Artabus

Because paying does not at all equate to ownership.

As an example, the OP's company owns the land (maybe). He doesn't own it. He has benefiical and effective ownership only insofar as he is able to control the company and avoid any investigation as to the method of the company's landholding. Should a dispute without or within the company occur as to control and or ownership of the land occur proving that 'he' (personally) paid for the land does not at all strengthen his personal claim on the land. Indeed it weakens any control or beneficial use he may have via the company as it demonstrates it is a sham. There might (but all bets are off at that stage) then be a forced sale (resulting in little or no value being retained) and he can be found guilty of an imprisonable offence.

This is of course based on the method of ownerhsip ever being disputed, tested or investigated. Decide for yourself on the likelihood of that but when we are talking of ownership structures and the like if the possibility of a dispute or investigation is entirely discounted then farangs may aswell just illegally squat on land.

Once you choose to circumvent the law you are only really building paper houses with contracts of varying thickness. Some are better than others but never forget they are still made of paper.

Thanks very much for clarifying your answer. Very interesting detail. I see my experience was not relevant to the OP, something I should have spotted...

As others have said, very admirable that you would want to help this 4 year old achieve a better life. Have contingency plans to deal with the legalities, and emotional attachment issues the child may have to other relatives, and I'm sure in that respect you will be fine.

But, if you think the relevant question to ask is about money... Please go and inform yourself on what is involved in looking after someone and bringing them to adulthood, equipping them with the tools, helping them achieve happiness. For sure the finance to support them is relevant, but I would suggest you do some other information gathering first on what is involved in parenting / step parenting.

Buddhism Wins Best Religion in the World Award

We were hard pressed to even find a Buddhist that had ever been in an army.

Groehlichen said that the plan was for the award to Buddhism for "Best Religion in the World" to be given to leaders from the various lineages in the Buddhist community. However, there was one snag. "Basically we can't find anyone to give it to," said Groehlichen in a followup call late Tuesday. "All the Buddhists we call keep saying they don't want the award." Groehlichen explained the strange behavior, saying "Basically they are all saying they are a philosophical tradition, not a religion.

I have a friend who's also Buddhist; he made the mistake of joining the Canadian Army. Then they sent him to Afghanistan. It sure did clash with his beliefs, and he's not yet recovered. No doubt some of the moralising about the fighting there might have been easier to agree with had he followed some other rather more prevalent western tradition.

As for the point about Buddhism not being a religion though, that seems very strange. Surely it's a religion, but an atheistic one? Calling something a philosophical tradition can be used to undermine the value of the religion.

They are taught to repeat things out loud in a group endlessly, after the instructing monk.....learning by rote....just as bad as in school. They are told that meditation is good for you....that it teaches mindfulness...... but they are not told why and how.....nor why and how it is important....just that it is good.

To be fair, though, it's difficult to teach Dhamma to kids. The groups I've seen at Wat Yannawa seemed to be around 9 years old. Calming their restless minds with chants or teaching inspiring stories of compassion from the Jakarta Tales might be the way to go at that age.

Yes, I'd agree with that. When my son turned 5, every evening for an hour, up until he turned 6, we'd sit in front of the altar - discuss stories from the life of Buddha, talk about the teachings, then finsih with some chanting and meditation. "Of all gifts, the Gift of the Dharma is the most sacred" I think it goes. He's now 15, and even though he doesn't meditate, he has high moral values and a sense of living your life in the right way, which I'm sure comes from the Buddhism.

So if schoolchildren are exposed to it, and even if they are taught by rote, over the longer term it's bound to sink in for some of them, and they will want to explore and understand (and practise...) Buddhism themselves. Which is how it should be, is it not?

A bigger question here might be how to reverse the decline of the application of Buddhism to daily life. Just as in other countries and religions, there is too much of a difference between the faith people profess to have, and how they act. Not judging them for occasional errors, we all have those, but commenting upon the larger problem of long term lack of understanding of the Middle Path.

Some good advice on this thread it seems - be wise and know which ones they are.

I would just add :

1) Ownership of property in Thailand devolves to whoever paid the money - as you did, and can prove with records of money transfers etc - this helps you.

