Homeless foreigners in Thailand 'lack assistance'

[Nisa]

"In some cases, these foreigners... often having being duped or robbed by Thai former wives or partners..."

...and of course the usual, emphatic reaction on TV is "som nam na", "what the f... do I care", "deport the idiots" etc.

Make your bed and you lay on it. BUT a vast amount of persons stupid or not fell into the love trap, and were ripped off by families. Much of this could be avoided if Thailand gives a little on plot of land - small area only to have in their name.

This is not for land grabbers and should be the only for an individual-1 plot only.

This way would give that little security most need. I'm convinced most of the problems stem from this problem, thrown out, no money left, no car etc.

After all Thailand cannot lose it will always have the land after the initial purchase should anything happen to them he cannot take it with him.

Of course there are a minority who are of the crazy type who come -blow the lot , on drugs/alcohol/sex, not a lot you can do about them only deport.

give a year visa person the little power to stop the biggest problem of stealing of houses, to put a curb on some of these evil families.

Driving the price of land up (small or large plots) by allowing foreigners to buy land is certainly not in the interest of the average Thai. Just look at the condo prices compared to home prices. Not to mention these folks in the article blew all their money and possessions of value ... they would do the same with their land.

While it would be nice if nobody in the world was homeless or hungry, the vast majority of these folks mentioned in the article only have themselves to blame and they were not born in the deserts of Africa or even trapped in the slums of their home country. They are people who could afford to buy international flights to a top tourist destination and blew their money.

Blowing all your money on a business, stock market, investment, women, drugs or booze ... same same. It is sad but Thailand being forced to use their resources to deport them is more than fair and they should consider billing their home country who refused to help them.

Having Thailand take better care of these folks is just an invitation for more of them to come here and feel safe acting like a fool with their money.

Having Thailand taking care/picking up the pieces -NO WAY my initial suggestion of being able to buy a plot 900 Sq mt 30x30 would no way drive up the price of land, especially in rural areas.

This was cut out a percentage of those who gave all to lose it through partner/families. Pushing the loser to bad situations in some cases.

I agree in most cases the people are to blame for their actions, but most did NOT blow their own money, most were robbed by their partners, o.k. so it was up to them for taking a chance and trusting. The others are losers anyway.

Buying a plot is giving money to Thailand and will never be able to take it back to the home country. At the moment million of houses and condo's are empty, better Thai get revenue from the land office so whats the fear.

One more twist to this buying thing is if the farrang falls on hardtimes he has something to sell to get a flight back home.

Your last paragraph is spot on.

Forgetting about driving prices up, do you really think if the homeless farang couldn't hold onto his own bank accounts and any possession of value here and possibly back home, that he is going to hold on to a plot of land here?

And to be clear, some of these folks may be mentally ill or alcoholics as is the case with many homeless back home. No idea what the percentage is of this compared to being a relationship thing but I just believe it is not Thailand's responsibility to provide long or short term assistance to these people. It is their embassies responsivility. Thailand's responsibility should be to get them to their embassy but we all know their own embassy is highly unlikely to provide any immediate, even short term, assistance. So, I think it a little much for people to believe Thailand, likely a much less wealthy nation, should be spending resources on these folks beyond getting them deported back to their home country.

[nakhonsawan]

what is the moral of this story?

I would say, that the moral is... Here in Thailand they do not care about Farangs, only there money and everything elsa is up to you, so if you have problem, UP TO YOU and other things UP TO YOU, everything around money UP TO YOU. In my country we woul take care of people like that, with cloth, food and money.... Here they do ot give a damn... Sorry for Thailand in this matter... I will not say bad worth, so I say, stay strong and have money, without you will and will always be a big looser in Thailand....

[marell]

The assertion that there is no assistance for 'homeless' farangs is a little disingenuous. And deportation is not the only solution. If someone has run aground for whatever reason, they need to at least recognize the fact and do something about it. They should contact their embassy and request a repatriation process to be initiated. Basically the embassy sends them home and confiscates their passport until all the costs are repaid. There's no reason the Thai government should be responsible for a foreigner's bad decisions, bad planning or bad luck. There are other options.

