Overweight British Journalist Caught In Flood Fleeing Bangkok

An American couple seeking a work visa in Thailand were told that they should buy an off-the-shelf company from American con man Drew Noyes.

As a result they got landed with a company registered to his Thai driver, which they could not control and  which had tax liabilities for which they could be held to account.

In the whole agonizing process to obtain one single visa Jeff and Tirina Simons had to virtually flee the country twice dragging along their eight children with them.

At the end of the day, they say, they got one work visa which expired the day after Tirina Simons was given it.

When they finally confronted Drew Noyes and demanded the company stamp, without which they could not operate, he allegedly replied: ‘What do you want me to do. Pull it out of my ass?’.

Yes, replied, Jeff Simons:”I  wanted you to do that a long time ago.”

The couple were however lucky to have lost only 110,000 baht, plus another 100,000, the costs of their family foreign excursions.  But throughout PAPPA Legal Services, owned by Noyes and his Thai partners did not appear to offer them the facilities of a lawyer.

The people advising them were Drew Noyes himself and his wife Kung, Wanrapa Boonsu, (right) the ghost editor of the ailing ‘Pattaya Times’ newspaper.

Drew Noyes was first exposed as a man of ‘myriad’ lies by the Wilmington Morning Star in Carolina Beach N.C.

Then we brought the story up to date by examining his record in Thailand.

Both Noyes and Wanrapa left this weekend for what Mr. Noyes said was a short break in the United States.

The lastest in a series of complaints by Tirina and Jeff Simons is detailed below and to get the full flavour you should read it. It really is a story of both incompetence and machiavellian deviousness.

The amount of cash they lost is not that great but I can imagine their ordeal was…but like going to the dentist to have your teeth polished only to discover the dentist has extracted them all. Then you have the audacity to complain.

Accompanying Tirina’s story are exclusive pictures of Andrew Drummond fleeing Bangkok obtained exclusively from the heart of the ‘Pattaya Times Media Corporation’ whose  photographer (or rather ex-photographer) was commissioned to lurk in the bushes outside Andrew Drummond’s home. As these pictures show he is clearly outside the Bangkok flood wall.

Off course I am spoofing here a little so don’t let the pictures put you off what Tirina had to say..

To: Andrew Drummond
From: Tirina Simons
Re: Our Experience with Drew Noyes

My husband, Jeff Simons, contacted Drew Noyes, Managing Director of P.A.P.P.A Company, Ltd. in May of 2007 about obtaining a one year  Non-immigrant Business visa.  Drew informed Jeff that the most cost effective way to obtain such a visa would be to purchase an existing Thai company instead of establishing a new one.

Drew told us that he could sell us a company that was in good standing and  provide a one year Non-Immigrant B visa and a work permit for me. I would essentially be working for a company that I owned. With the one year visa, Drew assured us, we would be able to attach an O-visa status (dependent’s visa) to my husband and children as soon as mine was complete. 

We met with Drew Noyes and his wife, Kung, on June 4, 2007 in their office, at P.A.P.P.A. Co., Ltd., 448/21 Moo 12, Tower 1, Thepprasit Road, Nungpru, Banglamung, Pattaya City, Chonburi 20260.  The cost of the transaction was 110 thousand baht (102k baht for services, and 8k baht to cover miscellaneous government charges). 

(Above right. Drew Noyes writing in the Pattaya Times. He also claimed Drummond went to Pattaya by bus..perish the thought)

Tirina (contd)

“We signed the paperwork and paid the amount in full. The name of the company sold to us was Unication Bodyworks Co., Ltd. All the financials, we were told, were up to date and the company was in order. 

On June 6, 2007 PAPPA’s office called me to say I needed my original college diploma or a certified letter from the university proving my degree. This type of documentation could not be obtained at short notice, but needed to be requested months ahead. 

Drew told me not to worry.  On June 8, 2007, I was taken to the US Embassy in Bangkok to sign an affidavit swearing that I actually had a college degree.  When we arrived at the embassy, the representative that accompanied me from Drew’s office (a non-American) was not allowed entry. I was therefore sent inside alone unaware of what to what to do or expect.

I filled out a form ( an education affidavit) and then to my surprise, was asked to pay 1000 baht on the spot in order to get it processed.  It was good that I had my credit card with me or the trip would have been wasted. I later spoke with Drew and Kung, about the matter.  They seemed unaware that there was to be a fee for this certification, but promised that the money would be reimbursed. It was never reimbursed.

(Tirina contd)

The process began to lag at this point.  Miscommunication and incorrect information from Drew (who fielded my calls into the office) and unreturned messages to Kung were an everyday occurrence.

I was very worried because the entry stamps of myself and family were due to expire.  They were both fully aware of this fact as I mentioned it to them several times.  On June 21, 2007 my entire family (8 children, myself and husband) went on a visa run to Cambodia to obtain current stamps in order to secure our situation.  This expense, paid out of pocket, included 1900 baht per person, fees and van rental.

