Thailand steps up efforts to attract more expats

[Adumbration]

Retarded.  The lot of them.  On Feburary 22 next year all foreigners who do not have a registered business here will be locked out of PayPal Thailand.  Every week or so they roll out this piffle about attracting digital nomads.  But on or before February 22, 2022 any foreigner reliant upon PayPal for their online work will be outta here and off to another country that treats them better.

[johnmcc6]

They just wont stop dreaming.There is sweet F A to attract the very wealthy who have the whole world at their fingertips. These tourism clowns think all the millions of former visitors came for the beautiful culture and beaches which are readily available in many countries..  . Are  they blind or just stupid? Millions came for the fun fun of  people watching enjoying  crowded markets, Abundant street food , vibrant night life . Sure girls and parties. But they have taken the fun out of Thailand with moving markets, changing rules about what you can and cant do anymore in some attempt to make it a place just for families.  The super wealthy will not tolerate the smog the burning season or the rampant corruption and lack of any semblance of democracy. They will not bring their wealth to a country they cannot trust. Sadly It is no longer the land of smiles with so many poor trying just to survive. Of course the elite who never leave Bangkok have no idea of the hardships of the rural poor and flood devastated rice framers. Instead of dreaming up nonsense schemes to attract the rich how about dreaming up things to make people happy . Cut the rules and red tap.e. Make it a welcome mat for middle class expats . Charge a small levy on arrivals to give expats insurance cover to pay hospital expenses instead of health insurance only the rich can afford . If everyone has 800 thousand baht in the bank make them use that to pay medical costs When it runs out use the levy fund until the expat has to leave the country.

In  spite of my rant i am very happy here and surrounded by many Thais who still know how to smile.

 

[Peter Dennis]

I’m a multi millionaire who has been enduring the same shabby treatment from immigration and other officials for decades just as everyone has, because I refuse to pay a corrupt agent to do an end run around officialdom.

 

Though tempted by the offer to “buy some respect” by investing in a luxury apartment and obtaining that 10 year “rich man’s visa”, I am expecting the powers that be to shoot themselves in the foot with some deal breaker regulations emanating from the anti western racism that pervades the mindset of that cabal of hi-so business types and their allies in the military/police/public service that hold all the power in this country.

They hold the reigns in this patronage based society and a cause of Covid now need more money to help them toncontinue to hold sway over the ordinary decent, powerless Thai people who are forced by poverty to submit to them.
Now that the money is short they reluctantly turn to people like me for a bail out. Offering to remove all the purposefully imposed hindrances to expat life designed to force our submission, it’s a deal with the devil that is being offered. So evil repercussions down the track are to be expected. 

[Boyn]

Lets be honest they will still be talking about this in 15 years time and if they ever do it 5 mins later they will change the rules

You can be sure that you will need big bucks to qualify anyway.

[Udox]

9 hours ago, 86Tiger said:

 

 

They come up with all these ideas but one has to wonder if any of the persons discussing new proposals actually know any expats?  Or dare try ask any expat or foreigner in generally why they go to Thailand?

I said the same about the tourists, but the army General thinks he knows what the tourists want, more than the tourists do. Whatever they came for, at least they came, but forcing your vision of how YOU think they should spend their 2 weeks here can only spell (even more) disaster ????

[The Hammer2021]

Clueless, culturally illiterate snobs. I almost feel sorry the popinjay in puce and his panjandrums..

[JCauto]

That's the sensible way to go about it. Don't talk to any of the thousands of actual expats who live in Thailand to find out how they might keep them here and attract similar sorts - have some senior Thai guys get together to figure out how to attract the sort of expats who don't and won't come to Thailand. Sure to bring about the expected result! Which is true, since the expected result is greasing of palms, drinking of expensive scotch and wine and cavorting about with attractive young ladies while "discussing" this difficult issue.

[NanaSomchai]

1 hour ago, Peter Dennis said:

I’m a multi millionaire who has been enduring the same shabby treatment from immigration and other officials for decades just as everyone has, because I refuse to pay a corrupt agent to do an end run around officialdom.

 

Though tempted by the offer to “buy some respect” by investing in a luxury apartment and obtaining that 10 year “rich man’s visa”, I am expecting the powers that be to shoot themselves in the foot with some deal breaker regulations emanating from the anti western racism that pervades the mindset of that cabal of hi-so business types and their allies in the military/police/public service that hold all the power in this country.