Edited August 19, 2013 by marell

[Nisa]

what is the moral of this story?

I would say, that the moral is... Here in Thailand they do not care about Farangs, only there money and everything elsa is up to you, so if you have problem, UP TO YOU and other things UP TO YOU, everything around money UP TO YOU. In my country we woul take care of people like that, with cloth, food and money.... Here they do ot give a dam_n... Sorry for Thailand in this matter... I will not say bad worth, so I say, stay strong and have money, without you will and will always be a big looser in Thailand....

Okay, now we know why Thailand won't take care of them but what of their own embassies?

By the way, Thais and Farangs alike are welcome at Temples where they will be given shelter and food.

[Nisa]

The assertion that there is no assistance for 'homeless' farangs is a little disingenuous. And deportation is not the only solution. If someone has run aground they need to at least recognize the fact and do something about it. They should contact their embassy and request a repatriation process to be initiated. Basically the embassy sends them home and confiscates their passport until all the costs are repaid. There's no reason the Thai government should be responsible for a foreigner's bad decisions, bad planning or bad luck. There are other options.

Agree. If the person cannot be responsible for themselves then it is their embassy's responsibility. Except, I have heard stories of some people going to their embassies for this purpose and it takes like 4 to 6 weeks for the process and during this time the embassy provides no financial or housing assistance. If their own embassies won't get them off the street during this time then is just seems strange to believe Thailand should.

[smooth expat]

I don't see how anyone could become homeless here in Thailand. You can get a small room for as little as 1,000-1,500 baht a month.

[salapau]

I have read some rubbish responses in the past, but the majority of the comments I read here are completely deviod of compassion. Living in Northwest Thailand I have experience of the many NGO's in operation assisting the Karen people, especially those in refugee camps. Don't misunderstand me I have helped with these projects, especially where there are orphans and I am married to a Karen woman. So these NGO's are helping where there is little hope of help from the Thai government. Financial assistance is donated mostly from America and Europe, with some from China and Japan. Thai's are reluctant to help anyone other than themselves. It would make more sense to me for some expats to push for help of these homeless people from all possible sources.

[Krataiboy]

However it came to be deportation is the right answer

It's the easy and expedient answer, but not a very practical, let alone humane one. Fortunately, the Thai authorities appear to have more of the milk of human kindness in their veins than some Forum contributors.

Let's look at the big picture, which goes far beyond the cliche of the stupid falang swindled out of home and money by a Thai tart. Of course this sort of thing happens to some gullible people. But there are commoner causes worthy of more sympathetic consideration.

British and European pensioners have been particularly hard hit by the recession. In fact, they are being robbed of their savings by derisory low bank deposit interest rates (offshore as well as UK) which are well below the rate of inflation. Thai banks are a little less stingy, but only marginally so.

The financial difficulties being experienced in Thailand by many Western pensioners living in Thailand - some for a decade or more - have been magnified by the fall in the value of sterling and the seemingly inexorable rise of the Thai baht..

A substantial number of UK retirees (those who elected to be resident in Thailand for tax purposes) have to manage on state pensions "frozen" at the sum paid when they left their homeland. They are not entitled to any of the automatic uplifts and allowances enjoyed by their counterparts in Britain, with the result that in real terms their pension is worth less each year. Perversely, their state and any company pensions and any other pension arising from the UK is automatically taxed at source.

To add to retirees' woes, a couple of years ago the British Government ruled that any new marriages between British senior citizens in Thailand and their Thai partners would not qualify for the Additional Pension which is paid to pensioners with wives - including foreign wives - in the UK. I got married shortly before the cut-off date, but my application form arrived while the Pensions office was closed for a public holiday and couldn't be "processed" in time. Or so I was told when I complained, ineffectually, at losing two hundred pounds a month on a technical knockout.

