Avoiding 'iffy' expats......

[WhamBam]

BTW Nancy, your post seems to have an Anti British slant to it.

I'm not the only one who noticed that, then.

So many Brit haters out there who would slag us off. But we have thick skins and realise these words really are so petty.

[Gecko123]

Thais value social cohesion. Being friendly to strangers is part of the process.

Thais notice when one farang is rude and unfriendly towards another farang.

They conclude that farangs aren't really friendly, and that there's no need to be friendly to farangs because they don't reciprocate or value that friendliness.

People need to wake up! Is that really the message you want to be sending?

If cold anomynity, interpersonal brick walls, and social isolation and exclusion is what you're about, why on earth did you move to the land of smiles?

Like a nod or a smile is too much effort.

Pffft.

thais dont nod and smile at strangers in our town

I exchange smiles with Thais almost everywhere I go, Ayjaydee, and I'm scarcely the most outgoing guy in the world, either.

Edited December 24, 2014 by Gecko123

[chicowoodduck]

Don't vote for NancyL.

Vote for a friendly Aussie ... we like the British (unless it's the Ashes ... then the gloves are off).

Vote David48 ...

Oh my Buddha, don't suck up to hard, the gloves are off all the time in the Land of OZ when it comes to the folks across the pond.......?

[Dannyboy666]

BTW Nancy, your post seems to have an Anti British slant to it.

. With all The Yank Bashing on this Forum, Surely You Jest....

[Dannyboy666]

BTW Nancy, your post seems to have an Anti British slant to it.

I'm not the only one who noticed that, then.

So many Brit haters out there who would slag us off. But we have thick skins and realise these words really are so petty.

. I lived in Ireland for a while, I can take a Good Slagging Myself, A Yank...

[geordiel]

A great way to differentiate would be if we had access to things expats write on the internet, sadly that's difficult. Some of OP's posts, classic anti-expat syndrome:

'Just another cheap, broke no skills loser Thailand clearly doesn't need.

these Digital Nomarks....

he tries to make out he's not paying for it and has the hot HiSo women kicking his door down as they do with every unemployed tourist who has no visible source of income or zero status here, as they're such a catch...

The reason you don't 'date' Bangkok girls is because you have no verifiable, regular source of income and probably live in some dump, so most - not even the bar girls - wouldn't give you the time of day you deluded fool.

I think the fragile reality of your situation makes you sweat with fear.

Why can't you lot just admit you are here illegally without dragging others down to your level in the gutter? You're all as bad as each other in my eyes.

You can try and fob off the blame onto others yet retain the arrogance to think you are above them and are somehow above Immigration's rules and radar. You are still a part of the problem no matter how smart or above the other cheats are. You should feel more ashamed for not having the tools to operate here legitimately.

To paint a worst case scenario I could well see a day in the future when the Authorities' patience just runs out and it's that's it! 14/30 days maximum per year for everyone who has no legitimate reason for being here.

When that day comes I'll be having a real chuckle at all those who thought themselves oh so smart for the system while the getting was good....and that includes you Bucko...

You are frothing like some poor unfortunate who has to grub around in the gutter trying to feed on the scraps which drop from the high table.

My 'ordained right' comes in the form of my WP and visa which you clearly lack but probably dream about.

I hope he remains calmer as he nears the Immigration desk after his next border run, more so when the officer starts counting his stamps....

Real ones with things like salaries, visas, Work Permits etc; lives where we can get tables at a food court....'

Good Grief ! Whoever wrote the quoted comments sounds like a right pompous charmer.

[AYJAYDEE]

Thais value social cohesion. Being friendly to strangers is part of the process.

Thais notice when one farang is rude and unfriendly towards another farang.

They conclude that farangs aren't really friendly, and that there's no need to be friendly to farangs because they don't reciprocate or value that friendliness.

People need to wake up! Is that really the message you want to be sending?

If cold anomynity, interpersonal brick walls, and social isolation and exclusion is what you're about, why on earth did you move to the land of smiles?

Like a nod or a smile is too much effort.

Pffft.

thais dont nod and smile at strangers in our town

I exchange smiles with Thais almost everywhere I go, Ayjaydee, and I'm scarcely the most outgoing guy in the world, either.

whats that got to do with what i said?

[alex8912]

Wow. What a bunch of thin skinned <deleted> on TVF thIs Christmas Eve day.

[robblok]

No bashing intended here and I am a Brit, but I have to say that of all the western expats I've met over the past twenty years of being here (permanently and as a visitor) the dodgy ones have always been Brits and I'm not sure why that is. Just an observation.

Thank you for coming forward with this observtion, Chiang Mai. And for disclosing that you're a Brit.

