hegralow

Ok, but what about the other provinces? Is the curfew still in effect there, or just Bangkok?

Curfew lifted in Pattaya. There is too much money to be lost there.

They are going to need all the money they can get to rebuild what the redshirts have destroyed.

when will they learn to stay out it........not your country you have no rights so shut the hel_l up is all i say

Are you saying there is no freedom of speech? He can't express his opinion? Most democracys at least allow you to express your opinion as long as you don't incite a riot.

good grief, are people incapable of reading a statement properly on here? amnesty international is not saying that nobody in the red camp is armed. it is saying that SOME of the people in there, specifically women and children, are unarmed and are being fired at with live rounds by a nation state's army. that is a violation of human rights, whether they are in the red camp by choice or not.

People on here read what they want to read steve, it is clear that unarmed people that pose no immediate threat are being shot and killed, but some on here think that being in a protest is justification enough to be shot and killed, even the two red cross operative trying to help people were murdered by the army.

I saw this morning on television the army showing only 3 protesters carrying weapons, I would rather see footage of the people they shot and murdered with guns or grenades posing an immediate threat to life, sadly though they don't seem to have any of this footage as the people shot and killed were on the whole unarmed and posing to immediate danger.

Hopefully people will take note of this report, well people that matter and not the usual red shirt haters on here.

i should have known better in all honesty. people on here do read only what they want to read despite the fact that amnesty is a politically neutral organisation concerned only about the human rights of innocent civilians around the world. that some people ignore that in their rush to judge is sad.

Stevie, are you saying that Amnesty International is only concerned with the rights of INNOCENT civilians? I beg to differ. They are mostly concerned with the rights of GUILTY people. Don't get me wrong, I think they have done much good in the world but sometimes get carried away and obsessed with those who are clearly criminals in every sense of the word.

Great pictures on tv of about 50 military all firing in sync what look like shotguns at red shirts (unarmed) on motorbikes

Did they hit anyone?

this is going out of control.......practically they are doing whatever they want to do...........no law here..........

I have been neutral on this whole 3 Ring Circus taking the position that this is for the Thais to sort out and farang should keep their mouths shut, stay away from the protest sites and generally mind their own business.

But this lawless thuggery...Abhisit needs to take the gloves off. This not about politics now; it's about crass and arrogant disregard for anything resembling civil behavior and rule of law.

What has happened so far is not even close to lawless thuggery. The red shirts are trying to get new elections (forget Thaksin for a minute). Had the police/military not moved in the other day, there might not have been any deaths. The government is afraid they might loose, that is why Abisit has not dissolved the govenmentand called for new elections, it is about holding on to power. IF the red shirts had wanted to cause serious violence there would have been serious problems and many deaths. They have shown remarkable restraint in holding a mob of 50.000 together when what they are doing is basically revolutionary in nature. The government too has shown restraint but they worry about the possibility of loosing this fight by inaction thus the troops trying to route the demonstrators off their turf and death and injury. Stop looking at this from your personal perspectives. This is two major opposing forces and it is amazing to me that the violence is not worse. Can the government really start shooting at the red shirts for parading around town? Do you people expressing ideas about cracking down on the red shirts really realize what chaos that would cause. How many people would be killed? Revolutionary behavior is not peaceful by nature. Pray that things will cool down some. Elections are needed to solve the standoff. The military marching in and deposing Thaksin was the first step in a distructive series of events. Like it or not Thaksin was an elected member of parliment. If indeed the military holds so much power they should have reined in his excesses and set him straight on what was acceptable behavior. It was all a mess from the beginning and many of you call the current government ligitimate. I am no supporter of Thaksin but he was the elected leader before the coup. How can any subsequent government be legitimate after a coup. You wonder why the red shirts are in the streets. Dah, it's a no brainer. They want back their elected government, the one they elected.

I am married to a Thai citezen in the U.S.A. who has two boys (ages 14 and 16) who have dual citezenship (U.S. and Thai). My wife says they need to register for the draft in Thailand and is planning to take them there next year in order to do so. Is it necessary to have them physicaly register in Thailand or can they do it here in the United States at the embassy? They are not trying to avoid the draft but I am just wondering if they can register without going to Thailand. If they do have to go to Thailand can they do it before their 17th birthday?

Thanks for any help.

#1 drug = Tobacco

#2 drug = Alcohol

#3 drug = Cannabis

This kind of sentence makes no sense at all, when governments allow the sale of cigarettes and alcohol which takes far many more lives than soft drugs like dope. Heroin is another matter; but the death sentence?? A good long jail term is punishment enough... and hanging!? I couldn't think of a more barbarous and inhumane way of ending someones life.

I guess everbody has it's own opinion yes tobacco is a drug so is alcohol so is coffee and tea but I have never seen anybody who had this drugs and then switched to heroin or ice or what ever.

