Thai is the best nationality there is!" Former American pays through the nose to renounce US citizenship

[moto77]

48 minutes ago, geriatrickid said:

He is no longer subject to  the US tax system. For those who have wealth, it is worth something. On the other hand, he lived in Thailand since the age of 2. He most likely has a limited education and is a holy roller so more concerned with his religion than anything else.

It isn't a tax issue people. The first over 100,000 is excluded for non-resident citizens. Do you seriously think this guy makes that much? 

[samran]

1 hour ago, Farang Muang Phrae said:

I'm sorry but you're wrong.  I am Thai and along with millions and millions of other Thai people I am EXTREMELY proud to be Thai.  

I for one congratulate you. 
 

From what I’ve seen over social media  getting to this point has been a massive struggle for you and your sister with lots of false dawns and dead ends, so it’s great you now have the security of being able to live your life the way you want to. 

Obviously ignore the others, it wouldn’t be TV without 90% of members whining. Mostly out of jealousy at the end of the day, they have decided to live here too but can’t have what you have now achieved. 
 

All the best with whatever comes next in your life. 

 

Edited March 1, 2020 by samran

[Orton Rd]

What are the reason anyone would be EXTREMELY proud to be Thai, seriously? Is it just the nationalistic jingoism about the historical accident of never being colonised by the Brits or French or a valid reason, the food or music maybe? Certainly cannot be the social structure, the leaders or the political system.

[Orton Rd]

2 hours ago, Farang Muang Phrae said:

I'm sorry but you're wrong.  I am Thai and along with millions and millions of other Thai people I am EXTREMELY proud to be Thai.  

Please can you let us know why you are so very proud? while you are here what denomination were your parents, if it's not a secret that is.

Edited March 1, 2020 by Orton Rd

[uli65]

if you can not show any success in your life you have to be proud about your passport.

[transam]

Just now, uli65 said:

if you can not show any success in your life you have to be proud about your passport.

Really, I'll just go and Wai it then.....????

[mauGR1]

20 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

What are the reason anyone would be EXTREMELY proud to be Thai,

The love for the land and its people can do, and it's the same everywhere, nothing new here.

Give the guy a break, he's Thai in the soul, having lived here all his life, even if he has foreign parents.

oh, and why should be an American more proud of his nationality than a Chinese or an Iranian or any other nationality ?

[samran]

45 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

What are the reason anyone would be EXTREMELY proud to be Thai, seriously? Is it just the nationalistic jingoism about the historical accident of never being colonised by the Brits or French or a valid reason, the food or music maybe? Certainly cannot be the social structure, the leaders or the political system.

Gawd, going in a bit hard aren’t we? If you are going to have this debate then do so with full disclosure of who you are, rather than hiding behind computer screen. We know who he is.

[transam]

3 minutes ago, samran said:

Gawd, going in a bit hard aren’t we? If you are going to have this debate then do so with full disclosure of who you are, rather than hiding behind computer screen. We know who he is.

And you are.....?

[samran]

10 minutes ago, transam said:

And you are.....?

Keep up Trans.

 

im not the one pouring buckets of <deleted> over him from behind a keyboard. 

[The Man Who Sold the World]

I'm sure I could find a better use of THB 70k. 

 

That being said, to each their own. It was his money. ???? 

[Fex Bluse]

4 hours ago, Farang Muang Phrae said:

Smarter people than me have done this.  

Yes, millionaires and billionaires, usually for tax avoidance purposes. And they don't then clown themselves to the locals for their enjoyment (and secret ridicule).

 

As another poster mentioned, we would very much appreciate knowing exactly what you are proud of.

 

In hundreds of years, it has never been explained to any Westerners. We are usually just told we don't understand or indeed can't understand Thainess.

 

We FINALLY have a Westerner here who obviously understands it. 

 

Can you explain it to us?

[samran]

5 minutes ago, Fex Bluse said:

Yes, millionaires and billionaires, usually for tax avoidance purposes. And they don't then clown themselves to the locals for their enjoyment (and secret ridicule).

