bravingbangkok

I do not think it has any one image, it is a more of a country that has a flavour for everyone.

For most expats Thailand is one of many temp experiances in life - they comes and they goes, but at the end of the day , most eventually go........

At least youre going with family & fortune intact (many don't).

All the best for the future.

Good post.

I have just had a morning of being laughed at and ripped off on no less then two occasions in the space of an hour.

I will not bother with the details but to am extremely please to hear the outcome of this story.

That is exactly what makes the language so amazing, no other language has evolved like English has. English has the biggest vocab of any language and there are new words being created constantly.

I saw a brilliant episode of Johnny Ross and Stephen Fry in relation to the English language, well it is not all about it but there is a part where he puts things into perspective, here is the link.

I think this is the one, my net is working slower than it should, thanks true, but I am sure it is.

PS.most of it is on part 2 of this interview.

"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:"Britons never will be slaves."

French is the language of love and that is about it.

More people speak English as a second language then any other language.

English is the language of business.

We rule.

Name and shame !

You just don't get it and likely never will.

I do not know what is wrong with you my friend. Is it that hard to accept that people do not always agree with you. Once again your comment is typical narrowminded one liner which you start shooting out at the point when you do not have anything else left. But then again, looking at your nick...

I second that, Jr there is no need talk to people like that. Just because a few of us do not agree with you it does not mean we are wrong. MJo this forum is full of one liners that when backed into a corner start with the personal comments.

The first bundle of joy my wife had a placenta previa and they tried to say stay at the hopsital for 3 days first at a charge of about 18 000 extra and then see if the little one sorts herself out. Rang Dr Grandpa and he said not to faff around and get the kid out.

Private hospitals always try the delaying tactic, they can be so cheeky. Once my eldest got very dehydrated and had to go on an IV for 2 days, when ti was time to go the Dr said she woud prefer her to stay another 24hrs, I said why she said just procautinary and then said maipenrai the insurance pay you not pay and giggles to herslef ?????????? urhhhhhhhhhhhh

50 000-60 000 for each of my girls c section 3 days.

Also you all need to remember that this country is about face, the guy can say all this patriotic talk but no one will know if he actually ever puts it into action, even if it is put into action it will not be acted on ever and will then be taken out of action as quickly as it went it.

The PM went to Eton for Christ sake, The princes two sons went to Harrow how pro western do you want ?????????

In their eyes your daughter is half Thai (the good half)!

wrong.

I'm "half" Thai. Quotation marks becase my grandfather was born in Shanghai, by my Grandmother is of burmese decent. My fathers side, all Irish.

They are "1/4" Thai. But you couldn't tell they had an asian gene between them. Most people reckon their Thai grandmother is their nanny.

You are half Thai... but you still feel like an expat and hang out on expat forum? Is that because you dont feel accepted here as a Thai then? Sorry if I am jumping to conclusions...

Let me put it another way.... when did some government policy make us feel WELCOME here, or when did they do something to make it EASIER for us to come here (no need to mention temporarily giving free tourist visas or waiving enterance fee to national parks)

interesting question. But yes, I feel very welcome here. Never had any agro from government officials, most are accomadating and helpful. Worked for the Thai government for three years.

why do I spend my time here? maybe to help dispel myths...most people don't have a clue what they are talking about, can not speak or read Thai, don't know their rights, couldn't read a piece of legislation to save themselves. And they don't know how rules are made here. So they tend to be come jaded and cynical and paranoid. I would too if I was living in a world where I didn't have a clue what was going on.

Can more be done immigration wise for people like you, yes? Especially if you have family.

BTW: I doubt the government can confiscate the property. Worse they could do is reverse the transaction. There is a caveat to your paranoia though, the government officer who shot his mouth off wasn't fully quoted. Sign the form which states that house isn't common marriage property, and they can't do a dot about it.

Dude I so totally agree, I am myself thinking of getting some of my Thai/Farang friends who have grown up here, st Johns, Patana etc etc schools on here just to tell them how ridiculous all of this scarmongering is.

As I said before crossbones I totally agree with the facts you have given and understand where you and a lot of people are coming from with relation to this subject, my stance is that I do not feel threatened, never have and never will.

I think all this talk is just patriotic bullshit which is aimed at trying to bring the country together, I very much doubt the guy behind this farang buying land for wife thing is directly pointing the finger at the average Joe in Issan but rather trying to build some sort of social unity again after Thaksin sold off various Thai assets to Singapore.

This is all it is, patriotic rhetoric.

Judging from some peoples comments they probably think all Thai's are given a yearly brief on updated farang rules, what we can do and what we cannot do and what to look out for and a number to report us hahaha

Didnt you know ?...its true...every BG in Pattaya, Nana and Patpong has a 24 hours toll free number they can call...

and an instruction book on how to fake a suicide.

