Thailand offers amnesty to ‘little ghosts’ in South Korea

The Thai government calls for all Thais working illegally in South Korea – known as ‘little ghosts‘ – to return to Thailand before February 28.

Any little ghost who does not return to Thailand before this date will face a 30 million won fine (800,000 baht), warned the government.

Today, government spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek revealed that the South Korean Immigration Office reported that 100,000 Thai people are currently working illegally in South Korea.

Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs would therefore like to inform any Thais who illegally entered Korea that they can escape punishment if they return to Thailand before February 28.

Little ghosts will be exempt from the 800,000 baht fine so long as they return before the month’s end and report their planned return to Thailand either at an immigration office in South Korea or online at www.hikorea.go.kr.

To report, the little ghost must provide supporting documents, namely their passport and evidence of purchased plane tickets to Thailand.

Little ghosts who do not return to Thailand, or those that don’t report their return, will not only face a hefty fine but will face trouble entering South Korea in the future, warned the spokesperson.

Ratchada said Thai people are welcome to work in South Korea but must do so legally via the Department of Employment.

Thais should not fall for scams of people offering illegal work in South Korea. Little Ghosts do not have basic welfare rights, are not covered by insurance, are often taken advantage of with low wages and have to live in fear of being found out by the authorities.

The government’s announcement comes just days after a Thai family pleaded for help for their relative, a little ghost, who fell into a coma in South Korea after undergoing urgent surgery for a brain haemorrhage.

The family are doing everything they can to have Narong – who remains unconscious – returned to Thailand.

Narong’s mother Buarat says she knows the medical bills in South Korea will be high and the family is stuck because they don’t have much money.

The family decided to publicise their story through the media to warn others against working illegally abroad in case they fall ill and need help.

Source - The Thaiger

#Thailand - Judge in #Yingluck case ruled her ‘Not Guilty’

Pison Pirun, a judge in the nine-member Supreme Court panel that ruled in the case over the rice-pledging scheme against ex-PM Yingluck Shinawatra case, was the only judge to rule her not guilty on the grounds that “she lacked the intention to cause loss or seek advantage she was not entitled to”.

His ruling was circulated yesterday, three weeks after the panel had read the majority verdict against Yingluck in absentia following her flight from the country.

In his verdict dated September 27, the judge explained that the Attorney-General had prosecuted Yingluck for negligence or misconduct. However, according to the law, the offence must be accompanied also by ill intention, or ill intention to cause loss to others.

The act of negligence alone did not count as an offence in the laws cited by the Attorney-General, Pison pointed out.

Although the prosecutor had proved the rice-pledging scheme was plagued with corruption, there was no evidence that Yingluck had benefited from it, Pison wrote.

In the fake government-to-government rice deals case, although Apichart Chansakulporn, better known as “Sia Piang”, had been ruled guilty, it had not been proved that Yingluck had facilitated the deals either, Pison wrote.

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 A photograph showing Sia Piang and Yingluck’s brother Thaksin Shinawatra in Hong Kong was not sufficient to prove that she was close to him and could have helped him gain advantage in the deals, Pison wrote.

Although the prosecutor and Yingluck had argued extensively about whether or not the rice-pledging scheme had caused losses or been beneficial to the economy, Pison said those arguments were irrelevant in the context of law.

He also rejected Yingluck’s arguments regarding judicial power as irrelevant.

Pison summed up his verdict by ruling the case against Yingluck should be dismissed.

Eight other judges, however, ruled Yingluck guilty and the panel handed down a five-year imprisonment term.

Yingluck fled the country two days before the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders was scheduled to read the verdict on August 25. She is reportedly seeking asylum in the United Kingdom.

Source TheNation

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CHIANG MAI - Over The Hills And Far Away

Marigolds in full bloom with Saint Joseph Mae Chaem School in the background.

 Lost in time, the isolated northern valley of Mae Chaem is the perfect escape from the stresses of urban life.

The deer and bird dance celebrates the Chula Krathin ceremony in Mae Chaem.

 A long and winding road leads from the eastern side of Inthanon Mountain to the western side and the distance has kept Mae Chaem hidden for centuries. Part of Chiang Mai Province, which welcomes hundreds of thousands of tourists every year, Mae Chaem feels like a lost hinterland tucked deep in a valley beyond the high Thanon Thong Chai range.

Folks in the deep valley have Inthanon Mountain - at 2,565 metres, Thailand's highest - to thank or perhaps blame for the slow evolution of progress.

"Every morning small bands of monks, novices and children walk across the rice paddy fields to collect alms," says Pop, a travel journalist who relocated to Mae Chaem five years ago.

"The temple kids strike the gong to alert the villagers that the monks are heading to their homes, so they had better prepare their alms. You hardly see this outside Mae Chaem."

 

 Mae Chaem during the rice harvest.

It is possible to reach Mae Chaem by following the road from Hot district but this takes a lot longer than the four-hour drive over the hills and isn't nearly as pleasurable.

But whichever way you go, Mae Chaem is an ideal place to escape the city.

"When I opened a bakery here five years back, the locals were very surprised," says the travel writer turned baker.

"There had never been a bakery in the town and residents wanting a sugary treat would have to wait for deliveries, often stale, from Chiang Mai.

"The story of my moist chocolate cake has travelled way beyond my bakery to the district's most remote villages."

 A mural at the temple of Wat Pa Daed portrays the tale of the Lord Buddha and the story of Mae Chaem itself.

 We come to Mae Chaem in mid November, though we have to tell Pop that we are not here for his chocolate cake, yummy though it is.

Winter is approaching and the air is already cold. The hidden valley is taking a short break from rice harvesting to mark Chula Krathin - a ceremony that celebrates the end of the three-month Buddhist retreat. Here in Mae Chaem Buddhists traditionally offer the yellow robes to the monks to complete Vassa.

Residents of all ages gather at Wat Baan Tap on the eve of the ceremony, which is a big social event for this small valley. Earlier in the day, they will have gathered the cotton bolls from the plants and spun these into yarn. Now they are busy weaving and dyeing the yellow robe. Lanna folk singers take it in turns to entertain.

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"Chula Krathin is a small and humble rite that demands big faith in Buddhism," says grandmother Chan, her hands and feet busy behind the spinning wheel. "The yellow robe, from gathering the cotton to the weaving and dyeing - must be completed within one day."

In Mae Chaem, making a yellow robe within a day is not a problem as everyone grows up with loom and spindle. The district is noted for - and has made a fortune from - its cotton sarongs boasting a unique pattern around the hem. The pha sin tin chok of Mae Chaem are the pride of the valley.

"This pha sin is about 50 years old," says Granny Kaew, her lips firmly gripping a home-made pipe, as she shows me her cotton sarong. "It was handed down from my mother, and I will pass it to my grandchild."

Mahatama Gandhi, I conclude, was right: if everyone in the world spun an hour a day there would be no more wars.

The valley is quiet, pristine and peaceful.

Source: The Nation

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