Why are you still here?

[Matzzon]

Now over to the fun and positive! Why am I still here?

Oh, there are multiple reasons for that, with the biggest would be my 2 daughters and my wife.

However, there are more goodies in the box for all us foreigners (see below):

 

• Getting scrutinized whatever you go and show to autjorities.
• The great suspense of getting denied entry, visa or extension.
• All the fines you have to pay during your stay. It exceeds all other countries by far. An only in Thailand experience.
• The death race with the grim reaper on Thai roads.
• Never knowing when the doors on your house suddenly chained locks, so your key won´t fit.

As you clearly must understand. This is only a spoonful of all the excitement, pleasure and fun that I experience every year in this wonderful country. Seriously, I´ve never experienced such exiting life anywhere on the planet.

[yogi100]

30 minutes ago, ballpoint said:

Because I have family here.

Because I knew the rules before I decided to move and work here 30 years ago.

Because I knew the rules before I decided to remain here once I retired from work earlier this year.

Because the recent "drastic" changes to those rules didn't affect me one bit.

Because I am free to do what I like.

Because I don't have to pay tax on my investments out of the country, saving me far, far more each year than the measly 800,000 I keep in my bank for my retirement visa.

Because I am happy here.

The rules you knew 30 years ago are not the same as those in force today. They may not affect you but spare a thought for those that they do affect.

 

It's an awful prospect for an elderly or even a middle person to have to uproot and leave the country he may have lived in for years or even decades.

[INV]

 I stay here for my gf, cant just leave her after many years together. Nothing so special here

that would want me stay and play along with all the <deleted>. But I will leave next year and she have to

come with me or not. Came here 2001 so had great time but just have enough of all the BS.

Biggest issue is to find a great warm country were you are welcome and were I can spend

rest of my life in peace with out getting constant changes to make it harder for me to stay

or being worried that I get denied entry if I go some were on holiday if the IMO having a bad day

and come up with some stupid reason to not let me in.

So looking for option were to move, Panama looks good , Spain not to bad, Vietnam and Cambodia but non of the last 2 have any proper retirement safe long term option so in the end it will end up with the same BS as we have here, but I keep looking

 

[Khon Kaen Jeff]

Well it's not for the subhuman weather conditions or the sticky rice. I'm stuck here and melting for the time being.

[Matzzon]

3 minutes ago, yogi100 said:

The rules you knew 30 years ago are not the same as those in force today. They may not affect you but spare a thought for those that they do affect.

 

It's an awful prospect for an elderly or even a middle person to have to uproot and leave the country he may have lived in for years or even decades.

Ok, I feel sorry for the ones have to leave. One thing though! You have to tell me why they would have to leave.

The financials have always been written in the Immigration Act, which everybody must be aware of when moving to a foreign country. If not aware of thoose, they can not blame the country.

What has changed is that the way of proving that they really have the money has changed. Now it will have to be in a Thai bank account, but that will not be any problem for the ones that has not been lying about their economy before.

Ok, health insurance has been implemented, but so far only for O-A visa, so there are other choices.

You can also not blame Thailand for the economy. It´s going good for the country, and other countries have problem with economy, like Brexit. Then it´s better to blame their own country instead of the country they moved to.

If you have any other reasons somebody will need to leave, please feel free to tell?

[essox essox]

1 hour ago, JohnOFphon said:

I'm still here for the women. Late 60's now and my girlfriend is 35....Where else can an old man find this?

PHILLS....Vietnam...Macau....Hong Kong....many places.....

[FritsSikkink]

Because I got a great family, friends and a job.

Edited October 10, 2019 by FritsSikkink

[The Fugitive]

Having lived elsewhere (besides my home Country) I now realise what is important to me. Affordability and infrastructure. Never needing heating or hot water is very pleasant and certainly reduces cost of living. Continuous water supply at constant pressure, electricity excellent too. Prompt call out and fix of any problems. Unlimited fibre internet at great prices. Even into the rice paddies roads are tarmac/concrete. Don't get marooned when it rains. Smooth roads make suspension and tyres longer lasting. Motos don't get shaken to pieces. Good long distance coach services at economical prices. We have a railway network which is being upgraded. Cheap internal/SE Asia air fares.

