Why is it that so many Farang become habitual law-breakers in Thailand? Buying pirated goods and whore-mongering are only the most common examples, but wait. The most notorious Farang miscerants are deliberately acting against a Royal Decree! These ruffians pose such a threat to the nation, that they could be punished by 5 years of imprisonment and/or 100,000 Bt fine.
Browsing the Net, I compiled a small, non-inclusive list of the type of shady Farang characters that every decent, law-abiding person should stay clear of, and report the outlaw immediately to the appropriate authorities.
Watch out for Farang who try to work in Thailand in the following professions:
- ice-cream making
- rice farming
- dress making
- barber, beautician
- manual cigarette rolling
- hand weaving
- shoe and hat making
- dynamiting rocks
- match making
These are just a few examples on a lenghty list filed under the Alien Business Law. A 1973 Royal decree came up with the list of 39 occupations forbidden to foreigners (oops, I mean, erm… Aliens) in Thailand. This list hasn’t been revised since 1979.
The rest of us law-abiding Farang citizens should keep this list in mind, and resist the temptation, strong it may be, to live out our Farang dreams as rice farmers or buffalo herders in a developing country. Apparently, the existing industry would be put in danger if aliens were allowed to enter the business.
But it’s not all that gloomy, folks. There is good news on the horizon, at least for those who secretly dream about leaving that posh office in Farangland, for rocksalt mining in Isaan. It is possible, but only with a special permit. I guess the Kingdom wants to see your extraordinary credentials for the job.
That’s it for today. To balance it out, next time I will let you know about some of the ridiculous restrictions Thais have to face abroad. If you think this was too much, wait until you see that!
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