How Many Have Left Los

[griser]

I've never before considered going back home. I have a wife and child here! but I recently heard the news about the two foreign teachers that were jailed for not having real certs.... thats scares the hel_l out of me! they were given 3 months jail terms for teaching kids English!!!!

What else is this Xenophobic goverment capable of? I for one don't want to find out.

I thought as you all did that the Thaksin goverment was bad news for Foreigners but this new goverment makes them look tame in comparison!

Even tho I have a degree and am legal it still makes me think that this country isnt safe to be in anymore, at least not for Farangs.

The negatives about Thailand are piling up an all the positives are drying up. I've already made plans to leave even though I DON"T want to. Its just too scary here.

Greg

Edited January 25, 2007 by griser

[taxexile]

a friend of mine who has 4 condos let out to falangs , has had 2 contracts broken in the past month by falangs saying they cant get a visa to stay. they had both previously been here for many years.

i have no idea whether these falangs are the right kind of falang or the wrong kind of falang , but they told my friend that they had had enough of jumping through hoops here to satisfy immigration and the labour department and were moving out. they closed down their small businesses and three thais lost their jobs.

one moved to japan and one to malaysia.

hardly an exodus , but maybe indicative of a trend.

[Heng]

but I recently heard the news about the two foreign teachers that were jailed for not having real certs.... thats scares the hel_l out of me! they were given 3 months jail terms for teaching kids English!!!!

Sounds more like getting jail terms for fraud, but it certainly sounds more dramatic the way you put it.

[chuchok]

a friend of mine who has 4 condos let out to falangs , has had 2 contracts broken in the past month by falangs saying they cant get a visa to stay. they had both previously been here for many years.

i have no idea whether these falangs are the right kind of falang or the wrong kind of falang , but they told my friend that they had had enough of jumping through hoops here to satisfy immigration and the labour department and were moving out. they closed down their small businesses and three thais lost their jobs.

one moved to japan and one to malaysia.

hardly an exodus , but maybe indicative of a trend.

I suspect that for every bad egg that leaves, one of the people in the catagory above will as well.The "jumping through hoops" thingie just might have the desired effect that the Thai government want.

[Farma]

I was present when a long term resident was jumping through these hoops recently. He is an under 50 teacher with a Thai wife.

He had gone to the border to renew his visa but failed to meet the criteria. He thought he'd have to leave.

The immigration officer was very helpful and asked his wife if they had a business and suggested he apply for a visa on the 40,000 Baht a month system. The officer then recommended his wife transfer the mother in laws business into the wife’s name to meet the requirements.

This same officer gave a 7 day extension until things could be arranged. The officer also phoned on a number of occasions in the following days offering help.

The guy followed the recommendation and after a couple of hiccups now has his visa.

I don't know anyone who's left due to the new requirements.

[chuchok]

I was present when a long term resident was jumping through these hoops recently. He is an under 50 teacher with a Thai wife.

He had gone to the border to renew his visa but failed to meet the criteria. He thought he'd have to leave.

The immigration officer was very helpful and asked his wife if they had a business and suggested he apply for a visa on the 40,000 Baht a month system. The officer then recommended his wife transfer the mother in laws business into the wife’s name to meet the requirements.

This same officer gave a 7 day extension until things could be arranged. The officer also phoned on a number of occasions in the following days offering help.

The guy followed the recommendation and after a couple of hiccups now has his visa.

I don't know anyone who's left due to the new requirements.

Love it when I hear stories like this!What a top bloke.

[dgoz]

I was present when a long term resident was jumping through these hoops recently. He is an under 50 teacher with a Thai wife.

He had gone to the border to renew his visa but failed to meet the criteria. He thought he'd have to leave.

The immigration officer was very helpful and asked his wife if they had a business and suggested he apply for a visa on the 40,000 Baht a month system. The officer then recommended his wife transfer the mother in laws business into the wife’s name to meet the requirements.

This same officer gave a 7 day extension until things could be arranged. The officer also phoned on a number of occasions in the following days offering help.

