Does Thailand genuinely welcome Farang?

[nobodysfriend]

16 hours ago, JustAnotherHun said:

How dare those morons. Farang retirees are God's gift to Thailand ????

55 , not many here believe in ' God ' .

[OneMoreFarang]

10 hours ago, Nojohndoe said:

I am convinced that there exists a "sub file" at least on provincial IO records that flag certain aspects of the "treatment" of individuals presenting for extensions  etc.

Does Thailand genuinely welcome "farang" ? I would say that yes if said farang do not attempt to challenge non immediate existing "rights" as non citizens in the face of a discretionarily empowered Official .  I have been witness to and subjected to same attitude by western officialdom on occasion.

Do they really need a file?

 

The OP writes: "I add at this point that I have been using the same Immigration Office for 15 years for renewals and 90 day Reporting and I know nearly all the Officers who work there"

 

I am pretty sure not only he knows the officers but the officers will also remember him - without looking at any file.

 

Maybe some officers will just look at the documents and proceed as normal. But maybe with some candidates other officers will remember to direct the farang to Somchai, because Somchai always enjoyed playing around with that guy. And then they always had a laugh in the lunch break. There he is again...

 

 

[KhaoYai]

1 hour ago, itsari said:

In that case my answer would be easy , girls girls girls 

That was your words .

So if they don't come for girls they come for viewing temples you say . More sadness 

If you want my opinion many men that do come here looking for girls as you put it had and have had  trouble finding a partner in there homeland .

 

I related my original post to the OP by suggesting a different title but we are going way off topic now and I have no intention of letting this spat dominate the OP.

 

I'd be happy to debate the matter further with you in a relevant thread - feel free to start one. You could make it a survey - I wonder how many men would be truthful and state why they came to Thaland for the first time?

[DUNROAMIN]

17 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

It seems you (also) want to play some kind of game with them. Did you want to p$@# them off? Or why did you do that? And do you think such behavior will help you in the future of not?

Obviously I don't know you but it seems there are many people who live here among Thais without any problems. And there are some people who seem to attract problems. What do you think why that might happen?

Sorry to disagree, my experience with Immigration over the years has not been all roses, it depends on the officers working behind the counter. Staff at my Imm office change every two years, and I have seen some officers have an attitude towards expats here. I do not go out of my way to <deleted> people off. The fact is there are people all over the world who do not like foriengners in there country.

Edited November 22, 2021 by DUNROAMIN

[poohy]

11 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

What a sad chap.

Previously found your posts reasonable.

IMO offensive post. Shows limited iq IMO.

 i am sure there are many other things in life  more important to be offended about

[Bangkok Barry]

17 hours ago, barry553 said:

Maybe your time here is up. Once the rose tinted glasses come off you realize why so many Thais want to get out of the place.

During my 25+ years in Thailand I have known quite a few Thais who have gone overseas to live and have no interest at all in coming back. A friend of my wife lives in Germany and said that when her husband died she would return to Thailand. He died five years ago and she's still there. My sister-in-law went to Hungary where her Dutch husband has a house. It was supposedly for three months, and 20 months later she's made no effort at all to return and we continue to take care of her son that she dumped on us. There are others. Once they see what the real world is like they have no interest in returning to the lunatic asylum.

[apetryxx]

We all know it’s a pain in the A$$ to have to regurgitate the same information year after year and how nice it would be to have “green card” system but that’s just not the way they do it here. There are a few solutions to your problem.

1. Leave

2. Grin and bear it

3. Cough up 15,000 Baht, problem solved.

[FritsSikkink]

So your insurance company didn't give you the right certificate and you blame immigration and start to play silly games.

Best you move to somewhere else.

[Bangkok Barry]

17 hours ago, wprime said:

I always wonder about these stories. I've spent about 10 years total time in Thailand (not consecutively) and I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've felt unwelcome. Thailand is one of the warmest, most welcoming places in the world.

 

Generally I would agree. But there are nasty undertones. Several times when I lived in Bangkok I'd be entering a shopping centre and outside there would be 'pretties' offering free samples of whatever. And, with one exception of one handing out water, the arm offering the free sample would be pulled back when she saw me. Free for Thai only.

