Raid on jomtien complex friday 2 nov

[kkjason]

This is completely wrong thinking. Most of the expats you are talking about think they have some kind of purchasing power here in Thailand, but they most certainly do not. The government, for example, receives no benefit from you or me, or probably anyone else on this forum being here. I think they actually appreciate that we are here, but to say that they are going to suffer some kind of loss because many are 'kicked' out is flawed thinking. For most of us, the government receives very little of our money. It goes into the hands of Thais who do not pay taxes - our landlords (I own my house, so we paid property tax once when we bought and no taxes ever again), bars that pay no VAT, food stalls that pay no VAT, we make no contributions to the social security fund, pay no income taxes, and the list goes on. Now, the ex-pats that work pay taxes, but as Neddy points out, these are not the people that immigration is targeting.

So - where are all the Thais who depend on thousands of ex-pats for their money? They are going to actually get a job where they pay taxes! Thailand has one of the lowest unemployment rates anywhere in the world. There are real job openings in almost any city in this country. They simply would need to go and start working at a job where they actually contributed something to the economy. In fact, there are many economists that believe Thailand is operating on a false economy to begin with - more than half the country receives their money 'off the books'. By kicking all of the illegals (probably some of the people reading this forum are included in that), the country would probably actually receive an unintended financial benefit. Also - don't forget that legitimate tourists are more than welcome here. They come in droves, spend money every day for a week or two, and go home. Thailand embraces that and will continue to do so. Many of the expats I know of who live here are so cheap that they spend less money in a month than the average Western tourist spends in a night out on the town. Just look at some of the trip reports from our fellow forum members who come here a few times a year as a tourist - such as A447 - Now, they are putting a shit load of money into non-working Thai's pockets and will continue to do so. The rest of who live here - we spend a fraction of that and think we are somehow owed something.

We need to stop thinking that we are some kind of 'god' in the eyes of the Thai government. You mentioned you spent 80,000 baht a month when you were in Khon Kaen. Well - good for you - but, that is a drop in the bucket compared to my Thai Neighbors. We have business people, stock investors, the president of a university, direct marketing professionals, and more who are earning many times what you do. Why are we so special? Do not think for a moment that my neighborhood is the exception. There are many just like it around Khon Kaen, and Bangkok alone is filled with hundreds of thousands of Thai's who directly contribute to the Thai government in ways that we never even begin to approach. They would actually laugh at such a small amount that you mention here. There are over a thousand American expats in Bangkok alone who earn in excess of 300,000 baht a month. They pay taxes. These are the ones that actually contribute to the Thai economy and they will have no problem staying here. There are thousands more who live here on investment visa. They invest more than 10 million baht on a regular basis. How does that compare to your 80,000 baht? I am not harping on you necessarily - but this is an argument I hear from expats on a regular basis. We think we are so rich and that Thai officials are so poor, stupid, and idiotic. The opposite is actually true. Our money pales in comparison to what it takes to actually run this country, so why would they care about your 80,000 baht a month, 95% of which they probably never see anyway?

There's a difference between your average local, and a xenophobic military general who seized power in a military coup, and refuses to hold elections.

For example, no idea what the actual numbers are, but Thai military is reporting that 100,000 overstayers have been deported. When I lived in Khon Kaen, I spent on average 80,000 baht/month, so let's say the average is 60,000. That means in total, 6 billion baht/month disappeared from local economies, and I could be wrong, but I'm assuming a majority of that money is same as my income, and came from out of country.

For another example, a new report just came out that states English proficiency has dropped in Thailand. Well, that's what happens when you round up and deport all of the English teachers because immigration laws make it difficult for them to obtain legal employment.

So the military and police may not want us there, but I can promise you the locals do. I'm sure if I showed up in my neighborhood in Khon Kaen again, everyone would be thrilled to see me, and be happy that I'm back and dropping my money in their stores and market stalls again.