What are Thai political parties policies towards foreigners

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Gregjam
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What are Thai political parties policies towards foreigners

Post by Gregjam »

Does anyone know if the Thai political parties have any policies in relation to foreigners. Obviously if we feature at all it would be right at the bottom of the list. They no doubt consider the income related to tourists but are there any policies on those of us who 'live' here albeit on various visas apart from the few who actually have a resident visa.

Just an thought as although we don't vote many of us have wives/partners who do and their vote might be swayed by a party sympathetic to our needs. (nothing wrong with dreaming).
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Re: What are Thai political parties policies towards foreign

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^ I don't think we really matter in the political spectrum.
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Re: What are Thai political parties policies towards foreign

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IMO none of the parties give one iota about resident farangs and would rid the kingdom of them if they could. They do however, care about visitors with fat wallets who they welcome with open arms and a Thai smile in order to release them of the burden of their fat wallets
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Re: What are Thai political parties policies towards foreign

Post by Spitfire »

What are Thai political parties policies towards foreigners?
Take as much money off us as possible, smile and move us along home asap. Essentially, we are tolerated because they make money out of us. It's easy to see the locals attitude towards foreigners who have nothing.....not so fine. And also, there have only just start being any policies towards the 'have-nots' in the Thai population in the last 10 years and look what a screw-up situation that's created......lol.

One of the main problems foreigners (especially westerners) face is that the Thai authorities generally consider us as transient visitors and thus see little need to provide policies specifically for us. Thing is though, that more and more of us are not leaving and choosing to stay here and build lives. In a way, what is happening now with the slow - but gradual - increase of westerners moving permanently here, marrying and having kids etc must be slightly reminiscence of the influx of Chinese long ago who are now fully absorbed.

Another problem is the politicians and those in charge of the levers of power are still the old crusty dinosaur brigade, be they famous or on the shadowy sidelines, whose formative years were long ago in a different Thailand and world (and they probably still cherish those outdated and probably xenophobic attitudes within them). Until they [old crusty politicians] are gone and younger politicians move up the ranks who have grown up in the modern Thailand with the tech etc surrounding them and who are used to seeing foreigners in school and in public everywhere.........they won't tailor much specifically for us as 'progressive' is not a word I'd often use for politics etc here.

There are many potential political problems for politicians when it come to immigration plus rights for "outsiders." Deciding policies towards foreigners of all types is a challenge (like not awakening too much nationalism) and they are not all treated the same here.....by a long shot. We westerners have it pretty easy when it comes to this and change takes times as local pride and nationalism can easily erupt if it is gotten wrong. I guess the way they do it at the minute is to allow foreigners a long leash when it comes to being a tourist so long as the Thais that deal with it all and have businesses get rich. When it comes to foreigners that want to live and stay forever then it's a different matter entirely.

Interestingly, I was watching a program on the impending ASEAN union next year and one of the things that they have signed up for is that those with degrees and in professional careers (e.g. engineers) will be able to get jobs in each others countries without any red tape etc. The program was in Vietnam at a university and it was talking to Vietnamese students that had opted to learn to speak/write Thai because they see that there are better jobs here in Thailand with what they consider high wages as the baht is very valuable compared to the Dong (Vietnamese currency). I can see problems for the Thai government if lots of qualified ASEAN member nationals start arriving looking for jobs who can speak 3 languages (Thai, English and their native tongue). I work at a university here and I don't see that competitive conditioning that I do see in some other local countries students. I do wonder just how the Thais will deal with all of this impending change and some of it may be uncomfortable, unpredicted and unwelcome.

