Thanks - at last someone does the maths. Although the money might be a higher proportion of household incomes. Even so, some time before farangs replace rice and rubber as the preferred cash crop.

Is this a new study?

Or a rehash of one a couple of years old? The thread on TV went 15 or so pages as it would on this topic.

As an aside, the Philippine government acknowledges that money sent home by overseas citizens and former citizens represent almost 10% of GBP (about the same as the tourist industry is worth to the Thai GDP). This includes overseas workers as well as those who have married and moved away.

We had a number of Filipino workers here over the years. We were required to send 70% of their salary directly to their bank in the Philippines. They could draw up to 30% of their pay in country if they so chose. Their government could also dictate where they could, and couldn't, work and prevent them from leaving the country if it looked like they were heading to a banned country.

As for the contribution foreigners make to the Isaan economy, we'd need to see what the GDP is for that area in order to determine if this amount represents that large of a contribution. I recall crunching some numbers not long ago to try and determine the overall contribution "long term" stayers had on the Thai economy as a whole, and it turns out they were nowhere near the "economic" force they thought they were.

9 billion is a large number of course, but needs to be taken in context. For example "Although Isaan accounts for around a third of Thailand’s population and a third of its area, it produces only 8.9% of GDP. Its economy grew at 6.2% per annum during the 1990s."

The latest numbers I see show the Thai GDP as - THB11.375 trillion (USD366 billion)(2012). If you attribute 10% of that to coming from Isaan that means the whole contribution from the region is about 1.14 trillion.

9 billion from foreigners would represent about 0.79 % of that total.

To put it another way, Isaan has a population of approx 22 million. 9 billion would equal about 410 baht per person (per year). Not exactly earth-shattering.

It takes a study to figure this out. OMG!

If it were the USA, they'd have to do a study to see if it was feasible to do a study.

Those the 9 Billion include the amounts in money, properties(land and/or house), cars and other things, that where stolen from sucker farangs, of whom we read many stories here on TV?

L-O-L, cha-ching, cha-ching ... whod've thought that ...

Keep on paying in brothers, for the sake of this very nation ...

This one I think is a real beauty. Did the man tell Thai ladies to go for the money?

http://asiancorrespondent.com/88432/did-a-thai-mp-really-told-thai-women-to-better-marry-a-foreigner/

Finally I learned where they breed lonely old men turning into customers:

most foreign men marrying women from north east Thailand came from the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland.

Excuse me, is not only from Farang. From other Asian countries husbands too

Very interesting.

These figures are huge!

I wonder what Isaan would be like without all this funding from Farangs?

YOU could wounder how empty Bangla Road , and Pattaya would be ,if all Isan girls went home...)))

Should tighten visa laws for falang husbands, it would cut down this terrible flow of money.

...sadly though.....how many of those that provided.......... a boost....got............ the boo t ....in return.......???

Not sure about this, let me ask my wife

Wonder who they talk to - my guess - only the women. And, living in Khon Kaen, I know how Thai women exaggerate wealth. Cut the numbers in half - at least.

Hey! Wait a minute! What about the farang boyfriends, sex-tourists and gullible internet contributors?! Don't they get any credit for saving Isaan from a dark ages economy and standard of living?

Exactly what I was wondering. I figure that contribution easily dwarfs anything cash wise that comes in from NGO's, foreign governments, the IMF.... you name it. And generally no middle man unless her "brother" is sponging off her whilst she plies her trade.

Yes the expat community as a whole contributes a vast sum of money each year and yet are still treated like total <deleted>.

So the offical policy is working then. Maybe if they were treated a little worse the expat might contribute even more.

What is the time frame for that 9 billion? Is that for one year, 10 years, 20 years etc? The amount of jobs created, 747,000, also seems a bit excessive. I would interested in reading their research.

As times have changed and are changing more rapidly everyday, I think fewer Issan women are looking for a farang husband, just farang money. There are many more options open to them now than going to Pattaya, Bangkok, Phuket etc. Farangs are not the target for all the new subdivisions and vehicles being sold. Thailand is a far different country than it was when the CIA, US Marines and then Air Force came to Udonthani, or Udorn as it was known then. Some of those guys are still married to the women they met here. As far as money spent, every satang I get is spent right here and while it may not be all that much by US standards, it far exceeds the requirement for visa extension. Personally I don't think that study was all that accurate, close maybe.

One of the most successful agricultural products of Thailand are woman.... and they are grown at very little cost, parents work for low wages, little education, etc.

Foreign currency coming in at no expense, one of the explanations for the strong Thai Baht

Very interesting.

These figures are huge!

I wonder what Isaan would be like without all this funding from Farangs?

Isarn would have 50 % less Pick-up Trucks, 10 % less family houses with solid roofs and walls and people would probably get excited to see the first man made ice cube.

We have in our village at least 60-70 new pickups but only one farang contributed to a pickup but not far from us is a village with around 20 houses and yes the farang bought a pickup on finance in his wife name on 7 years.

