Give dog a bad name and hang it!

Land of Smiles
Immigration law is always the common topic of talk in Pattaya. The word tolerance which has been a key word for Thailand now becomes paradoxical with the new draconian immigration policy. Malaysia promotes their country as a second home for long-stay tourists. How about Pattaya” It becomes the only place for many foreigners to call home even the Thai government never seriously promotes like our neighbor.

You can check out anytime, but you will never leave is a good metaphor which may explain the feeling of foreigners in Pattaya which is always ambivalent. Pattaya same same my home is the common say of many foreigners in the Pidgin English. There is the popular say in Thailand that you can stay happily in a narrow place but not with a narrow minded person.
Money is not important but necessary
If you are a retired baby-boomer having 800,000 baht in your bank account or proving that you have pension equaling to that amount from your country, La Vita e Bella should be the most favorite film for their hibernation.

You just visit the Immigration Office by yourself and say Hello to the immigration officers who always smile and speak English to you. Just fill out a form and show the updated bank book to them, you can get a retirement visa even sometimes within 15 minutes. The problem will be only for the ones coming from the country suffering the economic recession. The amount of 800.000 baht is not a pittance for them. In the first year, the money will have to be in a fixed deposit account for the period of at least three months before filing the application for your visa.
For foreigners enjoying hibernation in Soi Bua Klao may not be able to afford this financial requirement. They may leave Thailand to find their asylum in other countries who can propose more tolerant condition.

For the ones who are still in the working age to support their Thai families, this land is the only place they can stay. It could be a heaven or hell. Some of them invest all monies from the liquidation of all properties in their native country to buy properties for their expanded families in Thailand where they call home.

Persona Non Grata
The word grata comes from Latin which means Welcome. The term Persona Non Grata technically means Unwelcome Persons or Blacklisted Person.
You are not wanted by the country as a persona non grata and will have to leave our country”

You will never want to hear this word in the above context either from your Thai wife or imigration police. If you are a backpack tourist, you may just say OK because you will easily find other countries for your adventure. But most of foreigners in Pattaya are not a tourist.

A foreigner staying in Thailand can be deemed a persona non grata by Section 12.- of the Immigration Act 1979 which imposes a detention and deportation from the country. The name of this deported person can be blacklisted not to come back to Thailand for their whole life.

Contra bonos mores behaviors – to be or not to be that is the question of facts
If it is found by the immigration police that any foreigner is involved with any unwanted behavior by committing any illegality or being a fugitive wanted by other country which may harm the national security or good morale as technically said contra bonos mores, that foreigner can be detained by the immigration police and investigated for deportation. The preliminary detention can be 48 hours for the prompt investigation and extended to seven days if it is necessary. The extension of detention period more than seven days must be investigated and approved by the Court of Justice. The extension can be made each period time not more than 12 days with the justifiable ground. The persons coming from English may compare the judicial intervention in Thailand to the doctrine of Habeas Corpus in Magna Carta.

The investigation will be made on the facts if the behaviors of the detained foreigner fall into the restrictions under Section 12.- of the Immigration Act 1979. In this stage, a lawyer can be retained by the detainee. The Immigration Bureau will have the order if the detained foreigner will be deported or released. If the order is not satisfactory to the detainee, the appeal can be made to the Ministry of Interior.

The Administrative Court can be the last resort to seek the justice from the judicial power which is separated from the executive power. If you knock the door of justice, your situation will be definitely better than Cat Steven because there is always a bread of justice in this Kingdom which should be a Heaven for everyone.
If you are a good faith retired baby-boomer who buys property with the area not more than 1,400 square meters for the residential purpose not involved with any conspiracy theory, you should deal with only a real Thai licensed lawyer or Tanai Kwam who will assist you to justify the transparency of all transactions with all law enforcement authorities, especially the Anti Money Laundering Office (AMLO) who will inspect the movement of money.

Contra bonos mores behaviors – to be or not to be that is the question of facts
If it is found by the immigration police that any foreigner is involved with any unwanted behavior by committing any illegality or being a fugitive wanted by other country which may harm the national security or good morale as technically said contra bonos mores, that foreigner can be detained by the immigration police and investigated for deportation. The preliminary detention can be 48 hours for the prompt investigation and extended to seven days if it is necessary. The extension of detention period more than seven days must be investigated and approved by the Court of Justice. The extension can be made each period time not more than 12 days with the justifiable ground. The persons coming from English may compare the judicial intervention in Thailand to the doctrine of Habeas Corpus in Magna Carta.

The investigation will be made on the facts if the behaviors of the detained foreigner fall into the restrictions under Section 12.- of the Immigration Act 1979. In this stage, a lawyer can be retained by the detainee. The Immigration Bureau will have the order if the detained foreigner will be deported or released. If the order is not satisfactory to the detainee, the appeal can be made to the Ministry of Interior.

The Administrative Court can be the last resort to seek the justice from the judicial power which is separated from the executive power. If you knock the door of justice, your situation will be definitely better than Cat Steven because there is always a bread of justice in this Kingdom which should be a Heaven for everyone.
If you are a good faith retired baby-boomer who buys property with the area not more than 1,400 square meters for the residential purpose not involved with any conspiracy theory, you should deal with only a real Thai licensed lawyer or Tanai Kwam who will assist you to justify the transparency of all transactions with all law enforcement authorities, especially the Anti Money Laundering Office (AMLO) who will inspect the movement of money.

It is still miraculous to quote the words of wisdom that if you seek, you shall always find.