SamuiRes

What time is the meeting as I cannot read it from the scanned document?

I am one of those who believe Koh Samui needs a proper Marina although whether this location is right I am not sure, but will try and be at the meeting to get further information before criticising.

Anyone remember the Brit who managed the go-go bar in Nana (lower level on the right) about eight years ago - everyone knew and liked him and he was everyone's best friend. Seems he sold shares in the joint to some eight different regulars, all on the QT and then duly skipped town and hasn't been seen since.

Was his name Rick?

Yes I believe it was, do you know him ?

I think the Brit you are talking about was in fact Anton - Rick was just the manager. Anton was renowned for double dealing. The bar was Hollywood Rock if I remember correctly and they opened a second one in Clinton Plaza when that was still there which Rick also managed. Rick moved on to Pattaya and has had several jobs there. Anton went to Phuket but the latest I heard was he has just arrived back in Bangkok on Soi 33 I think. Some years since I bumped into either of them.

I believe most new Garmin and Magellan GPS units are set up for Differential GPS with WAAS (Wide Angle Augmentation System) to give greater accuracy. Is anyone aware if Thailand has the appropriate ground station to make this work or would we be relying on ground stations further away and consequently does it work?

I have been here eight years and July always seems to start slow and picks up as the month rolls on. In my usual watering hole in Chaweng there has been a slight increase in customers over the last couple of weeks but not enough to get excited about. However, I suspect that over the next three weeks as the European holidays click in we will see the usual upturn. What we cannot predict at this stage is what effect the financial problems (at least back in the UK) and higher air fares will have on people travelling to the Far East.

I was at a meeting a few weeks ago organised by the Tourist Police to explain their function and that of the Volunteers. I met half a dozen of the Volunteers, some of whom I knew previously. They admitted that when the scheme was first started they did get a number of people joining for the wrong reasons, but they were soon weeded out. The Tourist Police should have a complement of 22 but only have (or had then) 10 and they had 12 Volunteers. The Volunteers have no powers of arrest and are there purely to assist ANY foreigner on the island including residents if called upon. They are understaffed and therefore the ability to man the office on the Lake Road full time is not easy.

The other issue that was raised was that the 1155 emergency number currently only connects to the Tourist Police in Bangkok and they are trying to get that changed - but even the Police can have problems with beurocracy here. The number to use is 077 414 198.

They do serve a useful purpose and speak a multitude of languages which for tourists in particular is somewhat comforting conversing in their own language rather than being misunderstood by the Thai Police.

Give credit where credit is due. Some of these people have full time jobs as well and give up part of their free time to put something back to the island.

After a long time I just saw two squirrels in the trees behind my office! It must be at least four years since I last saw one and their demise was blamed on the itinerant workers catching them to eat and consequently removing part of the food chain which reportedly led to the Coconut Palm Beetle infestation. Has anyone else seen any recently?

I have never been to Bandon Hospital myself but a friend went there after a fall down his stairs. He had xrays and an examination and was told nothing was amiss and was sent home.

After enduring a night of intense pain he visited Samui Inter the next day and had xrays again and was told he had broken three ribs, he was then given the appropriate medication (painkillers) and immediately felt relief and was able to recover.

HL

There are too many stories like that about Bandon and I would not have gone there voluntarily but at the time did not have any choice. Much depends as far as I can tell about the competence of the Doctor on duty and I seem to have been lucky this time. I suspect if my accident had occurred on the west of the island I would have been just as happy to have gone to Nathon but in my condition last week a 40-50 minute ambulance ride was not really an option.

Which is the best on reasonably priced hospital on Koh Samui? Bangkok Samui Hospital or Samui International Hospital or what else is there?

Bangkok Samui is one of the two new modern hospitals with very good facilities and staff who speak good English. It is nevertheless the most expensive. They have a wide range of medical specialists and the accommodation and service in my experience is good. However, like anywhere you have to take into account the ability of the Doctors. Generally they are pretty good here, they have a very good heart specialist and the primary health care is good. The only one I have an issue with would be the ENT specialist who is OK but as I have regular ear problems would rather go to Dr Ning in Nathon.

Samui International is one of the two original private hospitals and I have found them to be very good for basic problems such as minor injuries. No experience of anything serious there, but the staff speak good English and they are not that expensive.

