Somjot

Well history as well as international law do not see it the way you do. Israel is Israel but it was Palestine and Muslim for more than 1000 years. When it went under British mandate the Jewish population was something around 3%. 1917 Britain declared their support for the founding of a national home for the Jews in the Balfour Declaration and against the will of the local population more and more Jews settled in Palestine. The declaration had many long-lasting consequences. It indirectly led to the emergence of Israel and is considered a principal cause of the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict, often described as the world's most intractable conflict. In the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel occupied the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, West Bank, East Jerusalem and Golan Heights. The international community considers the establishment of Israeli settlements in the Israeli-occupied territories illegal; they are in violation of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The United Nations Security Council, the United Nations General Assembly, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Court of Justice and the High Contracting Parties to the Convention have all affirmed that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to the Israeli-occupied territories. Israel just didn't care and kept expanding their territories and terrorizing the Arab population, which felt completely betrayed and left alone by the international community. And that is what led to the creation of all Arabic terrorist organizations in that area. Hamas is Israel's child. As irony of fate, one of their oldest books, Hosea 8 verse 7, states: “For they have been planting the wind and their fruit will be the storm”.

And? What is this supposed to tell me. All you did was taking that Wikipedia article “History of Palestine” copied and pasted the most part of it. This article was by the way one of many I studied, before I wrote my comment. Nor is it contradicting me neither does it provide evidence the Muslims pray with the backs to Jerusalem. So once again, what is your point? But to get back to topic: I can't say that I'm always happy with the decisions of the new government - the taxation of money brought into the country is giving me a headache. But condemning the violence and at the same time confirming to be neutral, was a very wise decision not only according to future business contacts to this area but most importantly to save the lives those 30,000 Thais stuck in Israel. Siding with Israel maybe even offering some kind of military help would be a death sentence for the people there.

I am not a specialist for international property ownership law, but I have a few doubts if the frequency a city is mentioned in one book written about 3000 years ago by people who were basically shepherds or in another book which was written decades after the death of their prophet by people who started doubting if the promised Kingdom of heaven will happen as soon as they thought is a legal base to raise a claim on some land. Palestine was Muslim since the 7th century and a part of the Ottoman Empire for more than 400 years until 1918 Britain got the mandate. 30 years later the loss of their lands to the new proclaimed country Israel was decided over their heads same as the promise for independent Arab state was broken. Now this is absolute nonsense. Muslims pray only in one direction - to Mecca. Or to be precise to the Kaaba, the holy mosque in Mecca. If their geographical location is exactly on a line between Jerusalem and Mecca, then yes, they would pray with their backs to Jerusalem but this has nothing to do with Jerusalem. Seriously, where do these false informations come from?

Let's not forget that the whole area was basically Muslim since the 7th century or in other words more than 1300 years. After World War I, the allied powers (Britain, France, Italy, and Japan) assigned the mandate for Palestine to Britain, which supported the establishment of a Jewish state. The newly formed United Nations recommended the creation of independent Jewish and Arab states, which the Arabs were not happy with. However, in May 1948 Israel declared independence, Arab states were never created, instead hundreds of thousands of Arabs were expelled, more and more Jews immigrated into Israel which occupied Gaza, the Golan Heights and other territories establishing settlements. Actions the international community rejected as illegal under international law, not that this had any consequences for Israel at any time. To be honest, and I know I shouldn't say that, I have no sympathies for Islam and strictly Muslim ruled countries, as they act as if they were still in the dark ages. That being said, this decade long conflict would never exist, if some stupid Western governments wouldn't have messed around in countries with mentalities, they could never understand. For me there is no difference if a human being, no matter of what age, is beheaded by a Muslim sword or torn into pieces by a high-tech Israeli missile fired into a hospital. This is violence and brutality on a level that shouldn't exist anymore. We can keep taking sides, as we have done for the last decades, reporting only the crimes of one side in the media and withholding the crimes of the other side, but where did this get us? Or stand up and name and shame the crimes of both sides from the very beginning. But that takes balls, because you would be standing against the most powerful country in our time, the USA, with an extremely high Jewish influence and power. And no matter if you are a U.S. citizen or not that would have consequences. So better keep condemning the side which our governments have chosen, and our media has proven (by biased reporting) to be the evil one. Isn't this so much easier? But is it brave? I think we should gather information from different sources to learn the truth about how and why this conflict started and then make up our minds and not leave the thinking to others.

