Bob Chittie

Thanks Indo-Siam. On FOB then, does the exporter pay for the freight in advance and then bill the importer or does the exporter deliver to the port with the importer being expected to have arranged and paid for freight in advance?

Also, on the duties, if you look at http://www.apectariff.org/tdb.cgi/ff323435...ind.cgi?US+4202

for instance, for 4202.11.00, it says 8%, then it says free for a couple states and cheaper for a couple others and then it says 35%. So this is what is confusing me. I talked to some exporters of leather and they say its around 6% to the US, but I want to be sure before I proceed. For future reference I'd also like to understand why the first column of duties is usually a small number and the second colum is substantially larger. Which one is it? Thanks!

A couple questions. If anyone out there knows the answers, it would be much appreciated.

1. If I am in NY and I buy product from a Thai company FOB Bangkok, clearly and simply, what does this exactly mean?

2. I am interested in importing leather handbags to the US. I've researched issues relating to duty and it is still not clear to me. Does anyone have solid information as to what kind of duties one can expect on leather (all different kinds) handbags when importing to the US?

I'm a bit new at this. Thanks in advance if you can clear up the confusion.

Bob, you must be jaded indeed.

Are you serious? These"girls in bikinis ", as you call them, can be amazingly young and incredibly beautiful. The kind of girl that would never talk to you in a million years back in the homeland.

For a reasonable sum they will be quite happy to accompany your to your hotel room and do things to you that would make Madonna blush.

Who cares if they "strip" in the bars? You can be pretty sure that they will ga paa once you have them alone in your room.

Good point Georgie-Porgie. I let them know they'll have to settle for private striptease in the comfort of their hotel room.

I've got friends coming from overseas who of course want me to map out all the strip bars for them. We'll be in the North, Samui and possibly Bangkok. I haven't had a real night out in ages. So my question is, do strip bars even exist anymore and if so, where? From what I can see, its all girls in bikinis waiting for customers, but no stripping. Feel free to PM me. Thanks.

Will this happen again ? not sure. But if the Thai Bath is being attacked by forex traders, then this is BIG BAD NEWS for Thailand. This is a 1997 scenario again. Currently the Thai Bath is under the "illusion" of being strong, but it is "overvalued" already. It should be 50 to $1 and 60 to 1 Euro

Any chance of it actually going to 50 to the dollar? Seems to be the general consensus that it is going the other way.

Why does this topic bring out the worst in people ?  Mr Plachon is not as bad as Nemesis, nevertheless his comments are removed.

I would suggest that it is because you and a number of other Residents, Businessmen, Corporate high rollers and the like, seem to have a massive superiority complex. Much of this board is sick of it.

Self appointed spokesman for the majority Bob ? Who forces you to stay ?

Plenty of aquaintences read this forum and comment on your compelte lack of tolerance. I love Thailand Doctor and I'm not going anywhere.

I have NO tolerance for anti Thai sentiment and racisst comments. None whatsoever

I think you've lost the plot a bit. My 'no tolerance' comment was in reference to the 'poverty packers' as you refer to them. In that respect, I think it is fair to say that you demonstrate no understanding, compassion or indeed, tolerance. Is that not a fair statement?

As far as racism, I agree with you. Its not needed here. But if people have probelms with certain facets of Thailand, why can't they voice their concerns? As has been said, the vast majority of Thais will certainly not. Maybe it would be good for the government officials who have been rumoured to visit the site to at least hear some of the complaints out there. Or is it better to just ignore or actually, delete, any criticism? You and Thaksin may make a good team!

All the best,

Bob

Why does this topic bring out the worst in people ?  Mr Plachon is not as bad as Nemesis, nevertheless his comments are removed.

I would suggest that it is because you and a number of other Residents, Businessmen, Corporate high rollers and the like, seem to have a massive superiority complex. Much of this board is sick of it.

Self appointed spokesman for the majority Bob ? Who forces you to stay ?

Plenty of aquaintences read this forum and comment on your compelte lack of tolerance. I love Thailand Doctor and I'm not going anywhere.

