Thailand has become unattractive for a number of reasons. Probably about 15% of expats have left for The Philippines, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam in the last two years. I have lived here 18 years and will probably leave next year for Vietnam the main reasons are listed below.
The pound has fallen 25% against the baht in the last 3 years.
You are required to show that you have a pension income above 65,000 baht a month. Many pensioners no longer meet that requirement because of the rise of the Thai baht. The alternative is to keep a minimum of 800 000 baht kept in your bank account.
Inflation here is much higher than that reported by the Government it is a joke that it is 2% it is well above 5%.
Immigration makes you report your presence in Thailand to your local Immigration Office every 90 days.
You are required to report your address to a different department in the Immigration Office every time you return from overseas within 24 hours. This rule has only recently started to be enforced even though it has been a law for over 30 years.
If you stay outside your province you are supposed to inform your local police station before you leave and a police station in the new province when you arrive within 24 hours.
Some provinces don’t enforce the above law but others fine you for non reporting even though, if you stay in a hotel, the hotel reports your presence.
Thailand is becoming a Police State and seems not to want expats anymore.
EDIT 12th March 2013
As an example of the hatred of some Ministers in the Thai Government against “farangs” (white skin foreigners) I have attached an article from Thai Rath, a Thai Newspaper, published on 11th March.
Government health minister: Watch out for “dirty farangs” spreading the virus in Thailand
Thailand’s Minister of Public Health and Deputy Prime Minister has taken to social media in a savage attack on Westerners.
Many will see his aggressive words on Twitter as a racist assault on legitimate visitors to his country, notes Thaivisa.
He called “farangs” dirty people who don’t shower.
He blamed them for fleeing Europe and coming to Thailand potentially spreading the Covid-19 virus.
He advised his countryfolk to avoid them especially as “not a single one was wearing a mask” on a trip he made to Chiang Mai.
Last month, Anutin ranted against a foreigner who wouldn’t accept his offer of a free mask in Bangkok.
Now via his Twitter account – Anutin_C – not just renewed his attack on Westerners but gone much, much further.
Thai Rath in their headline referred to this as “Sia Noo’s comeback”. Sia Noo is the minister’s nickname.
He said on Twitter that he had been to Chiang Mai and found there to be virtually no Chinese tourists, just farangs. He said that 90% of Thais in the northern city were wearing masks but not a single “farang” was wearing one.
This is why “their” countries are so badly affected by coronavirus, he claimed.
He advised that Thais should be more wary of Westerners than Asians.
He continued his rant by saying that it is cold in Europe and this is affecting the spread of the virus.
Referring to Westerners with the dismissive term “phuak nee” (this lot) he said that they were fleeing the virus and the cold and coming to Thailand.
Many are shabbily dressed, he said, and they don’t take showers.
“We must be careful about them,” he said, suggesting that the Westerners had closed off their countries and were avoiding each other.
He also referred to his words last month in condemning foreigners implying that his comments had come home to roost.
Source: Thai Rath