If All Foreigners Would Leave This Country...

[trisailer]

What makes some people so desperatly insecure that they have to be constantly reassured that they are valued? Yes it would have an impact on the economy if all foreigners left, but the impact on the foreigners would be greater because they would have to find another place to get their egos stroked.

It's unlikely that we would be forced to leave, but if we were I for one would continue to support my wifes family and my wife, who became a US citizen last year, would see to it that her family was supported. I suspect that many farang would also continue to support their Thai families as well. Their is no doubt in my mind that the Thai's would quickly find a way to take up the slack. I don't know what the numbers are, but I do know that each and every Thai that I met in the US is supporting family back here in Thailand. So perhaps all the farang who become indignant when they percieve that they are not recieving the adulation that they so rightfully deserve should consider getting a dog who will lick their feet even when they are abused.

A more significant question might be what will happen to places like America if Americans ever decided to stand up to the billionares who are systematically extracting the wealth of the middleclass. Thailand has some very impressive numbers for growth, unemployment and exports. They are accomplishing this without antidepressents, sleeping pills and excessive food consumption.

[anterian]

Well I cannot speak for others but I know for a certainty that I am a major contributor to the economy in my village. Indeed not only would the local Mum and Pop shop not overcharge me, they give me discounts to keep me sweet. Not to mention several families that depend upon me for daily employment or the contributions I make to village events.

This is I think the difference, a farang in Bangkok is just another foreigner amongst many, someone to target for ripping off. This is very different from being a farang, often the only farang in a tight community. We are not just an economic asset, we are a social asset, if there is a village problem the Amphur authorities listen to me.

[RIT]

koch - thesisonretirementmigration.pdf

@ Berkshire - "But the impact of longstay expats on the economy is so inconsequential and insignificant as to not even be worth talking about."

I'm not so sure. Your statement may be true in Bangkok and similar areas, but the impact of long-stay expats on the economy (and culture) in Northern Thailand is significant. Not only is it worth talking about, it's worth studying. Has anyone seen any readable studies on "Effects of Long-Term Expats on Northern Thailand Culture and Economy"? There would have to be at least two separate areas of study, the northeast and the northwest. (I would be more interested in the northeast as I have not yet been to the northwest.)

I found this case study of Udon Thani on International Retirement Migration and Expats interesting koch - thesisonretirementmigration.pdfon the issue you mentioned. Happy reading!

[puipuitom]

Just wait... till Myanmar is accepted as tourist desination again. 50% of the tourists will stay away.

Just wait, till the children of the fugutives, who returned and are returning to Vietnam really start their work: much of Thai industry will not be compatative ( not for prices, but in understanding of the Western way of doing business)

Now already China is taking over one product after the other of former Thai exports. In my case: bamboo shoots, baby corn, mixed vegetables, sweet cor, lychee, longan, mango slices, papaya dices, pineapple, oyster and soya sauce, chili sauce, instant noodles, rice vermicelli, wasabi, sesame oil. For me, 95% of my business is already gone away from Thailand.

Remind: for the inflow of one US$/Euro it generates a multiple effect into a local economy ( multiplier effect, can be 10-25 x the inflow effect) : remind the farmer, who has less money to spend, so..will reduce his spending, so others will earn less, and reduce their spending etc. Same the factory worker, the container truck driver, the can maker, the bottle maker, the label printer.

When all pensionario's would leave Thailand, just think of the tailor, the condo owner, the taxi driver, the restaurant owner.. from making now a profit, they will plunge in having a shortage on income, so will save on many fields, resulting in a depression.

You think, one Thai understands this ?

[mark45y]

Just wait... till Myanmar is accepted as tourist desination again. 50% of the tourists will stay away.

Just wait, till the children of the fugutives, who returned and are returning to Vietnam really start their work: much of Thai industry will not be compatative ( not for prices, but in understanding of the Western way of doing business)

Now already China is taking over one product after the other of former Thai exports. In my case: bamboo shoots, baby corn, mixed vegetables, sweet cor, lychee, longan, mango slices, papaya dices, pineapple, oyster and soya sauce, chili sauce, instant noodles, rice vermicelli, wasabi, sesame oil. For me, 95% of my business is already gone away from Thailand.

