Suffinator

So if people have bought property on these developments unaware of the fraud that was committed in issuing the title deeds, what happens? I don't know if there are condos or villas the unsuspecting have bought in good faith but if so it is a huge issue.

Why is there not already arrests of the local government officials who signed off on these illegal deeds? One expects a government issued document to be legal, even if it is local government. The level of deceit and corruption and resulting injustices is beyond comparison in this place.

And this is why no foreigner should buy land or property in Thailand. The system is just too corrupt and none of the officials who were involved in this are ever likely to be prosecuted.

Stick to renting and as soon as things go pear shaped pack your bags and move.

It's almost certain these companies will appeal ... after all I'm sure they will cite that they bought said property in good faith and undertook the necessary due diligence by having lawyers confirm the validity of the land documents issued by the Land Department.

It never ceases to amaze me at how many foreigners still buy property in Thailand without truly understanding the way in which Thais do business. Still I suspect there will be many more fools stepping off the plane in the future and there will be those waiting to scam them.

Hub of Human Rights ... simply no hope for these cavemen.

Thailand not ready for AEC, finance minister tells seminar ...

They missed a bit off the headline ... and NEVER will be!

He said this was especially the case for regulations that were acting as a barrier against the free movement of goods, labour, services and investment.

No real surprise there with their nationalistic protectionist ideology.

It's going to take something drastic for Thailand to be ever ready... start off with education, put aside the nationalistic ideology that Thailand is the greatest nation on earth ... it isn't and never will be. Stop attempting to protect everything 'Thai' - you have to learn to compete on a level playing field in order to develop and grow - anything less just makes you look inept and stupid.

What's going to happen with the FBA in 2015? If they change it so that foreigners have no control over their businesses then foreign investment will collapse and trade will take a beating.

No, they are not ready and at least one guy is fully aware of it.

Another farce that's purely designed to ensure that tourists remain targets for the scams so that those in position of authority can earn a lot of money.

The issues of the jet skis are never going to be resolved by the Thai authorities because they like it just the way it is ... it is after all extremely profitable. The only way the jet skis, their operators and protectors will ever be removed from the beach is if the tourist starved them out by simply NOT using them.

Yes, once again those in authority have clearly stated it's OK to break the law providing there's money in it.

There's no hope for this country ... none at all.

Hub of vaccines ... so on the list Bird Flu, HIV and Ebola

Yeah all sounds plausible to me

Ms Chonticha said Ms Netwimon explained that a tube of the cream cost B1,400 and they would get back B1,650. They could invest as much as they wanted....

Yeah it's a classic isn't it A classic case of stupidity and uncontrollable greed.

Oh please, when will they ever learn, this scam (or variations of) is even older than me.

Greedy people never learn ... they just get greedier which leaves them open to every possible type of scam.

Another reason why tourist numbers are dropping and will continue to do so as this type of news goes viral.

I'm sure the authorities still haven't really latched onto the idea that they can no longer hide and that the social media will provide global awareness of their crimes against foreigners.

What a load of BS. The underlying problem with Thai corruption is the fact there is little punishment and therefore no real incentive to stop it.

The other issue of course is that everyone of them is on the take and therefore it is difficult to point the finger as all fingers start pointing at everyone else.

The easy way to stamp out corruption ...

1. Minimum 10 years in prison

2. Minimum 6 lashes of the cane - why not public flogging that's even better

3. Strip them of ALL their assets and leave them penniless

After two or three have been dealt with this way you watch corruption drop like a stone. Think Singapore and you might just get somewhere.

Once again the Thai Gov talking for other countries. When will they learn to just keep quiet until such things actually happen .... makes them look more stupid by the day but I guess that's military rule propaganda for you.

The best way to deal with corruption to make it an offence for any govt official to be in possession of assets that he can't explain in relation to his legitimate taxed earnings and inheritances. Many countries have laws like this.

With these laws there is no need for evidence of graft or protection of graft busters. It's quite simple. If you are serious of graft busting go ahead and pass those laws.

Anything else is just hot air.

The law should be crystal clear and harsh...

1. Confiscation of all assets

2. 12 strokes of the cane

3. Minimum 5 years

Unfortunately it's hard for the corrupt to point the finger at the corrupt.

I wonder if Brand Thailand will have copyright?

Why not spend more time sorting out Human rights violations and Human Trafficking problems ? Every country on the Planet should ban all imports from Thailand until these issues are satisfactorily dealt with.

