"Easy Ride" for pensioners in Thailand now over, says Pattaya Radio

[HalfLight]

13 minutes ago, Sonhia said:

Easy solution, retire elsewhere in Asia where it is cheaper, less hassle free when it comes to visas and where money goes much further. Why stay in Thailand?

 

In my opinion, Thailand has peaked and had its day. It's as expensive to live in Thailand as it in Europe with a greater majority of Thais disliking foreigners.

 

Cambodia is a firm favourite on my consideration list. 

 

Some years ago there was a site called 'Thailand jumped the shark' (Urban Dictionary offers a nice explanation for the term).

 

Every year that observation seems truer, but I'm sure Thais will do what they think suits their needs best. I have noticed the  decline in the value of money in recent years though and like most, I've heard stories about a mass exodus of ex-pats... never been a fancier of Cambodia though, if I was likely to move to another 3rd-world country it would probably be Vietnam, at least they seem to be aspiring to be something better, though I'm not an expert. Wherever I go though, I would be keen on good English skills, I badly underestimated the need for that when I came here, Thainglish is the closest I can get and that's not really adequate for living as opposed to existing.

Edited October 24, 2018 by HalfLight

[BLACKJACK2]

On 10/23/2018 at 9:16 AM, Teee said:

212 this morning.

Me thinks this is going no where.

To reach 10000 in 7 weeks...its not going to happen.

To reach the 100000 your wasting your time.

Funny to think that there is so many ex pats living in Thailand, that they cant be bothered to sign this.

 

Looks like your going to have to transfer the money into a thai bank, or if you have no money to do that...go back home.

Don't think it's a case of can't be bothered, more about knowing nothing about it.

[Spidey]

2 hours ago, SheungWan said:

 

The ones most radically affected will be those who cannot/will not move to the lump sum formula AND, in addition, decline to use an agent. A relatively small number I would think?

That's assuming that dodgy agents are still able to use dummy accounts to prove the 800k baht.

 

I think that it's only a matter of time before Big Joke gets round to plugging that particular loophole.

 

The number is likely to be in the thousands and if all other embassies follow suit, maybe many thousands.

[Spidey]

1 hour ago, BLACKJACK2 said:

Don't think it's a case of can't be bothered, more about knowing nothing about it.

It needs a few people who are social media savvy to get it out there. If it goes viral on Facebook or Twitter these things have a habit of snowballing. Getting a few Thai vloggers to make a vlog about it might also help.

[HalfLight]

22 minutes ago, Spidey said:

It needs a few people who are social media savvy to get it out there. If it goes viral on Facebook or Twitter these things have a habit of snowballing. Getting a few Thai vloggers to make a vlog about it might also help.

 

That's using the noggin. Good idea, I wish I were better at using social media. No I don't that was a lie, in this case, ignorance is bliss or something quite like it.

[Spidey]

Just now, HalfLight said:

 

That's using the noggin. Good idea, I wish I were better at using social media. No I don't that was a lie, in this case, ignorance is bliss or something quite like it.

Same here which is why I made the suggestion. Never had facebook or twitter, never will.

[dcnx]

On 10/9/2018 at 12:41 PM, darksidedog said:

Utter pile of rot. Yesterday I bumped into a visa agency guy I have known for years. He told me last week things looked tough. Yesterday, everything was back to normal. Has anyone here ever known a crackdown on anything to last more than a week?

I am sure there will be fun and games, and probably payments to deal with the proof of finances issue, but nothing of substance is likely to change.

Can confirm it’s rubbish. Was on the phone with my agent today and they said it’s mostly bad press and it’s business as usual, just don’t be black or Indian.

 

Nothing sticks here. They will round up some people to make the news and show their big square faces and then it’s back to normal where everyone gets paid to be as corrupt as humanly possible. It’s the only way they know.

[dcnx]

1 hour ago, Spidey said:

That's assuming that dodgy agents are still able to use dummy accounts to prove the 800k baht.

 

I think that it's only a matter of time before Big Joke gets round to plugging that particular loophole.

 

The number is likely to be in the thousands and if all other embassies follow suit, maybe many thousands.

They are still able. Nothing is changing for well connected agents.

[Spidey]

1 minute ago, dcnx said:

They are still able. Nothing is changing for well connected agents.

Time will tell.

[HalfLight]

1 hour ago, dcnx said:

Can confirm it’s rubbish. Was on the phone with my agent today and they said it’s mostly bad press and it’s business as usual, just don’t be black or Indian.

 

Nothing sticks here. They will round up some people to make the news and show their big square faces and then it’s back to normal where everyone gets paid to be as corrupt as humanly possible. It’s the only way they know.

 

Yep, sad though it may be, I've never seen or experienced corruption like in Thailand. Bent from bottom to top.

[tingtongtourist]

On 10/13/2018 at 4:06 PM, totally thaied up said:

Years ago, I told my wife about this embassy letter. She advised me to put the cash in the bank as she said, ''How can they prove this as people lie?'' She saw how other embassies dealt with this all and just said, ''This can be pie in the sky stuff written on the letter and how are you going to prove it''. She said this time and time again to me. As the years past, we met many farangs and several of them do not have money. My wife just told me, ''See, this is not good. This will come to an end one day. I am happy you put money in the bank''.