I knew I'd get bashed for making the observation I did in the previous page (and I probably lost votes for it) but I've heard others make the same observation, too.

I'm not anti-Brit. I'm just at a loss to understand why both the con-men and the victims seem to be disproportionately British. Trying to make sense of it. And I don't think it's totally fair to blame good social service organizations. If the OP and others are trying to come up with an explanation for the phenomenon, can't another slant be offered? One that doesn't just blame the social service organizations entirely?

And imply that everyone who assumes a leadership role in those organizations also has the same motivation? That, I suspect, is really what some posters are on about.

I think it has something to do with how many Brits are in Thailand. I agree most doggy news items about Western scammers (not ATM fraud that is Eastern European) are often Brits. My personal experience was always with drunk / alcohol abusing Brits, but maybe because I noticed that when I was still a teen, i kept noticing it later on in life too. Just like the black fortuner thing, once you notice one as driving like an ass you will see more and more of them because you focus on them.

I seldom see something about the Dutch and being Dutch I know we are no angels, just a lot less of us. So I think it could be a case of having many Brits, and a bit of personal bias.

[ATF]

Ok Gecko lives in Smiletowm and AyJay lives in Frowntown.

[alex8912]

Deleted? What a bunch of thin skinned bankers on TVF this Christmas Eve morning.

[AYJAYDEE]

Ok Gecko lives in Smiletowm and AyJay lives in Frowntown.

typical unimaginitive tv-ite. either black or white, no happy medium.

[Katipo]

It does seem pretty sad that most of these clubs / organisations are full of people who are either on the make, or trying to make themselves look good.

Many of these chancers would never ever get to be members of Rotary / Lions / Round Table in their own countries. Most of the decent people I have met here have been pretty low key, but involved in sports clubs of which I've been a member, and funnily enough some thoroughly decent people who I've met through the forum.

I 2nd sports clubs (with the exception of golf clubs). They seem to attract more genuine people.

I have also found that, like in the west, good people seem to attract good people.

[asdecas]

One avoids fellow Brits like the plague; nasty unclean, uncouth and illiterate coves on the whole. Australians are a far better class of expat if one can avoid the bogans.

[fxe1200]

Dont write off the Singha Vest guys too soon.... Most are very decent people... As you already pointed out - the ones that pretend to be well connected ie: expats/lions/rotary clubs etc.. are the ones that do the most damage..

... I remember the case in Germany, where a guy named Gustl Mollath ended up in a psychiatric hospital for seven years. This for reporting the transportation of huge amounts of cash from Germany to Switzerland to the court The members of the local Rotary Club arranged it. The legal time limit for the accusations of that massive tax fraud had meanwhile lapsed.

[KhnomKhnom]

I find it best to avoid all Brits and Aussies and anyone who calls me "mate."

I learned this avoidance by reading thaivisa.com.

[bkkjames]

First of a merry Xmas to all forum members.

Now with the nice b.s. out of the way...please continue the farang vs farang bashathon going but do turn it up a notch you bunch of p.uss.ies : )

[peterb17]

Strange, am a member of the Pattaya City Expats Club, been to their Sunday morning meetings and on a couple of trips.

The people running this club are very decent people indeed and chatting to members over breakfast can't say have met anyone who you would describe as " iffy" .

[pieeyed]

A little off topic, but if there are some iffy people? How about the locals that pulled 1.6 b/baht from KMITL?

[colinneil]

Ihave read this post and several replies with interest.

A few points i would like to make. I have found NancyL helpful not anti British (i am British).

Also i have been subject to a British man using his position of representative of a UK charitable organisation to make money out of funds destined to help me have a better life (i am paralysed from chest down) for his own selfish ends.

[ATF]

Strange, am a member of the Pattaya City Expats Club, been to their Sunday morning meetings and on a couple of trips.

The people running this club are very decent people indeed and chatting to members over breakfast can't say have met anyone who you would describe as " iffy" .

Just wait until they get to know you better. They may have some very lucrative investment opportunities for you.

[Tony125]

Excellent point Mr. Toad. I hadn't thought about it in those terms, but yes, having been involved in these type of clubs in my home country, I've been a little surprised with what I've heard about them in the beach resort areas of Thailand.

I've heard other expats say this happens in other expat parts of the world, too -- in Spain, the Middle East, etc. It seems to be a British problem, where British con men gather to try to pry money out of their fellow countrymen. Maybe has something to do with the way their pension system works. Doesn't much matter with U.S. expats -- we're going to owe Uncle Sam taxes no matter where we live.

Not if your willing to give up your US citizenship. Some of us have dual citizenship and can do that easily others can by applying thru ancestry or becoming a citizen of another country. You would be surprised how many US expats are doing that now.

