Meerkat

I think you'll find that very few were actually sold and most were given away. That is what a friend of mine in the diplomatic sector told me years ago.

The last official (post-coup) numbers released were IIRC 1750 sold and a total (including those given away) of around 2000 in circulation. There seems to be a longheld belief - at least here on TV - that more were given away than were sold.

And weren't they talking about a more realistically priced Elite Card around the 60-100k mark ?

It was (the usual?) bad reporting in the press. There was an article a few months ago that the price would be reduced to around 50k. What was actually said however was that they were considering introducing an annual fee of around that amount and someone got their wires crossed. Indeed there used to be an annual fee on the card but it was scrapped around 18 months ago I think.

The last news on the subject was that the price might go up, but so far nothing has been announced.

To the OP:

Post-coup, the government changed the visa regulations with the card. Beforehand, you could buy the card and the visa privilege would be extended to your spouse. I got an email from them in January to say that Immigration had changed the rules and were not doing that anymore, so you'd still have to get a different visa for your wife. They also stated that they hoped it was only a temporary situation, but haven't heard anything more on the issue from them since.

If you are interested in the financial sector, you'd be far better off looking at Singapore or HK. To give an example, my old (interbank broking) company had around 120 people in HK, 150 in Singapore and 13 in Bangkok. Of the 13, only 1 - the MD - was an expat. Our industry mirrors the banks as they are our customers.

I was based in HK, and "commuted" to Thailand probably for around three weekends a month: no great hardship and it was great to have a second home for proper R&R. Having done 13 odd years there I finally quit last year and moved to Thailand full-time. Now I miss the market and so have decided to get back in! I didn't even consider doing the job in Bangkok (markets are too small), so am about to accept a position back in HK and will commute again.

Now as to how to get in to the sector in the first place, it's tough. I used to get CVs chucked on my desk daily. If we were looking for someone who was new to the market, 90%+ of the time we'd go for a local. It does happen though. Again I expect that is pretty much mirrored in the banks themselves.

Personally if you wanted to take a first step in moving to Asia, I'd look at doing something like becoming a pensions/investment advisor. It's thankless work and the basic pay isn't great AFAIK, but these IFA companies are always hiring expats to sell their products to other expats. What it will do is to get you on the ground and out meeting people. A lot of hiring in the industry here is done on the back of personal contacts. We even hired one English guy who was a barman in a pub; seemed like a bright guy and had a good disposition so we gave him a crack. Worked well for both parties in the end.

Another avenue which will get you at least to the periphery of the finance sector is to look at working for the financial news services, such as Bloomberg. Again, because they need to sell their products largely to the expat traders, they do hire expats themselves.

Not a perfect answer to your dilemma I'm afraid, but it might help get you closer to Thailand...

Whilst a UK passport issued outside of Britain might cost more than getting one at home, this extra cost goes towards a fund for helping us out if we have consular problems abroad. Considering that as, unlike Americans, we don't have to pay tax on ex-UK earnings, I reckon that's a comparative bargain.

Of course with the Scots Puritan now in charge back home, it is very possible that us expats might have to cough up in the future.

As a matter of note, if your UK passport is close to getting full, and you've got a couple of trips coming up whilst waiting for your new one to be issued, embassies are allowed to free up the last page in your passport for visa stamps. They'll put a line through the "This page is reserved for official observations..." line, and stamp it that it's now available for visas. I've never done it in Bangkok, but had it done in HK many times when I was going through one passport annually. Bear in mind of course that some places won't let you in without a full, free page in your passport.

Are Fortuner owners different to a Honda Jazz owner ?

Of course they are.

I've got both! So now I'm thoroughly confused as to what sort of person I should be.

As much as I hate to defend someone working for the junta, I think Thailand's involvement in the scheme was premature from the word go, and this is a positive step. Thaksin was trying to run before he could walk, policy-wise. With a step-daughter just this month making the switch from government education to private, and suddenly being confronted with a syllabus which includes more than basically how to make pretty baubles, it is obvious that there is much that needs to be fixed at a fundamental level in the education system here before worrying about laptops for children.

Of course I have doubts that this oligarchic administration particularly cares about educating the masses anyway.

Borrowing money to buy a depreciating item is throwing money down the drain .

Not necessarily. If you can borrow the money for less than you can lend it (given that you're going to buy the depreciating asset anyway, as the OP has indicated), then you might as well borrow it and make your extra cash-in-hand work for you.

Car loans here are (usually) not amortised over the tenor of the loan. The 3% you quoted would thus be charged on the initial loan amount for the entire duration, rather than reducing each month as you gradually pay off the capital. So if you're looking at taking a car loan out, chuck the numbers into a spreadsheet to work out exactly what the loan will cost you. It may well be worth you borrowing more from your mortgager in order to pay cash for the car (although I doubt it - car loans here seem to be pretty good value).

