farangmal

Mikethevigoman.

Thanks.

Farangmal.

Don't forget, not everyone read ThaiVisa before coming here!!

No, that's true.

And to make matters worse a lot of Estate agents in the Uk (like Rightmove) the largest property website in the Uk has a foreign property buying section and ADVICE on buying in Thailand.

There's an audio file you can listen to with some Women ranting on about the dream houses in Thailand. She skips over the company route bit very quickly and says all those people Married to a Thai Lady can enjoy property owning rights!

She doesn't know what she's talking about. What chance have some people got if they are being sold lies and dreams like this?

The internet is a very powerful tool and people should make the most of it.

But having lived in Thailand for many years and had a friend who was an Estate Agent in Jomtien he told me...'easy to sell to the fools who come here on holiday. They are all ponces and have only one thing on their minds. Sex and more sex'

His words exactly.

Do your research folks.

You can own a condo and if you keep your nose clean and don't get deported you can stay for the time stamped in your passport to enjoy it.

My divorce settlement through the Thai civil court took 12 hearings over 2 years. The final result was as expected a 50/50 split of the property. I then applied for, and was granted, a sale through a government auction....that's taking place on April 24th If anyone is interested, have a look at my web page or PM me.

http://patongvilla.wetpaint.com/

I might be interested but on second thoughs Farangs can't 'really' own a house anyway. Unless it's got wheels on it.

I could buy it in my Thai Wifes name but...I'm bound to lose it - Right!

The moral of this post is if you're not prepared to lose it don't buy in a Thais name. Someone once told me that and reading through a lot of these posts maybe he should tell you guys too.

Thanks lop, Samran and the rest of you guys, sounds like a pretty mixed bag.

It is quite dissapointing that Thailand offers very little in the way of acceptance into their country for foreign settlers. My wife will very soon have her permanent residency in Australia after 2 years, and she is already able to claim government benefits (the doll - but wont!), Medicare, able to "choose" any job she is suitable for, and we already get governent assistance every 2 weeks just for having a baby (not including the $4000 they gave us at our daughters birth). She's also given 500 hours of free English lessons at college and more if she feels she needs it on completion of the 500 hours!! In short Australia has gone out of it's way to help her become a part of Australia, and for that I am very grateful to my homeland.

She is very much accepted not only as a citizen by the country, but also as a "normal" person by my friends and family and now equal to everyone. She is not looked upon as an "Asian" which I guess is equivalent to a "falang" here in Thailand.

I appriciate Thailand is very much a developing country and not in a position to provide such luxuries as Australia, but just acknowledgment of the fact you are married to a Thai with half Thai children and are prepared to intergrate into their country would be nice. Just small gestures like being able to get a temporary/permant visa without having to do bloody boarder runs every year for a start, and maybe some Thai language lessons throwns in, that's all! Just from reading some of the responses to my post sound like not even the half thai/western babies a fully accepted as "equal" and are called a different name as a result. Seems like the falang has to somehow "earn" the right to be accepted as equal to Thais, and at best will always have to continue to earn the respect so long as they reside here.

I'm sure Thailand will change as time goes by. My wife are only 35 years old and a long away from the retirement visa stage. So I guess for now I'll put the "moving to Thailand" idea on the back burner for now, at least until I come up with a solution (some of you have provided some good info).

If my wife and I wanted to buy some land and a house (in "her" name of course!) for when we do come back each year, is it possible to get a Thai bank loan in her name based on our assets/income in Austrlalia? We have a lot of equity in our house in OZ and I have a pretty reasonable salary (50k+). Wont hold my breath for a "yes" answer though!

Regards

Dave

My advice to you would be to stay put in Australia.

You and your children will never be fully accepted or integrated into Thailand. Your kids could pay more at a private school because of their non Thai blood and as what happened to my Wife she was refused medical care for our less than one year old boy in a local village Thai clinic because he 'didn't look' Thai.

I put up with living in the Uk with my Family these days because what you say nearly mirrors my Wifes experience here. And your Country is ten times better than this place I can assure you.

Thailand will never change..not in your or my lifetime anyway. The last few years they have taken in my opinion huge steps BACKWARD towards Foreigners.