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Re: What are Thai political parties policies towards foreign

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Spitfire wrote: Interestingly, I was watching a program on the impending ASEAN union next year and one of the things that they have signed up for is that those with degrees and in professional careers (e.g. engineers) will be able to get jobs in each others countries without any red tape etc. The program was in Vietnam at a university and it was talking to Vietnamese students that had opted to learn to speak/write Thai because they see that there are better jobs here in Thailand with what they consider high wages as the baht is very valuable compared to the Dong (Vietnamese currency). I can see problems for the Thai government if lots of qualified ASEAN member nationals start arriving looking for jobs who can speak 3 languages (Thai, English and their native tongue). I work at a university here and I don't see that competitive conditioning that I do see in some other local countries students. I do wonder just how the Thais will deal with all of this impending change and some of it may be uncomfortable, unpredicted and unwelcome.
With their inbuilt culture to only think of today and not tomorrow they are in for a shock and will of course look for someone else to blame. Maybe they will blame the farang western influence :banghead: Especially the teachers
Last edited by richard on Fri Mar 21, 2014 1:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What are Thai political parties policies towards foreign

Post by dtaai-maai »

Thanks, Spitfire. I may not agree with every word, but it's nice to read an opinion that has had a deal of thought put into it, rather than being a knee-jerk cliche. :cheers:
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Re: What are Thai political parties policies towards foreign

Post by Gregjam »

When I got married in 1990 it had to be done officially so that my wife could travel with me to work and get visas etc. This ultimately led to us moving to the UK ten years later partly due to the frustration of my wife not being able to own our house because she married a foreigner and not being prepared to go down the various alternatives. At least now she is the owner of our house and I can live with having had to sign the disclaimer for the land. It would be so nice if my own country would have a similar reciprocal policy. I still will only put as much funding here as is required as I feel that as Richard says, our presence is tolerated and should whoever is in power take a dislike to our presence the it would not be so dissimilar to Uganda in the seventies. The absence of any clear policy will always cast doubt on the situation. I have no intention of leaving but cannot comfortably commit 100% to living here.
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Re: What are Thai political parties policies towards foreign

Post by Gérard »

Is there really a country who likes foreigners ?
I think that all countries welcome rich foreigners and don't want the poor ones.
Then, in France, and probably in every country, parisians despise the country folks, southerners don't like northerners and a few regions, like Corsica, are secessionists...
I find Thailand no more xenophobic than other countries and I am not here looking for love anyway.
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Re: What are Thai political parties policies towards foreign

Post by oakdale160 »

If there is a change it will not be dramatic . immigration could set new rules-- 60 day reporting, or even heve to make visa runs every 60 days.Have to buy a no interest bond rather than have money in bank, higher taxes on driving, Have to take driving test inThai, have police stop farangs on the street and ask to see documentation.
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Re: What are Thai political parties policies towards foreign

Post by Lung Per »

I read some time ago that Suthep Bangtsuban - who is now trying to make a revolt in Bangkok - wants all foreigners (farangs?) out of Thailand. Mussolini said the same about foreigners in Italy.
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Re: What are Thai political parties policies towards foreign

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Do you have a source for that?
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Re: What are Thai political parties policies towards foreign

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Is there really a country who likes foreigners ?
Canada?
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Re: What are Thai political parties policies towards foreign

Post by Lung Per »

hhfarang wrote:
Is there really a country who likes foreigners ?
Canada?
The U.S. of A. is all made up of foreigners.
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Re: What are Thai political parties policies towards foreign

Post by Lung Per »

Pleng wrote:Do you have a source for that?
It's been a few years now and I don't keep a list of sources. His statement was just so serious that it stuck to my memory. There was a discussion, I think in this forum, also about what would happen to all the foreign investments here if all farangs were expelled.

Suthep was also a major instigator of the unrest and quest for the Thai military to intervene in relation to the Cambodia issue a couple of years back.

Here's some more, from BBC:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-25116427
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Re: What are Thai political parties policies towards foreign

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Lung Per wrote:
hhfarang wrote:
Is there really a country who likes foreigners ?
Canada?
The U.S. of A. is all made up of foreigners.
:cheers:
Not true! here are the census stats over time and as of the last Census only 12.9% of total U.S. population were not born there.
Foreign.jpg
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