womble

Bomb construction is not it's only illicit use........

Yes you will find acetone in some Pharmacies, along with h2so4, however maybe not in the quantities required..............

Anyone remember the thread about the dog in KPG that needed a new home, a new home was found here on Thaivisa. Why not post a few pics and a little about him, maybe someone here will take him off yer hands...........

Any news on the dog that was adopted?

Dont forget no one ever sells a successful business in Thailand. All businesses on sale are the unsuccessful ones. Bear this in mind when you are investing.

Now, this is bar far the best post

Not true, some see better opportunities in another business but need capitol which must come from the sale of their existing business. Others have to sell due to ill health, some want to return home, there's many reasons for selling a succesful business......

Infact a wise person sells their business at the hight of it's success, in order to get teh best price.

Just do your due dilligence and then do it three times over again and pay proffecsionals to give the data the once over aswell..........

seems like better advice than a blanket "all businesses for sale are loosing".

Anyone know where these can be found, any one got a link?

Some real useful info here.

It is a shame that a relatively small mafia type group can be allowed to cause so much damage and misery for everyone else.

Small in number maybe, but in $ terms this group has huge power..........

Taxis be it on road or water, or even air are one of the manyTourist scams Thailand has to deal with, and so far the authorities are gaining no ground. With the $ they swindle from their customers they are able to buy off politicians, police, government officials right to the very top, if not this cancerous scouge could have been wiped out years ago.

Unfortunatley even if a high up politician tried to sort out this problem it would be impossble as he would have to dismantle the whole corrupt network from top to bottom.

This ofcourse could be applied at any of the big money scams, getting rid of them involved dismantling the whole corrupt network.

It's easy to tell drivers to turn meters on, but when a mr big sends heavies to tell drivers to keep meters off and send the heavies to beat up the drivers of new buses charging 10bt flat rate, not much can be done as anyone who messes may well meet with a bullet.

Those that use intimidation to keep the status quo are often not known, it could be a number of people responsible or just one near the top of the chain who doesn't want to lose his share of the booty.........

Looking for someone to come in everyday for a couple of hours and check the stock levels. It's only drink, no food, so an easy job for someone who has a couple of spare hours.

Would suit someone who works as bar manger or similar in a resort or restaurant.

I leased a piece of land several years ago and recently we went through the process of upgrading the land from Nor Sor Sam to Chanote.

The land office came down to the land and also the owne of my land and the two other owners of the bordering plots. Boundries were agreed and markers were placed. A reason for the upgrade was because the leasee of one of the bordering plots had built over the boundary into my plot so I wanted the land back.

Now they are refusing to go along with the land offices border markers and maintain the markers are wrong. It has been to court and the court has ruled that the land office will come back to the land and re-check to make sure the markers were in the right place.

Previously the owners of the problem land agreed the border, now their leasees have pressured them into refusing to acknowledge the agreed boudries. The reason is they have constructed a restaurant and all the sewage and water systems are on land which acording to the new chanote markers belong to me.

As they have built a wall and planted flowers and built on the land I can do nothing but wait as removing or damaging anything would be a criminal act by me.

These are really bad people, I previously let them use my plot to store equipment and place cranes to aid with building, they were supposed to do certain small building jobs in return, they have done none of the things promised.

I can't see how the land office should have to come to the land again when previously both owners were there and agreed the boudries. There is also a tree near the border which is inside the wall they have built, this tree was planted some 10-15 years ago by the previous tennants of the plot I have leased, so that shows that the border should at least be pst the tree.

In all I stand to lose 3m X 20m, not a huge chunk, but to them it could mean loosing the restaurant, toilets and of course where do they move all the water works to.

Anyway I can't see why the land office would need to come a second time, and the leasees of the plot are very rich and have built a big flash resort, I am worried they will pay off the land office to rule against us. The land owner of my piece is a from a pretty powerful local family though and vowed that they will do everything in their power to keep the land, it is their afterall.

Just wondering if anyone has had similar disputes and what the outcome was. In an honest land this should be an open and shut case, they should be moved to behind the border and we should be compensated, however anything is possible in LOS.