True, that is clearly a flaw in my calculations. I projected my own sexual virility on him ... err ... I mean ... err ... a friend`s virility.

I am not quite sure if I understand your post. Are you really blaming the population of Thailand for being evil, having hearts of stone, not being trustworthy and living in a bubble, which makes them unable to understand critical thinking reason and logic? Or are you blaming your OCD for perceiving them like this. I am by no means trying to patronize you, but did you ever hear about high - context and low - context cultures? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-context_and_low-context_cultures#:~:text=Within high-context cultures%2C people,as important figures to identity. Our cultures are low context cultures, which means simplified, that we exchange information by talking quite directly. The Thai culture is high context or in other words, they communicate more between the lines. Which unfortunately means that no matter how well we speak their language we still might face huge difficulties to really understand them. To give you an example: I was at some office with a friend, who asked the employee for a certain service and the answer was: “Khit gon”, which means, “let me think about it first.” Later I asked my friend, where he's going to get that service. And he answered: “I will wait for the decision of that employee before I look for other places.” “But he just said no.” “Didn't you listen? the guy said, he will think about it first.” “Which is a clear no.” Thais do not want to confront you with a negative answer out of politeness. They don't want to make other people feel bad. So they refuse between the lines and not directly. This may be the reason why so many of us think, that Thai people are dishonest and not trustworthy or even liars and cheaters. I am not saying, all of them are 100% honest - let's not forget, we talk about Pattaya, the largest brothel of the world - but it wouldn't surprise me, if in most cases the message just didn't get through. However, we should always keep in mind, that it is us who live in a bubble in their country and not the other way around. And the only solution is: LEARN (their ways) or LEAVE (or keep suffering) Again, I'm not trying to patronize you, just out of curiosity: why are you still here?

Can`t speak for everybody, but I moved to Thailand. Best decision ever.

. First, you must understand that your anxiety does not necessarily have to be any kind of disease or malfunctioning hormone system. Let me explain that: We live in a modern world, with convenient shops at every corner and at least in our countries social systems that will protect us from the worst, but genetically there is no difference between us and our ancestors from Thousands of years ago. And this is by the way the main reason for a certain problem between many Thai – Farang couples: while the Farang is constantly trying to plan and to secure their future, the Thai has more of a laissez-faire attitude, which will drive the Farang crazy and make him think that the Thai is stupid, which again results in the same thoughts about the Farang on the Thai side. But both couldn't be farer from the truth. Thailand is a warm tropical country and if you are healthy and agile you just can`t die from starvation. There is always some fruit, animal, or nutrient-rich root you can eat and that all year long. Not so in other countries. Those with the devil-may-care attitude who did not hunt and gather enough food in summer and autumn to survive the hard winter, well let's say, they never reproduced and disappeared from history. Keep this in mind for the next time you want to accuse your Thai wife of being too carefree. Your anxieties are most likely a genetical survival instinct, which are trying to tell you something. Maybe, as it has been said before, you should try to deal with every problem, starting with the one that bothers you the most. Or maybe you are just feeling too worried because your life partner does not worry enough from your inner point of view. If all these points can be excluded you might be suffering from a hormonal problem, because the symptoms you described are a textbook example for testosterone deficiency, which is very common in your age. Forget those natural supplements you mentioned; they're not going to help you. They're just food supplements. I hope I'm not being impolite, but since I read your post there is a nagging question I can't get out of my head: Why do you and those you know, who have the same symptoms, keep coming back?

I have a slightly different approach to your dilemma: If you can prove, that those 24K you bring into the country have been taxed already and as double taxation is still forbidden, you probably will not have to pay any tax for that. But those 4 independent contractors, you are wiring money to every month, might become a major issue: No matter if they can keep that money for those canned messages and the weekly ordeal or if they must return it to you partially, they clearly have taxable income in Thailand. As most foreigners, who have ever started any kind of business with their cute little girlfriend, will confirm, those cuties think gross and net income are the same. And if 4 independent contractors, getting money from the US every month and from the same person, refuse to pay tax, it's only a question of time until the revenue gets suspicious, and you are arrested for money laundering. Even if it is the case, nobody with a clear mind will ever believe that you pay 10.000,- Baht per shag. The only way out is that those independent contractors create expenses by hiring employees. For example, the father, who's brand new motorbike you paid for, could be hired as transportation manager. The mother with the brand-new cell phone could be the head of communications. And the boyfriend, who is shagging her the other six days could be the CESO (Chief employee satisfaction officer). Sure, you will have to pay for their government health insurance, but that is nothing compared to the taxes you have avoided. Besides dad and “brother” will be thankful as I firmly believe, if you ride a bike in Thailand, you will have an accident. The only question is not if; it is when.

