I'm so happy I'm gone.

I'm back in Hawaii and have my family with me and feeling so much better with the move. Granted it's so much more expensive here but at least my daughter will get a better education here and my wife has just received her green card and is well on her way to US citizenship.

There are so many reasons for my decision. The hot and humid weather was killing me, the total BS about doing visas and taking multiple pictures inside and outside of our house and even inside our bedroom. Drawing maps to get to our house and all the other BS for 17 years.

The crimes in Thailand are way above what goes on here in Hawaii. Granted there is crime here but at least the police do their job and post pics of the bad guys and hunt for them.

Why anyone is staying in Thailand is beyond me. I hope and pray that the only reason I go back is to sell everything, ship all my personal stuff and leave it forever.

^ crime is a real problem at the moment. The economy is a lot worse than the army makes on, and people are unemployed and struggling for money - thus crimes are up, scams (against Thais) are everywhere and generally it's not the place to be it once was.

This info comes from the wife, she has done 7 weeks of her annual 8 weeks back home and isn't impressed (still good cheap food, local markets and stuff like that though; not all bad...), She mentioned that I need to put some money (2,000 baht) in my SCB account or it will close, I also need a new ATM card - what will I do about it, she asked. Nothing, I have zero plan to go back... Maybe on a holiday, maybe, probably not.

Good luck back in the US Eliminator. A good move for the kids' education.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Eliminator

I'm so happy I'm gone

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Good to hear it's working out well for you.

You are far from alone in flight from the LoS. At least 5 folks I know have left or will be soon. Since the current gov came to power the country is going to hell in a hand basket. Except for the big 5, the rest of the folks are really hurting financially with no improvement in sight. This along with the ever changing immigration nonsense and increasing costs for expats makes Thailand far from an ideal destination for retirement or tourism.

So like you many long stayers have said fuck this I'm outta here.

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Originally Posted by Norton

So like you many long stayers have said fuck this I'm outta here.

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not doubting you, but i'd be interested to see some data supporting that....which is probably impossible, but still, i'd like to know if it stands up.

i wonder if older immigrants to thailand from western countries have always returned 'home' in their twilight years due to: failing health and access to govt health care, be closer to family, having had "enough", etc...

i guess my point is that in 2019 anecdotal evidence is spread far and wide through social media, and it could be that the percentage of people leaving hasn't changed much at all.

Your wife seems as ill-informed as you are unbalanced, Battyboob, but I daresay she is viewing things through the prism of some awful village bothy.

Employment in the EEC corridor, around Chachoengsao, in the greater Bangkok industrial belt and within the metropolitan areas is booming with semi-trained factory floor workers now earning a wage of 15,000 baht monthly and with the increasingly available "OT", these rates increase to 18-20,000 baht monthly.

FDI is booming and more companies are relocating from their own countries to set up manufacturing centres in Thailand.

The only bleak spots are of course the dreary boonies but as in all industrial societies the migration from the rural areas to urban centres is inevitable with agriculture diminishing as a viable career path.

The baht is strong because the current account is burgeoning and the debt to GDP ratio is a mere 42%, levels which are unlikely to change.

And because the vast majority of Thai are unconcerned by the niceties of democratic governance it is difficult to envisage any threat to the continuing stability - crime is low level, opportunistic or the consequence of inherent Thai imbecility and there is no perception of criminal activity threatening the social fabric.

As a slightly more prosaic indicator, the higher end condos here in north Pattaya are seeing increasing numbers of long term lets to Koreans, Japs, indonesians working on long contracts at Laem Chabang and the booming Rayong district factory conurbations.

Essentially, only the idle or educationally subnormal could fail to find work now.

The problem is that in the provincial boondocks there is no investment because in truth there is no point to them, most of which merely service the needs of the subsistence farmer and a narrow middle class offering an administrative infrastructure funded by public expenditure.

Mr Sausage with his finger on the pulse of Thailand, or not...

From where I'm sitting western families are leaving and being replaced with Japanese and Koreans.

^^Whereas yours is up your arse.

^ Indeed, my perception too. Their families congregating around the condo grounds at around 1740 hrs waiting for daddy to come home are omnipresent now.

I dont know about the EEC but jobs are not plentiful. Optimism amongst business owners is low, plans for next year conservative and many lay offs or restricted working weeks in place.

many other companies are looking at repurposing and exiting many of their workforce soon.

cant say ive noticed crime go up, but the campers are certainly not happy

Rein, you need to be viewing the economy from the 6th floor of a condo in cesspool bay. Sausages forgets there's a lot of Thailand outside Bangers and Chonbulli

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

Your wife seems as ill-informed as you are unbalanced, Battyboob, but I daresay she is viewing things through the prism of some awful village bothy.

