Poll for longer term expats: Do you feel scapegoated as a foreigner here?

[ramrod711]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Just ask for your money back from your wife, stop supporting her parents and don't pay for the kids schooling. When they ask why explain you need it to pay the insurance. Perhaps they might complain to the government that their insurance scheme is making them out of pocket. If every married farang did the same, it might have an effect.

As long as farangs keep paying, they ain't going to care.

I probably would do as you suggest if I didn't love my wife. She didn't ask me for a home, I built it because I wanted her to have it and there was no way it was going to happen for her if I didn't make it happen. I don't regret any of my decisions but as in all things time alters perception. I didn't want to have money in a Thai bank, thought it was safer in Canada when the exchange rate was 35.8, that looks like a pretty bad decision when the rate is 22.3. That isn't my wifes fault, that's on me.

[Cryingdick]

A good deal of the people that feel 'scapegoated' here would feel the same anywhere. I voted no but have changed my mind. With each passing post that I read I feel like I am on the downward spiral of victimization. At least I have my Avocado toast and my security blanket to help me cope. 

[tlandtday]

Scapegoating has long been used by the country's elites to distract from the real issues and the real opportunists.  Not so difficult to put 2 and 2 together if you open your eyes.

[rickudon]

Replied moderately but the issue is only scapegoated to a very small degree, but the issue is the government's attitude towards the expat farang. 

 

Sure there is a bit of an issue of all farang wrongdoings being publicised, with a 'Thais wouldn't do this' attitude, but honestly that rarely affects anybody, and most Thais have only been helpful and friendly.

 

When i first came to Thailand 11 years ago, I found the Thais friendly and would go out of their way to help (a few taxi drivers/tuk-tuk drivers not so much). And visas were not an issue and if you did seriously overstay just pay 20,000 baht and start again. Nobody had an issue with this. Also ATM's were free to use. All this helped me decide to retire here 9 years ago.

 

Over those 9 years what has changed. The Thais themselves - not much. Atm's introduced fees which went up 3 times over the years - I haven't been to another country which has charged to use an ATM (some local exceptions, but always most free). Overstaying - now a severe penalty if caught or over a month. And the latest the compulsory insurance, although yet to see how that pans out in the future. Visas - well that's a separate paragraph! (see below).

 

When i first came to live here i got a multi-entry non-immigrant 'O'. I just sent off my passport, the fee and a signed form saying i had sufficient funds. 2 years later i had to provide proof of a pension/income (amount unspecified i think). Next year i was asked for 1200 GBP income a month (just a bank statement). The next year 1200 GBP as proven income, had to be BGC (i.e usually salary or pension), interest and funds from savings not accepted This caught me out because the change happened 3 weeks before i applied for my new visa, so denied. Fortunately my remaining validity of my non-immigrant 'O', a double tourist visa and a visa exempt got me through to my next return to the UK. I got another double entry tourist visa next time and got legally married and then moved to marriage visa. Over the next few years, triple and double entry tourist visas were scrapped and replaced by the 6 month multi-entry tourist visa (now with financial qualifications). Recently the multi-entry Non-immigrant 'O' has also been scrapped at many consulates/embassies. Also we have had the scrapping of embassy income letters (why only UK, USA and Australia?) which raised the financial stakes as now it was net income brought into the country, not gross, and it had to be deposited by a defined  process in a Thai bank. This is an average of more than one change EVERY year, often at a few months notice - it makes long term planning near impossible. 

 

So, while i felt  relatively welcomed to Thailand by the Thai authorities 10 years ago, now i don't. There have also been changes to the requirements for the permission to marry, yellow book, opening bank accounts and other needful documents in recent years - never easier, always another hoop. And often pretty pointless from an authentication point of view.

 

 

 

 

[DoktorC]

On 11/25/2019 at 7:01 PM, cyril sneer said:

it's actually worse to be a white male in my home country nowadays 

Why what happens to you because you are white?

[Jingthing]

13 minutes ago, DoktorC said:

Why what happens to you because you are white?

Probably something like the feeling of total horror of maybe (but usually not) having to compete in society based on his actual value like everyone else. Change hurts!

Edited December 1, 2019 by Jingthing

[Cryingdick]

6 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Probably something like the feeling of total horror of maybe (but usually not) having to compete in society based on his actual value like everyone else. Change hurts!

 

Says the guy who is literally scouring the Earth for any country he can get a slight advantage in because Thailand is becoming too troublesome. I would love to see you repatriate and compete based on your actual intrinsic value.

 

You would be crapping your pants if somebody put you on a one way ticket back to the USA.

Edited December 1, 2019 by Cryingdick

[fusion58]

"Scapegoated" might be too strong a word, but, what with the onerous Thai immigration laws, I certainly feel like a crook on parole.

 

This feeling is all the more acute whenever I reflect on the fact that my Thai wife holds a ten-year, multiple entry U.S. visitor visa and is permitted to stay for six months each time she enters the U.S.

 

No 90 day reports or TM30s required.

 

A little reciprocity would be nice.