VIDEO: Why some elderly Thais cannot afford to retire

[webfact]

 

Recently, the Thai government announced an increase in special subsidies for the elderly who receive the state pension in fiscal year 2022. They will get an extra payment of 100-250 baht for April through September 2022. It means that, if you are 60 years old and receive a subsidy 600 baht, you will get an extra 100 baht, all in all you will receive 700 baht for 6 months. Senior citizens who do not have other sources of income, however, are struggling to live on state subsidies.

 

Source: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/why-some-elderly-thais-cannot-afford-to-retire/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-05-28

 

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[StayinThailand2much]

A few years ago, I saw two elderly Thais (a man, and a woman, probably not related, but selling things only feet apart, both in their early 70s) selling things every morning at the curb of Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok. With the exhaust and pollution, however, they didn't last long. After only a couple weeks both were 'gone', and I never saw them again.

[mokwit]

My elderly moo ping vendor told me he had to stop because he just couldn't make money now with the price increase. What does he do instead?

[mania]

How sad was that to watch? ????

 

This useless government can think of buying fighter jets, tanks, subs etc etc etc & why? For what?

None will invade Thailand as there is no prize to be had.

No oil, no gold no nothing

 

Yet their people have squat

Sad beyond words

[RafPinto]

44 minutes ago, webfact said:

They will get an extra payment of 100-250 baht for April through September 2022.

What a bloody joke.
Inflation at a multi year high.
What do you do with 100 baht more?

 

[StayinThailand2much]

33 minutes ago, mania said:

How sad was that to watch? ????

 

This useless government can think of buying fighter jets, tanks, subs etc etc etc & why? For what?

None will invade Thailand as there is no prize to be had.

No oil, no gold no nothing (...)

I always wonder, too. Who will want to invade Thailand? Laos or Cambodia? (And if Laos were to invade peaceful Thailand, what good would submarines be?)

 

Or maybe China? But isn't China their best buddy?

[RafPinto]

8 minutes ago, mania said:

How sad was that to watch? ????

 

This useless government can think of buying fighter jets, tanks, subs etc etc etc & why? For what?

None will invade Thailand as there is no prize to be had.

No oil, no gold no nothing

 

Yet their people have squat

Sad beyond words

They come by submarines, fighter jets and tanks to steal the unemployed ladies, former night life servants who went back to the villages.

[StayinThailand2much]

4 minutes ago, RafPinto said:

What a bloody joke.
Inflation at a multi year high.
What do you do with 100 baht more?

 

I spend more for breakfast. ????

[itsari]

A country is judged by the way there government looks after there old people .

Thailand must be way down the list when reading the post that they are expected to live on so little .

I choose to live here mainly because of the low cost of living . If the old were taken care of fairly the cost of living would have to increase .

A moral dilemma 

[ezzra]

Why some? the question should asked Why many or even why most? that's is because the non almost non existent social benefits and retirement plans for the elderly and the needy...

[hotchilli]

Retirement finances are not a priority in Thailand, most workers work for the day/week/month.

No thought is given to saving/investing for retirement.

[Tarteso]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

you will get an extra 100 baht,

????

[herfiehandbag]

4 hours ago, itsari said:

A country is judged by the way there government looks after there old people .

Thailand must be way down the list when reading the post that they are expected to live on so little .

I choose to live here mainly because of the low cost of living . If the old were taken care of fairly the cost of living would have to increase .

A moral dilemma 

I would suggest that the money wasted on "vanity projects", useless and unnecessary  weapon systems and the obscene levels of blatant corruption, would go a very long way towards improving the lot of the elderly poor, long before increasing the cost of living.

[itsari]

1 minute ago, herfiehandbag said:

I would suggest that the money wasted on "vanity projects", useless and unnecessary  weapon systems and the obscene levels of blatant corruption, would go a very long way towards improving the lot of the elderly poor, long before increasing the cost of living.

That applies to many countries and that will not change any time soon

[xylophone]

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

Retirement finances are not a priority in Thailand, most workers work for the day/week/month.

No thought is given to saving/investing for retirement.

Agree with what you say, and anyway with the meagre wages/pay which the majority of the everyday Thai workers take home, there really isn't enough to even consider putting some away for the future, so they really are stuffed.

