How does it get to this stage?

[Bandung_Dero]

Within 2 kms of my sleepy, Isaan village we have seen 2 Farang deaths in 24 hrs. AND I did not know either, they lived in total seclusion.

#1 - A Swiss guy primarily lived in Ban Dung, was old and paid a woman from an adjacent village to care for him. She didn't want to travel into town during Songkran so bought him back to her home (well done) but he died suddenly. No one cares including any NoK he has at home, the woman has no access to his funds so a paupers cremation has been arranged at the village Wat, not going to be a pretty sight - SO NO - I will not attend.

#2 - A guy from the UK, named Richard, hung himself last night. Apparently had a son and lived in divorced relationship, he still existed in her parents home but totally isolated. According to the jungle drums (Mrs. Dero) he was absolutely potless, maxed out credit cards, burnt bridges etc. and relying on his parents for a few Pound/Baht each month. The outcome is not clear as his body has been taken to Khon Kaen for forensic examination.

I have no intention in becoming some sort of do gooding, mediator for these losers. BUT ask the question:-

Do you guys have an escape plan in place should your life goes tits up here in Isaan? I have.

[kubotatim]

Not a surprise, I know many who have no idea how to manage their lives, you try to help and advise and you may as well talk to a tree, they are totally useless individuals with no plan a let alone plan b, the loosers of this world and so many find their way here.

[old timer]

BUT ask the question:-
Do you guys have an escape plan in place should your life goes tits up here in Isaan? I have.

OT's sympathy goes to the ex pats that have recently died for one reason or another.
Your final comment in your OP which OT has highlighted above is purely a way of airing your own cockey self which is totally unnecessary. To answer your question:
The only reason I can see that an escape plan for UM members would be necessary is if the Thai Government kicked out all farangs, similar to what Idi Amin did to the Indians in Uganda years ago and highly unlikely to happen in Thailand.
If the marriage relationship came to an end it's easy to relocate in Udon and find a new WFB if required.
The ex pats living in UD and members on UM have steady reliable incomes so money is not an issue. If the law is broken and you get kicked out of LOS that might cause some problems but again, very unlikely.
So what do you want people to say Bandung Dero? I think some of your own insecurities are creeping in looking at your OP.

OT..................

[bumper]

Were the embassy's contacted in the deaths?

My retirement goes where I go so I don't worry about it much. If you look at what I use I really don't own a thing. My wife does pretty good though

The one guy seemed to have some sort of plan. Being a recluse is OK Not making sure someone knows to contact the Embassy, might have been a mistake. I doubt that he cares.

The Brit you spoke of doesn't not much different then our home countries. People commit suicide all the time no matter where you are.

As OT pointed out we for the most part have steady incomes, they don't toss out Chinese for taking a dump on the floor. Why the P.M. made it very clear they have money. So I doubt mush to worry about. They will game us from time to time. like come back in 30 days for your visa. I don't care I can come back in 30 days. This is my slow time of year just to hot. to do outside activities.

I don't keep all my money in Thailand a so a quick trip to Lao and I'm out of here. The first coup made me ask the question you presented. I doubt I will ever need to do anything.

[jackspratt]

BUT ask the question:-
Do you guys have an escape plan in place should your life goes tits up here in Isaan? I have.

OT's sympathy goes to the ex pats that have recently died for one reason or another.
Your final comment in your OP which OT has highlighted above is purely a way of airing your own cockey self which is totally unnecessary. To answer your question:
The only reason I can see that an escape plan for UM members would be necessary is if the Thai Government kicked out all farangs, similar to what Idi Amin did to the Indians in Uganda years ago and highly unlikely to happen in Thailand.
If the marriage relationship came to an end it's easy to relocate in Udon and find a new WFB if required.
The ex pats living in UD and members on UM have steady reliable incomes so money is not an issue. If the law is broken and you get kicked out of LOS that might cause some problems but again, very unlikely.
So what do you want people to say Bandung Dero? I think some of your own insecurities are creeping in looking at your OP.

OT..................

You know nothing about BD's circumstances or motivations OT - I do.

He is one of the least insecure, and most helpful, farangs I know in this part of Thailand. He recognises that things can quickly go tits-up, and has made the necessary arrangements to minimise the problems for his family (local, and in Oz) when/if this happens.

Clearly, many other farangs have not - which is what the Dero is on about.

You need to pull your head in.

[Bandung_Dero]

<snip>
So what do you want people to say Bandung Dero? I think some of your own insecurities are creeping in looking at your OP.

