Living under Marshal Law

No effect in my/our daily live here.
Not now, not under the coup.

The curfews was very short time, so no big problem there.

Tourist go down, that for sure, But when every thing calm more down again, it be back to normal, i am sure of it, Thailand have many things to offer people look for some relax time and fun.

The future look great for Thailand i think, IF and that a big IF, they can keep what that have starting to do.
But it take time to clan house, it take time to try and change the way "many" Thai look (Think) at things, it can´t not be done over night.


The baht is strong again and still increase, normal that a good sign for a country.

But the big IF, what happened the day the control of the country get back on the hands of the people, do the new government follow the "new way" of doing things, or do they slowly go back to what was before. 


I tell everyone that ask about Thailand, to come here, try it, and if like the country, the people, the food.
AND can meet the requirement for a long time stay, Then move, the sooner the better. If that what they want :-)
And stop worried about it.

There is coup many times in Thailand past, And i am pretty sure, the be many in the future all so, look at Thailand histories and one see if happened time after time.

Proandgo wrote:

How is it living under Marshal law?

How does it effect your everyday life with curfews, etc.
I was told tourism has tanked and this has effected everything.
What does the future look like?
I guess I am asking, if you were not already there, would you still move to Thailand or reconsider it ?

To answer your questions it is perhaps important to differentiate between a tourist and a long term stayer.

Tourism has apparently been affected(according to Thai media) but if this is true it's more likely because tourists find it harder to get insurance for countries under "martial law" than anything else like safety concerns for example. That said it is currently the low season so we will see what happens later in the year. The current government have already hinted martial law may well be recinded in tourist aeas.

As a long term stayer who does not live in a tourist area I have noticed little in the way of change. The local military have been enforcing some existing laws but these laws generally make life easier anyway.

The future? Well I don't have a crystal ball but if you take a look at Thai history you will probably discover the answer. Because what is likely to happen here in the longer term is probably going be similar to what happened after previous military intervention.

That said the new man at the helm has certainly set his stall out for dealing with corruption and the like. Personally I shall be staying here and would suggest to anyone thinking of joining me and the thousands of others expats who have a great life here to give it a go. Providing of course they meet the requirements for visas and extensions of stay.

A majority of people are not disturbed by the martial law which has been imposed since May 20, according to the result of an opinion survey by National Institute for Development Administration (Nida) published on Sunday

I was in Phuket last Sunday and all the tourist beaches like Kata, Karon and Patong were full of tourist, a lot of them Chinese though, as far as Bangkok is concerned we are blessed, nothing out of routine.

If im not mistaken this is the 23rd government overthrow and each time its about getting opposing sides in a fight to stop fighting, not to curtail the lives of people by an oppressive government, like in Hitler's Germany. Thai martial law and USA/Germany martial law wouldnt be the same thing. Martial law in USA? Wow that would be bad and Id understand your question to mean, STAY OUT because life will likely be horrible. Thai coups restore order until new elections can be held and if anything, life is better not worse.

Proandgo wrote:

How is it living under Marshal law?

How does it effect your everyday life with curfews, etc.
I was told tourism has tanked and this has effected everything.
What does the future look like?
I guess I am asking, if you were not already there, would you still move to Thailand or reconsider it ?

Unlike the other posters I live in Chiang Mai and martial law has had a major impact on many people here. I would agree with your 'tanked' comment.

Aside from the bars all closing at 1am now many long-term residents are gone due to the various 'crackdowns'. If you were living here as a Tourist doing multiple visa-runs a year you are now gone. If you were living here as a Student but not studying you are gone. If you were working without a work permit (perhaps as an English teacher) you are probably gone. Expect to hear from others about how all those people were illegals and you wouldn't have to worry about that. Perhaps that is true but the bars and restaurants and motorcycle rental shops and anyone renting condos or houses and anyone who sells flowers or the 7-11 are ALL hurting from lack of their business.

I am here on a Retirement Visa (you'll hear from others how that isn't the correct term but that is the commonly used term). I've done my 90 Day Report without any problem. As I am here completely legally I had no problems at all with immigration.

I have, however, been stopped at the military checkpoints during curfew and, once they saw my passport was in order, was send onward with only a slight delay. Many others get caught with contraband and the military prosecute them (before you could always 'work something out' with the police for minor offenses).

I would like to comment further on the difference between the military and the police and the 'damage' done to the tourist industry but that is unwise so I won't go any farther than to say I expected to live here the rest of my life but I am now looking to relocate to the Philippines despite having obtained my Retirement VISA. (watch for the response on that - lol)

Actually, if you don't drink or do anything illegal and don't own a business or expect to have any rental income and don't like the night life it will probably have a positive affect on you.

Why do you think the Philppines will be any better? I thought the political situation is not much better or has that been corrected.