Bandon is the other original private hospital where unfortunately I have spent a few days following an accident. It happened to be the nearest to the scene of the accident so I did not have much choice. It has a poor reputation amongst most local expats, partly deserved but not entirely. Being older the building and rooms are of lower quality and not well maintained and the restaurant menu is severely lacking in choice of non-Thai food. However the Irish Times is just across the road and you can order out. The staff are OK but only a few seem to have reasonable English. I cannot complain about my primary treatment and they are not expensive. Three nights including X-rays, MRI, drugs and treatment was Baht 59,000 which the Insurance company paid without question.

Thai International - I have no experience of this one so cannot comment.

Nathon Government Hospital - strictly for non insured locals although you can go as a foreigner but only the Doctors speak English and facilities are limited. Obviously much cheaper and if you work here as an expat and pay Social Security the treatment is basically free. However, I do not know any expat who would go there voluntarily.

Just come across this - original can be found here

http://www.pr-inside.com/to-boost-tourism-...ion-r618762.htm

Thailand Common Visa

To boost tourism in the region, Thailand and the Philippines.........

2008-06-01 20:25:06 -

To boost tourism in the region, Thailand and the Philippines are to push for a common visa amongst Southeast Asian countries.

The move would see a single visa for all 10 member countries of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Speaking on Friday 23 May, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said Thailand and the Philippines would jointly push for the common

visa when Bangkok assumes the ASEAN chairmanship in July.

In 2007, almost 30 million non-ASEAN tourists visited the 10 countries in the region, which include Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), the Philippines and Thailand.

But Thailand is the region's top tourist destination, and Koh Samui is the jewel in the crown, enjoying occupancy rates of over 80% year round.

Yes well it is the samui express, what else would you expect.

Yes, it has its faults but it is informative and better than we had before i.e. nothing.

I do have a problem in that it is so USA orientated but it does seem to be getting better.

Why read it if you don't like it?

I agree. We had nothing before and at least we get some news now, but yes, they could improve the accuracy particularly when reporting on individuals. I also notice that their web page has not been updated for quite a while.

Hi, I am a shareholder in my thai friends legit company here in bangkok. I want to purchase a house under the company name but I'm a little unsure about the process of bringing money into thailand. I've read that when buying a condo here you need to get a foreign exchange transaction form stating exactly the purchase price and what the funds are to be used for so you can easily transfer the money back out again in the future. I'm buying a house, and as the company is buying the property, should I state that the funds coming into thailand are for company investment or specifically to purchase property under the company name?

I also want to purchase a new car.. I know I don't need the company for that but I'm guessing that I also have to have the F.E.T form stating the funds are for the car?

One more question please! I have a uk Nationwide Flex account that I will use to make the funds transfer to my thai Bank of Ayudhya account. Does anyone know the best way of me getting around the onshore/offshore conversion exchange rates before sending?

Thanks in advance!

I believe the onshore/offshore rates have narrowed now, but that is irrelevant as to get the FETC the funds must arrive in Thailand in foreign currency. Neverthless in all the transcations I have been invovlved with for clients over the years, we have always got a better rate converting in Thailand.

Womble,

Try this site might be of help.You will have to open the Surat/Samui spread sheeet.

http://www2.tat.or.th/stat/web/static_tst.php

Very detailed stats.....

I was thinking that the total numbers were not so close from peak and low season. Seems samui has tourists even when it's raining every day.

Amazing!

Be careful how you use these as they are not always correct.

I was using them last year and discovered that the occupancy rates quoted for the second half of 2005 and second half of 2006 were identical to the last decimal point. Hardly likely. I pointed this out to them but as I did not consider them reliable stopped using them. I also found their hotel and room count to be somewhat unrealistic as well - rooms by several thousand! I queried this with them as well but they were unable to explain the discrepancy to me.

I lived in Abu Dhabi for ten years during the late 80's through to the end of the 90's. At that time if you had a decent job it was a spectacular place to live and work. The summers are exceedingly hot but from October to April, the climate is ideal. Non Muslims can drink and buy alcohol with a licence (OK not in Sharjah). Since I left in 1999 things have obviously changed for the worse and reports I get from my friends still there indicate that they will not be there for much longer. The cost of living is soaring, rents increasing exponentialy and no security of tenure. Traffic is horrendous and having an altercation with a UAE National is far worse than tangling with our hosts here in Thailand. Everything is false and is totally money orientated. The hotels are full of Chinese, African and East European hookers and wives of my friends out there no longer are prepared to go to the hotel bars and frequent the private clubs and entertain at home only.