+ "The Idiots guide to Sin Sot"

A-Z of buffalo illnesses

Judging from some peoples comments they probably think all Thai's are given a yearly brief on updated farang rules, what we can do and what we cannot do and what to look out for and a number to report us hahaha

Didnt you know ?...its true...every BG in Pattaya, Nana and Patpong has a 24 hours toll free number they can call...

and an instruction book on how to fake a suicide.

People like Bravingbangkok and Spysee are selective when it comes to looking at all the facts. Throw facts back at them and they either disappear or make even more illogical or badly thought out comments.

whose a big man behind his computer then. CR you are a waste of my and most people's time so just hush and keep the personal comments to the kiddies section of TV.

From JR Texas to Bravingbangkok: Who is CR? If you meant JR Texas, I was not the one who originally made this comment: "People like Bravingbangkok and Spysee are selective when it comes to looking at all the facts. Throw facts back at them and they either disappear or make even more illogical or badly thought out comments."

Sorry I meant 'CAF', Sorry bro my apologies.

So let me reiterate CAF is the muppet and not JR Tex

Your comments really do not deserve a response. And you still refuse to compare the situation in 1999 to now.....wonder why?

But for those who are interested, this link might be instructive:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/forum/viewtopic...f=29&t=2120

This is a fact........interpret it any way you want.

And this in contrast to the past, when Thai women who married foreigners were not allowed to own any property at all. So, in this case it's gotten better, not worse. So sorry it doesn't fit your argument this time. Try again. Oh, and this article is about a law that has already been in existence, and it's there to be abused by the officials, but frankly I think many can attest here (perhaps they don't want to) that they have had no problem giving money to their wives and then having the wife buy property. It happens way too often to be controlled, and is one of those huge gray areas that can be exploited either way.

In the past you purchased property via a company.......that situation changed (two years ago?) causing major problems. I do not remember a Thai official from the Land Dept. ever coming out and publicly proclaiming that the property can and will be seized.....that is a major change in attitude. As I said, interpret it as you like.........statements like that, however, are making many of us very uncomfortable.....not just me.

Look JR it is pointless in listing fact after fact after fact just to prove what we already know and that is that you think Thai's are out to get us, that is your opinion and you are perfectly entitled to have it.

I for one do not have the time to argue over this topic as from my view point I continue to make lots of money, be accepted socially and able to maintain a relationship with many Thai's. Now if you cannot seem to do any of that then maybe you should think about leaving.

Best wishes, BravingBangkok

I get the down points of Thailand and I have traveled well enough to know that this is the same everywhere you go. What I cannot understand is when people honestly think that the Thai gov is out to get us ????

The west and Thailand have a long history together and I do not see why they would suddenly throw us out, I put it to you that if you have been thrown out or are in the future, did you deserve it ? probably yes. There are hundreds of things that annoy me about this country but I have never felt like everyone loathes me as I walk down the street, of course you are going to get the odd patriotic Thai but they do not control the country thank God, the big man does and he along with the rest of them have a very good personal relationship with the west, always have.

Yes there are a lot of problems in Thailand and yes we are often on the wrong end of fairness but in no way are the Thai's thinking up some evil scheme as we chat away on TV to throw us out and claim all our assets. That theory really is crazy

Couldn't agree more.

Totally disagree.........you said it is "the same everywhere you go." No, it is not the same and that is why so many expats have left Thailand for better places and others are contemplating it.

The bulk of the visa/business rule changes that have taken place in Thailand over the past ten years are based on xenophobia and not security.

At times it does seem like somebody is making changes to the system in order to "throw us out."

Most recently a high ranking govt. official proclaimed that it is illegal for a foreign spouse of a Thai wife to use his money to buy property (land, house, etc)........he went on to say that such property could be seized by the government.

Is that part of a plan to seize our assets?

In no other country would such a policy stand. If that happened in the United States, a collective class action lawsuit would ensue and the person who made the statement would no longer be employed by the government.

How long before we all get kicked out? I don't think there will ever be a time when "all of us will be kicked out." But Thailand is no longer expat friendly and the situation continues to get worse each year.

People like Bravingbangkok and Spysee are selective when it comes to looking at all the facts. Throw facts back at them and they either disappear or make even more illogical or badly thought out comments.

whose a big man behind his computer then. CR you are a waste of my and most people's time so just hush and keep the personal comments to the kiddies section of TV.

