Swiss pensioners under scrutiny in Thailand over child pensions

Some Swiss senior citizens receive pensions for their children - even those who live abroad. Some Swiss parliamentarians want to abolish this practice. Hans Steinmann, a Swiss pensioner, spends a lot of time with his two-year-old son Hans, known as Housi. He had not planned to become a father again at such an old age. But he is very happy with his son, who keeps him young. Steinmann, his Laotian wife O, Housi and his stepsister Jenny live together in a house in a suburb of Udon Thani, a small town in north-east Thailand. CHF811 per month per child Hans Steinmann receives a monthly pension from Switzerland of CHF811 for each of his two children, in addition to his state old-age pension of around CHF2,000. This is almost three times as much per child as the average wage in this poor region of Thailand. Swiss pensioners who have a child who is a minor or one who is still in education receive up to CHF980 per month from the state pension scheme, regardless of whether it is their ...