In the first Avatar movie from James Cameron, the most dangerous animal on the planet PANDORA was a monstrous flying carnivore called TORUK, the last shadow. Because it`s shadow was the last thing one would see before death. Here in PATTAYA the most dangerous thing is cute, has almond eyes and her smile is the last thing a man will ever see before his brain death. And we call it ... TIRAK.

I`ll take that bet. What is the betting stake?

Sent his daughters and granddaughters to Pattaya.

We all know this is a long shot. But what if this billionaire still has some friends in high places, maybe one or two of them in the Supreme Court? What if he wins that case?? And by doing so sets a precedent. A precedent we could quote when taking legal action in case something similar would happen to us. When I think about all those rice fields belonging to me deep down in Issaan and all those now healthy water buffaloes. Well, we all know this is never going to happen and even if that guy should win and we would try to get our sick water Buffalo money back, all we will hear is: “Plessede… pledentese…. Mai pen rai, is only for Thai not for you and now go pay tax, Farang.”

No, it actually means, you should better hurry, if you intend to.

Finally, back to topic: I have read most of the posts here but not all of them. Did anybody mention the money that has been taxed already? I mean there is a reason, countries even bother agreeing on DTAs. Because double taxation is against the law and must be avoided. And if one thing is sure, our countries know every cent we earn and we must pay tax for it. I can't imagine Thailand is going to make us pay tax one more time, if we wire that money into the country and can prove, that we have paid tax for it already. Apologies, if this has been mentioned before.

Oh my God, what have I done. You call the logic most tax systems in the modern world are based upon socialism. In addition, you are the top authority on what all Germans don't know and what all Germans love. And as if that is not enough, you also exactly know, what the whole forum here cares about and what not. Why haven`t I realised that earlier. What an unforgivable mistake even to think about opposing you. What a terrible waste of time. It won't happen again.

The reason why many parks or other public places built and maintained by the government with tax money and entrance fees ask foreigners for higher rates, is because they assume that they have more money than the average Thai. I think it is safe to say, that in most cases, surely not in all, this is the truth. Interestingly we seem to have a huge problem with it despite the same system is applied in our countries since before we were born. Most public libraries / community swimming pools in our countries ask retirees, students, and pupils for lower rates to get a membership / to enter the pool area. Why? Because they assume the average citizen or adult has more money than them, which again is the truth in most cases, surely not in all. Why do we easily accept lower prices for elderly and young citizen with assumed lower income status in our societies but feel discriminated and scream “racism”, when Thai nationals get a lower price than us. Why are we unable to understand that their history and ours is completely different. Racism has led to horrible things up to genocide in our past, but not in theirs, and even if, never in the same dimensions. They are not sensitized for racism as we are, so we cannot expect them to think and feel like us. However, they realized our issues with that, so the official policy is that, Thai nationals and tax residents get the same price. Always worked for me, when I show my tax ID card and speak a little Thai, never had to pay more than any Thai. Guys, you don't know what you're talking about. Medical services being more expensive than in Germany might be the case when extremely expensive medical devices are used, as some of them are produced in Germany, while Thailand must import them, so to the regular price you have to add transportation, the specialists who install and regularly maintain it plus the greedy customs. But generally, most medical services are much cheaper in Thailand compared to Germany. A full ceramic crown costs more than 1200,- € in Germany, while only 16.000,- Baht (421,- €) in Thailand, a PFM crown more than 1000,- € in Germany but only 13.000,- Baht (342,- €) in Thailand. The mentioned prices compare crowns of the exact same quality, produced with German metal and ceramics. But this is by far not the worst part. It's the service. Or better the lack of it. Last year in October my girlfriend felt a lump in her right breast. We went to Bangkok hospital Pattaya, immediately got an appointment with a gynecologist, who arranged all the necessary examinations, like ultrasonic, X-ray, etc. and told us about his diagnosis in both languages English and Thai - thanks God nothing life threatening - and suggested a minor surgery. They suggested a few appointments within the next days and asked which one would suit us, my answer being “yesterday”. The surgery took place a few days later, everything went great, the lump was analyzed afterwards, and we got the confirmation, that it was not malignant a few days later. The whole thing cost less than 50,000 Baht, most of it was paid buy her health insurance. Coincidentally a schoolmate of my girlfriend, now living in Germany for some years, had the same problem last year early November. Her worried German husband called the nearest hospital asking for an examination. Guess what they answered. “We can offer you an appointment by the end of January.” I don't know how the whole thing ended but I witnessed another incident, and it still eats away at me. A friend in his mid-60s, rich guy living in Thailand with his Thai wife was diagnosed terminal esophageal cancer last March in Bangkok hospital Pattaya. They told him, that he probably has about six weeks to live and they can assist him, ease his pain, with doctors and nurses at his service 24 hours a day, but not save him. He sent all his examination results to a hospital in his hometown, Dortmund, in Germany and they basically told him the same (except the part with the 24 hour service). As he did not speak Thai maybe he thought it would be easier to communicate in German with the doctors or maybe he hoped for a better treatment there. However, he made an appointment with the German hospital, took care of his wife and said farewell to her, both knowing, they will never see each other again. When he arrived at the hospital in Germany, he was told (and I know the exact dialogue, because he told me): “Sorry, we can't take you, we are on strike now.” “But I am dying.” “Yeah, but you are not an emergency.” Go figure! So much for German medical services. With a lot of luck a hospital in Berlin, the Charite, took him and a few weeks later he died – all alone in his room. So please, don't get me started on the German healthcare system. And trust me, I know a lot about it. Why? I am a doctor from Germany.

