Law Prohibiting Marriage To Foreigners Over The Age Of 50 Proposed To Thai Cabinet

[Deeral]

HOW DO I UNSUBSCRIBE ??????????????????????????????????????

Edited April 1, 2011 by Deeral

[prakhonchai nick]

Just to inform you, the average income for the approx. 6 million people living in Bangkok, is approximately 400,000 THB per year. Among the people I know (including my wife, her family and all our friends) I don't know a single one who earns less than 75,000 THB per month. So not all Thais are a burden, just the same way that not all foreigners are a burden.

This is total bull$hit please do tell us what it is your wife and friends do? The only people earning this sort of salary in Thailand are corrupt people, a policeman starts at 6k and an average rank earns around 10k. Teachers earn from 8k to 20k tops, so as I said please do tell us what it is they do for their 75k+

Indeed a total load of <deleted>. There are some 4 million Isaan people working in Bangkok -on building sites and in sweat shops -most trying to earn -with overtime, 6/7000 a month

[99BigLad99]

Indeed it is April Fools Day, however it is a completely plausible story for Thailand! So if it is a joke, it does not really fit the realm of the "unbelievable" which is the actual point to an April Fools joke. You will need to do better TV.

this was started way ahead of April 1st and remember VAT in UK started on 1st April is that still a Joke ??

[jsflynn603]

The perpetrator of this article is insensitive, rude and mean.

Can you fathom what this felt like?

Idiot!

What an obscene and sad April's fool joke. For the first time I am disgusted by Thaivisa.com

[thaiclan]

In Egypt a man cannot marry a woman who is 25 years younger than him.

In Kenya you cannot marry a woman whose father is younger than you!

Seems every society has their own interpretations of what is right or wrong in marriage. No doubt Thailand is more concerned about it's international image of old western men marrying their young Thai women rather than the costs/benefits/risk to said ladies.

[bonobo]

oh good a "grandfather" clause....TIT

[animatic]

Poison d'Avril.

May / December marriages... no problem,

Early February and Xmas eve, well maybe not.

Innocent Thai ladies.... 55555555!

Edited April 1, 2011 by animatic

[robertson468]

quick, before they pass this law.

you can easily divorce anytime in the future.

on the second thought, over 50 you can get a retirement visa, no need to marry

Lots of excitement and indignation being express on this post, but could it, just maybe have to do with today's date?

Remember last year Thai Visa said that the price of drinks was being increased, but only for Farangs?

[animatic]

oh good a "grandfather" clause....TIT

ROTFLOL

[Pi Sek]

So is this an April Fool's joke from the Interior Ministry or from Thaivisa.com?

They could have done a whole load of them (RTA concedes defeat to Cambodia, Thaksin lands at Suvarnibhumi, foreigners permitted, buffaloes have "higher IQ" than most Thai schoolteachers...), but maybe that would have been a bit over-the-top. Glad someone is trying to put a smile on people's faces!

I once worked for a daily national ultra-tabloid in Manchester, UK. The press room was a great place to work - working from 12-8pm, very quiet before 3.30pm (no stories through yet so we mainly played frisbee), very busy before 7.30 (when the paper went to the printer). Such headlines as "WW2 bomber found on the moon" and "World hide-and-seek champion found dead in cupboard". Letters to the Agony Aunt about "My wife is angry because I keep calling out David Beckham's name in bed, but I'm not gay". Cracking stuff, and portrayed as news to millions every day. Thaivisa.com could learn something!

[Britannia]

"Many older foreigners seem to marry Thai women so they can stay in Thailand under less strict requirements. Instead of needing to meet the requirements of 800,000 baht in the bank they only have to show 400,000 baht a year when married to a Thai. Additionally, many of these people seem to come to Thailand simply to marry much younger girls. In many cases they are old enough to be their father. I am concerned that these people are attempting to circumvent the rules by marrying innocent Thai women. If these people don't have enough money to retire then they shouldn't be here and become a burden to Thailand," Tawatchai Suksoom of the Ministry of Interior stated.

