Economical situation in LOS???

[Old Hippie]

.... They had a unique chance to get back on the right track. Still a majority voted for Thaksinâ??s nominee Samak despite knowing he is absolutely unfit for the post of PM....

A bit like the Philipinos voting for Estrada because he was a film star.

 

Explains how Jesse Ventura and Arnold S. got in in the USA...some are just too stupid to vote?

 

[..]

Indeed, MOST don't and some embassies do not certify any income at all (IIRC the US embassy is one of those).

Well, you are 1,000% wrong on this one. No issue at all to get the US Embassy to "verify" my income for the Thai authorities. I'll go there Monday and do it to show you if you like -- please join to watch how it is done. Please do. I'm sorry if your embassy will not. But that's not my, and not the Thai's problem (as has been pointed out already), but your's alone.

 

Now, did you know those facts, mister Italian politics commentator?

Actually, I do, cuz I am a political junkie. Tho' your version is very entertaining (but a big stretch of reality). Thanks for that -- I like laughing. Tho' you missed the point entirely. Not surprising...

 

Cheers,

SD -- really, I will not get let myself get sucked into the Figgy parallel universe vortex again...

[drogon]

I will tell a little story about my two months work in Italy.

 

- Opening a bank account was a big pain, of course the banks where I tried to open a bank account all tried to rip me off and had no ideas about how to deal with a European citizen working as a consultant.

Of course, They did not speak French, English or Spanish or any other language I would have understood.

They of course kept asking me for proofs that I was a resident in Italy and that I was entitle to work for an Italian company...

(thought Italy was part of the EU but I must have been wrong).

In Thailand, when you have money, you do not have such problems to open a simple bank account and at least, they speak some English.

 

- Dealing with the Italian adminstration was a nightmare...worst than dealing with the Spanish one.

 

- Hotel stay: It was fully paid by the company but the hotel tried to rip me off about the mini bar

(and not only once)

 

- Playing the tourist on the week end: They probably mistook me for a rich Asian tourist and thus it was a touts nightmare (not even talking about the taxis), Thailand is not worst

 

- Police: I have never been controlled by the police in my life (apart at the airports) except there and this twice by the "carabinieri"...

 

One day I was going to work and I was late, got stopped and asked to show my ID/passport -> I lost 40 minutes because they asked me to go to the police station as of course they could not understand what I was saying...And I was not ready to try to understand their Italian.

 

Need more?

 

No country is perfect, Thailand is far from perfect but up to now, I got less problems in Thailand than in some European countries...

[WorldFun]

Drogon,

 

You're spot on - as 'charming' as Italy may sound to the romantics, wine & Mediterranean food lovers whatever it IS the biggest hassle & hustler in western Europe (EU) by far

 

Sure with Asian looks it probably doesn't help especially if in one of the hot spots for the Asian group tours

 

Thanks for the other perspective

[drogon]

Worldfun I have a lot to say about some other EU countries too...

:grin:

 

But I did not even comment about Italy political life -> I think many Italian politicians could teach their Thai counterparts how to steal, get rich, cheat, lie....And win elections and remain in power.

[FIGJAM]

Well, you are 1,000% wrong on this one.

You do know what "IIRC" stands for, don't you? So stop being so hyperbolic. But, I know, that's your thing.

 

No issue at all to get the US Embassy to "verify" my income for the Thai authorities. I'll go there Monday and do it to show you if you like -- please join to watch how it is done. Please do.

Not much use to me since I am not American. Anyway, are you sure we are talking about the same thing?

Here (http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/service/american-citizens-services.html) and here (http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/service/notarial-services.html) I see no mention of certificating one's stateside income. All I see are "Takings of oaths", "acknowledgments of signatures" and "certifications of true copies".

They can't even authenticate public documents issued in the United States. Quoting verbatim "such documents include vital records (birth, marriage, death and divorce), as well as academic, commercial, or other credentials".

Are you sure what you have really is a certification of your stateside income (which is what Thai law requires) and not some form of legalization/authentication/affidavit (which most Immi Officers unlawfully accept, probably out of sheer ignorance/laziness)?

 

I'm sorry if your embassy will not. But that's not my, and not the Thai's problem (as has been pointed out already), but your's alone.

You mean that ONLY the Italian Embassy is not certificating domestic incomes not coming from govt employers/pensions?

 

Not only there are many others (and I am not yet convinced the US is not amongst these) but as I have already pointed out [color:red]the very Royal Thai Embassy in Rome (nor any of the Thai consulates in Italy) will not and can not certificate any Thai's income in Thailand[/color].

Will we go there Monday and you show me how it is done? Please do.

 

You can also pick a Thai embassy/consulate in any other country of your choice.

 

Actually, I do, cuz I am a political junkie. Tho' your version is very entertaining (but a big stretch of reality). Thanks for that -- I like laughing.

So let's hear where my version is stretching the reality...

