kaldoverde

Thank for your reply Maidee, but I am not moving to Thailand on retirement age, so I will need to get a steady income.

I do want to own a business and a house, this means I would need to protect the assets I plan on having as much as I can. To be honest, if things do go wrong I am fine to split any of my assets 50/50. It's the losing control of my share that scares me a bit based on what other TV members have gone through when things don't go so well.

Sad to know it isn't go well for you. Did you protect yourself in anyway back when you got married to ensure you wouldn't be left destitute if things go wrong? Should you go through with a divorce would you be able to protect your assets?

the safe way is: buy a condo in your name, or better, just RENT

many people stated before: only bring into thailand what you can afford to lose

happy marriage, good for you ... i'm in 10 years, of marriage, not of happyness

and on the verge of divorce

Thanks for your input bobbymack, I guess it was thought of before, based on what you said.

Yup, I am aware of the marital assets issue. Hence the strawman holding 3% of the "company's" assets for me.

If my calculations are correct in case we would ever divorce, mine and my wife's share would be divided 50/50 resulting in each getting 48.5% of the assets, and the strawman's 3% staying out of the split. After the split I would be holding 48.5% directly and 3% through the strawman, having majority and consequently higher control over the assets and veto power over sales or transfers to 3rd parties.

Wife would probably still be happy has she would be getting 48.5% of assets I paid for with my cash, and I would be 48.5% poorer but not completely destitute as often seems to be the case with lots of farang.

Hi everyone,

I am still a few years away from moving permanently to Thailand with my wife, and we have been happily married for about 5 years.

One thing that scares me though, is the amount of farang who end up losing most of their assets if they get divorced from their Thai wives.

Don't get me wrong, I am definitely not planning a divorce, but at the same time, would like to have some kind of "insurance" should it happen sometime in the future when I am too old to get my life back together if it gets torn apart. Hey, if nothing else, maybe other TV members will benefit from the info discussed in this topic.

Also, feel free to question my assumptions as I am not legally savvy, so just working with information I've read online.

In a divorce assets tend to be split 50/50 (at least), also, Thai ownership laws dictate that only Thai nationals can own land, so this usually puts the farang husband at a huge disadvantage as the house is usually built on the wife's land, and if there is a divorce she will get to keep at least the land + half the couple's assets.

Let's say I decide to move to Thailand, build a small business and a house in the wife's land plot with my hard earned money which I happily share with the missus.

If all these assets were acquired as a couple and things turn sour, I assume I will likely lose most of what I have. Probably won't be able to just sell the assets without approval, and will probably have a hard time selling "half" the house and business.

What I was thinking was (and accept my apologies if this was already discussed), what if upon moving to Thailand me and my wife register as a business and acquire all assets (house, land, shops, etc.) as a business and not as a couple? Would this protect me as a farang or maybe give me more of a guarantee if we eventually decided to get a divorce?

I know ownership laws require 51% of the business to be Thai owned, so I thought, what if we would acquire everything as a business and my wife gets 48% ownership, a Thai straw man gets 3% and I get 49% of our assets?

Should we get a divorce, would the company's assets be split evenly between myself and my wife, giving us each 48.5%? Would I then be able to become main asset holder through my 49.5% + the straw man's 3%?

Does this idea make sense? Is it even legal? Do you think it would work? Are there similar methods already in place that allow farang to protect themselves from an eventual divorce?

Please share your thoughts.

 

How many of you collect anything or like to buy expensive things to show off?

 

I collect amulets, I don't go by value but the aesthetics of the amulet and I never spend more than a couple of hundred if i don't buy it in a temple.

 

An original Thai Buddhist amulet is made in a temple and blessed by one or more monks. It's a way for the temple to get money to for example modernise, renovate and build new buildings. One example I personally know is a temple school in Lampang province that sell amulets so that they can buy school books, computers and keep the school running!

Most times amulets are made in limited numbers and might be made of gold or silver (my favorite) and therefore are more expensive (about 1-2,500 for a silver amulet in the temple and up to 100,000 for a gold amulet, if it's copper or clay 59-99 Baht...).

 

There are also old amulets that might be several hundred years old and by that have a collectors value.

 

A copy is made in a factory just for the sake to sell, trying to cheat the people of their money for something that don't have any collectors value.

 

So would you also make fun of all that collects stamps, coins, art and anything else?!

Are you suggesting that a buddhist amulet is in no ways different from any other commercial object, and can be treated as such?

