rychrde

yeah, sportsmanship is when you go for the same guy in the next game.

well, as far as slagging off asians and latin americans, what about the little incident of a certain frenchman. Helped win the world cup for Italy so I'm happy. lmfao

I wish they would do more of this in really boring sports... like golf or snooker.

rych

Good questions. I looked at the IPOs on SET about a week ago and they were all infrastructure and utilities companies - pity I didn't copy them down.

Now we find:

Thai Yuan Metal

C.P. Petrochemical Business Group. Part of C P Asia.

Major Development PCL. construction.

SENA Development. construction.

Thai Tap Water Supplies. project started in 1997.

Chu Kai PCL. construction services. first reg in 1997.

Better World Green PCL. waste management.

OK, as I said, pity I didn't keep the list of last week, but any hunting around should find them. Also, no sensible company would make an IPO now, unless very desparate, or for other than financial reasons.

Also

SET index plunge parallels regional markets

BANGKOK, Aug 15 (TNA) – The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) composite index continued to nose-dive in the morning trading session in tandem with other markets in the region, pressed by heavy selling by foreign investors.

The index plunged 10.09 points to 783.73 at the opening bell of the trading session and dropped further to a strong support level of 770 points before recouping its loss and closing at 779.87, down 13.95 or 1.76 per cent, with a trading value of 8.08 billion baht.

An analyst said the Thai stock market remained pressed by external negative factors including a continued decline in regional stock markets and heavy selling by foreign investors.

Positive internal factors such as improved performance results of listed companies and dividend payments appeared not to have enough momentum to stimulate the market sentiment for now.

However, the analyst viewed the SET index is likely to recover following the referendum on Thailand's draft constitution to be held this Sunday.

It is believed foreign investors would have confidence and return to invest in the post-election period because a new government is expected to follow through an implementation of many mega-projects. (TNA) – E005

source etna.mco.net

As we know only too well, the whole point of taxation is to take from the poor and give to the rich. In this case private investors are lining up to buy on the cheap state or semi-state enterprises with the prospect of mega-projects.

rych

PS found the page with recent SET IPOs and all the ones I saw seem to have been pulled as no record of them! what do I know?!!

What I found surprising was that they dedicated a long feature on the demo on TITV last night, 15th.

rych

Commander of Chiang Rai Military Province Maj Gen Kanon Boonriew said officials tried to prevent the flow of the money from a famous casino reported to be used for vote-buying against the draft.

He said the casino belonged to a close friend of a former minister and local MP.

Famous Casino ?

I thought there were no casino's in Thailand.

LaoPo

true, but they are littered around Thailand's borders, often in no-mans-land.

seems easy enough to get cash in and out with the right connections.

rych

Where are you? Here in the east rains pretty much every day, but still very hot.

Take a few showers and do very little! :-)

rych

Far from it tropo. I like Cambodia. To visit.

I just can't believe anyone seriously thinks it's a better place to live than Thailand.

Anyway, what's wrong with extreme bias? It keeps the thread alive ;-)

JR Texas to Bendix: OK, sorry Bendix.......you knew who my post was directed at. I thought you were a 40 something, suit and tie, right wing conservative working for an MNC in Bangkok (making big money....that is good), but still, working and having to kiss.....well, you know.

I am all the above, except the bits about suit and tie and having to kiss. . . . . well, you know.

I also "retired" as a forty something in Thailand some years ago, not after an MNC life, but after an entrepreneur career owning & operating businesses. Regardless, it sucks to retire early. I hung around reading on the beach, rode my motorcycle, played golf and generally went nuts. I was back in the business world a year later. Now, I never want to fully retire. Call me an A type, I guess. I look at guys like , Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, Steve Jobs, still running empires in their fifties, and much older dudes like Li Ka-shing, Rupert Murdoch, etc..as examples of enjoying life but still working and being productive till you can't move. Keeps you engaged and young.

I would be very open to running to Cambo to start a business if it got hot, but I wouldn't want to live there.

Bendix, don't fully retire in your 40s or you'll be climbing the walls if you have the enthusiam for your profession that you exhibit in this forum. JR, good luck on finding a new opportunity, even later in life. Academia can be a cruel background for entrepreneurial endeavours, but good luck.

Everyone else, don't think early retirement is all it's cracked up to be. I can understand it for those who have worked hard in a non-fulfilling job their whole life, but for those of you who have created things don't do it.

thanks chinthee! just read it when I needed to :-)

hello im after markets that sell shoes/sneakers/trainers i collect old adidas nike puma converse shoes/trainers/sneakers so any help would be great, im in bangkok now ive been jj market so dont need that one. Im thinking of going cambodia soon could any one tell me of any clothing places or shoe markets, someone told me that places like USA AND AMERICA give cambodia and thailand trainers and clothing, but they get bought and sold around the countrys can any one help me thanks.

