The news was announced yesterday in an online report by National News Bureau of Thailand (NNT).

According to the report , among the countries which had already revoked the alert include China, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Germany, Brazil, Greece and Israel.

The report also listed the nine countries that still had yet to revoke the alert at the time of going to press, which include the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Taiwan, Austria, South Korea, Japan, Italy and Romania.
The terror alert was initially issued on January, Friday the 13th, and then subsequently issued by at least 18 more countries.

Hours after the initial alert, Thai authorities had arrested a Swedish national of Lebanese origin, who was suspected to have links with the Iranian ‘terror group’ known as Hezbollah.

Also for more details about the arrest, in addition to the link above, also see this report on the BBC.

Four days after the arrest, authorities had raided the suspects rented room outside Bangkok, and confiscated some 4,000 kilograms (8,800 pounds) of material allegedly used for making bombs.

Some fractions in the Thai government, as well as various tourism related groups within the country, had resented and denied the US’s alert, claiming it was unnecessary, harmful to Thailand’s image and costing vital tourism income.

Meanwhile, some groups had also expressed criticism and warnings about the handling of the suspect and overall situation on the Thai side.

Hillary Clinton responds with her own speech and expresses intent to continue to offer support for Thailand’s recovery and rebuilding via military and civilian assistant, noting the good relationship the two countries have shared over the previous century. Clinton outlines the ways in which the US has assisted Thailand’s relief efforts and how it plans to continue to support and assist one of its closest Asian allies. Hillary talks specificaly how the US has helped Thailand through this crisis. She goes on to reveil that the US intends to help Thailand reopen Don Muang airport, police stations and anient monuments as to revive tourism, trade, security and commerce. Hilary reminds the press that Thailand and US have been tied in relations for more than 170 years and expresses gratefulness for the continued alliance and that she looks forward to the East Asian summit in Indonesia. The summit will bring together leaders of East Asia, Southeast Asia, Russia, Australia and Oceania.

Also part of the clips are questions and answer session from the press, including questions from AFP and Bangkok Post. The two leaders respond to the questions about political reconciliation — referring to the potential and contreversial amnesty of ousted premier, Thaksin Shinwawatra, Yingluck’s older brother, and also touch on humanitarian and disaster response issues

In a report released earlier this week by the State-run news agency, MCOT, General Yuthasak Sasiprap, Thailand’s Defense Minister denied allegations that Thailand had declined an offer by the United States for flood aid.

The General was referring to allegations in a Bangkok Post report that the US had been receiving “mixed messages” from Thailand about the former’s offer for aid, sparking suspicions and speculation that the US ships may have pulled out of Thailand due to the lack of cooperation by Thai authorities.

A three aircraft carrier group led by the USS George Washington had left Singapore and head towards Thailand on October 16 as to be in position to aid Thai authorities, pending any official request for need. A fourth ship, USS Kidd which was reported to have been partaking in a training exercise in Cambodia, was also dispatched to joined the small fleet near Bangkok.

The ships were briefly on stand by, however, no official request for a serious need of evacuation was made by Thailand. The ships left by October 21 and the George Washington was reported to have continued to Japan to partake in a scheduled joint exercise up there.

Meanwhile, a US Destroyer, the USS Mustin, docked at Laem Chabang port in Sri Racha, Chonburi – just to the south east of Bangkok, along the Eastern Seaboard. Reported to be on a routine visit, the USS Mustin had initially planned a week-long stay to offer light assistance in the form of community relations and humanitarian aid inclusive of donating clothes and money to the Thai Red Cross.

According to other reports, the Thai government has since requested the USS Mustin to extend its stay for up to a month or more. Other than basic aid, the USS Mustin’s two seahawk helicopters will assist Thailand by conducting areal reconnaissance surveying of the affected areas.

The 2011 floods are being called Thailand’s worst floods this century, due to the prolonged effect. Major floods similar in magnitude struck the country in 2010, 1995, 1983, 1963 and 1942. As this year’s floods enter into the fourth month, so far paralyzing the country’s industrial, automobile and electronic manufacturing based economy, while killing about 400 who’ve perished by drowning and/or electrocution, the crisis is expected to last at least another month.

