[MipRippoomamn]

The economy here has been bad for quite a while for the people who depend on blue and pink collar jobs. The government didn't notice until it hit Wall Street.

Yeah, when their portfolios dropped +40% they started paying attention!

[adultcomicssitedessaa]

Surely you jest, would Thailand ever even dream of limiting a foreigners rights?5555

lol aren't you the guy who was claiming the other day that foreigners aren't treated differently in Thailand? Of course, I understand you're well versed in the art of disparaging other peoples' opinions so I expected a snide remark without anything constructive to add, so I don't worry too much about it. Besides, a careful read of the post and you would have seen that most of the comments made to my wife's friends were anti- RICH, not necessarily anti farang. As in, class envy. So my point was that the anger seems to now be against the wealthy thais as well, and this could be serious bad news if any populist numbskull tries to corral that anger into a movement that turns violent. Thailand has been very peaceful compared to its neighbors for the last 50 years, but the signs are troubling that this may not last for long. Since I am planning to retire to Thailand in the next year or so, I will definitely be watching and hoping that the mood doesn't continue to sour.

Just remember one thing - the catalyst for most of the social unrest that unleashed a lot of the devastating violence of the 20th century was economic - poor people + envy of the rich + someone telling you that you need to rise up = sticky situations in too many countries to name in the last 50 - 60 years.

[Oswczrdz]

The economy here has been bad for quite a while for the people who depend on blue and pink collar jobs. The government didn't notice until it hit Wall Street.

[DexOnenlyCymn]

lol aren't you the guy who was claiming the other day that foreigners aren't treated differently in Thailand? I don't think that was me,I am treated no differently than anyone else by the people in our town, no fingering of prices and none of that as almost everyone here knows me.
But by the govt we are all treated differently than a Thai, we have no rights, we can not vote or say a word again the govt. we can not own property, we can lease land and build a house that we can own but what do you do with a house if you lose your lease?
we must register every 90 days what our address and place of residence is even tho I do have my own Tambein Ban and did build a house, but that makes no diff, I still have to reaffirm my address every 90 days and get a new visa extension every year.
And that is not just me, but every farang here.

[MipRippoomamn]

We're hit hard here in California too. The end of last year 3 high rises that were coming out of the ground were stopped and the holes in the ground filled back in. I was lucky because I made it until Jan before I got laid off, but have about 250 ahead of me on the out of work list.
During the Dot-Com bust and recession, an electrician could scrounge up little jobs here and there to eke by on, but there none of those now because no one is spending money on their homes or small businesses. They're all eking by too.I know lots of people who are in trouble with their houses, battling to keep them and not all of them were sub-prime mortgages. And we're the solid middle class.

I agree with Sparky that its going to get worse before it gets better.

[DexOnenlyCymn]

Not quite a communist takeover, but possibly a huge nationalist grassroots power grab with results like zimbabwe (forced nationalization of assets, limiting foreigners' rights). Surely you jest, would Thailand ever even dream of limiting a foreigners rights?5555

[adultcomicssitedessaa]

My wife was talking to a couple of her friends, both of whom just came back from Thailand, and neither of which knows the other. The story was similar from both, and makes me think the everyday Thai economy is heading to hell in a handbasket.

Friend number 1 told of how she was in a taxi and was forced off the road by baht buses in jomtien. the bus drivers said nobody carries passengers in their area without paying, threatening to kill the cabbie. Then they expected her to jump in their bus and pay again for the same trip. She refused. The baht bus drivers asked for 200 baht to take her 3 blocks. She is Thai, and 8 months pregnant. She asked them why they were being so unreasonable, and they said the thai mafia upped the cut that regular baht bus drivers have to pay per day and they have trouble making any money at all.

Friend number 2 had several unsettling experiences, being followed down the street and heckled for looking wealthy. Things like "you look like you have enough money, why can't you give me some?" Not your normal begging or panhandling, the lady described it as being done with venom, to the point where she felt unsafe.

Friend number 1 reported that her brothers were going on and on about how the economy's screwed up and it's the fault of the rich / westerners / bourgeois. In all seriousness they advocated taking things from the wealthy and giving them to the poor.

Friend 2 reported that the road from Rayong to Korat had 3 checkpoints where police demanded money as opposed to the normal 1.

Friend 2 also reported that hotels are desperate to fill rooms and are laying off staff.

Friend 1 reported that there are local "community organizations" (aka street gangs) doubling their protection money demands, and bars and restaurants months behind their rents everywhere you look.