Integrate your Wife, enjoy your kids and keep LOS as a holiday. Give them a chance to develop and grow in a good Country.

p.s. Better to rent you can change location every time you go there

Not meaning to be too negative as Thailand has a lot to offer...especially for us Brits coming from a cold Country. Where we are it's never been above 8 degrees since Christmas and raining and windy every day. How depressing.

I stick it out here for the sake of my kids.

If it were just me I would be back to LOS in a heartbeat, keeping my cash in the UK of course.

Sunshine reasonably tax free living and last but defenitely not least....Women half our ages available in the bucket load is whai tempts most Males to settle there. Not the golf

i must ask the question then, how long do homes and condos stay on the market in US or europe?

I have sold three properties in the Uk in the last two years.

First one a flat took 2 Months.

Second a house took 1 Month

Third a flat took 3 Months.

That's my experience of the UK property market!

I did alright in the UK market too - though the market there has always been goofy due to the 'chain' as it's called. If one person can't get financing or even feels a bit 'faint' they can bail out, and screw up everyone else waiting for the sale to proceed so they too can buy/sell.

But the real problem in UK is a legal weakness in the way the sales are handled - it's stupid - plain and simple with no one getting any security, and everyone being able to offer, offer, without sticking their neck out.

The best system IMHO is Canada. When you want to buy - you put your money (and your signature) where your mouth is. You can add 'subjects' to the contract that let you out if the buyer can't secure financing within 2 weeks etc, or the place gets a bum-rap from the evaluator, ete. also within a couple of weeks. But there's none of this waiting for months and months to close the deal like there is in England/Wales (Scotland has a better system). Others should copy this example IMHO. It works efficiently and protects both the buyer and seller equally without the silliness that goes in Eng/Wales.

yes England's goofy but I buy and sell my properties in Scotland where a legally binding contract is in place quickly.

No it is not true. On family you can work. On family you do not have to meet the same company financial conditions that others need so it is a bit easier to obtain a work permit. On family you can apply for permanent residency.

But if you have no work plans and are over age 50 then retirement is the easier process for annual extensions of stay.

Yes...if you meet all the criteria and even then! How many permanent residensies do they give every year? Not many.

And the financial conditions are not easy to meet if you are under 50.

In the UK a Wife enters on a two year visa. They can get a National insurance number and do ANY job they can get. After the two years there's only ONE more visa then they can stay forever and do EVERYTHING a British Citizen can do. Own land own property, work and even claim benefits if they need to.

I would guess that Australia mirrors that?

In Thailand you are only as good as that fresh stamp on your visa or your 90 day report.

All these 'little' things just make me stay put where I am. Even though I love Thailand I know myself and kids will never be treated fairly or squarely as an equal Human being if I go back to live there again.

So even though it is a very attractive thought living in the sunshine in Paradise that might tempt the OP he's in probably one of the best Countries in the World. I know where I would rather be!

Load of benefits for them coming to our countries but precious little in the way of benefits here. That you actually have to show a continuous income stream even to get a visa to live here is pathetic (when under 50).

Yes...the poster asking the question would be well advised to stay put in Australia. For his benefit and his Wifes.

Does she gamble, have a thai boyfriend ?

Maybe she has just run off to let off steam or go on a gambling binge, or with the boyfriend for awhile to get some decent conversation of her own age.

My wife sometimes does that, run off for days on gambling binges, not with the thai boyfriend. She will call or turn up when she needs a change of clothes.

Yes...I'm sick of her wearing the same stuff in my room.

My Thai wife and I have been married for nearly 3 years but live in Australia. I've never really thought about it much but if we wanted to live in Thailand, what does this actually mean for me? Can I automatically stay as long as I want? Can I get a loan/buy a house in "our names"? Can I work other than teaching English? Can I become a Thai citizen/get a Thai Passport after staying for a certain amount of time just like my wife can in Australia, or will I always be a "falang"?

I know these questions are probably not easy to answer in a few posts, but I want to get a brief idea. The thought of living and settling in Thailand is becoming quite interesting.

Regards

Dave

I'm Married to a Thai too and to be honest it doesn't make one iota of difference.

Someone over 50 on a retirement visa has more rights than a Married partner of a Thai.

You will always be a 'falang'

Even my Son born in Pattaya gets called falang noi (smalll falang) by the Thais.

That's why I stay in a cold Country.

.....She has to live with what happened and will mentally scar her for the rest of her life.......

