Recent Events How Has The Farrang Community Been Effected

[bergen]

All is quiet in the Ubon area, and most Thais I speak with are embarrassed with the Bkk protests, yellow or red.

We are effected by the border dispute with Cambodia, since we run a business near the ancient temple ruins of Khao Phra Wiharn, where visitors haven't been welcomed in the last 8? months.

[ray23]

There are protestors in Udon but no violence has been reported yet. But the local station is on a normal weekend break.

[G54]

No problems at all out here, so far. Life is as usual.

[Birdman]

Farangs working in the tourist industry are most effected.

[gaipad]

Its a pity for Thailand and the majority of normal good people here. I feel sorry for a couple of people who have tourist related businesses here. I personally really don't care unless the hostility to foreigners increases or the crime level gets unbearable. So far neither has happened so the recent events have no influence on my personal life.

[theoldgit]

Well I maybe the first farang to be injured, my gf and I were in a taxi and going to a pub for dinner we past a heavily fortified house on Sukhumit 33, turns out it's the Prime Ministers house. The driver asked what I thought of him, I said that I think he is doing his best and should be given a chance, oh the injury, a jab in the ribs - I never learn.

[glasshock]

We have 2 young children and I fear getting stuck in the middle of one of the circus acts ... but on the whole "business as usual" however, as I noted in a previous post, the "tolerance" of falangs is diminishing rapidly by the Thai's. My one and only concern is that at some point, mob rule will take a decisive twist in our direction.......these people have no concern for the welfare of their country as they are rapidly snapping at the hand that feeds the very land they call home... tourism! I fear that one day, one of these bright sparks will understand that a much faster way to disrupt the system and cause complete devastation will be the targeting of "guests"..... Certainly not an overreaction to recent events guy's but a simple observation! The world is watching and these people crave attention!

[Tod Daniels]

After this latest debacle where every S/E Asian leader was in thailand for a summit that had to be canceled due to rampant protesting, the only thing I thought about was:

Maybe the baht will finally fall against the dollar, and my money will be worth more.

Quite honestly, I didn't even pay any attention to it. It's for the thais to sort out themselves, and most certainly not for the "foreign armchair quarterbacks" to get involved in.

[NovaBlue05]

I am a bit concerned. I am still in Isaan for another week before leaving to Bangkok and flying back to the States. It seems the pressure on the PM after yesterday has been ratcheted up. Just wait & see if things escalate over the next few days.....or subside somewhat for the holiday and escalate again at the end of next week.

[T_Dog]

Hasn't affected me much yet except:

-Friends from the USA are calling to ask if I am okay. The past two days events are making the world news pretty big time. "Thailand declares state of emergency." CNN and Yahoo News are carrying it as major world events right now.

-Today I was biking in Chiang Mai and some blue shirt folks were handing out red hand clappers. Man, I am really confused by all this!

-I have to say though that all of this makes me a bit worried about Thailand as a retirement destination. One wants a stable government where the rules are known. I think Thailand will be in a state of upheaval for the next 5 years or so. Who knows what will happen to the immigration laws.

So... I guess the big effect is a subtle subconscious concern that things are not right. My long time resident friends tell me all of this is normal, but I wonder about that. I would rather find a country where I really feel welcome and things are more stable.

[mmushr00m]

I am in the hospitality and tourism industry so I can say that I am FUBAR.

[Ricardo]

Well I maybe the first farang to be injured, my gf and I were in a taxi and going to a pub for dinner we past a heavily fortified house on Sukhumit 33, turns out it's the Prime Ministers house. The driver asked what I thought of him, I said that I think he is doing his best and should be given a chance, oh the injury, a jab in the ribs - I never learn.

'Friendly fire' claims yet another victim !

[huma79]

yesterday in Pattaya, i had occasion to want to enter the Soi near to Jamesons that leads to the back of Big C North Pattaya.

i had my wife and my 75 year old mother in the car.

as we approached to turn, a number of men surrounded the car and i was told in no uncertain terms that i could not enter what is a a public road and the point was emphasised by a number of men with their faces covered with bandanas waving fence posts and big sticks at me.

A state of emergency had been declared in your city.. driving your 75 year old mother around might not have been the best idea.

[simon43]

The issue of what colour shirt NOT to wear has got completely out of hand, and I have decided to go naked....

Simon

[desi]

<< Recent Events How Has The Farrang Community Been Effected. 

When the Yellow Shirts took over the airport I had an opinion. Now, so soon after, it's already become 'sigh, here we go again'.

Friends and family have contacted me all alarmed. But truthfully, I am not bothered. And (even more truthfully) I'm not Thai so I have a different reaction to it all (understatement).

My problem now is that I've purchased a new camera since the Yellow shirts. So on one side I'm hoping to get great photos, on the other, I hope I don't do something stupid.

Watch this space.

[mahtin]

I just wish people could learn the difference between affect and effect

[WorldwideALOHA]

The Authorities need to shut down ThaiVisa!!!

I'm getting nothing done around here. Ever since this whole thing started, I've become a ThaiVisa browser refresh junkie.

dam_n the internet. If it wasn't for this, I would think I was living in a tropical paradise...

Aloha

[wasabi]

I am in the middle of processing my wife's visa to come to the USA. I need the Thai postal service and various other agencies to stay open to get this done. With the rioting and intermittent state of emergencies I don't know how smoothly things are going to go. If her visa was ready I would have been long gone already. At the moment things are relatively calm and it almost seems nothing has changed but I like to plan ahead and think it's not unreasonable that things could get bad very fast. It's amusing to watch expats who try to outdo each other with their level of disinterest in Thai affairs happening around them and just care if the bars stay open but for me personally I am very concerned. This is a frog boiling in water situation and once it is obvious we should have left town we will all be cooked already.

[mahtin]

I am in the middle of processing my wife's visa to come to the USA. I need the Thai postal service and various other agencies to stay open to get this done. With the rioting and intermittent state of emergencies I don't know how smoothly things are going to go. If her visa was ready I would have been long gone already. At the moment things are relatively calm and it almost seems nothing has changed but I like to plan ahead and think it's not unreasonable that things could get bad very fast. It's amusing to watch expats who try to outdo each other with their level of disinterest in Thai affairs happening around them and just care if the bars stay open but for me personally I am very concerned. This is a frog boiling in water situation and once it is obvious we should have left town we will all be cooked already.

Think yourself lucky you're not in a microwave

Seriously, best of luck.