Visa hurdles forcing decent big-spending expats out

I submit the amount would dwarf income from any other source, including rice or seafood exports. There are the tens of billions for everyday farang expenses with receipts (cars, houses, rents, restaurants, etc), but there are also billions in under-the-table expenditures without receipts, like sin-sod (dowries), prostitutes, bars, bribes, payments to police at vehicle stops, etc.
It’s ironic that, with the increasingly draconian requirements for visa renewals, Thai officials are compelling many resident farang to pack up and leave for good. It’s understandable to want to try and weed out bad people, but 99.8 per cent of resident farang are decent folks, bothering no one. They’re usually middle aged or elderly men who just want to relax and spend their pension in Thailand without hassles. Thai officialdom should make visa issues easier rather than increasingly difficult.
Kip Keino