I have not witnessed or experienced any of this mistreatment by Thais or Thai government. But apparently others have. Is this because of where they live? Perhaps it is like that in Bangkok. I rarely go there so I don't know. People are always very friendly and respectful here towards me. Even the police. Really I have to admit I don't know what OP is talking about. Perhaps he has an attitude which is offensive to people. I am not saying this as I do not know the perrson. I am only trying to understand why some farangs have problems and others do not. One thing I am sure of is that Thailand is not about to kick out the foreigners. I think that idea is ridiculous and found no evidence to support this theory in this whole discussion.

I think you may be onto something here. I lived in Isaan for many years, running a business. The department of labour who issue work permits were very easy to deal with in Surin. Immigration were very helpful. Tax offices and amphur offices were easy to deal with. I won a custody case in the courts there. I since moved to korat, which were slightly stricter and now live in Bangkok where the system seems more difficult and timely. I can not tell if that is due to passage of time and new regulations. Or to do with the location.

I agree that if you meet the required criteria then you should not have a problem anywhere in Thailand. But it seems the more rural areas are more accomadating. Perhaps this is a sign that they appreciate the wealth that foreginers bring into the area more.

I suspect it is a case of living in the country, everyone tends to know each other, and treats each other more friendly. Isn't this the same world over? Sounds like you are an agreeable person.

Move to the big smoke, well everything is a bit more impersonal, but I dare say you'll 'survive'......

Yes. I've been living in the smoke (BKK) for alomst a year now. Much prefer it. Grew up in London so no biggy. On my soi there are a mix of Thais. The Isaaners seem to never work, sit outside gossip. The Thai Chinese are friendly and spend most of the time working or cleaning their cars. The Bangkok or central Thais seem the most friendly of the bunch. I think most Thais wouldn't have a clue about the restrictions with immigration, working, land ownership that farangs face. Why should they?

I like the point about the average Thai not having a clue about immigration policy and business rules for foreigners, judging from some peoples comments they probably think all Thai's are given a yearly brief on updated farang rules, what we can do and what we cannot do and what to look out for and a number to report us hahaha

I was certain there was some sort of fraternity type initiation where the Chinese brothers poor rice wine down your throat, stab a bull to death, paint your face red and then head over to Poseidon.

555555555555

Marrying a Chinese lady involves marrying their whole family. Although it is less likely that their family will ask you to pay to repair their house and crap like that, they do expect other things from you. This varies from family to family. The ugly side of Chinese culture is some families tend to be overly materialistic and if you do not measure up financially, you might not get accepted.

It is best if you can find a Chinese woman that does not really listen to their crappy family's nonsense. Most Chinese people listen to their parents and try to please them even if they ask them to do nonsensical things.

Maybe we should start a poll here. I believe, Chinese or not, most girls listen to their parents, especially their mother.

Am I right or not ?

Agreed but more in Asia then western women who tend to become very independent from their families when they marry.

One thing the Thai's would benefit from doing would be to build a new high speed train network connecting all major provinces and province capitals.

Transport is one major issue I have with Thailand, how I would love to have a fully integrated undergorund network in the city and the above. High speed trains would be such an asset to this country, who the fu7ck wants to take a plane journey of 4hrs when you only spend 30mins of that actually on the plane above the clouds. A speedy, comfortable and affordable high speed train whizzing though the Thai countryside up north and down by the coast when going to the south.

I am Chinese Singaporean but I find Chinese Thais more Thai than Chinese. Most Chinese in Thais are Teochews, who are known among Chinese people to be show offs. They can be very "class conscious" people and only hangout with people they consider to be high class enough for them. Usually, they marry other Chinese and avoid the darker-skinned Thais.

The typical Chinese Thai lady would be a spoilt brat. They live with their parents and their parents provide everything that they can possibly want. With this type of upbringing, you would not expect her to be independent. They want someone to give them the life that they want.

My other gripe about Chinese women in general is they tend to me immature compared to Western women. Put a 25 year old farang lady beside a 25 year old Chinese lady and you will see a huge difference. Maybe I am too used to it but for farangs, it may be exotic and attractive. I just can't stand grown women speaking in squeeky voices trying to act like little girls and carrying cute stuff like hello kitty crap etc etc. It seems like a typical 25 year old farang woman would have grown out of crap like that before they hit 15...

Despite all of this.. I recently met a Chinese or should I say Taiwanese lady. She has none of the crap I have mentioned. This lady's special. It is possible to meet nice, independent and mature Chinese women but they are RARE.

Good post and I would agree that Thai Chinese are completely different to Chinese Singaporean women who are fascinating and very driven women. Thai Chinese women play the field way too much and basically marry the highest bidder, there are a lot of arranged marriages in Thailand which I doubt too many know about but they do still exist in great numbers.

As someone mentioned earlier, when marrying into a Thai Chinese family you are not only marrying the women but also into the family politics and this can be a hair pulling time at best and shotgun in the mouth time at worst.