Originally Posted by
PhDstudent
Originally Posted by
Maanaam
PhDStudent, สวัสดีครับคุณนักศึกษาบัณฑิตศึกษา.
I guess your study will be impartial observations, but will you be formulating an opinion based on the results? And offering that opinion in your dissertation? If so, what stance will you be taking?
I think many here on this forum, and Westerners throughout Thailand, would like to offer their opinion, but we have no voice. That's fair enough as we're guests, however, amongst us are many good-hearted and wise people and our ideas would very likely be very beneficial to Thailand on the whole.
I think some are hoping that you will be a conduit.
Just saying.
สวัสดีครับ
Sawasdee ka Khun Maanaam, all the received opinions will be discussed in my paper ka, I'll try to cover every issue. So far, I found so many brilliant western retirees and thoughtful Thai stakeholders that I can learn a lot from them. So, what stance should I take? I think it should not just be a simply right or wrong thing. Instead, the results should not sound like blaming the other side, but rather informing both side about the situation and see whether mutual benefits can be achieved.
By the way, regarding the word "Farang," it is an informal word yet it was used/ mentioned in several academic literature. In my opinion, it's just a very common word which is easier for speaking than the formal one, i.e. ชาวต่างชาติ (Chao Tang Chad), which has 3 syllables, comparing to Farang that have only 2 syllables.
Indeed your stance might be best read if impartial and informing.
I think what irks most Western retirees is the insecurity of not being able to truly
put down roots. Many of these (mostly men) people have pensions coming in to Thailand every month, at the very least, and some have savings and other income. This is free money for Thailand. Thailand offers them no social security, The presence of these people costs Thailand nothing, yet they bring in money.
With the vast
increase in internet users, the downsides of retiring in Thailand are getting widely publicised around the world. More and more Western retirees are choosing other countries, such as South and Central American countries, or other SE Asian countries. If Thailand wants to get this free money, Thaialnd needs to treat these people with a bit
more respect and try to make their retirement easier, not harder. Retirees are not causing problems like with some tourists are.
The land ownership laws, although understandable, could be relaxed....for example a Westerner may obtain a legally rock-solid long-term lease on land, or buy a single small plot (say one rai).
Fiji has in it's constitution that only 5% of all land is freehold, and may be bought by anybody. Fijians own some of this land, and foreigners own some, but never will the country be in danger of being bought out by foreigners. Thailand could do something like this, with the added caveat of size restrictions to prevent large companies snapping up all the available land.
In cities, this restriction should be one or two hong, and in rural areas, one or two rai.
The visa regulations are a bore, and serve no practical purpose but to emphasise who's boss. Really, what possible good to Thailand, what useful information will be gathered, each time a 70 year old married retiree from England goes in to report every 90 days? Marriage visa the same. It's not as if this reporting in, or border-running adds to security. Tourists, sure, security and overstaying are important issues to police, but retired and married folk?
Silly rules in
bureaucracy abound. For example, taking a photo of yourself in front of the house you rent (or wife owns). A photo? How does that help anyone in the office? What does it prove? I can take a photo in front of thousands of houses...it proves nothing. Paperwork, in duplicate, triplicate, and quadrupilicate. Thailand needs to get with the 21st century and cut down on all this pointless paperwork. An example.....I have to provide the house photo every year....I have not moved address, the house has not changed shape or size, the photo is in my file, but i have to get another one and submit it. Silly. Not just the photo, but other documents....the office has the documents on file, but I have to repeat the process every year. Why? Unthinking following of old and archaic rules is possibly why.
I could probably write a dissertation myself on these matters, lol.
PS...Inconsistancies between different offices of the same department! It's as if staff are not properly trained if the staff at, say Phuket Immigration Office have different rules to the staff at Chiang Mai Immigration Office. It seems as if it all depends on who is at the desk and what mood he or she is in. It would be nice for the rules to be clear and for a Westerner to be able to say, "No, sorry, the rules states xyz, I'm sorry, but I do not need to comply with your request for ten more documents..." and still get your passport stamped correctly.