picaro

Checks on foreign business tieups in Phuket

PHUKET: -- A fact-finding effort is underway in Phuket to compile information about local businesses in which Thai people are hired by foreigners as their nominees - a practice considered suspicious and possibly illegal.

Provincial governor Wichai Phrai-sa-ngob, who ordered the investigation, said he was not discriminating against foreign investors, but guarding against illegal nomination which exploited loopholes in Thai laws for personal gain.

Under the business nomination law, foreigners can hold no more than 49-per-cent ownership of any business they jointly invest in with Thais. An ongoing practice is that foreigners later gain control over Thais illegally, and enjoy a lower tax burden than when holding a minority ownership.

To scrutinise foreign businesses, the local revenue office is checking on their tax payments, while the treasury office is scrutinising ownership of condominium space. Immigration police are checking visa and residence status.

Local authorities and the Interior Ministry will look into all information and decide on what to do if the fact-finding reveals illegal business nomination activities, said the governor.

There are now 19,653 joint Thai-foreign businesses in Phuket, which have invested around Bt62 million.

Patong Municipality mayor Chairat Sukbhal dismissed reports most hotels on the island resort were owned by foreigners, saying most were operated as joint ventures, or under management staffed by foreign executives.

The provincial business and trade office said a regulation requiring joint Thai-foreign businesses to produce bank accounts with a high minimum amount of money deposited had been revoked, because it could not effectively serve as proof of substantial business funding.

"In most cases, the money was withdrawn immediately from bank accounts once they were offered to Thai authorities as proof," office head Weerachai Tantiwatthanawallop said.

The provincial land office said legal action would be taken against any businesses found to have been operated illegally with a majority of foreign ownership, because Thai land laws imposed strict sanctions on foreigners owning land plots in Thailand.

-- The Nation 2009-09-02

>>> I am wondering if the great powers that be ever think about the increase in Thai unemployment not to mention the cost of resources after closing down and or driving out all this illegal business.

Pattaya to woo visitors with free rooms

BANGKOK: -- Tourism operators in Pattaya plan to offer free hotel rooms from May 1 to Oct 31 to attract local and international tourists during the low season.

Apart from hotels, restaurants and shopping malls will also join the campaign, offering discounts up to 50%. Final details will be decided tomorrow.

The seaside resort city is facing difficult times because of the global economic recession and local political problems, said Chatchawal Supachayanont, president of the Eastern Chapter of the Thai Hotels Association (THA).

"With this campaign, we hope tourists and meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition (Mice) activities will be lured back to Pattaya again and tourism sentiment will improve as well," he said.

Mr Chatchawal said Pattaya's hotels had about 20,000 rooms and that all operators would join the promotion.

"This is the first time we have had co-operation from all parties, aiming to restore Pattaya's tourism image," he said.

"Average occupancy was not so bad at around 30-40% after the Songkran festival. But we are very concerned about reservations from overseas, which are not coming yet."

Pattaya's image took a hit just before Songkran when red-shirted protesters forced the cancellation of the Asean Summit after they stormed the meeting site, the Royal Cliff Beach Hotel.

Operators in Pattaya hope that when Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva goes abroad he will be able to explain the problems in Thailand and how the government intends to solve them, in order to restore confidence among visitors.

-- Bangkok Post 2009-04-22

What good are free rooms in a city that has become dangerous to be in re muggings, jewlery snatchers, aggressive drunks, drunken drivers, gang shootings and nobody watching the asylum. With the embarrasing spectacle of last week it will be a tall order to help Pattaya never mind Thailand.

regards

Police bust swinging party, arrest 13 foreign men

BANGKOK: -- Police raided a swinging party in a Bangkok hotel late Wednesday night and arrested 13 foreign men, seven Thai women and three foreign women.

The raid took place at 0:15 am Thursday at the Elizabeth Hotel on Praditpat Road in Samsen district.

Police also arrested a couple - Christian Richards and his Thai wife, for allegedly organising the swinging sex tour.

When police raided the room No 1101 on the 11th floor of the hotel, police found several couples were having sex in the same room while others were drinking and dancing.