Really ? And where did you pick up that piece of wisdom from ? A "one size fits all" psychology seminar ?

The girl will no doubt recover enough from the ordeal to go on and lead a nearly if not normal life, with some understanding and compassion from those close enough for her to trust.

What she doesn't need is complete strangers telling her over and over again that she is "scarred for life". How she will be affected, if at all, over the long term is a function of many factors and is different in every case. Being classified as scarred for life could well have worse long term affects than the actual rape itself.

Well it would be if people would think before they utter such damaging cliches. There are many others which have similar effect but in my view this is one of the worst by infering that the person will never recover or may be a mental case or in therapy for the rest of their life. This girl could well come to believe that her "scar" is visible to all and require years of therapy to overcome. Why encourage this to happen by making such thoughtless remarks ?

Victims just want to get on with their lives without being unnecessarily reminded of the ordeal. If you want to comment, think about whether what you're saying is branding the person as a rape victim and thereby prolonging their ordeal, or whether you're contributing to their return to a normal life.

Only my opinion, based on experience.

What a drama Queen..or King!

Maybe she will send the rapist a birthday card and a forget you not with red roses

Of course she will have that terrible experience in her head always. How could her life ever be the same.

Yes she will get on with her life but what's the betting she doesn't go back to Thailand and finds it hard EVER to trust Males.

There is probably only one positive to come out of this latest incident and that is that the victim wasn't murdered.

I remember 5 years ago being told by many Thais that Thailand had changed and that it was now very dangerous.

At that time the violence hadn't spread to the tourist areas which are now feeling the impact of the overall rise in the level of violence.

There have been many people especially expats who have been in denial about this but given the current crop of incidents even the deniers must be having second thoughts about the long term security of foreigners in Thailand.

I suppose She escaped with her life is a little bit of compensation...but not much. She has to live with what happened and will mentally scar her for the rest of her life. Poor girl.

Last year a Policeman stopped my Wife in the street and asked her to put a gold necklace in her pocket. He told her that Pattaya has got very bad. He knows better than most.

It's a pity that these scumbags are tainting Thailands reputation. But I still say that pretty attractive Foreign Women are not safe alone in Thailand.

Maybe next Century if it drags itself out of the dark ages and frowns upong it''s Males using cave man type behaviour towards Females...I'm not holding my breath waiting for this to happen though!

It doesn't surprise me if it was true.

Here's another attempted one...

http://www.pattayacitynews.net/news_27_03_51_4.html

This sort of thing must be a daily occurance. As I posted on a now closed thread I was with a girl recently who was sexually assaulted by a drunk Thai motorbike taxi driver IN FRONT OF ME. He groped her and only for me telling him He was no good and to <deleted> off she would have been on his bike and away for sure.

Thailand's not safe for females...even Thai. But at least they get the FULL protection of the Thai public.

Thailand's a mongering destination for old gits who think they have found new sex appeal. It will stay that way.

Just before 6:00am on Thursday a 19-year-old Thai female asked for help from members of the public as she claimed a 20-year-old Thai man who works as taxi motorbike driver had attempted to rape her and steal her handbag.

The female, who works as a karaoke singer at a pseudo restaurant in Central Pattaya, had engaged the motorbike taxi man to take her to see a customer at a restaurant in Soi Lengkee in Central Pattaya.

Instead, she alleged the man took her into Soi Siam Country Club where he found a deserted area and then attempted to force himself upon her. The alleged victim was smart enough to thwart his unwanted advances by asking the man to take her to a proper hotel where they could more comfortably engage in activities of a horizontal nature.

The man readily agreed and returned to central Pattaya but when they arrived in front of a potential bedroom facility the woman absconded with the man's motorbike keys and began shouting for help. Local people heard the commotion and detained the man before police arrived.

The taxi driver confessed to having amorous desires towards the woman because he was alone and lonely and when he picked up the girl he found himself becoming aroused.

The man will now face court proceedings.

i must ask the question then, how long do homes and condos stay on the market in US or europe?

I have sold three properties in the Uk in the last two years.

First one a flat took 2 Months.

Second a house took 1 Month

Third a flat took 3 Months.

