Ok to send discretionary gifts or souvenirs to the IO?

[CharlieD10]

You nailed it right squarely on the head. I too was shocked and quite pissed the first time someone asked for one of these tips, but my wife and our accountant acted like this is how it's always been done, the gov't workers make such small salaries anything we can do as the "elite" class is good for our karma and so be it. I have to laugh at your from one desk to another comment, I too have now come to ask in every conversation with any official what would it take to have this done more quickly, amazing how fast we adapt. Yes I would believe it I too was wondering if there was something I could do to make this process happen more quickly...but then my Canadian roots kicked in and I realized it was time to queue up and get comfy.... when friends come over to visit they love all the stories about the stuff we've paid for in that manner etc and lament how they could never do that in Canada.. but of course after some reflection they realize that it would be a total breakdown and explains why about 40 families control about 85% of the wealth in Thailand.. a pretty tough cycle to break. Be careful what you wish for was coined for good reason.

In Jamaica, the way of it is expressed as, "It's now who you know, it's who knows you" and quite often the best way to be "known" was to pay someone a little extra on the side to get things done. All manner of things used to be available for a "smalls" on top of the normal fee. There was a time when government driving inspectors would fail would-be licensees wholesale, just to try to force them to pay money to get their driver's license. People began going around this by skipping the driving tests outright and just paying someone inside the tax department to get their paper applications approved. A test conducted by the Traffic Authority some years ago concluded that up to half of all public passenger vehicle drivers might be barely literate to functionally illiterate, yet somehow they all had perfectly legal driver's licenses!

Service inside government agencies where one acquired such things as passports, birth certificates, marriage certificates etc would be so terminally slow, it was not unusual to either pay someone to wait out the process for you, and usually this person knew someone on the inside to whom they would directly take the applications, and share with them part of the "fee" they charged, or else to pay someone directly inside whom you most often came to know via a "link" from someone else.

Some government reforms have made headway against this corruption, and in many instances it is no longer quite so blatant. It still exists though, it's just a great deal more subtle. And "links" are still very important in getting things done smoothly and in a reasonable timeframe here, otherwise no-one can be bothered offering you anything even remotely resembling "service".

 

[Bangkokcanuck]

Some government reforms have made headway against this corruption, and in many instances it is no longer quite so blatant. It still exists though, it's just a great deal more subtle. And "links" are still very important in getting things done smoothly and in a reasonable timeframe here, otherwise no-one can be bothered offering you anything even remotely resembling "service".

Well in Thailand they are not trying to do away with it, they are simply getting more and more bold all the time. One of my favorite stories here was being stopped by the police when I was driving. It's a known issue that any one with white skin known as a Farang here will be stopped any time a cop spots you as they assume we are all ultra rich and shake us down for much more than the usual 100 baht (3 bucks cad) that the locals pay to be on their way. Driving home one night I was stopped and the cop almost got killed diving out into traffic trying to pull me over while I was in the third lane away from the curb.. .once stopped I asked what the issue was and was told "farang can not drive black truck at night" hahahahahahaha....used to be a time they would claim I was speeding or some such nonsense but this guy was just so up front I laughed and asked how much.. 400 baht. Getting ready to leave I asked him what would have happened if I was driving a white truck.. his reply "farang can't drive white truck that night I think" the phrase we use here to describe this crap is TIT (this is thailand) until you've lived here its impossible to really understand how much of a third world country it really is...

 

[CharlieD10]

the phrase we use here to describe this crap is TIT (this is thailand) until you've lived here its impossible to really understand how much of a third world country it really is...

Haha. TIJ. This is Jamaica. It seems to be catching!

 

[HoneyBird]

I sent a christmas card to my IO. Along with the standard brought forward letter. When we got mail. We noticed that the Approval letter was dated one day after I dropped in said christmas card. Hmmmm...lol.

 

[mittens]

ha! i'm going to send a christmas card to the IO today then

 

[sthomas]

ha! i'm going to send a christmas card to the IO today then

Can we do that? If so, let us keep this as a secret or else CEMs would be flooding with christmas cards!!! hahahahahahahah

 

[HoneyBird]

Can we do that? If so, let us keep this as a secret or else CEMs would be flooding with christmas cards!!! hahahahahahahah

lol. well my brought foward date was December 15. So I thought I would give it a shot since I had to send in the reminder form anyways. It was a simple card. Merry Christmas I wrote in French and english. My process took 6 months. It was unbelievable. My IO was also very nice. I got my passport back earlier than usual, I had told her I was resigning and my last day was Friday and was having my party across the road from the Embassy ( in Trotters) and she obliged. The embassy is not opened to the public on fridays! But she made the arrangement for me so I won't have to make two trips on that side! How nice!!!!!

 

[confusednscared]

You become very used to the idea of bribing Government officials or any other agencies within the private sector in third world countries to do their jobs if you need your stuff without it being lost or damaged.

In my country, it seems if you don't pass a few extra bucks you spend an entire day to almost a week trying to get your stuff done, of course, paperwork and documentations that can be processed and fixed within seconds to minutes.

Being pulled over by the police for speeding or breaking a traffic law gets you off easily if you tip them the equivalence to $5 CDN more or less. If not, they are feisty to ask you to leave them a little "something" to buy lunch or coffee. Same idea works for the other agencies.

It is very degrading and definitely shows demeanor how these individuals work. I personally would be offended to bravely stretch my hand out at my job within the Government to ask the person I am being paid for to assist with their legal paperwork or otherwise for money that is way much more less than I am being paid. This shows total disrespect to your job and position you hold. Some people just like to stoop at very low ground levels for money, especially in most third world countries. It's just plain wrong and definitely creates a whole lump-some of confusion and injustice among the worker and the customer.

 

[Aneyshar]

Sending postcards or Christmas cards is not bribery. Unless you're sending it to Santa Claus.

 

[Baloo]

Sending postcards or Christmas cards is not bribery. Unless you're sending it to Santa Claus.

If the Christmas card is full of $50's, it might be seen as bribery

 

[Cindy1]

After our application is approved and we are finished with the process, I'm sending them a thank you card.

I don't see anything wrong with that.

I'm a supervisor at an office full of employees that process applications (different industry) and it's always great to hear from a customer that you have helped them and your collective efforts are appreciated.

If you didn't want to make it appear that you were swaying anyone, you could always send it without any personal information, just a note/token of thanks.

 

[ControllinCdnWife]

bad, bad idea

 

[HoneyBird]

If the Christmas card is full of $50's, it might be seen as bribery

I will reiterate..my Christmas card which I paid 5TT for (equivalent 80cents CAD) had only Merry Christmas in French and English. No money. Plain card with Santa Claus in front page.

And I did not sign it. I put my applicant number.

I don't think that's bribery. It was Christmas! And I thought it would be nice.

 

[Baloo]

It was Christmas! And I thought it would be nice.

I know

No doubt the VO smiled when the card arrived.

 

[sthomas]

Oh well, no one here is going to send Christmas cards because all of us will get approved way way way before Christmas!!! ;D Good luck and cheers