[Grumpy John]

Life sucks....if you let it!  Don't be a victim.  Put all the phony baloney to one side and enjoy life.  If you have made Thailand your home to be with your Thai family the Thai government will just have to suck it up.  The only way they will get me out of here is with a gun to my head......or a bribe.....but it has to be a substantial bribe, not just a ph1ssy few thousand baht though.  ????

[yogi100]

15 minutes ago, Matzzon said:

Ok, I feel sorry for the ones have to leave. One thing though! You have to tell me why they would have to leave.

The financials have always been written in the Immigration Act, which everybody must be aware of when moving to a foreign country. If not aware of thoose, they can not blame the country.

What has changed is that the way of proving that they really have the money has changed. Now it will have to be in a Thai bank account, but that will not be any problem for the ones that has not been lying about their economy before.

Ok, health insurance has been implemented, but so far only for O-A visa, so there are other choices.

You can also not blame Thailand for the economy. It´s going good for the country, and other countries have problem with economy, like Brexit. Then it´s better to blame their own country instead of the country they moved to.

If you have any other reasons somebody will need to leave, please feel free to tell?

I've not blamed Thailand nor anything else including Brexit for anything to do with its economy and neither have you read a single word that I've written in which I do.

 

It's obvious to anyone with eyes and ears that falangs are not as welcome as they were previously. There's evidence of this in posts all over this forum and all the other Thailand based forums.

 

I am not prepared to catalogue them all for you unless you are willing to pay me to do so. I have a Kasikorn Bank account in which you can deposit the necessary funds if you so wish.

 

Businesses such as bars and restaurants are closing down all over town where falangs gather. Some people are trying to sell their condos, often in vain.

 

A friend of mine recently got accused of working by an IO at the airport. She was extremely unpleasant about it and he only got in by the skin of his teeth after he phoned his hotel!

 

He had no warning of this reception when he paid out hundreds of £s for his flight from the UK. He's just a regular holiday maker who can afford several holidays a year and chooses to spend these holidays in Pattaya. On the subject of the economy what he spends goes into the local economy. If he stops coming it will not.

 

I'm also a holiday maker who regularly visits the LOS. I used to stay for 80 - 90 days at a time three or four times year. From next year the visa that allows me to do this will be withdrawn. If I stop coming I won't be spending my money in the LOS either.

 

I've got decent, honest ex pat chums who are going to have problems with the 800,000 baht issue. They may not be flash nor wealthy but are the sort of people anyone would be glad to have as a friend or a neighbour. And what they spend goes into the local Thai economy. Unless they leave for whatever reasons arise to necessitate their departure.

 

Get out and about and talk to people yourself about these things and you'll realise how the Land of Smiles is no longer the haven of welcoming cordiality it was once famous for.

[Aforek]

2 hours ago, Beggar said:

The day might come when you are too old to get health insurance. That could mean that you will be forced to leave Thailand. 

As for me, I have already an insurance, for the rest of my life if I pay ( CFE, caisse des français de l'étranger ) ; no restriction on age, always the same price , whatever your age 

[richard_smith237]

Why do I stay here?

 

Simple answer because I like it here !... 

 

Longer answer: 

- Easy Long Term Visa (Thai Elite Visa for Life (joined TE early when that was an option)

- Married here, Wife's family are in Bkk so thats good for her to be close to them.

- Son is in a very good school here

- I don't have to pay tax here (work overseas on rotation - I'd have to pay significant amounts of tax if in the UK for more than 91 days a year).

- Transport is cheap (to go out and meet friends etc)

- Other expats here are more adventurous and like minded (in the UK, even close friends are less sociable)

- I have a lot of friends here (Thai and Western)

- Wife has a lot of friends here (Thai school and Uni friends)

- I have no medical insurance issues (have full health insurance)

 

 

Potential long term problems. 