Employment in the EEC corridor, around Chachoengsao, in the greater Bangkok industrial belt and within the metropolitan areas is booming with semi-trained factory floor workers now earning a wage of 15,000 baht monthly and with the increasingly available "OT", these rates increase to 18-20,000 baht monthly.

FDI is booming and more companies are relocating from their own countries to set up manufacturing centres in Thailand.

The only bleak spots are of course the dreary boonies but as in all industrial societies the migration from the rural areas to urban centres is inevitable with agriculture diminishing as a viable career path.

The baht is strong because the current account is burgeoning and the debt to GDP ratio is a mere 42%, levels which are unlikely to change.

And because the vast majority of Thai are unconcerned by the niceties of democratic governance it is difficult to envisage any threat to the continuing stability - crime is low level, opportunistic or the consequence of inherent Thai imbecility and there is no perception of criminal activity threatening the social fabric.

As a slightly more prosaic indicator, the higher end condos here in north Pattaya are seeing increasing numbers of long term lets to Koreans, Japs, indonesians working on long contracts at Laem Chabang and the booming Rayong district factory conurbations.

Essentially, only the idle or educationally subnormal could fail to find work now.

The problem is that in the provincial boondocks there is no investment because in truth there is no point to them, most of which merely service the needs of the subsistence farmer and a narrow middle class offering an administrative infrastructure funded by public expenditure.

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What a complete twat.
Does not have a clue about what is going on.
The elitist moron just spouts complete off the wall bullshit.
Strange how income parity has got worse in the last 5 years of Prayut's govt, leading last year to reveal Thailand is now the most unequal economy in the world, and just got worse.
What a wanker.
A complete knob.


https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/12/ar...mperil-prayut/

Glad all worked for you Eliminator. We all do what we feel is best for family and state of mind. I have found ones experience here is heavily influenced by where they live, what they do and personal family situations.

I stay because I work, live in a very nice area, have no children and won't and my immigration experiences are a cake walk.

Regardless Good Luck to you

Turn the light off on your way out Jay:)

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Originally Posted by Dillinger

Turn the light off on your way out Jay:)

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Are ya sayin I am closing up the place?

If so, "Last call for alcohol" :smileylaughing:

Good for you, Eliminator. Enjoy.

:tumbs:

Yup, good stuff Eli. Sounds like a great move for you and your family.

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Originally Posted by Bettyboo

The economy is a lot worse than the army makes on

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If the economy is a lot worse then it is not because of the army of Thailand but of others (please no names here) causing that the world economy is down everywhere. Why not to ask e.g. the soya bean farmers in (please no names here) how they fare?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bettyboo

and people are unemployed

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Everywhere I am seeing on factories big boards asking for workers...And everywhere I am seeing - with surprise if did not drive that way for few weeks - new constructions of infrastructure and of private investments as well (even in "provincial boondocks")...

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Originally Posted by fishlocker

See you in Panama?

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I resent that

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Klondyke

If the economy is a lot worse then it is not because of the army of Thailand but of others

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Bullshit.

Wondering why so many expats are living here (surely far over 100,000 - Asian expats not included) - despite their constant moaning - instead of staying in their home country?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Eliminator

I'm back in Hawaii and have my family with me and feeling so much better with the move. Granted it's so much more expensive here but at least my daughter will get a better education here and my wife has just received her green card and is well on her way to US citizenship.

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Congratulations.

Not a bad place to fall back on... Hawaii. In fact why did you move in the first place?

Now Milton Keynes...

Never been to Hawaii but I thought it got quite hot and sweaty for a lot of the time and the locals are mostly inordinately fat without any cultural merit other than as consumers of tat and prone to a vacuous folkloric belief in stupid mountain spirits etc.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

Never been to Hawaii but I thought it got quite hot and sweaty for a lot of the time and the locals are mostly inordinately fat without any cultural merit other than as consumers of tat and prone to a vacuous folkloric belief in stupid mountain spirits etc.

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A busmans holiday for you then :rofl:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by raycarey

i'd be interested to see some data supporting that

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Would be interesting to find some sort of data but as you say not likely. Don't believe immigration published long stayers who leave.

Increasing costs are primarily due to baht exchange rates but inflation is a factor.

https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/inflation-cpi

Given the current exchange rate is hovering in the 30 range, vs average exchange rate in 2017: 33.9227 THB looking at significant cost increase.

The reasons my friends gave me as I posted above were theirs. I have no intention of fleeing the scene.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by raycarey

wonder if older immigrants to thailand from western countries have always returned 'home' in their twilight years

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Likely many do. Depends on personal choice as does everything. Never say never but in my case, never. Already have a special spot for my urn at the local wat. ;)