Setting Your Thai Inlaws Up To Self Sustain

[blizzard]

but if u want to tr and help,, an animal show just said that pigs grow really fast......lol

[cooL_guY_corY]

They can buy a lot of whisky for 150,000 Baht.

^^

holy shit !!! almost spilled rum EVERYwhere when i read that

anyways.. mr OP please read your own topic.. "setting up .. and self sustain " i dont think those work well together.. anyways they obviously survived somehow before the freemoney started arriving every month.. so once they had a taste they didnt want to go back to the old style..i would say, maybe get down and pay for something they can use for something and thats it.. ie a truck or a new bike (with sidecar) or something useful.. dont give them money as it will be wasted. You got 150 000 baht set aside from that, and iam guessing from your post that that baht is coming from euroz.. anyways as someone said maybe education is the best thing for now, do well in school in this area and then move to somewhere bigger to get better schooling in the future.

Edited November 29, 2007 by cooL_guY_corY

[blizzard]

please sir.

im not th e one trying to ditch my thai wifes family.

[Charma]

If the land is able to sustain some agriculture, then they could easily make enough money off it to live on. My wife's family make good money from alternating asparagus and sweetcorn crops, which are then sold through a local market and/or wholeseller. There may be some initial investment required for water pumps/well, irrigation pipes and fertillizer, but this can be recovered quite soon.

The other key thing is to convince your wife that you should then not keep sending the regular payments as this will not provide the incentive to work the land.

Blizzard - if you really want people to concentrate on your "massage" I suggest you put more effort into your posts. I for one cannot be bothered to read them.

[Chloe82]

Most Thais have no ambition and no belief in theirselves nor their future!

What complete and utter drivel, do you realy believe that most Thais have no ambition? Maybe rural Thai's that are trapped in abject poverty but certainly not the majority.

[blizzard]

i also wanted to make the cumment previous poster just made about drivel but i was warned to refrain from flaming..........lol.

also just becoz a family has land doesnt mean that land is any good. putting in

an irrigation system not so ez if pops makes 220 baht a day. who gonna pay for it. i know i know , THE FARANG. also even with wter some land is just worthless.

[Chloe82]

Most Thais have no ambition and no belief in theirselves nor their future!

What complete and utter drivel, do you realy believe that most Thais have no ambition? Maybe rural Thai's that are trapped in abject poverty but certainly not the majority.

Erm, most Thais are trapped in abject rural poverty.

Unless there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of people in Thailand living in poverty i think you will find you are mistaken.

the percentage of population living in poverty was 13.1 percent (8.2 million people) in year 2001, and 9.8 percent (6.2 million people) in year 2002. Among the population living in poverty, 86.2 percent were in rural areas. About 2 in 3 of them lived in the North Eastern region of Issan

Edited November 29, 2007 by Chloe82

[endure]

Can we stop the personal insults please. If you have nothing to add to the original subject don't post at all.

[qualtrough]

I am married to a Thai lady, we lived in Bangkok for 11months, and have been in the UK for 3 years in total. my wife has constantly sent money to her parents and I figured that if we got them to invest some of our money they could perhaps almost self sustain, and not need my wife to constantly poor money into them.

In rural Thailand, having a Farang son-in-law is the definition of self-sufficiency. The best thing you can do is find an investment for yourself that will generate a few thousand baat a month and that will eventually pay off the original investment, and then you send that generated income in your in-law's direction.

Johpa, you took the words out of my mouth! This is the best advice I have seen on this thread!

[blizzard]

teach pops how to play online poker. im sure he could make more than 220 baht a day with a little coaching. i do and i suck.......lol.

[mogoso]

I would hazard a quess that the OPs family is quite large and that the 6 "adopted"kids are not adopted in the western sense ,but are offspring of family members who have a child and within weeks pass the child on to the matriarch of the family and hotfoot it to Bangkok to work at whatever their occupation may be.

You cannot give village folk a stipend and then dictate how it is to be spent ,whether they spend wisely or piss it up on easy living and rice whiskey its up to them,if you want to give them a monthly cash present ,just give it and dont worry about what its used for .

The culture of Thai villagers generally is not of betterment in the sense that we use the word but of seeming to be doing better than their peers,which can mean having a better mobile phone or being able to buy a bottle of hooch anytime they wish..

I speak from hard learned experience as I live in a village,plus I paid off the family debt and made sure that my TW,s 5 brothers and sisters received clear title to 3 rai each of river frontage rice land ,but getting any of the lazy sods to improve their life by doing a second cash crop per year ,you have got to be joking.