I am keeping out of it and leaving it to the Land owner to sort out, fully aware of the dangers to farang who meddle in issues such as this.......

They could put the X (times tables), a bit of poetry or a chinesse proverb on each page in xtra small letters thus making it educational...............

This thread must be generating decent ad revenue for this website..........

I always thought we needed a source to quote with the news?

So as I can't find anthing on this anywhere am I right in saying........

Thai Visa Dot Com is breaking this news.........

So we could say it's official that "Thai Visa Dot Com accuses Thai government of Blocking US sites in retaliation for marking their immigration site as harmful."

Has this story been reported in any media other than Thai Visa?

The old mayor was a waste of space, I remember those golden coloured lamp posts in bang rak that had to be lifted on by crane they were so heavy, apparently over 100k each, fine they look nice, but things like that come last, after basic infrastructure is completed and satisfactory. The funniest thing is during the run up to the last election there were posters up using them as an example as a good reason to re-elect him...... lol

Since the new mayor has come in you can see the change for the better all around. There are green bins everywhere all along the ring road, drainage is finally being fixed, and best of all tarmac has arrived.

That change of mayor may prove to be one of the most important hurdles in getting this place back on track. With the Demorcrats really pushing samui for city status above all other places the future is looking brighter.

Ok, nothing happens overnight here, but there is more positive happenings in the last three months which are actually visible than I saw in two tenures from the previous mayor.

Funny how he managed to build two flashy hotels during his tenure, anyone know what he did before he was mayor? How he earn't his $......

what u meen 2 altogether its minimum 3 hotels

See how honest hard work pays off......... How these guys get treated with such respect and wai'd as if they were demi gods is well beyond me........

Sheryl,

I saw you made some great contributions on other vaccine related threads, I thanks you for sparing your time to share your knowledge.

Sorry when I meant clout I meant people with decent information, not heresay from conspiricy theory sites.......

The old mayor was a waste of space, I remember those golden coloured lamp posts in bang rak that had to be lifted on by crane they were so heavy, apparently over 100k each, fine they look nice, but things like that come last, after basic infrastructure is completed and satisfactory. The funniest thing is during the run up to the last election there were posters up using them as an example as a good reason to re-elect him...... lol

Since the new mayor has come in you can see the change for the better all around. There are green bins everywhere all along the ring road, drainage is finally being fixed, and best of all tarmac has arrived.

That change of mayor may prove to be one of the most important hurdles in getting this place back on track. With the Demorcrats really pushing samui for city status above all other places the future is looking brighter.

Ok, nothing happens overnight here, but there is more positive happenings in the last three months which are actually visible than I saw in two tenures from the previous mayor.

Funny how he managed to build two flashy hotels during his tenure, anyone know what he did before he was mayor? How he earn't his $......

Imagine every traveler getting off with their bags at Makkasan, the Taxi mafia will have extremely rich pickings, this contract/contracts will cost taxia mafia dons millions of baht each month.

Just imagine a whole line of no meter inflated price old taxis waiting to take farangs to their hotels via tailors, "pussy play ping pong" and "massage sexy lady", who knows, maybe they'll even be 10 baht tuk tuk rides to your hotel...........

I heard somewhere that Korea is one the driest countries in the region and all snow at the resorts is infact artificial, is this true?

I have also heard that skiing in Japan is actually alot cheaper than one might imagine, also the onsen to soak after a day on the slopes must be wonderful.........

I used to ski twice a year, but havn't been in 8 years sine moving to Thailand, when my little one is old enough I plan to have our first family ski holiday in Japan...........

Could others with children let me know, what is the youngest age that is reccommended kids can start ski school? They are so cute with their crash helmets on....lol

I have read some previous threads on vaccines in Thailand through the search and it seems there are some well informed people on this board, aswell as the usual conspiracy theorists, although I do believe there are dangers that are certainly hidden from us by governments and pharma companies, so with vaccines I guess the best thing is to research as much as possible and make a decision based on the info that you can gather.

