For better or worse? Expats think Thailand is going down the pan, poll

[BritManToo]

6 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Yep, spent some time in Oz over the years and IMO the fresh fruit and veges as well as the meat, have to be some of the best on offer anywhere in the world as regards quality and price.

Australia is the most expensive country in the western world.

You might cherry pick a few items that are cheaper, but just your property taxes would overwhelm the whole basket.

 

Not to mention your manly oversized women,

My Brit son just reproduced with one of your women, and she is taller than him and twice his weight.

Edited January 25, 2019 by BritManToo

[xylophone]

4 hours ago, moutamine said:

I would also assume that the so called fresh Thai veggies are generously sprayed with pesticides by farmers as if it was Songkran everyday.

No need to assume............independent tests done on farmers markets around Thailand showed the levels of pesticides etc to be appalling and way above the recommended safe levels.

[Fex Bluse]

"Farangs" are exiting all over Asia. 

 

An example from China is discussed in this video 

 

 

I think it's mostly relevant to Thailand. The Asians are all effectively tribal. They take what they can from outsiders and then, in the blink of an eye, turn their backs on us. 

 

Many of us could see through the fake plastic Thai smiles from day one. Others are fortunate to either not care or have eyesight trouble. 

[khunPer]

Where I have been living permanent in Land-of-Smiles for the past almost 14 years, expat life is in general slightly better now than before, and before it was good...????

[garyk]

21 minutes ago, alzack said:

Yes yes Live in your Home country just spend the winter in LOS perffik

What I have been doing. Not sure after the new 800K rules. But, dental prices alone are worth the trip. About 1/2 to 3/4 cheaper then the U.S.. Love it. Been coming here for 11 years now. 

Oddly enough after 6 or so months here I am ready to head home. 

Personally I get fed up with the Visa rules, a pain in the neck.

Edited January 25, 2019 by garyk

[BritManToo]

38 minutes ago, malibukid said:

have you heard of culture?

 Cambodia, and Vietnam have far more culture and better quality culture.

Unless you like gold painted temples and fake smoking monks with i-phones.

[chainarong]

It's not only the expats that have noticed the place is going down the gurgler, ask a Thai.

[puipuitom]

7 hours ago, Bullie said:

 Add to that the corruption and the difficulties concerning visa, the cost of proper health insurance plus the fact that we are effectively second-rate visitors with little freedom of Enterprise.

The ticket of 300 THB a policeman gave me "because he could not saee my eyes behind my windscreen of my motor helmet" was the limit. I left with all my business.

[polkop11]

Thailand is developing and it will get more expensive: Thai will become more prosperous, good for them. It may not mean that they will be more welcoming: will seasonal tourism be preferred over permanent foreign residents ? Even more if Thailand moves to more upmarket tourism. I expect increased requirements of income and health insurance over the next years, as well as movement towards local taxes for foreign residents. Another concern is about security and the effort the Thai authorities should make to shed the impression of randomness and backdoor influences. 

[yogi100]

4 hours ago, HalfLight said:

It doesn't need to be true to affect a place badly. As for my opinions getting me in trouble, I don't think so and I don't really mind how thin the ice is. Thailand has plenty of track record for paedophiles and sex tourists - does the name Gary Glitter ring any bells? We both know that Thais are by far the worst paedophiles but hey, short of hanging a sign over the door...

I did not mention Thailand, I referred to Pattaya. Pattaya is just one small coastal city in Thailand. Glitter got into trouble in Vietnam and Cambodia not Pattaya.

 

Given Pattaya's reputation as a magnet for sex tourism incidents of sexual assault on children are remarkably few. Were they otherwise newshounds from papers such as Britain's Sun, the Daily Mail, the Sunday Sport etc would be arriving by the plane load.

 

Thailand gives out much stiffer sentences for child abuse than many other countries including the UK.

 

This is a report from the "Human Help Network Foundation Thailand" 

 

"US expat Gregory Miller, from Madison, Wisconsin, sentenced to 38 years imprisonment for sexually assaulting a nine year old boy on ten occasions between January and June 2012." 

 

"We both know that Thais are by far the worst paedophiles". I dunno anything about that and I doubt you do either. Paedophilia is world wide and we have no cause to suspect that it is worse in Thailand than anywhere else. How could anyone know?

[BritManToo]

3 minutes ago, polkop11 said:

Thai will become more prosperous, good for them.

