gummy

My wife just said she felt the ground move !!

For an investment of this size, and assuming it is not already in England, or indeed assuming that the legal purchase will be transacted in the UK, then the BOE/Commercial Banks will require to be satisfied where these significant funds are from in order to comply with anti-money laundering requirements.

So assuming, from a UK perspective, that they are satisfied, and hence allow the transaction, it must then indicate that those fund are indeed from a legitimate source. Thus would that not be proof to the Thai authorities that indeed these funds were in fact previously undeclared irrespective of the offshore vehicle used in the respective transactions to enable said funds to be accrued?

He would only be granted political asylum if he could show that by being returned to his own country he would be or possibly be physically harmed. However the point is no one has said yet that he can not return. Indeed he has not attempted to enter the country and been refused permission has he?. I suspect that he will indeed be suggested to return and if he is innocent of all charges he will only be to pleased to return to defend himself. However at this point in time he is innocent as he has not been proven guilty at any trial.

Further there has been many an example in the past of prominent people being convicted in abstentia.

He has asked, as reported, several times to return, and has been told that he shouldn't.

If he is not allowed to attend his own trial, as the discussion here goes, then this does not fulfill what comprises a fair trial, and such a trial will not be acceptable according to western standards, hence a clear case for political asylum.

The Junta is in a fix. They know that a Thaksin trial with him attending will cause serious social disturbances, especially if they have not a clear case (and that means legally, and not what many people are convinced of), but by avoiding those disturbances and not allowing him to attend - they have no acceptable trial.

They may convict him in absentia, and at the same time create something that he definitely is not - a symbol for democracy.

They should have foreseen such eventualities before making a coup.

Well time will tell, who knows perhaps Thaksin will have a heart attack and be gone, that will alleviate many problems for some people.

His current suspected ploy is that by becoming a large investor in a football club this may provide some sort of leverage for him being granted ILR and perhaps future citizenship. He should speak to his good friend Mr Al Fayad who has still not acheived that goal irrespective of his millions, owning Harrods and clear and continuing support he has shown for the UK over many many years, which in my opinion and in his case, seems most unfair.

On the other hand to proclaim that he may not have a fair trial by Western standards is somewhat incorrect and tends to cloud the issue, as currently there are trials currently ongoing that in the eyes of nearly all of the world, except US and the UK they are unfair, so perhaps not all Western governments will be as symphathetic to Thaksins plight as you appear to suggest and hence as I said previously, prove to be a secondary irritant.

Let us assume he does go on trial and, whether or not he attends, is convicted.

When he is not allowed to attend his trial by the government, this would be a clear case for granting Thaksin political asylum in any western country. A conviction from such a trial in absentia will never be accepted by any western country.

He would only be granted political asylum if he could show that by being returned to his own country he would be or possibly be physically harmed. However the point is no one has said yet that he can not return. Indeed he has not attempted to enter the country and been refused permission has he?. I suspect that he will indeed be suggested to return and if he is innocent of all charges he will only be to pleased to return to defend himself. However at this point in time he is innocent as he has not been proven guilty at any trial.

Further there has been many an example in the past of prominent people being convicted in abstentia.

Let us assume he does go on trial and, whether or not he attends, is convicted. For the powers that be this could well be very beneficial as a secondary irritant for Toxin, possibly more upsetting for him than the actual conviction, insofar as , most countries I understand including US, UK and Australia will refuse him a VISA on the grounds of having a recent criminal conviction. Thus he will be persona non grata in the UK where he/his wife have just bought a house and he is currently negotiating to purchase Man City. Now that really would be inconvienient for him.

There is always more than one way to skin a cat as they say.

Wouldn't it be superb, especially for lawyers, if all arguments and ideolistic problems could be resolved through legal action rather than then gun ? Perhaps one day it will come to pass that "The pen is mighter than the sword" ?

Meanwhile perhaps Pres GW Bush could take a leaf out of Thailand's CNS book and sue Bin Laden and others in his "axis of evil" league rather than risking further loss of life.

In fact perhaps a whole new TV network could be started titled - War games in the Court room, now let's see who could be the main sponsors of that? Plus of course almost certainly it will become the longest running soap.

It may well be an unusual business undertaking for Thaksin. After all his business's have been built on utilising "friends in high places" initially, then modifying the laws to benefit his holdings not forgetting of course the "other business incentives" offered to his "business colleagues". Plus of course his overwhelming desire to make money which is paramount in any of his transactions.