2) You should try several lawyers and choose the one that suits you best. Be warned that what they say to you, and what they agree to the other party behind your back - or even to your face if you don't speak Thai - may not always be the same thing. You really must get a decent lawyer, this is imperative.

3) Judges are all powerful. So whatever you do, don't challenge him. And don't expect your lawyers to.

4) Be Thai. Jai yen yen. But be cunning.

All this advice applies no matter how simple or difficult the situation may be. It's based on my personal experience with the very difficult, but very well placed, girlfriend of my late father.

Good luck.

I disagree with #1 entirely and not just for the issues raised in #2-4!

Why do you disagree with number #1? Be interested to know what I've missed.

Not going to hijack the thread and worry about #2-4.

Thanks.

Some good advice on this thread it seems - be wise and know which ones they are.

I would just add :

1) Ownership of property in Thailand devolves to whoever paid the money - as you did, and can prove with records of money transfers etc - this helps you.

2) You should try several lawyers and choose the one that suits you best. Be warned that what they say to you, and what they agree to the other party behind your back - or even to your face if you don't speak Thai - may not always be the same thing. You really must get a decent lawyer, this is imperative.

3) Judges are all powerful. So whatever you do, don't challenge him. And don't expect your lawyers to.

4) Be Thai. Jai yen yen. But be cunning.

All this advice applies no matter how simple or difficult the situation may be. It's based on my personal experience with the very difficult, but very well placed, girlfriend of my late father.

Good luck.

Well, what a situation to be in.

Many things could be said, but let's look at the bigger picture - your latest child.

What do you want in that regard? To be an absent parent? How do you want to act in that regard? What life do you want that person to have? And how will you ensure that? What do you think of the gf's attitude to her first child? Come on, you have two other children, you must know your feelings... methinks this is a more important issue than getting the gf out and short term funding issues relating to that. Perhaps... Not judging anyone in this situation, not you not the mother.

I see you have your two other children with you - does that mean you have "won" a child custody battle before? And what provision are you making for them and their futures? How do your plans tie in to their needs?

Take a step back, take a deep breath.

BTW you're in Thailand. Accept the difference. And act accordingly.

I'm not unsympathetic, really I'm not, it's a hard place you're in. Sorry if I sound harsh. Good luck to all five of you (that's excluding the paid help).

Boy, I sure wished somebody cared about the human species 1/10th this much.

Elephants are great, but evolution, change, adaptation, survival, etc. are things all creatures must deal with, it is after all exactly how we are all here!

Otherwise, I don't have enough personal knowledge of this issue to make more specific comments.

Why does the fact that others care about elephants lead you to assume they don't care about humans?

Why do you define human impact upon animals as related to evolution?

Please go look "Compassion" up in a dictionary, then maybe your personal knowledge will be enhanced.

The Street Elephant – National Symbol or Tortured Soul?

In my eyes, there is now no alternative solution except a final solution, and a humane one at that. Street Elephants should be confiscated without a second chance for their keepers. The Elephants should be re-homed in national parks or sanctuaries outlawing this practice completely. There is simply no excuse for this practice to exist in the year 2009, the Thai Government has the money and resources to solve this problem efficiently. After Elephant confiscation, Mahouts and their helpers should be offered the chance of a new career. A back to work scheme which provides training and monetary support while they learn new skills should be implemented.

You can donate money to help save the Street Elephants by Gogling Eleaid.

ctrlaltshift.com

Agree completely with your article. Whilst recognising it as a complicated situation, I too have been bothered by this abuse of the elephants for many years. Let us hope that finally (with the microchips providing tracking support) the problem can be solved.

Also make sure her ex-husband is paying

maintenance for her and the children. If not then contact the CSA, they can get everything sorted

quickly.

Hang on a mo, why are we dragging the CSA into it?

1) The (ex) husband is said to be paying something, so maybe they have a private arrangement.

2) The CSA gets majority of its calculations wrong, causing plenty of problems.

3) Why do we assume she will / should have custody, we don't know the background...

4) He might even be a better parent, we have no idea.

5) There is no indication from the OP what the child custody arrangements have been, if any

The CSA is a nightmare, the couple will be MUCH better off keeping them well away from their situation.