I may be paranoid, but I fear that this kind of anti-wealth anger coupled with traditional thai class distinctions and the recent political chaos might breed the perfect scenario for something bad to happen. Economy collapses, everyone blames the foreigners and wealthy thais, some populist makes a move (does the name Thaksin ring a bell?). Not quite a communist takeover, but possibly a huge nationalist grassroots power grab with results like zimbabwe (forced nationalization of assets, limiting foreigners' rights).

Would not surprise me one bit

[LOVEBoy]

It all kinda sounds about right and it feels like it's gonna get worse. I read today that California is on the brink of bankruptcy, and that's a state richer than many nations.

The boss of Starbucks said his business had seen a big weakness in western Europe and, in particular, the UK economy was in a tailspin.

Factor in the trickle-down effect and if the western economies are so bad, then for sure in a place as badly managed as Thailand it aint gonna be pretty.

[NutChusty]

Let's put it this way, the amount of times I have been harassed for money by thugs using intimidating tactics in Sydney Australia over many years is not funny and I can tell you it's always an ethnic, usually Arabs or Pacific Islanders. Thailand has the same problem's with it's own thugs. Thugs are just jealous of people who have things, only the thug does not want to work for it like we have to.

[NutChusty]

FIP after your comment it's not worth the hassle, unless things change, I'm going to stay retired in Australia once I reach 50. Besides a downturn in the value of share in Australia, every thing seems to be running quite normal at the moment, people are still spending, maybe things will change in a few months in Australia if the jobless rate increases, by that time the world may have reached bottom and a recovery is in site.

[LOVEBoy]

I don't think us foreigners need to worry so much about some ''populist'' leading the poor to revolt any more than, or even as much as, the so-called middle class who tend to have dominated government so far in Thailand's history. It's the middle class that have all the entrenched interests after all.

[Rqvtwlfk]

....So my point was that the anger seems to now be against the wealthy thais as well, and this could be serious bad news if any populist numbskull tries to corral that anger into a movement that turns violent. Thailand has been very peaceful compared to its neighbors for the last 50 years, but the signs are troubling that this may not last for long. Since I am planning to retire to Thailand in the next year or so, I will definitely be watching and hoping that the mood doesn't continue to sour.

Just remember one thing - the catalyst for most of the social unrest that unleashed a lot of the devastating violence of the 20th century was economic - poor people + envy of the rich + someone telling you that you need to rise up = sticky situations in too many countries to name in the last 50 - 60 years.

I agree. This has been on my mind since coming here again last November with the intention of my wife and me living long-term in Thailand rather than in my own country, New Zealand. I realise that it is dicey to talk in generalities, but so many parts of the world seem to have become so used to seeing material growth as the natural order of things, although much more recently in Asia than in many Western countries. Since I began making connection with Thailand in 2007, I have been surprised to see the extent to which Western commercialism and life-styles have become embedded over here, not just amongst the richer Thais, but as icons of success and status among poorer people. The classical schism between rich and poor is always a potential flashpoint, but when there are surpluses governments usually have skills in sharing these around so that poorer people, who often seem to get less than a fair share, remain ‘in their place’, albeit agitated and disgruntled with their size of their piece of the cake, but not in open revolt. The big problem arises when a government has to share out deficits. The systems for distributing less are very different from those for sharing more. My concern is how the rich and well-heeled middle class Thais, who seem always to be the elite in charge of this country, will react when they see their wealth disappearing and can longer afford live up to their images of a material success. Thailand’s unstable and corrupt political system will have difficulty in defending the country against their sheer greed. A further factor which worries me is the apparent undercurrent of violence in Thai society and how far this relates to the cultural need to save face, avoid conflict and never show anger. The possible consequence of this is that if you always try to avoid controversy, you have little opportunity to learn to manage your anger in acceptable ways when it does emerge, and the result is that unpredictable violence often takes the stage. I am keeping a very close watch on events as Thailand’s economy deteriorates.
Well, now that’s off my chest, I’ll shut up and get back to work.

[cefunonge]

It seems no country is immune from the financial crisis. Things are bad here in Illinois also - the state is trying to figure out how to deal with a large budget deficit and unemployment is rising. About 12 years ago I lost my job that I had for almost 20 years and I know it's an humbling experience. You just do what you have to do - and most importantly don't give up. The economy will come back and people will regain employment - and spending will resume. Good luck to all and keep the faith.