On June 27, 2007, I made application at Bangkok Immigration for the Non -B visa. I was given three months (valid until 24 September 2007) in which time to obtain a work permit. The work permit took several months to be processed.  I called PAPPA’s office frantically within the last two weeks of the three month expiry date of my Non B-visa.  Drew and Kung assured me that the work permit was being processed and would be completed soon. 

(Tirina cntd)

There were several things that I needed to do during this application process for the Non-B visa, which included setting up a proper worksite. We had already put a rental lease on a property at 524/17 Soi Honey Inn and planned to open an information center which included an internet café.   I asked Drew to draw up a list of everything I needed to do and the time frame for each item.

But I could never get any concise instructions nor a documented checklist from him.  So at every new juncture, there was always a problem.  Things were always asked of me at the last minute, making the task often times impossible to complete; while other deadlines came and went.

(Tirina contd)

After not being able to get a real perspective from Drew or Kung regarding the completion of the work permit, I had a Thai friend call the Chonburi Labour Office.  The representative at the office asked for my name and receipt number, which I provided.  The women from the office verified that I was in their system, but that my application had been withdrawn two weeks prior.  I was horrified. I called PAPPA’s office to tell them what I had found out. 

They held to the fact that the application was there and was in process.  They further told me not to call the Chonburi office in follow up anymore.  Apparently they were handling something under the table.  At one point they told me that instead of an internet café center, they submitted my work permit under the guise of a restaurant that had relocated from Bangkok.  I had no prior knowledge of this fact, nor did I give my permission regarding this change. 

Between the months of July and August 2007, I made  repeated calls to Drew’s office
but no clear instructions were ever laid out.  They apparently had never looked at the paperwork that we had turned in regarding our work site (employee Id, house book, lease for the building) because we received a phone call about a new discovery. The house book information given to me by the landlord was for her other property located next to the one we were renting. So that further delayed my getting the three month visa.

(Tirina contd)

Realizing that we were getting nowhere with them, I contacted Siam Legal group located on North Pattaya Road.  On September 18, 2007, my husband and I went to their office and spoke with Attorney ‘S’.  After explaining the history of this matter, attorney ‘S’ made a courtesy call to PAPPA, and spoke to Drew directly.  He asked Drew for proof that a work permit application actually existed in my name.

While we sat there, Drew faxed over a copy of a receipt that did not match the one I had and whose date was later than my original one.  They told me not to worry because I would be getting an extension for my expiring visa, which would give me more time to acquire my work permit. 

Days later, I was taken by one of Drew’s workers to Pattaya Immigration Office in Jomtien to get an extension.  I had to pay 500 baht for a one day overstay and also sign papers for a seven day extension. 

The extension, as I found out, did not and was not intended to extend my permit time, but simply gave me seven days to exit the country.  The money that was used to pay for the overstay and the 7 day extension came out of the 110k baht I had paid to PAPPA’s. My money was being poorly handled and misappropriated.

(Tirina contd)

I was taken to Chonburi to pick up my work permit on Sept. 23, 2007. It seemed that finally some headway was being made. After careful inspection, I realized that this work permit was due to expire on Sept. 24, 2007, the very next day!  I tried to be proactive on the deadlines, but many times I could not get in touch with Drew or Kung in their office or by cell phone. Drew would field most calls, but he wasn’t very familiar with the rules or the process.  So I would either get wrong information, or be promised a call from Kung who often would never call me back.

When the 7 day extension was nearing expiration, PAPPA’s company was less than apologetic.  Kung told me that now I would have to leave the country, and I had only two days in which to do so!

This was outrageous but I didn’t want to overstay again and possibly get ousted from the country or have my visa denied.  So on Oct 1, 2007 I made airline reservations from Bangkok to Penang, Malaysia, to fly out on Oct 3, 2007. This was never supposed to happen. My husband and my nursing baby had to accompany me. The total air cost was 12,499 baht. Of course I had to pay for two nights of a hotel stay, transportation and food while there.  I went there to get a three month visa, during which time my one year visa should be completed.

In the interim of all of this confusion about what was needed to complete this application process (I had still not been given a concise list of what I needed to do), I went to see an accountant. PAPPA told me that I’d have to hire an accountant to organize the social security tax on behalf of my workers (this expense was never explained). I showed up at the accountant’s office with very little paperwork.

Drew’s office was so guarding over the corporate documents of the company that I owned.  Whenever I asked for the paperwork  (as the Director), they always wanted to know why and for what purpose did I need the documents. 

This accountant was actually the third professional I had review my paperwork (another accountant in a visa office located in Bangkok looked it over and said it was missing several documents necessary for completion.) 

They had all concluded that the company was suspect because the taxes were not paid up to date. And that since PAPPA’s company was not a law office, (they primarily did marketing) that they probably would not be able to get me the visa.  Nor did I have in my possession the needed paperwork or the company stamp which designated me as the Director. 