They hold the reigns in this patronage based society and a cause of Covid now need more money to help them toncontinue to hold sway over the ordinary decent, powerless Thai people who are forced by poverty to submit to them.
Now that the money is short they reluctantly turn to people like me for a bail out. Offering to remove all the purposefully imposed hindrances to expat life designed to force our submission, it’s a deal with the devil that is being offered. So evil repercussions down the track are to be expected. 

BEST POST OF 2021.

[WingFat]

As one who falls into the "wealthy" category by the standards expressed, I am not considering Thailand as the place I would want to entrust or depend on my hard-earned wealth to any degree. I do not consider myself "wealthy"; rather as financially secure as much as anyone can these days.

 

That being said, I treasure the many years I resided in Thailand, founded and successfully ran a Thai Co., employed local Thais and assisted many local Thais during my years there in a variety of ways.

 

Not to knock the Thai leadership too harshly, but given the state of flux the world in general is and I believe will be for years to come, the risk for me to roll the dice with Thailand is just too great.

 

To those who choose to do so, I wish them all the best.

 

WingFat.

[Damrongsak]

11 hours ago, mokwit said:

Basically, they want to bring investment into Thailand and recognise that they probably have to accept a foreigner attached to it. ....

They'll need bolt cutters to get my wallet. 

 

 

 

[ericbj]

Looking at the proposal to entice foreigners to settle on the basis of a business scheme, the government might do well to commission some market research to determine the potential clientèle, what they are looking for, and how to tap into the market.  This might be a better start than merely trying out preconceived ideas, one after another.  And so money well spent.

But whatever conditions are decided for future foreign settlers, those already settled here, some for decades, should not be subjected to radically new conditions than those that brought them here in the first place.  Stability and continuity creates confidence in the Kingdom.

Somewhere in one of the two books by Philip Wylie (on establishing a business in Thailand and on owning a property in Thailand) he writes "Never invest in Thailand what you cannot afford to lose."
The authorities should seek to create a situation that counters this viewpoint.

[tingtong]

Different day, same BS.

Repackaged a little. 

[1FinickyOne]

7 hours ago, atpeace said:

Think you may be taking it too seriously. 

just too many years of listening to farang whine about spending an extra $2 or having to fill out a form every 90 days when a Thai cannot easily even vacation in USA and the non-refundable application cost is over $100... it is pretty darn easy for any farang to retire here while near impossible in reverse for a Thai 

[kiwikeith]

17 hours ago, Zikomat said:

 

 1. Filthy ‘Rich’ global citizens

 

2. ‘Wealthy’ retirees (1 billion in assets and higher)

 

3. Multi-millionaires 

 

4. Single-digit millionaires

 

5. All the rest - ‘undesirables’

 

 

 

One of my friends has 7 Thai children, he supports the family, has built them houses, and owns company properties, but he was just talking to me as he's is going back soon, about a ten yr visa, where he would have to buy property, and he is not interested, he is treated like all us expats, needs expensive insurance, and has to go through all the same visa hurdles as us all, I said go back on a thirty day then apply for your non o which he will do, while his wife and 3 kids he has here in NZ stroll through the gate, thats after the NZ govt supported his kids here with free medical and school and looked after his wife.

 

So it is about time the Thai govt woke up and stopped bashing us up, I support my Thai wife and kids, and look after her mother , one brother and a sister, many of you do more, it is total BS .

[itsari]

16 hours ago, dendijk said:

Hmmmm..... I did just that Mr Prayut. I came here after I married my thai wife. We bought a house, and some land to make a village to retire from. Then EGAT came in 2017 and said we are going to put a tower and a transmission line right through the middle of it. It is almost 2022 and we still haven't received any compensation. Almost broke we had no other choice to return to Europe now. But thank you for taking such good care of the 'expats'!

I can understand your frustration even if you only tell one percent of the story .

Buyer beware 

[crouchpeter]

16 hours ago, Gecko123 said:

Giving foreigners property rights, especially if they are married, would not only attract many wealthy foreigners, but it would, overnight, put an end to love scam marriages entered into by village girls looking to dupe unsuspecting foreigners into purchasing land and real estate and registering it in the girl's name.

 

If Prayut and Co, think that marriages between older foreign men and younger Thai women are unseemly and sully Thailand's moral reputation on the international stage, taking away this incentive for Thai women to enter into these marriages for ulterior financial motives would do more to improve Thailand's social fabric than any crackdowns on red-light districts will ever do.