It is hard to imagine how Thaksin envisages making money out of Man City by increasing it's worth when he will be dealing with very strict rules on how he can and can not operate a football club - or are they? However, given the pride of many shareholders in their club what does the real Man City supporters think about selling out to Thaksin ?

What a pathetic thread. Anybody who thinks that a chip will stop their children being abducted must be in cuckoo land. It may help the police to track them, or God forbid, their bodies, but it will not stop their abduction. What do you propose to do - get a big tattoo done on their foreheads " I am chipped so be warned" ? As I said pathetic and it is a shame that parents don't look after and protect their children better so as to avoid such nonsense as the OP is proposing. If you don't want the responsibility don't have them, don't attempt to blame others for your own shortcomings.

Who suggested a chip would stop somebody taking a child?? You've gone way over the top there

Everything about your post stinks of someone who has had a bad day and is reacting to something they personally don't like, there was no need to suggest that me or any other parent has a lack of responsibility or is blaming others for our 'shortcomings' - whatever you have judged they may be

Way over the top yet you are talking about putting a chip in child the same as what is done for dogs in many countries !!! Me over the top ? As I said don't attempt to rely on technology to overcome your shortcomings and frankly if you want to put your child in the same leaque as a domestic pet then go ahead and get him chipped, just do not be surprised to be ridiculed by other responsible and caring parents. I think it must be you who has had the bad day to consider the option in the first place, mind you I suppose it would be cheaper to go to a vet for it rather than a local GP or Doctor. Any other extreme ideas you would like to share with us in protecting your children ?

I never had to take my rings off (I wear 5) for airport security.

Never any problem! But then I don't have any worth 500,000 baht.

Quite so and neither do I although I am very fortunate to wear a ring far in excess of that value and for that matter a watch also, but there again, you and I are not con men obviously.

So this guy claims he put an expensive ring in a bag instead of wearing it !!!! The Germans still claim that the Mercedes Benz is the best car in the world, so that say everything about the ring story.

What a pathetic thread. Anybody who thinks that a chip will stop their children being abducted must be in cuckoo land. It may help the police to track them, or God forbid, their bodies, but it will not stop their abduction. What do you propose to do - get a big tattoo done on their foreheads " I am chipped so be warned" ? As I said pathetic and it is a shame that parents don't look after and protect their children better so as to avoid such nonsense as the OP is proposing. If you don't want the responsibility don't have them, don't attempt to blame others for your own shortcomings.

There is so much talk about the down turn in the market and I have seen it first hand myself.

I am interested to know who has actually sold a property in the last few months. I dont want to hear from the agents as that is not the point of the thread. Ive been in real estate here for a long time and I KNOW, things are more than slow in Phuket.

Interested to hear from the sellers please. Property type, location and price.

I have a beautiful house in Bang Saray. Since the Thai Government announced that they were going to investigate all the tricky dicky Thai Corps opened by Gooofs like me, I totally expect nothing but the worst from the Thai's. All my friends have their homes set up the same way, some have millions of USD in Thailand. If the Thai's dont steal the property, you can be assured they are going to HORSE F_ _ K out of thousands, tens of thousands of worthless USD. I have my home for sale 20K under what I paid for it two years ago, and not one looker!!!!!

Well this sounds like a troll. However giving the benefit of the doubt to this newbie, it would appear then to highlight that no matter how much wealth one has, or claim to have, to attempt to circumvent the law, even in Thailand, is unwise. Why cry Wolf now because you have been naughty boys and may get your hands slapped ? Please don't attempt to justify your own shortcomings by attempting, unsuccesfully, to blame the Thais for your own imprudence in financial investment. Annoying it may be to potentially have your investment put at risk, but then you did not mitigate that risk by knowingly investing in this manner originally. Like gambling, if you can not afford to lose it, don't risk it as you have only yourself to blame if it goes wrong.

Espirt . . . . First, I am not taking a shot at you. . . .

But the Thai government for more than 15 years has permitted and condoned the formation of corporations by foreigners for the purpose of owning land. The Land office, the Company's office, Thai accounting firms, Thai lawyers all condoned the transactions and the company scheme. It is an act of confiscation for the Thai government to challenge the the ownership rights of those who bought under a scheme permitted for years by the Thai govenment.

