Guest Posted September 1, 2003 Report Share Posted September 1, 2003 Barn Yard economics I would not open my mouth if I could only speak out my a**. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 1, 2003 Report Share Posted September 1, 2003 Looking at these scales of wages for different countries, maybe the opposite way their foreign workers are paid in each location. It could also be that if they employe someone from one of these countries the minimum wage in that country for this type of work with any quality would be of the listed rate. This may not go over good with some that think they should be able to reside in thailand for the same amount a thai would, give or take a couple singha's and mekong's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khunsanuk Posted September 1, 2003 Report Share Posted September 1, 2003 Hi, Guys, knock it off! Sanuk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickfarang Posted September 1, 2003 Report Share Posted September 1, 2003 This is only my opinion, but looking at the recent hike in visa fees and the coming increase in the salary threshold to qualify for a work permit, it seems that they only want to give work permits to those foreign workers that are highly paid, meaning those whom Thai companies cannot replace with Thais. Not much different from what I've seen in the U.S. when hiring foreing nationals to work there. This is Thailand after all. Its not about how much foreigners love Thailand. Its about what's best for the Thai people (and officials) in the estimation of various Thai policy makers. They don't care what some foreigner paid for his education or what sacrifice a foreigner is making to stay in Thailand any more than the folks at The Walt Disney Company care whether you bought your ticket to Disney World with a discount coupon or paid the full price. This might be a more realistic perspective from which to make decisions about one's future involvement in this country (I mean Thailand, not Disneyland ) Above, I'm referring to the "nebulous they", not individuals, some of whom care about some foreigners. As I said, this is only my opinion. RickF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 2, 2003 Report Share Posted September 2, 2003 >>>This is Thailand after all. Its not about how much foreigners love Thailand. Its about what's best for the Thai people (and officials) in the estimation of various Thai policy makers.<<< thing is that this will force lots of foreigners into illegality. most english teachers don't make that much money, and in many other professions the same. many employers simply can't afford to pay those wages. it is a lot easier to stay here illegal than legal. i have no idea how those policy makers came up with those numbers - they simply do not reflect realistic wages here in thailand. more than a few foreigners live here well with money way below that, have families, and just can't simply move back to their homecountries, which they would have to. it is like most other policies introduced under the present administration here - kneejerk policies which sound good on paper to a nationalistic middle class, but will create enormous long term problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickfarang Posted September 2, 2003 Report Share Posted September 2, 2003 "- kneejerk policies which sound good on paper to a nationalistic middle class, but will create enormous long term problems. " As cruel as it may sound, I belive they just don't care. If foreigners could vote, that would be a different story, but we can't so we don't count. RickF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 2, 2003 Report Share Posted September 2, 2003 you more or less said it yourself. These reforms are very direct meaning to do exactly what will happen. Crack down on 90 day visas pay scales being raised and the restructuring of the bar scene. These do not only effect westerners alone but Russians, Chinese, Indians and others on lower income long stays. All these foreign tailor shops, bars and business set up to buy assets and provide long term visas may be effected in all this as well. Do you think maybe they would sooner give up some of the people who cannot afford the new laws and hopefully pick up more of a medium income person out of china and other countries that would otherwise not come because of the amount of foreigners that is probably 10 fold in the last 15 years. Can you imagine some of the pressures China and a few other asian countries are putting on Taksin and the government to lighten up on some of the lower income people and they will have their middle income people fill the void. Since China opened its markets asia and specially Thailand does not need the western countries as much as before. The government now wants taxes of a certain amount if a foreigner is to reside and work in their country. They will still get the tourist nightlife ones that have been coming for years that spend a decent amount of money each vacation. I get very little time off work but I have met more people in the last 5 years that are living in Thailand on incomes that they could not exist in their own country. I do not know how many people I have drank beers with while they were on vacation that fell in love with the place and so sick and tired of the same old thing back home they are planning on stopping work early and sell everything and move to Thailand because they can live on 5 or 600lbs a month (wrong answer sherlock you better have better plans than this in the future). How many people over there that can only afford to go out for drinks during happy hour. 10 years ago it was nothing to sit at a bar and