It is not exactly surprising, taking these various factors into account, that thousands of retirees from Britain and EU countries are struggling to keep body and soul together in a buoyant Thai economy where prices are shooting up with the speed of newly planted rice.

Among the down and outs in our midst are those who have lost just their money and their homes but also their "marbles". Alzheimer's and other degenerative diseases of old age cruelly rob many retirees of the ability to manage their own lives. The lack of a caring partner can be a fast track for a mentally impaired person to become part of the human flotsam on the streets of Bangkok, Chiang Mai and other major cities.

Some may view these down-at-heel falangs simply as an eyesore, to be swept out of sight. But how many are truly the architects of their own downfall and how many casualties of a devastating recession which has brought not just a few old folk in Thailand but entire nations to their knees?

Whoever they are and however they got there, they need help. I would be interested to hear what the British government and our Consul in Bangkok propose. No prizes for guessing.

Deportation is a glib answer, but hardly a humanitarian solution - or even a practical one. Who is going to take responsibility for a penniless, sick and possibly deranged individual once they have been decanted on to home soil? It would be six months before some deportees could be entitled to NHS treatment - and all the other state benefits freely available to non-British immigrants from the EU!

As a retiree in Thailand for 15 years, I am delighted that my adopted country refuses to treat venerable foreigners who have fallen on hard times as human garbage to be summarily dumped on a distant doorstep.

[Torrens54]

What a load of rubbish?

These clowns can go to their Embassy and get a LOAN to get home. Ah, maybe the word, "loan" keeps them from applying because they are just the types who expect to get everything doled out to them by a Nanny-State and would cringe at the thought of having to pay back a loan. So what if they don't want to face friends at home and admit they made a mistake in settling here? Get real, get out and get on with it, we don't need the likes of you here anyway.

[capt_canada42]

Jesus I was robbed of my virginity my money and my sanity here .. please please place a pittance on me kid Sirs in my bank account Siam Commercial 506- 9898322 ... may da gods smile favorably on you ...

Edited August 19, 2013 by capt_canada42

[chrisinth]

what is the moral of this story?

"Men marry women with the hope they will never change. Women marry men with the hope they will change. Invariably they are both disappointed"

or

"I'd rather be an optimist and a fool than a pessimist and right"

or

"A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be"

or

"Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them"

or

"Children don’t heed the life experiences of their parents, and nations ignore history. Bad lessons always have to be learned anew"

I think one of those should cover it! Always a lot of truth in what Albert Einstein said in his quotes.......................

[kannot]

what is the moral of this story?

The moral is your embassy wont help you and the Thais dont want you, so be bloody careful when you get here.

[SlyAnimal]

Bah!

No one in Thailand should ever be without food, clothing and shelter.

Anyone can go and live at the local temple with the monks. All that's required is that they give a little bit of assistance with cleaning out the temple and respect the monks and their Buddhist beliefs (so don't drink/smoke/do drugs/kill animals/blaspheme) while in the temple.

There's a western guy in my town who is in a similar situation, he lives and eats at the temple. I think he's better off here than what he would be in his home country, and he always seems reasonably happy and upbeat.

[Suffinator]

There for the grace of God go I. I've heard so many cases and its nice to see at least one Thai thinks it's wrong.

Foreigners Being Financially Ruined by Thai Wives

[slipperylobster]

Bah!

No one in Thailand should ever be without food, clothing and shelter.

Anyone can go and live at the local temple with the monks. All that's required is that they give a little bit of assistance with cleaning out the temple and respect the monks and their Buddhist beliefs (so don't drink/smoke/do drugs/kill animals/blaspheme) while in the temple.

There's a western guy in my town who is in a similar situation, he lives and eats at the temple. I think he's better off here than what he would be in his home country, and he always seems reasonably happy and upbeat.

Thats a great idea. So many temples, they could pick the area they like best. The monks gets more food than you could possibly shake a stick at. Get there early, at feeding time.