Why does this topic bring out the worst in people ? Mr Plachon is not as bad as Nemesis, nevertheless his comments are removed.

I would suggest that it is because you and a number of other Residents, Businessmen, Corporate high rollers and the like, seem to have a massive superiority complex. Much of this board is sick of it.

If adults are to be adults then they will have to be allowed to be responsible, afteral I thought that that was what being and adult was about?

I don't think there are such things as adults. Humans are humans, and most humans are incapable of being responsible regardless of whatever age they are.

But I doubt that Mr Taksin is less wise than anyone of us here. And I do believe that he is loyal to his country. And guys, try imagining yourselves in his seat and realize what it is like to be responsible for a whole country!

But I doubt that Mr Taksin is less wise than anyone of us here. And I do believe that he is loyal to his country. And guys, try imagining yourselves in his seat and realize what it is like to be responsible for a whole country!

I guess I am of the opinion that a person over the age of 18 or 20 should be able to decide for himself on the issue of when they will call it a night. I believe the vast majority of people can live and learn and make their own decisions. At any rate, I don't believe it is the job of the government to tell its people when they may have a drink, when they need to go home and when its okay to lose your virginity.

I have no doubt that Toxin is loyal to his country and also extremely intelligent. Yes, he wants 'what is best for Thailand'. So what is best for Thailand? If one day you can't decipher between Bangkok and Singpore, is that best for Thailand? Maybe we should leave it up to the Thais to decide. BUT I can say that my experience is that the Thais won't challenge authority or ask any tough questions. So I feel somewhat justified in getting involved in debates here despite the fact that I am a guest.

Finally, even if he wants what is best for his country, he also wants what is best for his companies. At times this must lead to massive conflicts of interests. As I've seen written elsewhere, 'the richest man of a country should not also be the political leader'.

Also, any plans by TRT to compensate the millions of small business owners who will be hurt by further government meddling? I didn't think so...

BTW, I am sure a lot of ex-drugdealers have changed to different careers already.

I think a lot of ex drug dealers are dead, not enjoying new careers. But at any rate, even his crack down on drugs is dubious at best. Of course I agree with the general notion, that drugs are not good for society, but there are major international groups who have openly expressed their extreme concern for Toxin's tactics in the war on drugs.

But I'm not talking about drug dealers. I'm talking about small business owners who were already hurt when the 2am law was enforced and will be hurt further with any implementation of an earlier closing time.

Thaksin's a former police officer, and a degreed criminologist. Thus he approaches every problem from the angle of law enforcement, ie throw more laws at the problem and it will go away.

If Thais are drinking too much and staying out too late to be good, productive members of society, then you're going to have to do much more than make laws. Just as killing -- without trial -- 2500 minor dope dealers won't stop the drug problem (it certainly has had no visible effect in my neighborhood) -- changing the opening-closing times of bars will have no effect whatsoever on productivity/sociability. Solving problems like these -- if indeed you see them as problems -- requires a more complex, multi-pronged approach that involves education (of parents as well as children) foremost.

Unfortunately Thaksin seems incapable of anything but a one-dimensional approach when it comes to self-proclaimed moral issues like drugs, drinking and prostitution.

And every time someone who's really qualified to comment on these problems - such as a tenured Thai professor of sociology, psychology or political science -- criticizes Thaksin's one-sided approach, his reply is invariably 'Don't listen to them, they don't know what they're talking about.'

One thing though, it certainly makes for amusing newspaper reading each morning. I've been in Thailand for 27 years, and Thai news is more entertaining now than I can ever remember.

Very, very well put sabaijai.

Common sense meemiathai, common sense. Is it really too much to ask? Look at European countries with early closing times and compare their situation to those with late closing times. You'll find that its well documented that the late closers have far fewer problems. Believe it or not, some adults are capable of making their own decisions.