 

As another poster mentioned, we would very much appreciate knowing exactly what you are proud of.

 

In hundreds of years, it has never been explained to any Westerners. We are usually just told we don't understand or indeed can't understand Thainess.

 

We FINALLY have a Westerner here who obviously understands it. 

 

Can you explain it to us?

It’s not rocket science - his stay here is now certain. His comfortable in his skin being here. 
 

He never needed his US passport for the first 44 years of his life, and that is unlikely to change.

 

And most of all, where he lives and who he lives with have accepted him for who he is.

 

what more reasons do you need to want to commit yourself to one place and be proud of it?

Edited March 1, 2020 by samran

[JustAnotherHun]

Thailand is the best country on earth so Thai nationality must be the best to have. Seems logic.

[Orton Rd]

1 hour ago, samran said:

Gawd, going in a bit hard aren’t we? If you are going to have this debate then do so with full disclosure of who you are, rather than hiding behind computer screen. We know who he is.

No harder than people who bang on about the IRS, if you plaster yourself all over the place and let others do it on fb boasting about how great Thai nationality is surely people have a right to ask why he feels like that, similarly the missionary story, what's the secret there missionaries for what denomination? Nobody is asking about his love life or even who he votes for, just the details of what he has made public knowledge. He won't answer though will he.

Edited March 1, 2020 by Orton Rd

[samran]

3 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

No harder than people who bang on about the IRS, if you plaster yourself all over the place and let others do it on fb boasting about how great Thai nationality is surely people have a right to ask why he feels like that, similarly the missionary story, what's the secret there missionaries for what denomination? Nobody is asking about his love life or even who he votes for, just the details of what he has made public knowledge.

Then ask him publicly on his FB site then. What we’ve got here is a gang attack beating up on the poor bloke. 

[Orton Rd]

link for his fb site, I am not on that nonsense but could look using the Mrs account, stop making him out to be a victim, nobody has been beating up on him, everyone is entitled to think he's nuts as well as wise.

[Vacuum]

3 hours ago, Farang Muang Phrae said:

I am Thai and along with millions and millions of other Thai people I am EXTREMELY proud to be Thai.  

Can you give a stupid farang, like myself, a clue what you're so "EXTREMELY proud" of?

 

I'm sure it can't be the corruption, education, the nonexistence surveillance of no good drivers on roads, dumping your garbage on the roads (the whole country looks like a dumpsite), getting a government employment without delivering a brown envelope.....

 

Serious question.

[Selatan]

6 hours ago, J Town said:

Wake up, homey - you will NEVER be recognized as Thai. You may have a document and speak like a native but your face says otherwise.

How does a typical Thai looked like? Some looked like Indians to me, especially in the South near Myanmar. Most looked like Malays or Filipinos. Some looked like Chinese. If I didn't speak in English in Bangkok, many would have thought I was a local.

Not "recognised" by ordinary Thais as a Thai is not a problem. Only need to be recognised by the government.

[pixelaoffy]

"best nationality in the world". ? The man needs to get out and about  more 

[DrTuner]

5 hours ago, JustAnotherHun said:

How can one be proud to be Thai or German or Brit or whatever? Is to be a citizen of somewhat a special skill?

I could understand being proud after WW2 when you have defended your country, but otherwise .. never understood being proud of a foot ball club or some such either. Nothing to do with the individual, other than the burning desire to associate with something. Do your own thang and be proud of that.

[JustAnotherHun]

5 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

I could understand being proud after WW2 when you have defended your country,

Then you can be proud of what you or your country has done. As I am proud of Germany and it's way after the war until 2015.

But proud just to be German or something else sounds strange to me.

One is a national by coincidence. It's not something to be proud of.

[Orton Rd]

49 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

Can you give a stupid farang, like myself, a clue what you're so "EXTREMELY proud" of?

