Estrada

Q. How will we know if the Kra Canal is to become reality?

A. Land prices will skyrocket as all the insiders fill their boots with cheap land.

Q. Has such a project - a mega project with the sole aim of enriching the insiders by allowing them to purchase land at a value several thousand % below the estimated future 12 month value, ever come to fruition?

A.The Shin's Cobra swamp.

Cobra Swamp was not the Shins, it was Vattana Asavahame aided by Banharn and Suwat Liptapanlop. The NBIA was formed under General Chavalit's Government in 1996. The reclamation of Cobra Swamp was commenced in 1997 and took 5 years to complete. it has nothing to do with the Shinawatras. In fact the DSI prosecuted Banharn and Suwat's Company that bought the land from the shrimp farmers and eventually their company was fined the max fine under Thai Law of B6,000! in connection with the purchase. Vattana Asavahame skipped bail and is on the run, although I have it on good authority, that he is often at home in Samutprakarn.

The construction of the Airport was proposed in 1973 and cancelled and postponed by various Governments. At least Thaksin got the Airport constructed and opened

Nice try, but the major land value increase happened when it was reality that Swampy would be opening as the Bangkok international airport. Nobody is disputing the project was started decades ago but fizzled out- no opportunities for the poster boy of corruption when it's a stagnant project now is it? Sorry you do not remember the brouhaha surrounding the Shins land purchases in cobra swamp, but I do.

Nice try! But you are absolutely and totally mistaken. Not only was I involved in this affair, I was with Suwat at the time in Miami 1996, when he was orchestrating the land purchase. The DSI top investigator is also a friend of mine and has already given us a complete and accurate blow by blow account on which parties were involved in the land purchase and it does not include the Shins. I have been involved with the airport construction at various stages since the '80s and some of my friends since the '70s.

Q. How will we know if the Kra Canal is to become reality?

A. Land prices will skyrocket as all the insiders fill their boots with cheap land.

Q. Has such a project - a mega project with the sole aim of enriching the insiders by allowing them to purchase land at a value several thousand % below the estimated future 12 month value, ever come to fruition?

A.The Shin's Cobra swamp.

Cobra Swamp was not the Shins, it was Banharn and Suwat Liptapanlop. The NBIA was formed under General Chavalit's Government in 1996. The reclamation of Cobra Swamp was commenced in 1997 and took 5 years to complete. it has nothing to do with the Shinawatras. In fact the DSI prosecuted Banharn and Suwat's Company that bought the land from the shrimp farmers and eventually their company was fined the max fine under Thai Law of B6,000! in connection with the purchase.

The construction of the Airport was proposed in 1973 and cancelled and postponed by various Governments. At least Thaksin got the Airport constructed and opened

The smaller round pins need an adaptor either to the fatter twin round pin or the twin flat pin. You can buy these adaptors in electrical spares shops and some computer accessories shops.. They cost peanuts. If the flat pins get loose you can spread then a little so that they fit tight.

It has been much hotter lately. However, check that the temperature setting on your aircon is set at 25C in living room and 25C to 24C in the bedrooms. If someone drops the setting, even by 1C, this will make a lot of difference to your electricity bill. An Aussie mate was complaining about his electricity bill for his apartment and I found he had it set on 18C which is the temperature he is used to at home. Of course in a cold climate you want heating up to 18C and in a hot climate you need cooling down to 24-25C.

BTS Group have announced that they are seeking to JV with the Chinese to build these lines.

Lt. Gen. Manas Kongpan was identified by the Pattani Provincial Court for the Kru Se Mosque killings in November 2006. Not only was he never arrested, fired or tried, he was promoted to Head of the ISOC in Ranong. The ISOC was previously the CSOC (Communist Security Operation Command) that is famous for burning countless communist suspects in Red Oil Drums with petrol in the '70s. In 2007 he ordered Rohingya boats to be pushed back out to sea which received worldwide TV coverage. Yet it seems that now he is suspected of being behind the people trafficking since that time. Based on past history, he is more likely to end up with another promotion than any conviction for the current atrocities that have occurred under his watch.

Her political life was much the same a the mushrooms she is growing. Kept in the dark and fed on bullshit.

Never mind Thailand, the same thing happens in the UK. In the '60s during the "Mods" era, it was the fashion to take of the side panels of your Lambretta scooter. Many Mods were fined under the "Construction & Use" section of the Road traffic Act. They stopped me and I got summoned to court for no side panels and only a half panel at the front. When I got to court I defended myself and the charges were dropped after I showed the Magistrates that I had a Model D which was manufactured (constructed) prior to the LD, when the scooters had no panels. I was stopped 21 times in the UK by policemen picking on me as a soft target so Thailand is no different, except you can negotiate on the spot.