I do not own any land in Thailand under the company scheme.

I find it deeply offensive that a Thai can go to my county, buy land there, and be assured of full ownership rights, while my country men face the loss of ownership rights in property they have bought through a scheme accepted for years by the Thai government.

Tim77, Got to agree with you on the last point, but not just because of Thailand. I think all countries should have reciprocal arrangements so that what Brits can't do in Thailand, Thais can't do in the UK or anywhere else/countries for that matter. But guess that would be almost impossible to enact

If they do pay the 27.4 billion it will only leave them 54 billion to live on, certainly they will have to make cut backs somewhere.

I'm a Yank, don't have any problems with Russkis overall. Unfortunately, I do exhibit some bias when I see a wealthy Russian (a la Abramovich), I figure they're a criminal of some sort.

Most Brits feel the same about Dick Cheney whereas Russians, or at least very wealthy ones, are welcomed. What Thailand needs is a wealthy one ( Russian ) to invest heavily in Thai football.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens

Brown paper packages tied up with strings

These are a few of my favorite things

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels

Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles

Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings

These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes

Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes

Silver white winters that melt into springs

These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites

When the bee stings

When I'm feeling sad

I simply remember my favorite things

And then I don't feel so bad

why not simply say Julie Andrews ?

Thankful I was born in England at a time when it was still "A Green and pleasant Land"

Mogoso,

You are factually incorrect which may be part do to your lack of UK knowledge, specifically of crime figures. The highest rate of recorded crime commited by any ethnic group is within the black migrant communities. Muslims do indicate that they have no wish to integrate and it would appear from recent times that it this ethnic group which provides the majority of actual or suspected terrorists within the UK to date, excluding that is the previous N Ireland/IRA terrorists, which as we all know have all been forgiven and have been elected to the UK parliment in some instances.

Longway,

I anticipate from your last reply that you have but limited understanding of the immigration issues or you are unable to comprehend simplistic facts or perhaps it is both together with you are also in self denial.

Therefore can I suggest you read the following link from todays UK Telegraph :-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jh...4/22/do2207.xml

Crime figures in the UK are recorded using the 16+1 system now (16 self identified groups, plus 'not stated'). The highest rate of recorded crime commited by any ethnic group is by the White ethnic group (comprising, British, Irish, Any other White Background). The percentage of recorded crime committed by persons of the Black ethnic group and M1 (White and Black Carribean), and M2 (White and Black African) groups, who I assume you are referring to by "black migrant communities', as a percentage of the overall Black, M1 and M2 communites, is probably higher. However there are a number of sociological reasons for this, statistically they are more likely to be unemployed, have lower incomes etc. Most crime committed by Whites are committed by people from a similar social background.

It isn't quite as simple as get rid of the immigrants, get rid of crime.

In the context of the thread it was about crime amongst the migrant population, not the indigenous population.

Reading these posts is most humbling, and the Thai honesty brings a lump to my throat.

One day, a few years ago. I had just moved into my house, when a teenage girl on a motorcycle arrived at my front gate. She told me she had been stopped by the police for something, I forget what, and needed 400b to pay them. She said she only lived just up the road, her father was a farang, but was out and would not be back till 8pm. If I lent her the money, she would bring it straight back when her father came home. Being new to the neighbourhood, not wanting to fall out with the locals I lent her the money, She and the money were never to be seen again.

Before you call me stupid, hindesight is a wonderfull thing. Had I know what I know now, I would have taken a copy of her ID card or even her bike number.

Aha, next time !!!

Don't be hard on thais. This happens quite a lot in the UK too. You give out money, quite often on a very regular basis, and you never get it back - It is called pension contributions !

I was at Sepang in Malaysia for the F1 and the place was full of them. I found then to be arrogant and ignorant showing no concern to the view of the people surrounding. They pushed in, shoved and just stood or sat where they chose regardless of what their ticket said. I believe they have a lot to learn in the big wide world that they are now free to explore. Im sure once the novelty has worn off and they are a bit more worldly wise it may be different. Lets hope so!!

Cant say I have met many here in LOS though I do reside in the back of beyond to most people.

Many people may agree with you but what are your comments about the Russians also !!

lmao, was thinking exactly the same thing, what he typed explains perfectly 1 american i have had the misfortune to meet.