 

As an atheist I don't believe in spiritual stuff, but I don't think I am in a position to criticize or question other people's interpretation of their own beliefs. It is important to understand (our) western culture was built on 2000 years of religious beliefs and many times people acted against what their religious doctrine taught.

Just like christians wear gold and silver necklaces with cross pendants which they buy as fashion accessories and for divine protection and then sell in times of need. If you search a bit you will find many religions have some kind of amulet which also has a commercial value, despite the fact that every religion pretty much condemns greed.

I really don't understand what kind of higher moral ground you're coming from with all that sarcasm, but I am sure you wouldn't like to be scammed either or to have people question your interest in the item you got scammed for.

 

If farang employees are really needed employers will start sorting their visas out, so in my humble opinion this is pretty much a non issue. If you are an enterpreneur or business owner simply folow the rules, create a company, give jobs to Thai people and you can have your visa regardless.

I am happy to see an effort being made to clean up the house. On the short run it may seem harsh on the people who have been living here on back to back visas, in the long run though it will ensure that immmigrants have adequate permission to stay for extended periods.

We don't take kindly on illegal immigrants back in the west, so I don't really see why Thailand should do the same. In the UK you could also argue that english people would starve if there was a crackdown on illegal chinese and pakistani immigrants who run the millions of takeways that feed its middle class, or that america couldn't live without the mexicans mowing lawns and cleaning houses, but we all know that is not true, so same applies to Thailand. As much as we like to think we are god's gift to Thai society, Thai people can go on living without us as much as we can go on living without them.

To be honest, Thailand seems to be westernizing its immigration policies and that can only be a good thing in terms of transparency and security both for the law enforcement agencies and the safety of the immigrant population. For a country under such scrutiny for human trafficking and a poor human rights record I believe this is one small step towards the betterment of Thai society and should be praised.

It being the Jedi Luang temple and all, he could have given them lightsabers instead.

Lived in one for 3 months, looked quite good for the first week or two and we had a cleaning lady come in daily but like medkhai I also had an infestation of cockroaches it was rainy season though so it's somewhat expected in these apartments.

Eventually I asked the landlord to move me to another apartment on a higher floor and stayed in that one for a whole month without experiencing any issues, had to climb the stairs but it was worth it.

As far as security is concerned I remember some scooters being stolen in the nearby streets, but nothing reported in the apartments during my stay. Personally I feel safer carrying my money around rather than leaving it in the apartment.

Obviously a propaganda piece, overlooking all that is good in the US sadly though, it does point out quite accurate facts about the current financial/social situation in the US.

"Besides, Thailand lacks tough enforcement and harsh punishment in the areas of local internet acts..."

It really doesn't. It's the only non-communist country I've ever been to that actually tried to block Hotmail.

Couldn't agree more RogueLeader.

Most betting websites are banned and they also banned bitcoin, so enforcement doesn't seem to be a problem. Surely the profits from the piracy industry here in Thailand fill the pockets of some, hence the lack of will to do anything.

Actually I lived in the Philippines for 2 years and it's even worse. In Thailand it's 'up to you', in the Philippines it's 'Yes, sir'.

These are countries where the majority of the people (i.e. the poor lower classes) are not supposed to question things. People are quite afraid of confrontation in these countries, and will do anything they can to avoid it. That's why finding someone capable of critical thinking is so difficult. Then again it's not the person's fault, rather the way the education and social system work.

You can actually give wrong orders to your employees and even if they know what they're doing doesn't make sense they still won't question you due to fear of confrontation.

Congrats...

Creepiest avatar yet!

Ouch, my self esteem. This is how I look in real life mate. 5555

Same with my wife.

I think Thais get bored easily, and since most of them need to make a huge effort just to understand the words you're saying, their brain gets bored and zones out. They probably make an effort to understand the words you're saying but that isn't 'sanuk' for a very long time, so by the time you finish the sentence the overall message already got lost.

Then again, I am exactly the same when I am on the computer (which is always). My wife has entire conversations with me that I later can't recall, so can't really blame her much.

But yeah, when you're just talking to someone face to face, doing nothing else and the other person zones out without apparent reason it can be quite frustrating.

The Chinese already came early last century.

My thoughts exactly.

If there was really any interest to tackle the issue the government would issue different licenses to different businesses and only then apply exorbitant fines to those who don't comply.

