Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing foreigners with a "vested interest" in Thailand. I thought of making this video after reading a recent comment on a video I made regarding the foreign perception so-called of the Thai elections. I stand by that video, I know that I got a little bit of criticism and I understand the criticism by the way. I've been a foreigner in Thailand; I understand the foreign perspective on Thailand, but I do stand by that. Thai internal matters are her own and that is the way it is. When we have an election in the US nobody asks, "hey what was the Argentine perspective on US elections?" it just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. 

In any event, after making that video there was a comment on there. Quoting directly: “The article seems to be discussing the “perception of the election” regarding foreign investors. I understand the sentiment that the average foreigner shouldn’t care. However it is fair to say that any foreign entity with vested interest in Thailand certainly has a right to care," stop there. You may have a right to care but that is your own business, whatever that means. Quoting further: "Perhaps the Thai Government should consider that perception, as fear could easily lead people to divest from the Kingdom." Well, I have never liked that whole "well you need to worry about what is going on inside your country because if not we might", well okay what does that mean? Is that, I hesitate to say is that a threat but it seems to have ominous undertones and for what? Because Thailand wants to set her own course? I don't get it. Quoting further: "That's my take from the article. I'd like to hear your thoughts on the distinction between the average foreigner and those with vested interest in the country."

Well here is my perspective. I had a vested interest in this country for 10 years as a foreigner and there is a vested risk associated with that. I came out here and did business; I invested money knowing full well that I had circumscribed rights and I had circumscribed benefits compared to locals. That was just a fact. Now there were certain benefits that I had that maybe other nationalities didn't have most notably the benefits conferred under the US-Thai Treaty of Amity granting national treatment to Americans looking to do business here which was a major benefit. For that I am eternally grateful to both the United States my country of birth, and Thailand my adopted nation now. But yeah, that was still a relatively mild benefit compared to my relative posture versus for example a Thai wishing to do business in Thailand because at the end of the day it wasn't my country. At the end of the day I was here as a foreign national and at the end of the day, all foreign nationals in Thailand are in this Thailand at the sufferance of Thais, at the sufferance of Thailand, of this country. I don't think Thais go out of their way to cause any foreigners any problems, in fact quite the opposite. I think Thais are quite accommodating of foreigners looking to both live, work and do business here. But at the end of the day it is their country, they do things their way and you are taking on an inherent risk when doing business here if you are a foreigner because it is not your country. That is part and parcel of what it means to be an expat in my opinion. I mean in a way not to sound too romantic about it, but that is kind of part of the adventure of it is taking that risk on. So yes I am certainly sympathetic. As I said, I have been a foreigner in Thailand; I understand a foreigner's perspective but at the end of the day the notion that Thais should somehow place foreigners sort of on the same posture as themselves, I think that's very problematic and I think that has been borne out in other countries who have allowed foreign nationals to come in and perhaps take too much of an advantage of those countries. 

So at the end of the day, that's my take on it is yes foreigners who have a vested interest in Thailand certainly, obviously they should care about their interests but at the end of the day, before even coming in here you need to understand, there are inherent risks associated with doing business or living or working in a place that isn't your home country.