Remind: for the inflow of one US$/Euro it generates a multiple effect into a local economy ( multiplier effect, can be 10-25 x the inflow effect) : remind the farmer, who has less money to spend, so..will reduce his spending, so others will earn less, and reduce their spending etc. Same the factory worker, the container truck driver, the can maker, the bottle maker, the label printer.

When all pensionario's would leave Thailand, just think of the tailor, the condo owner, the taxi driver, the restaurant owner.. from making now a profit, they will plunge in having a shortage on income, so will save on many fields, resulting in a depression.

You think, one Thai understands this ?

Ask samran.

[samran]

Just wait... till Myanmar is accepted as tourist desination again. 50% of the tourists will stay away.

Just wait, till the children of the fugutives, who returned and are returning to Vietnam really start their work: much of Thai industry will not be compatative ( not for prices, but in understanding of the Western way of doing business)

Now already China is taking over one product after the other of former Thai exports. In my case: bamboo shoots, baby corn, mixed vegetables, sweet cor, lychee, longan, mango slices, papaya dices, pineapple, oyster and soya sauce, chili sauce, instant noodles, rice vermicelli, wasabi, sesame oil. For me, 95% of my business is already gone away from Thailand.

Remind: for the inflow of one US$/Euro it generates a multiple effect into a local economy ( multiplier effect, can be 10-25 x the inflow effect) : remind the farmer, who has less money to spend, so..will reduce his spending, so others will earn less, and reduce their spending etc. Same the factory worker, the container truck driver, the can maker, the bottle maker, the label printer.

When all pensionario's would leave Thailand, just think of the tailor, the condo owner, the taxi driver, the restaurant owner.. from making now a profit, they will plunge in having a shortage on income, so will save on many fields, resulting in a depression.

You think, one Thai understands this ?

Ask samran.

What, no Star Trek exasperation there Mark?

Oh yeah, I speak for all Thai's. A common TV (mis)conception. That, and we are all morons. I'll just pop out and ask what my neighbors have to say, shall I?

In the meantime, you want me to respond to a poster who is whinging because the higher baht and the ASEAN-China free trade agreement are doing him in?

Well, I can help. Kick out foreign investment, baht will drop like a brick, exports will be cheaper and voila puipuitom's problems will be solved. His export prices FOB will be cheaper than china's.

Or we could run Thailand like Vietnam. Out of control inflation. Currency falling like a brick. Yeah, great economic credentials there in VN.

The rest of his post is a classic one often written by expats with chips on their shoulders. "Just you wait" they say "Cambodia, Vietnam and Burma" are going to show you up.

I say - good on those countries for bringing themselves up. Still got a long way to go though.

Edited April 3, 2011 by samran

[mark45y]

Just wait... till Myanmar is accepted as tourist desination again. 50% of the tourists will stay away.

Just wait, till the children of the fugutives, who returned and are returning to Vietnam really start their work: much of Thai industry will not be compatative ( not for prices, but in understanding of the Western way of doing business)

Now already China is taking over one product after the other of former Thai exports. In my case: bamboo shoots, baby corn, mixed vegetables, sweet cor, lychee, longan, mango slices, papaya dices, pineapple, oyster and soya sauce, chili sauce, instant noodles, rice vermicelli, wasabi, sesame oil. For me, 95% of my business is already gone away from Thailand.

Remind: for the inflow of one US$/Euro it generates a multiple effect into a local economy ( multiplier effect, can be 10-25 x the inflow effect) : remind the farmer, who has less money to spend, so..will reduce his spending, so others will earn less, and reduce their spending etc. Same the factory worker, the container truck driver, the can maker, the bottle maker, the label printer.

When all pensionario's would leave Thailand, just think of the tailor, the condo owner, the taxi driver, the restaurant owner.. from making now a profit, they will plunge in having a shortage on income, so will save on many fields, resulting in a depression.

You think, one Thai understands this ?

Ask samran.

What, no Star Trek exasperation there Mark?

Oh yeah, I speak for all Thai's. A common TV (mis)conception. That, and we are all morons. I'll just pop out and ask what my neighbors have to say, shall I?

In the meantime, you want me to respond to a poster who is whinging because the higher baht and the ASEAN-China free trade agreement are doing him in?

Well, I can help. Kick out foreign investment, baht will drop like a brick, exports will be cheaper and voila puipuitom's problems will be solved. His export prices FOB will be cheaper than china's.