Proandgo wrote:

Why do you think the Philppines will be any better? I thought the political situation is not much better or has that been corrected.

Phils is a different animal and they dont have revolts and chaos. They have had weak government at the top though ever since Marcos left, with the Presidents guilty of fraud and theft, and the inability to control the Muslim rebels, and the inability to create jobs and economic wealth, or improve infrastucture,or stop the practice of local "mafia" families running politics throughout the provinces which often results in various murders, among other problems. But for an expat, I would expect its very good living and know several who are there right now. The basic problem with Phils is the isolation and that being a group of islands is not so easy to get from city to city, something like living in Hawaii.

recklessron wrote:

Actually, if you don't drink or do anything illegal and don't own a business or expect to have any rental income and don't like the night life it will probably have a positive affect on you.

Are you saying the impact of the exodus of expats is worse than any changes in tourism?

Im in Malaysia with similar problems as Thailand expats and the past security of living is currently being ripped out. Where are the expats going, what do you see?

And what are the particulars of a "retirement visa?"

As far as I know the changes to Tourism are meant to increase the number of tourists from China but they certainly don't make it easier for tourists who want to stay longer than 60 days.

The following is NOT my opinion - I actually have no experience of this but I have heard it from many Thais: Chinese don't spend money freely. They haggle and complain about the price of things that everyone else sees as a given. Like the cost of a beer in a bar or a pack of smokes at 7-11. Also they don't tip like drunk westerners and I hear they spit too much. Thais in the service industry don't much like them. At least that is what I hear from my Thai acquaintances...

The problem with all the reforms is simply there are less consumers and the consumers that do come spend less and are tighter with their spending. Plus the night life has been curtailed. I don't know too many Canadians or Brits who want to go home from the bar at 1am when they are on holiday. Or stay quiet, while hiding in the back, after 1am - like they were criminals (which I guess, technically, they are). However I hear that isn't the case everywhere. It certainly is here in the north. Both in CM and CR.

Two quick stories:

At about 6pm I went to the Blue Bar on the east side of the klong between Loi Kroh and Tha Pae. I stayed until 7:30 and was the ONLY customer.

At 8:30pm I went to my favourite place, the Crazy German Bar, just off the east side of the klong on Chang Moi. It serves, IMHO, the best fries in Thailand and has decent schnitzel, so I go there regularly. I left around 10:30 and was the only customer.

Being the only customer I get to talk with the staff and owners. I discussed my moving to the Philippines in both places and laid out all my reasons. Nobody disagreed with any of them - the main one being that buying several condos in CM or Lampang or CR, for the purposes of rental income, was a fairly poor business decision for the foreseeable future due to the high chance of them remaining vacant for long periods of time.

I can attest to that about Chinese, all true.

Ok so where are expats going and tell me about your retirement visa and what the requirements were.

Actually the retirement visa is fairly easy to get if you meet the requirements:
1). Over 50 years old
2). 800,000 Baht in a Thai bank account for 60 day before you apply the first time and for 90 days before each annual renewal. This could also be proof of income of 65,000 Baht per month or a combination (like 400,000 + 32,500 income).
3). An annual lease agreement (I'm pretty sure ownership documentation would do but all I gave them was my lease).

Before you can apply for the retirement visa you need to be on an Non-Immigrant 90 day visa, which if you tell them you are in the process of qualifying for the retirement visa you can get very easily. I came with no visa and got 30 days as a standard tourist then did 2 visa-runs before applying for the Non-I.

(disclaimer: the terminology above may not be 100% correct so I'm sure at least one other will correct it)

As for where is everyone going? It looks, to me, like they are scattering in the wind.

Some say Vietnam, some Cambodia, some Laos, some Malaysia, some Nepal, some the Philippines and a lot are going home.

I was hoping there would be some consensus but even within countries people don't agree on which part is best.

Thanks thats really good info. I could meet those requirements---**IF* i choose to live in Thailand and at the moment im trying for Vietnam or China because it would be better for my work situation. But im researching all and appreciate specific details. Too many posts in the Blog are either general or wrong info. Im at the 11th hour and cant screw around, have to be serious now.

Both Phils and Malaysia have retirement visas but the requirements are hard for most people, higher than Thailand but similar approach. A filipino friend gave me the info and I didnt like it. When a person is rich of course there is no problem at all. Im not one of them.

(For people reading, the association of SE Asia countries called ASEAN all adopt similar rules. One starts, the others follow, or they meet to agree on agendas. Right now, the push is to get poorer expats out and rich ones in. They are all desperate for cash, and I dont mean a long-stayer who buys groceries and beer, they need the big money. Its more trouble for ASEAN to keep a beer-buyer in the system than its worth and thats why the out-push now.)

Actually the requirements for Philippines are about the same - a little easier but a little more expensive for the fee.

Here's a link to all the details.

