Make sure to read up on the company structure and the main characters before diving into the diary.
You missed part 4? Read it here.
2020-02-12 9:30
Sebastian calls. He asks what I would be doing today and if I was actually going through with the lawyer. He sounds like he didn’t expect me to go through.
I explain that I would be heading to Singburi today to get a few more documents for the lawyer whom I’d be meeting tomorrow.
Sebastian explains that Patrick is furious. He supposedly called me ungrateful, wanting money after all he had done for me. Supposedly he had been shouting a lot and explicitly said that he would create problems for me. Sebastian intensely warns me that Patrick is well connected and the consequences would be unforeseeable. He thinks Patrick would probably not go as far as to physically harm me, but anything else, yes.
According to Sebastian, Patrick pointed out that the recently laid off Thai staff (pretty much everybody in Singburi) would get severance as their salaries are low and they needed the money. I on the other hand was receiving a high salary and should thus not receive severance.
Sebastian points out, that he had not been asked to call me and is calling me on his own terms. Yet it feels like a last attempt to keep me from hiring a lawyer. Possibly Leo had asked him to talk to me.
2020-02-12
Antonia informs me that from now on I need to get approval before any communication with customers or partners. This comes from Patrick. I ask how exactly to get approval and she says I should just CC her. I do that from now onward.
2020-02-12 15:00
I take pictures of my work permit to send them to my lawyer. I notice that it expired 5 days ago. The Green Lion forgot to renew it in time. HR calls the labour department and immigration and concludes that it cannot be renewed anymore. They need to cancel the visa and I would need to leave the country. I am already not allowed to work anymore.
HR advises me to stay for another week in Thailand. This is illegal though so I cannot follow their advice.
2020-02-12 16:30
I ask HR for my staff file and get access to my folder. I go through all documents of the past years and take pictures. There are no records on any wrongdoing on my end whatsoever. HR offers to scan all documents and send them to me. I receive them by 17:26.
2020-02-13 13:00
I have an appointment with my lawyer. We review my documents and discuss several options regarding my stay in Thailand. Given that the work permit expired on Feb 7th he advises me to leave the country asap.
2020-02-13 21:35
I’m on a flight to Malaysia. I had to have a bit of a discussion with immigration on the way out regarding my work visa which would expire automatically once the work permit expired.
I slep at the airport for a few hours and I return back to Thailand with the first flight in the morning. I arrive around noon. Immigration gives me a 30 day tourist visa and adds a note in my passport that I have stopped working.
2020-02-14 19:30
I meet Antonia’s husband for dinner, Antonia joins later. We don’t talk much about work but I inform her about my visa. She clearly knows I’m no longer allowed to work.
2020-02-17 12:10
Antonia messages me and asks me to meet the day after at the Appman office (Emile’s company) to hand over my work. Otherwise she threatens legal consequences. This comes from Patrick as she later on confirms.
I run this by my lawyer who advises me not to attend the meeting. He asks me to ask Antonia to send the meeting invitation by email. I do and Antonia answers.
Further he advises me to go to the meeting, present a copy of my work permit and leave. He says as a bonus afterwards I could stop at the police station and report them for pushing me to do something illegal. He points out that I will need to bring a Thai person to help translate and sign the translation for me later. I message the few contacts I have in Bangkok but nobody is available during the morning hours.
2020-02-17 19:00
I walk into Sebastian in Singburi. We casually talk. He summarizes his past few days with Patrick by saying: “This guy only shouts. He never listens”. He is visibly frustrated. He tells me about the brand new SUV that Patrick just bought, which adds a little irony to the fact that he had said he couldn’t pay me my bonus.
I head off to Bangkok.
2020-02-18 10:00
As discussed with my lawyer I show up at the Appman office. They make me wait for about 30 minutes until everybody is there. I show them the copy of my expired work permit, explain that I am not allowed to work and leave.
Antonia runs after me. She catches me at the elevator. She begs me not to leave and to have this meeting. I get weak and give in. We meet 15 minutes later downstairs at Starbucks. Me, Antonia, Emile and 3 staff from Appman. I answer a few questions about my software architecture and show how the code is structured. I leave.
2020-02-18 11:44
I call my lawyer and tell him about the events. He is very disappointed in me. It seems I just made a big mistake. He says we will be able to recover from this but from now on I need to do what he says.
2020-02-18 17:30
I meet Antonia for dinner. She tries one last time to convince me not to go to court. She points out that Emile knows “that one guy high up” and the case could be dragged out for up to two years and that I might have to fly in and out several times. She asks me if I’m prepared for the cost and effort. This doesn’t match with the timeline my lawyer explained and the flat fee they charge.
I explain to her that I need to proceed with this to seek justice. I acknowledge that this would put her and me into a tough position as now we’d be on different sides of a conflict and whatever I bring up in court, the parents would probably blame it on her. I say that I’m sorry and I hope our personal friendship would not be affected by this.
I ask if she could issue a letter to confirm that I had been working with The Green Lion for 5 years or even a letter that confirms that I have a clear record without any past warnings or disciplinary measures. She refuses, arguing that her mom had forbidden her to sign any documents for me.
I point out that I can not do any further work nor consultation, now that my work permit expired. She is not happy but accepts it. The moment I leave the door she starts blocking my company accounts.
Continue to Chapter 6
The Green Lion Diaries 