technoronin

The UK has free speech and anyone who disagrees will be jailed.

I am not happy about the US getting involved in this war. It looks like yet another case of Israel going "why don't you and him fight". I am hoping that the US will not try to occupy Iran, but I am okay with the US reducing their offensive capability to next to nothing. I'm not thrilled with it, but targeted strikes on all the missile launchers will reduce the amount of damage they can do to anyone in the area. I think it is unfortunate that the US is the only country involved with the surveillance capability as well as the munitions stockpiles to be able to do it. The reality is that the only times in the past couple of thousand years that that region has been peaceful was when an external empire took over the entire region. If westerners think that the Middle East is like our countries, they would be very, very wrong. I hope this is over soon.

I agree. My main complaint with most rentals is that the furnishings are "okay" but don't even rise to the level of "good". My priorities are different from the average renter.

Since I can't have a bank account without a retirement visa and getting a retirement visa requires 800,000 baht in my account, this isn't much help for me.

The problem with UBI is that the government always takes in a lot more money (at gunpoint) than it hands out. It is extremely inefficient. Before people were forced to pay for Welfare, there were lots of charities and people took care of one another. Now it people demand that the government give them things because it is their right to have the money I worked hard for,

You are very wrong. Social Security isn't the dole. I was forced to pay into the system for 50 years. I earned what I am getting back. I would get back a lot more if I had been able to invest.

Thai immigration and the government in general has made things so much of a hassle that I am looking for somewhere else to retire.

It's the legacy media. They lie. They lie all the time. They make William Randolph Hearst look like an amateur. The US Government isn't saying this. The general US population isn't saying this. It's an organization that evidently has an axe to grind with Thailand.

Sounds good in theory, but everyone I have spoken with says it isn't accepted by Immigration. I would consider that if it was an option.

If you can get it. I tried in 2023 and kept going around and around with the differences between what they asked for and what they actually wanted. I finally came in on a 30 day exemption.

To do that I would have to pull $30K out of my retirement account, which has tax consequences here in the US.

What do you mean I'm not a tourist if I want to spend 4 months in Thailand? I'm retired and slow traveling.

I was planning to move to Thailand but over the past year the bureaucrats have increased the hassle factor of living in Thailand to the point that I have no interest in dealing with it. I'm an old man who wants a peaceful life and doing paperwork, usually more than once, every few months is not the life I want. Maybe the new government will ease off, but I doubt it.

The whole "climate change" is nothing but a hoax intended to line the pockets of the people in charge. Every single prediction the experts, who were paid with tax dollars, have made has failed. I'm still waiting for the glaciers in Oklahoma that the experts were predicting 50 years ago. It's a grift and an excuse for the government to grab more power like they did during the scamdemic.

The baht being strong is a negative for me to move to Thailand. 800,000 baht being closer to US$25K instead of $23K is a noticeable mount of money. Combined with all of the other negatives I am waiting to see what changes.

Quit changing the rules. The instability is a large part of the problem. Give me my bank account back, it makes my time in Thailand simpler Quit threatening to reduce the visa exemption to 30 days, it makes planning a trip more difficult Quit threatening to outlaw herb. (okay, this one doesn't matter to me, but it does to many people) Quit saying that you are going to fine people thousands of baht for having a drink in the middle of the afternoon Quit saying that you are going to fine people thousands of baht for not wearing a helmet on the back of a motorcycle taxi Let people do a border run, that's how I stayed 3.5 months last year Get rid of the TDAC, it's a solution looking for a problem Make it easier to get an retirement visa, like it was a year ago Quit increasing the amount of hassles involved in visiting Thailand

The changes that have happened in Thailand this year are why I am not visiting this year.

For me, the exchange rate is a negative and contributes to why I am not there, but it is not a major factor. Last year it was 37:1, now it's 32:1. Adding inflation, Thailand is about 20% more expensive. All the other changes this year also contribute to my decision to not visit again. So, as another poster said, it's not just the exchange rate. Frankly, the Thai government is getting more hostile to foreigners.

For me, the increasing restrictions & regulations in addition to the threats of becoming more restrictive have made me change my mind about visiting Thailand.

All of these new restrictions are going to drive some tourists to go somewhere else. How many is yet to be seen. I suspect this will have a negative effect on the Thai tourist economy as well as the growers and small shops. Since Thailand is still recovering from the economic damage caused by the scamdemic, this sounds like a self destructive idea.

Nope absolutely true. Now I don't know what to do with the bottles of barbecue sauce I bought for a friend of mine.

That isn't really the issue, it is just one issue among many. At some point there will be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back. There are a number of negative things about Thailand and different people will have different levels where they will say enough is enough.

I guess you aren't talking to many Americans. I am not experiencing any hardship even though my income has dropped dramatically over the past year. Gas prices are down. Food prices have become lower. I just live a very middle class lifestyle.

Given the cultural differences between south Asian and Western cultures, I suspect a number of Westerners will stay away. Enticing lots of Indians to visit may be a financial loss overall for Thailand.

The changes in Thailand earlier this year caused me to not spend the summer there. My suitcases were 80% packed and I was planning to leave for Thailand in a few weeks when the bank change caused me to change my mind. That cost Thailand at least 300,000 baht of my money. Unless Thailand becomes welcoming again, I'm not planning on visiting again.