We did take out a loan for our last Toyota because the rates worked out in our favour. Similarly, we took out a mortgage on our latest house we bought (here in Thailand) because the initial fixed rates for 3 years were incredibly cheap, and the early redemption penalties ended at precisely the time the rates moved from fixed to floating (at about MLR+200bp IIRC!), so we are now in effect lending money to Bangkok Bank (via term deposits) at a greater rate than they are lending money to us for the house. After the initial fixed term is up, we'll simply pay off the mortgage at no penalty!

I've got a small percentage in the SET, but via a fund rather than directly (I think it's JF). That's simply because I couldn't be bothered to do the homework myself!

In spite of all the problems besetting the Kingdom recently, I'm still fairly bullish. On a P/E basis it's still the cheapest market in Asia (well at least it was a few months ago). Of course that's only one way to value a market, but it's good enough for me to have a punt. Aside from Thailand, I'm also long India, HK, Japan, the US, East Europe, S. America, Energy and Metals.

How are you invested in Vietnam? That's a market I'd also like to take a flyer on, but I haven't seen many funds out there.

Well he's actually got a very good point. Democracy needs time to develop. Sadly of course the country has just been knocked back a decade or two on the back of this military involvement.

Well at the risk of the wrath of sriracha john amongst others, Thailand Elite is still going. So in answer to your original question, the requirements are a million baht, a clean police record, and a healthy appetite for risk... That'll get you a visa for life (in theory for your life, but more likely for the life of the programme).

Another vote for the area, although we're on the Rangsit-Nakhon Nayok Rd, so a way away from Khlong Luang. Never had any problems over here that I can recall. Well...apart from the flooding that is...

Three radio stations were shuttered because they broadcasted Thaksin's comments.

Weren't they closed because they had opened unlawfully, were unregistered, and were operating illegally?

Were that the case, why was it only those three stations out of the three thousand similarly operating nationally that were taken off the air?

Come on John; it's a specious argument and you know it.

So what do you suggest?

Rolling back the political process here so that only male landowners can vote, until we have suffragettes throwing themselves under horses and a "peasants' revolt"?

Similar problem up here in the north of the city - heavy rain/storms right now, so maybe it's on the back of that.

Have a look at http://www.driveindochina.com/main.htm

It's part of the TAT and they organise drive tours to, amongst others, the countries you're looking at. I've not used them myself to drive out of Thailand, but they were very prompt in answering some queries I had by email.

[airasia to macau and ferry were the cheapest for me, but not if you are in a hurry. Takes about 2 hours total after you get off the plane before you get to HK. Ferry goes every hour or so, so if you are close to that time, hurry up or you have one hour to wait at the ferry terminal....

Ferries are a bit more regular than that; about every 15 mins on average, and can be as much as every 5-10 on weekends. The bulk of the boats go to HK island, but there are also ferries to take you direct to Tsim Tsa Tsui if you need to be Kowloon-side.

Details for ferries to the island here:

http://www.turbojet.com.hk/turbojet_sailing_rev.htm

and to TST here:

http://www.nwff.com.hk/english/schedule/se....asp?line=macau

You should be able to do it with ease. Find yourself an 802.11g Wireless Router - they're everywhere and go for well under USD 100 - pop "Wireless Router" into an Amazon search for an idea of what's out there. Two brands that are often mentioned are D-Link and Linksys. Make sure you get the "g" type, not the "b" type (older and slower). I'm assuming of course that your laptop has a built in "g" Wifi card; most laptops made over the last couple of years have them built-in. If not, you can simply pick up a Wifi adaptor that slots into your PC Card slot.

Your desktop will typically connect to the Router via CAT5 cable (the same type that currently connects it to your broadband modem provided by your ISP). Setup is a breeze - I've got routers of both makes in a couple of properties and they were both straight forward to do. Both your PC and laptop will be able to use the net simultaneously.

To get the maximum range, the Wifi router should be placed as near to the centre of the land as possible (no brainer!), and on the second floor if possible. Our place here is about 3,000 sq.ft. with about the same again for the garden, so I think a bit smaller than yours. There's not a spot on the property that I can't get a good enough signal to even stream TV over the network. The published 802.11g range is 35m indoor and 110m outdoor, so with your dimensions you should be OK. Of course it does depend on how many walls it has to go through! There are repeaters available that basically extend the range if necessary.

There is a newer type being launched, 802.11n, but this hasn't been nailed down to a standard yet, so I'd be cautious about becoming an "early-adopter". Chances are your laptop doesn't have an "n" Wifi card built in anyway, so it shouldn't really be an issue. However if it does, the new "n" standard promises about a 100% increase in range.

OP is long gone! But this is still an interesting thread. I've tried my luck at the stock market and wiped out my account a few times. I have 90% of my money in mutual funds and they always seem to outperform any trading attempts I make. I would love to win at trading, stocks or currencies but I haven't figured out a good system yet. I'd be interested in hearing other people's ideas for successful trading.

In my experience it came down to a lot of homework. I used to trade the HSI (relatively successfully - HKD25k-35k pm from a HKD 100k "float" and mostly no overnight positions, so relatively little risk). I studied the market closely and paper-traded for months before I got in for real. Find one market and stick with it. When I tried to trade the S&P the same way I had with the HSI, I started losing - thankfully I got out early and went back to what I knew best.