[Notstupid30]

After reading a lot people messages on this subject ?

[skorchio]

I see no reason to do anything other than scrape them up and send them home. What shame allowing (and I mean allowing) oneself to go homeless in a foreign country. If you are approaching the bones of your arse, use what finances you have left to get yourself back to where you came from. At least someone may give a fork about you where you come from, but over here, you are on your own, and you will likely die if no one is going to help you. Send them home.

[webfact]

UPDATE:

Foreigners Being Financially Ruined by Thai Wives
Posted By Editor In Asia

FOREIGNERS BEING FINANCIALLY RUINED BY THAI WIVES – It appears that the Human Rights of a foreign national living in Thailand merely extend only as far as the size of one’s bank account; that is if a foreigner runs out of money, for whatever reason, they can be and should be deported.

Last week we published an article that was sent to us; it floated the idea that maybe Thailand should change its laws regarding Marriage Visas so that a foreigner could not be deported or required to leave simply if he or she couldn’t provide proof of sufficient income.

Foreigners Homeless in Thailand

According to some Government officials there is a growing number of foreign national’s now living rough on the streets. Many, they think, are tourists who ran out of money and are unable to return to their home countries; some are retirees who have fallen on hard times or worst duped or robbed of their possessions by unscrupulous Thai wives.

“In some cases, these foreigners – mostly male Westerners – arrived as tourists or retirees and fell into poverty or neglect after settling down in Thailand, often having being duped or robbed by Thai former wives or partners.” Natee Saravari, secretary-general of the Issarachon Foundation

Natee Saravari believes that some system should be set up in order to aid these people as it is often the case that people just pass them by; even other foreign national’s appear to avoid giving them money when they are begging.

While Natee Saravari comments are commendable, in that he wants to set up a system to provide assistance there is a very unnerving development here.

Full story: http://meebal.com/foreigners-being-financially-ruined-by-thai-wives/

-- Meebal 2013-08-19

[hellodolly]

Considering I pay over £200 (10k baht) a month to Thailand in taxes, I would expect some kind of help if misfortune fell upon me and I was out on the streets.

The tax I pay here is nearly the same as what I'd pay in the UK, a much more expensive country. Yet I'm not sure what that entitles me to, looking at articles like this one.

Why would you expect that to make that kind of money you would qualify for welfare if it disappeared. Put aside enough to go home where they do have welfare.

Hell they don't really have a Social Security system here 500 or 600 baht a month for their own elderly. I would expect you to know that Thailand does not have a welfare system and you are not paying that much tax I paid over twice that in Canada. Yes they do have a welfare system but they collect a lot more tax money than here.

To be honest I haven't really looked at welfare in Thailand, I know in most countries the idea of tax is dressed up as social insurance - pay now so you get help when you have health/work/family/etc problems.

This is going a bit off topic but where does it go if Thailand doesn't have a big welfare budget?

I worked it out, I am taxed the same here as I would be in the UK (20%). I would expect that tax money to go a lot further here, considering everything is cheaper.

(just curious about this, of course I spend carefully and make sure I have emergency savings for when I need them)

Well for starters you make less here. I realize that the UK has corruption but I doubt it comes any where near the 30% here in Thailand. Out of 174 countries in the worlld the UK is ranked as the 17 least corrupt where as Thailand is tied for 88. Also I don't have the specifics but I would imagine the UK national dept is much higher per capita than here in Thailand.

[chooka]

UPDATE:

Foreigners Being Financially Ruined by Thai Wives

Posted By Editor In Asia

FOREIGNERS BEING FINANCIALLY RUINED BY THAI WIVES – It appears that the Human Rights of a foreign national living in Thailand merely extend only as far as the size of one’s bank account; that is if a foreigner runs out of money, for whatever reason, they can be and should be deported.

