What are your greatest concerns living in Thailand over the next years?

[VinnieK]

Banking crisis...the economic effects of covid are mostly ahead of us imo.

[1FinickyOne]

2 hours ago, KhunLA said:

It's a whole new world 

for me, it's a half new world as options decrease w/age 

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, hotandsticky said:

One More Farang makes a good point given the destabilizing effect of such a return. 

 

It would be easy to ‘get over’ Thaksin if Thaksin’s sole desire wasn’t a glorious return to power. 

I think anything is better than illiterate soldiers running the country the way things are now.

[khunpa]

At 52 years old with an ex-thai-wife dying of cancer, I will soon be a single dad here. Not my plan when I moved here 12 years ago, but that is where life has taken me so far and I have no regrets.

 

I think, I will always keep Thailand as my home-base, but also planing to try out maybe Philippines or Cambodia for a few years.

 

Like any country Thailand has it’s drawbacks, but at least it’s given me some great experiences, which the small boring city in my cold home-country could never provide.

 

Biggest worry going forward is of course my health, as I now am alone with the responsibility to raise our son.
 

Who knows what will happen, but at least I can look back on a great and adventurous life the day I die. And isn’t that what life is all about? ????

[klauskunkel]

In my 16 years of living here this country has produced, albeit unwittingly, a host of unforgettable characters in politics, such as Chalerm, Plodprasop, Kobkarn, all the Shinawatras one can stomach, Suthep, Prayut, Prawit, Thammasat, Rambo Issan, Anutin, Wissanu, Chidchob...

My concern, which is granted a remote possibility, is that the seemingly unending wellspring of fools in government may run dry in the future, which would result in a more boring and uninteresting life...

[OneMoreFarang]

2 hours ago, freedomnow said:

My no. 1 - Getting flattened on these roads on my motorbike by some slovenly idiot. Evasive action on a daily basis ...up to about 5 times per day to avoid crashes.

Maybe you ride a lot more than I do and probably in a different area. But I am very surprised about your >= 5 evasive actions per day.

I ride with my bike in the middle of Bangkok everyday and I can't even remember any emergency braking or major evasive action. I ride with the flow and I (try to) keep my distance from idiots and obviously I don't try to squeeze into every impossible gap. Sure, it's still dangerous and bad things could happen. But I think when we ride with foresight then it's not really so bad. 

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, hotandsticky said:

1 hour ago, freedomnow said:

My no. 1 - Getting flattened on these roads on my motorbike by some slovenly idiot. Evasive action on a daily basis ...up to about 5 times per day to avoid crashes.

There is a very simple solution to that if you are genuinely fearful for your life.

 

[KannikaP]

4 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Don't think my worry depends on the country in which I live.

Namely, falling apart but still being alive.

My dad had severe heart problems for his last 7 years, couldn't do anything but sit in a chair.

My Aunts/Uncles got dementia, couldn't remember their wives/family for their last 10-20 years.

I can do without any of that.

 

Here's better than back in the UK

At least we don't need to worry about the price of heating our homes.

And isn't cannabis sort of legal?   555

[BritManToo]

23 minutes ago, khunpa said:

Biggest worry going forward is of course my health, as I now am alone with the responsibility to raise our son.

Your choice, Thailand has plenty of 30yo women who would like to live with you and help raise your son. Back in your home country you'd be alone, whether you wanted to be or not.

[NoshowJones]

5 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Maybe you ride a lot more than I do and probably in a different area. But I am very surprised about your >= 5 evasive actions per day.

I ride with my bike in the middle of Bangkok everyday and I can't even remember any emergency breaking or major evasive action. I ride with the flow and I (try to) keep my distance from idiots and obviously I don't try to squeeze into every impossible gap. Sure, it's still dangerous and bad things could happen. But I think when we ride with foresight then it's not really so bad. 

Good post. I have ridden my motorbike in Bangkok several times and felt much safer there than riding in Nakhan Sawan, Riot Et, Phichit, and all the other cities and large towns I have ridden in.

[Harveyboy]

3 hours ago, Expat68 said:

Health

 

11 hours ago, sidjameson said:

That my £1500 a month income can't cover my expenses as I get older.

after just spending 2 months back in Europe the only thing that worries me about Thailand is that i might have to leave here again ..Not perfect but in comparison to UK France ect ..its still bloody good 

im here for the long run.. 

[hotandsticky]

24 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

I think anything is better than illiterate soldiers running the country the way things are now.

Unfortunately not, as the evidence shows.

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, Gecko123 said:

Social upheaval and global famine caused by climate change.

And maybe also caused by idiots who pretend a little solar and wind power will do everything only to find out that then they have to restart the coal power plants again because they were so stupid to switch of the relative clean nuclear power plants.

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, bkk6060 said:

Only old ladies will be available for dating.

That sounds like Armageddon. Too horrible to even think about such scenario.

