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Opinion > Opinion

Your comments

• Brian

  Discussion 13 : 03/09/2010 at 01:47 PM13

  re: Krit's letter
  
  It's a nice change to see a Thai acknowledge that Farang might actually know more than Thais about Thai culture.
  
  I taught Thai Culture at a couple of Bangkok universities for several years and always amazed my students with how more I knew, and more importantly understood about their culture, than they did.

• James K

  Discussion 12 : 03/09/2010 at 01:43 PM12

  Many staff at the US Embassy are indeed impolite and in the 15 years I have lived here I have often seen and heard them acting quite unprofessionally. I usually use Singapore if I need something for this very reason.
  
  But having said that, I understand for their suspicion with granting visas to Thai's. I know many examples where they have been fooled and it would be a hard job. Recently, I met someone who had forged papers for a job in Florida, got a green card, never worked, married a poor sap, got funded by several others on line while she was married, divorced the first one taking his home, car and money. "Discovered" she had a son in Thailand and moved him to the US where both are being supported in her free house by the state. Personally, I could tell about 30 more stories so I imagine there must be thousands. I also know of one who's two sisters went to the US on holiday and "disappeared-see case one". I think the problem is worse than most realize.

• Wombat

  Discussion 11 : 03/09/2010 at 12:50 PM11

  What goes round comes 'round.
  It's good that Embassies are showing Thais that they don't have instant access to what they want just because they are Thai.
  We expats in Thailand are treated like second class people in so many ways; discriminated against by legislation, regarded as mobile ATMs by the vast majority of Thais and classified as 'aliens' by the bureaucracy. We are made to feel unwelcome, inferior and unliked.

• Jean-Paul Patrick

  Discussion 10 : 03/09/2010 at 11:43 AM10

  Absolutely right Reciprocity, I add PAYING TAXES as well but FOR WHAT????

• Jimbo

  Discussion 9 : 03/09/2010 at 11:42 AM9

  Whenever Thais encounter difficulties getting visas for Western countries they have tens of thousands of their own countrymen and women to thank for abusing conditions in the past. These days it's excruciatingly slow and difficult to get a spouse migration visa for a Thai woman to Australia. Why? Because there are thousands of previous spouses who have deserted their husbands and sponsors and are claiming welfare and other handouts. It’s interest how many of these Thai woman discover they are totally incompatible with their husbands within hours of being granted PR or citizenship.

• Reciprocity

  Discussion 8 : 03/09/2010 at 08:54 AM8

  When foreigners (aliens as Thais officialdom calls them)being here since for ever, often married with kids with a job and so on are treated as strangers with no rights whatsoever (short term visa, re-entry, 90 days checks, difficulty to open bank accounts, to buy cars, impossible to own land, tight restrictions on condominium, etc...,) and they expect Foreign Embassies to be complacent with them ... Come on, reciprocity starts right here. When the Thai administration will finally recognize that foreigners are part of the system, perhaps our embassies will be more open and accommodating. Before complaining about foreign entities, look at how Thai institutions treat foreigners, sorry aliens. This for that !

• Ken Nickoles

  Discussion 7 : 03/09/2010 at 08:33 AM7

  VISA to the USA are denied for many reasons.
  Sometimes the country in question has a reputation for unethical and immoral behavior.
  Nigeria and Thailand for example.

• Yasoboy

  Discussion 6 : 03/09/2010 at 08:09 AM6

  Discussion 2.
  Why is the US Embassy so hard on Thai applicants wanting to visit the USA? Because they are racist, xenophobia, discrimination & paranoid. I’ve read many comments posted by Americans and European saying that Thais are racist and xenophobia, now, please have a look at your own backyard.

• Ronnie Conrad

  Discussion 5 : 03/09/2010 at 07:53 AM5

  #1:
  
  You are letting yourself down by not proof reading.
  
  Surely you mean 'Not all of us are Americans'...........

• R. Hood

  Discussion 4 : 03/09/2010 at 07:49 AM4

  Disc 1 Doesn't your computer have a spell and grammar check. If not install office program. Why should BP put resources into helping your English.
  
  disc 2 And of course Thai's would never change their name and get a new passport to get a visa when they have been denied one maybe for good reason.

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