Come Sunday, July 3, Thailand will finally hold its highly anticipated national elections to form a new lower house in Parliament. The elections come after the house was dissolved in March.

Across the country of 60 to 70 million people, there are 375 constituencies, each comprising an average of 170,000 registered residents.  Tomorrow morning and afternoon, these constituencies will participate in the democratic process and elect a representative (Member of Parliament or MP) to sit in parliament in Bangkok.

125 more seats will be proportionately filled from party lists of the political parties which receive the most votes.

The outcome will see 500 new MPs to guide the future of Thailand, hopefully to last the entire four year term without being dissolved as  a result of ongoing socio-political turmoil.

Following the election — polling to be held nationwide from 9am to 3pm — the new parliament will attempt to form a the new government, likely to be a coalition government considering the current polarity of Thai politics.

As for the following day, Monday, July 4, 2011, when all of Thailand is discussing ballot results, Americans will be celebrating their 235th birthday: Independence day  marks the official signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.

It will be a time where most Americans are with their family and friends watching colorful display of fireworks in the sky as well as having their own firework craze fest on all the streets across the country, filling neighborhoods’ air with smoke and lights galore.

This weekend, Thais and Americans should honor their nations’ foundations and commitment to democracy and liberty.

It’s not just another excuse to go wild but rather to honor our roots as to prepare for a prosperous future. Therefore, it is hoped that Thais and Americans will abstain from irresponsible behavior over the weekend and beyond. Good Spell !

I am a US citizen living in Phuket, Thailand on a retirement visa for 3 1/2
years. Can I apply for a Thai Passport?
If so, where and what are the required documents?

Thanks for any information you can provide.

-Robert

Thailand-USA ANSWER:

Thanks for writing, Robert. While I’m not a certified lawyer, I’ll try to do my best to guide you in the right direction based on my knowledge and resources. To apply for a Thai passport, you would have to had become a Thai citizen, which first requires your name to be entered into a House Registration Form (in Thai, “Ta-bien Baan” ทะเบียนบ้าน”) which is a precursor to being issued a Thai ID card (In Thai, Butt Pra-cha-chon “บัตรปราชาชน”). Once you have taken these two preliminary steps, then and only then can you apply for a Thai passport (in Thai, “Samut Dern Taang” สมุดเดินทาง).

As a US citizen presumably with no claim to Thai citizenship by way of birth or descent, you would have to become a Thai citizen via naturalization. To naturalize as a Thai (in Thai, “Bplang Sun-chaat bpen Thai” แปลงสัญญาติเป็นไทย), the residency requirements published on the internet vary:

This link, citing the Nationality Act of 1965, says you would have to have lived here five continuous years,

While this law firm website, which even offers a money back guarantee assuming you meet all the other requirements, publishes that you have to had lived in Thailand for only three consecutive years.

Unfortunately, residency is not the sole requirement. All sources I read state that before applying, you also have had to be working in Thailand (holding a work permit) and paying income taxes to the Thai government during that time.  Having a Thai family — wife and child/children seems appears to be another requirement.

Aside from residency, family, and income tax record, it is also required that you are able to read, write, and speak the Thai language in addition to being able to sing the Thai National Anthem — “Pleng Chaat Thai” เพลงสัญชาติไทย

Holding a retirement visa, it is assumed you are not employed on a work permit and thus not paying Income Tax (on the basis of being employed in Thailand) to the Thai government.  However, I advise you to consult with a specialist lawyer like the one linked above, or else the many others available who deal with such cases and questions regularly.

If your sole aim of acquiring Permanent Residency, Thai citizenship and a Thai passport  is to be able to own land without having to jump through all the other loop holes required of non-Thai citizens who own property in Thailand, I think you will find your quest for Thai nationality difficult, but not impossible, as nothing is impossible, especially true in Thailand.

Good luck.

P.S. Don’t be discouraged from the hurdles and barriers. Read this article for proof and references that there are many foreign born persons, e.g. farang who naturalized as Thai citizens, some taking decades.

