It's an interesting topic, and one that I am open to all possibilities. The one thing I will not be swayed on is the 800k baht will remain 800k baht forever. It simply can not, and will not. A change to this amount is inevitable at some stage. We are seeing a rise in populist political parties across the world. Trump in the USA, Reform in the UK, One Nation in Australia, Meloni in Italy etc. Anti-immigrant policies have become popular, globally. It's a belief held my many foreigners in Thailand that "they want our money here, but they don't want us here." So, how popular would a Thai politician be if he said he was going to reduce the amount of foreigners living in Thailand by changing the retirement visa criteria, and also freeing up properties for Thai's? He's sure to be swept into power. Such a policy would have no grandfathering. As mentioned, it may have nothing to do with financial capacity and simply be based on age. The retirement visa may be available from the age of say 50 to 75 years of age, and after 75 you no longer qualify. Basically, the Thai government would be thinking, we've got the money out of them, they are too old to spend much anymore, and we don't want them dying here. The later particularly true of those living on meager pensions, fortnight to fortnight, and most probably leaving a bill/s behind upon their death. I don't really subscribe to your idea of "humane thing to do" or "respect for elderly people." The Thai government couldn't care less. It's Money Number One here. It's as simple as that. As for bad PR, Thailand is not running a charity for elderly retired expats with small money. What country would want the reputation of having old aged pensioners, from all around the world, who can't afford to live in their own western country? In my opinion, the 800k baht will be raised at some stage. Whether that increase will keep the status quo, or be part of a broader plan remains to be seen, but as you alluded to, why wouldn't they consider clearing out the "older poor meat" for the "fresh richer meat" on a rotating basis, thus ensuring expat retiree "spend" is always at a high level?
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