Why do they stay? Well they have been there for years, are well established, many approaching retirement and still earning good money so hanging in there until the terminal bonuses click in which after a number of years there can be quite substantial.

Would I go back? If I were not committed here for the long term, had a very, very good job to go to - yes - but Abu Dhabi not Dubai.

"I pretty sure there is no such thing as a 5 year wait when buying land in Thailand."

Under some circumstances, there is a waiting period. The question is, for this specific case, is there a 5-year period. I don't know the answer to that question but, as padthaiguy posted, I'm sure that the situation will only be solved when the farang provides money to someone.

Maybe the Five Year issue relates to a potential tax liability. Land sold having been held for less than 5 years is subject to Specific Business Tax (until recently 3.3%) on transfer but if held for more than 5 years only Stamp duty (0.5%). Transfer Fees have also been reduced from 2% to 0.01%. SBT was reduced to 0.1% recently. I can think of no other reason for a 5 year delay in registering.

Silly thing to ask but quite practical really........can i get any 3 in 1 type Oil anywhere here in Phuket? It used to be called that in the UK years back when i was last there in late 1990's. It is for lubricating things and i found it good for door hinges and such like. Cant stand creaking doors!!

Try WD40 which I found in Tesco a while back. Works well on hinges.

Can anyone recommend a good pediatrician on the islands, preferably Phangan? I just had a kid and would like to get him all checked out by someone that specializes in kids. I also want to find someone that I can go to on a regular basis for check-ups.

Dr Donya at Bangkok Hospital on Samui.

Tel: 077 429 500

She is really great as a Doctor and personally.

I have known her for eight years and I am sure you will not be disappointed.

When I first saw this I thought it was a superb piece of advance marketing for an upcoming Science Fiction Movie. Then it became apparent that some people seemed to be taking this seriously.

For any doubters have a look at this site - http://www.exitmundi.nl/Planet-X.htm

Rather explodes the myth what!

"Casablanca" is my all time favourite film and has a wealth of wonderful dialogue apart from the really well known lines

Mr. Leuchtag: Mareichtag and I are speaking nothing but English now.

Mrs. Leuchtag: So we should feel at home when we get to America.

Carl: Very nice idea, mm-hmm.

Mr. Leuchtag: [toasting] To America!

Mrs. Leuchtag: To America!

Carl: To America!

Mr. Leuchtag: Liebchen - sweetnessheart, what watch?

Mrs. Leuchtag: Ten watch.

Mr. Leuchtag: Such much?

Carl: Hm. You will get along beautiful in America, mm-hmm.

________________________________________

Major Strasser: Are you one of those people who cannot imagine the Germans in their beloved Paris?

Rick: It's not particularly my beloved Paris.

Heinz: Can you imagine us in London?

Rick: When you get there, ask me!

Captain Renault: Hmmh! Diplomatist!

Major Strasser: How about New York?

Rick: Well there are certain sections of New York, Major, that I wouldn't advise you to try to invade.

________________________________________

[as he goes to hand Renault a bribe]

Jan Brandel: Captain Renault... may I?

Captain Renault: Oh no! Not here please! Come to my office tomorrow morning. We'll do everything businesslike.

Jan Brandel: We'll be there at six!

Captain Renault: I'll be there at ten.

________________________________________

[last lines]

Rick: Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

________________________________________

Captain Renault: Oh no, Emil, please. A bottle of your best champagne, and put it on my bill.

Emil: Very well, sir.

Victor Laszlo: Captain, please...

Captain Renault: Oh, please, monsieur. It is a little game we play. They put it on the bill, I tear up the bill. It is very convenient.

________________________________________

Has the construction activity adjacent/near the Coral Bay Resort been completed?

I intend to arrive and stay at the Coral Bay Resort on May 2, 2008.

Your assistance is solicited.

Jerry Conners

[<email address removed as per forum rules>

This would be Villa Lawana Resort.

http://www.villalawana.com/

I drive past there every day and it looks as though it is pretty well finished and you can book rooms on their web site.

