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Appeal of SEA to Westerners
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Who wants to get settled in SouthEast Asia and why?
vikramasia
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Who wants to get settled in SouthEast Asia and why?
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Depends on the country and your personal motivation. This is my analysis Singapore – a business city for single young expats climbing the corporate ladder of a multinational who need to gain experience of the “Asian office”. Usually a relatively short tenure. English is the official language Malaysia – much the same as Singapore but lower cost of living so many decide to settle/retire there. Family-friendly. Bahasa Malaysia is the official language but most folks speak passable English. Indonesia – (Bali and Lombok) generally a destination for retirees who like the slow pace of life and the abundance of western recreational diversions aimed at tourists. English widely spoken but not universal. Indonesia – (elsewhere) not really an expats first choice other than for those who are posted to the big cities for a short duration (similar to Singapore) or those who want to start a new life in the rural areas and to get away from Western civilisation completely. You will need to learn Bahasa Indonesia in order to survive. Thailand – I am suspicious of the true motives of many expat retirees in Thailand. They go on about the low cost of living and “friendliness” of the Thais and this is true enough, but the language barrier is huge. I know a few guys who are long-term Thailand residents and without exception its really about cheap sex. A few expats start their own tourist businesses such as PADI diving schools, boat hire, backpacker hostels, beer bars etc and are happily married to Thai women but they seem to be in a minority. English is confined to the big cities. Philippines – similar to Thailand but less of a language barrier. However its quite dangerous as Filipinos can have explosive tempers and life is cheap. Sometimes the European follows his Filipina wife back to her home town but the marriage rarely lasts when he discovers that he has to support her entire family. English widely spoken. Cambodia – even worse than Thailand. Paradise for pedophiles. There are many child protection NGO’s working there and the expats often get involved with these, some with good motives some not so good. Little or no english ability except for toursit enclaves like Siam Reap. Myanmar/Laos – presumably the expat dreams of becoming a monk. Can’t think of any other reason to want to settle there. Similar to rural Indonesia as a get-away-from civilisation destination. Little or no English ability except in 4–5 star hotels. Please note that these are my own personal opinions and are somewhat stereotypical. But I have visited all of SE Asia over the years and thats what I found. I chose Malaysia.
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Good weather, low cost but high quality of life, good transport networks, etc. Depends where you settle many countries with pluses and minuses Thailand Plus Great local food Easy retirement visa Great weather and beaches Moderate cost of living Good affordable private health care Nice capital city and excellent international airport Reasonable transport networks Minus Corruption and incompetence in public and private sector. Passive racism to all foreigners (and when they think no-one is looking, not so passive) Retirees 2nd class citizens Military junta/little democracy Poor English skills Lowsy drivers Phillipines Plus Very low cost of living Good English speakers Democracy Good beaches Lot of western food available Cheap basic private healthcare Minus Lots of Corruption and incompetence in public and private sector. Complex retirement visa (but renewable visitors visa upto 2 years) Crap capital city and main international airport Lots of violent crime Very (hypocritical) religious (predominately Catholic) Lowsy local food Lowest drivers Bad weather half the year. Malaysia Plus Excellent affordable healthcare Good local food Wide variety of western food Excellent transport infrastructure Great capital city and international airport. Excellent English language skills Multi-culteral society Good weather and beaches Minus Moderately expensive cost of living Expensive retirement visa (but renewable 3 month visitor's visa) Corrupt but improving Predominately Muslim culture so conservative and repressive Little too hot in some places (36+ degrees c) Unequal society (Muslim Malaysia first) Cambodia Plus Very easy long-term visa (business) Lots of expats in capital Laid-back lifestyle Low cost of living Minus Cant drive, just move vehicles and hope for best. Basic capital city but still better than provinces Lots of corruption (law and order a joke) and incompetence. Dictatorship, no democracy at all. Foreigners fair game to corrupt local officials, no rights/second class citizens. Poor private healthcare except for most expensive Lowsy local food Expensive western food Poor English skills