and has two daughters, Summer and Venus. He runs a company exporting hammocks called Farang Muang Phrae Limited Partnership.

 

His Facebook page showed him returning his now unneeded work permit to the local employment office. 

 

Udom told Thaivisa today: "I feel proud to be able to say that I am a Thai person in the Reign of Rama 10.  I feel proud to be Thai. I will never do anything to disappoint Thailand.  I feel so thankful".

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-02-12

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[Somtamnication]

Good for him. He deserved it.

[lemonjelly]

Good show 

[samran]

Well done. Glad this has finally be sorted for him.

[Flugg]

No pointing at all. My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.

[Thechook]

Only took 4 yrs for my Thai wife to get Aussie citizenship.  She had permanent residency even before she left Thailand and that only took 6 weeks to get.

[nev]

 Is this a joke.☺️

[Andrew Dwyer]

Congratulations to this fella, from other videos I have seen he seems like a nice chap .

For someone who went through the Thai education system I think he deserves citizenship .

[Orton Rd]

Probably wais taxi drivers, wears a yellow shirt and stands up at 6 PM, weird, 'proud' ? Came here as a missionary sounds like children of god cult, quite a few of those including singer Christy and Jonas Anderson

Edited February 12, 2020 by Orton Rd

[Nyezhov]

Pretty cool! Did he give up his US citizenship then?

[Nyezhov]

1 minute ago, Orton Rd said:

Probably wais taxi drivers, wears a yellow shirt and stands up at 6 PM, weird, 'proud' ?

I stand at 6pm when the anthem plays if I am in a place that would mandate it. Out of respect. Im not in any hurry.

[Orton Rd]

3 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

I stand at 6pm when the anthem plays if I am in a place that would mandate it. Out of respect. Im not in any hurry.

I don't any longer, you have to have some integrity, mother in law stayed seated at local concert when they played it on Sunday, as did a few others, that never used to happen. Respect should not be automatic anywhere.

Edited February 12, 2020 by Orton Rd

[Nyezhov]

2 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

I don't any longer, you have to have some integrity, mother in law stayed seated at local concert when they played it on Sunday, as did a few others, that never used to happen. Respect should not be automatic anywhere.

well thats lovely, I chose to stand for an anthem and have my integrity questioned for that. Sad how life has degenerated into ad hominem and groupthink.

[JimmyTheMook]

Wonder if he now openly coughs with his mouth wide open and uncovered.

 

- Bless 

[gunderhill]

4 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Sad how life has degenerated into ad hominem and groupthink.

But that's  precisely why you did it.

[Orton Rd]

Seems his parents where children of god cultists and he was brought up in it, changed their name to the family in the 90's as a result of the accusations of widespread child sexual abuse and corporal punishment, completely barmy like most cults. Many who grew up in it have been phsycologicaly damaged, not saying he was, but you have to wonder.

[lazygourmet]

Good for him. Now he can stay in Laos for 72 hours without the need to show a passport. 

[Yadon Toploy]

I was happy for him until I saw him grovelling. ????

[bluesofa]

I remember him posting a video complaining about the trouble he was having with (I think) red ants in his house.

He managed to make his rant humorous which the Thais really liked.

[Nyezhov]

32 minutes ago, gunderhill said:

But that's  precisely why you did it.

How would you know? You a mindreader?

[Misterwhisper]

Congratulations to Udom. His long wait has finally come to an end.

 

The man grew up here, went to school here, raised a family here, earns his living here, pays his taxes here. He speaks perfect Thai with almost no noticeable accent, has integrated extremely well (and even down to the humiliatingly submissive "kraab", it seems), feels and thinks like a Thai, and loves this country from the depth of his heart. Yet still he had to fight an uphill battle and jump through hoops for decades, and despite the fact that the vast majority of bureaucrats that handled his case were very very likely direct descendants of (Chinese) immigrants themselves.

 

Now just imagine if our western countries treated literally hundreds of thousands of Thai-born wives and other Thai expats the same way. Instead, they normally receive permanent residency after a couple of years and even get the option to take on the nationality of their host country after a further couple of years hence. With very little bureaucracy involved. Because humanity has greater priority and we DO recognize their contributions to our societies. I also should add that their residence permit or naturalization document usually doesn't cost them a single cent (unlike in Thailand). 