But many users of dope just do that !!

You have never seen anyone who has had a beer before he used a harder drug? You have got to be kidding me. Do you think any Heroin users have never had a cigarrette or drank a cup of tea? Where have you been living all of your life?

I have 2 savings account that are joint with my wife (unregistered) and have internet banking on them. Siam Commercial Bank.

She has an account at BKK bank and we asked if we could open a joint account there and have internet banking, the answer was yes but we decided to wait til later.

Thank you for the reply and information. Just for my own clarification, You are not a permanent resident and she is Thai?

I am a U.S. citezen who owns a condo in Jomtien and property in Nahkon Nayok. In trying to set up a bank account at Bankok Bank in order to receive monthly rental payments and to make payment for condo fees etc. I was told I could not be put on as a joint owner of my wife's account. I did not have time to jump through all the hoops of getting my own account downtown on this trip. My question is: Has anyone had a similar experience of trying to be added to their Thai wife's account? Also, what is the best way to make use of my rental receipts from the condo. In other words how do I get them transferred to the states the easiest and cheapest way without incurring any excess fees? Next trip I want to get internet banking where I can make transfers and payments via the internet.

I recently tried to open a joint account with my Thai wife at Bangkok Bank. I am a U.S. citezen who owns a condo in Jomtien and property in Nahkon Nayok with the idea of retiring in Thailand. I was told I could not add my name to her account so I tried to get an account on my own at the downtown office after being told all I need is a passport. Of course when I got to the downtown main branch they wanted a letter from the embassy etc. My question is: Shouldn'y I be able to have my name put on the account opened by my wife? She claims that it could not be done but at this point I am not so sure that is true. Has any one had any similar experiences or know if there really should be a problem with me being on the jopint account?.

my gf told me that it would cost me about 12,000 baht to get a good fence put up. about 80 posts cemented in with barbed wire running around.........

About 75 Baht per linear metre? I am guessing that the posts are not concrete?

50,000 baht to enclose the area with concrete posts and barbed wire. There would be approximately 200 meters

of running fence. Does this sound reasonable?

Yes, about 250 Baht per linear metre. (Inc 100 Baht concrete fence posts.)

A block wall - 2 metres high is about 1,000 Baht per linear metre, allowing for cast pillars every two metres.

Thanks for the info. That helps give me a better idea of what it might cost. Do you know if they have metal fence posts readily available in Thailand like they do here in the states? They are only a couple of bucks a piece and would save me a few thousand baht.

...hegralow, some Thais regard this land as "Thai land"......and as they say "Thai rak Thai" as this Land is most probably not yours you should have a word with your missus and let her sort it.

My missus is the one who came to me to sort it out. It is her parents who are having the problems with the freeloaders.

I am currently in the U.S. waiting to retire in the next couple of years and have purchased a small (about 1 rai) piece of land in the countryside of Nahkon Nayok where I hope to build a house in the near future. It is located across a rice paddy a few hundred meters from my in-laws house. There is a stocked fish pond surrounded by mango and other fruit trees. During the rice planting season, the surrounding land is worked by the employees of a rice farmer. Since my property offers the only shade in the area the workers like lay up under the trees and relax. I do not have a real problem with this except that they also like to leave their trash around, steal the mangoes and other fruit and help themselves to the fish in the pond. My father-in-law is taking care of the land and has repeatedly asked them not to hang out there. They pay no attention to him and repeatedly defile the property. He has gone to the rice farmer and complained many times. This has done no good. Yesterday he got in a physical confrontation with them about this issue. I suggested that he go to the police about this issue but my wife says they will not come out to settle this problem. My father-in-law wants to put a cement wall around the property to keep them out. I am not willing to go to that expence at this time and I certainly do not want to have it done while I am not there. Does anyone have a solution to this probem? If I can't keep them off the land I am not so sure I want to put a house on it, especially when I will not be there all the time.

I'm not sure about this but couldn't you make friends with them, or like charge them each 30 baht per month to rest in your land and eat some mango and fish? Add some table and chairs some trash cans and signs saying do not litter ghost will come? If you get like 30 of them paying 30 baht per month you got your self a little Christmas bonus!!!

Don't deny them! embrace!!

Wow, 30 baht a month for fresh fruit and fish......save me a place please...

Maybe you should add a few more rai as I would tend to think for this price you might be in for a larger crowd than expecting.

Sarcasm is so entertaining, hahaha Fine!!!.. Fence it up and get a shot gun in the wife's name, problem solved enjoy your new friends,

Actually, I am the non-violent type. I was think of putting up a sound system and playing Barry Manilow tunes all day but my in-laws live to close and it would also drive them crazy.

You do not mention whether if your family is getting any benefit from the mangos and fish. If not, why are you bothered about it? Since you DON'T have a home there, what exactly is the big deal? When you build a home, that's a different story.