- IF TE Visa becomes cancelled (unlikely)

- IF I can't get Medical Insurance above a certain age, or cost is prohibitively expensive

- IF I become dissatisfied with my Sons education (move back to the UK and put him in a good school there)

- IF the tax situation changes and I have to start paying Tax here even though I work overseas. 

 

 

 

[Greyhat]

I've been here the majority of my adult life and I'm scared to go home to start all over again from square one. With the recent passing of my father I have no family and no home waiting to support me temporarily on arrival back home, I'll be quickly trying to sort out accommodation and finding a job to support myself. Not to mention all the things I'll be leaving behind with the life I've built for myself here. If/when the day comes and I have to leave it will be a very dark day indeed and I'm not sure I'll be able to cope.

Edited October 10, 2019 by Greyhat

[Jingthing]

7 minutes ago, Greyhat said:

I've been here the majority of my adult life and I'm scared to go home to start all over again from square one. With the recent passing of my father I have no family and no home waiting to support me temporarily on arrival back home, I'll be quickly trying to sort out accommodation and finding a job to support myself. Not to mention all the things I'll be leaving behind with the life I've build for myself here. If/when the day comes and I have to leave it will be a very dark day indeed and I'm not sure I'll be able to cope.

Thanks for your sincere post and yes, I can relate to that. Repatriation after a very long time is usually no piece of cake and can sometimes be traumatic even ruinous. In some cases people getting out of long prison terms are in a better place to cope than long gone expats. For example there are sometimes half way houses for such people. There are no such half way houses for reintegrating expats. Obviously the degree of difficulty depends on lots of specific personal circumstances. The typical advice is don't burn your bridges but for expats away for decades it's not always so much about burning them as having them slowly slip away.

Edited October 10, 2019 by Jingthing

[onlycw]

Well, working with no B-VISA during the probationary period? No, thank you.

 

Am now in Bangladesh. A country which may not even be on your radar. Friendly people, I like the food and no stomach problems yet despite eating street food. 

 

Some of you could live elsewhere most of the time. I love TH and want to visit frequently. But hell no to ever working there again.

[simon43]

I'm not.  I left 2 months ago to live in Luang Prabang, Laos.  

 

It was not a difficult move, because I have no family ties anymore and I work online.

 

So far, I don't regret my decision, but of course it's "early days".

[Greyhat]

@Jingthing, Thanks for the reply. Just about all the circumstances are weighed against me on my arrival back. I can only hope the day will never come or that I'll be better prepared for it when it does than I am now. The thought of landing at the airport back home and thinking .. 'well what do I do now?' scares the hell out of me. I came here at 22 and I've no real idea on how to function as an adult back home, many things will be more foreign to me there than they are here. I've always hoped at the back of my mind that things here will eventually become more lenient like many other countries. For example, someone that's been here 10 years+ should just be granted PR. I fear since the takeover of the government that day will never come and we're going in the opposite direction.

[yogi100]

A 

12 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Thanks for your sincere post and yes, I can relate to that. Repatriation after a very long time is usually no piece of cake and can sometimes be traumatic even ruinous. In some cases people getting out of long prison terms are in a better place to cope than long gone expats. For example there are sometimes half way houses for such people. There are no such half way houses for reintegrating expats. Obviously the degree of difficulty depends on lots of specific personal circumstances. The typical advice is don't burn your bridges but for expats away for decades it's not always so much about burning them as having them slowly slip away.

A falang I knew returned to London a couple of years ago with health concerns after a few years living in Pattaya. He's a native born Londoner.

 

He was about 67. At one time a homeless person in the UK was considered vulnerable if over 60 and was given housing priority. That's history.

 

He was given the address of a hostel. (AKA Doss House) 

 

He'd be admitted at 8 pm and had to leave at 9 am. His days were spent in cafes, pubs and libraries. This was in the winter. He visited the hospital concerning his health and was told to come back in 10 days time.

 

He gave up and got a flight back to BKK and returned to his cheap lodging house in Pattaya. The last we knew he was still in Pattaya but no one has seen nor heard from him.

 

He could be dead for all we know. He had a drink problem.

