Poll: Foreigners In Thailand: When You're Here, Do You Consider Yourself A "guest" Of Thailand?

[khunPer]

Yes, I am a alien and a guest in the Thai's land – but they welcome me and treats me extremely well, so I feel I belong here, just as this shall be my (new) home.

[itchybum]

When you are invited to the inside of a Thai home and seated at a regular table for a good dinner without paying or bringing anything with you you might be considered a guest in Thailand. How many times has this happened to you?

yes , I am a guess in their home , but are you really a guess in their country , no I am resident as I pay taxes, employ Thai people and generally help economically to the country .

Unless you have PR, you are a "guest" in this country who can be asked/told to leave at any moment. Resident implies you have certain rights, which you do not.

You say guest. I say non-immigrant, expat, etc. In some cases this may just be a cultural difference between expats (guests?).

You say expat but you did not put it in the vote, that is just not ludicrous.

100 votes is hardly an indication of the majority.

Afterall, how many votes did you get in that most popular thing?

I would say most people are not voting because you did not provide a choice to vote for.

[rene123]

No, I'm not a guest when I visit Thailand; I'm just another tourist. As a tourist I contribute a fair amount to the Thai economy. I stay in a hotel. I eat in cafes. I purchase items. I purchase fuel for my motorbike, I pay the occasional traffic fine or parking ticket and just consider it a tax. A guest is someone who gets invited to stay and are not expected to pay. If someone invites me out for supper or into their home then I would be a guest. And, as a pleasant guest I might bring a bottle of wine.

It doesn't bother me what people call me. I understand that Thailand is not like my home country of Canada. I embrace the difference. I see the positives and I see the negatives in all countries. Even some of the negatives about Thailand are the very things I enjoy. I have no problem with not being able to own property in Thailand. I've learned that you don't need to own a bunch of things to be happy. I have no need to show off what I own to anyone. Any of the things I own are for practical reasons only.. If I am comfortable then that is all that counts. I don't worry about what others think. Of course I'm not trying to raise a family in Thailand, either. That might cause me some problems, but that is not the question.

[Jingthing]

You say expat but you did not put it in the vote, that is just not ludicrous.

The last time I checked the word expat is a different word than guest. So for those who think they are expats, not guests, the correct vote in the poll is NO (if they so choose to vote).

BTW, as a veteran pollster I can say with authority getting over 100 votes TOTAL in any poll is a GOOD turnout here.

Look, sir, I think we've all got the message that you don't agree with the structure of the poll. Message received. However, that was addressed in the OP, so don't you think enough is enough now?

Edited May 7, 2013 by Jingthing

[Lung666]

The fact that foreigners (not just farang, also the potential MILLIONS of rich chinese, who are just behind the corner, remember) are technically not allowed to buy land, is smart and 100% logic. Look what happens in Myanmar for example. The place is getting invaded by Chinese who buy ID-cards and passports from corrupt immigration officials. They have Burmese nationality, own land, control businesses, export women, etc.

[Jingthing]

100 percent logic. What's not to like?

[Soutpeel]

the Thai bureaucracy call us "guests", but you can substitute any/all of those other words and it still comes down to the same facts. You are not a permanent resident (unless you have actually applied for and received PR of course) and therefore have no rights and priveleges and "can" be asked to leave at any point. Much like any guest you might have in your own home.

I object to this is in the strongest terms....Thai bureaucracy doesnt call us "guests"...

So lets just cut the cr*p debating whether someone is a guest, expat, resident, tourist....Thai bureaucracy calls us "Aliens" so that is what we is in Thailand....so beam me up Scotty...

[Aforek]

I vote "no" , because to be a guest means to be invited; nobody invited me to Thailand. I came by myself ; if the question was " do you feel accepted or tolerated in Thailand", I would have answered "yes" ( I am resident, not tourist ).