I have a six week old daughter born in Thailand, she has already had the 1st BCG and Hep B, more to follow for those two vaccinations I believe. Hep B very prevalent in Thailand and very contagious so defo a must for all in Thailand as far as i'm concerned anyway. How effective the TB one is seems to be open to hot debate, the possible bonus against proven or possible side effects seemed on the right side, so we agreed like most to these two standard vaccines given at birth to all babies in Thailand.

Now there are two more vaccines to consider, MMR (I wasn't given this as my mother was worried about side effects, I was very unwell as a baby and my mother didn't want to take any further risks at that stage, i've been ok without it), and another vaccine which is totally new to me, PCV7, IPD - Pneumococcal conjugated Vaccine, given in 4 doses and at a cost of 26,798 at the private hospital I use here in Samui.

I've pretty much decided on giving MMR, but i'm very unsure of this Pneumococcal Vaccine. Meningitis and the other infections this vaccine is for are pretty rare as far as I am aware, although I am aware of how serious it can potentially be, my niece came down with it age 6 and was quarentined, myself and other close family were given medication which turned our piss orange.......anyway she made a full recovery.

Does anyone have info on this vaccine, possible side effects and why it's so expensive.

I'm interested to know if other members have given this vaccine to their little ones and also why is it so costly, my guess is it's a new vaccine, but thats a guess just because I havn't heard of it before. Anyway price regardless, that's alot cheaper than treatment for the disease, i'm not worried about costs, i'm just interested in information that can help me make an informed decision on whether to give this to my child.

I'm about to look on google for all the info I can find, and ofcourse will check with experts before a final deccsion, just thought i'd post here first as I would like some Thailand specific information and also in the past I have found their are members on the board who are employed in all manner of jobs that over the years have given me a wealth of useful information on a wide range of subjects, nothing quite so important as the health of my 6 weeks old tho,

So please anyone answering with important info that could effect my decision if they could let me know if they are a lay person, Dr, or hold a position that holds clout on the issue.

thanks,

W.

I'm a little dissappointed that the so called breaking news in red near the top of each page on the forum is often several days old.

That's hardly breaking news........

Just wondering if it will become more up to date in the future?

IS it a direct link to the nation, is it up to them to keep the news more up to date, whoever it is should keep breaking the new stories as they happen as it's a great idea if only it was more up to date.

So ? What's the difference ? Diesel is diesel is diesel !

Not true, bad fuel, ie dirty or with bacteria can wreck an engine and you can go through filters very quickly. There are many problems with low quality fuel in this part of the world.

Cheap fuel is often cheap for a reason. I should imagine people buy from PTT as the quality is good, an engine out of commision can cost considerbly more in repairs and lost work days than that saved on buying the cheap often inferior quality fuel........

Thanks all, seems strange nobody is suppling it in Samui, apparently theres a PTT depot at Phuket and Songkhla that supplies marine fuel at 10b litre.

Oh yeah ? Prove it ! As anyone knows , in the South of Thailand smuggled fuel from Malaysia and Singapore is rife and you will find pumps like MPS, Susco and other UNKNOWN brands beside the highways. Fill at your own risk, their fuel is adulterated and often mixed with water !

Sorry, my wrong, its Shell.

The 10b is what the fishermen told me the big ships pay for it then sell it to them for 20b.

Maybe they fill offshore in international waters......

!0 years ago there were russian tankers between Majorca and Ibiza, you could head into the international waters and fill up tax free. Only worth it if it's a large vessel or if you are doing the crossing. The tanker used to float around and when it floated back near spanish waters it would move further away from the marine border to stay in international waters.

Not sure how an outfit like that would work close to Thailand as I can imagine the authorities being very heavy handed on returning vessels regardless of the law........

Having thought these types of scenarios thru myself a few times - and even simulated the money factor over the last couple of years while still working so I'm comfortable with it:

One thing worth considering which hasn't been touched on is the example you might possibly be setting to your child as they grow up. If you want to teach your child the value of working hard in life to earn things, how will you do that if you yourself aren't seen to be working? Not sure I'm comfortable with setting the example that we have enough money so no need to work - the child won't see or remember how hard you worked to be where you are now. There's some tricky issues ahead on that area...

i have already thought of this and at present I spend 2hrs minimum on the internet in my office. When I am living off investments I expext to be speding as much time researching as I would in any normal job. While Daddy is in the office Daddy is working and not to be disturbed. I will use that to reinforce the work effick. Anyway by the time shes 5 I may well be working again............I always found it hard to take holidays of more than a few days.......

