What Will Happen To Us? Wil The Farang Be Dirven Out?

[Jingthing]

You really believe Pad are against the Dems , thats funny

Yes, every "No" vote is a vote for Thaksin.

You're both somewhat right. While PAD is actively opposing all parties now, you can't argue that PAD is politically closer to Abhisit than Thaksin.

[Pakboong]

That's all fine and dandy but I am still certain the increased financial requirement for retirees was ALREADY in effect at the time of the cited police order! Note the document does not specify exactly what has CHANGED since the already existing rules. So I still think this was done BEFORE the date of the cited police order (based on my recalled PERSONAL EXPERIENCE), and it was also certainly done under the THAKSIN REGIME. I welcome you to PROVE me wrong. Then I will say I am wrong if you CAN. This police order does nothing of the kind.

http://canberra.thai...r_temp_stay.pdf

BTW, the cited police order was put into effect during the latter period of the THAKSIN REGIME anyway. Effective Oct 2006. Thaksin deposed November 2006.

However the Dems didn't revoke it & moved to make it harder for forigners to come here. They have also been plotting to snatch the properties of foreigners as has been revealed here on TV. Lets not forget that the Dems are patsies for Pad & Pad have said they want all foriegners & foriegn busnessies evicted out of Thailand & the people to go back working on the farms.

They actually can't snatch something you are not permitted to own.

[gregb]

Pad have said they want all foriegners & foriegn busnessies evicted out of Thailand & the people to go back working on the farms.

You are so funny. There are hundreds of things the PAD have done which are actually of questionable merit, but you have to make up one which is totally false in order to malign them? The PAD have never said any such thing, and I have spoken to several members who are actually fairly high up in the PAD hierarchy. If you stay in this country long enough and work with enough government contracts it is impossible not to meet these people on both sides. That is how I know Thaksin is truly an evil, despicable animal compared to everyone else.

The PAD are not interested in forcing foreigners to leave or sending everyone back to the fields. They do however have a genuine understanding of the global financial disaster that is coming our way and would like to orient Thailand in a direction appropriate to surviving it in an optimal manner. Foreigners who can help contribute to this in a positive way are welcomed. But you are correct that they mistrust foreigners who are only trying to enslave the Thai people with more debt buying foreign products and repatriating the money.

Contrast this with the reds, who want to turn everyone into debt slaves with the red leaders as the debt slave masters. And now the Democrats who have abandoned any type of fiscal responsibility as well in their lust for power.

The PAD's methods are questionable and I disagree that their consequentialist approach is the way forward. Also, someone who is not Thai would see them as too nationalistic, but so are many factions in other countries. For all this though, their goals are genuinely altruistic. They are probably the only political group right now who are honestly thinking about the entire country rather than simply lining their own pockets. The only people who disparage them are those who don't know them.

When they say Thailand needs to tone down democracy, it is because they can see the people don't understand what is facing us in the future, and without knowledge they are incapable of forming an intelligent response. And with the Thaksin brigade filling their heads with falsehoods, it is impossible to make them see the truth, which is not very pleasant. Even under the best circumstances people won't like what is coming. 1997 was easy compared to what we are heading into now. Borrowing in the face of this calamity is simply asinine. The sufficiency economy is the only answer we have, and sadly people such as pukka simply want to create falsehoods regarding it and malign it.

I am truly saddened when I see this, because I know Thailand will suffer for this obstinance. Everyone needs to look beyond their shallow cultural biases and try and see what is coming. The reds are not the answer. They are the carriers of the disease.

[johnnyk]

I am not so worried about 800,000Bt prerequisit. In my view it's OK and in-line with other Asian countries (say, Malaysia)much less xenophobic to foreigners.

The complications with business activities and land purchase are at least logically explainable,- they do not want the whole country in our hands... Fine!

What pisses me off, is two things:

1)If I am a retiree and live in my own place for years, WHY ON EARTH I MUST GET A PIECEMEAL ONE YEAR VISA?

2) If I live for years in my own place AND have this lousy 1 YEAR VISA, why do I have to report to Immigration every 3 months? This defies any logic. And why my Blue book cannot show my name as a legit owner? Care to give a logic for this?

Note: It's still a wonderful world

Blue book has nothing to do with ownership.

Its clear you are unhappy with the way the Thais have chosen to run their country. Why stay? Because its cheaper than back home?

[pauljones]

You have been reading the propaganda in the local press they last 5 years?

It's the PAD that want foreigners OUT!.

Especially the journalists that tell the real story...

[samran]

ah, is this the 'Thailand owes me a living' thread?

[johnnyk]

Most countries have nasty laws hidden away somewhere. They want the option of being able to pull out the hammer if they feel it necessary. Too many think Thais are stupid because their concerns may not match Joe Falang's but they are smart enough to recognize revenue streams when they see them.

[surayu]

Expect irrational xenophobia from ANY and ALL Thai governments.

That's the way i see it too.

When this new politician came out, i was hoping for some more open minded strategies toward foreigners, after all he's an educated businessman, the same hope many people had toward the current italian PM, there are actually so many similarities between the 2, however, they both failed to do any goods....

[surayu]

all this "crap, crap, crap and more crap" sometimes it really get on my nerves, i am seriously contemplating the idea to hire one of those company to just pull down the whole property, if i have to go, they will not end up with a nice present at least.

Not that i really like to throw in the bin 4 million Bahts, but with an extreme situation an extreme solution is necessary, surely they don't deserve any rewards for all this mess....crap heads

[london]

Some interesting discussions, however, getting back to the OP:

1) What will happen to us?

