Transcript of the above video:

The title of this video might not be very clear to folks when I just say "Hey the Gulf of Thailand isn't the Caribbean." I will get into why I am saying this here in a moment. I thought of making this video after reading a recent article from the Pattaya Mail, that is pattayamail.com, the article is titled: Both the Cambodian and the Thai 10-year golden visas have fallen flat. Quoting directly: "Golden Investments, which specializes in residency and citizenship by investment, said "The most successful schemes, for example in some Caribbean countries, offer clear advantages - notably a second passport - in return for a cash sum." But neither the Thai nor the Cambodian 10-year visas attract specific markets and both are blurry around the edges." The spokesman suggested that Thailand should expand the right to a Digital Work Permit for self-employment without having Thai partners whilst Cambodia should clarify its half promise of a second passport and increase the options for investment." Well as a Thai, you know what? This Golden Investments person can, you know? Great, that's interesting insight. I'm not going to say anything negative but long story short, why should Thailand have to expand Digital Work Permits at the end of the day? There are plenty already of programs that exist in Thailand to cater to foreign nationals looking to come here to live and work. Let me be clear, I am an advocate for foreign nationals coming to Thailand but there are multiple methods already available and quite honestly most of them are quite a bit cheaper than all of these so-called golden investments, and golden visas and golden passports and everything.

Meanwhile, the other thing that honestly, Southeast Asia isn't the Caribbean; the Gulf of Thailand is not the Caribbean. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with the Caribbean but for example in the case of Thailand specifically, Thailand has a vibrant economy; it has a robust industrial economy; it has a growing tech sector which based on foreign direct investment is going to grow more which by the way those investors are going to have visas of one form or another that are going to be very conducive to them working and living in Thailand. But this whole notion, and I think this came about during COVID because obviously tourism went way down and we have already talked about that and travel was not easy so the sort of foreign money that was coming to Thailand prior to quarter 2 of 2020, it dried up and I think to their credit, many officials in Thailand started looking for options to woo and attract foreign investors, high net worth individuals, foreign retirees. That was a good idea and I applaud them for doing that. But this sort of notion that Thailand is akin to Dominica or St. Lucia insofar as it needs to really be thinking about issuing a passport by investment program or residents by investment program it's just comparing apples to bowling balls. It's not a valid comparison at the end of the day and again this is why I would say look Southeast Asia it's a different kettle of fish than talking about the Caribbean or even South America. South America is probably more analogous to Southeast Asia especially sort of Northern Southeast Asia, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam even Malaysia. Yeah it is a little different when you get out to Indonesia and the Philippines. Those jurisdictions have their own concerns and they do things their own way but sort of land-based Southeast Asia if you will does things a different way, a little bit. I mean it's shades of gray. 

Long story short I'm just not understanding the analogy between the Caribbean and the Gulf of Thailand, it's not a valid analogy and at the end of the day while I do think it is a good idea to have multiple programs out there for foreign nationals, I don't think Thailand should feel compelled at this point to act like it is customer service or something that we need to just be accommodating every little whim of anybody that wants to come work in this region. Again I'm an advocate for people that want to come work in this region. There are ways to do it, and quite honestly they are very reasonably priced and they are very effective but this notion that Thailand needs to sort of bend over backwards to this end, I just don't see that it is valid.