Police found used condoms, lubricant gel, porno books and CDs and 30 pills of Viagra.

-- The Nation 2009-02-05

I am wondering if after party patrol and falang helmet patrol the boys could find a little time to arrest some of the gangs commiting crimes against the regular people???

My gf went to deposit her paycheck today and her balance was nearly zero. The bank said it was due to several ATM withdrawals late last night, but she had the card on her and nobody knows her pin number. Bangkok Bank is not helping her at all and when she asked if they have an picture of the person from the ATM camera she was told "You'll need to go ask Bank of Ayudhya, it was their machine." Can't they at least help her out and do that??? F*cking hel_l.... It appears that she is the victim of a fake atm front, or something similar. That's just my guess.

At this point, is there anything else that can be done? She doesn't want to keep any money in the bank now, she is paranoid that anyone can take it away, and I agree. She is very upset about the situation and very pissed off about the way bangkok bank is handling this situation.

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated. The man in the link above (5 year old forum post) said he was able to get his money back from Bangkok Bank, but she is being told that's not possible.

Hi All

This happened to me to the tune of 293000.00 bt from Bangkok Bank also. At this point I wish to be in touch with other people in the same boat. In my case the money was taken out from France with a counterfit card. My lawyer says if we can show the judge a pattern of Bangkok Bank doing this to many other customers they will have to give us all back our money. They first offered me half back and then said that I either gave my card to someone going to France along with the pin or sent it and then they sent it back to me. I didn't use the card during the 3 days that this happened so I can't prove that the card was here with me. I'm sure there is many more of us but we need to get together to make the bank take responsibility for their poor security. Please anyone else out there P.M. me as I would like to get a list of other victums for my lawyer. If you think your money is safe and insured in Thailand think again.

regards p.

'P.M. me as I would like to get a list of other victums for my lawyer'

No offence Picaro, but I was the victim of identity theft in the UK in 2005 and now I would even view your post as a possible new twist on a scam to get peoples identities in some way. IMHO, I would therefore suggest that no one should contact you.

Having said that Picaro, I hope you get your money back.

I eventually got my money back (Banking rules of that particular UK bank). However, even when the Metropiltan Police contacted me I called them back at their Police Station each time on their phone number advertised on their published Website, just in case it was some dodgy character impersonating a Police Officer and trying to scam me again.

It turned out I was the victim of a large gang, who had fingers in many pies and I was just the tip of a very large iceberg.

I hate having to deposit large amounts of money in a Thai bank (necessary for my visa renewal), however I always use an ATM m/c in a bank or a major enlcosed/ secure area ie: Carrefour, never in a remote area. I inspect the machine for any false cover or camera. I cover my hand as I enter the PIN and if anyone is standing anywhere near me they are told to '**** ***' .

To the OP, you have my sympathy. Unless its happened to you, then you can never really explain what a horrible experience it is.

I would suggest you check any other cards you or your girl friend have just in case they have been interfered with. It may be

that an associate has skimmed these in some way.

Better safe than sorry.

TO ANYONE WHO IS AFRAID TO SEND ME THEIR PHONE NUMBER CALL OR SEND A LETTER TO MY LAWYER IN PATTAYA WE CAN GET THE MONEY BACK FROM BANGKOK BANK.

CHALERMWAT WIMUKTAYON (PICO)

BARRISTER, CEO

Magnacarta Co. LTD.

193/ 126-8 South Pattaya Rd.

Nongprue, Banglamung,

Chonburi

Tel. 038 373735 Fax. 038 373672

IF THIS ALSO SCARES YOU YOU NEED SOME HELP

regards to all picaro

My gf went to deposit her paycheck today and her balance was nearly zero. The bank said it was due to several ATM withdrawals late last night, but she had the card on her and nobody knows her pin number. Bangkok Bank is not helping her at all and when she asked if they have an picture of the person from the ATM camera she was told "You'll need to go ask Bank of Ayudhya, it was their machine." Can't they at least help her out and do that??? F*cking hel_l.... It appears that she is the victim of a fake atm front, or something similar. That's just my guess.