BB

Consider yourself very fortunate one is all you have met.

I was at Sepang in Malaysia for the F1 and the place was full of them. I found then to be arrogant and ignorant showing no concern to the view of the people surrounding. They pushed in, shoved and just stood or sat where they chose regardless of what their ticket said. I believe they have a lot to learn in the big wide world that they are now free to explore. Im sure once the novelty has worn off and they are a bit more worldly wise it may be different. Lets hope so!!

Cant say I have met many here in LOS though I do reside in the back of beyond to most people.

Many people may agree with you but what are your comments about the Russians also !!

First, I don't think any of the posters on here have any sound idea whether the professor makes sense or not. This is especially so since these are very technical issues that are sometimes reported by people who don't understand what's being said--so they get it down wrong or take it out of context. A poster has already made this point.

Second, what's the basis to generalize to other professors or Thais, generally? That's just more of the prejudice one sees on here on a regular basis. And please, there's a big difference between criticizing something and making sweeping generalizations. The former is ok if rational, the latter is naked prejudice.

I don't think the majority of the posters are being deliberate offensive to this Thai. It just so happens on this occassion that the interpretation of data by this professor has drawn certain conclusions which some of us find difficult to comprehend. In many many other situations you have differant and eminent scientists reviewing the same data and coming to totally differant conclusions, that is not to say either parties are being accused of stupidity. For example, and based on current data and evidence, you still have a very large group of people who still believe that the Americans landed on the moon in 1969 and that Princess Diana's death was an accident.

Another example, I am very sad to say, of how Thailand is likely to be viewed as a joke outside the Kingdom. Everyone who has ever been to Bangkok knows that Pantip is the place to go and buy counterfeit software and dodgy DVDs. So for the Deputy PM to lead a 'raid' and discover one single dodgy DVD is going to be viewed as laughable.

Thailand needs to get serious about combating this problem or else the rest of the world is likely to get serious on Thailand's behalf. Microsoft, fed up with the lack of response from the Thai authorities, took its conerns to the US Government recently who are far more likely to take come kind of action.

The world and Thailand waits with bated breath !! China must be quakeing in their boots also or should that be laughing ?

Give the guy a break please. He said he discovered one porno VCD. How long do you think it will take him to sift through the other 1000's that he most probably got taken to his home for further personal review ? Lets see if he annouces later what he has founnd or whether he will just be seen in public with his arm in a sling due to muscle fatigue.

A bit more science in this article. Are there any experts in regional geology, plate tectonics and subsidence rates who wish to comment?

Have a look at 'Bisto's' post in #9, second link; that'll do for you.

LaoPo

Thanks I've copied this from the first link:

quote

Relative sea-level is affected by vertical

land movements caused by tectonic movement,

sedimentation, groundwater and oil extraction.

Warrick et al. (1993) summarized four main

processes affecting sea level changes: (A) glacio-

eustasy, ( emergence/subsidence of land, ©

manmade activity, and (D) ocean-atmosphere

effects (Table 4). These factors vary widely in their

effects on relative changes in sea-level.

Regarding the process ( , vertical land

movements, Yanagi and Akaki (1993) studied sea-

level variation rates from 1950 to 1991 in the East

Asian region. Figure 5, in which the shaded area

denotes where the sea-level falls due to the plate

tectonics, shows that the sea-level has fallen for

the past 40 years in an area including the southern

part of the Sea of Japan, the Korean Peninsula,

Indochina, and the Malay Peninsula.

unquote

So maybe there is some 'method in their madness'!

So you would think that any scientist using the above discussion of the rise and fall of tectonic plates would put forth that the argument that the tectonic plate upon which Thailand and the gulf sit may actually be rising, instead of the absolutely stupid argument that whilst the mean water level in say Alaska will rise, the relative water level in the gulf of thailand will not, leaving a gradual slope between Alaska & Thailand.

"Method to their madness" - grow a brain with some common sense is more to the point.

Cheers,

Soundman.

Also be interesting to hear his theory on Hawaii which by all acoounts and scientific analysis is actually sinking. I wonder if the professor would consider this not to be the real case rather that the sea level is rising at this location and hence creating "a big bump of water in the Pacific

Make a note of this Hydrologists name and the company he is working for. By the way and apologise as it is off topic, but where can I find those great laughing emoticans I searched all over but seem to have missed them ?