 

Don't you think you should be responsible for your own stupidity and gullibility?

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, 1FinickyOne said:

just too many years of listening to farang whine about spending an extra $2 or having to fill out a form every 90 days when a Thai cannot easily even vacation in USA and the non-refundable application cost is over $100... it is pretty darn easy for any farang to retire here while near impossible in reverse for a Thai 

Both the Thaksin PMs didn't seem to have any problem retiring to the UK.

And at least one Thai person seems to be living happily in Germany with no trouble.

Edited November 10, 2021 by BritManToo

[mokwit]

9 hours ago, rudi49jr said:

these ideas to attract more expats have been floated for as long as I can remember, and nothing ever came of it.

It's because the end result would be more foreigners staying long term in Thailand rather than going home after dumping the money they saved for 50 weeks.

 

I [half] believe the Thai authorities have a formula that gives the ratio of how long you have to put up with the foreigner for vs how much money they spend. Obviously people working locally and married to a Thai are at the low end of the scale whereas 2 week millionaires are at the higher end. It is easy for one to get a visa and harder for the other. Kepish?

Edited November 10, 2021 by mokwit

[jacko45k]

15 hours ago, Percy P said:

Whatever money you have or bring into the country don't change it into Baht immediately 

Deposits it in a F.C.A .Foreign Currency Account. If you require  a letter to show immigration the Bank will issue to a letter stating the amount  in one 's Currency and Baht. When l fist advised this the Pound Stirling was  38B/£ now its45B/£ .less then 6 month's ago.

Money can only be transferred into another account in your name so you will also require  a damaging account for it to be transferred into it.

If the money only needs to be 65,000 baht/month, which will be spent anyhow, or even the 800,000 baht currently required for a retirement extension, I would give that more thought.

There is potential for the B/£ rate to go down too... as it has done in the last 2 weeks. It is attractive that you are in control of when you change your money into baht, but aren't you also obligated to do it? IE, the only way you can get your money out of the Thai based FCD/FCA, is to buy baht with it? 

[atpeace]

43 minutes ago, 1FinickyOne said:

just too many years of listening to farang whine about spending an extra $2 or having to fill out a form every 90 days when a Thai cannot easily even vacation in USA and the non-refundable application cost is over $100... it is pretty darn easy for any farang to retire here while near impossible in reverse for a Thai 

Many expats regardless of country they reside, complain incessantly about everything that isn't comparable to where they came from.  Ironic but human nature it seems.  

 

It is difficult to find that calm place to criticize.  It is a developing nation with very affordable living.  A beautiful country and also can be extremally filthy.  The dual pricing is not a major obstacle to overcome but is an afront to many expats sense of fairness.  In certain situations it can be a financial hardship but  rarely. 

 

I'm an outdoor enthusiast and have to choose where to run/bike at times depending on excessive park fees.  400 baht a day to run is a little over the top.  Even now in the middle of nowhere, my favorite place to exercise is 250 baht each day.  There are work arounds and don't let it ruin my morning.

 

What I hear most often:

1.  90 day reporting is ridiculous.  

        - This the by far  the biggest complaint I hear.  I could go in to detail about my feeling on this matter but I won't. In               the  end, it is amazing that such a trivial matter is at the top of the list.

2. Visa Issues

      - Bureaucratic run government services are a mess regardless of country.  Here it seems to be quite easy to navigate for 99% of expats.  Is it fun? No and a million other things I would rather spend my time enjoying.  In the end, it cost me a few hours every year excluding travel.  This probably oversimplifies the the visa concerns but so many mostly banal concerns that one could get lost in the frustration.

3. We can't own property.

       -This is a major pain in the butt but they have their reasons as do many other developing nations.

4. Dual pricing

     -just a something to complain about that really isn't an issue unless you get offended easily which I do at times and many others.  Park fees, hospital costs, sporting events, and many others that just leave you with a bad feeling and some even are quite costly.  Some is even justified but most aren't and almost all the above are excessive.

 

In the end, I appreciate how easy Thailand is to live as an expat  and roll with the minor issues.  My state of mind though isn't universal so if others are bent, howl at the moon which is possibly a perfect solution.

 

 

[Stoker58]

 From a country with stupid 90 day reporting, dual pricing, where nobody speaks English and you can’t own the house that you live in.