Also, Be sure to check some of the resourceful links below:

Upon learning that a sequel to the Hollywood blockbuster, the Hangover was being filmed in my then-residence Bangkok, curiosities arose. When you’ve lived in Thailand’s capital for the better part of a decade, you pretty much see it all and it doesn’t take long before one becomes jaded amid the cosmopolitan wonder of a city which [international] name’s pronunciation resembles a ludicrous action. What follows is a part-film review, part-social-cultural perspective and critique, and represents the sincere opinions of the author. 

And so curiosity about the plot for Hangover Part II didn’t extend much past that initial craze late last year, when seemingly everyone knew a friend of a friend who was involved in the film’s filming production. Even if they were all sworn and contracted to absolute secrecy, and no matter how many millions of dollars the script writers could have been paid, how complex could one expect the plot of a comical, Bangkok-centered film – which title and theme were based on the after-effects of intoxicated, black-out oblivion – to be?

During the period when word had gotten around town that the Hollywood film crew and cast were in town, I recall anticipating with a friend the elements which its plot was sure to include. Our prediction list included Thai girl imposters, ladyboys, go-go bar girls, tuk tuks, drug mafia with guns, long-tail boats, uncooperative and/or crooked cops, elephants, monkeys and monks alike—all such stereotypical images which Thailand and its capital are all-to-often are associated with.

Fast forward, late May/early June 2011, the film has finally hit the theatres in both the US and Thailand, and elsewhere in the world. Time to finally see what all the hype was/is about! Without spoiling or revealing too much of the plot, I’ll express my personal views and feedback on certain aspects of the film which I feel the record needs to be set straight. For those who want to read specific chronologies and details of the plot, see this link: Hang Over Part II on wikipedia

Not claiming to posess any special psychic abilities, our predictions left us with little surprises.

Thai girl imposters and Ladyboys? Yes. Go Go bar girls? Yes. Tuk Tuks? Yes. Drug Mafia with guns? Yes. Long-tail boats? Yes. Crooked or uncooperative cops? Yes. Elephant, Monkey and Monks? Unfortunately, yes.

First, I must express my disappointment with the filmmakers’ misrepresentation of the last three elements, particularly. The one elephant and monkey which are depicted in the film are simply inaccurate depictions of reality.

Starting with the one shot of an elephant walking through a busy, crowded Bangkok street: In 2011, elephants do not walk around the busy streets of Bangkok in broad day light—not typically, not legally, and after years of strict enforcement of a long standing ban, not anymore. In Thailand, you are bound to see an elephant being led around by their supposed owner who sells bananas and peanuts to tourists to make supposed merit by feeding the massive mammal—but not likely on the streets of Bangkok. If you want to learn more about the actual reality, see the following links:

Don’t Feed the Elephants

New York Times Article One

New York Times Article Two

There are monkeys in Thailand, yes. But again, no stray monkeys in Bangkok, and certainly not the vampire toothed capuchin specie of monkey depicted in the film. Such monkey is indigenous to South and Central America. The monkeys commonly found in Thailand are macaque species which aside from the Zoo, are not living astray in inner city Bangkok. If you want to see such monkeys not in captivity—coexisting in close proximity to humans, you have to go to cities like Phetchaburi and Lopburi, hours from Bangkok.

As for perhaps the most culturally-sensitive misrepresentation, one must set the record straight for the world. I’m guessing that the version I happened to see will not survive in its entirety for audiences in Thailand once the Thai censorship board is through with their edit. Particularly, one monk was depicted using (excessive) violence, the other in a scene being the target of a comical yet sexually demeaning action, while in another shot, such monk was participating in a party. Despite what you might have learned from Shaolin martial arts footage, or yet other misleading media, Violence, Alcohol, Sexual activity (even if only a joke) and Social mingling are of the forbidden precepts which the Gautama Buddha instructed his clergy to adhere while on the path towards enlightenment.

And still there are other disappointments I would like to express about the film.

Yet again, Hollywood has made a film based in Thailand with a lead/supporting Thai character role played by a non-Thai actor /actress. Last major film, Bangkok Dangerous starring Nicholas Cage featured a supporting Thai female character who to cover up her inability to speak Thai, was a mute. The supporting Thai male character, though played by a real Thai actor, was a scam artist, however.

