Expats On The Rise?

[cognos]

Unfortunately, yes - it's because of the scamming internet websites.

Around here, heaps of girls are selling themselves on one of those Love finding things.

I met my wife at church

[Naam]

three of my close friends will move this year to Thailand... with their wives.

ancient joke:

A: i am moving to Thailand.

B: you pig!

A: not what you think! i am moving with my wife.

B: you stupid pig!

[harrry]

three of my close friends will move this year to Thailand... with their wives.

ancient joke:

A: i am moving to Thailand.

B: you pig!

A: not what you think! i am moving with my wife.

B: you stupid pig!

A: THen I am going on to Cambodia alone.

B: Now that's thinking.

[7baht]

like me many farangs are pondering a 2nd location that is of ease for them. Currently the thai government seems to be short of cash and turns to the expat community to fill up the void. thailand has always had these millionaire expats living here that seem to never be able to say enuff is enuff but in their home countries they would revolt in the streets over it. cambodia is making a big opening to the west and they offer many benifits for outsiders. If I am forced, I will move and so will my money.

[calmichael]

Speak for yourself, sassienie, some of us old coffin dodgers are enjoying ourselves just fine thank you. You'll be a coffin dodger yourself some day soon.

Amen to that Ian

[ralfbkk]

I live in one of these typical Expat Moo Ban's. In our Soi we have 12 Houses and 5 of them are empty since End of December 2008 and an additional house is becoming available End of June 2009. These were all Expat or Expat/Thai Families. No new tenants on the horizon, plus no one lately being interested.....

These are my observations.

[12DrinkMore]

Khao Lak might be comparable to Koh Phangan, both are up and coming tourist destinations

Totally different.

Koh Phangan is an island that attracts the backpackers and party goers, with full moon, half moon, black moon and hel_l, any moon parties.

Khao Lak is possibly the most boring place in Thailand in terms of night life, and that is in the high season. The low season is utterly dismal, rain, wind, waves and the Highlight of Khao Lak, the Similan Islands, closed. It's possibly OK for tourists to come across and enjoy a week in a beach resort during the high season.

But this thread is about long term Expats. Khao Lak? I doubt it will be attractive to ex-pats for a long time.

But that is all off topic.

Edited June 5, 2009 by 12DrinkMore

[CMFarang]

Here in Chiang Mai , there is still the steady, slow flow of new arrivals , BUT the amount of expats leaving has Grown substantially.. So the expat Population is on the decline here by my observations.

I can't account for the Tossers, but their appearances do seem to be on the decline as well. Bars are not so full these days and the 50 / 20 Combinations are not so evident walking the streets and malls any longer.

[JR Texas]

Here in Chiang Mai , there is still the steady, slow flow of new arrivals , BUT the amount of expats leaving has Grown substantially.. So the expat Population is on the decline here by my observations.

I can't account for the Tossers, but their appearances do seem to be on the decline as well. Bars are not so full these days and the 50 / 20 Combinations are not so evident walking the streets and malls any longer.

Over the past ten years, many expats moved to Thailand, but the xenophobic visa rule changes and insane business rules pushed many of them out to destinations that they thought were better (e.g., the Philippines, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam).

Some moved for financial reasons....others moved out because business was picking up in the surrounding countries (Thailand has, in fact, the lowest annual GDP growth rate in the region).

But during this same period many expats from Europe have came here, especially from Russia, Norway, Sweden, and Germany.

On a personal note, two of my friends (one American and one Brit) are currently thinking about moving to the Philippines. One has a Thai wife and the other had a Thai wife and is getting fed up with the place.

I think lots of Americans have already left........I guess they have better retirement options in South America--places like Panama and Uruguay are far more receptive to retirees than Thailand.

It is hard to say, but my guess is that the number of expats is still rising but much less than in the past. I think that will soon go in the other direction, especially when younger generations reach retirement age and do not have sufficient funds to retire here.