The guy followed the recommendation and after a couple of hiccups now has his visa.

I don't know anyone who's left due to the new requirements.

He was a teacher with a Thai wife and he still couldn't get a visa ?!?!?

I was thinking about paying a considerable sum to do a TEFL course and help these people out by teaching English for a pittance of a salary.

The question must be why help out people who don't want you here? I'll give somewhere else a try.

I'm calling for all Farangs to pull there economic and intellectual investments out of Thailand, just for a laugh, and see what happens. (judging by the stock market in recent weeks, a lot already have)

[dgoz]

a friend of mine who has 4 condos let out to falangs , has had 2 contracts broken in the past month by falangs saying they cant get a visa to stay. they had both previously been here for many years.

i have no idea whether these falangs are the right kind of falang or the wrong kind of falang , but they told my friend that they had had enough of jumping through hoops here to satisfy immigration and the labour department and were moving out. they closed down their small businesses and three thais lost their jobs.

one moved to japan and one to malaysia.

hardly an exodus , but maybe indicative of a trend.

I suspect that for every bad egg that leaves, one of the people in the catagory above will as well.The "jumping through hoops" thingie just might have the desired effect that the Thai government want.

Nope.

As you can see from the above posts they're also making it very hard for people who I'd say are " desireable". A teacher who is married to a Thai.

[JRinger]

It's a sad state of affairs for many foreigner's living here in Thailand who have spent their life savings on houses for their Thai family and after living in the Kingdom for many years suddenly find themselves in an awkward situation. Many who have cut their roots, sold their houses, possessions, etc., from their home countries and not having the funds to begin another life in another country. Many who are well over the retirement age requirement but do not have or qualify for the minimum pension requirements in order to satisfy the government's regulations for obtaining a visa.

I have a neighbor who is 63 years old, married for 23 years to the same gal, raised her children, sent them through school, etc., etc., but doesn't have a retirement income nor the minimum bank balance and now can not get a visa to stay here with his family. He has no where to go and no funds to get there. He is also recovering from a recent heart attack and not really in the mode for backpacking. He spent many years teaching English to the local kids for free in his house but because of the fear of being jailed or deported he no longer does this.

On the other hand, if one is Thai, you can do just about whatever you want as far as business goes; set up a restaurant on wheels, sell used vehicles, loan money, etc., etc. I know of a contractor on the Island who has been building for one of the biggest property developers and doesn't have a company doesn't have any kind of building license and has never paid any taxes on all the money he's made for the past 15 years. He drives a mercedes, travels all around the world and all the houses he builds are for foreigner's who can't get a visa to stay in their overprised houses for more than half the year if they are not over fifty.

Myself, I have been here many years also and don't really like the political climate anymore as well as the thin-coated "go home farang" signs becoming more apparent. I do hope things change for the better although I'm not as optimistic as I once was in regards to the "Land of Smiles" and "Mai Pen Rai".

I read in the Laos newspaper some time ago, a statement made by a government official who claimed Thailand was a "greedy free-for-all". Something that can be seen on the highways throughout the country; road courtesy? where? Someone once said to me, if you really want to understand the Thai mentality, just drive on the roads and highways for awhile.

I also recently read an article written in the Cambodian Times regarding the present PM's "excess wealth". Between him and his wife they have 90 million baht in the bank, quite a bit for a public servant.

(i will try to find that article as I know some will want the reference) but we all know how honest and dedicated most politicans are in helping to make life better for all it's citizens, most especially, the education system.

One last word of gratitude for this site, for without it, many of us wouldn't know what's really going on in the Land of Smiles...

[Pattayatony]

Myself, I have been here many years also and don't really like the political climate anymore as well as the thin-coated "go home farang" signs becoming more apparent. I do hope things change for the better although I'm not as optimistic as I once was in regards to the "Land of Smiles" and "Mai Pen Rai".

I read in the Laos newspaper some time ago, a statement made by a government official who claimed Thailand was a "greedy free-for-all". Something that can be seen on the highways throughout the country; road courtesy? where? Someone once said to me, if you really want to understand the Thai mentality, just drive on the roads and highways for awhile.