That's my experience of the UK property market!

i dont recall seeing that the victim of this crime was naked on the beach, so why does this keep on coming up? she was wearing a swimsuit for gods sake. on a beach. in a tourist area (phuket). if you see that as being disrespectful, then get a life. the girl was minding her own business taking a walk along a beautiful beach. nothing more.

if the girl had been walking dressed like this in an isaan village, then you would have to assume that she was either a little disrespectful or plain silly, but that clearly wasnt the case.

many thai girls wear clothing that no self respecting woman would wear back in the west. do we see them being raped and murdered along the tourist beaches? didnt think so.

its easy for many of you to comment on the clothing that she was or wasnt wearing, but what ABOUT the young girls dancing provocatively on the back of pick-up trucks wearing next to nothing? why is that acceptable

Thai love Thai. Racism, double standards, intolerance to other Nationalities, the rights or non existant rights of Foreigners in Thailand...Need I go on!

I wonder what's happened here?

http://www.pattayacitynews.net/news_24_03_51.html

At around 4:00pm on Sunday afternoon police from Pattaya Soi 9 Station along with Sawang Boriboon Volunteers were called to a guesthouse in Naklua after receiving reports of a foreign fatality at the location.

In one of the rented rooms police and volunteers found the body of 72-year-old British national Olga Lillian Bailey. The deceased was found lying in a pool of dried blood and police suspect she had been dead for up to five hours.

This is covered in the Pattaya News Clippings, given her age, and circumstances, foul play is not suspected.

English Woman Found Dead In Naklua Condo............10 cm Gash In Head: Police Say Foul Play Not Suspected

I don't think you can say the same for this poor unsuspecting chap. Another sucker. When will they learn?

http://www.pattayacitynews.net/news_25_03_51_3.html

n the early hours of Tuesday morning police from Dong-tan sub-station were called to a room in the Grand Condotel building in Jomtien following reports of an assault and attempted murder.

By the time police arrived the victim, Mr Errki Aaltonen aged 65 from Finland, had been taken to Pattaya Memorial Hospital, in a critical condition. He had been stabbed with a knife a number of times throughout his body. Medical staff were unable to revive him and he died soon after reaching hospital.

According to his Thai wife of 20 years, her husband had taken up with a bar worker some months ago on an occasional basis. This woman had stolen money, a mobile phone, and digital camera from him. Her husband made a police report but since then had forgiven the woman and taken up with her again on an irregular basis.

Mr Aaltonen ran a successful insurance business with his wife who was out at the time the alleged murderer came to visit. CCTV pictures from the entrance to the condo clearly show the woman arriving on a motorbike with a Thai male, thought to be her boyfriend. Police believe the woman demanded the victim open the safe inside his room and when he refused she attacked him with a knife. Police also siurmise she let her boyfriend into the condo room as well and he assisted in attacking Mr Aaltonen.

I wonder what's happened here?

http://www.pattayacitynews.net/news_24_03_51.html

At around 4:00pm on Sunday afternoon police from Pattaya Soi 9 Station along with Sawang Boriboon Volunteers were called to a guesthouse in Naklua after receiving reports of a foreign fatality at the location.

In one of the rented rooms police and volunteers found the body of 72-year-old British national Olga Lillian Bailey. The deceased was found lying in a pool of dried blood and police suspect she had been dead for up to five hours.

But I don't see Thai girls dressed in bikinis on top of the trucks with loud music getting arrested! EVER.

Exactly farangmal! Well stated.

I don't the trannies flashing their fake tits at families as they walk up Soi Bangla. I don't see the cops doing anything to the Thai girls who dress like obvious prostitutes.

So, my point is, the Thais are not exactly puritans either. Let's be a bit more fair to our own here please.

One thing I have noticed on this forum is sometimes that we, us, Foreigners or Farangs whatever you want to be labelled as have undying support for everything Thai to the extent they think they are Thai.

Wakey wakey rise and shine Gentlemen you have as much chance of being Thai as I have of winning the lottery.

If they want holidaymakers (or their cash) then they should have people in charge of the tourist Police who LOOK AFTER the interest of holidaymakers if they have been wronged.

The problem is the closed mind set and the Thai rak Thai attitude that makes it hard to even contemplate this.

Once I had to call the Police because my friends apartment was being burgled. Two motorbike cops turned up and when I told them what happened (in Thai) they refused to speak to me. Lke I was invisible. They didn't answer, respond or nothing. They sat on the motorbike waiting for my Thai Wife to explain what had happened.