[T_Dog]

Here is a rather general article on the topic. Some of the links mentioned in it look worth checking out.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/bw/20090709/bs_bw/...gb2009071589004

[henryalleman]

In the month of april 5 households(retirees) from my home Antwerp moved to Thailand. And a faw of our friends are planning it in the near future. All of them are married more than 20 years with a Thai spouse. Most of them have a house in the suburbs of bangkok.

[seank]

I see a lot less westerners around than this time last year. I know myself, I'm not going to be long term just till the job ends.

[delmersomsri]

Been in Bang Khae area of Bangkok for almost 3 months so I cannot report an up or down issue on farangs. I can say that I get around as my wife has family in and around Bangkok and Khorat. I seldom see farangs in Bangkok or Khorat. The numbers shoot up as we visit the Chao Praya River. Those we see are definitely tourist enjoying some of Bangkok's pleasures. The major malls and grocery stores have only exibited a handful.

I can speak first hand about the economic crisis in the USA and it's effect on Thailand's expat population. The current US government policy is to spend, spend, and spend some more to get us out of our crisis. To pay for this every level of government, from city on up to the fed, has increased fees and taxes. They are very creative in finding ways to dig deeper into the public's pockets to pay for this spending. So people who wanted to retire are putting it off. Those that are lucky enough to have jobs are staying on the job. Medical expenses is another reason many are working longer. It will be interesting to see how the government screws up the health package they are putting together. Nothing developed or regulated by our government has been for the better. GREED always takes the front seat in any issue. Don't expect the US to pump up the population of Thailand although I can't see expats returning to USA to face the huge surpressive economy once they've escaped.

Thailand has not put the welcome mat out either. The riots,tanks and soldiers on the streets,closing of the airports,reports of scams,killings, their seemily inept handling of crimes against foreigners,their posting of horrendous and insinsitive pictures of crime victims, etc.,etc. They have proved to the world that they are really not a paradise. People are looking elsewhere. Thailand WAKE UP!

[ozzieovaseas]

Speak for yourself, sassienie, some of us old coffin dodgers are enjoying ourselves just fine thank you. You'll be a coffin dodger yourself some day soon.

I love to see older gentlemen enjoying themselves in Thailand

What's wrong with that?

He's happy, she's happy, the family is happy, the Thai economy is happy, everyone's happy

In my eyes it's a win win situation.

Good onya Ian

Hehe..

You dont have to say Good onya Ian for that....

In reading his other posts he occasionally reminds us he is NOT married and no such intention to ever be!

Instead he enjoys the company of "several" females...and once asked whether it was ok to love more than one woman..

Now THAT deserves a "good onya"

PS. His tendancy to advertise by posting his pic everywhere leads me to believe he is in the market for even more!!

DOUBLE goodonya Ian!!

[sbk]

Khao Lak might be comparable to Koh Phangan, both are up and coming tourist destinations

Totally different.

Koh Phangan is an island that attracts the backpackers and party goers, with full moon, half moon, black moon and hel_l, any moon parties.

Khao Lak is possibly the most boring place in Thailand in terms of night life, and that is in the high season. The low season is utterly dismal, rain, wind, waves and the Highlight of Khao Lak, the Similan Islands, closed. It's possibly OK for tourists to come across and enjoy a week in a beach resort during the high season.

But this thread is about long term Expats. Khao Lak? I doubt it will be attractive to ex-pats for a long time.

But that is all off topic.

Is it really the most boring place in Thailand?

I've seen a steady yet growing number of expats moving on to Koh Phangan, so while it may be a tourist destination it is also a place where people are moving to.

I doubt they attend every party on the island either, tbh. They do grow stale after a bit. So, I seriously doubt the parties are any kind of attraction for anyone considering moving to the island. I've always suspected its people who think "island" and "paradise" without really grasping the complexities of life in a small place that has no bridge

[LaoPo]

three of my close friends will move this year to Thailand... with their wives.

What's wrong with them ?

LaoPo

[isanb]

three of my close friends will move this year to Thailand... with their wives.

What's wrong with them ?

LaoPo

when you go in a bar do you bring ur own beer ?

Edited July 14, 2009 by isanb