I am classed as non-resident for tax purposes by the Inland revenue.

I guess that is on UK income tax only. HMRC will go after your assets in Thailand for UK Inheritance Tax (and challenge any claims to non-dom status).

No tax is due according to the Inland Revenue on my dividends in Thailand as I am non resident for tax purposes. Secondly I make sure that the total of my assets does not exceed the allowance given before inheritance tax would be paid. I have no property in my name, all in my Wife and children's names. All monies in excess of the Inheritance tax threshold are in Thai SET equities in my wife and children's names.

British Ex-pats friends of mine only have trouble if they keep property in the UK or try to remit money to a UK bank account in their name.

I invest 100% in Thai Stocks and have done for 20 years. I am a pensioner and I invested B6,000,000 in the Thai Stock Market in 2009 and have made B31,000,000 with my initial investment in the last 5 years. I invest in high dividend stocks with a 20% or more upside on valuation. BTS paid 7% in dividends in the past year and guarantees to pay 8% in 2015 to 2016. Other good stocks are Advance (AIS), TrueIF, and Intuch also paying 7-8% Dividend with 20% potential upside.

Are you an Australian? Do you draw an Age Pension? If so, I'm sure Centrelink would love to hear from you.

I am British, I left the UK 21years ago and I am classed as non-resident for tax purposes by the Inland revenue. This is exactly the same for Australians ex-pats who are classed as non-resident for tax purposes. If you are non-resident then that does not affect the tax on your pension.

I opt not to claim back the 10% withholding tax on my dividends in Thailand so the Thai Inland Revenue does not require me to pay extra tax, no matter how much I earn in dividends. Secondly there is no capital gains tax in Thailand.

I brought bank statements as well as pay stubs from my American company and the affidavit of income required by the embassy. It wasn't that they complained i didn't have the proper paperwork, they stated that you can't apply for a Non-O visa due to marriage and use monthly income, that it had to be 400,000 in a thai bank account.

If they were telling you that you could not apply for a "NON O " visa they were absolutely correct .

Applications for visas are made at Thai embassy's /Consulates outside Thailand

Not correct. You can apply for a Non O Visa at Chaengwattana Immigration but only on the basis of Retirement if you are aged 50 or above. This is the only exception where a Visa is issued in Country.

I invest 100% in Thai Stocks and have done for 20 years. I am a pensioner and I invested B6,000,000 in the Thai Stock Market in 2009 and have made B31,000,000 with my initial investment in the last 5 years. I invest in high dividend stocks with a 20% or more upside on valuation. BTS paid 7% in dividends in the past year and guarantees to pay 8% in 2015 to 2016. Other good stocks are Advance (AIS), TrueIF, and Intuch also paying 7-8% Dividend with 20% potential upside.

War On Corruption: "It was able to cut the cost of the NGV buses by Bt1 million per bus from Bt4 million, he claimed"

If there is to be no corruption, then please investigate why the NGV Bus Contract has been awarded to a company with no track record of manufacturing buses. When I was bidding for Thai Government contracts they often ask for >30 years experience in manufacturing a product, yet this company has only been doing research and development to manufacture buses in Thailand. I will be surprised if these buses last long in Bangkok.

On newsnow not one Thai newspaper has Mentioned the mass graves discovered inside Malaysia in Perlis(PB ) area.as a headline Yet nearly every other foreign newspaper carries the story. I went back three pages and could find anything , Strange

http://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/World+News/Asia/Thailand?JavaScript=1&searchheadlines=&search=&Period=0&Page=1

Standard information suppression tactics. Not surprised.

Please check facts before posting. It was the headline story in the Bangkok Post and Nation Newspaper 3 days ago. Headline: :Malaysia minister: Mass graves found". So you of course you won't find it in today's edition.

On newsnow not one Thai newspaper has Mentioned the mass graves discovered inside Malaysia in Perlis(PB ) area.as a headline Yet nearly every other foreign newspaper carries the story. I went back three pages and could find anything , Strange

http://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/World+News/Asia/Thailand?JavaScript=1&searchheadlines=&search=&Period=0&Page=1

That is because it was the headline story in the Bangkok Post and Nation Newspaper 3 days ago. Headline: :Malaysia minister: Mass graves found". So you of course you won't find it in today's edition.

It might be a crazy reaction, but if you've had to concede liquid containers just over the 100ml limit at a Thai airport security check, you can appreciate her anger. I'd like to an investigation into how much those security agents profit by confiscating and reselling bottles of cosmetics, perfumes and toiletries. For some reason, Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang are the only international airports where I have had liquid containers confiscated.