At this point, is there anything else that can be done? She doesn't want to keep any money in the bank now, she is paranoid that anyone can take it away, and I agree. She is very upset about the situation and very pissed off about the way bangkok bank is handling this situation.

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated. The man in the link above (5 year old forum post) said he was able to get his money back from Bangkok Bank, but she is being told that's not possible.

Hi All

This happened to me to the tune of 293000.00 bt from Bangkok Bank also. At this point I wish to be in touch with other people in the same boat. In my case the money was taken out from France with a counterfit card. My lawyer says if we can show the judge a pattern of Bangkok Bank doing this to many other customers they will have to give us all back our money. They first offered me half back and then said that I either gave my card to someone going to France along with the pin or sent it and then they sent it back to me. I didn't use the card during the 3 days that this happened so I can't prove that the card was here with me. I'm sure there is many more of us but we need to get together to make the bank take responsibility for their poor security. Please anyone else out there P.M. me as I would like to get a list of other victums for my lawyer. If you think your money is safe and insured in Thailand think again.

regards p.

One bomb, one death, several people in hospital? When will Thais think about something else than filling their own pockets?

Why can't the "elected" man be in power? Is he worse than the other one? Is he the worst one ever? Is the country going that bad?

OR

Is it only PAD that wants to stirr things up and create a mess here? Thinking that Thaksin will leave? (Newsflash people, Thaksin is out of the country already).

Sorry Snowflake but Mr. T is still here using an assumed name. (SAMAK)

Yes, thanks for the link, very interesting.

Anyone not encountered any of this with their bank account in Thailand? If so, which bank ?

It appears that it could not be any bank in particular but rather which ones the criminals choose to work in.

Hi all;

In nov. 2006 I had 293000.00 bt taken from my Bangkok Bank acct. in France. I also went through the Passport coppies police report telephone calls filling out reports. The bank manager at the branch on 2nd rd. Pattaya was very helpfull but dealing with the head office in Bangkok was another story. They told me it would take some time because there were many claims but after months of waiting for a reply I went back to see the manager and she got head office on the phone for me. We went around in circles as they said it wasn't their fault because it was a gang of thieves that did this. So I said you mean that my money is not safe in your bank, oh yes it's safe but it was a gang of thieves so we will offer you half of the money back. I said thats not good enough I will talk to my lawyer. He arranged a meeting in Bangkok but got nowhere. Now after 2 years the bank sent me a letter acusing me of giving my card and pin to someone going to France or sending it and then sending it back to me after taking the money out. This is rediculous but a way out for the bank as I didn't use the card during the days that the money was removed and as my lawyer says in Thai law I must show that I had nothing to do with this. After recieving this letter my lawyer called head office and said if you think I was involved in this why did you offer half of the money back? The reply was that it was over the phone and you can't prove that we offered anything. I would like to hear from anyone that has been beat by Bangkok Bank or any other as my lawyer says that if we can show a judge that banks are using this ploy to get out of their responsibility to customers they will have to give us all our money back. Please pm me with any info you might have as I am not willing to let this go.

thanks and regards picaro

Its my wife's birthday coming up and she's in Thailand and I'm in Canada. I'd like to send her some flowers or something for her birthday and I was wondering if anyones every used one of these flower sending agencies and if they were any good or not. Shes staying at her parents house in there small village in the Kalasin province (Isan) so I'm wondering if that will have any effect on the delivery. Looking forward to hearing you experience, Thanks

Hi flowers to thailand works great. I have used them many times also from canada. no problems with visa card.

regards p.

I am really looking for some advice regarding what seems to be a very difficult situation. Basically my Thai girlfriend is an illegal immigrant in Thailand. She ended up in her current situation through no choice of her own and the problem is really ruining her life! Here is a brief synopsis of her situation: Her father was Thai (now deceased), her mother is Vietnamese. She was born in Vietnam where she lived for 10 years with her parents and siblings. Due to a family crisis back in Thailand, her father sneaked her back into Thailand with the rest of her family. Her father died some two years later. They have been living in Thailand as Thais, although illegal immigrants I guess, with her father's extended family for ten years now. They have pretty much denounced their Vietnamese background e.g. my girlfriend speaks fluent Thai but would now struggle to string a single sentence together in Vietnamese. She suffers from a lack of official papers - let's just say it appears her parents weren't incredibly forward thinking! Her parents met in Vietnam - I'm not sure if there are any official marriage papers at all - if they exist they are Vietnamese. I am not even sure if her birth was officially registered in Vietnam, and if it was, I'm not sure if her mother has a copy of her birth certificate.