I Agree with you about this. I know 6 that have moved out and I will be going within a couple of months, decision made. I also know some that will be moving on once they can sell their houses and condos etc. I dont have a visa problem but Im just fed up with the changing of the rules all of the time and the Thai attitude I have also been here a long time and its not the place it use to be. Foreigners are not wanted here any longer only their money.

I will not be leaving thaivisa.com it can be a great source of information.

Cheers Tony

Edited January 25, 2007 by Pattayatony

[jinjok]

thailand has always been indifferent to foreigners living in their midst. they have not necc be unwelcoming of foreign influence though...

i have lived in/out of asia and thailand for 15 years. in all countries its been stamps, tourist or business visas. i have never seen it a worthwhile effort to establish myself. i love to travel and th eneed to leave thailand has always been an opportunity to see the rest of asia. thailand until recently (as i am older) been a mere r/r stop. beer, babes, beaches.

**what do they do? those that never fit in, 'became asian', enjoyed the region/food/mayhem, deal with the heat... <they go home.

i simply move on.

thailand has been great. cheap golf, whisky, rooms, babes, seafood > but now as i am u.s. thailand is not only unwelcoming, it is 25% more expensive than a few short years ago and this is only the currency. add to it the price rises. was a time i could cite prices of 200 common items within one baht. that was how stable the currency was.

but i move on.

my love of asia and FREEDOM does not die

you guys can 'go back home'

asia is home and i feel like a freak the 2 mos a year i visit my parents - and RUN back to asia.

june-oct < hiking in himalaya

oct-dec < goa

dec-april < thai-lao-cambo

april/may < usa

or there is philippines, vietnam... i love asia. im sure many guys can speak to e.europe an dcentral america as well.

it will be most difficult to leave the superb value for money, THAT is the hardest part. ive been having a blast for b18000 a month for years. 20k including golf off season.

PS: i no longer consider myself based in thailand (so ive 'left' already), i have two friends who just dont know where to go. one who has been in asia longer than i even would like to go home (uk) if he could find interesting work (only requirement! [has home in spain]). he has gone from loving pattaya (15yrs ago) to loathing it. every friend i have (expat) in thailand save for one drunk who lives on his balcony and has health problems wants to go...

>>>its happening and has been for years, but thailand/asia has been flooded with freshies. now freshies tire of the bureaucracy, incompetence and arbitraryness of everything (its asia!). but its never been worse with the computer tracking...

the thing is PEOPLE LEAVE. they dont come back to this lame board and type tirelessly about why. in fact, half the board like good little lemming chime....GOOD. 'if you dont like it go, please' or 'bye'bye (thats famous here).

its not too much for persons that can support themselves from a developed country wish to have an ez time with visa in an undeveloped country. sheeet even malaysia gives 90 days on entry. i have a TEN YEAR MULTIPLE VISA to india. central america is very ez for visas. this is not too much to ask from a corrupt, financial loser like thailand.

and btw 10,000,000 (has alwasy been phony #) - that includes package tourists and visa runners AND watch TAT skew the # next year when the actual # must be at least <20% due to: expat leaving, coup, bombs, baht increase, etc...

xenophobia or incompetance??? thailand has decided to toss all the foreigners out becasue they are too stupid to ascertain who are bums and who are decent folk. there are 1001 things that can be done to disallow foreigners to engage in illegal businesses. it is pure insanity that old men who have supported thai women -and their kids which their no-good thai husbands cannot and the thanks they get is a boot up their arse. id be hoppin' mad.

Edited January 26, 2007 by jinjok

[bendix]

I'm calling for all Farangs to pull there economic and intellectual investments out of Thailand, just for a laugh, and see what happens. (judging by the stock market in recent weeks, a lot already have)

Suggestion duly noted and completely ignored dgoz, but thanks for the idea.

If you took your 'intellectual investment' out of Thailand, would anyone notice?

