The Greek philosopher Heraclitus argued that no man could step into the same river twice, because it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man. Just as the water he once stepped into has been swept further downstream, the sediment beneath his feet overturned, so have a thousand small changes altered him—his skin has been quietly shed and regrown, his hair fallen out and grown back, and above all else his knowledge and experiences have forever altered the way he sees the world.
It’s a useful analogy to explain the fact that the universe and everything in it is in a perpetual state of change, and thus used by many populist Buddhist writers to explain a concept considered fundamental to their religion. Everything is changing, constantly, even things that seem perpetual and unchanging—a river, a person, even a nation. In many ways, you can’t step into the same Thailand twice.
I first moved here in 2010—a mere twinkling in time for many countries—and what a different place Thailand was even then. The BTS line terminated at On Nut, and thus was considered the end of civilization for many expats—although much of the extension was nearing completion. Asok junction still largely consisted of squat, 1970s shophouses, Indian tailors and pawnshops, the only exception the high-rise Exchange Tower—almost all of which has long been swept away, to be replaced by high-end hotels and the futuristic, crystalline edifice of the Terminal 21 shopping mall.
My own accommodation was located out in the suburbs along Krungthep-Nonthaburi Road. Back then construction had recently began on the MRT Purple Line, a high-fenced building site splitting the road down its middle, giving it a narrow, cramped air. Dusty shophouses spilled their wares on to crumbling pavements, and speeding motorcycles reared up from behind at frighteningly frequent intervals, forcing me to dive for shelter in the shadowy alcoves of a mechanic’s shop or hairdressers on my occasional jaunts to the local market.
Recently I was taking a taxi along a spacious, airy, tree-lined avenue, full of new condominium developments and shiny new shopping centers, and it wasn’t until I recognized the now slightly forlorn market along the railway lines from which I once bought kai yan did I realize we were cruising along a road I’d once called home. In the hyper-accelerated speed of Thai development, my own time living there felt like a different geological epoch—as if you could dig a little into the soil beneath the condo gardens and find a layer of dusty shophouses and crumbling pavements.
Thailand is changing, then—and changing fast. As we’ve seen repeatedly throughout this book, the changes are far more than skin-deep. New industries are proliferating as older industries decline. Business practices are becoming more relaxed. Innovation and creativity are the watchwords for the future.
The Thai government are well aware of this cultural shift, and have recently been promoting their Thailand 4.0 economic model in response (for the curious, Thailand 1.0 emphasized agriculture, Thailand 2.0 focussed on light industry and Thailand 3.0 on heavy industry). 96 Thailand 4.0 aims to create a knowledge-based economy, no longer relying on its car factories and rice exports to secure its future, but instead focussing on research, science, technology and critical thinking.
Thailand’s problem, you see, is not that it is changing—rather that it risks falling behind if it does not change enough. As a country develops, it risks falling into what economists call the middle-income trap—too wealthy to compete with poorer countries—whose economies rely on low-wage heavy industry—and not wealthy enough to compete with countries whose economies rely on innovation and technology. If stuck in this middle-income trap for too long a country risks stalling completely, its economy stagnating. 97
What role, then, will the humble expat have to play in all this?
The good news is that it’s probably an important one. Foreign experts have played a role in many stages of Thailand’s development for a long, long time. From as far back as the 1890s, Thailand has relied on foreign advisors to help shape many of their institutions. French lawyers advised the Ministry of Justice, German engineers the Railway Department, Danes assisted the Navy, the British the Ministry of Finance. 98
As we’ve seen from talks with some of our expats, this is a proud tradition that continues up until this day. From scientific advisers to experts in oil and gas, there are plenty of foreigners working at the cutting edge of Thailand’s development. And why not? Thailand is in the enviable position of being a country many foreigners are more than happy to move to by choice—why not make the most of all that knowledge and information flocking to the country’s pristine shores and emerald-green mountains?
Thailand’s business community is also well aware of this, and as mentioned previously Thailand’s Cabinet—under pressure from said community—endorsed a plan to offer four-year visas to highly-skilled professionals. Dubbed the Smart Visa, this generous new stamp will allow the bearer to stay and work in Thailand with their spouse and children for up to four years without ever needing to apply for a work permit. Gone, too, will be the dreaded 90-day check—instead those with a Smart Visa will have to present themselves at an Immigration Bureau once a year. If all goes to plan (and this being Thailand, it’ a big “if”), the new visa will be available for investors, startup entrepreneurs, high-level executives or highly skilled professionals in the near future. 99
Around the same time, the Labour Department made the announcement that many expats have been eagerly awaiting for as far back as anyone can remember—they were seriously considering putting an end to the dreaded forbidden occupations law. “It’s a law that’s been used for a long time,” Labor Department head Waranon Pitiwan announced. “In the present time, society has changed, so policies must change. Some jobs that were forbidden may be relaxed so that foreign investors, technicians and academics can come to work here more easily.”
For the time being, relaxing the regulations appears to be aimed primarily at migrants from Thailand’s neighboring countries (Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar) rather than professional expats from the developed world—the Labour Department gave the example of the construction industry, which currently prevents foreign migrants from any jobs besides manual labor. The Department was quick to add that a few higher-end professions, such as architecture and law, would continue to remain technically off-limits to foreigners due to their qualification exams (for which only Thai nationals can apply). 100 However, at the very least such changes appear to be a step in the right direction for many expats keen to work here.
As we’ve already seen, however, these changes rarely come without their growing pains. There are many out there who are not quite as enamored with all this change. Some are the captains of the old industries, who are less than willing to see the businesses they spent a lifetime building rendered worthless. Others are staunch traditionalists who question the direction their country is taking. These people, too, need a place in this brave new world—and it’s the unenviable task of those in politics to keep them satisfied while also embracing the new.
Another key Buddhist concept, and one fairly fundamental to Thai culture, is that of the middle path—never to fall pray to extremes, to always seek compromise and harmony where possible. The government, then, will seek a way to push through their vision for Thailand 4.0—but not to bulldoze over the old guard in the process. Some of the legislation that results will be frustrating to many, but then that’s Thailand.
The future for expats in Thailand, then, is uncertain. It’s possible that all of these reforms will eventually come to nothing. Equally, it’s possible that the future will be a much brighter place, with a freer exchange of ideas and talent and where dedicated foreigners can continue to carve a life out for themselves in the Kingdom.
One thing is for certain—the Thailand you step into in the future will be a different place, with different challenges and different opportunities. And just as we’ve seen with the expats in this book, it’s those who can accept the changes and meet these challenges and opportunities head-on that will succeed.