I believe that the OP was referring to foreigners being allowed to stay in Thailand. From my take on Thailand, the Thai's are pragmatic. Foreigners = money. Tourists = MORE money. This country needs money. It needs tourism and it needs outside expertise. There is no doubt in my mind that the powers that be know this and there is no intention of changing the status quo.

2) Will the farang be driven out?

Why would they? Who would drive them out and for what purpose? If this happened, tourism would drop instantaneously. Foreign investment would dry up overnight. The country would be an economic basket case within a month.

I am not saying that without farang that Thailand would cease to exist, but that the world is now a much smaller place than it was a few years back and any action has a reaction....often unexpected.

Money seeks out opportunity and hates instability.

I couldn't imagine that Toyota and Ford would stay. They wouldn't be allowed to. Think of the other international companies with offices or manufacturing, or for that matter mining and exploration, who are now working and creating jobs and wealth FOR Thailand.

So sleep tight. All is fine in the land of smiles.....for now !

[ra1n85]

Some interesting discussions, however, getting back to the OP:

1) What will happen to us?

I believe that the OP was referring to foreigners being allowed to stay in Thailand. From my take on Thailand, the Thai's are pragmatic. Foreigners = money. Tourists = MORE money. This country needs money. It needs tourism and it needs outside expertise. There is no doubt in my mind that the powers that be know this and there is no intention of changing the status quo.

2) Will the farang be driven out?

Why would they? Who would drive them out and for what purpose? If this happened, tourism would drop instantaneously. Foreign investment would dry up overnight. The country would be an economic basket case within a month.

I am not saying that without farang that Thailand would cease to exist, but that the world is now a much smaller place than it was a few years back and any action has a reaction....often unexpected.

Money seeks out opportunity and hates instability.

I couldn't imagine that Toyota and Ford would stay. They wouldn't be allowed to. Think of the other international companies with offices or manufacturing, or for that matter mining and exploration, who are now working and creating jobs and wealth FOR Thailand.

So sleep tight. All is fine in the land of smiles.....for now !

You mean the locals are not coming in the middle of the night with sharpened bamboo sticks?

I second these sentiments. Although, I could easily see expats waking up to the wrong end of a populist movement one day.

[london]

Some interesting discussions, however, getting back to the OP:

1) What will happen to us?

I believe that the OP was referring to foreigners being allowed to stay in Thailand. From my take on Thailand, the Thai's are pragmatic. Foreigners = money. Tourists = MORE money. This country needs money. It needs tourism and it needs outside expertise. There is no doubt in my mind that the powers that be know this and there is no intention of changing the status quo.

2) Will the farang be driven out?

Why would they? Who would drive them out and for what purpose? If this happened, tourism would drop instantaneously. Foreign investment would dry up overnight. The country would be an economic basket case within a month.

I am not saying that without farang that Thailand would cease to exist, but that the world is now a much smaller place than it was a few years back and any action has a reaction....often unexpected.

Money seeks out opportunity and hates instability.

I couldn't imagine that Toyota and Ford would stay. They wouldn't be allowed to. Think of the other international companies with offices or manufacturing, or for that matter mining and exploration, who are now working and creating jobs and wealth FOR Thailand.

So sleep tight. All is fine in the land of smiles.....for now !

You mean the locals are not coming in the middle of the night with sharpened bamboo sticks?

I second these sentiments. Although, I could easily see expats waking up to the wrong end of a populist movement one day.

So sleep tight. All is fine in the land of smiles.....for now !

[thaiwanderer]

Some interesting discussions, however, getting back to the OP:

1) What will happen to us?

I believe that the OP was referring to foreigners being allowed to stay in Thailand. From my take on Thailand, the Thai's are pragmatic. Foreigners = money. Tourists = MORE money. This country needs money. It needs tourism and it needs outside expertise. There is no doubt in my mind that the powers that be know this and there is no intention of changing the status quo.

2) Will the farang be driven out?

Why would they? Who would drive them out and for what purpose? If this happened, tourism would drop instantaneously. Foreign investment would dry up overnight. The country would be an economic basket case within a month.

I am not saying that without farang that Thailand would cease to exist, but that the world is now a much smaller place than it was a few years back and any action has a reaction....often unexpected.

Money seeks out opportunity and hates instability.

I couldn't imagine that Toyota and Ford would stay. They wouldn't be allowed to. Think of the other international companies with offices or manufacturing, or for that matter mining and exploration, who are now working and creating jobs and wealth FOR Thailand.

So sleep tight. All is fine in the land of smiles.....for now !

You overestimate the importance of tourism - check the GDP figures.

Also equating individual foreigners (expats, tourists or other two bit contributors) to corporate foreign investors and conflating the protections or tolerance either might enjoy is a mistake.

Edited July 11, 2011 by thaiwanderer

[london]

You overestimate the importance of tourism - check the GDP figures.

Also equating individual foreigners (expats, tourists or other two bit contributors) to corporate foreign investors and conflating the protections or tolerance either might enjoy is a mistake.

According to Wikipedia:

Main industries Automobiles and Automotive parts (11%), Financial Services (9%), Electric appliances and components (8%), Tourism (6%), which implies that Tourism sector is the 5th largest contributor to GDP. (Agriculture is #1)

The OP was asking about farang, then ALL foreigners fall into that category, be they individuals or large international corporate investors and the managers (often farang) who run these companies in Thailand.

Edited July 12, 2011 by london

[thaiwanderer]

? the OP asked about expats and I was replying to your post.

Even on your further reply tourism isn't that important.

As regards what may or may not happen all foreigners don't fall into the same category and never have.