For Tourists / folk walking around with a £ note stuck to their forehead (AKA Mr / Mrs Farang) Thailand is 1 million percent safer.

Yes Thailand is safer but you may want to take a look at crime stats before saying it's 1 million percent safer (and yes I know you aren't speaking literally).

The crime level (real and perceived) is what is putting off a lot of people from many places in South America and other SE Asian countries which are, TODAY, overall much better and FRIENDLIER than Thailand...

The PI are a good example: crime and less developed infrastructure are what is preventing it from stealing from Thailand all of the people sick of Thailand's xenophobic immi laws and increasing unfriendliness towards the "farang".

The impression I get (which may of course be wrong!) is that crime in the PI affects foreigners far more than it does in Thailand, therefore to a large extent in Thailand a foreigner can ignore a lot of the crime stats that refer to locals doing stuff to locals.

Perceived crime is the reason I never went to South America on a budget (and now simply can not be bothered as it is too far away!).........apart from the crime situation, I think the biggest problem for the PI when it comes to rivalling Thailand for Tourist is the simple fact that (like NZ) it is simply in the wrong place - just a bit too far away to be conveniant.

The Philippines is safe enough. There is a perception of crime in places like Cebu, but they are perceptions rather than facts. In Thailand, you don't read the local papers because they're in Thai! In the Philippines, you can read the local papers....so comparing stories in the newspapers is impossible.

Once you get your way about you, you find its just as safe. You can flame the Philippines all you want, but they are moving in the right direction and are cognizant of their problems.

I took a friend into the local immigration office a few days after the announcement of the change was made. The clerk there new all about the change from 12 to 24 months. Her reaction? She was happy. She said it is good because foreigners don't have to be inconvenienced by making a trip out of the country as often. The entire chain of command at the immigration department knows that foreigners use the 21 day tourist permit to stay long term and the rules are set up to make it even easier.

Contrast that with Thailand. In Thailand, they don't want to make it easy for you to stay, instead I get the distinct impression that Thai immigration wants to see just how many hoops they can make you jump through just to stay in the country. I believe they get their jollies doing that.

Me? I won't visit the immigration office here in the Philippines until the end of July 2008. Why? I am married to a Filipina. I got a 1 year visa when I entered the country. No 90 day checkins, no fees, no nothing.

Sure it ain't perfect over here, but for us it is infinitely easier living over here than it was in Thailand as a foreign couple.