Or we could run Thailand like Vietnam. Out of control inflation. Currency falling like a brick. Yeah, great economic credentials there in VN.

The rest of his post is a classic one often written by expats with chips on their shoulders. "Just you wait" they say "Cambodia, Vietnam and Burma" are going to show you up.

I say - good on those countries for bringing themselves up. Still got a long way to go though.

I guess that's a no. But darn, you sure are quick. Good job.

[Scott]

Regardless of many things, Thailand has name recognition and it has a reputation for being a holiday destination. In the business world, it has a reputation for stability--at least relative to other countries in the region.

For the foreseeable future, I think that Thailand will be the destination of travel and money. People may make a foray to neighboring countries, but their base will most likely be Thailand.

[mark45y]

Completely agree with Scott but I thought the question under debate was what if Falangs left Thailand. If on the other hand the question is will Falangs leave the answer is a resounding no. Nor do Thais with any sense of the economy want them to leave in the least little bit.

Look at how long that 30%withholding of investment funds lasted. Or how much money Thailand has spent supporting the dollar.

Economists in Thailand realize the nature of being a client state and the requirements of foreign investment and building of infrastructure; that's one of the reasons they send their kids to school in England instead of educating them in Thailand.

[zzaa09]

Completely agree with Scott but I thought the question under debate was what if Falangs left Thailand. If on the other hand the question is will Falangs leave the answer is a resounding no. Nor do Thais with any sense of the economy want them to leave in the least little bit.

Look at how long that 30%withholding of investment funds lasted. Or how much money Thailand has spent supporting the dollar.

Economists in Thailand realize the nature of being a client state and the requirements of foreign investment and building of infrastructure; that's one of the reasons they send their kids to school in England instead of educating them in Thailand.

Which economists?

[Panhandler007]

tourism makes up about 6% of thailand s gdp

[samran]

tourism makes up about 6% of thailand s gdp

yeah, but according to some, it is the figurative 'jenga' piece of the Thai economy. Take it away, and it all comes crashing down.

Ignores the fact that economies are dynamic, other sectors take up the slack. Also ignores the fact that Thailand had a larger drop in its GDP back during the Asian financial crisis, and life went on.

Nevertheless they contend that there is a huge multiplier effect, 30% to 40% bandied about in this thread alone. Now, I'm not one to quote wikipedia often (and in my day job my clients would shoot me), but there was a study quoted there (Source: Thai Institute for Development and Administration, 1990) which suggested that there was huge leakage - approx 70% of monies bought in by tourists actually left the country anyway (foreign airlines, tour operators, hotel groups). The number is old, but I suspect you'd get the picture.

All this is academic anyway. The proposition that there would be a Kristallnacht here in Thailand is beyond absurd. Sure, there are plenty of posters who believe it, but they are the same ones who fell for the April Fools joke in the news forum a few days ago. No one likes them, everyone hates them, they better go out back and eat worms......

[mark45y]

The tourist economy accounts for between 7 and 30% of the real Thai economy. Could Thai economists figure out the real number? No, because so much of the economy is off the books.

If it is 30% and the Farangs left it would be a catastrophe. If it is 5% and the Farangs left it would be a severe hardship.

Can Thailand do OK on their own in a modern world? Does Thailand have 3G?

What would Thailand do if China turns off the water? It better have some real good Farang friends in the wings and that means involving Farangs in Thai business.

Anyone who is anybody in Thailand goes to school in another country. Thais realize their education system is substandard and their technology has much to learn from the West.

[JurgenG]

Ok, we have to be honest, what is this debate about ?

Basically a couple of over stayers, visa-runners claiming that Thailand can't survive without them.

Now how much do they spend during their stay in Thailand ? And then how much a legitimate tourist spends for his 5 days stay in Evason ?

Agree, Thailand will have a problem if legitimate tourists stay away

But if Thailand kicks out over stayers ? Actually my feeling is Thailand will be a better place ....

Edited April 4, 2011 by JurgenG

[mark45y]

Ok, we have to be honest, what is this debate about ?

Basically a couple of over stayers, visa-runners claiming that Thailand can't survive without them.

Now how much do they spend during their stay in Thailand ? And then how much a legitimate tourist spends for his 5 days stay in Evason ?