within 30 minutes you was swapping buying rounds with others. Very seldom does it happen now as many of the patrons now can only afford a couple drinks a night for themselves. They have a new market arriving they have to appease. Do you think Japan and China will invest more and vacation more if Thailand complies with some of their whims ( you bet your ass they will and you will see it in the next 5 years with Casinos and horse tracks of international standard and new factories, bought up housing areas). You think they will not soak up several of these over built housing projects with a good profit to the Thais, you are damn right they are going to. I played on a new golf course this year that had only been open a couple months and it is closed to non asians during the week or at least I was told and I was the only Farang that I seen there. Times are changing and do not depend on a job you cannot put a bit in savings each month. I guess some will get pay raises and some will get tickets home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 2, 2003 Report Share Posted September 2, 2003 >>>Since China opened its markets asia and specially Thailand does not need the western countries as much as before. <<< you definately raised an important and very valid point there. it appears very much to go that way, orienting more and more the whole ship towards china. i wonder though how much that has to do with the personal business interest of our great leader now? still, i do not yet believe though in the great rise of china. it just reminds me too much on the euphoria about the south east tigers during the 80's and 90's. only on a much larger scale. in some aspect i am one of the lower income foreigners now. i have started with nothing ten years ago here, slowly things went uphill and i made a good living (for my standarts) until things went drastically down since a year or so. but i do not have the option of simply packing up and going home. i have a wife, i have responsibilities for her family as we have started building up a farm (the land was bought when i still made a reasonably good income). i have no other choice than sitting out the present international crises in my industry, and wiggle my way through those new legislations to keep on being legally here with a workpermit. >>>Times are changing and do not depend on a job you cannot put a bit in savings each month. I guess some will get pay raises and some will get tickets home.<<< definately times are changing at the moment. but i guess that we will have to wait and see if the present changes will not be a kick in their own back in the long term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 2, 2003 Report Share Posted September 2, 2003 >>>As cruel as it may sound, I belive they just don't care.<<< they don't. never really have. only thing is that they start getting a bit stretched now. drugwar (you might see a new round of killings in the not too distant future), youth gang violence, social order control, etc. there is only that amount of cops, and the budget is not unlimited... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 2, 2003 Report Share Posted September 2, 2003 I have alot of friends also just getting by and worried like hell. Some of them had big bucks and got caught in the stock market and now realize after several years living in thailand they do not have the funds to last a long time. Some others that have small pensions and have been out of the work force for some time now. It will hurt alot people that did not plan properly same as a down turn back home would do. Being in a foreign country now days is not the same as years ago. Work now is if they are not making money off what you are doing they are not going to keep you around long. Believe me managment knows if they do keep non money making people around they will lose their job. I am also making plans to get out of work and try to retire but I will not stop working in these shit holes I have been in for the last 10 years till I have enough to have $0000 a month that will last 20 years, this way I can choose when and where I want to be plus in 20 years how much will a $ be worth. China will float their currency in the near future which will bring them big buying power, they will buy up condos and probably start alot of joint ventures with Thais. Well at least you have some land for your family to stay on. It takes a better man to go off and make a living for his family than one that sits around and rides everything to nothing. I wish you good luck and this could work better for some with the thai economy coming along good now. Others that just decided a limited income would be better than roughing out some more years of work and do the 90 day visa thing may find out the income they have will have to include living somewhere besides thailand on a full time basis. The bar scene has just gotten to the point it is in your face to much for thailand to prosper from the higher spending tourist and retiries that they are interested in attracting. The computer age has done more to expose and hurt the nightlife as anything. Well you are not alone I am sure there is several thousands that will be effected by everything going on now. For those that say Thailand cannot survive without nightlife as it was and their money they spend, are definetly not economist of great measure. Record exports and vehicle purchases highest ever in Thailand had not much to do with the nightlife this year. Stay positive and it could work out for you but do have a back up plan if it does not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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