One only has to look at England, 11pm closing on a Sat and 10pm during the week for the Pubs without special licences, and that is about 90% of them. At 11pm everyone is on the streets looking for something to do. The closing times, have in turn breed a culture of binge drinking. Get them in before closing time. If adults are to be adults then they will have to be allowed to be responsible, afteral I thought that that was what being and adult was about?

Well put Marquess. Contrary to popular belief by our man Toxin, after putting down as many Chang's as popular before closing time, the vast majority of ADULTS will not run home to be with their family. They will look for a place to continue. Early closing times may deter some teenagers from staying out all night, but as has been pointed out here already, more laws are not the way to deal with teenagers who are drinking and losing their virginity too early in the opinion of TRT.

Also, any plans by TRT to compensate the millions of small business owners who will be hurt by further government meddling? I didn't think so...

PLEASE TOXIN, LISTEN TO HOW THE FARANGS WANT THAILAND TO BE.

Common sense meemiathai, common sense. Is it really too much to ask? Look at European countries with early closing times and compare their situation to those with late closing times. You'll find that its well documented that the late closers have far fewer problems. Believe it or not, some adults are capable of making their own decisions.

And I don't see any rebuttal regarding the AIS comment from anyone. I guess that's because its pretty self evident. But the general opinion of a lot of Thais is 'well at least he's doing something'. Is it fair, legal or democratic? 'I don't know. Hey, at least he's doing something'.

It seems we just don't know when we've had enough to drink, when its time to go home, even when its time to lose our virginity. Thank God we have people like Toxin to help us along the way.

Thanks Kevin. When the people realize that the politicians know what is best for them and they are not ready to make their own choices, Thailand will be a far better place.

Dear Mr. Toxin,

Re: National Bedtime

Dear Mr. Toxin,

I love Thailand. Indeed, I've been coming here for many, many years. And I too share your concern for the state of the country. It seems that the people insist on

drinking alcohol well past midnight, losing their virginity months and even years before marriage and in general participating in what can only be described as self destructive behaviour. Oh Toxin my Toxin! I look at the state of the people and I weep. If only they saw the priceless hours of productivity they throw away each and every day.

There can be only one solution. A National Bedtime. Why do we regulate the closing hours of discos, bars and clubs and fail to regulate the most important activity of them all- sleep!? If each and every person resting their head on a pillow, sofa, sidewalk or otherwise, was required by law, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and or a 1 million baht fine, to be asleep by 9pm each and every night, imagine the possibilities! My research indicates that this would still give the people enough time to drive home from work, eat, watch the TRT sponsored news AND drink up to 2 alcoholic beverages before bedtime. Really, what more do they want? The National Bedtime would allow working hours to be extended to 7am to 5pm, an added 60 million hours of productivity DAILY!!!!

Toxin, we both understand that the people simply don't know what is best for them. We both are far more educated and far more intelligent than all of them. We must put our knowledge to good use. We must save the people from the error of their ways. We must instill the National Bedtime. I await your response my Toxin.

Sincerley,

A concerned Farang named Bob

I can’t even remember the last time I was up past midnight. But that doesn’t stop me from reading the latest from Toxin with absolute disgust.

Firstly, I can assure you that if AIS owned and operated discos, clubs and pubs throughout the kingdom, there would be no talk about earlier closing times and the 2am law would never have been enacted.

Yesterday, Toxin was quoted in the Bangkok Post as saying that if clubs were open from 7pm to midnight, partygoers would still get the same 5 hours as they do with the present 9pm to 2am times. So what was the problem he wondered? Toxin, toxin, toxin…. While you’re at it, change business hours from 6am to 2pm and school hours from 3pm to 9pm. After all, what’s the difference? As long as we’re at work and school for the same number of hours. More intelligence with complete and utter lack of common sense…

This law will only result in more home parties (with them eventually made illegal no doubt), more drinking (closing time is coming), more fights (its midnight, I’m raging drunk, and I'm sitting on the street amonst 1000 other drunk people- Just look at England) and less tourists (don’t for a second believe that foreigners won’t be put off by these laws- Just look at Singapore).

PLEASE TOXIN, GO BACK TO YOUR BUSINESSES AND LEAVE THE PEOPLE OF THAILAND ALONE BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.