Another instance I was playing pool with a tourist Policeman in a bar in Soi Diamond. He wanted to play me for money and I said no. Then he suggested if he beat me he could have my Wife for the night.

Guess my Wife's reply? And He was deadly serious.

I'm afraid this is what Foreigners are up against.

They arrest Russian hookers but don't acknowledge Pattaya has Thai Prostitutes and such like. It's completely unfair and lump it or like it it's their Country.

Me myself have a great love for Thai people. A Wife and two great kids. Thailand's been good to me but the dangers for Foreign Women are obvious.

To change the mind set takes education from a young age. They need in my opinion to open up to the World and end the Caveman mentality.

Not in my lifetime or yours will it happen.

Part of the reason I for one am back in the UK.

I hope this post doesn't get deleted it's how I read the situation. No harm intended.

I am in Thailand on a non-imm B visa and WP due to a skilled job with medical lasers but have often wondered of ways of staying in Thailand should my company decide that I was no longer needed in Thailand.

I could not see myself working for a Thai company and certainly not as an English teacher so that would probably limit me to becoming a bar/restaurant/shop owner.

Now I've often wondered how is it possible to have a visa and WP as a bar owner, so I was wondering if anybody could enlighten me as to what type of visa one would get to run a bar and how could you obtain a WP to it as I see it any Thai person could run a bar so I would have thought it would have been on the list of careers that falangs don't need to do ?

Hopefully somebody will be able to enlighten me, TIA.

Good question, well asked Paul. I too would like to know the answer to that question. Perhaps Pattayapete may have an answer, since he is in the process of opening a "beer garden" at the start of walking street in Pattaya. Hopefully some well informed TV member will illuminate us with a comprehensive answer.

What even confuses and puzzles me more is how all the Indian tailors get work permits and visas. Most are younger guys under 50 and they stand all day touting for business.

Maybe they should put up signs - Beware rapists and murderers.

I just think they need to come out of the dark ages where women are concerned. Everything is really heavily censored in Thailand. No nudity in magazines, arrested for playing cards etc etc.

It's the old East meets West culture and in the last two or three years the place is full of bikini strutting beautiful young Western Ladies walking around.

This doesn't sit easy with a lot of the locals.

Just last year Russian models and their crew were arrested for doing a fashion shoot at the City Hall offices. Locals complained how they were dressed.

But I don't see Thai girls dressed in bikinis on top of the trucks with loud music getting arrested! EVER.

I guess our culture and we don't go down too well in Thailand.

I just wish that travel companies would show some common sense and would be holidaymakers would wisen up to the possible dangers.

All one has to do is read the Pattaya News Clippings forum to see the number of assaults in that city as well.

I wonder, as tourist numbers increase, obviously the numbers of crimes against foreigners will rise but do you think that it is also a case of familiarity breeds contempt? It used to be that not so many tourists were attacked or murdered due to, perhaps, fear of the punishment, but now, with the ever increasing numbers of foreigners and tourists coming to the country, maybe with the increasing exposure tourists are viewed as less untouchable.

As someone who lived in Pattaya years ago for a long time I seen the rise in violence was proportionate to the rising tourist numbers.

Places like Pattaya attract the worst kind of Foreigners as ex-pats. A lot of them are crooks and swindlers. It also attracts the worst Thais also.

It is just a HUGE brothel and like any huge brothel the Mafai and killers are not far away.

I believe that the worst in Thai society is getting bolder regarding commiting crimes against Foreigners. Because of the Countries infrastructure, the lack of education and the Nationalism and outright racist views that exists in Thai culture the last thing they need is to see scantily clad Women parading on the beaches. That's the tipping point.

Problem is the tourist machine back Home is selling places lke Pattaya, Phuket as safe tranquil Paradises. And the young couples and Women are buying it.

Most Thai people are peace loving and genuinely warm. It's a pity that there isn't an honest Police force that puts a Foreigners rights in line with locals and starts DETERRING crime not coming away with stupid statements like that.

Even recently there was an Australian Women claimed she was raped in Pattaya and the Police claimed she made the story up and left without paying her hotel bill.

Could somebody tell me the name of a hotel in Pattaya where you don't pay up front the day you check in?