The benefit to my family now is that they are getting the fruit and fish now and I am okay with that. They are complaining that they are taking care of the land and the freeloaders are harvesting the fruit.

The pre-cast concrete fence posts with several rows of barbed wire is a fairly economical solution. We painted the posts green and it's both unobtrusive and effective.

That is probably what I will end up doing. I have been told by my father-in-law that it will cost about 50000 baht to enclose the area with concrete posts and barbed wire. There would be approximately 200 meters of running fence. Does this sound reasonable? The concrete posts would be poured with the idea that concrete blocks could be filled in between the posts at a later date if so desired. Of course the father-in-law and cousin would be doing the work and pocketing any thing above and beyond the material costs of which I have no idea of what they would cost.

I am currently in the U.S. waiting to retire in the next couple of years and have purchased a small (about 1 rai) piece of land in the countryside of Nahkon Nayok where I hope to build a house in the near future. It is located across a rice paddy a few hundred meters from my in-laws house. There is a stocked fish pond surrounded by mango and other fruit trees. During the rice planting season, the surrounding land is worked by the employees of a rice farmer. Since my property offers the only shade in the area the workers like lay up under the trees and relax. I do not have a real problem with this except that they also like to leave their trash around, steal the mangoes and other fruit and help themselves to the fish in the pond. My father-in-law is taking care of the land and has repeatedly asked them not to hang out there. They pay no attention to him and repeatedly defile the property. He has gone to the rice farmer and complained many times. This has done no good. Yesterday he got in a physical confrontation with them about this issue. I suggested that he go to the police about this issue but my wife says they will not come out to settle this problem. My father-in-law wants to put a cement wall around the property to keep them out. I am not willing to go to that expence at this time and I certainly do not want to have it done while I am not there. Does anyone have a solution to this probem? If I can't keep them off the land I am not so sure I want to put a house on it, especially when I will not be there all the time.

Are there people here who are running a 7-Eleven convenience store? I am looking into the options of opening a store with my wife. I've read on the company's website the franchise fees and startup costs should be between one and three million baht, which seems reasonably on par with what it would cost to start a small(ish) business to original concept.

I am wondering about returns though. After paying all the bills and taxes, how much are you really left with? I am by no means looking for a 'get rich quick' scheme, but considering the investment, I would hope to make a reasonable living. Would it be possible to make, say, upwards of 100,000 THB a month from an average 7-Eleven?

I find it pretty difficult coming up with a 'guesstimate' based on the 7-Elevens close to my home. I know they're doing alright though. I'm gonna have myself a chat with some local owners soon, and perhaps sign up for one of the info meetings if I'm liking what I'm hearing. Thought I'd try for info here first though.

The "Type B" franchise, which requires 1.5MM baht investment, will earn the franchisee between 20k-30k baht per month, and no more, based on meeting specific target results. You are essentiall buying a job as a manager in this scheme, and no more.

The "Type C" franchise, with a 3MM baht investment (and you also provide the location, owned or leased) pays 7-11 44% of gross margin, with the franchisee keeping 56%. Depending on your location, you COULD make a decent return, but it is far from guaranteed. And you would have no exclusivity with 7-11 for you area, meaning 7-11 could open another location within close proximity.

Rchapstick,

I was wondering where you got your info from. Is this info available to anyone? Once you come up with the franchise fee and are in business for awhile can it be sold or are you on a time limit ?(you buy the franchise for a set amount of time then can renew the contract) I tried to get some info by e-mailing the 7=11 franchise person but did not receive a reply. Also, if the average 7-11 makes 20 to 30,000 bht per month does that include paying someone to manage it or would the owner have to work the store? Any hinfo you might be able to give me would be helpful. Thanks.

My GF looked at 7-11 before deciding to pursue another buisness start-up. I sat in on the presentation with her ... it was all in Thai but easy to decifer (with some help from the GF after translating the important bits).

To your questions:

• We did not get inot the contractual obligations per se, but it is my understanding that a Thai corporation can own a franchise, and as such the franchise could be sold. The contract is for 9 years. I would also suspect that the 7-11 could veto an ownership transfer if they did not approve of the new franchisee.
  
• A "Type B" franchise can only make between 20k-30k. For a "Type C" there is no upside or downside limitation. The franchisee would be considered the manager, so if you farmed out the job to someone else, then your return would diminish accordingly.
  

Let me know if you have other questions.