 

  

[Saint Nick]

39 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

well thats lovely, I chose to stand for an anthem and have my integrity questioned for that. Sad how life has degenerated into ad hominem and groupthink.

You stand for an anthem and criticize others about groupthink?

Priceless! 

[Boomer6969]

For my enlightenment could some of the people here come up with a detail of the things to be so proud of? Other than overcoming some outlandish bureaucracy, of course.

[thegreatbw]

33 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

Seems his parents where children of god cultists and he was brought up in it, changed their name to the family in the 90's as a result of the accusations of widespread child sexual abuse and corporal punishment, completely barmy like most cults. Many who grew up in it have been phsycologicaly damaged, not saying he was, but you have to wonder.

I'm fairly well-versed on religion, but have never heard of this "children of god cult" which you've now mentioned twice.  What in the world are you going on about?  And, I know this family and they are very normal, highly decent folks - the furthest thing from a cult.

[Orton Rd]

9 minutes ago, Boomer6969 said:

For my enlightenment could some of the people here come up with a detail of the things to be so proud of? Other than overcoming some outlandish bureaucracy, of course.

Surviving the children of God cult?

[Orton Rd]

6 minutes ago, thegreatbw said:

I'm fairly well-versed on religion, but have never heard of this "children of god cult" which you've now mentioned twice.  What in the world are you going on about?  And, I know this family and they are very normal, highly decent folks - the furthest thing from a cult.

So what religion where his parents from then? as you know the family. I did not say he or his family were members now. They came to Thailand for a reason

 

https://timeline.com/children-of-god-5245a45f6a2a

Edited February 12, 2020 by Orton Rd

[Scot123]

Whatever rings his Bell. Why the fuss? I'm sorry but people who give up their national identity for a foreign 3rd world country for me is insane. I can see it makes life easier but all the showmanship of kissing the ground. I personally think he should hand his us passport back after all this behaviour. 

[samran]

25 minutes ago, Misterwhisper said:

Congratulations to Udom. His long wait has finally come to an end.

 

The man grew up here, went to school here, raised a family here, earns his living here, pays his taxes here. He speaks perfect Thai with almost no noticeable accent, has integrated extremely well (and even down to the humiliatingly submissive "kraab", it seems), feels and thinks like a Thai, and loves this country from the depth of his heart. Yet still he had to fight an uphill battle and jump through hoops for decades, and despite the fact that the vast majority of bureaucrats that handled his case were very very likely direct descendants of (Chinese) immigrants themselves.

 

Now just imagine if our western countries treated literally hundreds of thousands of Thai-born wives and other Thai expats the same way. Instead, they normally receive permanent residency after a couple of years and even get the option to take on the nationality of their host country after a further couple of years hence. With very little bureaucracy involved. Because humanity has greater priority and we DO recognize their contributions to our societies. I also should add that their residence permit or naturalization document usually doesn't cost them a single cent (unlike in Thailand). 

 

  

From following his story from a distance, he really was focusing on the wrong pathways for a long time - no doubt encouraged on by well meaning, but ultimately useless people who didn't know the rules or who promised him 'ways' around them.

 

His sister too - in a well publicised account - struggled to get citizenship originally, but given she was born here before March 1992 and grew up her meant that she was eventually allowed to be recognised as Thai after some tweaks to the law earlier this decade.

 

Fortunately changes in 2008 meant he could get citizenship of the basis of marriage to a Thai citizen, which he appears to have done.

[Nyezhov]

32 minutes ago, Saint Nick said:

You stand for an anthem and criticize others about groupthink?

Priceless! 

The fact that you dont understand the difference shows the flaws in philosophical education these days.

[thegreatbw]

16 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

So what religion where his parents from then? as you know the family. I did not say he or his family were members now. They came to Thailand for a reason

 

https://timeline.com/children-of-god-5245a45f6a2a

Thanks for the link. It rings a bell now. Clearly not a religion, rather a cult that formed around a charismatic man's uncontrolled lust targeting vulnerable people. Anyway, I want to respect the family's privacy. I'm sure you can find out about them with some google research.