OT..................

You really are piece of work. Got NO idea WTF your on about, labour in some god forsaken hole in the Earth (probably because no half intelligent employer would take you on in the real world) and pollute this site with your crap.
Really hope you eventually retire to Thailand with a plan (and more maturity) or you'll be knackered like a large percentage of the rest of em!

[plumbers]

OT seems to have hit a nerve !!!! you sound a vile nasty piece of work.

[jai yen yen]

Not a surprise, I know many who have no idea how to manage their lives, you try to help and advise and you may as well talk to a tree, they are totally useless individuals with no plan a let alone plan b, the loosers of this world and so many find their way here.

That is a bit harsh, there are many reasons a person can end up broke and or in a bad situation. It does not mean they are the losers of the world.

[fatbob]

I also have an exit plan and have had for the past eighteen years and have used it three times. This is the last country I wish to be destitute in, I have seen to many stuff up with no back up plan what so ever, even though I consider this place home I am still and will always be a visitor with no rights, even though I pay tax here. Everyone with half a brain should have an exit plan!

[kubotatim]

Not a surprise, I know many who have no idea how to manage their lives, you try to help and advise and you may as well talk to a tree, they are totally useless individuals with no plan a let alone plan b, the loosers of this world and so many find their way here.

That is a bit harsh, there are many reasons a person can end up broke and or in a bad situation. It does not mean they are the losers of the world.

It does to me, when you can see their shortfalls try to advise them and they totally ignore good advise. Losers.

[BobHelm]

I also have an exit plan and have had for the past eighteen years and have used it three times. This is the last country I wish to be destitute in, I have seen to many stuff up with no back up plan what so ever, even though I consider this place home I am still and will always be a visitor with no rights, even though I pay tax here. Everyone with half a brain should have an exit plan!

Agree coxo.
It would be stupid not to at least have the basics of a plan of what to do if things went pear shaped here.
These are volatile times in Thailand & the region in general.
Even without the coup & the elephant in the room that cannot be discussed on an open forum, no one knows what sort of impact ASEAN is likely to have on Thailand & how the Thai leadership will react to those changes.

[Zidane]

Yes,you should have a plan B,just in case.
Guys who get a company or private pension will be fine.....guys who rely on a government pension will certainly need other assets like savings.
I cant understand people who live out here without a regular monthly income.Maybe they sell their property back home or have redundancy money but once the money runs out they are shafted !
Blokes that come over here expecting a South Sea paradise with innocent young women wearing just grass skirts get one hell of a shock !
There are more farangs "on their uppers" in Thailand than you might think.
The song "Low Budget" by The Kinks sums it up.....

"We're all on our uppers,we're all going skint,
I used to suck cigars but now I suck Polo mints,
..................I'm on a low budget."

[pomps]

The kinks were excellent,anyways thawt loads of people open bars,restaurants,become teachers etc to suppliment their income.
Now orf to listen to some Kinks

[Zidane]

I'm not on about the guys who work,pomps.I'm talking about the guys who come out here with some dosh that runs out and they have no income to fall back on.....

Anyway,The Kinks....many great songs....probably my favourite is "Sunny Afternoon".......and its going to be a sunny scorching afternoon in Udonsville today,readers,with temperatures forecast to be 40c 104 f.

All together now.....

"Sunny Afternoon"

" The tax man's taken all my dough,
And left me in my stately home,
Lazing on a sunny afternoon.
And I can't sail my yacht,
He's taken everything I've got,
All I've got's this sunny afternoon.

Save me, save me, save me from this squeeze.
I got a big fat mama trying to break me.
And I love to live so pleasantly,
Live this life of luxury,
Lazing on a sunny afternoon.
In the summertime
In the summertime
In the summertime

My girlfriend's run off with my car,
And gone back to her ma and pa,
Telling tales of drunkenness and cruelty.
Now I'm sitting here,
Sipping at my ice cold beer,
Lazing on a sunny afternoon.