Discipline is tantamount - the first time you cut a losing trade can be quite emotional! The market cliches became cliches for good reason; cut your losses and let your profits run (use trailing stops), and the trend is your friend. If you develop a system to time your entry and exit points, as I did, stick to it like glue.

If you're playing on the exchanges, get recommendations for a good broker. Of course this was before the rise of these online systems, so maybe you don't need a bookie anyway nowadays.

Oh, and of course never play with money you can't afford to lose!

If you mean the tollway going past the old airport, then yes it's a notorious place to get stopped. There's a guy hiding at the top of the previous on-ramp with a laser gun. Didn't think he was taking photos though, just radioing the numbers to his mates at the tollbooth. In their defence though (god how I hate to write that), there are quite a few signs along the road and at all the on-ramps stating that it's only 90km/h (I used to think it was a 120), and that it's a fixed THB 1000 fine.

Edited to add: They always seem to be there on Sunday mornings.

There are a lot of wineries near Muak Lek, which is about 2 hours up the road from Saraburi towards Korat. This seems to be the hub of wine-making in Thailand as far as I can tell. I can't suggest any certain one but if you love wine you may want to make a trip up there. I once took a short tour with a group of my students. This area is also known to have the best steaks in Thailand and is definitely known for that.

Yup, the Khao Yai region seems to be where it's happening (there are IIRC two other wine growing regions in the country too). As you say, just off Route 2 from Saraburi heading north.

The wines vary - the biggest problem is that the vines are still quite young, so it'll take a few more years before the best the area has to offer comes along. In the meantime I've found a few good wines up there. PB Valley does a nice Shiraz (2001). Granmonte makes a great Chenin Blanc, which is now our house pour. They do one good red too, but I've forgotten which one it is (the others I've tried weren't up to it). Actually, whilst the reds are good, they could still do with another year or two in the bottle.

Granmonte was awarded 6th most promising vineyard globally a couple of years ago in one of the wine-trade rags, so there's certainly a future for the region. They have a good restaurant there too, VinCotto (I think there's also one at PB Valley).

I've tried some wines from one of the other regions, but they were, to quote Monty Python, "not a wine for drinking, but a wine for laying down and avoiding"!

None of the Thai wine represents good value for money, sadly, as the taxes are so high. We buy partly as I like the idea of supporting local wineries, and partly because the only stuff I can find near me is Jacob's Creek. Ugh.

Oh, and I find it a bit sad that both vineyards have decided to cork bottles rather than go with the much more efficient screw-tops that are often used nowadays. Misplaced snob-value I suppose. I've had more "corked" bottles from there than I would usually expect - no doubt in part caused by the the heat drying the corks out. It's no good storing them correctly at home if they've been stored incorrectly at source.

The steaks there are also good! Chokchai Farm is the largest cattle rearer in the country, and the steaks I've had from them are some of the best I've had anywhere - certainly better than anything else domestically-produced I've found in Thailand. Just don't eat at their restaurant though: whilst they know how to cook a lump of meat, they butchered (in the other sense) everything else on the plate. I've heard a similar complaint about their restaurant in Bangkok too. The farm is also a great place to take the kids - they can milk a cow, make ice-cream, ride horses - that kind of stuff. There's also a boutique resort there, sleeping in air-conditioned tents.

Lord knows why Thaksin felt the need to hire a PR company in the US to ridicule the junta. These guys would appear to be doing a sterling job all on their own...

I don't think it's a rip-off; it's just a non-amortizing loan. The problem is that most loans we otherwise come across amortize over the tenor, so a non-amortizer stands out. You just have to do the maths to convert it into an apr you're more comfortable with.

Depends mostly on your tax situation.

PBs are tax-free, so if you're a high-rate payer and have already maxed out your ISA, then a PB can be worthwhile compared to a savings account. You're only getting about 3.60% (the current effective rate that's used to calculate the value of prizes given out - obviously it comes down to luck on any individual ticket). That effective rate is massaged by the NS from time to time to reflect broader savings rates.

Compared to the lottery, from an investment point of view you'd be much better-off buying PBs - at least you're only gambling with the interest rather than the entire capital.

Hmm...looks like the actual terms lie somewhere in the middle. From the HK Lands Dept. site:

http://www.landsd.gov.hk/en/service/landpolicy.htm

So in a nutshell:

Older properties with pre-existing longer-term leases are being honoured.

Properties built between 1985 and 1997 have leases expiring 2047, but can be extended for another 50 years.

Properties built after the handover have fixed 50 year leases which are renewable for another 50 years (but the govt still reserves the right not to renew!).

Never easy, is it?!

Quite an interesting (if you like that sort of thing!) paper from one of the HK universities about the relative valuation of long-term (999 year) leases in HK versus short-term ones here:

http://www.citb.gov.hk/cib/psdas/content/d...aper_KWChau.pdf