Certainly all the construction traffic that used to block the road has gone although there are a few workers still floating around, but I think the major noisy heavy construction work is over.

Well, where can they be obtained? Does Tesco, Big C or makro carry any?

Oh, anyone ever seen butter milk anywhere on Samui?

Thanks for any input.

Try TOPS in Chaweng. Last time I was in there, they had a variety if flours from Waitrose (?) if I remember correctly.

Spoken like a true Coco supporter!!! ... And BTW Crispin was not "found" anything...the charges were just dropped and he was released that does NOT equal a "finding" of any kind). This was in the Nation too where they did get his name spelled correctly. Gee, talk about getting one's facts wrong!

But fine, lets see where this goes, my bet is on the WHOLE project land is affected. Shame all these people will very well lose all their investments. These "developers" are truly the worst sort!!!

Who mentioned Coco? Where did that come from?

As for getting facts wrong - this is the quote from the Bangkok Post

British 'land developer' arrested on Samui

THANIDA TANSUBHAPOL

Another member of the Bandidos motorcycle gang, suspected of involvement in the drug trade and money laundering, has been arrested in Koh Samui by the Department of Special Investigation.

Pol Col Pravuth Wongsinil, chief of the consumer and environment protection unit, said Lauren Daniel James Fray, 32, is a British national and owner of Sabai Thani Property Co.

''Mr Fray entered Thailand as a tourist and used loopholes in Thai laws to buy and sell public land and real estate with the assistance of Thai lawyers,'' he said.

A source said Mr Fray held 49% of the company and used the names of employees to hold another 51% stake. He did not put his own money into the company.

Mr Fray bought property in Laem Mai Kaen. The DSI found the property belonged to the Treasury Department.

Mr Fray divided the land into nine plots. Thais who conspired with him pretended to buy them.

Mr Fray sold the sections for 22 million baht each to Sabai Thani in order to allow foreigners to occupy the land and houses as juristic persons.

''This caused the state to lose more than 70 million baht in taxes,'' DSI spokesman Pol Col Narat Sawettanant said. Mr Fray is charged with illegal buying and selling of land.

In July 2006, the DSI arrested Kim Lingegaard Neilsen, a member of the Bandidos, on Koh Samui. ]

Seems to me that they got the name wrong. Fact or not?

My point about the Bangkok Post in particular is that they will report anything without checking the facts and quite frequently get them wrong. Their standard of reporting is abismal. The Nation is far better but not always guilt free.

My point being that the Bangkok Post cannot be relied upon to give a factually correct report of what happened and that before we all condemn Lawrence - or anyone else for that matter - would it not be better to learn of the true facts? Certainly I was brought up in a society that believed in being innocent until proven guilty. Clearly there are people on this forum who are more than happy to condemn on rumour and suspicion alone.

seems that mr. fay was arrested for encroaching.

Briton nabbed for encroaching on public land

BANGKOK, March 18 (TNA) - A British businessman was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly encroaching on public land on the southern resort island of Samui, according to a senior officer at the Department of Special Investigation (DSI).

DSI spokesman Pol. Col. Narat Sawetanant said at a press conference on Tuesday that Laurence Daniel James Fay, 32, was to face charges. Mr. Fay is accused of hiring a Thai nominee to run a real estate company.

As founder of Sabai Thani Property Co Ltd, Mr. Fay purchased several plots of public land on Samui Island before constructing a condominium and housing community, according to the spokesman.

Col. Narat added Mr. Fay owned 49 per cent of the company shares, but that he had hired a number of Thai nationals to possess the other remaining 51 per cent of the shares, making him the de facto owner of the company.

DSI will ask the Land Department to revoke the company's ownership, which might affect a large number of Sabai Thani clients, said the DSI spokesman.

If found guilty, the suspect might face a maximum of three years imprisonment.

Darn Lindsey...now you have a WHOLE new set of worries...potentially a LOT WORSE worries! These "developers" are truly the worst sort!!! Hope he rots in there!

Before we all get too excited about this, remember that the DSI do not exactly have a good record at getting their facts correct and that the last case they prosecuted here had Crispin in jail for 18 months only to be found not guilty. The Press is also extremely bad at getting their facts correct as well, in particular the Bangkok Post whose standard of reporting makes News of the World look positively saintly. In the Bangkok Post this morning they could not even get his name right. Let's see what the correct version is and then comment.

