Hi guys, I'm a Brit expat retiree who has been living in Thailand for the last 7 years. I'm getting a bit fed up with the place plus the political situation here is quite uncertain. What are the advantages in moving to Cambo?

How easy is it to get a long term visa?
what about work permits?
What are the costs to rent a 2 bed bungalow?
Can I bring my dog along, what innoculations would he need?
Best area to stay? I fancy Snooky as it looks nice there.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

If you think the political situation is uncertain in Thailand, then you had better check to see how uncertain it is going to be here in the next few years in regards to the up and coming elections.

In regards to your dog from Thailand, if you bring him/her, will it understand the Cambodian dogs. My understanding of Thai dogs is they will bark at anything and everyone that moves, whereas the Cambodian dogs will continue to sleep even when you run over them in you moto.

Snooky is a good place to retire and pass away those last years of you life , but check out the thread and posts on the expat deaths first,
[ cannot find the link ]

OP I have been in your situation for years and I have been tempted many times to move across the border. But something has prevented me every time. there are many factors that prevented me from moving even back in 2007/2008 when I started thinking the way you are thinking now. I was questioning even back then whether there would be enough police resources especially in Sihanoukville to deal with an increasing crime rate.
And then coincidently just yesterday I saw this documentary on CSI channel about Cambodia's drug rehabilitation centres. You should see it it's called ' treatment or torture ' and its number 7 on the list below for viewing times. One guy alleges he was made to work for free on building a new hotel owned by one of the detention centre guards. And then they just plucked the young girl off the street who hadn't done anything and took to one of the centres where there is absolutely no judicial process. The question I had after watching this programme was are these just remnants of the old mentality of the dark days in Cambodia that haven't gone away?


Treatment Or Torture?

So-called 'Drug Treatment Centres' in Cambodia provide 'rehab' to addicts but it has been alleged that many people held inside do not have a drug problem. What is the government really using them for?

http://www.citvasia.com/shows/undercover-asia

I'm assuming that Thailand's slave ships and mass graves on the Southern Thailand/Malaysia border are somehow more palatable than Cambodia's human rights disasters?

I've just moved the other way. Things I liked more about Cambodia - the people, the prices of stuff, and a well-centered expat community.

Things I like more about Thailand - the banking system, the organization and relative cleanliness, the price of rent and utilities.

Long-term visas are do-able in both countries if you want to pay for them. A work permit in Cambodia is cheaper than in Thailand (where it can also be done - but for more cash than I'd consider paying for one).

Health service blows goats in Cambodia compared to Thailand but dentistry is good.

Thanks for all the replies chaps all very much appreciated, I'll delve deeper into your forum for more answers.
As to comparing housing costs, I pay 8k bt a month for a 2 bed bungalow, running costs are neglible but I am on the outskirts of Pattaya (well spotted). The city is a nightmare these days for expats, completely gridlocked at weekends, holidays of which there are too many and high season when it kicks in.

Snooky was just an idea, I have a friend who owns a resort there which is why I mentioned it. Any other suggestions would be welcome but I guess to really make my mind up I will have to visit, the point of this exercise was to gather more info rather than relying on what I hear from sexpats.
Cheers

phuketrichard wrote:As one who has lived in both. ( Thailand since 84. Cambodia 2008-2009, than back to Thailand) For my lifestlye i prefer Thailand. Go to cambodia frquently, was down in Kep last month, liked it and if I had to could stay, but still thailand wins

Thanks for the reply, maybe I just need to get away from Pattaya? I'm not really into the P4P scene anyway and just like the quiet life. I still intend to visit soon though just to satisfy my curiosity.
Cheers

i find Cambodia to be quite depressing tbh

the things you see every day, gangs of kids of like 12 years old around the streets openly sniffing glue out of plastic bags, piles of garbage in the streets, the destruction of any public place like the lake, the deference of khmer people to anyone who has a bit of money or rank, greed and stupidity everywhere you look

when you live in an environment like that it just gets you down. i am happy i left Cambodia