If anyone know of any markets in thailand or cambodia or even vietnam could you please let me know on

[email protected] thats my msn messenger address too.

thanks

Take a trip to Poi Pet The Thais buy all 2nd hand cloths there from the Khmers.

"Watch out for pick pockets"

correct on both counts

just google "Golden Triangle Paradise Resort"

very funny that they don't mention gambling on their website. lmfao.

But it does have a casino, and I've seen it from the river.

Call or email them if you can get there from the golden triangle scam boats or just from the border at Mae sai.

have fun

rych

When in Rome, do as the Romans.

Do you mean building an efficient and modern sewerage and drainage system?

Apparently, although bizarrely possible some two millenia ago, the Bangkok Municipalities find this somewhat of a problem in this day and age...

how true

anyway, I have a salamander that eats the rats, or at least scares the shit out of them!

we haven't eaten the salamander, nor willing to sell it to locals.

rych

With your money I am sure you can hire a top notch lawyer. I have heard that the children produced as a result of a Buddhist marriage, ie not registered, are recognized as the responsibility of the said husband. Make sure you don't give her access to your accounts, etc, etc. She may take off with all the posessions in your apartment one day, if things go awry. One did exactly that to me - cleaned out the whole place one morning while I was away.

Interesting, I thought Thai tradition meant the child stayed with the parent of the opposite gender... unless the other parent had more money!!

rych

yep. thread closed. home sober as a judge. nice idea.

If I remember correctly lad brought in 2-3 cartons over the limit and he got socked 20k on the spot.

At that point I'd tell customs to go puff themselves.

I've been here over six years now and clearly, my once Atlas figure has gone the route of Homer Simpson

Not enough places to ride a bike, gyms are too expensive, jogging here is a joke.... I have an endless list of excuses

I've finally agreed with the wife to bite the bullet and start bringing off some of the tonnage if for no other reason than it is cheaper than a new wardrobe.

How have you fared since your arrival? Is it Thailand, advancing age or the simple fact of laziness and sedentary lifestyles?

Dr. B

11 years in Thailand..ripped, healthy,fit and strong.

Doesn't matter where you are in the world mate....diet and exercise.period.you only get one body.

-----------------------------

Actually you get many, many, many bodies...

Yes dont you grow a new body every seven years? exoskeleton and all bodily organs??

you mean we've all turned into bugs??

is this Kafka, or just Thailand?

I don't have experience of the above 2 hospitals, but do have experience of Bangkok Pattaya hospitals (avoid) and in Chiang Mai the Ram hospital (very good, not expensive for the service they gave me, and they have long term rooms at what seemed like very good rates).

I don't know the condition, so step one would be to contact a specialist to see which hospital can provide appropriate care. This is critical, my experience of the Ram is based on finding good consultants for my condition. Speak to them - they will all say 'come here!' - but ask for a phone consultation and see how you feel.

best of luck to you

rych

Someone said that Bangkok is getting like London!!!

I live in a nice part of London not the best and a way from the worst.

A one bedroom flat 16.5 million baht and rising which is ten times the average wage

Let's try again, just a couple of examples: how often do you find yourself dodging motocys racing on the potholed sidewalks in London? How often do you see unsecured high voltage wires hanging a few feet over your head in London?

And how would you compare the crowding, the smells, the noise, the pollution, the dirtiness?

This is the point of this thread and Stickman's. Getting in Bangkok the same quality as in London or New York for a given product or service usually means they cost equal or MORE and when you are getting in Bangkok a cheaper price than in London or New York for a given product or service usually means that you are getting a worse quality...

an average Thai meal with one beer each no dessert 2760 baht

Since I don't usually eat Thai food (nor in LOS nor in my homecountry) I can't comment much but in Italy a Thai meal costs less than a Thai meal in a comparable restaurant in Thailand (the comparison comes directly from my wife).

2 bottles of beer in a pub 490baht

How much are you paying for 2 bottles of beer in a pub in Thailand? Same brand? If not, how do you rate the one you usually drink in Thailand compared to the one you usually drink in the UK?

5 takeaway sandwich lunches for work 1200baht

Do you find the same or comparable sandwiches in Thailand? How much are they?

5 takaway "paninis" (think about Subway quality) are 400-700 baht in Italy in every bakery/grocery stores (they make them before you on your instructions, again think about Subway). It's CHEAPER and TASTIER than Bangkok.