Choochart Suwannakom, commander of the national Tourist Police:

Choochart played down the recent killings, saying, "I believe security in Thailand is better than in many other countries." He also said that some of the attacks were occasioned by the behavior of the women themselves. Under a front-page photograph of a Western woman in a skimpy bikini, The Bangkok Post quoted Choochart as saying, "They tend to choose a quiet spot away from other people, take off the bikini and sunbathe. That's when the attackers strike."

It's an utter scandal what this @ssXc#@ said....

LaoPo

We in the west have disposed of any sense of responsibility. At the end of the day, we are all animals put on this planet to breed. You seem to expect that in other parts of the world from the usa people may see the removal of clothes and the exposure of sexual organs as anything other than sexual. If I waved my willy about on Patong beach I would be a child molester and criminal. If a woman exposes herself it seems to be a matter of "personal choice" and everybody elses fault around her if that is a problem.

What the hel_l else could exposure of the body be expected to bring about other than a stimualtion of the sexual organs of the viewer?

Would you have the same sypathy for me if I wandered round Sukhumvit road with 1,000,000 baht in notes strung round my neck in a chain and somebody robbed me.

This is a tragic and dispicable crime by any standards, but attacking Thais for suggesting that their opinions on the matter make them arseholeels if they don;t entirely correspond with westen thinking is a distraction from the crime.

This is not the US, and the populace are pretty conservative here. That inculdes many in the expat community, contrary to the opinions of some. Some people are entitled to their view that not exposing sexual organs may reduce the risk of exciting some wierdo (note, I did say wierdo!) and reduce the risk of the crime.

Can I call you an arsehollee on here if I disagree with something you say? Thought not! So don't try and come back at me saying I am excusing rape and any other standard responses you have to people of different opinions.

The she was asking for it idea doesn't wash any more. Crimes like these are terrible, and until Thai culture allows empowerment of women, Thai men will continue to be tittilated by the merest sign of flesh. As for wearing a bikini on a beach sunbathing, I believe it stimulates melanin.

Men in swimsuits don't spark gay rape, so obviously the idea that believing that the sign of a woman in bikini somehow sparking rape shows it is more associated with power and domination.

This so called conservative culture freely accepts rape of wifes', underage sex as long as it leads to marriage, the idea that sex with young girls promotes longevity, sexploitation, mia nois, the concept of daughters being the property of parents and all the other caveats that come with Thailand. This country is not conservative.

I am sure that the clothes police will be out in force for Songkran, wouldn't it be better to educate the impulsive and permissive males of this country at a young age to respect women better?

I absolutely agree.

I don't want to post what I posted when the last thread was closed but my wife's opinion of Thai Males is 100% correct going by the response of this tourist Police <deleted>.

Thailand is NOT SAFE FOR FOREIGN WOMEN.

hi to you all out there.

Can any one help me out on this one point please, i get two different answers from the UK immigration! my Thai wife has a two year settlement visa which expires June this year, only problem is that we both had five months out of the UK together (we went to Thailand and Lao) do i have to apply for further leave to remain to make up the five months we had out? or can we just go for the indefinite leave to remain visa ? we have jumped through all the other hoops just this one sticking point, thanks for any help. Michael.

I called immigration regarding this. I had read somewhere that 90 days a year was the maximum stay outside of the Country. Immigration said there are no minimum or maximum times.

In case you don't know the indefinite leave to remain now requires the applicant to have passed the life in the Uk test or passed an ESOL with citizenship at College.

http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/siteconte...ttlement/set(m)

From 2 April 2007 all applicants for indefinite leave to remain (settlement) will need to provide evidence that they have passed either the Life in the UK test or an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) which includes citizenship materials.

If they haven't passed this there's no Indefinite leave to remin. They will extend the leave to remain but according to the Home Office website this is going to end very soon.

I foresee a lot of legally Married people being kicked out the Uk while the Eastern Europeans claim the dole money and take all the Council houses.

Says a lot about the average IQ of the police force here when they were considering a reward for the murder suspect's family.

That is simply unprofessional, unacceptable, even more so that that the investigation isn`t even over and he hasn`t yet been found guilty.

How much are they planning on giving the dead victim`s family in compensation so far? Zero.

Calm down, TC.

They are "considering" whether to give the reward to the alleged murderer's family since his family gave them some key information that led to his arrest.

