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

[hotandsticky]

12 minutes ago, Red Forever said:

So you have to take your eyes off the road to look at a tv screen in order to drive safely? Hmm.........

So, you never look in your rear view mirror? Side mirrors?

[Ralf001]

The rising cost of speeding fines and the possibility they may be enforced one day.

[Isaan sailor]

13 hours ago, SmokeandIce said:

Please be aware that for Chaeng Wattana and most other immigration offices in Thailand, you can not use the THB 65,000 monthly transfer to have a Non O issued.  Immigration only has 2 options : THB 800,000 in a Thai bank or a letter from your Embassy which most no longer do.

 

You can use the monthly THB 65,000 for a one year extension but not to have a 3 month Non O

I switched from an O-A visa (done in NYC every year), to the Marriage Visa.  We had a few more hurdles to jump, but it gets easier every year.  And there’s no insurance requirement with the Marriage Visa,, either

[hotchilli]

On 9/14/2022 at 9:55 PM, KIngsofisaan said:

What are your greatest concerns living in Thailand over the next 1, 5, 10 and 20 years?

The military still running the show.

[RafPinto]

Waking up one morning and seeing every 50m an Indian restaurant and every 100m a Chinese "20Baht" store and seeing an Arab every 3 minutes.

[spidermike007]

10 hours ago, KIngsofisaan said:

 

Biden isn't an improvement over anything and his press security is a complete idiot.

 

You should stop the personal hating and concentrate on the job

 

The US is worse than it has ever been and if you do not know that, I feel sorry for you

I always find it amusing when Trump supporters lecture us on the futility of personal hating. Seems quite contradictory to the manners of their man. 

 

I agree the US is in bad shape. Though the economy is performing far better than here. Biden saved our national lands, from the corporate pillaging that Trump intended. That in itself is a big deal for me. The deterioration of life in America started long before Biden. One could argue it started with Reagan. I am not a big fan of Biden, but I would take Justin Bieber over Trump, who could not negotiate his way out of a paper bag, contrary to the hype. 

[spidermike007]

11 hours ago, sidjameson said:

What's your opinion of the budget needed to make one part of "Thailand is great for those of us on a limited income" set?

Asking because always respect your posts.

Thank you. If living in a smaller town, and if living with a woman, I would say 70,000 to 100,000 baht a month, to live really well, and not have to penny pinch at all. The includes travel around Thailand, and some fun. If living without a woman, or if very frugal, one can get by on far less. Since I have some decent income, I do not do frugal. LOL. 

[peter zwart]

Global developments. I think we have a lot of people who are lost. A little more decentralization and everyone takes a step back and enjoy the little things in life. A nice conversation with your friends while enjoying a beer, fun time with your partner, seeing family and not falling back into the stressful life of the western world, a little understanding and politeness but also room for sharp humor. If there is, I'm not worried about the future. We all get sick from time to time and we will certainly die. So I'm not going to worry about that.
 

[BonMot]

10 hours ago, 1FinickyOne said:

Interesting. Maybe I am in a bubble too. I was first here in 1974 as a backpacker. The other backpackers were enjoying and fascinated by a different culture. Phone calls home were very expensive. Letters home took 2 months. 

 

I spent near 20 years living in a farming village. I would meet gap year teachers at my kids school. I would show them around a bit and speaking Thai, let them know if they needed help, I was available. Then I realized they had google translate and video calls with their family and friends right in their pocket. What a world. 

 

If you can imagine, in 1974 if you were walking down the street and saw another Westerner, you both stopped to chat and offer travel tips. Now, there are so many foreigners here and you would be considered weird just for saying hello. 

East Asia must have been an epic eye opener at that time. Truly exotic. When I arrived I chased that vibe to Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar. Lived in Cambodia 92 to mid 96 good times. Also spent years in India. The country doesn't change much in one respect. On the other hand, the population, the crushing population has changed the country dramatically.

[BonMot]

9 hours ago, Walker88 said:

The economy was great?

I had clearly stated the economy was not great

 

????????