[Vespa]

I'm calling for all Farangs to pull there economic and intellectual investments out of Thailand, just for a laugh, and see what happens. (judging by the stock market in recent weeks, a lot already have)

Suggestion duly noted and completely ignored dgoz, but thanks for the idea.

If you took your 'intellectual investment' out of Thailand, would anyone notice?

If "we" all did , they would.

[jumnien]

Promises, promises and more promises. Farang always promise that they are moving out because of this or that - I've been hearing these rants for the last 9 years. The fact remains that when I moved to Hua Hin there were a few hundred farang now there are a few thousand easily and growing rapidly. Same with friends in Isaan. Years ago they were living in remote villages with only thais, now there are farang all over the place up there and many farang houses being built. The truth is that not only are farang not leaving en masse, but that the numbers are not going down at all. Sure some are leaving, but two come to take there place!

[bendix]

Promises, promises and more promises. Farang always promise that they are moving out because of this or that - I've been hearing these rants for the last 9 years. The fact remains that when I moved to Hua Hin there were a few hundred farang now there are a few thousand easily and growing rapidly. Same with friends in Isaan. Years ago they were living in remote villages with only thais, now there are farang all over the place up there and many farang houses being built. The truth is that not only are farang not leaving en masse, but that the numbers are not going down at all. Sure some are leaving, but two come to take there place!

And the only people who are going to miss the ones that are leaving are the landlords of 5000 apartments, the visa run operators and the bar owners who put on free Friday night buffets.

So . . . the laws have worked perfectly, haven't they?

[samran]

I'm calling for all Farangs to pull there economic and intellectual investments out of Thailand, just for a laugh, and see what happens. (judging by the stock market in recent weeks, a lot already have)

Suggestion duly noted and completely ignored dgoz, but thanks for the idea.

If you took your 'intellectual investment' out of Thailand, would anyone notice?

then the average IQ of Thailand would surely rise....

boom boom.

With thanks to Piggy Muldoon for that line.

[tropo]

With the new visa regs, many running around predicting THE SKY IS FALLING, THE SKY IS FALLING!.

Any one know approximately how many long term ex-pats have actually packed up and left LOS because of the new visa regs?

I'll be out soon. tick-tock-tick-tock....

Even with the possibility of getting tourist visas in Penang and KL, it's not known for sure whether 3 x 30 days stamps followed by a tourist visa followed by 30 day stamps will be tolerated.

The whole process is very cumbersome, time consuming and expensive....tick-tock-tick-tock....

[chuchok]

Promises, promises and more promises. Farang always promise that they are moving out because of this or that - I've been hearing these rants for the last 9 years. The fact remains that when I moved to Hua Hin there were a few hundred farang now there are a few thousand easily and growing rapidly. Same with friends in Isaan. Years ago they were living in remote villages with only thais, now there are farang all over the place up there and many farang houses being built. The truth is that not only are farang not leaving en masse, but that the numbers are not going down at all. Sure some are leaving, but two come to take there place!

And the only people who are going to miss the ones that are leaving are the landlords of 5000 apartments, the visa run operators and the bar owners who put on free Friday night buffets.

So . . . the laws have worked perfectly, haven't they?

Not when some of the 'decent' people that have built houses and raised children etc here decide to go.Not that you would give a rats arse though.

[Heng]

If "we" all did , they would.

Actually if "you" did have a little more unity, none of this would be an issue. You'd have your own special interest groups influencing those who make the rules... just like anywhere else in the world. It's still not too late to start you know.

[terry57]

I've never before considered going back home. I have a wife and child here! but I recently heard the news about the two foreign teachers that were jailed for not having real certs.... thats scares the hel_l out of me! they were given 3 months jail terms for teaching kids English!!!!

What else is this Xenophobic goverment capable of? I for one don't want to find out.

I thought as you all did that the Thaksin goverment was bad news for Foreigners but this new goverment makes them look tame in comparison!

Even tho I have a degree and am legal it still makes me think that this country isnt safe to be in anymore, at least not for Farangs.