I'll be choosing the SRRV CLASSIC visa. In Thailand I have 800,000 Baht in the bank but I'll only need $US20,000 in the Philippines. PLUS that can be changed to a $US50,000 investment - so if I buy a few condos I won't need to worry about the bank requirements. For me that's a better deal.

Right. Malaysia is us3500/mo income, plus us100,000 in the bank, plus you must buy LOCAL medical insurance which for a 50 year old will be very expensive, if you can even get it because they dont accept pre-existing conditions. It used to be much easier.

I knew somewhat about Phils, i'll check out the link, thanks.

Is marshal law affecting expats decisions to try to stay?

Undoubtedly yes.

I have been coming back and forth to Thailand for over 5 years.  I am now a resident there.  During the period prior to the latest 'coup' this country wallowed in a sea of corruption and abysmal governance. 

So far as day to day living, there is no difference that I can detect, other than an emergence of an attack by the Junta to address the various levels of corruption.  There seems to finally be a realisation that out of control corruption in government and civil private sectors, is ruining this country financially.  The figures are clear that Thailand in well and truly in a recession.

Poor spending policies particularly by the last Thaksin named government plunged the country into considerable debt, thanks to the 'blind eye' policy over corrupt activity.  It appears to me that the Junta is serious in their desire to reign in such activity.  Realistically, it will never be wiped out, as it is a world wide problem.

Lets hope they continue in their current vein and Thailand claws itself out of the current fiscal hole it is in.

The strange thing is that nobody wants a military government, or martial law, but the only times of peace people have had is after a coup. Look around, no red/yellow shirt protests. I dont understand Thai people very well. They hate whichever elected government is in power, they then protest to get rid of them, they wreck up the country, then the military takes over, they clean up the place and work to get tourism and business going again, then they step down and let elections happen, then its starts all over again.

Is it now, since 1906, 22 or 23 times of this same cycle? I dont get it, sorry.

@cvco
Welcome to the enigma that is Thailand.
Very hard to follow even after 40+ yrs of coming and going in south east asia.

hi cvco,
You and I both think alike, I am unable to understand the Thais either.  As far as I can work out, they do not understand democracy.  To them it is only democratic if their party wins!  There appears to be a general lack of understanding how the democratic process works - but they are not alone on this planet in that regard.

I am an Aussie and we have the same problems there, however, I now am living full time in Thailand.  We have Labor and Liberals as the two main parties.  Labor wins and sets about sending the country broke with needless and senseless spending.  They usually stay two terms, get voted out in comes the Libs and they fix things up for two maybe three terms, then people vote the Labor party back in and it starts all over again.

There is a very similar scenario here in Thailand.  I believe the former General of the Army who has just 'retired' will run for PM job here and will win hands down.  Maybe they can keep the country headed in the right direction?

A hole which the mad dog Suthep plunged Thailand into with the tacit support of the minority Bangkok elite. The barking general Prayuth "maybe tourists on Thailand beaches shouldn't wear bikinis". Yes, that barking mad general had this planned long ago with the approval of 'you know who'. Be very sure that the Thai electorate are just biding their time to get rid of this fascist (oh yes it is) junta. Denial of basic rights under a (albeit young) democracy will not be forgotten or forgiven. These fascists can't keep the lid on indefinitely.
As for the bar stool, coup apologists maintaining that things are more peaceful since the illegal military coup. I actually agree. For 7 months we had Mussothep and his armed thugs roaming around Bangkok threatening those in favour of democracy, closing down government offices in their pursuit of ...erm....abolition of democracy. Jeez, none so blind....
Know this; democracy with all it's faults will be snatched back from this bunch of right-wing fascists. It's just  a matter of time.

I would still go there,Thai people are mostly peaceful people,and the people are the country.The goverment or military rule for that matter is not the true reflection of Thailand.It still is the land of smiles.

Roger Rederer wrote:

A hole which the mad dog Suthep plunged Thailand into with the tacit support of the minority Bangkok elite. The barking general Prayuth "maybe tourists on Thailand beaches shouldn't wear bikinis". Yes, that barking mad general had this planned long ago with the approval of 'you know who'. Be very sure that the Thai electorate are just biding their time to get rid of this fascist (oh yes it is) junta. Denial of basic rights under a (albeit young) democracy will not be forgotten or forgiven. These fascists can't keep the lid on indefinitely.
As for the bar stool, coup apologists maintaining that things are more peaceful since the illegal military coup. I actually agree. For 7 months we had Mussothep and his armed thugs roaming around Bangkok threatening those in favour of democracy, closing down government offices in their pursuit of ...erm....abolition of democracy. Jeez, none so blind....
Know this; democracy with all it's faults will be snatched back from this bunch of right-wing fascists. It's just  a matter of time.