Not possible ? Of course it's possible if the will is there to do it.

Not a bad idea but what about the foreign expats? Think of the billions of dollars that are transferred into Thailand every month. If you really want to put a stop to it then vote with your feet and leave ... I did, it's not rocket science and there are other places far more welcoming to foreigners than Thailand.

We often think that government has the upper hand... that I'm afraid is merely a fairy tale ... it is and always will be the people who hold the power and a mass walk out would unquestionably force the gov to changes its ways or suffer the economic consequences.

Never call upon another to take action when you refuse to take action yourself ... ultimately other governments won't do a damn thing because A) they couldn't care less and; they would lose too much money.

Thailand knows Burma cannot fight back diplomatically, that's why they are pushing case rapidly. Only solution is all Burmese labors should leave Thailand immediately for 3 months, so that all resorts and hotels should close down during the high season.

That will never happen as you know. They need there job to help support the family.

If you really want to hurt the Thai economy and bring about significant change then it's the foreign expats who should walk out en mass - only when that happens will you see the Thai gov willing to make changes. Take just Phuket alone ... imagine what it would be like without western money to prop it up.

Great idea ... why not ban it all year long and have done with it. Just imagine if Thailand banned all alcohol and prostitution ... that would pretty much kill off 99% of tourism.

I wonder what other bright ideas the Departments can come up with to help kill off tourism so that Thailand can once again be free of the vile foreigners?

oh please ... despite the widespread knowledge that Thailand is merely a place to be scammed people still flock here. This and the continuation of these scams will continue when people finally show their disgust with their feet.

Personally I don't see the allure to Thailand any more ... it is quite frankly a vile place.

It's difficult and expensive to rehabilitate criminals - best thing to do is to sack the lot and start over.

With the fresh bunch you have to make laws so harsh that committing a crime the last thing they would want to do... for instance:

1. Minimum 10 years prison sentence - that means no transfers.

2. 12 lashes of the cane

3. Strip them of ALL their assets - leave them penniless

After about 10 or so are subjected to such it's likely police corruption would drop significantly.

So he basically found a bunch of greedy and corrupt individuals and scammed them .... not that hard in Thailand. No wonder the Nigerians like it here so much. The first rule of any scam is to find greedy and or corrupt people who are want to make a fast buck.

Thainess!

We the Gov, for the Gov, by the Gov ... in such a corrupt and dictatorial system how much weight does such a survey carry .... that would be NOTHING!

And the Government are the worse perpetrators of misleading (outright lies) information. I wonder if there is any hope left for Thailand with such morons who are clearly little more than dictators running the show.

Pure Thainess

Now that they are beginning to feel the financial effects of slavery and all manner of despicable human rights atrocities are they looking for a solution. The solution already exists but Thainess, greed and corruption and the fact that they don't give a crap about human rights prevents anything from being done.

The EU and US should impose a blanket ban and FORCE them into compliance.

only chance they have if innocent is serious action from UK police/government if they have any consummate evidence to blow it wide open beyond doubt & beyond cover-ups & lies !!

I would like a report from UK regardless of what it supports as it the only way any faith can be bought to this perfect mess ...

Only good thing is Thailand will loose Billions of baht from all the corruption & stupidity that been brought to peoples attention through media, tourists are dwindling, business investors are more cautious & many moving.

Firm I work with are closing shop this year & moving offices to Singapore, quite simply don't want the inconsistent hassle of Thainess any longer. Constant protest/coups that are a farce for the elite factions, mixed with awful policing, messy immigration & incompetent banking have made the decision easy. A quote from my CEO "only 2 things we will miss is 7/11 & our dental clinic" .

If tourism died Thailand would stand to lose a couple of trillion bath a year ... that's sweet FA compared to it's expat community and foreign business community. I actually left Thailand shortly after this farce took hold as I could no longer support a regime that engages in such human rights atrocities.

I've said this before ... it's time the expat community walked out en-mass and showed the Thais that enough is enough. Such would either force the Thai authorities to change - and I mean change right across the board including law and order and their stupid immigration laws. Either that or they can stick to their Thainess and watch their country decline into the abyss of financial collapse.

I for one will refuse to enter Thailand again until measurable changes are made.

The Thais, contrary to belief, do NOT hold the power - the people do ... time for the expat community to show some balls and walk ... maybe change could be effected to benefit everyone .. including the Thai people.