Last week we published an article that was sent to us; it floated the idea that maybe Thailand should change its laws regarding Marriage Visas so that a foreigner could not be deported or required to leave simply if he or she couldn’t provide proof of sufficient income.

Foreigners Homeless in Thailand

According to some Government officials there is a growing number of foreign national’s now living rough on the streets. Many, they think, are tourists who ran out of money and are unable to return to their home countries; some are retirees who have fallen on hard times or worst duped or robbed of their possessions by unscrupulous Thai wives.

“In some cases, these foreigners – mostly male Westerners – arrived as tourists or retirees and fell into poverty or neglect after settling down in Thailand, often having being duped or robbed by Thai former wives or partners.” Natee Saravari, secretary-general of the Issarachon Foundation

Natee Saravari believes that some system should be set up in order to aid these people as it is often the case that people just pass them by; even other foreign national’s appear to avoid giving them money when they are begging.

While Natee Saravari comments are commendable, in that he wants to set up a system to provide assistance there is a very unnerving development here.

Full story: http://meebal.com/foreigners-being-financially-ruined-by-thai-wives/

-- Meebal 2013-08-19

Didn't the Governor of Pattaya establish a committee about 2 yrs ago to address the problem of all the homeless farangs in Pattaya? What ever came of that?

Edited August 19, 2013 by chooka

[harryfrompattaya]

I too am really disheartened at those on this forum that have no sympathy for the plight of some less fortunate than themselves, be it with money, or the braincells to make it or hold on to it. Hows this for a scenario. Come to Thailand, with a view to a better life, but be sensible and retain your house in the UK, being held in trust for you by a family member...they then steal that property from you in the UK and your left without a home in your name? In otherwords your left homeless except for your Thai home which we all know we can never fully own. Even sensible people can come unstuck, all it needs is for you to a few bad people around you, be they Thai or Farang....even your own flesh and blood can screw up your life!

Maybe you can start a fund to help I know I will help by sending money so they can be saved

[Notstupid30]

This subject picking up on news sources can see new visa laws coming in shortly.....

[hellodolly]

UPDATE:

Foreigners Being Financially Ruined by Thai Wives

Posted By Editor In Asia

FOREIGNERS BEING FINANCIALLY RUINED BY THAI WIVES – It appears that the Human Rights of a foreign national living in Thailand merely extend only as far as the size of one’s bank account; that is if a foreigner runs out of money, for whatever reason, they can be and should be deported.

Last week we published an article that was sent to us; it floated the idea that maybe Thailand should change its laws regarding Marriage Visas so that a foreigner could not be deported or required to leave simply if he or she couldn’t provide proof of sufficient income.

Foreigners Homeless in Thailand

According to some Government officials there is a growing number of foreign national’s now living rough on the streets. Many, they think, are tourists who ran out of money and are unable to return to their home countries; some are retirees who have fallen on hard times or worst duped or robbed of their possessions by unscrupulous Thai wives.

“In some cases, these foreigners – mostly male Westerners – arrived as tourists or retirees and fell into poverty or neglect after settling down in Thailand, often having being duped or robbed by Thai former wives or partners.” Natee Saravari, secretary-general of the Issarachon Foundation

Natee Saravari believes that some system should be set up in order to aid these people as it is often the case that people just pass them by; even other foreign national’s appear to avoid giving them money when they are begging.

While Natee Saravari comments are commendable, in that he wants to set up a system to provide assistance there is a very unnerving development here.

Full story: http://meebal.com/foreigners-being-financially-ruined-by-thai-wives/

-- Meebal 2013-08-19

Well I read the whole article and you seemed to over look some obvious things.

For instance you related a man's experiance with getting ripped off and followed it up with this.

"Considering this is the case I’m not surprised Thailand has a mounting problem with homeless people but surely a simple change in the law could prevent foreign nationals from being duped and robbed and in the process give Thailand’s image a bit of a shine?

So what does a foreigner do if they fall foul and lose everything? Certainly most foreign embassies are not interested in getting involved in what is nothing more than a civil matter and unlikely to provide any financial assistance."