I send out regular mailings (often daily) to various groups of people, usually 20-25 people at a time but once a month a mass mailing of up to 300 people. These are all legitimate and have either subscribed to the Newsletter I send out or are people I know well and keep in touch with. None of it is SPAM.

However, because of the volume and regularity, sometimes emails are rejected as being SPAM. The recipients have me on their safe list but it still happens.

Anyone any ideas how I can do this without getting designated as a SPAM mailer?

You have to be more specific in your request.

A friend of mine wanted to buy a nice grill and he found one at HomePro.

Conversation was like this.

Friend: Can I buy this grill?

HomePro: No, this one only for demo.

Friend: ohh. Ok

Next day I went there.

Me: You have this grill in stock?

HomePro: Let me check.... Yes we have five.

You see - you just did not ask the right question the first time. The one on display is not for sale. You asked the right question the second time - and how many times have I fallen into that trap as well!

Tesco is just as bad. I had the same issue with a small oven. The one on display was not for sale - "The last one so we cannot sell it" (??). Found a supervisor (yeah ok it took time) - "No you cannot have that one - but we have three in stock - would you like one of those?"

I wanted to buy a scanner. Five on display. No boxes therefore no CD, cables or documentation. Surprisingly they were all still on the shelf a month later. Wonder why?

Theres an article in samui express sounds like its still in the process of being passed but it says some of the village chiefs are against this as they would lose there jobs as they will be abolished under city status,

Samui cityhood imminent Samui Express 1st March 2008

THE majority of village chiefs on Koh Samui have voted in favor of the municipality becoming a city.

Eighteen of the 32 village chief and chiefs of sub districts, who met last Feb. 15, voted to approve the changing of Samui’s status to a “Thetsaban Nakhon,” while the remaining 14 voted against the proposal.

Earlier Suratthani Gov. Vinai Baupradit directed Samui officials led by Mayor Varakorn Rattanarak to resolve the issue after he had received a petition signed by sub district chiefs objecting to the change of status, whose foremost proponent is Varanakorn.

“I think we will become city by early March. We want the Suratthani governor to approve this as soon as possible and send the proposal to the Department Of Provincial Administration,” Varakorn said in an interview with Samui Express.

Varanakorn said Samui was ready to become a city, as he claimed the municipality has passed all the criteria required of it, including the required population. Samui’s official population now is 50,066 within an area of 228.7 square kilometers. This means the population density is 218.95 people per square kilometer.

In terms of income, Samui’s revenue of over Bt10 billion a year is enough to change the island from a municipality to a city, Varakorn said.

The village chief’s and sub district chiefs’ objection has emanated from the fact that they would lose their positions, which would be abolished under a city setup.

The chiefs argued that as a city, Samui would be more difficult to manage with the abolition of the position of subdistrict chief, resulting in the deterioration of basic services to residents, especially those in far-flung areas. They claimed they could solve the problems of residents at the community level better than the municipal ir city officials.

One of the sub district chiefs, Jaroen Jantra, of Bophut, who is also the head of the Sub district and Village Chiefs Association of Koh Samui, said, however, that his group had nothing to do with the letter sent to the provincial governor.

“If some people do not agree with the plan to change Samui’s status, I think it is really a pity. The new status would help a lot in terms of financial and manpower support to develop the island,” he said.

Besides Samui passing all three requirements to become a city, its residents also overwhelmingly approved cityhood for the resort island in a referendum.

The mayor has sent the proposal for change of status to the governor, who has to approve it. The approval has, however, hit a snag resulting from the objection of the village and sub district chiefs, who are directly under the Office of the Governor. If Samui becomes a city, they will lose their jobs within a year.

An exasperated Mayor Varakorn threatened to disclose the names of those behind the opposition to the change of status, saying that if the plan to change the status fails, “I will disclose all information about those who do not want to bring good things for the island.”

In reply to claims that the present municipality status offers more efficient basic services, the mayor said that under a city setup, “we will have a community board with representatives from nine areas in lieu of the chief of village and chiefs of subdistricts. These community committees will take charge of the problems of people and provide services better than the old system.”

Varakorn also said he believed that the objection of some people had something to do with their business advantage, which they stand to lose if the village and sub district chiefs’ positions are abolished.—