Is Jane G. R. equating the purchase of land in Goa by foreigners, with a foreign invasion ??? This view is Xenophobic at best. In this modern world, in many democracies, foreigners can invest in property, whether in the USA, Australia or New Zealand. When the dollar was low and the Yen was high, the Japanese invested a great deal of money in real estate in the USA. Last night on one of the Internationa channels there was a program which showed the Chinese buying property in the USA, the UK and New Zealand. The reasons are varied. In some cases they purchased apartments so that their children could have a place to stay while pursuing an education, and then they could sell the apartment, hopefully at a profit. A sound business decision. In other cases, because of the devaluation of some currencies, they find the properties to be a bargain in comparison to their own country. I dont believe that there are any restrictions on non-Citizens buying properties in the larger world democracies. I am not a proponent of foreigners buying up property in Goa. I would prefer to see sons of the soil buying property in their ancestral land. But if they have transplanted themselves abroad and have decided to cut off their ties to Goa, that their decision and we have to respect that. Most foreigners who bought property in Goa, bought it because they loved Goa, they found the purchase of property a bargain in comparison to their home countries, and many of them would love to retire in Goa. On the other hand I have personally experienced many land purchases from non-Goan Indians purely for speculative purposes. I have seen one property change hands 3 times over two years and the purported price paid by the last buyer to be 3 to 4 times what the first buyer paid. I find this disconcerting. I would rather see someone who has a genuine love for Goa, buy property and beautify the property they purchase and become law abiding residents. And I dont care where they come from, as long they bring some stability, restore dilapidated properties and help keep the nieghborhood clean.