[BKKdreaming]

Go to where they come from then they will just be "iffy locals"

best is to learn Thai and hang around with the locals........OOOPs

[transam]

Excellent point Mr. Toad. I hadn't thought about it in those terms, but yes, having been involved in these type of clubs in my home country, I've been a little surprised with what I've heard about them in the beach resort areas of Thailand.

I've heard other expats say this happens in other expat parts of the world, too -- in Spain, the Middle East, etc. It seems to be a British problem, where British con men gather to try to pry money out of their fellow countrymen. Maybe has something to do with the way their pension system works. Doesn't much matter with U.S. expats -- we're going to owe Uncle Sam taxes no matter where we live.

So Brits are the only scoundrels in your opinion...?

Hmmmmmmmm.................

[kannot]

works for me and "bonus" frightens small children sh*tless

[ATF]

Excellent point Mr. Toad. I hadn't thought about it in those terms, but yes, having been involved in these type of clubs in my home country, I've been a little surprised with what I've heard about them in the beach resort areas of Thailand.

I've heard other expats say this happens in other expat parts of the world, too -- in Spain, the Middle East, etc. It seems to be a British problem, where British con men gather to try to pry money out of their fellow countrymen. Maybe has something to do with the way their pension system works. Doesn't much matter with U.S. expats -- we're going to owe Uncle Sam taxes no matter where we live.

So Brits are the only scoundrels in your opinion...?

Hmmmmmmmm.................

Maybe Nancy hasn't got over the Americans buying the wrong London Bridge.

Edited December 24, 2014 by ATF

[robblok]

Excellent point Mr. Toad. I hadn't thought about it in those terms, but yes, having been involved in these type of clubs in my home country, I've been a little surprised with what I've heard about them in the beach resort areas of Thailand.

I've heard other expats say this happens in other expat parts of the world, too -- in Spain, the Middle East, etc. It seems to be a British problem, where British con men gather to try to pry money out of their fellow countrymen. Maybe has something to do with the way their pension system works. Doesn't much matter with U.S. expats -- we're going to owe Uncle Sam taxes no matter where we live.

So Brits are the only scoundrels in your opinion...?

Hmmmmmmmm.................

Just that certain crimes appear more with certain nationalities. Drug use is not uncommon for Dutch and last thing I read about a Dutch was that he used weed and got arrested.

I have to agree with Nancy, after reading back a bit most scampers are Brits in the articles. (if you exclude the ATM frauds). But as i posted already might be that there are a lot of Brits and then its only normal to see them in the news more.

[Carnlough]

The Word of the Year....... STREETSMART........ Sadly no everybody has it......

[lannarebirth]

No bashing intended here and I am a Brit, but I have to say that of all the western expats I've met over the past twenty years of being here (permanently and as a visitor) the dodgy ones have always been Brits and I'm not sure why that is. Just an observation.

Yeah, I'm not sure why Nancy's taking so much heat over this. Even what's legal for some British "financial professionals" to do is against the law in some other countries. "Commissions for financial "products"? C'mon! Sure there are dodgy Americans, Australians and Europeans in that trade as well but the vast majority are British and the vast majority of those they cheat are British as well. Same applies to Hong Kong and Singapore. Drummond rings them up regularly:

http://www.andrew-drummond.com/2014/11/exclusive-hsbc-now-laundering-cash-for.html

http://www.andrew-drummond.com/2014/12/the-lm-fund-ding-dong-merrily-on-high.html

Edited December 24, 2014 by lannarebirth

[robblok]

No bashing intended here and I am a Brit, but I have to say that of all the western expats I've met over the past twenty years of being here (permanently and as a visitor) the dodgy ones have always been Brits and I'm not sure why that is. Just an observation.

Yeah, I'm not sure why Nancy's taking so much heat over this. Even what's legal for some British "financial professionals" to do is against the law in some other countries. "Commissions for financial "products"? C'mon! Sure there are dodgy Americans, Australians and Europeans in that trade as well but the vast majority are British and the vast majority of those they cheat are British as well. Same applies to Hong Kong and Singapore. Drummond rings them up regularly:

http://www.andrew-drummond.com/2014/11/exclusive-hsbc-now-laundering-cash-for.html

Why taking much heat.. many Brits on this site, they are ok at dishing it out.. but taking it not so much.

I still don't get it though feeling the need to defend your countrymen even if they are criminals and feeling all of your countrymen are good. Last time I checked we had plenty of criminals back in the Netherlands. Maybe those people always defending their countrymen think criminals don't travel. Did you like back home everyone just because they were from your country... no.. why do the same here ? And if back home your neighbor was an anti social idiot did you feel responsible for him ?