absolutelyBangkok archive · Being farang
Originally published March 20, 2009
Does Thailand still work for you? It does for me. The food, the weather, the people you can’t resist. A yearly trip back home to see the family is important. But fewer and fewer friends left and ever new laws are enough to make me want to hop on the very next plane back to Thailand.
Regular power failures in Thailand? Chaotic traffic? Floods? Couldn’t care less. One of Thailand’s major beauties remains her refreshing immatureness combined with the “unintentional” deregulation. I mean unintentional because the intention for change would be here.
Thailand has some of the most advanced laws to protect the environment. Implementation though… Still, if you’re here since some years you observe a gradual Westernization of Thai society. Regulations get streamlined, there are new laws against this and for that. With positive results. Bangkok gets dressed up. The downside?
More and more regulation aims at the very heart of Thailand’s easy-going charms. If the Thai government gets its way even property will get taxed. Something that’s as normal as night and day in industrialized countries to fund not only social policies remains a hot Thai potato.
Thailand untaxed property is just one of her poisoned freedoms. Poisoned as the poor in reverse remain neglected and the ones who are supposed to have money are taxed even higher for their supposed luxury lifestyle — just to mention taxes on wine, cars or anything you get shipped to Thailand.
But Thailand catches up slowly with the rest or the world. If you want an advanced society based on more justice and more equality and social responsibility the days of the tropical Wild West better be numbered.
I know, you prefer it the way it is… Difficult, isn’t it. On the one hand you demand progress, on the other you love the old flexibility…
Either way, even a more regulated Thailand will still let people be, mostly.
And that’s what it’s all about.
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