.

We have 15 rai that we rent to rice growers, who also grow beans as a second crop. Its good for the soil and provides that second bit of income for my MIL who we let keep the cash as her yearly descretionary income. We provide monthly for her as well. Not so much money and we know what her monthly costs are. My mother in laws always been really good about how she spends money. Shes taught her daughter to be thrifty, for which I'm grateful

[slapout]

I can not add much to what most of the posts, which are topic related, have pointed out. 220/ per day is a living wage in a small village, not sure how he makes that much but he must have a good skill. If there is 8 rai avaliable they can raise their rice and a second or even 3rd crop. Education of kids would be my first concern, after verfying their health.That said I would be surprised if a quality education is avaliable in a village of 1000. Its a very tough question that the op presented, I firmly believe the only way out for the Thai people ( low income, corruption, health care etc etc) is to get them educated either in technical, trade school, or university. The children can commit a sum to the family coffer in retun for you helping them get thru a school of some kind. In giving that advice I will relate that we did the education bit with my wifes niece, it seemed to work good thru 10th grade, then she fell in heat and let a boy talk here into going to work and move into a apartment with him. Lots of luck with what ever you decide, you will need it.

[JSixpack]

Create an account at Aberdeen Thailand in your own name. Invest in the Aberdeen Flexible Capital Fund. Have the dividends sent automatically to the family's bank account. Explain that it's really their own business--an investment business.

[ozzydom]

Most Thais have no ambition and no belief in theirselves nor their future!

What complete and utter drivel, do you realy believe that most Thais have no ambition? Maybe rural Thai's that are trapped in abject poverty but certainly not the majority.

Erm, most Thais are trapped in abject rural poverty.

Unless there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of people in Thailand living in poverty i think you will find you are mistaken.

the percentage of population living in poverty was 13.1 percent (8.2 million people) in year 2001, and 9.8 percent (6.2 million people) in year 2002. Among the population living in poverty, 86.2 percent were in rural areas. About 2 in 3 of them lived in the North Eastern region of Issan

Depends on your definition of poverty. You are defining it as living under the poverty line.

I tend not to favour that definition and in real terms I believe the vast majority of rural Thais to be in a very low income bracket and with unsustainable debt. Ergo poverty.

I also believe the vast majority of Thais to be unambitious.

They are broken at an early age thanks to a poor education system. The typical attitude seems to be one of resignation and acceptance rather that of betterment and enterprise.

A very good description of how things are in rural Thailand .

How is poverty measured ? in Oz when I was young ,if a family income was less than the basic wage you were classed as living in poverty . If they use a similar criteria in Los then the figures as quoted are way out..

[thaihome]

I just don’t see a way to full self sufficiency in a small rural village. The one suggestion about a laundry was actually hilarious. Who would be the customers?

I have to agree with keep sending the monthly amount and make sure the kids keep going to school. Just having a secure income of even 5,000 baht a month, plus the job income, and land to grow a bit of rice or vegetables will give them a fair bit of security they have never had. You will need to have your wife strongly encourage them not go into debt for motorcyles, washing machines, TV's, DVD players, etc. Much better if you give these as gifts over a period of time.

You will need to assure them that any medical emergency will be taken care of as well. It is not unheard of for children to get very sick very fast and if no money is available, medical care can be poor. If the local clinic knows they have the money to pay, the care improves greatly.

They sound like a functioning family unit and not one of the dysfunctional ones that grinding poverty has driven to alcoholism and gambling that so many people assume is the norm for rural Thai families, so they should be able to keep it together with a bit of help.

TH

[ozzydom]

The poor Thai villager was around long before we westerners came on the scene with pocketfuls of cash,met up with the poor farmers daughter in a bar someplace and decided to try to save her from whatever you envisaged was her destiny.

She was working a bar or massage joint to help sustain her rural family and possibly her kid (kids), so in taking her out of the bar you cut off her families probable only source of income, this led to you taking over the job of family benefactor ,but being the benevolent bloke you are you decided to stroke your ego a bit and make sure YOUR Thai in-laws were seen to be a step above the average villager with a new house,truck etc etc.

We read on TV every day of where this has got the nice falang benefactor when his useby date is up and it isnt pretty reading.

As for the family,you thought you were helping up the social ladder ,they become the butt of jealusy and ridicule until the inevitable day comes when all the trappings you provided are pissed up against the wall or stolen (borrowed )by still more relatives and they revert to their former life of poverty and are happy to once again be a typical poor rural villager.