The latter your business stays open the more expensive your license is. i.e.: Restaurants stay open until 00:00, Pubs until 02:00, and discos until 04:00.

This would mean that past 2am most people would either go back home or flock to discos, which would then make it easier for the police to do their job as revelers would be contained in a handful of places. Also, since the late night venues would be paying more expensive licenses, that money could go towards improving security on the streets.

Business owners are happy as tourists will hop from one place to another and spend money throughout the evening across different venues, tourists are happy as they can party until late night, police are happy because... err wait, police aren't happy.

Yeah, I guess bribery is more of a tradition than a crime here, so heavy fines will work best to prevent criminal activity...

I always hear:

1) Sexy and easy women.

2) Women who like older white men.

3) Friendly people.

4) Thai people like to party.

5) Beautiful and exotic country,

6) Ladyboys

7) Education of Thai's are low.

Spot on. Maybe add Thai massage and Thai food and that's pretty much what most outsiders think of Thailand.

You could go back to your home country.

Or perhaps Thais could show an ounce of decency towards visitors instead of assaulting them -- just a thought.

What an ignorant remark.

One needs to keep in mind that in 3rd world countries life is cheap, and enjoying yourself as much as possible while you're here probably takes precedence over worrying about common sense. Add to that the fact that people get stupid drunk and you obviously have a recipe for disaster.

In the Philippines for example they burn tires in the middle of the road during NYE, have thousands of fireworks accidents, people get shot at, etc. So yeah, if you didn't like Songkran in Thailand, definitely do not go to a traditional NYE in the Philippines.

Personally I have a good experience with Songkran and am much more scared of joining Loi Kratong celebrations as you have a bunch of drunken people with no common sense handling explosives.

I have to admit though, my first Songkran in Thailand I was in Pattaya for a few days and was not liking it much as it was just pointless water throwing, mostly between the farang community and the bar girls, with a few fights breaking off and lots of alcohol to fuel things up. Luckily enough I went to Tabo near the border with Laos to visit a friend, and had an amazing time as it's not just about water and talc but more about showing appreciation for the elders and going to the temple for blessings.

If you ever decide to venture out into it in the future, maybe try it in a rural area next time. Otherwise it's easy, just stock up on whichever drinks/movies/books you like best and enjoy a relaxing day with the whole house to yourself.

Only in Thailand!!!!!!!!!!!

Nah, I've lived in the Philippines for 2 years, they do the same there, a couple of years ago there was this video from China of a child being ran over twice and ignored by everyone on the street.

I guess it's the good old Asian adagio of 'move out of the way you peasants'.

Actually, name one thing that Thai's have 'invented' that the world is using.

Not only did they not invent anything of worth or value...but their attempt to counterfiet and copy other items and procedures falls way short of the mark.

Red Bull! and errrm.........errrm.........ah okay well I did name 1

bum gun

Muay Thai is practiced all over the world on it's own and also as an influence to modern martial arts.

Thai massage (no, not the 'me love you long time' kind) which is popular in spas all over the world.

Either way it's not a race to see who invented the most things, the world is a bubble, we're in it together and learn from each other all the time. Fact.

Ridiculous title to a ridiculous topic.

We are sharing this planet, exchanging ideas and ideals.

Look at any place on the planet and you will see the exchange.

Nobody is against exchange but one must always acknowledge the source of contribution/give credit to the giver.

Taking it from someone and calling it entirely as one's own is downright wrong.

Did India steal from Portuguese culture? Portuguese taught Indians how to make vindaloo, yet all Indians will tell you vindaloo is an original Indian dish. Why don't Indians give credit to Portuguese then?

Because it was an exchange not a theft, so it is not anyone's to keep. It is also important to understand that most Thai people learn the history of their country through word of mouth which tends to emphasize their national pride.

Personally I met many Thais who were able to tell me the origins of certain Thai culture traits back to India, Persia, China and Europe. When it comes to ancient traditions like the songkran some Thais will swear it originated in Thailand but that is simply because that's what they've been taught since childhood.

I've never seen a Thai saying the Ohm and Ganesh were their own and you see plenty of those around. Actually most Thais have no problem admitting Buddhism has close connections with Hinduism.

To be honest for someone who is supposedly defending openness between cultures your use of the word 'steal' makes you sound outright racist.

So you're in your own country and owe money to a couple of loan sharks who are now living in a country far away so out of all the destinations in the world you could visit you decide to take your girlfriend on holiday to the exact same place where the mobsters are?