[OneMoreFarang]

53 minutes ago, vandeventer said:

Being invaded by China, with not many places left to go to.

Why would China do that?

[OneMoreFarang]

36 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

I think anything is better than illiterate soldiers running the country the way things are now.

That reminds me of the time when George W Bush was president and basically all of us thought it can't get worse... 

[NoshowJones]

12 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

Unfortunately not, as the evidence shows.

Please explain.

[freedomnow]

36 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

 

I hold you personally responsible for bringing the 'haha' emoticon back.

 

[EricTh]

Greatest concern is that they might abolish the old financial requirement for retirees because it is too low.

 

You can see the trend that Thailand prefer rich foreigners not poor blokes.

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

The title of this thread is: "What are your greatest concerns living in Thailand over the next years?"

And I answered that question.

And, believe it or not, this is really my greatest concern. Because he divided Thailand like nobody else. And when he was outside of Thailand his sister did his work - dividing the nation.

So we can guess what might happen if next maybe his daughter becomes PM. Would she reunite Thailand? Or would she more likely (try) to bring her criminal father back to Thailand, and without him going to jail. And if he would return and if he would not go to jail for all the crimes he committed, what would happen then? More political protests. And likely more opposite protests. More of yellow against red, or maybe different colors this time. And maybe more fires and looting and dead people on the streets. Unfortunately, such a scenario is not such a remote possibility. I would guess there is at least a 20% chance that it could happen.

Am I concerned about that? Yes. That's why I mentioned the criminal fugitive and the risk.

And even people who support him should realize that he is like a powder-keg. Ready to blow up and destroy half the country at the same time.

What you are saying in effect is you prefer the bunch of crooks in Bangkok to Thaksin.

That's like saying you prefer Stalin over Hitler.

Every Thai I have met in northern Thailand thinks Prayut and the junta are criminals. OTOH, rural Thais think Thaksin is a hero, as he has done more to benefit them.

Northern Thailand was formerly the Lanna kingdom, the divide between them and southern Thailand still exists.

Tell me, when the red shirts and yellow shirts were going at each other, how did it personally affect you? Didn't make a jot or tittle of difference to me.

[Accidental Tourist]

Lots of question...few answers.

What's my strongest concern? Visa and attitude! 

After 27 years in Thailand (on work permit and tourist visa), I have seen many changes. Changes to the better? It's depends on whom you will ask....some will say yes and some say no. Remember EVERY country will change over the years. 

Visa and attitude somehow are all coming together; and sorry to say so, but Thailand is one of the worst country's if it comes to visa and the ways of applying for it. Even Kurdistan (Northern Iraq) was better than Thailand. I am also holding a yearly residents visa for Egypt, which took 1 form, 20 minutes waiting and 87 dollars.

Would I sell and saddle now for Thailand? Hell NO, and I love Thailand and my Thai family.

[hotandsticky]

1 hour ago, possum1931 said:

Please explain.

If you need it explaining to you, you will never understand it.

[Burma Bill]

14 hours ago, KIngsofisaan said:

Currency exchange?

 

14 hours ago, KIngsofisaan said:

Cost of gas, electric, food continuing to increase?

Fortunately I managed to "escape" Thailand to Cambodia just before the borders closed due to Covid-19. Even so, despite less hassle and the simplicity of getting a retirement visa, the above two concerns apply to me. I am currently down 61 US$ per month on my pensions just on the exchange rate between the $ and the GBP. My UK State OAP is frozen at 102 GBP per week (and therefore decreasing in value). As elsewhere throughout the World, cost of living expenses are on the increase for me, especially food prices here in Siem Reap.

 

[Inala]

5 hours ago, DUNROAMIN said:

You forgot, increase in shootings , stabbings, road rage.

same all over the world anyway

[hotandsticky]

26 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

 

Tell me, when the red shirts and yellow shirts were going at each other, how did it personally affect you? Didn't make a jot or tittle of difference to me.

 

It gave me an extra 7 days holiday, paid for by the Thai government.

 

Sometimes the choice has to be the best of two evils. You need to take off your rose-tinted glasses where Thaksin is concerned.

 

 

Look what happened when that nice man Khun Abhisit was put in charge.

[ukrules]

I don't have any concerns at all.

[Boyn]

6 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Three main things for me.

 

1. Pound Baht exchange rate. 

2. Price of air tickets and I go back to the UK every 9 months for a couple days for hospital appointments and check on my property..

3. I still use UK NHS for tablets, so biggest worry they crack down on issuing 9 months of tablets - but my own health issues are covered by UK law tablet wise so unlikely.

Thats a long way to go for a couple of days

[KhunLA]

2 hours ago, possum1931 said:

What is MMGW?? Are you texting on your smartphone or what??

Man Made Global Warming

[vandeventer]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Why would China do that?

It's all about space, and they will want more from weaker countries.

[NoshowJones]

1 minute ago, KhunLA said:

Man Made Global Warming

You would think that would have been said without using initials.