Of course this is all purely hypothetical as who ever heard of a falang taking up with a bar girl in the first place..

[TonyLeung]

only 13% of Thais are in poverty.

Um.. LOL ?

[TonyLeung]

OP,

Maybe buy them some fishing equipment worth 150K and they can make some extra money that way? Maybe buy them one of those silk making machines and they can weave clothing and sell it somewhere. for only 150k i would buy some kind of equipment that they will be able to use to make money. I wouldn't give them cash.

[meemiathai]

I am married to a Thai lady, we lived in Bangkok for 11months, and have been in the UK for 3 years in total. my wife has constantly sent money to her parents and I figured that if we got them to invest some of our money they could perhaps almost self sustain, and not need my wife to constantly poor money into them.

My wife's mum has 6 adopted children to look after and her father earns 220baht a day. they own a plot of 8rai of land in the province of Petchabun and live in a wodden house which needs knocking down and replacing with a better structure. the village they live in has a population of about 1000ppl, its very poor and off the beacon tourist track.

they suggested selling stuff out of a pick up truck or even recycling using a pick up truck, but to do this my father in law would need too give up his job, which is a risk too high to take.

I don't know what really to suggest for them too do. perhaps a specialist shop, a buffett food bar on the local highway 30 km away. A family member makes profit on selling pc's, perhaps they could open the first ever pc shop in the village of one-pee-kune, near bang sam phan..

we have about 150,000 baht for them to invest, I just want to make sure they invest in a good well though out idea..

jts-khorat and a few members are experts in this. Hope they see this post.

[blizzard]

what needs changing here is the farangs thinking.

poor mom and pop aint gonna change. they raised their daughter to have a better life than they did. the daughter achieved success, she hooked (i mean fell in lub)herself a rich dude . she got herself out of poverty. all parents want their kids to have a better life.

now said man wants wifes family to disappear finacially speaking, willing to "invest" 150,000 more to make it happen.

not a nice thing to expect daughter to abandon her loved ones. it aint the thai way.

what does one think is gonna happen when one marries a beautiful thai gurl from poverty stricken background.

[TonyLeung]

i don't think its impossible to help them learn how they can make money. although, it will be hard in a rural region. if it were bangkok it'd be much easier.

but i agree, it does seem like he is saying "lets give them 150K baht and be done with it"... likely not gonna happen.

Edited November 30, 2007 by TonyLeung

[Chloe82]

only 13% of Thais are in poverty.

Um.. LOL ?

Instead of just dismissing this figure by writing 'Um.. LOL ?', why not show us something that proves otherwise?

[TonyLeung]

only 13% of Thais are in poverty.

Um.. LOL ?

Instead of just dismissing this figure by writing 'Um.. LOL ?', why not show us something that proves otherwise?

Next you'll be asking me to prove the Earth orbits the sun.

[blizzard]

anyone else tink chloe is hot stuff?

[Chloe82]

How is poverty measured ? in Oz when I was young ,if a family income was less than the basic wage you were classed as living in poverty . If they use a similar criteria in Los then the figures as quoted are way out..

In many developed countries (Oz being one of these countries) the official definition of poverty used for statistical purposes is based on relative income. As such poverty statistics measure inequality rather than material deprivation or hardship.

[Chloe82]

only 13% of Thais are in poverty.

Um.. LOL ?

Instead of just dismissing this figure by writing 'Um.. LOL ?', why not show us something that proves otherwise?

Next you'll be asking me to prove the Earth orbits the sun.

No, just asking that instead of 'Laughing Out Loud' at the figure of 13 percent, you show some statistics that show otherwise.

[TonyLeung]

No, just asking that instead of 'Laughing Out Loud' at the figure of 13 percent, you show some statistics that show otherwise.

statistics aren't real. where the poverty line is drawn is arbitrary. each of us has a definition of poverty from which to judge.

[Chloe82]

No, just asking that instead of 'Laughing Out Loud' at the figure of 13 percent, you show some statistics that show otherwise.

statistics aren't real. where the poverty line is drawn is arbitrary. each of us has a definition of poverty from which to judge.

Thank's Tony, i will take that as an admission that you could not find any.

(Nice face saving by the way)

[TonyLeung]

0% of the people in Myanmar are living in poverty

[ozzydom]

{quote}

According to a United Nations report issued in 2000, Thailand has 9.8 million poor people, 5.8 million ultra poor people and 3.4 million almost poor people. The total figure is 19 million, or 29.9% of the population, and is concentrated in provinces along the borders in the West, North, and Northeast regions.