[WingFat]

9 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

This is so bizarre. These prehistoric creeps have little understanding of the most basic fundamentals. There are countless reasons why only 15 ex-pats may apply for this program. I could go on all day. Won't bore you with stuff you already know. 

 

A friend of mine uses a foreign lawyer in Bangkok, who is one of the top attorneys around. He said his office cannot find enough hours in the day to meet with expats who are leaving, with their Thai spouse or family, and dealing with trusts and wills for their remaining Thai families, properties, etc. He said he has never seen anything like it, in the 30 years he has been in practice here. Tens of thousands of expats are leaving. Many with significant assets. Guess they want to replace us with only fat cats. I have some news for the fools. Fat cats have zero interest in Thailand. 

 

Woe is Thailand. Where is the hope for the future? 

The dinosaur dunces are moving this nation backwards at a breakneck pace. Truly regressive reptilian leadership. 

It isn't just Thailand that's marching to a moronic authoritarian master; many other countries are also doing so or having to choose whether to do so or not. This is especially true in the Asia Pac region...side with China or the West; and the West, still (barely, if at all) led by the USA, is also struggling to decide with embracing with an authoritarian style government or allow a greater degree of individual freedom and personal responsibility to be how they are governed.

[WingFat]

9 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

This is so bizarre. These prehistoric creeps have little understanding of the most basic fundamentals. There are countless reasons why only 15 ex-pats may apply for this program. I could go on all day. Won't bore you with stuff you already know. 

 

A friend of mine uses a foreign lawyer in Bangkok, who is one of the top attorneys around. He said his office cannot find enough hours in the day to meet with expats who are leaving, with their Thai spouse or family, and dealing with trusts and wills for their remaining Thai families, properties, etc. He said he has never seen anything like it, in the 30 years he has been in practice here. Tens of thousands of expats are leaving. Many with significant assets. Guess they want to replace us with only fat cats. I have some news for the fools. Fat cats have zero interest in Thailand. 

 

Woe is Thailand. Where is the hope for the future? 

The dinosaur dunces are moving this nation backwards at a breakneck pace. Truly regressive reptilian leadership. 

It isn't just Thailand that's marching to a moronic authoritarian master; many other countries are also doing so or having to choose whether to do so or not. This is especially true in the Asia Pac region...side with China or the West; and the West, still (barely, if at all) led by the USA, is also struggling to decide with embracing with an authoritarian style government or allow a greater degree of individual freedom and personal responsibility to be how they are governed.

[WingFat]

I found the fat cats Thailand is looking for:

 

[Thingamabob]

8 hours ago, NanaSomchai said:

BEST POST OF 2021.

Well said.

[pursus]

Unfortunately, they are still thinking like Thais.  Money, money, money ………for them.   No consideration of the point of view of the foreigners.   

[thonglorjimmy]

14 hours ago, 86Tiger said:

I concur.  Pretty much every nation has a whirlwind of paperwork and regulations.  The first time.  

 

After that you are either in or out and they leave you alone.

We're, once again seriously considering relocating to the UK, we pulled the plug when we last considered the move about five years ago.
 

My wife is aware of the high application fee and the financial requirements, she wasn't aware that she wouldn't need to report her stay every 90 days, she wasn't aware that the NHS Surcharge covered her for the first five years, and whilst I thought it to be expensive, she thought it to be reasonable, she did ask why such a scheme wasn't in place here.

She wasn't aware that should I pass away before the ILR stage she's eligible to apply straight away, she thought she'd have to leave the country.

[AhFarangJa]

I am probably repeating what many have already posted, but why do they not look at the expats here who support families, whether retired, or not. Look at the millions we pour into the Country just to keep those families, STOP making us do visas every year, STOP making us do 90 day reports that mean diddly squat, STOP treating us like second, and third class citizens, STOP the discriminatory dual pricing in Hospitals, and Parks, etc. I doubt it is going to happen in my life time though.

[Mr Meeseeks]

19 hours ago, RafPinto said:

Do i count as "highly skilled"?

 

I master the art of bringing happiness to women.

You mean money to women?

[mokwit]

43 minutes ago, pursus said:

Unfortunately, they are still thinking like Thais.  Money, money, money ………for them.   No consideration of the point of view of the foreigners.   

Everything is one sided here they are completely inequitable and have got away with it by the luck of having cheap labour and good weather and beaches/beeches.