My friend bought 40 baht worth (four 10 baht bars). The shop he bought it from guaranteed him that they will buy it back from him at any time at the buying price for that day. He bought at 7500-7600 and its now at 7600-7700. So far, its still rising. I may owe him a beer.

It is not a good time to buy gold at the moment. 1 Baht (~15 grammes) of gold is around 7600 and is forecast to reach 8000 before the new year. It has gone up by about THB 400 in the last month.

If it does go to 8000 and you buy now at 7600, you could get in and out with a 5% gain on investment. Right? Not great, but better than leaving your cash in the bank all year. I personally think it might have peaked right now, but that's just just a guess.

The place to get the license is just past Lotus on the left hand side. Maybe check google 'chiang mai license' for a better description. You probably have the non-im visa. Then you need a medical certificate from a doctor. I know you said you have one, but they have some specific tests they do for the license. It costs 50 baht at any hospital. You'll need a form from your consulate which states you live here. You sign, they stamp. You pay them 1000 baht plus. You'll need two small pics along with copies of your passport, visa, license etc. This can all be done right behind the license building. In my case, there was no test, written or otherwise. Just an hour wait. Make sure you check the spelling of your name when its done.

And jay is right. You get to keep your English license.

it was good to have. Got pulled over the other day for speeding. Showed my license and paid the 200 baht fine. The police told me that there would be another speed check up ahead and that if I got pulled over, I could just show my receipt, evidence that I had already paid 200 baht and I wouldn't be fined again. TIT.

Thanks Randy and Supersurch,

Perhaps I can get away with making my payments 59 days late in order to tide me over til mid next year. I'm assuming if I do that and then start to pay them down towards the end of next year, that my credit will take a big hit, but will eventually come back around.

The bankruptcy lawyer said that the debt accumulated in the last year would probably not be eligible and since that is the major issue, BK doesn't seem like the correct option. He also said that they might get a judgement against me and then come after my business or sue me, but that this was unlikely. I wonder just how unlikely...

Unfortuantley, I've been renting in the US. But you're right, it would be a great time to take out a low interest loan against a house and pay down the high interest debt.

Thanks again.

Bob

Well he bought some of the 96.5 10 baht bars a couple days ago. No Vat because no receipt. Hmm... Apparently from a reputable shop though. He seems to think gold is going to keep rising and rising, although I think it may be peaking. The idea is to keep it here and sell it here. Hopefully not the beginning of another, 'how I lost my money in Thailand story'.

US Driver's license. Form from the consulate stating you live here. Non-Immigrant Visa. Some Baht- Can't remember how much. Two pictures. Fill out some more forms at the office. License issued.

A farang friend wants to buy gold here as an investment. Are the thai gold shops generally trustworthy?

The best thing you can to is keep paying them even if it’s only 5 or 10 bucks. If you contact a consumer credit agency back in the states they can work with you to help save your credit. The truth about credit, is each US state has its own interoperation of the laws so there is no right answer.

Or you can simply right them a letter explaining you your financial situation asking them to stop the interests and freeze the account. You have to agree to make some form of regular payment. There is a process for this and it does involve certified letters and such.

If you Business is not paying your credit card debt it might be time to look at going home to get a real job. Not sure of the situation but I can imagine it’s enough money to keep you back that long.

The people who clam that you can save your credit with only paying 25% are dubious at best. Most of the time the will say just pay us $150.00 then not do any good.

My experience is based on someone who had had the credit man calling b4. There are lots of things you can do. Find all your options but keep paying something. .

Like I said “talk to real credit people” not anyone from this board, including me!!!!

Thanks for the sound advice Randy. I have contacted a bankruptcy lawyer and also will be speaking to a consumer credit agency. I neglected to mention that within about 6 or 7 months I will be able to pay the cards way down. Perhaps contrary to popualr belief, I do work. The immediate problem is that I lent money that wasn't returned to me which was to be used to take care of my rather large payments until next June or so. Thanks again.