This time, a Korean American actress plays an overseas-educated, upscale Thai girl who only has a few lines, all in English. As if there is no supply of beautiful Thai actresses linguistically, kinesthetically and aesthetically capable of playing the role of a Thai girl. The bride’s Thai father, though shown mostly in a pretentious light, was played by a Thai actor who did speak Thai, which I am happy to see the point was not completely neglected.

I remember being a young boy growing up in USA, ever curious about my Thai heritage. Having never been to my mother’s home country, I had embraced Kickboxer starring Jean Claude Van Damme which set up my initial impressions of what Thailand might look and be like. Complementing the childhood stories told by my mother and coupled with the narratives in Southeast Asian encyclopedia picture books, the film, regardless of whether it was fictitious, played a significant role in shaping my impression, albeit warped from reality. Later in life when I moved to Thailand and learned the language and culture first hand, I would become disappointed to learn that the Thai characters in that film were not even Thai and clearly had learned their two or three brief lines of Thai on the set.

Are Hollywood casting directors and film producers afraid an actual Thai person playing a lead role might actually portray Thailand accurately? I don’t pretend to have the answers nor desire to understand any biased justifications. Working with such a budget, I think they could have paid closer attention to such details.

I could go all day criticizing the mismanagement of the 80 million dollar budget of the Hangover’s sequel which is borderline offensive to Thailand and Thais who actually care about their image being unjustly and inaccurately disseminated to the world. It’s a a common stereotype in the west that Thailand and Bangkok are a wild, unruly jungle full of thieves, scams, hookers, forbidden lust, drugs and greed. With Hollywood consistently reinforcing this inaccurate image disguised as mass reality, it’s no mystery where much of the world’s false impressions are sprouting from. While I don’t claim that Thailand is a utopia without problems, I can’t think of many other places I love to call home, and not for the reasons and elements commonly portrayed in the mass media, certainly not part of the mass culture. As a Hollywood blockbuster with worldwide distribution, I believe it is the duty and obligation of directors and producers to portray cultural sensitive depictions as accurate as possible.

In all fairness, as a comedy film, some parts of the movie did tickle me—as did the first one. While I clearly don’t think either deserve the praise that some of my colleagues have given, I’m glad I watched, having been me with the motivation to rant for more than 1200 words. Watch it yourself and make your own conclusions.

If not merely thrown off by the alien and difficult-if-not-impossible-to-define status-quo defining the ever-evolving American lifestyle, perhaps even greater threat to a harmonious re-assimilation was/is the dire condition experienced by thousands if not millions of inter-country commuters known as ‘Thailand Fever.’ Anyone who has spent a reckonable and joyous period abroad in a country like Thailand, and suddenly returned home back in the west can attest to the difficulty and distractions of readapting to what becomes a blurring definition of ‘Normal Life,’ after having pampered themselves with the less-demanding and minimal-anxiety-culturing, ‘Sabai Sabai’ and/or ‘Sanook Sanan’ ways of life; throwing oneself back into the high demand, fast pace of a Politically Correct society can prove to be disastrous if one is not careful.

Perhaps the burning cognitive inquisition among curious minds is regarding ‘Life back on the home front?’ Following are a few observations for contemplation and consideration.

Weather: Coming straight from the tropical and sub-tropical biomes of Southeast Asia back into the heart of high-altitude winter of the Rocky Mountain region has been a trip. The chill of winter wind is a blunt reminder of the dominate, defining dynamic of our hominid and homo gene pool, separating the human company from other mammals and animals limited by narrow habitat requirements—the ability to emigrate from one environment extreme into the next is something that all should embrace if they expect to survive the emanate catastrophic circumstances which await.

Environmental Economics: Resentful to the plastic and foam siege of modern Thai consumerism—to the dismay of the predecessor status quo of indigenous Siamese, environmentally-friendly methods of food packing and transfer including banana leaf wraps (bai toei), bamboo shoot rice tubes and stainless steel lunch pails (pinto)—it was disappointing to come back to America to see that the initially instilled concepts of ‘Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle’ are hardly adhered to; coming into the second decade of the 21st century, Americans are quite keen on utilizing disposable one-time use cups, plates, and (foam) mobile food boxes on a daily, mass practice, just as Thais have come so accustomed—all for the sake of laziness, convenience and selfishness. It’s an unacceptable norm in both countries deserving rapid reform!

