# Expats seeking unemployment benefits with Thai Social Security - victimized



## joey_hcmc

Dear Sir/Madam DJ,

I am an expat, a Filipino, and I have been working in Thailand since July 2006. Still based in Bangkok and living with my Thai wife and Thai daughter. Bought properties such as condominium and a car. Aside from these 2 monthly installments, I have 2 credit cards and monthly bills to settle. This does not include my life insurance and tuition fees of my daughter.

Every month a certain cash amount is being deducted from my salary and my company is also contributing a separate cash amount for this Insurance. I understand that immediately after unemployment, the individual insured by Thai Social Security should report in their branches and seek for unemployment benefits of around 7k to 8k Thb per month depending on what was applied for - insurance agreement. I went to the Thai Social Security reporting centers every month and followed all the rules as how my Thai counterparts, colleagues who also been laid off due to company shutdown. My Thai colleagues received full benefits every month but I wasn't getting any since they told me to wait and wait since I am a foreigner. They told me continue to go to the Social Security Centers in Vipawadee (adjacent to Tag Wang Dek) monthly. After completing these steps and suffering for the whole 6 months waiting and making non-stop follow-ups with many different Social Security officers, nothing still happened. I was instructed to write a complaint letter (legal) which was written by my Thai wife. After filing it and waiting for results developments for a month they Social Security officers told me that it was worthless to wait for that so they told me to discard this complaint letter. This letter slept in their drawers in their Dindaeng main center for a month and nothing happened. All my sincere efforts were trampled instantly and it made me more furious and more frustrated.

It has been already 9 months and still nothing happens. I have been waiting for the funds to be released and it seems they are holding it for no particular reason. If we expats allow them, this will give them a chance to cheat and run away with this money and many other expats and their families shall suffer. 

I am the insured person and when I paid monthly contributions for 5 years, in the end, I expect some unemployment benefits at least. My Thai family shall also benefit from the sum.

:mad2:

I am now so tired and so frustrated waiting for updates from Thai Social Security. Too much mental and physical suffering to bear already and I am writing this letter because I am very angry at what they did to me. This is unacceptable and those who are responsible should apologize and pay to us expats who have the similar case. This should raise awareness in the Thailand expat community as no farang would like to talk about this due to embarrassment.

:mad2:

Please help me so I could also help others get their case rolling and be finally paid. This affects all expats including farangs who have been insured with the Thai Social Security and unemployed recently. Let their efforts in seeking for unemployment benefits with the Social Security System be not left unanswered or wasted.

:mad2:

I am still very angry at them because of this and the ones who are responsible and playing with peoples lives at the Thai Social Security (to decided by Council of State) should not get away with this. The insured should get what they paid for as how a car insurance company pays an insured after claiming for damages.

If you need more details about my case, I would be glad to send you a fax copy of my monthly summary report for unemployment benefits which I have accomplished for six months.

Kindly inform all expats in Thailand to be aware of this anomaly so that justice may be served.

Thanks and Regards,
Joey


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## .noodles.

Sorry to hear about your frustrations with Thai govt policy but this doesn't surprise me much in a country where "thai rak thai" is the national catchcry and foreigners are mostly seen as walking ATM's. If you're married to a Thai national then i'd be getting her to chase it up with her language skills plus she's probably more familiar with the "system". Surely she also has an interest in your welfare if you're married.


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## lady_bug

joey_hcmc said:


> Dear Sir/Madam DJ,
> 
> I am an expat, a Filipino, and I have been working in Thailand since July 2006. Still based in Bangkok and living with my Thai wife and Thai daughter. Bought properties such as condominium and a car. Aside from these 2 monthly installments, I have 2 credit cards and monthly bills to settle. This does not include my life insurance and tuition fees of my daughter.
> 
> Every month a certain cash amount is being deducted from my salary and my company is also contributing a separate cash amount for this Insurance. I understand that immediately after unemployment, the individual insured by Thai Social Security should report in their branches and seek for unemployment benefits of around 7k to 8k Thb per month depending on what was applied for - insurance agreement. I went to the Thai Social Security reporting centers every month and followed all the rules as how my Thai counterparts, colleagues who also been laid off due to company shutdown. My Thai colleagues received full benefits every month but I wasn't getting any since they told me to wait and wait since I am a foreigner. They told me continue to go to the Social Security Centers in Vipawadee (adjacent to Tag Wang Dek) monthly. After completing these steps and suffering for the whole 6 months waiting and making non-stop follow-ups with many different Social Security officers, nothing still happened. I was instructed to write a complaint letter (legal) which was written by my Thai wife. After filing it and waiting for results developments for a month they Social Security officers told me that it was worthless to wait for that so they told me to discard this complaint letter. This letter slept in their drawers in their Dindaeng main center for a month and nothing happened. All my sincere efforts were trampled instantly and it made me more furious and more frustrated.
> 
> It has been already 9 months and still nothing happens. I have been waiting for the funds to be released and it seems they are holding it for no particular reason. If we expats allow them, this will give them a chance to cheat and run away with this money and many other expats and their families shall suffer.
> 
> I am the insured person and when I paid monthly contributions for 5 years, in the end, I expect some unemployment benefits at least. My Thai family shall also benefit from the sum.
> 
> :mad2:
> 
> I am now so tired and so frustrated waiting for updates from Thai Social Security. Too much mental and physical suffering to bear already and I am writing this letter because I am very angry at what they did to me. This is unacceptable and those who are responsible should apologize and pay to us expats who have the similar case. This should raise awareness in the Thailand expat community as no farang would like to talk about this due to embarrassment.
> 
> :mad2:
> 
> Please help me so I could also help others get their case rolling and be finally paid. This affects all expats including farangs who have been insured with the Thai Social Security and unemployed recently. Let their efforts in seeking for unemployment benefits with the Social Security System be not left unanswered or wasted.
> 
> :mad2:
> 
> I am still very angry at them because of this and the ones who are responsible and playing with peoples lives at the Thai Social Security (to decided by Council of State) should not get away with this. The insured should get what they paid for as how a car insurance company pays an insured after claiming for damages.
> 
> If you need more details about my case, I would be glad to send you a fax copy of my monthly summary report for unemployment benefits which I have accomplished for six months.
> 
> Kindly inform all expats in Thailand to be aware of this anomaly so that justice may be served.
> 
> Thanks and Regards,
> Joey


Joey, I can feel you because we are on the same situation. If you could also read my sentiments too which I posted earlier. I hope they would really do something if they want to have more members. I just want to ask how's it going on your side? Goodluck. Thanks.


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## UKBound2012

Hi Joey

I read your post with interest. I also run a business here in Thailand and pay my taxes and social security contributions but I have never heard of anything like being able to claim unemployment benefit from the State, not for Thais or Foreigners. 

Are you referring to a private insurance policy that you paid into? 

Sorry to hear of your predicament though and hope you are able to get closure soon!


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