The negatives about Thailand are piling up an all the positives are drying up. I've already made plans to leave even though I DON"T want to. Its just too scary here.

Greg

why do you possibly consider that los is to scary for you if you are perfectly 100% legal .?

its a nonsense to me, as you dont have a thing to worry about except enjoying your wife, kids and thailand.

you say that you DONT want to leave thailand but you will, because of a few changes in the law that does not effect you,

its rediculous, and the only people that are complaining on this thread are the ones that are either illegal or cannot meet the regulations.

all i would like to say is that all country's have there standards that foreigners must meet and why should thailand be any different?

try working outside the rules in any western country and see how far you get.

come to australia and play that game, you go straight into immigration detention to await deportation.

for some reason a few people think that because this is thailand they dont have to play by thai rules.

sorry people but you must abide by thai law if you want to stay in thailand.

end of story.

[terry57]

Promises, promises and more promises. Farang always promise that they are moving out because of this or that - I've been hearing these rants for the last 9 years. The fact remains that when I moved to Hua Hin there were a few hundred farang now there are a few thousand easily and growing rapidly. Same with friends in Isaan. Years ago they were living in remote villages with only thais, now there are farang all over the place up there and many farang houses being built. The truth is that not only are farang not leaving en masse, but that the numbers are not going down at all. Sure some are leaving, but two come to take there place!

And the only people who are going to miss the ones that are leaving are the landlords of 5000 apartments, the visa run operators and the bar owners who put on free Friday night buffets.

So . . . the laws have worked perfectly, haven't they?

Not when some of the 'decent' people that have built houses and raised children etc here decide to go.Not that you would give a rats arse though.

why would people leave if they have a wife, kids and a house here.?

very easy to meet the visa regulation under those conditions and there must be more to the story.

instead of attacking bendix how about telling us exactly why they left town.

please dont throw up the xenophobia issue as thats in the mind of the beholder.

there's always 2 sides to the story so lets hear it.

i hope its a very good story.

i dont believe that people who really want to be in los, get up and leave, unless they have been thinking about it anyway.

just one more thing, some people are saying they may leave because they cant afford the new cost related to visa's.

how they going to get on going back into the real world.?

[rogerinthai]

And the only people who are going to miss the ones that are leaving are the landlords of 5000 apartments, the visa run operators and the bar owners who put on free Friday night buffets.

So . . . the laws have worked perfectly, haven't they?

Not when some of the 'decent' people that have built houses and raised children etc here decide to go.Not that you would give a rats arse though.

Spot on. They aren't getting fat salaries from multinationals or don't belong to your clique? F-ck them. Typical approach of some posters here.

[chuchok]

Promises, promises and more promises. Farang always promise that they are moving out because of this or that - I've been hearing these rants for the last 9 years. The fact remains that when I moved to Hua Hin there were a few hundred farang now there are a few thousand easily and growing rapidly. Same with friends in Isaan. Years ago they were living in remote villages with only thais, now there are farang all over the place up there and many farang houses being built. The truth is that not only are farang not leaving en masse, but that the numbers are not going down at all. Sure some are leaving, but two come to take there place!

And the only people who are going to miss the ones that are leaving are the landlords of 5000 apartments, the visa run operators and the bar owners who put on free Friday night buffets.

So . . . the laws have worked perfectly, haven't they?

Not when some of the 'decent' people that have built houses and raised children etc here decide to go.Not that you would give a rats arse though.

why would people leave if they have a wife, kids and a house here.?

very easy to meet the visa regulation under those conditions and there must be more to the story.

instead of attacking bendix how about telling us exactly why they left town.

please dont throw up the xenophobia issue as thats in the mind of the beholder.

there's always 2 sides to the story so lets hear it.

i hope its a very good story.

i dont believe that people who really want to be in los, get up and leave, unless they have been thinking about it anyway.

just one more thing, some people are saying they may leave because they cant afford the new cost related to visa's.

how they going to get on going back into the real world.?