Thank you for the reply. It seems that if you have someone mange the store for you at the going rete for 7-11 manager of 15000 if they assume the owners duties that it would leave a paltry 15000 income in the best of circumstances. At worst you might break even. Not a good return on a 1.5 million baht investment Then there is the head ache of worrying about whether your employees, including the manager, are ripping you off. You could run the store yourself but if you are not Thai you can't even pour a cup of coffee for a customer. There has to be a better way to make a decent living there. n

Are there people here who are running a 7-Eleven convenience store? I am looking into the options of opening a store with my wife. I've read on the company's website the franchise fees and startup costs should be between one and three million baht, which seems reasonably on par with what it would cost to start a small(ish) business to original concept.

I am wondering about returns though. After paying all the bills and taxes, how much are you really left with? I am by no means looking for a 'get rich quick' scheme, but considering the investment, I would hope to make a reasonable living. Would it be possible to make, say, upwards of 100,000 THB a month from an average 7-Eleven?

I find it pretty difficult coming up with a 'guesstimate' based on the 7-Elevens close to my home. I know they're doing alright though. I'm gonna have myself a chat with some local owners soon, and perhaps sign up for one of the info meetings if I'm liking what I'm hearing. Thought I'd try for info here first though.

The "Type B" franchise, which requires 1.5MM baht investment, will earn the franchisee between 20k-30k baht per month, and no more, based on meeting specific target results. You are essentiall buying a job as a manager in this scheme, and no more.

The "Type C" franchise, with a 3MM baht investment (and you also provide the location, owned or leased) pays 7-11 44% of gross margin, with the franchisee keeping 56%. Depending on your location, you COULD make a decent return, but it is far from guaranteed. And you would have no exclusivity with 7-11 for you area, meaning 7-11 could open another location within close proximity.

Rchapstick,

I was wondering where you got your info from. Is this info available to anyone? Once you come up with the franchise fee and are in business for awhile can it be sold or are you on a time limit ?(you buy the franchise for a set amount of time then can renew the contract) I tried to get some info by e-mailing the 7=11 franchise person but did not receive a reply. Also, if the average 7-11 makes 20 to 30,000 bht per month does that include paying someone to manage it or would the owner have to work the store? Any hinfo you might be able to give me would be helpful. Thanks.

I own a 7-11 in Bangkok and installed a camera system immediately after opening. Before the camera was even totally installed we caught a customer who had been pilfering cd's for a number of weeks. His image was broadcast to all the 7-11's in the area and he was apprehended. Also a number of employees were caught with their hand in the till. After they were sent to jail (directly from the store) we had little other problems with theft. I would say it would be worth the cost as it also recorded an assault inside the store.

What about reading the contract. Should be clear.

That is the problem. It is in Thai. I was told by an advisor at Sun Belt Asia that the reason I can"t get the contract in English is because farangs can't directly own a 7-11 franchise. Like another poster said, getting a translation from 4 different people will most likely yield 4 different results. I am trying to avoid talking directly with the franchise people but will if I can't get my questions answered.

I have invested in a seven-eleven franchise in Thailand. It is being run by my sister-in-law who was a former assistant manager of a seven-eleven. I am not happy with the returns I am getting and am thinking of selling. Much to my surprise I was told by my wife that I could not sell as we are on a six year contract. I am having a hard time believing her. I know you can sell a 7-11 franchise in the U.S. at any time you wish so I am wondering if things are different in Thailand. Does anybody have any experience or knowledge with a seven eleven franchise? I do not want to contact the corporation at this point but I will if I have to. I have some other questions that need to be answered but do not trust that I will get a straight answer. Any help would be appreciated.

I will be moving to Thailand in about two years with my Thai wife. I have heard that a Thai citezen can move back to Thailand and take his/her possesions once in a lifetime without having to pay an import duty on them. Has anyone done this or have knowledge about this? It would make a big difference to me. Also, do you know if that would include a car?

K-Bank has given me excellent service.

I opened my account with just passport and gave them an address that is the office of my accountant, no questions asked.

Excellent, fluent English speakers stafing their customer service phone lines also.

Thank you. I hope it will be as easy for me as it was for you.

You're welcome.

Just remember that many people report differences from branch to branch, let alone bank to bank.

Chok dee.

Which branch did you use? Maybe I will try to go there if I have a problem elsewhere.

hegralow, may I ask how you were able to become a condo owner without having had a thai bank account? Did you deal in cash? And how did you get around condition that non-thais must show funds came from overseas?

Sure. I had money transferred via wire from my bank to the real estate company's bank account. I had the realtor fill out the tor tor 3. My brother-in-law went with the realtor to the land office for me with a power of attorney and signed the papers. It worked so far but now I will be renting it out and I want the money sent to a Thai bank in Thailand. I will contact the new realtor (East Coast Real Estate) to see if he can temporarily put the money in hus account and take care of the payment of bills until I can get there and set up an account. By the way, when I bought the condo using Jomtien-Properties I was very unsatsfied with their service and even though I have a few more months of free advertising (which I saw no evidence of) that came with the purchase, I am having it handled by East Coast which has been very responsive so far.