Even 200ml of hydrogen peroxide in a water bottle, mixed with reactants that can be contained in cosmetics perfumes and toiletries containers can do a lot of damage to an aircraft. A 2006 terrorist plot to bring down 7 large aircraft using these materials was thwarted, This is the reason confiscation and at least not letting the passenger taking the bottles into the passenger compartment.

Her luggage would have been stowed in the cargo hold of the plane, not in the undercarriage. You don't stow luggage in the wheels!

Undercarriage is correct, but cargo hold would have been more explanatory for those with less education.

water bottles in the undercarriage

noun: undercarriage; plural noun: undercarriages

a wheeled structure beneath an aircraft, typically retracted when not in use, which supports the aircraft on the ground.

The passenger compartment which carries the passengers is of course the "Carriage" (that which carries the passengers). The belly of the aircraft which contains the luggage hold and anything under the passenger compartment (The Carriage) is therefore referred to as the undercarriage. Since an aircraft has only one undercarriage, "undercarriage" is correct. Origin goes back to the days of horse drawn carriages.

No one named Kim, Park or Lee? Then, they are not Koreans

I worked for 6 years with a Korean Company, these names are also common Korean names. Kim Park and Lee are just top of the list of common names.

I used to work as a consultant from home and as a consultancy work is carried out at customer's factories by my team. I got a visit from immigration and they told me that I wasn't operating a real company as the consultants were not working in my home. They just could not understand that consultants are seconded to work in other companies offices and factories. However the did not shut me down as my paperwork was in order and salaries shown paid to the staff.

My post is a photo of a document that was given to me by the immigration office at Lop Buri, it is what they require and I have no problem with complying.

I don't need to link to anything I know what the (very friendly and helpful) immigration office I attend requires and I provide it.

Up to you what you do and what you believe but I give you a word of advice.

Get rid of your negative and provocative attitude and you will find dealing with immigration, and life in general in Thailand, much easier.

Thanks for the advice. I've always given immigration anything they asked for in a timely manner and never had any problems. I have never given them more than they asked for.

That was my point. Don't make up requirements, like maps to your house or photos of you and the Mrs when applying for a retirement visa. Don't give em any ideas how to make it harder for us poor old expats.

I also think it is a big mistake to take your wife when applying for a retirement visa. Nothing to do with her and only creates problems. But that's my opinion.

You have the advantage when they think they have to explain stuff in English.

Don't smile, don't frown, be neutral and nice and act dumb rather than smart. But that's only my opinion. Your milage may vary.

I was applying an Extension Of Stay based on retirement. Not a retirement visa. Documents must be different for a retirement visa

I do smile, interact with the Immigration staff I deal with and take my wife with me

There is NO "Retirement Visa" that can be applied for inside or outside Thailand !

You were wise and well informed in applying for an "Extension Of Stay based on retirement."

Not true. It is the only Visa that is routinely issued in Thailand by Thai Immigration. It is a Non-Immigrant "O" Visa and additionally a stamp in Thai Non "O" Retirement is added. I came in on a 30 day extension, went to Bangkok Immigration and showed B800,000 in the Bank and went through several stages to get the one year stay. The first stage is they issue the Non "O" Visa and then it is stamped used and they issued you with the permission to stay with duration. Initially you will get 3 months while the B800,000 ages and then if it is still in your bank, the permit to stay is extended to the full year.

No matter what the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok may say, watch this space. One of the PMs advisors who has served with me on two previous Consultancies for the Kra Isthmus Canal Project, went to China with the PM and they discussed the project with the Chinese PM and Government officials. They were interested "in principle" with the project which they view as part of their Silk Road from China to the Indian Ocean, by passing Singapore.

A friend never pays even if he is in the wrong. The B.I.B. usually give up trying to get money off him after a few minutes and let him go. The reason being is that while they waste time arguing they are losing easy money from numerous other motorists. Sometimes he even gets to the police station and refuses to pay when usually a senior officer lets him go also as it is a waste of time trying to get blood out of a stone.

I would have refused to pay, web cam or not, as they usually give up unless there are easy pickings.

About time too. How about including other nationalities. I well remember the case of the ex-priest, John Mountford, who fled Australia following a sex abuse charge against him by a school boy at the school he was teaching at. He was arrested whilst teaching in Thailand and sent back to Australia where the courts failed to proceed with the case, on the basis that he was not fit to face charges. He returned to Thailand to teach at an International School before doing a runner to Libya, where I was working for the Colonel. There he tried to molest Libyan boys at an International School, soon after he was found stabbed to death in his appartment in August 2007. Sometimes Sharia Law works where the Australian and Thai justice system did not.