Terry,sometimes I actually wonder if you read any of these posts.read some of the other posts.The xenophobia thingie is alive and well,even if you chose not to acknowledge it.Anyway,that is beside the point.have a read at some of the genuine posts here...

BTW,I did not say that people would leave their wife and kids here.assumption again?

[brahmburgers]

I have a small circle of farang friends here in northernmost Thailand. Out of ten, two are leaving for sure and five others are seriously considering it.

As for new farang taking their place (figuretively); in the course of my realty biz, I used to get about 20 serious inquiries per month for properties. Now I get about 5 per month.

[rogerinthai]

If "we" all did , they would.

Actually if "you" did have a little more unity, none of this would be an issue. You'd have your own special interest groups influencing those who make the rules... just like anywhere else in the world. It's still not too late to start you know.

Interesting. Do you recall some threads that started about a year ago in this forum regarding Foreigners Rights in Thailand and starting organizations to lobby for them? The mods thought those subjects are inapproriate for this forum and the threads were all closed.

I can understand why. It will be ever so easy for Thailand to block any sites lobbying, blacklist everyone related, not renew their visas and send them home.

Edited January 26, 2007 by rogerinthai

[davidjtayler]

Promises, promises and more promises. Farang always promise that they are moving out because of this or that - I've been hearing these rants for the last 9 years. The fact remains that when I moved to Hua Hin there were a few hundred farang now there are a few thousand easily and growing rapidly. Same with friends in Isaan. Years ago they were living in remote villages with only thais, now there are farang all over the place up there and many farang houses being built. The truth is that not only are farang not leaving en masse, but that the numbers are not going down at all. Sure some are leaving, but two come to take there place!

And the only people who are going to miss the ones that are leaving are the landlords of 5000 apartments, the visa run operators and the bar owners who put on free Friday night buffets.

So . . . the laws have worked perfectly, haven't they?

Not when some of the 'decent' people that have built houses and raised children etc here decide to go.Not that you would give a rats arse though.

why would people leave if they have a wife, kids and a house here.?

very easy to meet the visa regulation under those conditions and there must be more to the story.

instead of attacking bendix how about telling us exactly why they left town.

please dont throw up the xenophobia issue as thats in the mind of the beholder.

there's always 2 sides to the story so lets hear it.

i hope its a very good story.

i dont believe that people who really want to be in los, get up and leave, unless they have been thinking about it anyway.

just one more thing, some people are saying they may leave because they cant afford the new cost related to visa's.

how they going to get on going back into the real world.?

Valid points Terry

Maybe the people who are threatening to leave should look at themselves a little more closely instead of throwing the blame upon all and sundry around them.

All we seem to hear is whinging and whining from disatisfied negatively minded people and as is par for the course the whining is making all the noise and all the headlines.

I can testify for myself and all of my mates here in the LOS that we are not going anywhere and there are lots of foreign people quietly getting on with their lives legally and positively as they always have been.

As always perception is the key .. is the cup half full or half empty .... its half full here that's for sure

[alexth]

I'm leaving, but not because of the visa requirements. Just because this country is getting more and more crazy and feel the need to live in a real world

[Jet Gorgon]

I'm calling for all Farangs to pull there economic and intellectual investments out of Thailand, just for a laugh, and see what happens. (judging by the stock market in recent weeks, a lot already have)

Suggestion duly noted and completely ignored dgoz, but thanks for the idea.

If you took your 'intellectual investment' out of Thailand, would anyone notice?

Another clean Bendix kao dode.

I think we need some Muay Thai smileys on TV, just to add the visual effect.

[Jet Gorgon]

I'm leaving, but not because of the visa requirements. Just because this country is getting more and more crazy and feel the need to live in a real world

I see you in big libraries and cafes, chatting and debating with philosophers and other thinkers, Alex. Expect to see your thoughts in print.

[alexth]

I'm leaving, but not because of the visa requirements. Just because this country is getting more and more crazy and feel the need to live in a real world

I see you in big libraries and cafes, chatting and debating with philosophers and other thinkers, Alex. Expect to see your thoughts in print.

Thanks, I'll send you a free copy