tijnebijn

caf is another contender

Reputation: -13 Poor

bdenner, on 2010-09-24 07:35:48, said:

Why should there be an amnesty?

You broke the law. To give an amnesty says - OK you can break the law and we will let you do it again for a month (or whatever).

Go to jail. Go direct to Jail. Do not collect $200.

tijnebijn, on 2010-10-01 00:21:06, said:

A lot of expats seem to have adopted the same business model. It is something for anyone trying to start a unique and needed service to consider if they actually want to make a profit, rather than just ending up with an expensive hobby that might break even at most.

Now they've got us fighting among ourselves! Don't you get it ? That's what they want us to do !!!!


So without adequate facts/ motives coming into the light, speculation is growing and growing (quite creatively), and some of it, you can't really argue against. Could be part of the puzzle or maybe not. But I'm fresh off a buzz(kill) of trying to blend my freelance style of teaching and approach to learning with the Thai education system, and savoring every minute of it (not). In the land of face and alliances, it could just all be simple 'Thai logic', something we aren't really gonna get, or wanna get. Stuff here makes sense in a Thai way, and the unfortunate experiences of the people at the language and volunteer programs are part of that 'Thai logic' saga. Sometimes it all falls apart over here. Everything is with a huge grain of salt (pinch of naam pla). I see even in the Thais a helplessness that sometimes the systems or powers that be flare up and you get caught in the mix and end up losing something in the exchange. Sucks, really. But hey.... you get to live in Thailand.

But even I am asking myself if the rose colored glasses prescription is still strong enough to keep me here.

I also agree that the thread needs to be moved back to the Chiang Mai forum.  This is an issue specific to those of us living in Chiang Mai and the rest of our community needs to be aware of what is going on related to CMU.

Moderators - come on - move it to the Chiamg Mai forum!!

Although many students are not serious about studying many are.  Of the first course I was the only one left at the finish and I did not need the visa though they have improved their game since then.  I can understand CMU having concerns and taking steps to rectify this but the ones they have taken are not acceptible.  
Cancelation of visas puts the students in a bad situation with many having to leave quickly after having made long term commitments.  The theft of their fees also means many cannot afford to fund further courses.
I am disappointed with some of the posters who seem to think this does not matter.

hagler, on 2010-09-27 13:20:14, said:

Hagler, the loss of the visa affects us more urgently.  Personally, I like my class and teacher and am learning a lot, but I know I can find another language program.  I could even pay my current teacher for private group lessons.  If I lose my visa, then I'm subject to fines, imprisonment and deportation.  There are quite a few people in the program who have Thai girlfriends, boyfriends,  wives, husbands and children from whom we don't want to be separated.  

As far as people who think this course has too few hours to qualify for an ED visa, Payap University has a similar course with 30 hours of instruction a month for which they provide visas.  The CMU course has 20 hours a month of instruction, so I don't see much of a difference.  Before we came here, we were promised by the university that they would educate us and provide us with visas for 1 year.  That has not happened.  Thus far, the only people who have communicated with the students in this situation are from IUS.  LICMU has not taken any initiative about communicating to us the status of our courses, our money nor our visas.  The only people who have received information had to go in personally and talk with the Director of LICMU.  From what I can tell, LICMU is just throwing us overboard with no regard for our personal lives nor our contracts with them.  

Shameful.

NancyL, on 2010-09-27 11:55:34, said:

I second your suggestion... two posts on the CM forum were actually started a while ago when this first broke.  One was quickly closed, with any reference to what might be the motivation of CMU deleted. I think the other was moved to this forum.

CM forum is an essential service for all expats here, and this is perhaps one of the most serious issues which has come up over the past four years or so, especially since Far Eastern Universtity suddenly changed thier minds about hosting the CEP and Thai classes.

This latest move by CMU to cancel all foreign students' visas, giving only four working days' notice, could essentially mean that no visas, whatever the type, can be relied on in the future here in CM.  The thin end of the wedge??

The thread should be moved back, to the CM forum, ..moderators are very well able to deal with flaming, attacks or unproven rumours -- move it back , let the mods get on with their jobs and let those involved and the rest of the expat community know what their options are.

On my way back from Chiang Dao this afternoon, just before going into the watershed, I saw the river had flooded large areas.. This is the best photo...

 

elcent, on 2010-09-26 22:19:27, said:

My idea of hel_l.

The difference people who are staying here long term vs people who come here for work and pleasure is that travelers have a more legitimate reason for being here than. They are hear for work, and/or pleasure and have enough quality of experience to do what is necessary to thrive in whatever they endeavor when in Asia. You're reason for being here is nine times out of ten, marriage. This goes out to the relatively small group of middle aged, (life-spent in frivolity), failed once-family men whom could not deal with the reality of their actual lives, so they seek redemption in marrying a Thai, and/or escaping to a place where they have no history. Yes, indeed you will make it one of your top priorities to be a good-boy, and wholesome as you can from here on out. For the rest of us, we are still creating our reality by seeking any means possible to enrich our life experiences. Enrich individuals have a positive impact on not just those immediately around them, but on societies as a whole. You aren't positively influencing anyone's lives except the small group of (mostly elder men) who now call this place home/refuge from the past. The only comments admin deletes as "off topic" are the ones they cant accept.

BWPattaya, on 2010-09-26 12:48:34, said:

Anyhow, I'm up for an amnesty on overstayers, there is no argument for imprisoning people who are trying to leave the country!

                 if  they did  not try  to  leave    thailand  ,
                               there  would  be  no  problem .  

Another off topic post has been deleted. From now on, such posts will be deleted without special mention but where a formal warning is considered necessary the member will be informed by PM.

This story just won’t leave me alone, and pondering it over lunch it suddenly occurred to me that the following two reported statements do not contradict each other:

thaivisa.com, as quoted by Pattay One: “...anyone whose overstay is 42 days or longer is likely to be arrested...”

Head detention officer for the Immigration Bureau of the Royal Thai Police, as quoted by Pattaya Times: “The enforcement guidelines for the governing statute strictly states that detention is mandatory only if the foreigner has overstayed for one year or more”

The second statement means that for overstays below one year, detention is not mandatory, but this does not exclude the possibility that it is permissible at the discretion of immigration officers. In this scenario, if immigration started to use their discretion to detain overstayers more often than in the past it would indeed be a change in enforcement policy, would it not? In other words, the rule is not changed but the policy of enforcing is altered.

The following statement, on the other hand, contradicts directly the first statement, as I see it:

Unnamed Immigration Colonel, as quoted by Pattaya Times: “Foreigners must not be afraid to leave the Kingdom of Thailand when they wish. They will not be arrested for overstays less than 365 days”

This reminds me of two caveats that one often hears in Thailand:

a) Officials sometimes get their terminology mixed up. Recent example: http://www.thaivisa....ost__p__3899926

b) Sometimes, things get lost or mixed up in translation.

I think I will wait a couple of days – working days, that is – to see if this confusion/contradiction gets cleared up.

Thules, on 2010-09-25 17:21:18, said:

I don't think there are so many guys in overstay. The "success" of this thread come in fact from many messages of guys who have valid visa but are very happy that those who don't will have "problems" in the future...  
Sad, but it's what I feel.