You first said

"She said she was too ashamed to tell me of her habit which is why she kept silent. I came back from my work offshore to find that the house had been taken by a certain police officer for just a 2 million bath debt."

If he was working why did he have to live on the street he still had an income. There are very few foreigners ripped off so bad that they have to live on the streets of Thailand. The fellow just lost 15,000,000 baht and still was working. He was still able to afford to house himself with the income coming in.

I suspect this is the case in most of the situations where foreigners get ripped of to the tune of a house. They still have an income.

Yes there is probably the exception but they are few and far between. Most of them on the streets are their because of their drug and alcohol habits.

If you want to do a meaningful in depth article why don't you check around and see what the different embassies and consulates really do for there down and out citizens. Notice I said what they do not what can they do.

[dao16]

Honestly, the only thing to do, really, is to deport them. What would be nice would be an initial approach to help them..get them food, clean clothes, etc. and establish where they can go back to.

Have seen several different broke falangs around, but a few were very disturbing. There was a guy a few years ago all in dirty, trashed clothes who was kneeling with a sign requesting money on a pedestrian bridge near Ramkamhaeng. Loads of people walking by and was just a bad spot to be in. Seriously, an immigration detainment center, cleaned up with food and some options for the future will be better than that.

[philw]

However it came to be deportation is the right answer

It's the easy and expedient answer, but not a very practical, let alone humane one. Fortunately, the Thai authorities appear to have more of the milk of human kindness in their veins than some Forum contributors.

Let's look at the big picture, which goes far beyond the cliche of the stupid falang swindled out of home and money by a Thai tart. Of course this sort of thing happens to some gullible people. But there are commoner causes worthy of more sympathetic consideration.

British and European pensioners have been particularly hard hit by the recession. In fact, they are being robbed of their savings by derisory low bank deposit interest rates (offshore as well as UK) which are well below the rate of inflation. Thai banks are a little less stingy, but only marginally so.

The financial difficulties being experienced in Thailand by many Western pensioners living in Thailand - some for a decade or more - have been magnified by the fall in the value of sterling and the seemingly inexorable rise of the Thai baht..

A substantial number of UK retirees (those who elected to be resident in Thailand for tax purposes) have to manage on state pensions "frozen" at the sum paid when they left their homeland. They are not entitled to any of the automatic uplifts and allowances enjoyed by their counterparts in Britain, with the result that in real terms their pension is worth less each year. Perversely, their state and any company pensions and any other pension arising from the UK is automatically taxed at source.

To add to retirees' woes, a couple of years ago the British Government ruled that any new marriages between British senior citizens in Thailand and their Thai partners would not qualify for the Additional Pension which is paid to pensioners with wives - including foreign wives - in the UK. I got married shortly before the cut-off date, but my application form arrived while the Pensions office was closed for a public holiday and couldn't be "processed" in time. Or so I was told when I complained, ineffectually, at losing two hundred pounds a month on a technical knockout.

It is not exactly surprising, taking these various factors into account, that thousands of retirees from Britain and EU countries are struggling to keep body and soul together in a buoyant Thai economy where prices are shooting up with the speed of newly planted rice.

Among the down and outs in our midst are those who have lost just their money and their homes but also their "marbles". Alzheimer's and other degenerative diseases of old age cruelly rob many retirees of the ability to manage their own lives. The lack of a caring partner can be a fast track for a mentally impaired person to become part of the human flotsam on the streets of Bangkok, Chiang Mai and other major cities.

Some may view these down-at-heel falangs simply as an eyesore, to be swept out of sight. But how many are truly the architects of their own downfall and how many casualties of a devastating recession which has brought not just a few old folk in Thailand but entire nations to their knees?

Whoever they are and however they got there, they need help. I would be interested to hear what the British government and our Consul in Bangkok propose. No prizes for guessing.