 

I think this is all part of the problem. I am partly concerned. This could spill over to other areas. It was a real long time back when you only needed 200K. I will deal with it if it does change but I think some kind of change may be coming. 

 

I like you, do not think they want to kick out all expats but I think the quality of expat is for some reason being looked at with all these renewed raids and with elections coming, something I feel has changed in the overall big picture. The British Embassy deals with around 3000 such letters a year (I read in another thread) it seems and with a lot more British people in Thailand then that, how are the rest showing their income per year? Most of my British friends have the 800/400K in the bank. 

 

I really do hope I have read all this wrong and in the next few weeks, this just blows over.

This is Thai logic when it is smart. 

I think this same Thai logic now being used and that a lot of you overlooked the reasons.

 

Take these cases on social media, guys terminally ill or have a bike accident

 

no insurance, they end up not having money to pay hospital bill, then go begging on donation websites.

 

Thai gov is hearing claims that hospitals are stiffed for unpaid bills of broke foriegner, then hospitals ask government whats going on here?

 

THEN..1st thing they investigate is the guys visa..

OH, this farang been here 10 years and he actually have 800k every year,

 

And YES!..in fact, 2 months ago when he renew the visa he also had 800k but is now dead BROKE!

 

this might be another hint why,

and interesting, the Thai wife of the poster above know enough common sense to advise that things like this will get you caught out eventually.

[superal]

13 hours ago, Sonhia said:

Easy solution, retire elsewhere in Asia where it is cheaper, less hassle free when it comes to visas and where money goes much further. Why stay in Thailand?

 

In my opinion, Thailand has peaked and had its day. It's as expensive to live in Thailand as it in Europe with a greater majority of Thais disliking foreigners.

 

Cambodia is a firm favourite on my consideration list. 

Yesterday I was told of several expat bars in Surin that were visited by the police . They requested to view the farangs passports . Few if any had them and were not allowed to leave the bar and had to phone their partners to bring the passports for the police to view .

[Spidey]

3 hours ago, tingtongtourist said:

This is Thai logic when it is smart. 

I think this same Thai logic now being used and that a lot of you overlooked the reasons.

 

Very true. "If farang husband have money in Thai bank, easier for me to get when he dies". Thai logic in it's purest form.

[HalfLight]

1 hour ago, superal said:

Yesterday I was told of several expat bars in Surin that were visited by the police . They requested to view the farangs passports . Few if any had them and were not allowed to leave the bar and had to phone their partners to bring the passports for the police to view .

 

1 hour ago, superal said:

Yesterday I was told of several expat bars in Surin that were visited by the police . They requested to view the farangs passports . Few if any had them and were not allowed to leave the bar and had to phone their partners to bring the passports for the police to view .

 

Yes. Regrettably many of the signs are already there. Lots of Thais regard foreigners (esepcailly it seems, English-speaking foreigners) as ethnic pollution. What a previous poster said though, seems right to me. Thailand has had it's day, same as many tourism-based economies have had before them.

[stanleycoin]

1 hour ago, superal said:

Yesterday I was told of several expat bars in Surin that were visited by the police . They requested to view the farangs passports . Few if any had them and were not allowed to leave the bar and had to phone their partners to bring the passports for the police to view .

Friendly Thailand. Bless 

[superal]

6 minutes ago, HalfLight said:

 

 

Yes. Regrettably many of the signs are already there. Lots of Thais regard foreigners (esepcailly it seems, English-speaking foreigners) as ethnic pollution. What a previous poster said though, seems right to me. Thailand has had it's day, same as many tourism-based economies have had before them.

I have heard rumors of mandatory health insurance that would certainly export me from Thailand . Impossible to meet the monthly premiums when over 70 years old and be able to lead a reasonable social life .  Have spoken to quite a few expats who are concerned about lodging monies into Thai banks because of what seems to be happening at the moment . Several are changing to a non O visa which carry no proof of income , only confirmation that you are receiving your state pension . Happy to do the 90 day border runs and no financial commitments . Others are looking at both Cambodia and Vietnam . I have probably repeated other posts but there are too many to review .

[bkk6060]

1 hour ago, superal said:

Yesterday I was told of several expat bars in Surin that were visited by the police . They requested to view the farangs passports . Few if any had them and were not allowed to leave the bar and had to phone their partners to bring the passports for the police to view .

The Thai police have the right to do this.

Be prepared or suffer the consequences.

It is Thailand not Falangland....

[HalfLight]

2 minutes ago, superal said:

I have heard rumors of mandatory health insurance that would certainly export me from Thailand . Impossible to meet the monthly premiums when over 70 years old and be able to lead a reasonable social life .  Have spoken to quite a few expats who are concerned about lodging monies into Thai banks because of what seems to be happening at the moment . Several are changing to a non O visa which carry no proof of income , only confirmation that you are receiving your state pension . Happy to do the 90 day border runs and no financial commitments . Others are looking at both Cambodia and Vietnam . I have probably repeated other posts but there are too many to review .