Buddy, I never wrote explicitly about the Pattaya motorway. I wrote about the adventurous drive from Don Muang to Pattaya in the pre-motorway era: „Some of you might still remember the adventurous drive from Don Muang airport to Pattaya when there were no highways or motorways“. Nevertheless, what difference does it make? Any highway or motorway is at first financed by the government and built for the convenience of the people and it takes years for the return of investment. Do you have any source to confirm this? AFAIK everybody pays the same VAT. If expats really spent 10 to 20 times more compared to the average Thai, as you write, it also means, that they have 10 to 20 times more money. I can only hope, you are wrong, as if not, that would put expats to shame for having so much money and yet refusing to pay a little tax. Truth to be told, I don't, I'm just trying to contribute to this forum, by sharing valuable information, giving some advice or in this case, when I see that everybody is sharing the same viewpoint, I apply the 10th man principle by playing the devil's advocate and offering another viewpoint. That's a very good way to widen one's horizon and thinking out-of-the-box, but only if one is willing to. Can't remember that poll but last year I left Germany for good, as it is not the country, I grew up in anymore.

I was not trying to patronize anybody; I was just curious how are the members think about this matter. Nobody wants to pay tax, yet it is necessary. The points you mentioned are partially not quite correct: Some of the motorways were financed by the Transport Ministry and some by the Highways Department but none of them primarily by toll as that money must be collected after those roads are finished and that takes many years. I remember that case mentioned in your link very well, as the person, who owned the seized aircraft had to fly with a regular plane a few days later in which I coincidentally had booked a seat as well - that was a very interesting flight. The German company was Wagner Bau and they had built the motorway to Don Muang. However, the Thai government refused to pay them, despite they lost that case in court, which finally led to the bankruptcy of that company. The insolvency administrator in charge could have seized any plane of Thai Airways, but somehow, he thought it might be a good idea to seize that special one, so the whole story will not end up as marginalia in the newspapers and will make it to the headlines. The VAT you mentioned is only 7%, so I would not call it “a lot of”. The import tax on western food is very high, not to mention the expensive process to get the Thai FDA approval. If you have ever asked yourself, why your favorite jam can be bought in Thailand but only a few sorts, the reason is they must go through that expensive approval process from the Thai FDA for every single flavor variety. Nevertheless, it entirely depends on us if we buy the expensive imported stuff or not. It's not a necessity. The renewal of the retirement visa costs only 1900, - Baht. Compared to the millions of Baht of unpaid hospital bills from foreigners, this is not much. The good news is no matter if we must pay double, triple or 100 times more entrance fee for National Parks, once you are a tax resident you pay the same fee as Thai people. I'm living and working here for quite some time, and I pay taxes on my income; never had a problem with it. What concerns me, is that I don’t want to pay tax twice. I have some property in Germany, which I rent out and for which I must pay 30% ++ tax from the first Euro on, no special expenses or tax-free amount allowed, because I'm living in Thailand. If I should retire one day and send this money to my Thai bank account for my living expenses and Thailand wants me to pay taxes for it again, then I'm out. Anyway, I will tell you one perfect argument, why none of us should pay any taxes here - ever. In order to get my work permit I had to go through a few exams, some of them taking place in the Chulalongkorn university in Bangkok. The professors there were very nice and friendly and, on an evening out with them after, let's say not only a few glasses of beer, one of them told me an interesting story: Some Ministry had asked for a comparative study. They wanted to know which factor had the greatest impact on the development of the rural region in Issan, the Thai government projects, the Thai NGO projects, or the money sent by foreigners to their Thai girlfriends or wives. “And?” I asked “what was the result?” “We were never allowed to publish it.” He answered. “Why?” “It was devastating” he said with a serious face, then he took a big sip and finished “Devastating for us.”