Deportation is a glib answer, but hardly a humanitarian solution - or even a practical one. Who is going to take responsibility for a penniless, sick and possibly deranged individual once they have been decanted on to home soil? It would be six months before some deportees could be entitled to NHS treatment - and all the other state benefits freely available to non-British immigrants from the EU!

As a retiree in Thailand for 15 years, I am delighted that my adopted country refuses to treat venerable foreigners who have fallen on hard times as human garbage to be summarily dumped on a distant doorstep.

Thank you for a breath of sanity, compared to the rest of the hardcore, uncaring, compassionless ( rude words not allowed on here...........) posters, who seem to revel in the misfortunes of others.

The subject is not yet a big problem but it is growing fast and will, i fear, soon become much bigger.

Take into account the substantial, and rapidly aging, Japanese and Korean expats and no doubt the increasing numbers of retired Chinese and the numbers of retired people with all sorts of problems can only increase.

It's going to be a demographic fact.

Add in the tourists and younger residents either losing the plot or just simply losing it all and it is clear that the problem is growing and needs to be addressed.

Ben Svasti, the UK Hon. Con. in Chiangmai is a very caring individual and has been very active ( and far exceeded his FCO mandate ) in putting together an informal care and support group that has already saved many lives and found some solutions for some people.

The expat community should be considering the many ways we can all help each other, instead of ladling out uncaring, dismissive scorn on those who get into trouble...

When it goes wrong here, it goes really wrong and not always are the problems of our own creation.

Compassion doesn't cost much, makes a big difference and is not very difficult.

( Although don't expect much from the TV set........)

If any body is interested in the Lanna Care Net, please PM me.

Phil Williams

Edited August 19, 2013 by philw

[snake24]

I wonder how many Thai citizens are homeless in the US, UK or Australia? Probably not that many.

The difference could be in my opinion is people are treated as equals and allowed to find jobs wherever

anybody will hire them. In the kingdom, foreigners, actually "white" people are not allowed to work other than

teaching and that's not for everybody considering the state of the public school system.

If you're Asian, you can work just about anywhere they will hire you. I see people from Africa at

Chatuchak market selling gems and all kinds of things. I don't see any farang getting any normal

basic jobs. Money is not everything, quality of life is. Not all of us are about making 5 times more than the Thai

but rather having a sense of security and a place to call home.

Strength comes from diversity, and due to the homogenous nature of Thailand it's not a strong country and

should be aware of the dangers that could bring. Just my opinion of course.

asia is for asians.

[BwindiBoy]

I too am really disheartened at those on this forum that have no sympathy for the plight of some less fortunate than themselves, be it with money, or the braincells to make it or hold on to it. Hows this for a scenario. Come to Thailand, with a view to a better life, but be sensible and retain your house in the UK, being held in trust for you by a family member...they then steal that property from you in the UK and your left without a home in your name? In otherwords your left homeless except for your Thai home which we all know we can never fully own. Even sensible people can come unstuck, all it needs is for you to a few bad people around you, be they Thai or Farang....even your own flesh and blood can screw up your life!

You then rely on a sound legal system in the UK to get your house back...

[jat1012]

So then all western countries should send all thai nationals back to Thailand, currently living in europe and who would be homeless if the social systems have not protecting them getting that! What one expect of a country who do not care about their poor or homeless? Deciding yourself lifing in Thailand must taken carefully because otherwise sometimes you go back only in a coffin before being robbed of all your assets!

Sounds like a very good idea, whilst they are about it they can take the rights of Thais to own their own property and own their own companies. Then Thais will be treated the same way in Europe as Europeans are treated in Thailand. Perhaps that would influence the Thai government to be more lenient in their dealings concerning non Thais owning property and businesses.

[metisdead]

An inflammatory post has been removed.

[nev]

This subject picking up on news sources can see new visa laws coming in shortly.....

Agree they will double the money required in the bank and up the visa fees to stop the poor coming here and becoming homeless T.I.T.