[Jingthing]

the Thai bureaucracy call us "guests", but you can substitute any/all of those other words and it still comes down to the same facts. You are not a permanent resident (unless you have actually applied for and received PR of course) and therefore have no rights and priveleges and "can" be asked to leave at any point. Much like any guest you might have in your own home.

I object to this is in the strongest terms....Thai bureaucracy doesnt call us "guests"...

So lets just cut the cr*p debating whether someone is a guest, expat, resident, tourist....Thai bureaucracy calls us "Aliens" so that is what we is in Thailand....so beam me up Scotty...

I'm curious about this. Where do Thai official documents call us guests? I'd like to see that. I have seen the guest word in the expat press though, but my respect for such publications isn't high.

Edited May 7, 2013 by Jingthing

[Tatsujin]

the Thai bureaucracy call us "guests", but you can substitute any/all of those other words and it still comes down to the same facts. You are not a permanent resident (unless you have actually applied for and received PR of course) and therefore have no rights and priveleges and "can" be asked to leave at any point. Much like any guest you might have in your own home.

I object to this is in the strongest terms....Thai bureaucracy doesnt call us "guests"...

So lets just cut the cr*p debating whether someone is a guest, expat, resident, tourist....Thai bureaucracy calls us "Aliens" so that is what we is in Thailand....so beam me up Scotty...

Ah yes, I forgot that most flattering of terms "Alien" . . . where's Sigourney Weaver?

[robertson468]

I voted No, mainly because of the terminology. No one "invited me" to come to Thailand therefore I am not a "guest". However, I do realise that I am a Non-Thai Resident of Thailand, subject to the conditions of my Retirement Visa, and in my opinion that is the category I come under. A little long winded perhaps, but for some reason I railed against the suggestion of "being a guest". Perhaps I am just a bit more needy than most and revel in that feeling of belonging to where I am living - Thai Wife, Thai Family, Thai Bank Account, Car bought in Thailand Thai mea noi and many Thai Friends. Perhaps if the question was posed as

Do you feel more at home:

a. Here in Thailand or

b. Your Country of origin?

People would have had more clarity on how to answer? Regardless, still a thought provoking thread and thank you.

[Tatsujin]

the Thai bureaucracy call us "guests", but you can substitute any/all of those other words and it still comes down to the same facts. You are not a permanent resident (unless you have actually applied for and received PR of course) and therefore have no rights and priveleges and "can" be asked to leave at any point. Much like any guest you might have in your own home.

I object to this is in the strongest terms....Thai bureaucracy doesnt call us "guests"...

So lets just cut the cr*p debating whether someone is a guest, expat, resident, tourist....Thai bureaucracy calls us "Aliens" so that is what we is in Thailand....so beam me up Scotty...

I'm curious about this. Where do Thai official documents call us guests? I'd like to see that. I have seen the guest word in the expat press though, but my respect for such publications isn't high.

Go ask a direct question to anyone in Immigration for example . . . you'll be told you are a guest or (as Soutpeel pointed out) an Alien. Unless of course you are a tourist in which case they will probably call you "a tourist".

[Jingthing]

the Thai bureaucracy call us "guests", but you can substitute any/all of those other words and it still comes down to the same facts. You are not a permanent resident (unless you have actually applied for and received PR of course) and therefore have no rights and priveleges and "can" be asked to leave at any point. Much like any guest you might have in your own home.

I object to this is in the strongest terms....Thai bureaucracy doesnt call us "guests"...

So lets just cut the cr*p debating whether someone is a guest, expat, resident, tourist....Thai bureaucracy calls us "Aliens" so that is what we is in Thailand....so beam me up Scotty...

I'm curious about this. Where do Thai official documents call us guests? I'd like to see that. I have seen the guest word in the expat press though, but my respect for such publications isn't high.

Go ask a direct question to anyone in Immigration for example . . . you'll be told you are a guest or (as Soutpeel pointed out) an Alien. Unless of course you are a tourist in which case they will probably call you "a tourist".

I don't believe that. I think they generally would say you are a foreigner and perhaps refer specifically to your specific technical immigration STATUS.

