Should I Stay, or Should I Go?

Since the recent political decisions, many of us are considering leaving Thailand, so I thought you might like to hear my views on the problems confronting us all. My wife is urging me to go – anywhere but Thailand. But I haven’t made any decision as I have several options open to me before I take such a drastic step.

Let’s assume that my options all dry up, where would I go?

Good question. Having lived in Asia most of my life, and living in Thailand so long, I feel more Asian than anything else. Even my brother thought so during a recent visit when he said, “You are very Thai, Marc.” When you think about it, that’s not a bad compliment….or is it?

So, if I want to stay in Asia where would be the best place to go? First, I would have to consider the business conditions, availability of visa and work permit, quality of life, and schooling for my kids. I thought Viet Nam sounded good, and it is still an option. However, it is only at the development stage Thailand was when I arrived here in 1978. I’ve been through all the explosive growth stages and I’m not sure I want to do that again. Plus, I would have to learn French and Vietnamese. My French in high school wasn’t bad, but I’ve forgotten most of it. And learning another Asian language is going to be a real chore. Add in the socialist state and the limitations that imposes and I’m not sure I would feel comfortable there. However, I have not crossed it off my list for the time being.

As my company has enjoyed Board of Investment promotional privileges for the last eight years, I have not had to worry about visas and work permits. But the promotion runs out at the end of the year. If I can get a new promotion for a further eight years, that would be the best option and I would stay in Thailand and wait it out and have time to see where the country is headed. I have seen so many changes over the years, some good, some bad. If you are patient everything works out in the end – at least it has up to now. I think time will resolve our current worries. I am not making any decision in a hurry. If we can stay here my daughter can stay at her school, and continue her career as successful young model making money that will pay for her education. Let’s hope my application to BOI is successful. I am currently waiting for their decision.

If they don’t approve it, perhaps my best option is Malaysia. They are offering companies like mine similar investment privileges to BOI, but they give a 10-year period and better inducements. As I went to high school in Penang, I would enjoy living back there again. I know the country and the people, and even speak a smattering of Malay still. I could easily zip back over to Thailand whenever I feel the need to go a little crazy. So Malaysia is definitely at the top of the list.

As my mother is well into her 80’s now she is not going to be around for long, so she was asking if I would go back and live with her in her final years. She wanted to have my kids around (not sure if she wanted me in her hair again too. [grin])

A call to the Australian embassy and some research on the Internet soon put paid to that idea. I have always traveled on my British passport and because I have been away from Australia for so long I no longer have resident status. So I would have to immigrate there all over again. It could take up to two years with no guarantee that my application would be approved. My mother could be gone by then. So we will visit her sometime this year instead for a short holiday.

The biggest complication to immigrating to Australia is the fact that I am married to a Thai. Apparently, if I get a family visa it extends to her whole family, and the embassy told me this would be a big impediment. Even if I guaranteed that only my immediate family would be immigrating, that is not enough. It seems my wife’s family could immigrate there piggybacking on our visa any time they like. Strange, but true. Another impediment is my age. As I am close to retirement age they don’t want to be responsible for my medical care and social service privileges. So even though I have lived and worked there, voted, paid my taxes, and served in their armed forces, it is not enough for them to welcome me with open arms. Perhaps these are all good reasons for me not to try immigrating there anyway.

My next option was to travel back to Europe on my British European Union passport, which gives me the right to live in any EU country. The trouble is, most of the EU speaks foreign languages, so that leaves the UK and Ireland. The UK is not the place I left as a kid. Every Brit I have talked to has told me horror stories of high prices for everything, intrusive government, high taxes, too many immigrants who are not trying to integrate and taking advantage of the social security and national health systems, and so on.

So that leaves Ireland. As it is my family ancestral home and I still have some family there, it sounds like a good possibility. I can apply for an Irish passport for me and my daughters, so I would only have to worry about getting my wife in as an immigrant. Add to this the current explosive growth of the IT industry in Ireland, and I would have no trouble doing my business there. Everyone speaks English. The country is beautiful, clean, and efficient. Looking better all the time. The only things that bother me about it would be the cold weather, and the high cost of living. But these are not big concerns, so Ireland is high on my list.

You may already know that I am in the property business here, but I also run a very successful IT company building websites and writing software for clients around the world. So moving away from Thailand would not impact on that business at all. In fact, a move to somewhere like Ireland may even give me access to bigger and richer markets.

The big question though is do I want to go back to live in the West? After living so long in Asia could I make the transition and enjoy life over there? A very difficult question to answer. My wife seems to think she would be able to live there easily, but she doesn’t really understand what it’s like to live in the west as opposed to going there for a short holiday. Our maid is currently away doing her family farm work this month and my wife has to do all the housework. She’s not a happy camper about that. She would not have any servants over in Ireland, so she would probably tire of living over there pretty quickly. I’d hate to take the family over there and end up having to flee back to Asia, as one of my friends did last year. He returned to Germany. One winter in Bavaria was enough. He’s now back here struggling to catch up to his previous situation. His example is always in the back of my mind. So I have kept Ireland on the list, but I am considering my other options first.

If you have already read my latest submissions about the current state of affairs you will understand why I, and many others, are considering leaving. I love Thailand and I always thought I would die here. But Thaksin and the latest government have caused serious concern and many of us foreigners are feeling very skittish. We all have to make decisions on whether to stay or go based on our own situation. It’s a shame it’s come to this. As one friend of mine said, the party is over and it’s time to go home. But for me the question is, where is home?