[bkk6060]

I look forward to the You Tube Vlog: How to live in Thailand on $20 a month.

[KhunLA]

3 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Agree with what you say, and anyway with the meagre wages/pay which the majority of the everyday Thai workers take home, there really isn't enough to even consider putting some away for the future, so they really are stuffed.

TH not exactly the land of opportunity for unskilled working folks.  Unless family, IF having, IF able and IF willing to sell off some of their land holdings.  Then maybe finance at least one family member to a proper education or start a successful business.

 

And retiring on Soc Sec, that's hard enough in western world if having any kind of oops along the way.

 

An oops could be many things, health, employer bankruptcy, too many unplanned kids, or taking in your own adult kid (s) after their oops.  Doesn't take much for a major financial set back, loss of life's savings / equity, if having.

[RichardColeman]

So, average life expectancy Thailand for a man is 73. My UK is 81 ish.

 

Wonder if that 8 years is partly down to the young Thai male ego,  in driving, inter-gang violence, and the killing of ex boyfriends. 

[zzaa09]

Why can't these people learn to be just like us.....

 

????

[rwill]

The only way the majority can 'retire' here is if they have children that will support them.  Traditionally that is how it was done.

[Grusa]

3 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

I look forward to the You Tube Vlog: How to live in Thailand on $20 a month.

 

[trainman34014]

Men over 70 are still driving Buses around the country as well as filth emitting Tipper Trucks when they should be retired and living a more relaxed and comfortable life !

[dinsdale]

Very generous. I'm sure these idiots think this will make people like them more. An extra Bt25 a week for 60 yr olds and only for the next six months as the pockets of the few get fatter and fatter. You just can't make this stuff up. 

[starky]

17 hours ago, RafPinto said:

What a bloody joke.
Inflation at a multi year high.
What do you do with 100 baht more?

 

Even worse what do you do with 700 baht for 6 months?

[Andycoops]

My wife's uncle and his wife retired to the village a couple of years after working in Bangkok but they only survive on money sent by his son, as 600 baht doesn't even feed you for a week, let alone a month.

 

It's the same for most elderly folk, they survive because their children send money back for them.

[itsari]

14 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

So, average life expectancy Thailand for a man is 73. My UK is 81 ish.

 

Wonder if that 8 years is partly down to the young Thai male ego,  in driving, inter-gang violence, and the killing of ex boyfriends. 

Mortality rates at birth are half in the UK as they are in Thailand 

Similar story for children up to 12 years 

[vandeventer]

22 hours ago, mania said:

How sad was that to watch? ????

 

This useless government can think of buying fighter jets, tanks, subs etc etc etc & why? For what?

None will invade Thailand as there is no prize to be had.

No oil, no gold no nothing

 

Yet their people have squat

Sad beyond words

This should have been fixed years ago. Who can live on 600 baht a month? Even if your hose is paid off it would be very hard. Also with all the prices going up and up it's impossible for them. The government people responsible for the pensions should try living on 600 baht a month than they might wake up.

[ChaiyaTH]

The 100 baht would not even compensate for rare use of a motorbike with gasoline alone.

 

But to be honest, the locals rarely make any attempt of change themselves too. To start with the fact they usually buy everything in small quantities at marts while they could buy together in bulk (somehow they rather like the profit to go to their local mart in the village). This would alone be a 30-50% lowered cost already for many items.

 

All it would take is to buy some reusable plastic containers or use old bags and bottles aside of a weight scale to divide many of the products. I do this myself alone, even money isn't any issue.

Happy my inlaws have plenty of land, so food is never the issue and there are no debts, house paid off. Just need to set them up with some solar panels and hydroponics I guess. Electric bills are sky high now too.

[Tropicalevo]

3 hours ago, Andycoops said:

It's the same for most elderly folk, they survive because their children send money back for them.

And that it why it is important to support your local friendly bar girls.

Their families need the money that they send in order to survive.

Bar girls are not looked down on by their parents. They make a valuable contribution.

Many will laugh at this comment, but think about it.

Strange world.

[Johnnyngai]

Life is harsh for them, the last thing they want is to get covid.

That is why you see many ordinary Thais wearing double masks in Bangkok.