Help me, help me, help me sail away,
Well give me two good reasons why I oughta stay.
'Cause I love to live so pleasantly,
Live this life of luxury,
Lazing on a sunny afternoon.
In the summertime
In the summertime
In the summertime

Ah, save me, save me, save me from this squeeze.
I got a big fat mama trying to break me.
And I love to live so pleasantly,
Live this life of luxury,
Lazing on a sunny afternoon.
In the summertime
In the summertime
In the summertime "

[plumbers]

Some ex pats here are ok , the great majority seem to have personality problems or chips on their shoulders .
Thailand attracts men that think wrongly coming here they can leave their problems behind .
As aThai lady once told me farang can buy a house tell her she not have to work but he can never win her heart .
Life in Thailand has opened my eyes to how desperate people can be in their search for love and security .
It is also very easy to go from being Mr Loads of money and ending up in the gutter and when things do go wrong .
Then the it gives bored sad expats a oppertunity to gloat and ridicule on sites like this .
Coxo is right , we are only guests also if you are a drunk sex tourist or decent citizen we are all the same in Thai eyes
foolish farangs .

[bumper]

Plummers. fair assessment I would say. Government retirement plans come in many different colors and not all will fail.

I have three plans. Can they all fail of course, not likely though. As to my wife get life insurance and a stipend from the Veterans Administration.

When I closed the door I closed it. I knew there would be times I would wonder if I did the right thing. Still do at times. This is not paradise, no place is and it is up to you to do the best you can with what you got. If your in financial trouble, easy to do here. Probably not a great idea to be spending money on beer. Lets face i folks booze is a depressant. I drink not often but when I want one I have it. I sit boundaries for myself, I don't drink when I'm angry or depressed. If you can't sit a plan to that extent you might have a problem. But, that is your call not mine.

It's not only money that can get you down here, most of us come from a working career that filled a lot of our time and provided friendships. We had children and that took up time. All of sudden you wake up one day with nothing you need to do. Making close friends became much more difficult. If you have been in Thailand for any length of time, you have gotten burnt in some way by someone you thought was a friend.

The n more this tings pile up the more you tend to stay in the cave. There are things to do, if you create them. Nothing is going to beat a path to you. Or maybe the cave becomes a bar. That has it's own dangers if you can't control it.

There are many reasons people decide to become an expat, it's always money it's not always women. Me it was time to control my own destiny as much as possible. If it ha been Thailand there were other options. I came here with a third of my current income and three suitcases I can leave the same way. I don't pay cash for large items. Hence if they kick me out they cam make the payments cause I'm sure no going to do it.

So how does it get to the point of killing yourself, when you have lost all hope, or maybe your just tired of the struggle I don't know. Hell I'm 68, of course I have experienced despair and have felt like I had been beaten down nothing. Most of us have. Why did I survive I got through a day and did another each day till things changed.

These things are not about just Thailand they happen world wide. What drives a person to that extent actually depends on the individual. What might put one guy in that position, might no mean a thing to another.

When it came to women here never really cared if they loved me still don't. I do care how they treat me. I have control of how much I will take, no one else does. When I first got here I showed a lot of ladies is where the front door, when I saw the game.

Does that mean I have a perfect relationship for me hell no. But, I do have one worth working toward better things.

So ot not Thailand that causes people to off themselves, it's in them.

[noosard]

A man of reason

[Bandung_Dero]

OT seems to have hit a nerve !!!! you sound a vile nasty piece of work.

If semi retiring at 50 in 1999, then permanently retiring in 2003 at 54 and being a 100% self funded retiree as well as having steadily increased my asset base, even though 2009 collapse, hits a nerve so be it.

The last thing I am is insecure, BUT in saying that who knows when the next global/financial collapse may happen along with the consequences. I have a number of plans in place and so should you. IMHO --- depending on any sort of government pension, no matter where you are from, should be carefully considered as we all know the goal posts are continually moving.

[glalt]

I would advise everyone to have a plan "B". I am happily married and have been for about eleven years. I live in HER house upcountry and after ten years here she is not likely to kick me out. That said, one never knows. I keep my Jomtien condo (in my name) and happily pay the 600 baht a month maintenance. I could rent it out or sell it but why should I? I'm by no means wealthy but my pensions allow me to have a comfortable lifestyle. I also have an emergency fund if ever needed. Hopefully my children will inherit my US nest egg. Thailand is a great place to retire but it would be miserable if you are destitute.

I do go down and stay in my condo when I want a change of scenery. I like to drink beer with my old friends who are still there but unfortunately my aching old body just refuses to tolerate much alcohol. I have to go easy because of that.

[Bandung_Dero]

Just to report the Swiss guy had his cremation this afternoon here in the village. Mrs Dero went to support her friend who was caring for him, apparently there was a bigger than expected attendance including some Swiss friends who flew up from Bangkok. That was nice.

RIP