[KC 71]

Wife ,house,family,2dogs,car e.t.c ....................



Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

[Greyhat]

@yogi100 That's awful, I suppose things could always be worse. Nothing but sympathy for anyone in this position.

[Don Mega]

Only just moved back here after an 18 month stint back home to sort some family matters.

[ballpoint]

2 hours ago, yogi100 said:

The rules you knew 30 years ago are not the same as those in force today. They may not affect you but spare a thought for those that they do affect.

 

It's an awful prospect for an elderly or even a middle person to have to uproot and leave the country he may have lived in for years or even decades.

I was answering the question in the OP: "Why are you still here?"  The rules 30 years ago played a part in why I chose to relocate to Thailand in the first place.  In the three years prior to that I was living in Singapore, working for a multinational company that had operations in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, and made multiple work trips to all three countries, so I knew the pros and cons (in more ways than one) of each.  When it came to choose which operation to be assigned to, or remain in Singapore, I used that information to choose Thailand.  Had I chose differently then I would not still be here.  When it came to retire, I again considered the latest rules, along with my family, happiness and financial status, and again chose to stay here, despite having the family visas and means to move to my home country, and a number of others.  The decisions having to be made by others are highly tragic to say the least, and have my full sympathy, however, they make no difference to my reply to the OPs question.

[yogi100]

5 minutes ago, Greyhat said:

@yogi100 That's awful, I suppose things could always be worse. Nothing but sympathy for anyone in this position.

Too true GH.

 

We all know he was foolish and impetuous and had burnt his bridges etc etc. He even went to the home of a previous friend in London hoping to get his head down for a while.

 

But understandably no wants a heavy drinker staying with them.

 

The point I was making is that the authorities had no sympathy for an homeless English OAP. They knew nothing of his drinking habits.

 

What do they say about how a country treats the elderly in its society.

 

This happened in the capital of England in the 21st century. A country which is supposed to be the fifth or sixth richest nation in the world.

 

He'd actually have been better off climbing out from underneath a lorry at the services on the M2 motorway and pretending that he couldn't speak English.

[AussieBob18]

We are not.  We moved to Australia.  The plan was to buy a place in Thailand and visit for 6-9 months each year. This insurance scam (after TM30s and mandatory money in bank, etc etc), was the final straw and has changed that plan.  2-3 months as a tourist each year only.   

[spidermike007]

1. Never felt the need to belong. Not tribal in that fashion. So no issues with that. 

 

2. Have a delightful Thai wife who improves the quality of each day, makes me a better version of myself and is a joy to be around. She always has my back, adores me as much as I adore her, had a wonderful family and a huge heart. And she is beautiful, slim and over two decades my junior. So, in that regard I live like a centi millionaire. Was never into women my age. Found most to be too rigid and closed minded. 

 

3. I like most Thai people. I find most to be kind, playful and light hearted. Nice to be around that. Back in the US now, most are grumpy, cold, unfulfilled, bitter and disenfranchised. And I won't even get into the women back there. 

 

4. I love the food. I live in a smaller town, and get two plates of beautiful food for well under 200 baht. About $30 in the US. 

 

5. Labor costs. Had my brake and transmission fluids changed on my motorbike yesterday. 280 baht. $95 in the US. Had an electrician come over and do some work. 500 baht. $250 in the US. The list of exorbitant labor charges goes on and on in the US. The average mechanic thinks he is some sort of neurosurgeon these days. 

 

6. I wake up feeling good and grateful I am here each morning. That is a nice feeling. 

 

7. This whole region affords alot of variety and fun travel spots. Bangkok is a great hub for that. And a great town to visit. 

 

I despise the army, immigration, and the administration here. But it does not affect me too much. I just suck it up once a year when I have to deal with a horrendous immigration dept.  No place is perfect. 

 

The counterpart to that equation is that I despise the US government and it's sinking democracy too. And the ultra militant police. So, thrilled to be away from all that.

 

Here, when asked to pay a fine by a cop (a local franchisee) I just laugh and make him an offer!