Can't say I've noticed my former wifes rellys or my girlfriends family getting more prosperous.

In fact they all seem to be really struggling these days, not even worth planting rice on their farms any more.

You must know a different class of Thais to me.

 

Or more likely, you don't know any Thais like many of the posters on ThaiVISA, because you can't speak one word of Thai (beyond 'farang')

Edited January 25, 2019 by BritManToo

[malibukid]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

 

Good point. Where I used to live in Los Angeles, a two bedroom apartment, or small house in West LA, Santa Monica, or a comparably decent area is now $3,000 to $4,000 a month. That is 100,000 to 130,000 baht a month! It is insanity. A cell phone account, with the same data as the one I have here that cost me $25 a month, is $135 a month. A modest lunch is $30. The same seat that I had redone on my scooter for $13, is $275 in Los Angeles. A visit to my house from an AC guy, to clean my AC unit is $16 here. $125 minimum in the US. A visit from a plumber here is $15. In the US, $150. A visit to the emergency room is $2,200. For a 40 minute visit. Here it is well under $100. The prices are insane. And even more insane is the nonsense they are feeding us about 3% inflation. More like 15%. Or higher. Every time I go back the prices have shot up. On nearly everything. I do not know how the average person is surviving there, and can see why the middle class is shrinking to such an alarming degree. 

 

Granted, there are some things like good wine that are far cheaper. But, most things here are alot more reasonable. Especially anything connected to labor. 

i was charged $12 for a smoothie in Malibu last April. ridiculous. 

[alfieconn]

5 hours ago, Thaidream said:

Thailand is simply not as appealing as it once was to expats looking to relocate or long term expats and some of the reasons are-

-  Rising Baht and rising prices-  Products from the USA/Europe/Australia are 5 x the cost of the home country while Thai products sold abroad are sold at lower prices.  Not everyone can eat Thai food every day.

 

-While rents are low compared to home country- prices of Condominiums with space and land prices in the major urban areas have risen tremendously.  

 

-The quality of most Thai products are poor and the Chinese imports are worse- to get a good quality product one has to purchase Korean/Japanese or Western at much higher prices.

 

=The Immigration conundrum- After 40 years married to a Thai- I still have to get together all my yearly paperwork and head to Immigration in the hopes they will let me stay one more year.  My wife's US Permanent Residency took less than 60 days to obtain; gave her unlimited access to the US forever and no 90 day reporting.  No such reciprocity in Thailand. I can't even apply for PR in Thailand due to not working in Thailand for at least a decade and no current tax payments.

 

-The weather in Thailand is no longer appealing- it has gotten much hotter over the decades and with the increase in traffic- the pollution has made  many of the Thai cities unlivable and there is no plan to do anything about it.   Most of the beaches are filthy and the water unhealthy to swim in.

 

-The Police- completely untrustworthy and an industry in themselves-  

 

-Wealth disparity-  a situation that is  so serious that IMHO it is a national emergency- it is true the rich are getting vastly richer and the poor are remaining vastly poorer.  Many have lost hope- turning to  alcohol and drugs to relieve the pain. Working as a clerk in 7 or the big box producers for 9-10K a month is going to work much longer.

 

Yet- with all of the above stated- I am still going to remain because of family  and the fact that the majority of Thai people that I interact with are still polite; still resourceful and still basically honest. The majority of them live day by day toiling to stay alive and provide for their families. It is their country and only they can change it...

 

-

Seems like you are an expert on the cost of produce throughout the world REMARKABLE ! perhaps you could give us some examples of each country for comparison.

[unamazedloso]

my family want to leave but cant really afford it. Invested so much in a sht hole.... Its all worthless. Go fund me perhaps?

All our land weve been told we cant sell now because it was army and public land sold illegally by the mayor and we are forced to convert it to sorkapor because officials can do what ever they want at the expense of us cuz im white. Its just ludicris.

[johnarth]

my worry is the Thai Baht, just what country is propping it up and why? my guess is China they have billions of reasons most of them moldy old subs they want to get rid off if there are new elections ho-hum and the new party do not want the subs etc will be interesting

[Surasak]

I came to Thailand with the full intention of seeing out my retirement here. I ploughed a bit of money into a small business, which over the past nine years has done reasonably well. It will never make me or the family rich, but it is a comfortable living.

