Thais ranked among world's most generous people

[Thian]

So they didn't look at what governments of country's donate, only what the individual persons did?

My government gives many billions of euro's to charity every year again, hence we pay a very high tax. I wished they let me give it away myself but they don't allow me to do so.

[Cpkt8]

So far till now I've not met a generous Thai. Every Thai friends my husband and I know always expect us to pay for everything when we go out together.

You need to move away from the tourist areas , you just hang around the wrong locals.

We didn't go to tourist areas. The local friends brought us to their usual local haunts.

[Berkshire]

I know I will probably be shot down for this but is the giving of donations in Myanmar and Thailand not out of generosity or for altruistic reasons, but rather for self serving purposes, i.e. making merit for themselves.

It's the same for Christianity.

[GarryP]

I know I will probably be shot down for this but is the giving of donations in Myanmar and Thailand not out of generosity or for altruistic reasons, but rather for self serving purposes, i.e. making merit for themselves.

It's the same for Christianity.

Really? Perhaps when passing the collection plate in church, but elsewhere?

[Thian]

Did the Thai also get refugees from the Middle East?

[SoiBiker]

Did the Thai also get refugees from the Middle East?

Thailand gets refugees from Europe.

[dirtycash]

well then, if they are so generous why is it that when im sitting in a bar or restauarnt the generous thai people do not give to the beggers, i see only farang give.

and what about the double pricing ? the headline news is rubbish.

all i have ever seen is Take ...Take...Take !!

[phycokiller]

well then, if they are so generous why is it that when im sitting in a bar or restauarnt the generous thai people do not give to the beggers, i see only farang give.

and what about the double pricing ? the headline news is rubbish.

all i have ever seen is Take ...Take...Take !!

maybe get outside the restaurant or bar, I see Thais giving beggars money all the time, its just a shame that Thai tolerance allows scammers and politicians to exist in large amounts as well

[DrTuner]

Of course they give. It's to purge all the bad karma they've gathered. Wasn't it some carpenter in an old fable that did a crackdown on priests selling similar services? Anyway, I suppose it's 10b for adultery, 100b for murder and 100M baht for calling the Junta <deleted>.

[DrTuner]

Nobody gives out of purely selfless motives. We do it because it makes us feel like better people, or because it assuages our guilt at living a life of luxury compared to half the world. Who gives a shit, as long as the people in need get some help?

If I may add to you good comment, I also give in order to promote things I like in my immediate vicinity. Like wikipedia, some supplies for neighborhood kids hobbies or better gardening tools for the locals. In the end it tends to pay off. More like an investment, really.

[dirtycash]

Of course they give. It's to purge all the bad karma they've gathered. Wasn't it some carpenter in an old fable that did a crackdown on priests selling similar services? Anyway, I suppose it's 10b for adultery, 100b for murder and 100M baht for calling the Junta <deleted>.

they are greedy and selfish people , they only give to get something back !!!!

[digibum]

I don't think it's much different around the world. You hear one story of local villagers pillaging the wreckage of a bus accident while people lay injured in the road and you hear another story of some Thai doing something amazing.

People often get caught up in either hearing one type of story or the other and don't attempt to balance the two out.

All of that said, I do think the report doesn't seem to reflect what I've seen and I'm more than a tad suspicious that they're lumping in some religious obligation sort of giving in with actual charity giving. In other words, if I stick a dollar on a money tree at work I don't really put that into the category of giving to charity even though the money might be going to charity. If a Thai slips a 20 baht note into a money tree, perhaps they're marking that down mentally as a charity donation.

Not that I'm putting that down in any way. I'm just saying that it may be skewing the numbers.

I've always wondered why there seem to be so few Thai run charitable organizations in Thailand. I've run a few events where proceeds were to go to a local charity and always had trouble finding a legit charity run by Thais. There are a few and they became the go-to places for me to give money to but it just seems that with so many in need that there are so few that I could find (even with the help of Thai friends who were suggesting possible use of the funds). And I'm not talking about building yet another gold-roofed temple sort of charities but places that help orphaned children or people providing hospice type services.

Not to say these charities don't exist but I just had difficulty finding them. Perhaps I'm just used to the US where the are constantly advertised and you can name off dozens without even thinking about it.