I met her on a four-month stay in Thailand and have been seeing her for another 2 years through extended holidays to Thailand. She is incredibly loving and sweet and I would really love to give it a go at settling down with her. Her dream is to have a loving husband, a house and babies - not too different from a lot of girls! I'm certain that she wants this with me but I've been keeping her in limbo for two years now and the situation is becoming critical now. I have British and Australian citizenship. I am not rich but I am a well qualified professional and can easily find well paid work in either of these countries. The simple advice appears for me to go live in Thailand. The problem is that I couldn't really pursue my career to any significant level in Thailand and I feel I am too young to effectively give up my career for a relationship, unless I really have to! I would really love for my girlfriend to stay with me in Australia or England (preferably Oz). We don't know how to go about this and she is becoming incredibly upset and sad. Does anyone know of any potential options that we could pursue? I would happily consider a Thai or Australian marriage if this helped. If I could get her out of the country she would also need the freedom to go back to Thailand to see her family. Any plan would also mean not dropping the rest of her family in the sh*t with the authorities! Her mother trusts me but she is still a little cagey when discussing the situation. Her mother's English is also not fantastic and my Thai extremely basic - which doesn't help, but I believe she wants her daughter to be happy and will try, without risking the rest of her family, to support our plans. I would love to find a 100% legitimate solution to the problem and am willing to jump through hoops and throw money at the problem if necessary. I feel strongly that my girlfriend should have the civil rights to some freedom of travel and should have the right to some form of legitimate citizenship on this earth! However, if this cannot be achieved, I would consider higher risk, less legitimate methods of obtaining papers – I'm not sure such practices can be discussed in detail on this forum. I would appreciate any suggestions on how to proceed or who I could talk to for advice. I would also be extremely grateful to hear from anybody who has managed to overcome this type of problem before.

My girlfriend was given away at the hospital in bkk the day she was born. Her mother did not register the birth and neither did anyone else. She was raised by several families and was able to get the six year education in satahip without an identity card. Her last guardian died when she was fifteen and made her way alone till I met her at twenty. I was amaised that she could get away twenty years with no card. She told me that all her life when the police came this way she went that way. She was offered a card many times for about three hundred thousand but I told her getting caught with a counterfit card would be worse than having no card. I got the name of an honest thai lawyer from a board member and went to see him. He was totaly amaised by her story but said that we could get the ball rolling. We had to find her mother and father who were never married only to find out she has a sister, next was to convince them to come to bkk for blood samples at the police laboratory. I'm sure you all know how you must get a thai to do something for you, the father and sister were not much of a problem but the mother had $$ for eyes, never pass up an opportunity to fleece a falang. I paid for everybody's transportation accomodation and food to and while in bkk except the mother, she required a cash donation and a new cell phone but we did get the job done. The job took a year and a half and thirty eight thousand to the lawyer who was worth every baht. I don't remember how much the rest was but she did get the card. It's now six years later and still in love with the same girl and couldn't be happier. The best advice I could give you is to find an honest lawyer and take his advice. Maybe getting her registered in vietnam and from there to australia might be the answer. I wish you the best of luck but I think that a phony card will come back to bite you.

regards p.

If Thais were blessed with the wisdom and honesty in all levels of governments that the King displays there would be few problems in Thailand. I fear the time when he is not here to guide. Happy birthday and many more,long live the king.

I also have a Wave 125i. It is more frugal on the gas, but, the main advantage is, is that it starts first time in the morning. No need to mess around with a choke. Plus, as it's the top model Wave, you get bragging rights.

I also have a 125i about 3 yrs. old 14000 km although it's better on gas than my girls 100 the big deal is it never fails to start first try. I will buy the same again when it's time to repace it.

regards p.