Agree, Thailand will have a problem if legitimate tourists stay away

But if Thailand kicks out over stayers ? Actually my feeling is Thailand will be a better place ....

The OP "If all foreigners, or let's say 90% would leave this country and tourists stay away... What would be the effects, such as hundreds of thousands of foreign money-supported families would suddenly become poor, but more on larger scale what would it do to the national economy and how they would develop themselves ? Just wonder"

It says nothing about over stayers or visa runners.

[StreetCowboy]

Ok, we have to be honest, what is this debate about ?

Basically a couple of over stayers, visa-runners claiming that Thailand can't survive without them.

Now how much do they spend during their stay in Thailand ? And then how much a legitimate tourist spends for his 5 days stay in Evason ?

Agree, Thailand will have a problem if legitimate tourists stay away

But if Thailand kicks out over stayers ? Actually my feeling is Thailand will be a better place ....

The OP "If all foreigners, or let's say 90% would leave this country and tourists stay away... What would be the effects, such as hundreds of thousands of foreign money-supported families would suddenly become poor, but more on larger scale what would it do to the national economy and how they would develop themselves ? Just wonder"

It says nothing about over stayers or visa runners.

I've been out for a few weeks, and the country seems to have got by.

Apart from a bit of equivocating on marriage rights, but I doubt I would have been consulted on that one anyway

SC

Smokie: any comments?

[JurgenG]

Ok, we have to be honest, what is this debate about ?

Basically a couple of over stayers, visa-runners claiming that Thailand can't survive without them.

Now how much do they spend during their stay in Thailand ? And then how much a legitimate tourist spends for his 5 days stay in Evason ?

Agree, Thailand will have a problem if legitimate tourists stay away

But if Thailand kicks out over stayers ? Actually my feeling is Thailand will be a better place ....

The OP "If all foreigners, or let's say 90% would leave this country and tourists stay away... What would be the effects, such as hundreds of thousands of foreign money-supported families would suddenly become poor, but more on larger scale what would it do to the national economy and how they would develop themselves ? Just wonder"

It says nothing about over stayers or visa runners.

"hundreds of thousands of foreign money-supported families would suddenly become poor"

Hundreds of thousand is quite a large number. Who are they and who support them ? Can we first make that clear before going any further ?

[Max2010]

tourism makes up about 6% of thailand s gdp

yeah, but according to some, it is the figurative 'jenga' piece of the Thai economy. Take it away, and it all comes crashing down.

Ignores the fact that economies are dynamic, other sectors take up the slack. Also ignores the fact that Thailand had a larger drop in its GDP back during the Asian financial crisis, and life went on.

Nevertheless they contend that there is a huge multiplier effect, 30% to 40% bandied about in this thread alone. Now, I'm not one to quote wikipedia often (and in my day job my clients would shoot me), but there was a study quoted there (Source: Thai Institute for Development and Administration, 1990) which suggested that there was huge leakage - approx 70% of monies bought in by tourists actually left the country anyway (foreign airlines, tour operators, hotel groups). The number is old, but I suspect you'd get the picture.

All this is academic anyway. The proposition that there would be a Kristallnacht here in Thailand is beyond absurd. Sure, there are plenty of posters who believe it, but they are the same ones who fell for the April Fools joke in the news forum a few days ago. No one likes them, everyone hates them, they better go out back and eat worms......

Thailand's economy is in a much better shape than the economies of many developed nations. Today Japan Steel Corporation, Japan's largest, said they will invest US$300 million in Rayong Province to produce 360,000 metric tons of galvanized steel a year. Thailand is one of the biggest auto producer, 1.64 million vehicles, and is moving to 2.3 million units by 2017 with this investment. Eat that EU.

Max2010

Max2010

[mark45y]

tourism makes up about 6% of thailand s gdp

yeah, but according to some, it is the figurative 'jenga' piece of the Thai economy. Take it away, and it all comes crashing down.

Ignores the fact that economies are dynamic, other sectors take up the slack. Also ignores the fact that Thailand had a larger drop in its GDP back during the Asian financial crisis, and life went on.