1 bus ride 140 baht

Much cheaper in Thailand but would you compare the buses themselves and their service in London with what you find in Bangkok??

Do you usually take buses in Bangkok like you do in London? Why?

BTW, an "integrated ticket" with 75 minutes of unlimited bus and trams rides plus 1 subway ride from whichever station to whichever station is 45 Baht in Milan (around 55 baht in Rome, IIRC) MUCH CHEAPER than Bangkok and much higher quality of service (the subway+skytrain systems are much newer and more modern -and much more expensive- in Bangkok but the bus system is simply from a world apart compared to Milan's bus+tram systems).

council tax 100,000 baht per year

Not comparable with Bangkok I agree, then again look at the Bangkok infrastructure and services and London's...

just owning a car (tax insurance parking permit) 60,000 per year - does not include hp payments, petrol, servicing and wear and tear

Since you are not telling what car you have we can't compare but a typical 3.0L pickup with a good coverage can approach or pass that sum.

BTW in Italy with an online insurance company I am paying Baht 16,000/year including many optional coverages which are simply not available in Thailand. Annual road tax for my car is Baht 6500/year and would be around Baht 4000 in Thailand. A good coverage in Thailand is around 5-6% of the values of the car so in my case that would be Baht 33800/in Thailand...

Servicing my car in Italy is costlier than Thailand (but the spares are usually cheaper) but the service (and the warranty on the work done) is simply not comparable...

New cars cost around the same and often less in Italy (pickups excluded which have a very small market here), used cars cost much less and middle and luxury cars cost MUCH MUCH less. AFAIK it's about the same in the UK and it's certainly the same in France and Germany.

cinema 550 baht

Much cheaper in Thailand, then again I don't get the movie cut in movie theathers here (agree it doesn't happen in BKK but in the provinces does) or censored/edited and people don't usually talk among themselves or on the phones. And the ones who do are are quickly "put in their place"...

BTW 300-400 in Italy, some weekdays evenings are 150 baht...

dvd hire 275

dvd purchase 1200 baht

Much cheaper in BKK but in London I suppose you are renting original good quality disks not cheap low quality copies as it too often happens in LOS...

BTW renting DVDs with subscription cards it can work out practically the same price here in Italy that it is in Bangkok (with subscription cards as well).

DVD purchases (original) are the same price and oftentimes less (not to talk about the choice I have here and don't have in Bangkok).

massage ( 1 hour) 3450 baht

One area where Thailand wins on all counts, then again the cost is mainly labour here and we have already talked about it...

BTW, the costs in the better (legit) massage places in BKK are the same and even more but I can't compare since I don't know what you get in London for 3450 Baht.

tee shirt 700 baht+

pair of levi jeans 4140 baht

The same which applies to DVD applies here as well...

I don't know what kind of T-shirts (brand, quality) you are talking about but Levi's jeans are 2000/3500 Baht here. I think they cost more in BKK (not sure since I have never bought apparel in Thailand besides dirt cheap "disposable" clothing which is available in Italy as well anyway for just slightly more)

1kg jasmine rice 140 baht

Much cheaper in Thailand (20 Baht/kg?).

My wife is paying 65 baht/kg here in Italy (she buys 25 kgs sacks).

Just a small selection of prices. Yes I know the earning capacity is higher and relative costs are different but I find my costs are less than half when I am in Bkk.

I doubt about "less than half" (you haven't quoted the Thai equivalent prices) but are you getting the same as in London? This is the whole point.

And please bear in mind that London is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Almost all of the other Western cities where you find the exact same Western standard of goods and services are MUCH CHEAPER than London. In other words, your costs would be "less than half" even in some Western cities and maintaining the same Western standards as in London which you simply don't find in Thailand...

mmm... where exactly in Italy do you get your prices from?

admittedly, Italian food on a quality per price comparison with London is still better, but last time I was there I was being charged for the air I breathed.

And yes, London must be now one of the most expensive cities on the planet - even my brother in Tokyo thinks so.

rych

yeah, great plan by the woman, but why did she come back to LOS?? a bit of the plan hadn't been thought through!

Canadagirl, you are correct, social class is very much more about aspirations and values than it is wealth.

Yep, that's what I said before. The wealth may buy you into institutions that hold those aspirations dear, or, if you are lucky, you can buy yourself into the self same places by being the kind of person they seek, whatever the background. this is important, world-class institutions like Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Princeton etc, don't give a shit where you come from - they have lots of soft places for rich-kids - they want you to be good at what you do!

I and my friends come from a generation where we now realize how lucky we really were that we were able to get a world-class education in the UK without having to worry about the aftermath. Those days are sadly gone for current students.

Class is about attitude and power - either of the two can get you 'in'.

