NanaSomchai

13 hours ago, BritManToo said:

If I hadn't accumulated baggage in Thailand, I'd probably be in PI or Cambodia.

Just the VISA problems in Thailand would put me off.

No requirements for any lump sums in PI or Cambodia, no need to ever visit immigration.

They killed the golden goose and you have seen nothing yet.

On 2/1/2022 at 1:02 AM, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

Yes, in another recent thread I mentioned how the expat community has cleared out of Issan since about 3 years ago. That's when the embassy income verification letters stopped, and immgration got a lot tougher about this and that. My favorite bars got quiet, and when asking about this bloke or that was told they'd simply gone home.

Bolded the relevant parts of your quote for added emphasis.

They killed the golden goose. You can thank "Big Joke" for that.

5 hours ago, arithai12 said:

All the diving/snorkeling sites full of chinese standing on the corals. In practice, it had become off-limits for non-chinese tour participants.

What a nightmare.

Sounds like the damaging disaster they unleashed on Sihanoukville, Cambodia. They turned the town into a chinese-only monstrosity.

4 minutes ago, kotsak said:

The smile of a Great white shark.

32 minutes ago, MSMU1993 said:

Countdown to Coup 2023 is running....

Hopefully.

3 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

Normally, people that get rich have enough sense to create loss protection and side businesses as well as making good investments.

This mindset does not apply to your average Somchai, it's quite to the contrary actually.

We see them across the country burning their wages on payday then crawling around and begging for "help" and resorting to loans/pawns the next remaining 29 days of the month.

In this country it's all about the instant, it's right here, right now, quick, make a quick buck, they even say it themselves in pidgin English "tomorrow may not come".

5 hours ago, daveAustin said:

The restaurant owners, etc etc meanwhile, would sell their soul to make coin. 

How can they possibly sell what they don't have to begin with?

7 hours ago, Soikhaonoiken said:

Oh I forgot, its the money you want... at any expense.... 

Just like your average bargirl who charges you 1,000 baht for a full night of "pay4play" and is okay with adding an extra 500 baht charge for not using a condom, should you ask her.

It's money that they want... at any expense...

This country is doomed.

1 hour ago, thaibook said:

You seem to have been thorough.  Unless she or a relative feel insulted for one reason or another there should be no problem to come back later.

 

Many years ago, I had a Thai business partner, with a well known name, at a restaurant my wife ran in London.  His approach was quite different and we fell out.  I bought out his share, he was vindictive telling Thais that if ever I went to Thailand he would have me killed, which did not prevent me going but it worried my wife.  Some years later he was working in Taiwan and behaved in a similar way.  However the Taiwanese partner reacted by having someone ambush and crack him over the head.  He nearly died but while recovering in hospital he let it be known that I was forgiven.   

Oh yeah don't get me wrong, I have received my fair share of threats and am aware I can return to the Kingdom whenever I feel like it.

I just don't see the appeal, eight years wasted with the first Thai wife then another 3 years wasted with the second Thai wife, same results, same outcome, as the Thais would say "same, same but different".

I'm done at least for the time being, I'm not even close to retirement age.

- Countries that are on my list to visit (or where I have interests in) before retirement age: France, UK, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal.

- Countries that are on my list to visit (or settle down slowly) after retirement age: Italy, Greece, Malta, the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia.

So even at the average rate of 3 to 5 years per country exploration, I still have plenty to experience on my bucket list, Thailand is just scratched off the list and I've already owned homes twice in the Kingdom.

Thailand? Veni, Vidi, Vici.

27 minutes ago, thaibook said:

letting it happen twice is carelessness. ..

Which is why I'm now being extremely cautious; withdrawn any remaining funds I may have had in any Thai banks, removed the ex's from my rental contracts across Europe, switched SIM cards and email addresses, closed down LINE accounts, closed down Facebook pages and dropped friends left and right.

I have zero intentions of returning to Thailand, no intentions to jump right back into it.

Once I get to retirement age? We'll see. But right now? Not.

20 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Let us hope someone from the Future Forward Party, or someone else, on the level of Thanathorn comes forward.

The only hope this Kingdom has.

20 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

The ruling party is despised like never before. They have richly earned that hatred and disapproval. They are thugs, drug lords, and thiefs.

Thugs, convincted drug lords (in Australia, even served 4 years of jail time) and thieves, yet their biggest theft is the FREEDOM of the Thais, they robbed them of any hopes, any future in broad daylight.

20 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

And add to that the dismal failure of the tax program, the inability to contain Covid, and the willful sabotage of the tourism sector

We're not even mentioning how they promised and sworn how they would tackle the rampant corruption problem across the Kingdom, yet all they have accomplished is making it worse while lining up their pockets.

20 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

How far out they are willing to extend themselves to secure a stolen election, remains to be seen, and so do the repercussions for such a move. 

That we are about to find out soon enough, my inner gut are telling me we have seen nothing yet. (think Joe Ferrari on a larger scale)

20 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

The people have to make a statement, the people have to remove the 250 crony senators, and the people have to find a way to turn this nation around, and drag it back from the stone age of dinosaur leadership. 

A coup calls for another coup. The question is; Who will have the nerves of steel to stand up?

20 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Prayuth, Pratin, Anutin, Phiphat, and the mafia chief Prompow must go. These guys are toxic, corrosive, corrupt, ineffective, incompetent, untrustworthy, very bad for the nation, and virtually assure a rotten future for the nation, a drop to 75th place in GDP, and increasing irrelevance.

Indeed, indeed, indeed. Thailand is the laughing stock of the ASEAN region. Think of how they weren't even invited in the last pro-democracy Worldwide event against corruption which was held a few months ago.

