Badbanker

I total work of fiction! Sort of what we expect from TTG!

I can't count the number of people I know over the past 35 years that have been scammed in major property deals in Phuket! Sadly, investors don't realise that they can't really own land in Phuket or anywhere else in Thailand and because of this it is only just a matter of time before it is all gone and they are broke and destitute and have to leave with their property now owned by unscrupulous Thai groups that specifically target expat landed property owners. Police, banks, government officials and the legal system actively support this criminal behaviour because they make huge amounts of money from it. Sad and you would think people learn but they don't!

After riding a motorcycle for 36 years in Bangkok, people need to know that riding here is not the same as the UK! Sadly many people don't have any real riding experience and just jump on an automatic motorcycle and just go and think the magic carpet ride will save them!!!! No the rules don't change! If you have no helmet and you hit you head you will die! I remember someone at an Embassy in Bangkok saying they take 1 farang a week out of Samui in a body bag!

Sadly, identity theft is so common in this country that government officials at times lose sight of the humanity necessary to show respect to an individual who is not able to present themselves in person. Land title transfers are a particularly difficult act as a whole families property assets are effectively changing hands and DO end up in the wrong malicious hands defrauding generations.

The guy in the photo is Police Major General Archayon Kraithong nickkname (golf) who is a deputy commissioner of Immigration, but is on loan to RTP headquarters to act as their chief spokesman! Nice guy, that has been my friend for more than 15 years. Speaks almost perfect English! Very straight in what he does personally with me.

I have just driven back around this bend today coming home from Srisawat and have done hundreds of times over the past 30 years. There are Huge Signs warning people in English and Thai, telling people to use engine braking and not to rely on brakes as they do and will overheat and not work!!!! There are guardrailings and cements bolsters which the bus rolled over this time again! Sadly I have seen and continue to see many Thai bus driving heros that ignore the signs and crash at this last bend less than 300 meters from the flat road at the entrance to the Srinakarin Dam. It will never end!!!

After 20 something coups and 30+ year of watching Thai politics, the populist present elected government is as always subject to the whims of the military elite, who WILL step in, if they feel their power is diluted or the elected government doesn't serve their needs. The only thing that has changed now that was never present in the past is, that we now have second by second social media coverage which is very powerful! Does it have the power to limit bad actors, or is it going to be the same, the people with the guns can still run the people with the social media?

In modern times Chinese criminals escaping has been going on since 1946 and the reason the re-entry permit system was instituted. This allowed Immigration to check with police head office if Chinese triads leaving Thailand had outstanding criminal cases against them before leaving. With the inception of an online Immigration computer database, Immigration can now see all and knows all. Sort of rendering the re-entry permit system pointless! I have pointed this out to a deputy immigration commissioners and suggested that it should be scraped!

After 36 year living in Bangkok and having been to court as an interpreter hundreds of time I disagree! There are only 2 types of lawyers in Thailand honest not rich lawyers and crooked rich lawyers!