Berlusconi's first government started in May 1994 and ended in January 1995 when he was "thrown out" in the way I described. He himself coined a funny sounding term ("ribaltone") to describe what your comrades did and it has since then entered the Italian political lexicon and is nowadays currently used by politicians of all colors to indicate a change of govern following a sudden change of Parliamentary positioning of elected deputies and senators without going back to the popular vote first.

 

Berlusconi's second government started in June 2001 and ended between April and May 2005 (the longest government in the Italian Republic's history, LOL) when he was voted out in normal elections.

 

Last Berlusconi's government has started last month after being voted in in the April's elections.

 

What are your sources about Italian politics? Drogon and WorldFun?

 

Tho' you missed the point entirely. Not surprising...

I have written ad nauseam on the subject of generalization and stereotyping, search the archives.

I am talking about Thai society on the whole, about Thais' typical cultural traits, not about each and every one of them.

As you have always done in the past, you will miss this point entirely. Not surprising...

[Hardy641]

Well I donâ??t know FIGJAM but I somehow sympathize with him as it can be more than frustrating being caught in between 2 bureaucratic bodies that have different policies, rules and requirements. We are currently opening a RO office in Vietnam under Thailand und the bureaucracy definitely gets on my nerves. Donâ??t want to blame any country particularly as both sides behave stubborn but a little bit more alignment between both, both are members of ASEAN, would be very helpful.

 

No idea whatâ??s your or the boards history with FICJAM but in this thread he at least verifies and elaborates most of his statements in contrary to Khun_Khon_Nuea who just comes up with not sustainable statements and then stubbornly defend racist laws and rules. I tried to get into a reasonable discussion and mentioned several severe issues such as immigration (having to go through the same cumbersome WP/VISA procedure yearly despite living and working here for almost 15 years) and annoyances (90 days), not being able to receive (local) funding for a condo let alone owning a home or a company (at least not legally).

And what was his answer?

 

Everyone of your issues can be made into non-issues with a bit of action on your part. Being pragmatics is the opposite of looking through pink glasses. It is doing something about your problems and not wasting time ranting.

Such arrogant obnoxious statements without even proving them should be your primelary target of bashing. After all his rant he eventually only came up with 2 impracticable advices, first to get someone to do my 90 daily report for me (well i do but still I feel like a criminal who have to report every 90days) and to buy my home on my wifeâ??s name. Unfortunately I am not married and even if I would be I wouldnâ??t lay my future into the hands of someone else.

 

I like to discuss and I am willing to listen and learn but if putting up thesis they need also proof.

 

[Hardy641]

I think everyone knows that every country got regulations that make more and some that make less sense as well as a few that are absolutely useless, amusing and/or obnoxious. So whatâ??s your point here? BTW by law you also need a Passport and work permit to open a bank account in Thailand. Itâ??s probably just the mai pen rai attitude that let you ahead without.

My point is that Thailand has a lot of discriminating and racist laws and rules. I just canâ??t believe that people are so naïve to look over this. So far I am not aware of any racist and discriminating law that clearly put people at a disadvantage just because of their origin. I would even go so far to take any bet that in the EU such laws donâ??t exist and are even against the law. I donâ??t debate that you as Asian get different treatment and even might be discriminated. This is very unfortunate but in Europe at least you have the law on your side and can bring your case to the court, if the offense has been serious enough. In Thailand however, it is the law that discriminates us foreigners, which is a huge difference.

 

[Hardy641]

Not that I am a fan of Berlusconi. But he doesn't deserve to be put into the same category as the mass murderers Samak and Thaksin.

[FIGJAM]

I will tell a little story about my two months work in Italy.

Yes, it really sounds like a story...

 

- Opening a bank account was a big pain, of course the banks where I tried to open a bank account all tried to rip me off and had no ideas about how to deal with a European citizen working as a consultant.

Of course, They did not speak French, English or Spanish or any other language I would have understood.

They of course kept asking me for proofs that I was a resident in Italy and that I was entitle to work for an Italian company...

(thought Italy was part of the EU but I must have been wrong).

I don't know your requirements and in which language you were discussing, you also don't mention how they tried to "rip you off", all I know is that for opening a normal bank account in Italy (my wife VERY EASILY opened one on a tourist visa in a small provincial town, 40 minutes and we were out with bank account numbers, ATM card, "pre-paid credit card" attached to her account, pin numbers and codes for online banking) you only need 2 things as a non Italian citizen:

1. codice fiscale (a sort of "tax ID" which is given free even to tourists, although they tupically will never need one)

2. a permit of stay (permesso di soggiorno) of any kind (my wife had 1 for tourism) in any EU country or a carta di soggiorno (PR) if you are a permanent resident in any EU country.

 

Citizens need no.1 (codice fiscale) and a valid ID.

 

BTW, non citizens don't even need an ID (like a passport, for example) since a permesso di soggiorno issued in Italy doubles up as an ID.

 

In Thailand, when you have money, you do not have such problems to open a simple bank account and at least, they speak some English.

 

In Thailand many branches (each branch is a law unto itself) are starting to ask for work permits and will not open an account for a foreigner in any other case!