20 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

They have already turned Thailand from the tiger of SE Asia, to a sorry, rabid, whiny, anemic alley cat. 

This. Get to meet hi-so from neighboring countries and ask them what they are thinking of their Thai neighbors. Guffaw.

20 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Power to the youth! VICTORY to the youth! May the dinosaurs be exorcised from Thailand! 

Victory to the next generation!

20 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Tourism will not recover for years and domestic tourism just died. Millions of jobs lost.

Millions of jobs lost, Thousands of lives ruined.

1 hour ago, bradiston said:

Boris Johnson sound alike

This. 6000 times.

!@#$ Brexit.

3 hours ago, Misterwhisper said:

I likewise know dozens...  whose trusted Thai wife and her family, who usually are the "majority owners" of the limited company, sold the property and MADE the foreign husband "move on".  

I know better. I've been in those shoes... ...twice.

Being ripped off once by a Thai wife and her family can be an unfortunate incident, being ripped off twice is a pattern.

Hence why I've left Thailand mid 2018 with no intention to (ever?) return.

Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.

4 hours ago, tomacht8 said:

Definitely going to be another super complicated and time consuming paper war monster with too many institutions and officials involved.

With a lot of brown enveloppes being handed out.

4 hours ago, tomacht8 said:

Then again and again various paper collection excesses from immigration, foreign ministry, tax authorities, health insurance, land office, local ampore, own embassy, BOI, banks, building authority, telephone company, electricity company, garbage disposal company, etc.

Yeah, there you are. Lots of brown enveloppes recipients, therefore lots of brown enveloppes to hand out.

4 hours ago, Misterwhisper said:

a.k.a. foreigner ghettos

Let's face it; as long as there's a constant influx of cheap issan "working girls" with weekly arrivals, I'm sure a lot of these "foreigner" wouldn't mind living in their "ghettos".

6 hours ago, Kerryd said:

This means that those applying for this retirement visa type, which should be differentiated from the normal O Non-Immigrant Retirement visa, must show hospital inpatient insurance of $100,000 or ฿3.4 million, an increase from the previous requirement of ฿400,000.

Okay... next?

6 hours ago, Kerryd said:

Higher medical coverage requirements for O-A retirement visa option but now Immigration Bureau will also accept self-insurance for those with assets

However, the Thai Immigration Bureau has, at the same time, provided an option for applicants to self insure provided that they have adequate capital and income available.

Okay... now what?

6 hours ago, Kerryd said:

New health insurance regime for retirees living in Thailand means foreign firms can provide cover

The critical requirement for this option is to show ฿3 million in available assets including cash in the bank, available financial assets or ownership of property.

Uhhhh.... okay?

6 hours ago, Kerryd said:

It is also understood that Immigration Bureau officers are authorised to accept evidence to show that any hospital bills will be paid for by sources from abroad.

AKA; more paperwork!

6 hours ago, Kerryd said:

New regulations do not yet impact the more popular Non-Immigrant O visas for marriage and retirement

These new arrangements do not impact current requirements for non Immigrant O visas or extensions either for marriage or retirement visas for now but may signal future intentions by the government which have also been regularly aired publicly by senior officials.

Indeed, the writing is on the wall. Brace yourselves for more and more restrictions along with ludicrous requirements.

6 hours ago, Kerryd said:

(So - rich Chinese in, old (white) retirees out. (Kind of like the "good guys in, bad guys out" motto of Immigration eh ?)

Pretty much. Caucasian tourists are clearly the least of their concerns now. It almost feels as if they were telling us "Thanks for supporting our economy to boom and thrive for the past 40 years but now that we are on par with neighboring countries economies, you're not needed (read: wanted) anymore. Go home.".

There you have it, I've been singing on this forum for months now that this was going to happen. Thailand is the next new Cambodia to the Chinese, see what the Chinese have done to places like Sihanoukville, you will see what's coming next to places like Pattaya, Rayong, Hua Hin, Phuket, etc, welcome to Chailand!

9 hours ago, Jingthing said:

What's the Thai word for gobbledygook?

prosTATe

1 hour ago, arithai12 said:

My point was (perhaps poorly expressed) that many of us farang, especially from countries with a strong passport, are often complaining at the hurdles here in Thailand

 

Oddly enough there are only 6 passports in the World that would be considered as "a strong passport" for Thailand and I can safely bet you're not the holder of one.

2 hours ago, RobinV said:

Portugal is on my list along with one of those cheap houses in Sicily.

I'm going to investigate them this year to see if it's really better than here.

Spoiler alert: Portugal and Sicily both are better than Thailand under two conditions: 1) IF you can somehow speak or at least understand the language (the English proficiency is extremely poor there) AND 2) IF you aren't after hookers or young "friendly" females (there's a real shortage of available women, even for short-term relationships or pay4play) in both aforementioned places.

As a friendly reminder (source: Wikipedia):

Manat Bophlom, now known as Thamanat Prompow, was convicted of conspiring to import heroin to Australia. The ruling was handed down on 31 March 1994 when he was sentenced to six years imprisonment. Manat served four years, then was deported upon his release.^[19] BBC Thai reporters traveled to Downing Court in Sydney to view court records. Forbidden to make photocopies, they translated a relevant court document into Thai as proof of the conviction that Thamanat continues to deny.^[20][21] Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon asked the Thai people to leave the past in the past, saying the case has already been cleared up and that it was a matter concerning one person that has nothing to do with the nation.^[22][23] Thamanat claims he will sue the Sydney Morning Herald for defamation,^[24] although he declines to respond to their reporting.^[25]

16 minutes ago, Airalee said:

Cuomo did the same thing in New York.

Same with Italy, the eastern side of France, the whole french speaking region of Belgium (aka Wallonia) and Spain the first year.