[BangkokReady]

13 hours ago, BonMot said:

People slagging Taksin I wonder how many were here during that period? Economy was far, far better. Since then it's just been a series of perpetual economic blunders one atop another since forever.

Thaksin oversaw a pretty substantial economic blunder in the form of the rice pledging scheme, which still hasn't been resolved.  The scale of vote-buying and cronyism that kept Thaksin in power had to be funded somehow.  If Thaksin, or another Thaksin proxy, was still able to run, who knows how it might effect the economy as he tries to find money to fund the vote-buying.

[AsianAtHeart]

On 9/15/2022 at 8:20 PM, AsianAtHeart said:

I would not be too worried about most of that list.  My bigger concern is that Thailand will continue to become increasingly chummy with the USA, because Thailand's leadership is weak on independent thinking and could end up becoming essentially a vassal state of America.  If so, it's Big Brother overlording us all for sure.

THIS.

 

 

[KIngsofisaan]

On 9/16/2022 at 6:51 AM, BangkokReady said:

Thaksin oversaw a pretty substantial economic blunder in the form of the rice pledging scheme, which still hasn't been resolved.  The scale of vote-buying and cronyism that kept Thaksin in power had to be funded somehow.  If Thaksin, or another Thaksin proxy, was still able to run, who knows how it might effect the economy as he tries to find money to fund the vote-buying.

No, the economy was much better than it ever was, sorry.

 

Thaksin also did not hate tourists.

 

If you know anything about the man, he doesn't have to find money as he is a multi-billionaire

 

You think the economy is in good shape now do you?

 

 

[Hummin]

My biggest fear is conflicts, and therefor keeping my options open with two bases for both of us, however one is on the border to Russia, the other one is Thailand who we yet do not know for sure which side they will finely take between the west and China. 
 

As for now, Im going back to work and my gf will travel with me. About 6 months both places with proper visas for both and married so we should not be separated in worst scenarios. 

[Sparktrader]

Read this

 

[BangkokReady]

47 minutes ago, KIngsofisaan said:

No, the economy was much better than it ever was, sorry.

The rice pledging scheme had an effect, no doubt the next scheme would have also.

 

47 minutes ago, KIngsofisaan said:

Thaksin also did not hate tourists.

And?

 

47 minutes ago, KIngsofisaan said:

If you know anything about the man, he doesn't have to find money as he is a multi-billionaire

If you knew literally anything about Thaksin, you would know that he enriched himself massively during his time as PM.  The fact that you would think this suggests you have literally no idea about Thaksin, or you're lying.

 

47 minutes ago, KIngsofisaan said:

You think the economy is in good shape now do you?

What does that have to do with anything?

 

You sound completely uniformed and unable to realise/focus on what is being discussed.

[Stocky]

Health medical would be the main concern for myself and family. That and seeing my grand kids stay on the rails and get a good start in life.

[KIngsofisaan]

3 hours ago, BangkokReady said:

The rice pledging scheme had an effect, no doubt the next scheme would have also.

 

And?

 

If you knew literally anything about Thaksin, you would know that he enriched himself massively during his time as PM.  The fact that you would think this suggests you have literally no idea about Thaksin, or you're lying.

 

What does that have to do with anything?

 

You sound completely uniformed and unable to realise/focus on what is being discussed.

No one cares how he made his money, the fact is his money buys lots of power and influence. Get over it.

 

The Rice Pledging Scheme had an effect on no one. What exactly do you think it had an effect on? Just another one of the govt program's to lose billions and did it shake up the economy? Or course not.

 

Did you know there are more billionaires in Thai policitics than anywhere in the world?

 

Why exactly do think people in Thailand get involved in politics? To help the country?

 

Educate yourself about the "game".

 

 

[KannikaP]

On 9/15/2022 at 11:56 AM, freedomnow said:

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

 

Wish someone would do that for a DISLIKE icon.

[NoshowJones]

On 9/15/2022 at 1:51 PM, OneMoreFarang said:

I live in the middle of Bangkok. I saw demonstrations of the yellow-shirts and I saw road blocks from the red-shirts.

