Can a US couple apply for a Retirement Visa in Laos, including a dependent spouse, after facing issues in Thailand?

Following my previous request for advice regarding a dependent spouse for a Retirement Visa attachment.

I hope to clarify the situation here:

Supposing my US married couple friends in there 60’s vacated Chiang Mai, Thailand, cancelling their ED Visa’s and went to Laos , for example, taking their 800,000 funds with them:

Would the Husband be able to apply for a Retirement Visa in Laos and attach his wife as his dependent in Laos.

So far the husband has been advised by Chiang Mai Immigration that he can have a Retirement Visa but his wife is denied a dependent Visa based on his retirement Visa over issues relating to the ownership of funds coming from the USA into their joint Thai bank account.

Chiang Mai Immigration is advising the wife to fund her own retirement visa with the required additional 800,000 deposited into her own Thai bank account.

There has been a suggestion that they could go to Laos and reapply there. Is this suggest over simplified and if so, could they take a similar course of action that would definitely not give rise to the somewhat ridiculous issues they are currently experiencing.

I hope this problem is now clearly explained and I look forward to some constructive suggestions , so that I can pass on the good news to my very depressed friends.