So you don't have a document then. Okie dokie.

Another point, even the term was used on official documents doesn't mean that the Thai people actually see us that way in general (I think it's clear they don't). For example in the USA sometimes politicians talk about guest worker programs for foreigners. That's politicians. In my experience most American PEOPLE don't refer to foreigners as guests of the country (unless they are in their hotel or home, etc. in which case they would be called guests in that limited specific place).

Edited May 7, 2013 by Jingthing

[bangkockney]

the Thai bureaucracy call us "guests", but you can substitute any/all of those other words and it still comes down to the same facts. You are not a permanent resident (unless you have actually applied for and received PR of course) and therefore have no rights and priveleges and "can" be asked to leave at any point. Much like any guest you might have in your own home.

I object to this is in the strongest terms....Thai bureaucracy doesnt call us "guests"...

So lets just cut the cr*p debating whether someone is a guest, expat, resident, tourist....Thai bureaucracy calls us "Aliens" so that is what we is in Thailand....so beam me up Scotty...

Ah yes, I forgot that most flattering of terms "Alien" . . . where's Sigourney Weaver?

Thailand is not the only country to use that term.

[Jingthing]

I don't mind being called an alien! It feels rather glamorous. Like saying you're well traveled.

[SteeleJoe]

Thailand is not the only country to use that term.

Of course not. If it weren't for Science Fiction no one would even think twice about it as it is by definition a perfectly legitimate term:

"ALIEN: An unnaturalized foreign resident of a country."

[Soutpeel]

Another point, even the term was used on official documents doesn't mean that the Thai people actually see us that way in general (I think it's clear they don't). For example in the USA sometimes politicians talk about guest worker programs for foreigners. That's politicians. In my experience most American PEOPLE don't refer to foreigners as guests of the country (unless they are in their hotel or home, etc. in which case they would be called guests in that limited specific place).

Granted this is under western defintions but you get the jist....We are aliens in Thailand irrespective of what ever semantics one wants to apply to this...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_(law)

[bangkockney]

Thailand is not the only country to use that term.

Of course not. If it weren't for Science Fiction no one would even think twice about it as it is by definition a perfectly legitimate term:

"ALIEN: An unnaturalized foreign resident of a country."

Indeed, it's derived from the Latin alienus.

[Jingthing]

Indeed, it's derived from the Latin alienus.

Behave!

[bangkockney]

Indeed, it's derived from the Latin alienus.

Behave!

Hehe. I was gonna pre-empt that one, but well, you know...

[Rajab Al Zarahni]

the Thai bureaucracy call us "guests", but you can substitute any/all of those other words and it still comes down to the same facts. You are not a permanent resident (unless you have actually applied for and received PR of course) and therefore have no rights and priveleges and "can" be asked to leave at any point. Much like any guest you might have in your own home.

I object to this is in the strongest terms....Thai bureaucracy doesnt call us "guests"...

So lets just cut the cr*p debating whether someone is a guest, expat, resident, tourist....Thai bureaucracy calls us "Aliens" so that is what we is in Thailand....so beam me up Scotty...

Newk the bas..rds!

[David48]

Before I mentioned that to me, when foreigners in Thailand use the word guest to describe themselves ... the word suggests a TOADY attitude of submission to such authorities.

Hey, JT ... let on with what you think the word TOADY means ... you've used it twice in this tread so it must have some special meaning to you.

I searched Google for 'TOADY attitude of submission' ... and your quote in this thread was the first hit ...

The only other reference was to the "TOADY (Toys Oppressive And Destructive to Young Children) Award for the worst toy of the year" here

There was the very obscure 'Toady Thompson' from the Evening Standard circa 1970 in England ...

So JT ... what gives?

.

[Jingthing]

Start a toady poll, dude. The word we're focused on here is: GUEST.