No Records Found

This post is to report a service review. On Saturday, December 11, 2010, I,  [name omitted] an American citizen engaged the online services of the the following website: http://criminalbackgroundrecords.com  whose parent company is identified as INFORMATION ENTERPRISES, INC. I  purchased a Colorado instant background check on myself  for $24.95 USD using Paypal to pay them.

Being that I definitely do have a misdemeanor record, I suspected some clause in the Terms Contract which would leave me to some disadvantage for the inaccurate results I received. According to the above website’s Terms of Use, they will typically not provide refunds when No Records are Found:

…VI. REFUND POLICY

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com does not give credits or refunds for any of its furnished reports even when no records are found. We incur costs for every search we conduct on behalf of our clients and therefore offer no refunds for any of our completed reports (orders providing search results with or without criminal/public record data are considered completed transactions).

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com will not issue a refund for the following:

• Customer made a data entry error
• Customer made a mistake placing an order
• Record sought was not retrieved because it fell outside of the search coverage outlined in our product descriptions
• Criminal record was sealed (in case of juveniles etc.) or record was expunged
• No Criminal Convictions were found (we do not return arrest records)

Refund or Credit Availability
If you place an order with CBR and you do not get back the record results that should have been returned to you based on the coverage stated in our search descriptions, you are eligible for a full refund for your order.  Before you place an order, it is imperative that you read the search description of the state or states you are performing the background check in; to ensure you understand what you are purchasing.  If the description does not include coverage of the area you want searched, OR records pulled do not go back as far as you want, OR certain conviction types that you are looking for are not pulled (like misdemeanor or infraction offenses) do not place the order, as you will not get the search results you are looking for.

Again, the search results I received (didn’t receive) are  incorrect as I know for a fact that I have a court/case record for two misdemeanor charges from 2003 which are still part of Denver County Court Records as I have verified on the Denver County Website (free) Courts Record search.

According to criminalbackgroundrecords.com search description for Colorado:

Colorado Courts Record Background Check:
This criminal courts record check includes felony and misdemeanor records from all Colorado counties, with the exception of Denver County misdemeanors. Search results show the defendant’s name, alias names, date of birth, state identification number, physical description, county case number, county, disposition date, verdict, verdict date, fine, status type and probation time. The beginning data dates for the courts vary between 1977 and 1995. Broomfield County was added in 2001. The data is updated daily.

Denver County Court Search:
The Denver County Search includes misdemeanor records and some felony records. Search results show the defendant’s name, date of birth, state identification number, physical description, county case number, county, disposition date, verdict, verdict date, fine, status type and probation time. Criminal records date back to October 1975 and General Sessions records date back to May, 2001. Last updated February 2008.

Colorado Sex Offender Report Check Description:
This sex offender report includes high-risk offenders. Results may show offender’s name, physical description, address, crime and crime location. This data is updated monthly. Persons convicted of certain sex offenses on or after July 1, 1994 must register. Depending on the severity of the original offense, registrants are required to be registered for 5, 10 or 20 years. Free National Sex Offender Check Included.

According to the above service coverage outline -description, the search results for the website in question’s search services should have provided the two misdemeanor charges of 2003 which happened in Denver County.  Again the only results the service provided me was ‘No Results Found.’

I have a case number provided from the Denver County Website to verify the record does exist.

No, the charges have not been expunged as I was not a minor, and being misdemeanors in Denver County from 2003, Yes,  they clearly fall under the Search Coverage terms outlined above.  I’ve overlooked the data I submitted to the website has no data entry errors for my name, birthday and social security. Therefore, technically, I believe I am due a refund for inaccurate results provided. I will notify the website of my case and expect them to provide some excuse not to provide a refund as is their clear policy.  That is the reason why I have created this post: To notify and warn others of the inaccuracy of results for the mentioned service/company, so others will be aware of the potential inaccuracy if planning to use the website’s services.