I personally never had any problems with the yellow crowd. When they blocked the Asoks junction I walked through there almost every day. No problems at all. All friendly, no aggression.

With the red-shirts in Bangkok I had a very different experience. I.e. I had to work in a building which was in the zone which they controlled in 2010. I had to ask nicely at the bamboo and tire barricade if they let me pass.

I often saw pickup trucks laden with aggressive red-shirt thugs who tried to tell the people in Bangkok that they are now in control. And the police did nothing.

Later I saw peaceful soldiers on the street. They made me feel safe, no aggressive red mob anymore. 

And I will never forget the fires from 2010. I just had to look out of my window.

And later, after the military removed the red-shirts from the city, I was there on the first day when the public was allowed to go there. What a horrible sight. I was never in a war-zone but that's what it looked like.

That is my personal experience. I am sure others, especially far from Bangkok, had other experiences.

I am sure I will never in my life forget the burning busses, the burning oil-truck, the street blockades, the fires, the destruction and all that aggression.

And I hope this will never happen again in Thailand - not just because I don't like it but for a prosperous Thailand.

 

When Yingluck came to power many people were unsure what she will do. We had hope that she would try to be a good PM for all Thais and all Thailand. But it didn't take long before it became clear she followed the orders of her criminal brother and she tried her very best to get him back to Thailand as a free man. That was the 2nd coup which I experienced in Thailand - after the first coup to get rid of Thailand.

 

What would happen if another Shinawatra becomes PM? Would she unite Thailand? Or would she more likely continue with Thaksin's dividing policy? And it's very likely that she would try to bring both criminals in her family back to Thailand. As heroes, and not to put them in jail.

And what will people do if that would happen? Likely something similar to what happened with Yingluck. But maybe worse. That is my concern. 

 

Is Prayut good? Sure not. I would love to see honest competent people running this country. But obviously that will only happen if Thai voters would vote for honest competent politicians. But somehow this is not what the majority of Thai voters do. The vote for the same old corrupt politicians or the family members of those banned politicians. And then they are somehow surprised when they have an incompetent corrupt government.

 

Hopefully all this will be resolved peacefully.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"honest competent politicians."?? Do they exist in any country? Probably, but not when they are in the position of running a country.

Obviously I cannot comment on any other country, But in my lifetime in the UK, I cannot remember any PM who was honest and competent, though maybe some more competent than others. 

[NoshowJones]

On 9/15/2022 at 10:38 PM, OneMoreFarang said:

I hope he dies in the desert. Alone.

He was and is a criminal. And even if he did some good things that doesn't change that fact.

And he divided Thais like nobody before him and since him.

And any new clone of him would likely continue with that.

Let's say it again: I hope he dies in the desert. Then we can all try to forget about that sad part of Thai history. 

I feel that way about every Labour PM in the UK in my lifetime. They are supposed to be the party of the working man, but never were. A working mans party with all these Sirs and Lords and they are all stinking rich. Even today their leader is a "Sir".

[NoshowJones]

6 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Wish someone would do that for a DISLIKE icon.

I Bet you do. ????

[DrJoy]

On 9/14/2022 at 10:28 PM, OneMoreFarang said:

Possibly Thaksin coming back

He renounced Thai citizenship long ago, he holds Montenegro citizenship now.

[KannikaP]

On 9/16/2022 at 7:09 AM, Red Forever said:

So you have to take your eyes off the road to look at a tv screen in order to drive safely? Hmm.........

What a silly question. The dash cam is only to be looked at AFTER an accident to determine blame. The rest of the time the driver must take his eyes off the road to look into his rear-view mirror, or to change radio stations, or to tell the kid in the back to shut up, or to tell the GF in the passenger seat to stop the BJ as you have finished.

[KIngsofisaan]

3 hours ago, DrJoy said:

He renounced Thai citizenship long ago, he holds Montenegro citizenship now.

Doesn't matter one bit.

 

If his political party wins the next election, he will be back in a jiffy.