Nevertheless they contend that there is a huge multiplier effect, 30% to 40% bandied about in this thread alone. Now, I'm not one to quote wikipedia often (and in my day job my clients would shoot me), but there was a study quoted there (Source: Thai Institute for Development and Administration, 1990) which suggested that there was huge leakage - approx 70% of monies bought in by tourists actually left the country anyway (foreign airlines, tour operators, hotel groups). The number is old, but I suspect you'd get the picture.

All this is academic anyway. The proposition that there would be a Kristallnacht here in Thailand is beyond absurd. Sure, there are plenty of posters who believe it, but they are the same ones who fell for the April Fools joke in the news forum a few days ago. No one likes them, everyone hates them, they better go out back and eat worms......

Thailand's economy is in a much better shape than the economies of many developed nations. Today Japan Steel Corporation, Japan's largest, said they will invest US$300 million in Rayong Province to produce 360,000 metric tons of galvanized steel a year. Thailand is one of the biggest auto producer, 1.64 million vehicles, and is moving to 2.3 million units by 2017 with this investment. Eat that EU.

Max2010

Max2010

There are 767 companies in Thailand with major Japanese shareholders. These firms employ about 471,500 workers. I guess Thailand would be better off if they kicked these foreigners out.

[samran]

tourism makes up about 6% of thailand s gdp

yeah, but according to some, it is the figurative 'jenga' piece of the Thai economy. Take it away, and it all comes crashing down.

Ignores the fact that economies are dynamic, other sectors take up the slack. Also ignores the fact that Thailand had a larger drop in its GDP back during the Asian financial crisis, and life went on.

Nevertheless they contend that there is a huge multiplier effect, 30% to 40% bandied about in this thread alone. Now, I'm not one to quote wikipedia often (and in my day job my clients would shoot me), but there was a study quoted there (Source: Thai Institute for Development and Administration, 1990) which suggested that there was huge leakage - approx 70% of monies bought in by tourists actually left the country anyway (foreign airlines, tour operators, hotel groups). The number is old, but I suspect you'd get the picture.

All this is academic anyway. The proposition that there would be a Kristallnacht here in Thailand is beyond absurd. Sure, there are plenty of posters who believe it, but they are the same ones who fell for the April Fools joke in the news forum a few days ago. No one likes them, everyone hates them, they better go out back and eat worms......

Thailand's economy is in a much better shape than the economies of many developed nations. Today Japan Steel Corporation, Japan's largest, said they will invest US$300 million in Rayong Province to produce 360,000 metric tons of galvanized steel a year. Thailand is one of the biggest auto producer, 1.64 million vehicles, and is moving to 2.3 million units by 2017 with this investment. Eat that EU.

Max2010

Max2010

There are 767 companies in Thailand with major Japanese shareholders. These firms employ about 471,500 workers. I guess Thailand would be better off if they kicked these foreigners out.

on one thread you quote Thai statistics with authority, and in another thread, you trash them as unreliable. Amazing.

anyway, who is actually proposing kicking the Japanese out?

[JurgenG]

anyway, who is actually proposing kicking the Japanese out?

Nobody, people love Japanese. They have money, they don't make trouble.

Hong kong really understands that

Fast-track work visas for fleeing Japan executives

Hong Kong snaps up top-ranking professionals in aftermath of quake

More than 250 top-ranking professionals from Japan have been given Hong Kong work visas in just two weeks under an unprecedented fast-track approval system put in place following last month's devastating earthquake and tsunami.

http://www.scmp.com/...ong+Kong&s=News

Edited April 5, 2011 by JurgenG

[StreetCowboy]

...

yeah, but according to some, it is the figurative 'jenga' piece of the Thai economy. Take it away, and it all comes crashing down.

Ignores the fact that economies are dynamic, other sectors take up the slack. Also ignores the fact that Thailand had a larger drop in its GDP back during the Asian financial crisis, and life went on.

Nevertheless they contend that there is a huge multiplier effect, 30% to 40% bandied about in this thread alone. Now, I'm not one to quote wikipedia often (and in my day job my clients would shoot me), but there was a study quoted there (Source: Thai Institute for Development and Administration, 1990) which suggested that there was huge leakage - approx 70% of monies bought in by tourists actually left the country anyway (foreign airlines, tour operators, hotel groups). The number is old, but I suspect you'd get the picture.