This will probably be the least popular post in the whole thread and yet I have to get it off my chest: It goes to all those “I'm not going to pay a single Satang of tax in this country” – guys. How do you justify that? Let's not discuss about corrupt politicians; they are there and we're not going to change that. But think about schools or government universities. Somebody has to pay for that. What about law enforcement? Yeah, I know, they're all very corrupt and bad, blah blah, but every time a foreigner is robbed by some Thai, the local police get that guy in less than 24 hours. Can't say the same thing about our law enforcement. If you should ever need them, you will be more than happy that they are there. Or the justice system. Again, yeah, I know that old saying “If you need a lawyer in Thailand, you have lost already.” And yet you will be glad, in case you need it. What about government hospitals. Many of you might have a high-class health insurance, but trust me when I say, most Farangs I met in Thailand do not have a health insurance at all. That together with a small budget and the day will come when their life might depend on the existence of those government hospitals. And even if you belong to that lucky group of people with a first-class health insurance. What about the love of your life you met last month? Does she have one? Paying her bills in a private hospital will make your holiday funds shrink faster than a snowman in the desert and I don't even want to start about that Buffalo, that seems to only get sick, when the lady has a new boyfriend. And if all that doesn't bother you, my last point will: Infrastructure! Some of you might still remember the adventurous drive from Don Muang airport to Pattaya when there were no highways or motorways. We're using their streets every day. What makes you think, any of this should be free of charge for you and there is no reason to support this at least a little bit?

Guys, just calm down. There is no reason for panic as you have all the time in the world to plan your future. Let's say there will be taxes on rent or whatever kind of income you have, and you have decided for yourself not to stay more than 180 days or even to leave the country forever in such a case. In the first case you have time until the 27th of June 2024 to leave the country for a long holiday (= 180 days, assuming you have been living in the country since the 1st of January or earlier). In the second case you have much more time than that. Why? Because the deadline for your first tax declaration is April or May in the following year, which is April or May 2025. And that is a lot of time to pack your things and tell Thailand “Djoe gan chad naa, don bai bai” (see you in my next life, sometime in the early afternoon).

How they count the 180 days? Quite simple, let's say you arrive in Thailand on the 5th of March 11:00 PM and leave on the 25th of March at 03:00 AM. They will count 21 days and not 20. Every day you stay in the Kingdom counts and they will tell it from the stamps in your passport. It doesn't make a difference if you arrived in Thailand at 11:00 PM on the 5th of March, as long as the arrival stamp in your passport says 5th of March, you have been in Thailand since the 5th of March.

That is the first positive post in this thread.

Your post is a bit confusing. You write that you are on a retirement visa and later describe yourself as a permanent resident. Residing in Thailand permanently does not make you a permanent resident. Visa based on marriage / retirement, which has to be renewed every year where you have to show many different documents, retirement fees and/or bank statement about 800 K and so on and is a completely different thing than a permanent residency. The latter is very difficult to get, takes many years where you and your background are checked and costs a lot of money until finally the minister for foreign affairs signs his is OK. Per year only 100 people from one nationality can apply. I disagree with you. Besides the points you mentioned, not having to wire your money from your home country, if you want to buy a condo and easy coming and going you can also get the blue TABIEN BAAN and not only the yellow one. You can stay as long as you want, no saying hello every 90 days and you only have to apply for a re-entry permit, if you intend to leave the country. Retirement visa seems to be quite easy, but a friend of mine is here on marriage visa and he has always a bad mood weeks before he has to renew it, as they always find something new, some document, some proof, they will ask him for. Basically, you have to ask every year for permission to stay for another year and you never know when that one law comes, may it be a minimum income higher than yours, may it be some health insurance, which you cannot get, because of your health status or only a little overweight and BOOM! Your life plan goes down the toilet. Not with the permanent residency. And by the way, when those repatriation flights to Thailand started somewhat in July 2020, after COVID had led to a complete shutdown all over the world, I could have easily been on the first flight. As this did not match with my business plans, I took the second on the 20th of August 2020, while all those retirement and marriage visa guys had to stay in their countries not knowing when they could ever get back to their homes. Although I have to admit those 15 days of quarantine locked in a room without a balcony and welded windows, which could not be opened were quite an ordeal. After seven days I started talking to my suitcase. On the tenth day, early afternoon, my suitcase answered. But that is another story.