 

Interesting. I think I'll stick with the retirement visa for a while, a marriage visa carries few benefits that I can see and would make my presence in Thailand contingent upon a Thai woman. Not a sensible situation for me to be in I think.

 

Hey ho. Interesting times.

[superal]

4 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

The Thai police have the right to do this.

Be prepared or suffer the consequences.

It is Thailand not Falangland....

So do you carry your passport with you at all times ? don't want to revive this old topic but if it happens it will surface again . BTW , a Thai driving license which carries PP info will not suffice .

[HalfLight]

3 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

The Thai police have the right to do this.

Be prepared or suffer the consequences.

It is Thailand not Falangland....

It seems like  common approach to compare one country with another (or one people with another).

 

Thailand is not Europe, and it suffers from the common 3rd-world problems. Corruption, generally poor self-control, poor education, very poor governmental services atc etc. Pays yer money and takes yer choice...

[HalfLight]

1 minute ago, superal said:

So do you carry your passport with you at all times ? don't want to revive this old topic but if it happens it will surface again . BTW , a Thai driving license which carries PP info will not suffice .

 

I do as it happens, though I imagine i'm one of the few.

[Esso49]

5 minutes ago, HalfLight said:

 

Interesting. I think I'll stick with the retirement visa for a while, a marriage visa carries few benefits that I can see and would make my presence in Thailand contingent upon a Thai woman. Not a sensible situation for me to be in I think.

 

Hey ho. Interesting times.

Well from a personal stand point I would rather be pushed in a wheelchair by a Thai lady in Thailand, rather than be looked after by a crusty old polish immigrant in some British old peoples home.

[GinBoy2]

As hard as it is, the writing is on the wall.

Nothing may have changed 'legally' yet, but you'd need to be seriously pulling the wool over your eyes to ignore the change of mood towards the retiree community.

Now i know I'm gonna get slammed for this, but you know you gotta face facts.

Sooner or later they will ratchet up requirements for extensions, visas etc.

There is a quite severe xenophobia within the ruling classes, not mirrored in the general population I might add....but they don't make the rules!

[HalfLight]

2 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

As hard as it is, the writing is on the wall.

Nothing may have changed 'legally' yet, but you'd need to be seriously pulling the wool over your eyes to ignore the change of mood towards the retiree community.

Now i know I'm gonna get slammed for this, but you know you gotta face facts.

Sooner or later they will ratchet up requirements for extensions, visas etc.

There is a quite severe xenophobia within the ruling classes, not mirrored in the general population I might add....but they don't make the rules!

"There is a quite severe xenophobia within the ruling classes, not mirrored in the general population I might add"

 

Seems to me it's a fear thing. Despite their narcissism (a really very serious problem in Thailand), most Thais feel very inferior to other ethnicities. I think It's a fear of having cultural change thrust upon them - fear of the unfamiliar is very common among children and most Thais can be considered as you would children, in my opinion.

 

Many developing nations cheerfully welcome contributions from technologically more advanced nations, but that isn't really the Thai way. Or so it seems to me. More important to retain face and a fantasy world - to hell with the reality.

 

[Spidey]

4 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

As hard as it is, the writing is on the wall.

Nothing may have changed 'legally' yet, but you'd need to be seriously pulling the wool over your eyes to ignore the change of mood towards the retiree community.

Now i know I'm gonna get slammed for this, but you know you gotta face facts.

Sooner or later they will ratchet up requirements for extensions, visas etc.

There is a quite severe xenophobia within the ruling classes, not mirrored in the general population I might add....but they don't make the rules!

Some of us don't have a choice. I have a Thai family which I would be unable to relocate to the UK. My choice is stay in Thailand or abandon my family.

[bert bloggs]

13 minutes ago, superal said:

So do you carry your passport with you at all times ? don't want to revive this old topic but if it happens it will surface again . BTW , a Thai driving license which carries PP info will not suffice .

In 23 years i have never had to show my passport ,my driving licence has always been enough .

[bert bloggs]

13 minutes ago, superal said:

So do you carry your passport with you at all times ? don't want to revive this old topic but if it happens it will surface again . BTW , a Thai driving license which carries PP info will not suffice .

In 23 years i have never had to show my passport ,my driving licence has always been enough .

[watcharacters]

16 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

The Thai police have the right to do this.

Be prepared or suffer the consequences.

It is Thailand not Falangland....

 

Don't the Thai police basically have whatever rights they choose to exercise?

 

[Spidey]

Just now, watcharacters said:

 

Don't the Thai police basically have whatever rights they choose to exercise?

 

I have always found that if you are pleasant with them, they are pleasant with you. Don't give them a reason to be awkward with you and they won't be.

 

I have always found them easier and more pleasant to deal with than the British police.

[superal]

2 minutes ago, Spidey said:

Some of us don't have a choice. I have a Thai family which I would be unable to relocate to the UK. My choice is stay in Thailand or abandon my family.

I hope that situation never becomes a reality . Division of families means nothing here , UK relocation has to be a tough one to crack so hows about another Asian country if the worse came to the worse ?