Thais protest over move to let foreigners practice law

[buksida]

THAI LAWYERS were getting ready yesterday to launch a rally in Bangkok today to voice their objection to an amendment to the Thailand Lawyers Act 1985, which would reportedly allow foreigners to practice law in the Kingdom.

Sarancha Sricholwattana, former secretary-general of the Lawyers Council of Thailand, said yesterday that the amendment would allow foreigners to take over this profession, which should be reserved for Thais. Hence, he said, the proposal should be held back pending a public hearing among lawyers across the country first.

In a statement on its website, the Lawyers Council explained that the amendment was actually meant to cover the position of legal adviser, which is currently held by 10 foreigners who are also members of the Thai Bar. It was also to ensure that foreigners who work in Thailand as legal advisers come under the supervision of the Lawyers Council, read the statement signed on November 25 by the council's legal research and development institute.

The statement added that the council would not support the liberalisation of the sector and also said that it has created dozens of legal adviser study programmes to back its proposal for the position to also be put under the Thailand Lawyers Act.

Full Story: The Nation

[Spitfire]

Wait for the howls of xenophobic protest when all the engineers and other professionals turn up next year wanting to work here under the new rules of the ASEAN agreement.

[STEVE G]

THAI LAWYERS were getting ready yesterday to launch a rally in Bangkok today.....

They obviously haven't read the law recently as they should know that such protests gatherings are illegal at the moment!

[usual suspect]

All this within the same week of announcing they do not want foreigners teaching English in schools..
..seems a bit mixed up to me..

[TicTac]

Thais hate falangs with regard to money. Happy to take, but never willing to give

[Chazz14]

Agreed Spitfire...

No doubt TAT will refer to the influx as "additional visitors" and add them to the tourist arrival stats!

Hint: These people are not tourists, they are after Thai jobs -> refer to the history of the EU...

[oakdale160]

This is just the first skirmish. Under the ASEAN rules (Written in English, by the way) there is free movement of professionals across the borders. Wait till Phillipino Drs try to get a license here. My guess is that they may take some Fillip nurses but not other professions.

[Spitfire]

Most Thais have no idea what was signed up for and that essentially they were giving up a slice of sovereignty in return for better economic possibilities within what is basically a free trading block of countries committed to a policy of non interference in each others internal matters.

I reckon that it will become a very politically charged issue at some point and the clause will be dropped, opted-out-of or ignored altogether. Despite the general tolerance of the society here in many ways......it is still insular, inward-looking and scared to death of modern realities, foreigners or change.

We'll see soon enough.

[oakdale160]

the difference from the EU there will be no equivalent of the Court in Brussels that can over rule member state govts on issuescovered by the charter,
Thailand will handle it in its usual way by just ignoring it. The admin of ASEAN (S'pore dominated) will find that their mail is unanswered.

[Nereus]

THAI LAWYERS were getting ready yesterday to launch a rally in Bangkok today to voice their objection to an amendment to the Thailand Lawyers Act 1985, which would reportedly allow foreigners to practice law in the Kingdom.

I guess that this is the usual mis-reporting? One of the biggest law firms in Bangkok is owned by a Farang, and has been for years. Of course, being lawyers, they can show on paper that it is not so! They also have Farang lawyers working there as "partners". Not going to name them here, but Tom & Gerry springs to mind.

[dundrillin]

the difference from the EU there will be no equivalent of the Court in Brussels that can over rule member state govts on issuescovered by the charter,
Thailand will handle it in its usual way by just ignoring it. The admin of ASEAN (S'pore dominated) will find that their mail is unanswered.

France has been ignoring EU regulations that it does not like for years. Just as Uncle Sam likes democracy except the for elected governments it decides to overthrow.