This is just wrong on so many levels.

Don't they know that getting married will cost a lot more than 400,000 baht. So reducing the financial requirement would hardly be valid reason to get married.

Don' they also know that in many cases they are old enough to be their grand father.

But the main reason it's wrong - "Innocent Thai Women"

Another nail in the coffin from a Nationalist, raciest Government and society.

There must be over 1 million Thai ladies and a substantial amount of family members that are being taken care of by Farang, that have married the Thai lady, does this mean that the Government is going to take care of these people? How much money is invested in Thailand from Farang over the age of 50? Does anyone have an idea this would be quite interesting to know.

With respect to the comment on being a burden on the Thai state, I would like to know just how many Farang live of money given by the Thai state. Regardless of how much they contribute, they are all bringing in foreign currency to Thailand and supporting (normally) poor Thai people. Just how much do they bring in, in total?

So now lets demolish the (very little) protection a Farang has on any investment made whilst being together with Thai lady, the 50% rule gets lost, just put everything in her name, if it goes wrong, well this is Thailand, F off home your money has gone.

One rule for them another for the Farang, no one can refute this is a definition of racialism. Just look at the Thai Soaps on T.V. one man (over the age of 50) living together with 4 now 5 wives, just because he can afford them.

Forget the sanction of marriage, lets just accept that Thailand is the Worlds biggest Whore house, not because of Farang but by culture. And keep your money in your pocket.

Wonderful Thailand, I have seen 9 Farang return home in the past 2 weeks, all married all been here a long time, that does not take a lot of thinking about

And whilst we are at it, why not drop the dollar to 15 and the pound and Euro to 20, after all Thailand is rolling in money, they just don’t need us

Back to the stone age

[mark45y]

There were 50,000 Americans stationed in Thailand from 1965 to 1975. They built port facilities and Airports and communication facilities mainly to function as the gas station and communication hub for the Vietnam war. Thailand was worried about succumbing to the same fate as Laos and Cambodia and welcomed their presence.

Thailand kicked out the Americans in 1975. I have read all of the official reasons but I always thought it was because of the schools and hospitals built and the funding of projects for the lower and middle class people.

50,000 GI's spent a lot of money on the local economy and many poor people got rich. Many poor people got educations that they would not have otherwise gotten.

The same thing is happening today because of the baby boomers turning 65 and retiring in Thailand.

There will be a substantial influx of dollars from older retired men moving to Thailand. The scenario is usually the same. The Western wife gets the majority of the savings and house and the guy ends up with enough to retire in Thailand but not the West.

I would like to ask but I doubt that the Thai government has thought this decision through.

I don't think they have looked at it in economic terms and I would be very surprised to learn they had.

Most of the boomers are not experienced world travelers and don't speak Thai and are easy pickings and need a Thai wife to assist their integration into Thai society.

There is a very large income source waiting on the Thai doorstep.

But as other posters have pointed out there will be an income shift to the lower Thai classes and labor will get more expensive. I just can't imagine the thought process of Thai legislators has evolved to the point where they can understand the economic repercussions of their decisions. There are so many examples like the airport closure and the withholding of a percent of investment currency and many other incredibly counter productive actions taken in the past few years. I really don't think they have a clue and are shooting from the hip on this one without any considered thought.

[LPCustom69]

They just made my day, sorry teelak no can do. The problem isn't the old guys marring younger women its the young guys who cannot get a visa ant other way talk about a burden.

It is just another example of shooting from the hip, or engaging the mouth before the brain can work..

Bingo!

[EarthAlien]

"In many cases they are old enough to be their father" ( or grandfather) but hey, I'm not casting stones.

"If these people don't have enough money to retire then they shouldn't be here and become a burden to Thailand," I'm not sure how farangs who don't have 800,000 baht in the bank can be a burden. It's not like in the U.S., where a quite a few Thai's draw welfare checks and food stamps, which they don't have in Thailand. I would need an explanation on that statement please.