My initial reaction to this was to say it's an awful idea, a desecration of Buddhism by commercialising it.

But if we look at it impartially, the whole scheme can be perceived as wholesome and skilful :

1. It introduces Buddhism to people who would possibly not otherwise have that experience. This is a positive, surely? With regards to Facebook being used, those on that site are as worthy of the blessing that is the Dharma as much as anyone else.

2. The Abbot supports the scheme. He has been entrusted by the Sangha to run the temple, to support Buddhism within the community. We should not judge his opinion.

3. The monks within the temple benefit from the scheme, and can bring Buddhism to other non-Thai speakers through improved language knowledge.

4. The temple gains some money, thereby supporting Buddhism and the local community.

5. The profits (such as they are) go to another charity and thereby support more people in need.

We need maybe to be able to differentiate this scheme from some of the problems that Buddhism has in Thailand today.

So, well done and thank you to all those who make it possible.

I came to Thailand personally because I am interested in being a part of the solution, I actually am trying to launch a green product here at the moment which when you add it to your air conditioner it actually increases its efficiency by 20-50% thus saving the associated costs and saves the environment. I am not going to say more because I am still in the initial phases. But I can tell you its hugely popular in Dubai and the States, and is in use by many big name hotels and businesses including citigroup and LG.

Seriously, this is the only planet we have, I have only been on it for 20 years and I want to give my children the chance I had to experience it before we completely destroy it.

GO GREEN!

Good post.

Why a partial solution, only looking at reducing consumption? Why not look as well at the source of the energy used? as even if you chop 20% off the consumption, that's not enough... Did you know, there's a company that markets a solar film - you could affix it to windows, that would perhaps also reduce the heat in the eg office in the first place (ignoring the thermal flux through the walls that is!). So look it up on Google, then maybe distribute it in Thailand. I would have thought you could market it as saving on the electricity costs even futher, so pays for itself. This is not a plug, by the way, they're nothing to do with me, I just liked their product when I saw it on the Net about 6 months ago.

I don't think Thailand is ready for you, but could be wrong!

"It would be very nice..."

No, it wouldn't. Trading in wildlife is a crime, for good reasons. Wild populations are collapsing, due to many different pressures, and one of them is the trafficking of animals such as it appears you are asking for.

Chatuchak is an awful place for animals, and anyone who benefits from it should be ashamed of themselves. Show some compassion, some understanding of the issues...

So please, as others have said, purchase the snakes you want from a reputable breeder in your home country.

i had a feeling this was going to happen back in December. Occupy an aiport and get the government out. Occupy a city and get the governemnt out. It could go on forever and it is indeed laughable (if not so serious for Thailand) that all along the way the word "Democracy' is used. I begining to think the word does not tanslate in this country!!

It does translate into Thai, only the spelling differs a bit...

English : Democracy

Thai : Bemorecrazy

And no jokes about DAAD needing to be spelt BAAD either

"Now, we would still like a reference to a good Thai speaking immigration lawyer who is familiar with the laws and the people at Bangkok Immigration, so, please feel free to recommend someone if you know of someone who works and isn't just talk. Sunbelt doesn't have a good reputation, nor does Siam Legal, so please don't recommend them. They have both been criticized by many who used them, citing slow, poor work. This is just what we're trying to avoid."

Agree completely about Siam Legal. I used them, and they were a disaster.

Would strongly recommend this firm though, they have been highly effective

http://www.dejudomlaw.com/index.php?option...6&Itemid=38

Good luck.

Just a thought, you'll need to check this out.

It is illegal for a Laos woman to have a relationship with a non-Laos male outside of marriage... Now that may only apply if you are within Laos, but then again the authorities might assume in your case that the relationship had also occurred in Laos and could ask for proof that it hadn't...

So if it were me, until I had checked that, I would be a little careful about announcing my intentions to marry a non-Lao that I had been living with.

Great country Laos, by the way, I really enjoyed my times there and the people. Just not sure whether anyone in authority would think to bring up this piece of legislation, even though it is pretty obviously irrelevant in your case.

Hope you can help

I have a court case in Thailand, suspect the lawyer representing me has not been entirely truthful about the case and the situation and the way to fight it! Maybe not so unusual, maybe it is, I couldn't comment

Anyway so I need someone / some company to check some things out for me - it's a civil case btw

I need the info pretty fast, hope you can recommend me someone, thanks in advance.