Edited October 10, 2019 by spidermike007

[Matzzon]

4 hours ago, yogi100 said:

I've not blamed Thailand nor anything else including Brexit for anything to do with its economy and neither have you read a single word that I've written in which I do.

 

It's obvious to anyone with eyes and ears that falangs are not as welcome as they were previously. There's evidence of this in posts all over this forum and all the other Thailand based forums.

 

I am not prepared to catalogue them all for you unless you are willing to pay me to do so. I have a Kasikorn Bank account in which you can deposit the necessary funds if you so wish.

You take my comment too individual and private. And you still did not tell why they had to or are beeing forced to leave?
 

4 hours ago, yogi100 said:

 

Businesses such as bars and restaurants are closing down all over town where falangs gather. Some people are trying to sell their condos, often in vain.

Of course they are closing down. That´s what happens when everybody think they can open the same place in the same place. ???? 
 

4 hours ago, yogi100 said:

 

A friend of mine recently got accused of working by an IO at the airport. She was extremely unpleasant about it and he only got in by the skin of his teeth after he phoned his hotel!

 

He had no warning of this reception when he paid out hundreds of £s for his flight from the UK. He's just a regular holiday maker who can afford several holidays a year and chooses to spend these holidays in Pattaya. On the subject of the economy what he spends goes into the local economy. If he stops coming it will not.

 

I'm also a holiday maker who regularly visits the LOS. I used to stay for 80 - 90 days at a time three or four times year. From next year the visa that allows me to do this will be withdrawn. If I stop coming I won't be spending my money in the LOS either.

All above will be a big loss for the Thai economy. Sounds to me thta you are one in the bunch, that has been mislead by the ones who talk too much. Simply living with the belief that all that are staying here are a big contribution to Thai economy. That´s just not true. We are an ink splash in the ball pen factory.
 

4 hours ago, yogi100 said:

 

I've got decent, honest ex pat chums who are going to have problems with the 800,000 baht issue. They may not be flash nor wealthy but are the sort of people anyone would be glad to have as a friend or a neighbour. And what they spend goes into the local Thai economy. Unless they leave for whatever reasons arise to necessitate their departure.

 

Get out and about and talk to people yourself about these things and you'll realise how the Land of Smiles is no longer the haven of welcoming cordiality it was once famous for.

You do not have to be rich to stay in Thailand. You do not have to put 800k locked in the Thai bank. The only thing needed is:

For retirement: 65k baht per month in regular transfers.
For marriage: 40k baht per month in regular transfers or income from work.

That is something that all people that even consider living in a foreign country at least must have.

[seasia]

I will not be living full time in Thailand much longer.After 10 years of having done so.

Europe holds more appeal for at least half the year, spring through to Autumn. Maybe longer.

 

Winter months, unsure, Thailand/Vietnam or some place else.

[NanLaew]

On 10/10/2019 at 10:40 AM, yogi100 said:

You know who were up in his room with a locksmith while his corpse was still getting cold on the concrete. 

No. Who?

[RedPill]

On 10/10/2019 at 8:42 AM, robblok said:

I like it in this country and I don't think this country owns me anything. You chose to take care of your wife (or that guy did) Nobody forced you why would Thailand own you anything.

 

I already got health insurance seems like a logical thing to do in this country. Its because of people defaulting and flaunting the rules that things get harder yet you see people advocating for it all the time. 

 

The only thing i think is crazy is the 40k outpatient thing. 

40k outpatient is not the only crazy thing ... the other one is that it must be a Thai Insurance company, even if one has a better international insurance, but not accepted.

 

Things like this is what makes it so quirky. I guess most of us have insurances, no big issue or thing to debate, but you still have to be up to date to new regulations which keep coming, to keep compliant ... to often very silly rules which makes no sense.

 

 

[RedPill]

On 10/10/2019 at 8:25 AM, Pravda said:

Yesterday I was reading all the rants about the new insurance requirements and one post stuck with me.... 

You know what's so funny. This forum is called Thaivisa ... and people discuss about Visa changes ... I think overall this is all spot on topic and not only rants.

 

Edited October 11, 2019 by RedPill