How about they put that proposal on a nation wide ballot. Think it would fly?

Yes,.. an explanation would be great,... the only problem with that is that we'd have an explanation according to Thai-logic which in fact is simply illogic as anyone having lived here long enough could attest to.

This is a classic example of cutting off one's nose to spite one's face!

I can understand Cambodia with its strong communist background and totalitarion approach to everything introducing such a stupid law but I thought Thailand would be smarter than that.

A "burden" on Thai society,... yes I agree that with all the social security rorting that is going on and the hoards of over 50's Farangs bludging on the generous and streamlined Thai welfare system that something just has to be done to stop it.... and while we're on the topic what about the boatloads of over 50's that come here and marry young Issan girls and then proceed to live off their families,.. never doing a days work,... hitting them up for loans,... riding around in the family purchased new pick up truck and living in their luxurious family bought modern homes!.

Joking aside,... if this wasn't serious it would be funny. Thailand is meant to be the Chair on Human Rights and is a party to the treaty on Human rights,- such a law would be an automatic breach of human rights.

Have they considered the very negative affects this could have on the economy,.. right down to the tourist level and beyond?

I think a lot of Issan families would vote against this if they had the chance and realized the ramifications of what is being proposed.

On the flip side,.. if this law was passed it would save a lot of poor unsuspecting bastards a ton of misery from being ripped off by the many instances where the guy gets married and then is systematically fleeced of all his assets and wealth only to be dejected from the wife and family. We have all heard of horror stories such as these. I personally know one very nice and unsuspecting guy who after 6 years of marriage and one kid later was kicked-away by the wife after having paid off the house and car and a substantial stash in the bank. All of this at the end of his working life and now unable to work and earn,... forced to retreat back to the US with shattered dreams of a happy retirement in Thailand. It wouldn't be so bad if the actions of his ex wife hadn't been premeditated as they evidently were. Now he has to fight for his dignity and access to his young son that he adores and try to reconstruct what's left of his life.

That's what can become of a 55+ Y/O (nice) guy marrying an ego driven 26 Y/O Thai mercenary that had him picked from day 1.

[ableguy]

How do married guys over 50 become a burden to the state simply because they only have 400,000 in the bank and not 800,000 ? Anyway hope it passes it will get me off the hook gf constantly bugging me to marry her, the way I see it I look after her well who needs a piece of paper.

[pkspeaker]

You legally own nothing, despite whatever bs legal office told you, the house and everything in it is her's, she can sell it out from under you anytime wake up people.

I am wondering what my situation would be IF such an absurd law was introduced.

I know there is discussion along these lines in Cambodia.

I have been living as husband and wife with my Thai woman for about 16 years now but we are not officially married.

We own land in her name of course. But I legally own the house and all the stuff in it. Fair split in my mind really. And legal too.

She is 47 and I am 53.

I guess this means we shall never be able to marry in Thailand then?

However we could always do a trip to Australia, my original home, and get married there.

I think that fact that we cannot get married may be as much as a blessing as a curse really come to think of it.

I think that if we wanted to get married I could always just have her declare herself to be a Katoey and apply for a legal change of sex then we could get married, couldn't we?

;-)

[Trendypips]

Has everyone forgotten today's date. April 1st

[ableguy]

Very amusing, for the Thai government (yes, he is a minster, so a representitive of the government) referring to foreigners with less than 400,000 baht as a "burden" on Thai society. Tell me the ratio of Thais vs. Farang over the age of 50 with less than 400,000 in the bank?

This, if passed will be a huge economic blow for Thailand - a large percentage of Farang business owners in Thailand are 45+, and many buy those businesses and run it with their partner. Many own land with their partners. Most of these girls are not rich when they meet the "old burden" Farang. Infact, sadly most of these girls meet their Farang in the go go bars. Who was it that was the burden again?

I have never said this before, but this move really does look discriminatory against non-Thai nationals, and will be a huge blow both to the future development, educational and economic growth to Thailand if passed. Maybe Thailands politicians needs to learn when passing law, that you have the power to make the decisions but with that power you must execute vision, or your power is worthless and often destructive rather than constructive.