All this is academic anyway. The proposition that there would be a Kristallnacht here in Thailand is beyond absurd. Sure, there are plenty of posters who believe it, but they are the same ones who fell for the April Fools joke in the news forum a few days ago. No one likes them, everyone hates them, they better go out back and eat worms......

Thailand's economy is in a much better shape than the economies of many developed nations. Today Japan Steel Corporation, Japan's largest, said they will invest US$300 million in Rayong Province to produce 360,000 metric tons of galvanized steel a year. Thailand is one of the biggest auto producer, 1.64 million vehicles, and is moving to 2.3 million units by 2017 with this investment. Eat that EU.

Max2010

There are 767 companies in Thailand with major Japanese shareholders. These firms employ about 471,500 workers. I guess Thailand would be better off if they kicked these foreigners out.

on one thread you quote Thai statistics with authority, and in another thread, you trash them as unreliable. Amazing.

anyway, who is actually proposing kicking the Japanese out?

I think the topic of the thread was "if all foreigners would leave Thailand", implying some common cause, not just a bizarre coincidental decision that, for family reasons or whatever, all the foreigners individually decided to leave.

The normal practice, in tin-pot dictatorships, is to nationalise foreign businesses and purge the foreigners by ethnic cleansing.

This has helped many African countries maintain their standards of living, while those in East Asia, with a more liberal approach to foreign investment and freedom of movement, soared.

SC

I think Mark's point was that Thai statistics are limited, since only certain things are easily counted. For example, company registrations. There are possibly a lot of small Japanese-run operations here employing one or two people off the books - just like people's wives' noodle stalls, and the internet workers and freelance language teachers and probably some evening entertainment establishments, but for foreign-run businesses, the bulk are likely to be statistable.

Similarly, businesses in Bangkok are probably more statistable than those up-country, because of the lack of convenient readily tradeable family produce nand the more impersonal nature of business.

So perhaps statistics over-estimate the relative contribution of foreign business, and the relative wealth of the metropolitan region.

[mark45y]

yeah, but according to some, it is the figurative 'jenga' piece of the Thai economy. Take it away, and it all comes crashing down.

Ignores the fact that economies are dynamic, other sectors take up the slack. Also ignores the fact that Thailand had a larger drop in its GDP back during the Asian financial crisis, and life went on.

Nevertheless they contend that there is a huge multiplier effect, 30% to 40% bandied about in this thread alone. Now, I'm not one to quote wikipedia often (and in my day job my clients would shoot me), but there was a study quoted there (Source: Thai Institute for Development and Administration, 1990) which suggested that there was huge leakage - approx 70% of monies bought in by tourists actually left the country anyway (foreign airlines, tour operators, hotel groups). The number is old, but I suspect you'd get the picture.

All this is academic anyway. The proposition that there would be a Kristallnacht here in Thailand is beyond absurd. Sure, there are plenty of posters who believe it, but they are the same ones who fell for the April Fools joke in the news forum a few days ago. No one likes them, everyone hates them, they better go out back and eat worms......

Thailand's economy is in a much better shape than the economies of many developed nations. Today Japan Steel Corporation, Japan's largest, said they will invest US$300 million in Rayong Province to produce 360,000 metric tons of galvanized steel a year. Thailand is one of the biggest auto producer, 1.64 million vehicles, and is moving to 2.3 million units by 2017 with this investment. Eat that EU.

Max2010

Max2010

There are 767 companies in Thailand with major Japanese shareholders. These firms employ about 471,500 workers. I guess Thailand would be better off if they kicked these foreigners out.

on one thread you quote Thai statistics with authority, and in another thread, you trash them as unreliable. Amazing.

anyway, who is actually proposing kicking the Japanese out?

The OP is "If all foreigners would leave this country." Japanese are foreigners.

[JurgenG]

If Thailand kicks out ALL foreigners, Thailand will have a problem, that's for sure. Nobody contests that.

No country can ban all foreigners, tourists and businessmen, without suffering economical consequences.

Now are all foreigners equals and should be treated the same way ?

Is a a foreign manager responsible for 100s of job equal to a visa runner who can barely pay for his own expenses ?