Bangkok was never going to suit me, like all big cities, they are more than expensive. I have no intention of leaving, unless I am forced out by means beyond my control. One of these fine days I will maybe reach a point where I will need looking after, I would hope and believe that help will be forthcoming when required. I've lived in Thailand on and off over the past 30 years, and like anywhere else things change, and not always for the better. But in life we have to take the rough with the smooth while doing our best to make it as smooth as possible. I like to think I've done that, so will be staying.

[malibukid]

1 hour ago, thewarper said:

Sounds like lot of cheap charlies here,

Maybe they not have the funds in the first place to live here 

 

Yes many things have gone up  but thats life.

 

Buts its a lot cheaper to live here then in Australia,

 

If you buy condo with 25 year visa would been best way for most 

 

I still have 18 years to go 

 

my only complaint is that there are no high-end audio shops here in CM.  the only one is more like a museum.  guess most expats can't afford this hobby or have other "priorities"  i have to fly to KL for a audition and purchase.  but the prices are better.

Edited January 25, 2019 by malibukid

[marcusarelus]

46 minutes ago, maprao said:

True. Western goods are expensive 

In the UK any bottle of wine less than £6, is in my opinion, for cooking only. This year in vacation we had some cracking bottles of wine for €3 in Spain (not 1000 baht plus). Small Flats and apartments are comparable or cheaper than in Thailand. (Doubt me down load the app named picture house in Spanish).

Land in North Carolina USA is cheaper than sor por gor land where I live in Thailand.

Some people quoting the night life. "They" can be had for comparable prices or slightly more.

For Europeans I think splitting the time is the best option.

Since you can't buy land in Thailand the only real comparison is rent and that is 10% of what is available in like places in the US.  Food is a fraction of the cost.  Wine cheap in the West women in Thailand.  Drunks go home.

[dunroaming]

10 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

 Cambodia, and Vietnam have far more culture and better quality culture.

Unless you like gold painted temples and fake smoking monks with i-phones.

I used to visit Cambodia and Vietnam regularly and I liked Cambodia a lot.  Still got a few friends who live there.  But living there is different.  I did it for just over a year and it had plenty of downsides.  Hospitals are useless, the corruption is far worse than in Thailand (and that is saying something) and as a foreigner you are always a target for the lowlifes who live there.  But of course like everywhere else, it is horses for courses!

[Surasak]

7 hours ago, somtumwrong said:

For me it's not a question of leaving, but rather never arriving. Haven't made up my mind yet if to live in my safe home country or here with family. I'm not in a hurry to decide, but not moving means I won't buy a house here ('for my wife'), I won't invest in a new car here, keeping financials outside the Thai economyu. I keep my house and condos in my home country, and looking at the stability of Thailand, and how the law 'protects' us, better leave it at that. If you move to Thailand, in my opinion, you should always have a backup plan to be able to leave without losing much..

 

I think life may be better for me in Thailand once they throw out the low life sexpats. Our reputation will no longer be dragged down by their actions. But in general, I don' believe in long term change in this country, rather Vietnam, Myanmar, all other countries are going to overtake Thailand which will just remain the same same. More soap operas on tv, more corruption to rule the lemmings.

Sitting on a fence can be very uncomfortable at times.

[Essecola]

Always have non stop worry and stress about the next visa and extension. Constant worry. Better to just go home. No thanks Cambodia, Vietnam, or Philippines.

[maddox41]

I have been here 7 yrs and it isn't better its worse in my opinion each Yr it's less and less attractive to live here. I'm off to Canada to live as my skills are needed there and not here no more. The charm has wained  and I'm sure many expats feel the same.  Thailand wants to focus on Chinese tourism and investment more them western influences. But seem to forget Chinese don't spend as much  money as  farangs do?. But they have to find out the hard way I'm sure in 5 yrs they be offering free retirement visas to farangs as most of us would  have gone so sad to say but it's just not the same no more 

[MuuKondiao]

7 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Went there last week, everything was incredibly cheap (compared to Thailand).

I'd be gone if I didn't have children in Thailand.

I see that people also say Cambodia is very backward and dirty and corrupt... that they rip you off and you have no recourse. The culture, scenery, wonderful festivals, attractive women ... surely Cambodia would be a big step downward and backward in these respects??

Just asking for opinions.