We farang are in a minority and we contribute maybe 0.5% to the economy in Isaan in terms of marrying or living with a lassie from Isaan.

The university should put a study up of how much the hookers from Isaan contribute to the economy of Isaan and we could easily reach 300-500 billion Baht per year. Those are the driving force of the development of Isaan.

150,000 hookers x 3 clients a week at 3000 Baht is 1.3 billion Baht plus a week is over 70 billion Baht alone in 3 clients per week plus all those multiply sponsors, sinsod, houses etc

Very interesting.

These figures are huge!

I wonder what Isaan would be like without all this funding from Farangs?

In the older study the numbers were in the region of 4-6Billion Baht a year for Issan alone.

5bil/yr / ((10k/mo)(12mo/yr)is around 42000 wives in Issan.

I'm not buying the numbers.

I think the funds into the economy is significant.

Esp since there is no cost to the funds

(cost here meaning economic costs)

But "massive"? no,

Significant? Definitely!

Time for Thailand to shape up and treat farangs from countries mentioned at least with some dignity and give them proper visas like their wife's received in their home countries for their valuable contributions. Further numbers suggest a massive import of more farangs are good for the economy. PM should promote it. Thai men especially in Issan soon have to import wife's from neighboring states on large scale or shape up or interesting consequences are coming in a generation or two. Not think so though as can't see much longer than their short noses... 5555555!

Very interesting.

These figures are huge!

I wonder what Isaan would be like without all this funding from Farangs?

Isarn would have 50 % less Pick-up Trucks, 10 % less family houses with solid roofs and walls and people would probably get excited to see the first man made ice cube.

We have in our village at least 60-70 new pickups but only one farang contributed to a pickup but not far from us is a village with around 20 houses and yes the farang bought a pickup on finance in his wife name on 7 years.

We farang are in a minority and we contribute maybe 0.5% to the economy in Isaan in terms of marrying or living with a lassie from Isaan.

The university should put a study up of how much the hookers from Isaan contribute to the economy of Isaan and we could easily reach 150-200 billion Baht per year. Those are the driving force of the development of Isaan.

My brother-in-law (wife's sister's husband) is a super good guy. He worked his ass off as a moto-taxi driver in BKK when he was young & saved up to put a down payment on a tractor, which he has since paid off.

I'd guess he makes 80 or 90k a month.

He & his wife live on the family farm in Surin = zero rent & maybe 600 baht a month for electricity.

Old boy worked for every satang.

Thailand obsesses about its tourism industry but the best possible 'tourists' are the ones who settle in Thailand.

Yet very little is done to accommodate them and they are made to jump through futile hoops on the immigration front eg the 90 day reporting procedure which serves no useful purpose. A more sensible requirement would be for residents to notify if their place of residence changes.

Nor will they ever get secure immigration status and are always at the discretion of the authorities. This study points up the significance of this group to the local Isaan economy which is so neglected in government planning.

The report seems to imply that the farang marry an Isaan girl and then invariably take her home which of course is not true. I wonder what is the split between those who stay and those who go.

Andrew Hicks.

If it wasnt for the farangs,i reckon there would be no-one in issan,they would all be begging on the streets of bangkok

thats not true, they might be actively seeking remuneration in pattaya instead of passively receiving it in Isaan

Time for Thailand to shape up and treat farangs from countries mentioned at least with some dignity and give them proper visas like their wife's received in their home countries for their valuable contributions. Further numbers suggest a massive import of more farangs are good for the economy. PM should promote it. Thai men especially in Issan soon have to import wife's from neighboring states on large scale or shape up or interesting consequences are coming in a generation or two. Not think so though as can't see much longer than their short noses... 5555555!

They do already. We have several Isaan guys in our village that marry a Laos girl and the sinsod was 10,000 - 15,000 Baht.

Last weekend a rich Isaan guy from Bangkok married an Isaan girl from our village for 1.2 million Baht and 10 Baht gold so slowly Isaan men are pulled over the edge because the good looking ladies are gone with guys from out of the village or foreigners and the farmers have a problem to raise the cash for their future wife's. The issue has to do that daughters will often inherit the land their parents will transfer to them and they have to go out of the nest and build their own nest.

I would like to add I have always been respected for the past 3 years in Isaan and had never had a problem with any Thai government in the past 24 years. I always found them easy to deal with them. About the land of some house in Nakon Nowhere I really don't care as I have my condo in my name in Bangkok and hold shares of my companies overseas in my name.

"Farang husbands providing massive boost to economy in Isaan" it's true, otherwise how Thais could have money ?

self sufficient theory of the governement in practise

And we now have a published price from which to negotiate.

Gosh...I hope the young women of Isaan do not hear of this study...there could be a run on single farangs to act as personal bankers to payroll the family...that would be awful...

Very interesting.

These figures are huge!

I wonder what Isaan would be like without all this funding from Farangs?

Including the money spent in Pattaya

And that's where the 50% GDP expats make up goes.