I believe the problem rests with the Thai government. it should make more clear the requirements to get a resident visa and kick out the people who don't qualify For the time being honest people and criminals are all treated the same way. Honest people will benefit for more clear rules

[Naam]

Thailand's economy is in a much better shape than the economies of many developed nations. Today Japan Steel Corporation, Japan's largest, said they will invest US$300 million in Rayong Province to produce 360,000 metric tons of galvanized steel a year. Thailand is one of the biggest auto producer, 1.64 million vehicles, and is moving to 2.3 million units by 2017 with this investment. Eat that EU.

Max2010

what's there to eat? the EU produced last year 13.5 million vehicles.

[mark45y]

If Thailand kicks out ALL foreigners, Thailand will have a problem, that's for sure. Nobody contests that.

No country can ban all foreigners, tourists and businessmen, without suffering economical consequences.

Now are all foreigners equals and should be treated the same way ?

Is a a foreign manager responsible for 100s of job equal to a visa runner who can barely pay for his own expenses ?

I believe the problem rests with the Thai government. it should make more clear the requirements to get a resident visa and kick out the people who don't qualify For the time being honest people and criminals are all treated the same way. Honest people will benefit for more clear rules

I disagree. Samran, one of the posters wrote

“What would happen? Not much probably. Thailand would have lost more as a % of GDP during the Asian financial crisis. Funny with that though, very few people went hungry and life kinda went on.”

There are posters here who feel it would not be a grave hardship if all the foreigners left Thailand. Unless he has changed his mind Samran thinks if all the foreigners left Thailand it would not be a catastrophic event. Correct me if I am wrong.

[StreetCowboy]

Thailand's economy is in a much better shape than the economies of many developed nations. Today Japan Steel Corporation, Japan's largest, said they will invest US$300 million in Rayong Province to produce 360,000 metric tons of galvanized steel a year. Thailand is one of the biggest auto producer, 1.64 million vehicles, and is moving to 2.3 million units by 2017 with this investment. Eat that EU.

Max2010

what's there to eat? the EU produced last year 13.5 million vehicles.

THe only data I could find was for 2006, when the UK produced more vehicles. Like Thailand, those were mostly foreign-owned plants, but building on an indigenous industry, and perhaps with a larger base of local suppliers...

For my company, more than half the value of the vehicle is bought-in components, but we maybe are not typical.

For most auto companies, a large part of the value added is in the brand.,..

Rover, Rolls-Royce, Jaguar, to name a few of the foreign-owned brands producing in the UK (do they still build minis there?)

Whatever happened to LDV, out of interest?

SC

[Max2010]

Thailand's economy is in a much better shape than the economies of many developed nations. Today Japan Steel Corporation, Japan's largest, said they will invest US$300 million in Rayong Province to produce 360,000 metric tons of galvanized steel a year. Thailand is one of the biggest auto producer, 1.64 million vehicles, and is moving to 2.3 million units by 2017 with this investment. Eat that EU.

Max2010

what's there to eat? the EU produced last year 13.5 million vehicles.

What I meant by "Eat that EU" is not comparison of auto productions between Thailand and EU but the fact that Thailand can still attract serious investors while Portugal, Greece and Ireland are asking EU (read Germany) for a bailout. Unemployment in Spain is 20%. the UK, Canada and the US it is about 8% compared with 1% in Thailand. And if you take that 13.5 million figure, it is FROM 27 countries of EU, the units coming out of "developing" Thailand is still impressive.

Max2010

[neverback]

tourism makes up about 6% of thailand s gdp

What does this tourism's GDP assume?

Does it comprise all of the following,besides hotels,gifts and attractions:

- Does it include the following service people, who could have been unemployed without tourists:

1) An army of the immigration officers;

2) Taxi drivers;

3) Tourist police;

4) Bars and restaurants;

5) Massage places;

6) Banks, preying on farangs ( deposit in a bank),who wish to retire in Thailand or have an extended Visa ;

7) Farangs will stop buying apartments, houses,land, etc. for their GFs or a family;

8) .....

Edited April 6, 2011 by neverback

[MrsMills]

Farangs don't come to Thailand thinking they are adding to the bottom line of Thailand Inc.

They come here because it suits them, and they can do things here that could never do in their own countries.

Take away the feeling of freedom ( No matter how delusional that is ), take away Thai women, turn off the Sun and make Thai people as miserable as westerners, then Thailand may have a problem.

As those things are unlikely to happen, Thailand will surely survive.

Edited April 6, 2011 by MrsMills