I don't want to trivialtise racial discrimination, but I've many times over the years had a glimpse into what it might be like to be coloured and be discriminated against or treated differently because of the colour of my skin.

[Artisi]

2 minutes ago, apetryxx said:

We all know it’s a pain in the A$$ to have to regurgitate the same information year after year and how nice it would be to have “green card” system but that’s just not the way they do it here. There are a few solutions to your problem.

1. Leave

2. Grin and bear it

3. Cough up 15,000 Baht, problem solved.

15,000 for what? 

[Walker88]

15 hours ago, KhunLA said:

"how long before they realise how much we contribute to the Thai Economy"

 

All the expats could leave tomorrow, and they wouldn't notice or care.  I'm always amazed at how important expats think they are to the economy of Thailand.  

 

The simple fact that it isn't easier (though easy enough) to live here shows, our lack of importance, or desire to have us.

You need to differentiate among farang who aren't even a rounding error vs those that, frankly, built Thailand.

 

FDI built Thailand. It isn't as if they developed any technology domestically. On their own, Thais were exporters of foodstuffs. After FDI came into the country in a big way, millions of jobs were created, tech transfer was massive, and the hi-sos were able to become hi-sos because of all the real estate built to house the companies and managers who came to lift Thailand into the 20th Century.

 

All the retirees and farang hubbies could leave tomorrow, and the impact would be minimal...certainly less than what Covid did to the economy. Where Thailand has to be careful is if they become less welcoming to FDI. Already some int'l corps have re-located to Vietnam, and others are considering it. Regional competition is going to force Thailand to make concessions...on taxes, streamlining the Immigration process for Non-B investor/business visas, etc. Alienate too many farang, and unemployment will become a problem the current leadership has to address---and there are not places for displaced workers to go, save for going retro and working on farms in ways that might even pre-date Cyrus McCormick. When expectations were more modest, UE was less of an issue, but now that the populace has higher expectation of financial well-being and an easier life, UE is a thorn in the side of any sitting Administration.

 

There is xenophobia in every country and culture. It's embedded in our genes. Thus, some will always notice the resentment a certain percentage of locals feel toward 'outsiders', and the greater the difference in physical appearance (e.g., a Japanese vs a Caucasian Brit), the greater likelihood that those prone to xenophobia might evidence resentment. A farang in Thailand isn't going to have it any worse than an Asian in the US---even a citizen of Asian descent in the Covid, "Kung-flu" error (who started that term?).

[KhunLA]

After 15 yrs, you'd think he would have had a map ready, as required for at least the last 5+ yrs.

 

20 yrs here, and I even put my paperwork in the order I notice they want (rearranged previously). Pay attention to the details. Only thing they have to do is pick which photos to glue to the paper.  All papers are already signed.  No passing back & forth.   Sign the photo pages & done.  He/she gets the 'stack', pages through, no re-shuffle ... smiles all around.  

[runamok27]

All of these problems could be avoided if Thailand would just allow Permanent Residence and/or Citizenship. All of these silly made up visa classifications and requirements just makes it confusing and difficult for everybody. Treating retired people like tourists is just plain silly and unnecessary. 

[rughead]

yes i completed my 0/A extension  3 weeks ago, this year immigration required a different bank statement for my 800000 baht, had to be from head office  in Bangkok , and on return one week later with my new statement,   was asked for the first time  to draw a map where I lived .Re the past article about the health insurance, initially the receiving officer in my immigration office , after checking my documentation , told me i didin,t require those papers, later changing his mind   when my interviewing  officer asked,  and was subsequently  given the papers. Goal posts seem to be changing all the time. 

[Almer]

18 hours ago, barry553 said:

Maybe your time here is up. Once the rose tinted glasses come off you realize why so many Thais want to get out of the place.

Agreed

[tandor]

17 hours ago, new2here said:

Do they welcome farang?

 

Yes, i think they do.

 

While i get that the latest IM visit didn’t go as expected, that, to me, isn’t a fair nor accurate measurement nor representation of how “welcoming” Thailand is.. or isn’t.