But anyway, I will bite a bit, but please let's not have this thread derailed on a toady usage debate, OK?

toady [ˈtəʊdɪ]

n pl toadies

a person who flatters and ingratiates himself in a servile way; sycophant

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/toadies

Edited May 7, 2013 by Jingthing

[Ogre2]

I have lived in the kingdom for 4 years now and I have continued to work in other parts of the world and come home between assignments/contracts

I live in a village in the North and have always been treated as an honoured guest and as a friend by all Thais I have met in the area. I try my hardest to return their respect and friendship.

I try to obey the rules and to be well mannered at all times, just as I would in anybody else's country or home and I have never been slighted at any time

It is my privilege to be a guest in Thailand and it is my duty to respect the laws and customs of this happy Kingdom.

Thailand is not perfect, but I cannot think of anywhere I would rather live in and retire to.

[Jingthing]

I have lived in the kingdom for 4 years now and I have continued to work in other parts of the world and come home between assignments/contracts

I live in a village in the North and have always been treated as an honoured guest and as a friend by all Thais I have met in the area. I try my hardest to return their respect and friendship.

I try to obey the rules and to be well mannered at all times, just as I would in anybody else's country or home and I have never been slighted at any time

It is my privilege to be a guest in Thailand and it is my duty to respect the laws and customs of this happy Kingdom.

Thailand is not perfect, but I cannot think of anywhere I would rather live in and retire to.

A perfect example of an attitude that totally annoys me coupled with the G word. It sounds like a fairy tale land you are describing. NOT REAL. I prefer the real world, not Cloud Cuckoo land. Never been slighted at any time? That isn't possible. That isn't credible. Who could possibly buy that?

Edited May 7, 2013 by Jingthing

[belg]

whatever you think or vote... you get reminded about every 90 days + yearly scam of paperrun

[itchybum]

I have lived in the kingdom for 4 years now and I have continued to work in other parts of the world and come home between assignments/contracts

I live in a village in the North and have always been treated as an honoured guest and as a friend by all Thais I have met in the area. I try my hardest to return their respect and friendship.

I try to obey the rules and to be well mannered at all times, just as I would in anybody else's country or home and I have never been slighted at any time

It is my privilege to be a guest in Thailand and it is my duty to respect the laws and customs of this happy Kingdom.

Thailand is not perfect, but I cannot think of anywhere I would rather live in and retire to.

A perfect example of an attitude that totally annoys me coupled with the G word. It sounds like a fairy tale land you are describing. NOT REAL. I prefer the real world, not Cloud Cuckoo land. Never been slighted at any time? That isn't possible. That isn't credible. Who could possibly buy that?

Guests?

[Rimmer]

Off topic post removed

[Tatsujin]

I have lived in the kingdom for 4 years now and I have continued to work in other parts of the world and come home between assignments/contracts

I live in a village in the North and have always been treated as an honoured guest and as a friend by all Thais I have met in the area. I try my hardest to return their respect and friendship.

I try to obey the rules and to be well mannered at all times, just as I would in anybody else's country or home and I have never been slighted at any time

It is my privilege to be a guest in Thailand and it is my duty to respect the laws and customs of this happy Kingdom.

Thailand is not perfect, but I cannot think of anywhere I would rather live in and retire to.

Aaawwww, sweet! You're still living in fantasyland then or just don't have to deal with bureaucracy here much . . . give it time

[Tatsujin]

I have lived in the kingdom for 4 years now and I have continued to work in other parts of the world and come home between assignments/contracts

I live in a village in the North and have always been treated as an honoured guest and as a friend by all Thais I have met in the area. I try my hardest to return their respect and friendship.

I try to obey the rules and to be well mannered at all times, just as I would in anybody else's country or home and I have never been slighted at any time

It is my privilege to be a guest in Thailand and it is my duty to respect the laws and customs of this happy Kingdom.

Thailand is not perfect, but I cannot think of anywhere I would rather live in and retire to.

Silly me . . . I should have read your avatar name and number of posts . . . ogre is cool, troll is better . . . nice one