 

I'm sure it can't be the corruption, education, the nonexistence surveillance of no good drivers on roads, dumping your garbage on the roads (the whole country looks like a dumpsite), getting a government employment without delivering a brown envelope.....

 

Serious question.

Seems very shy about what he's extremely proud of, maybe the flags, yellow shirts, grapping, groveling, people knowing their place, vast wealth inequality and standing up for nationalistic songs?

Edited March 1, 2020 by Orton Rd

[seancbk]

16 hours ago, Fex Bluse said:

You are NOT Thai.

Do you understand that?

 

Yes he is.  He is a national of Thailand.

I am ethnically Caucasian but I spent 35 years living in Hong Kong and have permanent residency, which gives me the same rights as a Hong Kong Chinese person (some would argue more rights).

I hold a British passport but I have never lived there.  I was born in a US Airforce hospital in Libya.   I don't think of myself as British, or indeed any nationality really.  

I am just a white guy who can (if he chooses) live and work in the UK, or Hong Kong or Thailand. 

When people ask where I'm from I now say Thailand as that is where if I wasn't here I would be going back to ie, where I call home.   

 

[sturdyd]

Renouncing his US Citizenship is an empty gesture. The man's an idiot. Throw his US passport in a drawer and forget it. Until that certain time it may come in very handy.

[DrTuner]

11 minutes ago, seancbk said:

When people ask where I'm from I now say Thailand as that is where if I wasn't here I would be going back to ie, where I call home.   

I too say from Thailand, because it happens to be my current place of residence. If somebody insists, I will say "originally from". I consider myself a paying customer to the organized maf .. ermh governments running countries. Not a big fan of the current system of nations, either. Citizen of the World (wouldn't mind a trip to Mars, though). People who strongly associate with an area in the map go to "ok not all home but harmless" category in my internal bookkeeping system.

[Docno]

On 2/28/2020 at 4:33 PM, MadMac said:

Pretty stupid I say. He could have kept both.

I know quite a few americans who'd love to get rid of their US citizenship. The overseas taxation being the biggest issue, but Trump adding an extra nudge for some. 

[Shouldhaveknownbetter]

11 minutes ago, Docno said:

I know quite a few americans who'd love to get rid of their US citizenship. The overseas taxation being the biggest issue, but Trump adding an extra nudge for some. 

So what is stopping them ?

[ThomasThBKK]

1 hour ago, Shouldhaveknownbetter said:

So what is stopping them ?

It's extremely expensive.

 

My friend and his wife went through it 2 years ago after getting st kitts citizenships, the exit tax was hefty. The paperwork was even more hefty. 

 

The other issue is, they were not allowed to give up their childrens passports, it's apparently not possible until they are 18 and they have to go through the same thing again. 

 

Exit tax is 23.8% and gets calculated as you selling all your assets on the day of renounciation afaik. You basically lose 1/4 of what you own in wealth just for the privilege of not having a passport anymore - it's hilarious, no other country in the world holds you as slave like this. Not to mention the lawyers he had to hire were quite pricey...

 

Of course this won't bother you if you are broke, but then you don't have the money for a new citizenship anyway...

[sanemax]

2 minutes ago, ThomasThBKK said:

It's extremely expensive.

 

My friend and his wife went through it 2 years ago after getting st kitts citizenships, the exit tax was hefty. The paperwork was even more hefty. 

 

The other issue is, they were not allowed to give up their childrens passports, it's apparently not possible until they are 18 and they have to go through the same thing again. 

 

Exit tax is 23.8% and gets calculated as you selling all your assets on the day of renounciation afaik. You basically lose 1/4 of what you own in wealth just for the privilege of not having a passport anymore - it's hilarious, no other country in the world holds you as slave like this. Not to mention the lawyers he had to hire were quite pricey...

 

Of course this won't bother you if you are broke, but then you don't have the money for a new citizenship anyway...

Why not go to St Kitts, bin your USA PP and just never go back ?