 

i say they are - only because they do offer a fairly broad range of visa classes that do legitimately cover a decent percentage of that situations a non-citizen may be.

 

As is with almost every country, Thailand does have its own nationally imposed internal selection criteria … those that they’d prefer… and …. those that they don’t… that, to me, isn’t all that unique to thailand… lots of countries do this by virtue of visa costs, eligibility requirements etc.

 

Yes, thailand could do more to make the process of coming to and remaining legally in thailand easier… very true… and that same could be said for many other countries as well.

 

in all, i can’t say that thailand is (IMHO) overtly UNwelcoming to non-citizens per se, but you will always find individuals who don’t perhaps showcase the most foreigner-friendly demeanor toward them, however that’s vastly different than a direct or even implied national policy of unwelcome them.

...us aliens appear stubborn and pedantic about simple processes..we question everything and want to know why all the time...this aggravates and upsets most Thais who think we should just do as we are told. After all, Thai people are happy to sit for hours 'n hours, and dont get agitated...if they complain or try to shame a person dealing with them, then they too are shunned and talked about. In the end the authorities hold the power. I think Thai government bodies are trying desperately to upgrade their systems, digitalise their systems, expand their databases, so just go with them...or use an agent.

[BritManToo]

13 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Are Immigration officials in any country "welcoming" to foreigners? I didn't think so. Why would Thailand be any different?

KUL airport, Muslim female immigration officer asked me why I didn't stay longer, I only used 6hrs on a 90 day on entry.

MNL airport, female immigration officer (attractive) asked me if I liked the country ( I visited often a week at a time), and suggested I spend a bit more time in Manila (I got the impression she wanted to show me around).

 

They were both definitely welcoming.

[TechnikaIII]

18 hours ago, finnsk said:

They only love our wallets.

 

 

... and begrudgingly at that. 

[Bangkok Barry]

12 hours ago, Daithi85 said:

they took a 1 hour lunch break ..unbelievable.

That is, actually. That system existed in my native UK maybe 60 years ago when I was a kid, but then they invented staggered lunch breaks, which is what I had in my office for decades so that there were always people to answer the phones. To completely shut down and leave people they are meant to be serving waiting while they do their Asian-style must do things in a group thing is ridiculous. Perfectly demonstrates their priority.

[Walker88]

11 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

What a sad chap.

Previously found your posts reasonable.

IMO offensive post. Shows limited iq IMO.

It was Somerset Maugham who once wrote that he'd met many men who spent their lives living the straight and narrow, and in their last days regretted not having sown a few more wild oats, while Maugham said he never met a man who had given in to carnal temptations who had any regrets whatsoever at the end.

 

We all make choices. When our days are done, little matters and we get no points for living one way vs another. That fellow may have made choices different from what you or I might make, but it seems his choices made him happy. At his end he'll likely have no regrets but perhaps lots of happy memories. Is that shallow? By whose definition? Then he, like the rest of us, will transition into non-existence for all eternity, how he lived mattering not a wit.

 

Personally I find other things sad....as we all have our individual likes and dislikes. I couldn't care less if I see a 60 year old man walking hand-in-hand with a 20 year old Thai woman. If that is what he came to Thailand for, good for him. If someone else came for the temples or culture (I would guesstimate that number as less than 10% of arrivals, at least male arrivals, and I think 10% is generous and allows some fudging for outright liars), good for them. I hope they, too, found what they wanted.

 

What irks me, or rather what might lead me to say 'sad', is the man who let himself go, didn't take care of himself, and arrived at age packing 10-50 kgs of unnecessary bulk. It certainly has to detract from life, toting around all that useless fat, and it represents a healthbomb waiting to happen. Other people are fat and happy---their choice. My opinion on their girth doesn't matter, nor should it.

[DrJack54]

28 minutes ago, Artisi said:

15,000 for what? 

15k baht is approx cost or extension retirement by  agent.

[KhaoYai]

22 minutes ago, runamok27 said:

All of these problems could be avoided if Thailand would just allow Permanent Residence and/or Citizenship.

They do.

[ubonjoe]

This topic appears to of run its course already since it is mostly bickering, baiting, troll, flaming and Thai bashing posts.

Topic now