The accountant did a company search on the internet of Unication Bodyworks and found that I was actually Co-Director of the company (partnered with Drew’s brother-in-law and driver, Singha)  The search revealed that I was not added to the company until September 14, 2007, a full three months since the purchase date of June 4, 2007. I was informed that I could be in legal danger because the registered owner, Singha, had the power to make decisions on my behalf without my knowledge or approval.   And without the company stamp, I was powerless.

I continued to use the assistance of Attorney ‘S’ for my communication to Drew. Talking to Drew became a never-ending circle. He never took responsibility and never put anything in writing. Even my invoice of the 110k baht payment is not signed with a legible signature.  Drew and Kung kept asking me if I had paid the social security taxes for my workers yet. I was still not sure how to go about it but I was more leary about investing any more money into this ‘visa project’, not seeing any positive end in sight. 

So I asked the accountant about the taxes and she wrote me a laundry list of things that needed to be done before I could set up the social security .  She also warned me that the current set up (one director having all the power) was a legally dangerous situation for me. She indicated that the company I was sold could have a lot of embedded debt. And at any time, Singha, the other Director, could sign off on the company and leave me holding the bag. So the one task that was supposed to be holding this process up (my paying the employee taxes) was actually made impossible because Drew would not provide me with the necessary documents. I also found out that some of the prerequisites needed to carry out such a company set up had never been applied for i.e. registration as a company employer, or the filing of paperwork with the Department of Commercial Development.

With no response or opportunity to deal with Drew or Kung (who, by this time stayed very aloof) I went again to talk with Siam Legal.  The visa specialist there, Nong, explained that I should try to sort things out with Drew and obtain the necessary paperwork because when and if the Non-B visa expired again, I would lose it.

Although Drew and Coon had been impossible to deal with as they continued to lie and point fingers of blame, we did as advised.  We set up a meeting to talk once again with them. The next day, January 15, 2008, my husband and myself went to PAPPA’s office on Thepprasit Road, for what was to be our last meeting and communication to date.

My husband spoke to Drew in the presence of myself, Kung, his wife and a gentleman sitting adjacent at a computer.  Jeff explained how we were not given the services that we paid for and so we wanted a refund. Jeff further explained that according to Drew’s own employees, PAPPA’s company did not know what they were doing regarding visa and company preparation.

Jeff also told Drew that we had been made aware that the company they sold us, Unication Bodyworks, was not a clean company, and had back taxes.  Drew finally admitted that when they sold us the company, they did not know much about it and had recently found out that the taxes were in fact delinquent.  So they admittedly had taken our money and re-sold us a company that we could not have used in the first place.

Jeff said to Drew that he could either return our money or give us all of the company property, which included the documents and the company stamp (seal).  Drew and Kung claimed that one of their employees had the stamp and that she was currently at lunch and that we’d have to wait until her return.  Sensing our irritation, he then said, ‘did you want me to pull the stamp out of my ass?’

To which my husband responded, ‘Yes Drew, I wanted you to pull it out of your ass 6 months ago when you sold me this company!’ Drew then asked us to leave his office.

Jeff explained again as he had at the beginning of the meeting that we had only come as advised by our lawyers, and that we already knew what the outcome would be.  Jeff recapped the facts out loud in the presence of us all: that we had asked for a refund and were refused; and we had asked for the company property and were also refused.

So we walked out of PAPPa’s office with nothing we came for. We have had no contact with Drew, Kung, or their office since that meeting.  And to date, I have received nothing from them by way of a refund, company property or letter of explanation. Since Drew and Kung had not attempted to complete my one year visa, I had no choice but to let my Non-B visa expire.  We not only lost the our initial investment, 110k baht, but another 100k baht or so trying to secure our situation and make up for this fiasco. 


Thai Police Deny Hunt For British Journalist

How businessman sold Thai homes for the poor to foreign touristsAmerican publisher wanted me as his mistressThe great Thai newspaper fraudMyriad lies, and American businessman and influential people.
And finally as quite a few of the posts here refer to ‘Dirty Dog’ the internet warrior who has been making threats against myself, my children, parents etc., here is a reminder of what he looks like.

From: Jomtien Cafe

“Hi,

I would like to report a copyright infringement of a photo I own and that is of me, I want this taken down ASAP. No rights at all have been given for this photo to be used by anyone at all including on the internet.

The original source was my camera, an old samsung as you can probably see in the properties, the picture has never been publish on the open internet, it was either stolen from my hidden from public view photobucket account or my computer, now I would appreciate it if you could take it down from your servers.”

Seems two people now hold this copyright. The person who gave me them, who gives his name, and the complainant above who doesn’t. Have asked the complainant to provide a new picture so we can verify it is indeed him.

Jomtien Cafe is claiming he is Dirty Dog. Surely not the same person who writes this sort of stuff:

“PPS: It is really irrelevant which part of his family gets hurt or injured. I really don’t care.”