JensenZ

We're talking about a very new development in world history. We're talking about inverted population pyramids and how to deal with rapidly aging populations.

Why are you trying to shame tourists who are traveling on a low budget. Shame on you! They pay their airfare and accommodation. Low budget tourists are all over the planet. Should Thailand kick them out as they aren't spending enough? There are plenty of rich Indians too, but they probably don't come to Pattaya. If you've been in Pattaya for 20 years you'd know that Pattaya is generally a low budget tourist location that offers very good value for money. Maybe you need to sell your condo and move to a more upscale location where low budget tourists won't trouble you.

I have no idea what you're trying to explain. Please define "short", "medium" and "long" in the context of your reply. Just guessing, I would say my comment refers to a "medium-to-long" perspective. There will be a tremendous increase of migrants to take up the slack, but where from is the question. The Philippines with it's exponential birthrate and very young population will certainly be an important source.

Unless you needed to travel there was no coercion to be vaccinated in Thailand "as a Farang". I had no problems at all remaining unvaccinated. I did consider the possibility that they might force foreigners to be vaccinated in order to get visa extensions, but there was no reason to rush to it. We couldn't discuss the science on here or anywhere, because if we did, we would have been labelled conspiracy nuts, but there was plenty of good information available online if you had opened your mind to the possibility that vaccinations were not necessarily a good idea.

I read that Nigerians are the most educated migrants in the US, and Indian migrant families are the wealthiest. Thailand won't be importing "quality" migrants to prop up the labor force. They will be taking anyone they can get because the "quality" migrants that are educated and willing to work hard will not be interested in migrating to Thailand as there are much better options. I had a conversation with an Indian family recently who set up a new restuarant in Pattaya. They are planning on moving to Australia and Thailand is just a stepping stone. Quality migrants know where they want to go and it's not Thailand.

If it was, you wouldn't be here. If you want to live 3rd world, go to Africa and experience the real thing, then come back and assess Thailand. A low birthrate is actually a sign that Thailand is approaching developed nation status. Compare Thailand with the Philippines. The median age there is 24, nearly half of Thailand, and in the 1970's their populations and birthrates were similar. Now the Philippines has nearly 50 million more people than Thailand with over 117 million currently.

There's quite a bit of nonsense in the full ariticle. Here's a good example: Where has Professor Teera been the last 10 years? The young Thai population already live inside the virtual world with their heads buried deeply inside their social media apps during all waking hours. It's probably the main reason why they are not interested in procreating. The current population is something like 71,801,279. Someone has been sleeping. Thailand - population 2023

Everyone has a purpose - to keep eating and breathing until they can't. Most people chose the wrong parents and are poor, and it's always a struggle. Other people were lucky enough to have time to contemplate purpose and pretend there is more to life.

It doesn't matter what you do. It's all the same. Most people occupy their lives with surviving. You start when you're young - get an education, get a job, try to raise a family...and when you're older - pay for medical bills to keep you alive just a bit longer. It's a struggle from start to finish. It's the pretending that your life has purpose or struggling to give it more purpose that is absurd. What's the point? There's no score card you'll be carrying around once you've passed, unless you believe in reincarnation or eternal salvation. As for you specifically - I would not consider endless, pointless posting on AN a purposeful existence. It shows that you're struggling to find something to do - also a total waste of time and no better than doing nothing.

The concept of "wasting your life" is absurd. It doesn't matter how well you've lived your life, or what you've achieved. When it's over it matters not one iota what you did with it. Your life's achievements might matter to the living, but not to you.

LOL. I was going to use that term in my last reply, but resisted. I didn't want to excite the coffee connoisseurs and cop any more insults than necessary. I'm a cave man and enjoy instant coffee.

Yes, your answer was expected, but quite tame compared to many in these coffee threads. Taste is a personal experience. You enjoy what you enjoy and it doesn't need to be taught. We don't need an education.

I agree. I miss the smell... but I forgot about it until you just mentioned it LOL.

LOL! Nothing like a coffee thread to hear all the technical jargon coffee aficionados can come up with. I used to brew coffee until my machine broke, then went back to instant coffee. I found a brand I like and now I'm enjoying it more than my brewed coffee, or any special brews the coffee shops can provide. I'll probably get some reply about how my palate is not sophisticated. I can't drink the regular cheap instant coffee, but some brands I like very much. All that counts is that I enjoy my 2 - 4 cups a day. One of my favourites is to dissolve instant coffee in heated full cream milk. There are extra fat milk products available at the supermarket to make it even more creamy. I prefer that to any latte or cappuccino made by an expensive machine.

I wouldn't call "white person" a specific race. There are a wide assortment of "white" skin colours. Plenty of Asians have whiter skin that many Caucasian Westerners. The term "Farang" is quite vague and meaningless in a broader sense. We mustn't forget it's an informal term and shouldn't be taken too seriously.

I agree. Anyone who thinks the world is getting more violent needs a history lesson or two.

Not really, but he's 74. DOB July 26, 1949

I changed lawyers. The 2nd ones were very good and won my case.

Unfortunately there is not much you can do if a landlord refuses to pay you. Keeping a foreigner's rental deposit is like taking candy from a baby. Even if you tried to sue them for the money, you'd have to wait many months for a hearing. That will cost you a lot of money with lawyers and in court the landlord can make up any number of excuses not to pay. I had an informal discussion with a senior judge about this very topic. He said if a landlord refuses to refund your deposit, just consider it as the cost of living there. There is no legal recourse that makes any sense. The important thing is to be careful who you rent from. I won't rent from a Thai landlord as the chances of getting a refund are lower. They know the game and how easy it is to play.

I edited my comment: I meant to say: "if you are charged and convicted". When you are criminially charged (as would be the case here), you will seek bail. Of course lawyers will recommend mediation. You'd be mad if you didn't. The judges are insistent upon it too. It would take quite an effort to forgo mediation.

Publishing defamation is treated very seriously as a lot of harm can come from millions of people reading it. This is the crime I'm considering in this discussion. When you start the court process, you are given the opportunity to take part in mediation. That's your choice offered by the judge at your first hearing. That's the choice most people take and the reason why few people will serve time. If you fail mediation and go to a full blown court hearing and you're charged and convicted, you will do time. You know this going in.

Yes, thank you! My days are good now. My defamation cases started in 2015 and were resolved by mid-2017, so it was quite a relief to be done with it.

My point was to explain that you will serve time if you are found guilty of publishing defamation.

You're wrong though. What personal experience do you have?

The Thai Law doesn't specify Immigration procedures while on bail. When you are charged, you need bail, and you will hand in your passport and lose your visa. It's quite clear that if you are charged, you will serve time if proven guilty of publishing defamation. Before you can be charged, the court will schedule a court mediation session. In my case, a senior judge was appointed. They try to settle cases by mediation, but it's at the descretion of the plaintiff to agree on a settlement.