The polititions are in office for the graft, passing laws is just a burdomsome side line.

[pagallim]

Dear oh dear. Get a grip of yourselves folks, and check today's date.

[CaptainSplod]

Oh, dear!

My very good Thai friend Lipraloof has just married a European lady. He's now worried that their marriage will be annulled again. What can he do if this is the case?

[wernerfreitag]

Yes. Thailand should bring in this law to prohibit older Farangs and other foreigners from marrying very young women .

I have seen some farangs with young wives who could be their grand daughters!.

Laos and Cambodia have enacted these law: why not Thailand.

Yes, but then older Thai nationals should be prohibited from marrying young women, regardless of their nationality, too . And , for anybody, having a Mia Noi should of cause be prohibited . I have seen older Thais with their innocent young Mia Noi. A shame , or what?

Please do not forget, if their is no marriage , their will be no pension coming into Thailand after the old farang is dead. Good for the rest of the world.

[lannarebirth]

Watch out! If this law is passed, there will be a rush of over 50 year old foreign men into Thailand.

And there will be a baby boom of half breed bastards on the laps of the government - because he is not permitted to get married by law.

ah, April Fools Day. I see.

Edited April 1, 2011 by lannarebirth

[thaikahuna]

The more I think about it.....it could just be an April Fool's wind up...

[ARH]

"by marrying innocent Thai women"

[Pi Sek]

Joking aside,... if this wasn't serious it would be funny.

I see that some people disagree with even this. Personally, I think it's very funny. It got me at first too!

[baboon]

SO WOT IFITS A WINDUP? YOU AINT GONNA STOP ME FROM FLOGGING DEAD HORSES AND RANTING ON AND ON.

DISGRACEFUL! POLITICAL CORRECTNESS GONE MAD! HOW DARE THEY!etc,etc.....

[Yeppe]

Oh Yeah, especially INNOCENT VIRGIN THAI GIRLS!!! What part of those Thai girls who go with old farts are innocent?? Hah, Hah, Hah - the best joke of this year! - Thai government really has sense of humor!! They are simply sex workers looking for old farts money only and those old farts are looking for sex only so perfect match - both get what they really want! Those girls are from poor and bad families - the innocent girls from good families won´t go with old farts...So these girls are very, very guilty who go willingly with old farts. It´s only farangs who are very bad - Thais are so, so innocent and good people - never any tricks on their pure mind :-)

[glanville63]

The people who run this country are gettingto be more stupid by the minute. This is what you call a sledge hammer to crack a nut.. In the main it's the old Farang who's getting shafted not the poor little Thai girl. I've seen it so many times. The Farang sets them up with a house, a salon and a car or some such crap and then they find a way to out him. Give me a break. Yes I think it will be a good idea and it will protect them from their own stupidity. Bring it on.

[featography]

Wonderful, another great move by the powers that be...but seriously the way I see it is this new law in fact hurts Thai people much more than "old farang", no wedding no sin sot, no house etc etc etc etc, the saddest thing I see from this though is this is another example of the Thai governments total disregard of foreigners and the benefits they bring, other recent comments from other "minister's" prove this, we are not only disliked we are in fact HATED by some and treated accordingly, I hope Thailand keeps its racist bullshit up so more of us have reasons to finally throw our hands up and say enough is enough..

I couldn't dream up a better scheme to unite all farang to side in and campaign with the Red Shirts. Not even Taksin would pull this stunt. There does come a time when even farang must unite and fight. You might re read the article; It said, that thai /farang marriages outside the country would not be recognized after initiation of the law, and that all previous marriages must get documentation from consulates to show in Thailand, that they were married before the law was enacted, to be recognized as legal marriages.

[Hawkup2000]

HOW DO I UNSUBSCRIBE ??????????????????????????????????????

LOL. Yes better unsubscribe. Otherwise I'll bet you have a fair amount of mails in your inbox.