Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
I would love to be able to put down roots in Thailand, and until such time as I can I know I am just a begrudged guest subject to the whims of every public servant, and the petulance of the Rich whom I Know don't really want us here because of our big mouth and our 'Freedom'. And yes- we do have a big mouth.

So there- put that in your Survey. I'd love to be able to trust your 'survey' but I can't- because TiT.
Says it all. I'm a long way off retirement, but all things being equal I'd choose to retire in Malaysia where one can, within reasonable limits, settle. I would then travel to Thailand as a tourist as and when I feel like doing so.

Unfortunately a broken and corrupt society tends to attract the broken and corrupt from elsewhere. As has been mentioned previously, if it was not for either existing marriage or the hope of partnership, I wonder whether Thailand would attract retirees in the number it currently does.

Whilst I applaud the OP's motivation, and her reaching out to engage both foreign retirees as well as government officials, I can't help but feel the questions should be posed to those retirees who chose to live somewhere other than Thailand.

Unfortunately I think that meaningful change, and by that I mean change that makes Thailand as a society an attractive proposition to Western retirees rather than relying on the relationships of solitary individuals, would entail dismantling much of the tenets on which Thai society is currently based.

I wish the OP the very best of luck, for her thesis to make a real difference she'll need it.