I advise anyone seeking to do a background check on themselves or anyone else to not use a service that requires you to pay first before verifying whether or not they can locate a record. I should have verified that they could locate a record, then paid.  The website in question here was unable to locate a record (even though one exists) and have already been paid with a No Refund Policy, having the advantage over customers.

In any case, I will update this page with any reply/response I receive from the company. In the event that the website in question gives me a refund, or not as I expect, I will rightfully update this post.

Stay Tuned

The following entry is from a guest submission who has asked to remain anonymous:

Towards the end of last year, I was involved in a few flings. Taking the initiative to use preventive contraceptives (condoms), in the heat of moment of passion on two separate particular instances with two different partners, I allowed myself to become vulnerable and naive to the moment, abandoning the initial safety measures for the sake and convenience of natural yin yang exchange.

While definitely poor and risky judgment, ignorance could not be proclaimed. I knew what psychological battle my decision would entail, as I had made similar poor judgments in the past, thankful to have escaped with my health record in tact.

Having interrogated the recent sexual history of the first partner gave me particular doubts. She had broken up with her last salesman boyfriend because he was a ‘butterfly.’ She also admitted that she had occasionally had sexual relations with another regular gik, another butterfly–this one was a tour guide. Yet like most girls I’ve been involved with in the past, she couldn’t seem to grasp that she (and now I) was in particular risk group for HIV, if not other STDs.

At that time, I was about three months post surgery and haven’t exposed myself to unprotected sex since was pretty confident about my status. I finally convinced her to visit the clinic for a test since she admitted she hadn’t been in at least a year.

When she came back with a negative result in hand, I reminded her that it wasn’t one hundred percent sure just yet as her recent sexual instances before were pretty recent. I was particularly relieved though soon after started heating up with another ‘gik.’

This second girl claimed not to have had sex in a few years, and that her last partner had had a kid after the fact, which convinced her she was okay. In fact she was overly confident that she didn’t need a test. I bought it and succumbed half way through our first and only union session discarding the pest of rubber barrrier.

Come new year, I came down with a strong fever, worrying myself knowing that inoculation of any virus takesd a week to two, exactly how long it had been. I knew within that there was no point in stressing, interogating, blaiming, or bothering these girls anymore. In fact, it was all my doing and I would reep what I had sewn. Anxious as I was for the truth, I would have to wait three months to get an accurate result.

That time had come today, three months to the date since that last risky interaction. Going into a private clinic nearbye, I was ever nervous to make my inquiry. THe nurses on duty were serving a mother and her teenage and pre-teen daughter. ‘Oh great.’ I thought, anticipating the awkward situation I might be in.

Luckily, all three girls went in the back to do their checkup by the time I spoke to the nurse. I was informed the options: a 15 minute, one day, and five day test, respectively. The latter two were more detailed tests that needed to be sent off to a lab, while the 15 minute was a basic screening done in-house.

After inquiring with the on duty doctor, I decided to take the 15 minute test, learning that the detailed lab tests are more ideal for confirming the occasional positive result from basic screening, and that considering three months had passed, the basic in-house screening should be sufficient.

Drawing blood in the backroom was quick and sharp. Even after wrapping off circulation at my bicep, for some reason, they always have trouble locating my vein, having me squeeze my fist tight before slowly sticking the pinching needle at my elbow crevice.

Now the anticipation and anxiety would start to kick in. I wasn’t as nervous this time as I was going for previous tests years ago in the party days, but nonetheless feeling the butterflies filling my gut. Hadn’t eaten all day, I went for lunc down the road. I thought about all the possible scenarios and outcomes if I were to receive the dreaded news.

Finally, I went back to the clinic, seating and looking for hints in the blank nurses’ faces, receiving none. They pointed me to the doctors office, who had me sit down. Viola, the result was negative! I felt the burden lift as if I had just been granted parole from a life sentence, or perhaps leniency from a death sentence. While I should still go for a follow through test after a few months, I am confident of my negative result and plan to keep it so throughout the rest of my life.

Finding myself at the clinic, I let history repeat itself once, but don’t intend to let it again, for next time, my fortune could run out. I hope that others reading my story can learn a lesson without actually having to go through with it. In any case, going for the test is the only way we can be certain in times of doubt.