[dunroaming]

8 minutes ago, unamazedloso said:

my family want to leave but cant really afford it. Invested so much in a sht hole.... Its all worthless. Go fund me perhaps?

All our land weve been told we cant sell now because it was army and public land sold illegally by the mayor and we are forced to convert it to sorkapor because officials can do what ever they want at the expense of us cuz im white. Its just ludicris.

My in-laws have land that they have been told they cannot sell as well even though they have the correct chanoots.  Cannot sell and cannot buy either.  That seems to be (according to them) because of the current administration and should be reversed once Thailand has an elected government.  So it is not to do with being white, the locals are in the same boat.  Might be worth mentioning that my wife's sister manages a local government office that handles land transfers and even she cannot pull any strings over this.

[jmd8800]

Another one of these threads? Why????

 

If I leave Thailand it will be because most expats I run into here are flat out miserable. The contempt and disdain many expats here in Thailand have for the Thai gov't / people is incredible. You should be happy they let you live here.

 

Go!!! Don't let the door... well you know.

 

Edit: Remember the poll was taken on one forum which has a huge base of unhappy people. Go figure.

Edited January 25, 2019 by jmd8800

[Surasak]

6 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

 

Wow, what an intimidating threat: I am moving to Cambodia!

I am so jealous...

Tell us a few more details as to where as the places I have been there are total S holes.

Filthy no clean up cities and beaches that smell will make you want to vomit.

And the place is not that much cheaper for overall living and the standards are very very low.

Good luck needing any advanced medical care.

 

But, it is always the low money folks who can no longer afford to live in an actual country that are so desperate to go 3rd world.

Or, I guess the liars from the embassy letters who now must face reality.

Thailand is still rated in the top 10 in many publications as one of the less expensive places to live.

If a person cannot afford to be here that is just very sad but certainly some mirror examining may be in order.

 

 

How true, but I've noticed they don't make mirrors like they used too.????

[marcusarelus]

47 minutes ago, Fex Bluse said:

Thailand is a place full of deeply xenophobic people who can barely tolerate Farang. 

 

Now Thailand has the Chinese to slowly replace all the Farang, and they will be happy with Chinese as they are all cousins anyway. 

 

Almost all the Asian counties are alike in this way. They are all the most xenophobic countries in earth.

Do you consider yourself xenophobic and can hardly tolerate Thai people, cause it seems that way to me.  What do you think Brexit and Trump are all about?  Can you say Xenophobic?

[HalfLight]

22 minutes ago, yogi100 said:

I did not mention Thailand, I referred to Pattaya. Pattaya is just one small coastal city in Thailand. Glitter got into trouble in Vietnam and Cambodia not Pattaya.

 

Given Pattaya's reputation as a magnet for sex tourism incidents of sexual assault on children are remarkably few. Were they otherwise newshounds from papers such as Britain's Sun, the Daily Mail, the Sunday Sport etc would be arriving by the plane load.

 

Thailand gives out much stiffer sentences for child abuse than many other countries including the UK.

 

This is a report from the "Human Help Network Foundation Thailand" 

 

"US expat Gregory Miller, from Madison, Wisconsin, sentenced to 38 years imprisonment for sexually assaulting a nine year old boy on ten occasions between January and June 2012." 

 

"We both know that Thais are by far the worst paedophiles". I dunno anything about that and I doubt you do either. Paedophilia is world wide and we have no cause to suspect that it is worse in Thailand than anywhere else. How could anyone know?

Just because you don't know something does not make it not so. To draw your own conclusions, do the research.

 

 

 

[dunroaming]

41 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Yep, spent some time in Oz over the years and IMO the fresh fruit and veges as well as the meat, have to be some of the best on offer anywhere in the world as regards quality and price.

We live in the UK and my wife is always banging on about fruit and veg in Britain being fresher and cheaper than in Thailand, apart from all the fruit that is imported from Asia (Duh!).  I think she generally means for the veg and fruit that originates here so of course it will be cheaper and fresher.

 

However there is a problem with all the pesticides used in Thailand, seems to be very little control over that.

[marcusarelus]

47 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Yep, spent some time in Oz over the years and IMO the fresh fruit and veges as well as the meat, have to be some of the best on offer anywhere in the world as regards quality and price.

Chicken Breasts (Boneless, Skinless), (1kg)

10.80 A$ (243.02 ฿)

3.65 A$ (82.00 ฿)