One of the things I don't quite understand about Thailand is how they let Taksin in power for so long without somehow bringing him into the 'establishment'. This is one thing the UK is very good at - the billionaire mavericks tend to be co-opted into the system without a great deal of public fuss.

rych

I have managed to move in and out of high and low class societies with ease!

But perhaps it is that very ease that distinguishes the classes. I was at two contrasting secondary schools, one public one private. the difference was not so much that the teaching itself was any better but the whole ethos of the place was that the students could aim to become whatever they wanted. yes, some fell by the wayside as wealthy drunks, but the difference was less about the haves and have-nots but about the can and can-not. The best state schools in the UK are the ones who have emulated this spirit.

Anyway, there are snobs at both ends of the spectrum. Just find someone you like :-)

rych

Looks like most here are not so much ex-patriates as non-patriates.

Home is where my suitcase is empty.

rych

Sonthi expects 70 per cent of voters to accept draft constitution

Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin said Friday that he expected 70 per cent of voters to support the draft constitution.

He said soldiers of the army areas nationwide had surveyed opinions of the people and found that some 70 per cent of them supported the draft.

Source: The Nation - 10 August 2007

Excuse me, but from previous post, how can 70% vote yes when only 69% said they would actually vote?

And if that's 70% of those 69% we're looking at 49% of the whole sample saying yes.

rych

re bendix

yep...hardly any bread or wheat products and virtually no dairy products either... excluding the odd pizza, which I can't get where I am now anyway! :-(

down from 99kg to about 87 kg.

I've lost like 12 kg (about 2 stones) but that's in about a year so feel fine.

Hey! I'm back to when I was 21!!! .... almost!

But I sweat it all away doing nothing. How do you guys put ON weight?!

:-)

rych

Foreign Business Act stopped

At face value, revision of the law stemmed from probes into Thaksin's business dealings, most notably his family's $1.9 billion sale of its controlling stake in the Shin Corp telecoms empire to Singapore.

However, it is also about Bangkok's old business elite -- many of whom supported the September coup against Thaksin -- getting payback for having to sell their family firms to foreigners after the 1997 Asian financial crisis, analysts say.

--Agencies 2007-08-09

This just about hits the nail on the head. The ostensible reason was the Kularb Kaew fiasco but the real reason was to right the wrongs perceived from the Asian crisis in which many Thais feel that too much was given away to foreigners. Somchai Sakulsurarat, one of the vocal proponents of the NLA's more stringent version was president of Bangkok Metropolitan Bank in those days. He managed to run the bank into the ground through imprudent lending policies, so that the Techapaibul family lost the bank and most of their other businesses. On the strength of this track record he later became CEO of Thai Military Bank. Guys like this still believe that the Democrat Party should have let the country tough it out with a collapsing currency rather than bring in the IMF which insisted on tougher bankruptcy laws and waivers of foreign ownership limits to let foreigners bail out distressed companies. But we should not forget that Thaksin also road this wave of anti-foreign sentiment and then sparked off this whole FBA mess through his sale of Shin Corp.

Going forward we can only hope that the situation is now so mired that the FBA amendments will get shelved by this government. It looks as if it would be a collosal job to revise the whole FBA to create something that the Ministry of Commerce can accept along with the NLA's revisions.

The most shameful thing is that while the government is motivated by vague nationalism and the NLA is motivated by vested interests, neither side gives a monkeys about the potential effects on the Thai economy and ordinary Thai people. Neither has bothered even to mention this aspect.

On the very last point, today was driving back from the village to Sa Kaeo town. At one point my wife mentions that a huge swathe of land filled with eucalyptus sapplings that we were passing had very recently been bought by a general. He apparently is also planning to build a helipad. Land here is now dirt cheap and dropping - 1 rai under 20k B. They will ripoff their own people too, that's plain to see.

rych

how did you like benmore? i actually seem to prefer spey and its cheaper. id love to see a whisky thread on the cheaper stuff.

sang thip/mekong are not whisky, they are rum. the dark thip is dire - the lighter barely drinkable.

he, if your drinking alot - treat your liver right!

yeah - cola period but esp in liquor ... yuk.

don't think I've tried Spey. I've found Benmore the cheapest drinkable whisky.

and yes, a lot of 'whiskies' are actually rum. Thais are shocked when I show them that Sangsom says quite plainly on the label RUM but have learnt that they use 'whisky' as synonymous with 'alcohol'.

rych

Your problem with potency sounds much more serious!

maybe i can run my own quality control and distribute free tabs

I don't much like coke - good for cleaning metal tho - and the sangsom sucks, so maybe 2 wrongs will make a right.

rych