Nothing wrong in that - it may stop other men from doing the same if they know their family is aware of their unhealthy habits and would turn them in.

Lol...There would be a line ten miles long if all the Families could get money for their Thai Whiskey swigging no good offspring!

That's a ridiculous idea.

Money can't bring her back. Just a REAL effort to Police properly and make it safer for tourists.

First my condolences to the poor girl's family. It must be horrible to lose your daughter in such an evil way.

It takes one brainless idiot to do such harm.

I think that our perception of crime in Thailand is absolutely different than that of back home.

Back home when we have problems, we feel that in most cases we can fight it off. We have rights.

Here in Thailand, I am afraid we are rather helpless. We cannot stand up against the Thais, we cannot fight them, we cannot overcome them in court, etc.. We are in a weak position here, almost defenseless. And that's, in my opinion, the reason that most of us over perceive crime against farangs. Just a thought.

Why live there then?

One of the reasons I left a long time ago.

Let's hope they have the right Man and they get a grip on these crimes.

I think they see it more as a way to combat foreigners working illigaly in Thailand

Very true Robbloc. Then again, are farang working illegally stealing jobs from Thais ? I haven't seen to many farang taxi drivers, policemen, etc. around town. These rules keep getting tighter due to paranoid law makers more than anything else.

Yes, don't let farang buy land and houses if you must but why scare away people who spend money here ? I can see the Philippine government smiling from here. It will only benefit them.

What is wrong with farangs buying land? If I buy land than it is a Thai that is profiting from it. If I build or buy a house than it is a thai construction company with thai workers that are profiting from it. If I can afford a more expenseive house than it will be thais who get the money. What is wrong with that?

The paradox here for you (and many others amongst us) is that IF you were allowed to buy land, you wouldn't be able to buy land because big business would beat you too it and the prices would skyrocket overnight.

Probably easier - and certainly cheaper - for us to do it the hard way and let the missus hold it. It also keeps all the speculators and jack the lad "just bought some land and am builing a house on it. Gonna make a killing" in check.

Thailand needs big business. And i don't think the average house price would skyrocket at all.

look at the Philipino example. You put $50,000 - $75,000 in a time deposit for six Months and you can achieve a special residency permit for you, and your family.

And more inportantly you can own a Condo or Townhouse 100% with this visa.

And even if you didn't have that visa but were Married to a Filipino and She were to die, you WOULD be allowed to inherit the land and own it outright.

So so different in Thailand I'm afraid to say.

What is wrong with farangs buying land? If I buy land than it is a Thai that is profiting from it. If I build or buy a house than it is a thai construction company with thai workers that are profiting from it. If I can afford a more expenseive house than it will be thais who get the money. What is wrong with that?

When you boil it down, a country comes down to the land that it occupies. Companies can move to a different location, people can move, cultures can move, but the land is always there. If you sell your land to foreign nationals, you are selling your country piece by piece. The US bought Alaska from the Russians and it became part of the US. The US bought the Louisiana Territory (most of the middle part of the US) from the French. Your land is what defines your country. That is why countries fight wars, for the land.

People from Falangland, China, Japan, etc.. have much more money than Thailand does. They could come in and buy the whole country if they wanted. What happens when 50% of the land is owned by other countries? 75%?

If a foreign person wants to control the land there are instruments available to allow them to do that, but the ownership still remains in the hands of a Thai, as it should. I believe this for any country. US land only owned by US citizens, UK land only owned by UK citizens, Japanese land only owned by Japanese. Plus there should be some benefit to being a citizen of a country. In the US, pretty much the only difference between my wife (permanent resident) and me (citizen) is I get to vote. Otherwise she has all the rights of a citizen of the US.

In some parts of the Uk they are crying out for foreign land owners to come in and INVEST in high unemployment blackspots.

They even let a regular topic of this board (Thaksin) spend 70 Million ££ and buy a football club.

Most of the Penthouses and famous addresses in London are owned by Arabs. Not to mention a lot of the Scottish Islands themselves.

These people pour big money into the area.

Ever noticed in Thailand once you drive out into the Countryside how baron and desolate and POOR the whole place looks. There's no Foreign investment in these areas.

If they really wanted they could allow foriegn land ownership up to a certain plot size and introduce a Foreign yearly land tax or such. Generating Billions of baht for their own economy.