A very interesting thread although saddening sometimes as it shows the huge gap between the two mentalities but also the constant refusal of some people to change their mind, even if they see the written proof that they're wrong. As I do not wish to start any feud and do not have the intention to patronise anyone, I'll just quote a few interesting posts and comment them: A million baht will get me literally 1,000 short times. Possible, but this thread is about marriage, living together, planning a future, starting a family and many more things but not about men paying women to use her body as a <deleted> device for a short period of time. I stick with my own traditions regardless of where I am, You might not care, how people in your host country think about you but you will miss the best part of your journey: learning about another religion, another mentality, other traditions, other ways of thinking and many more things which would have widened your horizon. You can buy a lot of love and affection in Thailand for 1,000,000 THB To cite Tony Stark “no amount of money ever bought a second of time” and the same thing can be said about love, affection, and sex. Using a woman's body as a <deleted> device and going through your typical porn routine, BJ, intercourse in different positions and finally CIM, while she is moaning “I luuuub you so muddd” and thinking about her next Som Tum meal, has not much to do with sex. It's not more than “assisted masturbation”. golddigers, all Thai people,, all more greedy money grubbers trying to take advantage of some a foreigner Pathetic and typically Thai. All about money, I hear that a lot. In most cases from some western foreigner, who has had a great time with hundreds of women screaming after him like a rock star, who maybe even had a relationship or a marriage with a Thai woman but one day the pink coloured glasses came off. From then on, they say things like “All Thai people are liars, scammers, thieves and racists, who hate us and all what they want is our money and nothing else.” A few times I asked: “why are you still here?” which caused confusion, so I specified my question. “If I would wake up every morning in a country full of liars, scammers, thieves, and racists, all of them having one thing in common: they all hate me. I would get out of that place ASAP. So, one more time: why are you still here?” Still waiting for an answer. Offer 2m cos she's so special, but you need time to sell your house back home ....... bang her for a year, then confess you don't have the money so you'll have to call off the wedding. They'll agree cos they're greedy. Wait a minute, I thought THEY are the scammers. Why would anyone pay for an "educated women" as if her knowledge from some Thai university is ever going to be useful to you. Probably not if you're only here for your 1000 short times, but if you start thinking about renting a place, buying a car or even property with all the contracts you have to sign and all the government places where you have to fill out forms, such a person might come in handy - except of course you can read and write Thai. and perhaps he doesn't want to have to "buy" his wife as he has principles. It's disgusting that parents see their daughter as a commodity and are willing to sell her. I could never sell my daughter. Guys please, even the Thai embassy has been quoted here and they should know - at least much better than us. You can't buy a person. Period! Sinsod is just a tradition, a gesture, a thank you for the parents for raising such an angel and maybe a compensation, that from now on she will take care of you and not of her parents. And there is absolutely no legal obligation to pay! Getting your panties in a bunch - or was it knickers in a twist? – whatever, will get you nowhere. In Thailand the person who gets angry and a red face is the one who “lost his face”. The Asian way would be to turn this problem into an opportunity: If she really knows you, knows your financial and familiar background (generally spoken to my experience those girls who are really interested in you, your family and your background are those who really love you, while the ones, who are only interested in the next payment, couldn't care less about you) and really has the intention to start a life with you, she will try to trade her parents down or at least agree with them on a huge amount of money which most of it has to be paid back to you after the ceremony. She will see herself as your partner and every dollar less in your wallet is a dollar less in your common future household. But if she sees you only as the Walking ATM and her only marital duty being to extract as much money as possible from you in the days to come, she will start this by demanding an outrageous sum. You see, that Sinsod thing can be quite useful, if you know how.