Hi

We're all on the Net, so my suggestion is just to Google "Agarwood", "Agarwood growing" etc, then dismiss the waffle you come across (as with any other search) and concentrate on the informative parts. As with any agricultural / horticultural project, you'd focus on the factors which maximise growth for that particular crop / plant species.

Any time you approach a company that wants you to invest, you're going to find they add their percentage to the costs of actually producing the product. So Touchwood (I looked into them last year and it seemed to me their figures didn't add up) would be no different in that regard at least.

As other posters have said, the relevant thing is to maximise the yield of the resin, it's that which has the value, not the timber.

I seem to recall reading recently that the Malaysian government has set up a growing zone for people to learn from, and to help acquire and disseminate information about Agar, so you might want to have a look into that.

Bumrungrad has many good things to recommend it :

Some caring doctors

Some caring nurses

Some competent doctors

Some competent nurses

Some reasonable prices

But... I would not have medical treatment there if you paid me.

My father spent many months subject to their tender mercies, in the end they admitted him after he went in for a routine check up (a suspect diagnosis as well), he caught an infection (not his first there), next time he came out he was in a coffin.

His diagnosis was shoddy, his medication excessive and often dubious, some of the treatment of him appalling.

Just one person's experience, you understand.

So, maybe, if you are young and supported, you can risk medical treatment there. But if you are elderly, and supported by Thais, perhaps it will literally be the worst mistake you ever made.

I heard very good reports about the Bangkok Christian Hospital in Silom, and my experience of them was positive - go there instead.

My father (Brit) died in Bkk last October, his Thai partner arranged the funeral. I felt it was a complete mix, some of it decidely Buddhist, but quite a lot of it not so - some superstition, some Chinese influence, some popular Thai elements. Hard to tell exactly though, I must say.

Certainly a culture shock for me, despite some exposure to Asia. Apart from all the ceremonies revolving around the corpse, my "favourite" part was the replica scale model made from his ashes and the remnants of his bones. I'm still recovering from that!

I gather up country the corpse is burnt in the open whilst everyone watches (as at the ghats in India). The other day here in Vientiane they were burning someone - quite openly - in a skip in the grounds of a local Wat. In Hong Kong there is a temple with a long dead monk's corpse on display - but at least he's covered in Gold. Much improves things...

I find the theory of death easy to accept, but the exposure to its reality was certainly harder to deal with.

Actually they're too busy calling their relatives to tell them where to go receive the aid that Burma's soldiers are stealing from the UN upon arrival.

No, not at all. They probably think he's an Aid Worker wanting a visa to get into Burma. Best not to answer the outside world at all! I gather they are closed tomorrow for a holiday (to celebrate the referendum for all I know).

Maybe the OP will have more luck on Tuesday when they reopen.

Also cheeky question, can you do 90 day reporting at the Bumrungrad Immigration desk (because it's near me) or is that just being far too lazy ?

No, you can't use the woman there. She's employed by the hospital, works on behalf of patients and their family members only. I found her very helpful mind, but would have to say she's way too overworked to deal with any processing not related to Bumrungrad.

Thank you Maestro.

That confirms and reinforces my suspicions, so I shall think about how to deal with it.

For what it's worth, no, they weren't married, either formally or informally. And the estate, although not so large, is still many times her annual salary, so she does have good incentive to try and circumvent my sister and I!

None of it very good news, mind you.

Thanks again.

How fast and centralised is the Immigration database?

I ask as I have a probate case ongoing in Thailand, submitted by my sister and I for our late father. The day after I left Thailand his partner filed her own application for probate - when she could have done so anytime in the previous several months.

So I wonder whether she could have had someone watching the relevant database to see when I left the country, then submitted her paperwork (which could have been ready, albeit forged) as soon as I was gone... I didn't leave through Bangkok.

BTW she works high up in a (different) govt dept, I would imagine might have the contacts.

Am I being unreasonable thinking it might have happened that way..? So might she watch out for when I come back? Is there any way to check these things if you use a proper legal channel? Any other comments..?