Right guys, it's all agreed and i'm real happy with the deal, the business is being sold for 30m, but the land the business is located on is leased, I am sub leasing the land and will recieve 350,000 a year for the next three years, then every 3 years a 10% increase. This is the difference between what the new owner is paying in rent and what I have to pay the landlord. All parties are aware and happy with the arrangement.

I'm happy with this deal and I reckon I can survive on this. I may actually move to a cheaper part of thailand, that way I reckon I could live on around 60k. If I use the 350k, and draw as little as possible off the main portfolio, that should grow into a decent amount in 15-20 years.

I bought a new laptop for 30k here is samui, and couldn't believe it when it turned out it didn't have a real copy, for that kinda $ you expect it to come with the original!

It was a bar. But very very different to other models found here, infact at the time when it was built there was nothing else even remotely like it. Now there are several.

80% in a single emerging market is just slightly too much risk than I can handle...........

Sure, now that you mention country risk. However, if your entire income before was from the business then it's obvious country risk was something that you didn't care about. There are other reasons for such a high allocation also.

Firstly, for cases where people want a stable income then most of a portfolio invested in that persons home market is preferably. In this case home is Thailand. This will avoid most swings in income due to exchange rates.

Secondly, if country diversification was important then it would simply not be possible to get the income that he wants. Can you name one internationally diversified equity or bond fund at the moment that yields (i.e. pays out dividends) more than 3.5% after management takes out their fees? Junk bonds perhaps?

Thirdly, while many of the leading stocks in Thailand carry high country risk (e.g. Telecom or bank stocks), there are several top companies that I would say have very little Thailand country risk. Let me explain. While some companies are listed in Thailand, most of their business is out side of the country and/or have very little Thai regulation that they need to navigate. What I would call international companies rather than simply Thai companies. Without looking further I can think of two. One is TTA which is in fact a holding company for various shipping and offshore services. Most of it's subsidiary companies are registered in other countries and the nature of the business is tied to global trade. Simply put, if the country became difficult for business, this company could easily shift to another jurisdiction and become a registered entity there. BANPU is another company I can think of also, which has significant stakes in coal mining and electricity generation in countries outside of Thailand. The point is just because companies are listed in one jurisdiction does not imply that they carry that country risk also. (e.g. Thai Beverages is listed in Singapore but it's country risk is elsewhere)

I started off with 5m baht. It's dam_n hard to build a decent business in my sector for that amount, many struggle on double or tripple that budget. So it was basically an all or nothing type business. I really believed in the product, designed the place myself and 6 years later it's still going strong. I think now is the right time to cash in tho. I'm young enough that I can retire for a few years and watch the kids grow up, then when something takes my fancy i'm sure i'll end up doing something else.

People that work for themselves, particulary those happy to work all hours of the day and night, and take the job home. The seldom stay retired for ever.

I think I may fit into this catagory. My dad does, he's been a millionaire and lost it all three times over, he's now 65, and his health isn't what it was, so maybe he made and lost his last million......

Ok so here's another option, my wife is against it, but it may well be the best solution as it will get me the income I need. There is the option to retain 25% or perhaps a slightly smaller or bigger amount of the business, the choice is mine really. It'll be a bit weird being a minority shareholder in a business that I built and set up from scratch, "My Baby".

But it is a business that has great prospects for the future and as it is tourism related and is profitable even through these turbulent times, i'm pretty sure it'll become even more profitable as this sector recovers.

So instead of trying to research Thai stocks which I know nothing about to gain dividends, why not retain a small part of my own business which I know inside out and take my income from the monthly dividends gained from the profits of something I will have some control over.

Does anyone have experiance in selling out the majority of their own company and retaining a minority stake. Would be interested in peoples views on this option.