Whilst a military regime is far from an ideal situation, the alternatives leave a lot to be desired.    As a visitor and guest of this country, I would not be putting such opinions so strongly in print, but that is your decision.
Neither political  side can hold their heads up for their past performances, but that is for the Thais to work out.

@stumpy, yes exactly.

@mogo, your comment really hit the mark.

For four years I had a gf from Udon Thani who was politically motivated and we chatted this topic to death, as i did with others too. As an american my understanding of democracy is that 1) you vote 2) you accept the results and get on with your life until the next election.

If there are any Thais who agree with that, ive never met them. You can talk about this and they look at you momentarily with a tilted head and go back to what they were saying before. RIGHT, they love democracy only if their party wins and if it doesnt, it means the system broke down and they will get right out in the street repair that little problem.

From my point of view, it comes down to that a large number of thais have come to expect a degree of a free life handed out by populist governors like Thaksin, and other thais who think the government should pay nothing to poor people. This translates to--IMHO--the best government is the one who will force education and skill development, leading to the creating of industry so that the greatest number of people have a chance in this world to excel through hard work. Thaksin didnt help create any path for that, instead feeding laziness and ignorance in exchange for votes. He kept the majority poor by promising handouts on the backs of richer taxpayers. Red Shirts dont vote for education, they vote for $1 doctor visits and rice subsidies. Yellow shirts vote for low taxes. You cant have both and hence the split.

(But look at US, its the same thing, same argument. Obama is blasted for handing out free phones in exchange for votes; opposition says why should WE pay for those free phones?)

But the situation is complicated by long lists of factors including that both sides accuse each other of massive corruption which is real so who and how will thais ever get the government that the opposing side would accept? Im beginning to doubt its possible at all.

You know CVCO this discussion could go on for eternity and the more that joined it, the more complicated and further from the solution, it would become. 
If we look at what we are both saying and I suspect that there are many farangs here in Thailand that are saying the same thing, that we are probably better off having a beer and talk about football, baseball (in your case) or rugby in mine!

It is a sad reality that the same bow can be drawn pretty much throughout the world.  Have a look at the state of this sorry world at the moment.  WW3 -  it is here but just scattered around the planet!

Thailand has a unique attraction in that it has a viable workforce, where labour is available at sensible levels.  They would attract far more industry growth if there was political stability. If also they could lift themselves above what is going into their back pocket and seize the unlimited opportunities that lay at its feel.
I have enjoyed your sensible input into the discussion.

Hi Proandgo.

Since the marshal law has been with us I feel it's all for the better. I've spent time in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai & Sakon Nakhon since implemented & a big improvement. I guess those living in the shadows mightn't agree, but if you're happy to play by the rules everything is fine. There's a few more checkpoints if you're driving, but never a problem.

Knowing what I know from first hand experience, would I relocate again under marshal law... definitely.

Cheers.....     Mal.

Hi Aussiemal,
I have a friend who lives about 1/2 hour out of Sakon Nakon, loves it there.  You seem to be enjoying the life from the picture on your profile.
I am in Pattaya and whilst at times the traffic etc gets to me, have had a try at province life and it is just not me. 
Here you would not even know there has been a change but overall, I think the country has benefited by the coup.

Hi Mogo.
I live about 20 minutes or so from Sakon Nakhon. What direction does your friend live ?
Cheers.....     Mal.

Mogo, I agree with you, you have it right. And i agree we dont need to carry on too much about it in the forum---but over a beer? Of course.

One good thing to add to your comment. I asked Thais, do you want to work? I dont mean do you want a job, I mean how do you feel about work in general? 100% said, we want to work. I believe thats true. When General Motors opened their factory in Thailand, the managers said they were really happy with the viable work force and detailed whats good about Thai workers compared to other places.

I ask questions like that all the time and get very different answers from Malaysians, Singaporeans, Filipinos, Indonesians. I believe Thailand could excel in the world and its being held back by political machinations which absorb all the time and space and there is nothing left for the "viable population." Same in Malaysia.

WWIII? I feel like we are standing on the beach with only our toes being lapped by the tide. You look out and see the entire ocean but only your toes are wet for now.  And then, you get a stick in the back to walk forward. You resist like a reluctant prisoner in a chain gang, and another jab comes, so you walk forward.

Sorry mate, dont know have never been there, just knows he is about half an hour or so out of town.

Living under martial law?  Safest, most relaxed time I have had, living here 10 years.  Yet, if the economy goes,.........

WTF is the curfew still on in bangkok?
i was in bangkok end of may and the fakking curfew ruined my vacation,,
i will be in bangkok partying again in mid desember...
say it isnt so, what the hell is wrong with thais?

Nothing "wrong" with Thais.  We are all in the same boat, having learning experiences,  and what they learn and how they learn may be different form your experiences.  The Creator delights in variety; self-aware persons grow making individual decisions, independent of others.