p_brownstone

Both my Wife and Daughter have British and Thai Passports and in over 30 years of going in and out of Thailand we have never been asked for anything like a "Certificate of Entitlement".

You will need to show both Passports at Check-in - just to prove to the Airline that the person has a right to enter the UK - but that's all.

At Immigration (exiting Thailand) just show the Thai Passport - it's by no means illegal to have the 2 Passports but some Immigration Officers may not know this and make a fuss if they see them both.

Patrick

and will the safety aspect of those outer platform doors (the hong kong subway uses a similar system) be questioned now. if the train doors and the platform doors dont line up when a train stops then exiting the train is impossible ?

Yes, in so many countries and cities there are no doors at all: Paris, Amsterdam, Stockholm and more . all high tech, no doors

And the people in those countries are not as well-behaving in public as in Thailand!

Seems to me like a security measure that surpassed the real safety issues and becomes dangerous in itself.

I don't think the Platform Doors are meant as a safety measure - rather, they are there to preserve the airconditioned atmosphere in the station.

Patrick

Just don't ask a GTG if she likes fishing - well, don't ask in Thai anyway!

Patrick

According to the absolute letter of the law you are only allowed to work at the address shown on your Work Permit, although this is patently ridiculous - I run my own Company here and have to visit Customers, by doing this I am technically in breach of the regulations.

There has actually been an instance where a Farang was in trouble for contravening this regulation - the Australian Receivers who were employed to sort out the mess at TPI had Work Permits which tied them to their own offices in Bangkok, the major shareholder of TPI - who is in a long running dispute with Creditors and Receivers etc. filed a Police complaint and 2 or 3 of the Farang were arrested because they "worked" at TPI Offices and at the Refinery etc. in Rayong.

T I T

Patrick

A Secondary education at a mid level International School in Thailand is infinitely better than anything available at a Thai school.

Similarly a Degree from an Overseas University will be worth much more than one from Chula / Thammasat - the only advantage of the 2 top Thai Universities is the local social cachet and the "networking" within the local community.

Patrick

Thailand launches investigation into gambling accusations

Pol. Lt. Wicharn said that the Thai authorities hoped to investigate the case, and stressed that if the allegations proved to have any basis in fact, the Cambodian authorities would be given leave to take legal actions.

--TNA 2005-01-16

So Cambodia can only take legal action against those committing crimes in their Country after a Thai Police Lieutenant gives them permission?

Patrick

Hello -- I read 2 recent topics about investing in taxis and for other turn-key businesses. I have been advising a Thai friend with a 35+ year old family trucking company. The demand for his trucks has been expanding greatly with some well-known Thai companies as clients.

The company owns a few trucks but most of the trucks are independently owned and he pays them cash on a per load basis from Bangkok to/from the provinces. We have investigated options for increasing his truck availability from his usual local Thai national owners but this could be a very good option for Ex-pats possibly as individual owners, through a limited partnership, or other registered entity.

I caution to give numbers here but his current truck utilization and payment per load could yield a good profit for a reasonably safe investment.

Any ideas? Thanks

I would think that the days of the small Transport Contractor is pretty much numbered in Thailand.

Large local transport Companies like Ruam Thavorn et al are increasingly fighting to maintain their share of the market as major users of Trucks either have their own Fleets or use specialist Contractors with specially equipped vehicles - e.g for Petrochemicals.

Also very large professional (foreign) Logistics Companies are taking a lot of the regular business on long term Contracts and using sophisticated Fuel / Fleet Management Systems which can record everything from an individual Drivers performance and Truck Maintenance details down to the history of a tire to keep control of costs.

Patrick

I am personally planning to relocate my residence from Nana area to Onnuch area later this month.  So - I went looking for moving and storage, or local hauling companies aimed at the expat market for short-haul moves in central Bangkok.  There is absolutely no one out there even attempting to serve this market.

............. <snip>

I absolutely agree that this is a gaping hole waiting to be filled.  I'm a customer waiting for a vendor right now. 

Steve

Indo-Siam

[email protected]

Whilst there may be no "formal" operation providing this type of service, if you look on almost any large street or parking lot you will see trucks varying in size from pickups to 10 wheelers with "Rot Rab Jang" signs (in Thai of course).

Talk to your girlfriend or your maid, I am sure they will have one turn up within half an hour, complete with a few chaps to help with the lifting - for an additional fee of course.

These trucks are all over the place so I doubt very much that it would be a profitable business for anyone - much less an Expat requiring a steady income.

Patrick

Slightly off topic perhaps but it has always struck me that Thailand is the original "Fast Food" society.

In a large number of Middle Class families both parents work and as a result the evening meal - at least - is purchased from a foodstall and eaten at home with, at best, home cooked rice.

It's also interesting to see how the Thai have phyically changed over the last generation or two as diet has changed (not just from the introduction of Western Fast Food of course) - when I first came here in the early '70's the average Thai was 155 cm and 45 kilos or there abouts, now I have Thai nephews who are taller than me.

Patrick

All the big supermarkets are banning booze between 2-5pm,except 7-11's,do they have some special arrangment?

I am sure this has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the 7 - 11 Franchise for Thailand is owned by the CP Group - who happen to be a major supporter of the Dear Leaders party.

Anyone who believes differently should be ashamed of themselves!

Patrick

Actually if you are a Resident of Thailand - Thai or Farang - your friend is breaking the rules by introducing you as a Guest and allowing you to use the Sports facilities.

Residents of Thailand may only be introduced as Guests for Lunch or Dinner.

There can be quite serious repercussions if a Member breaches this rule - particularly if Guests are introduced to play Golf or swim.

Patrick

My friend understands the rule is he can invite Foreigners (even if resident) but not Thai citizens. this was a couple of years ago, so maybe they have recently changed it to residents cannot be guests.

TH

The Rule - which has, so far as I know, has remained unchanged since I became a member - states "Residents of Thailand", specifically to encompass Foreigners and Thais.

Though obviously it's much easier for the management to identify a Thai as a non-member than it is to suss out a Farang resident of Thailand who visits as a Guest only occasionally!

My own status was actually questioned by a busybody "Khun Nai" type while I was playing Golf there just a few weeks ago - it was quite a pleasure to shoot her down by stating that I had been a Member far longer than she had.

(Actually Ladies are not "Members" per se, they have the status of "Ladies Privilege" and cannot vote or introduce Guests - something which irritates my daughter who recently had to join as an individual when she reached the age of 21)

Patrick

You should be asking 'do I want to be a member of such an outdated establishment'?

Sounds stuck in the 1890's to me. Do Gentlemen have to wear spats whilst on the Links every Friday and Monday?

Sour Grapes Professor?

It would have been far more humourous had you quoted Grouch Marks:

"I would not join any Club which would have me as a Member"

Patrick

Hey everyone,

Anyone a member of the RBSC? Is it value at 10,000 B's per year? How many visitors are you allowed to bring? What are the drink pices like? Do you have to pay any additional green fees to play gold, lawn bowls , watch horseracing etc. decent gym there? I don't know anybody who is a member there at present, will this be a problem? any feedback would be much appreciated.

Are you being asked to join? I always assumed it was somewhat exclusive. 10K a year sounds pretty low. I would have thought it was several 100K.

I have been there with a member a couple of times. The golf course is interesting and I had fun playing it. It is certainly convenient. Can’t say it is exactly plush. The member I knew (unmarried middle age American-Chinese) very much enjoyed belonging and it was important part of his social life.

TH

Actually if you are a Resident of Thailand - Thai or Farang - your friend is breaking the rules by introducing you as a Guest and allowing you to use the Sports facilities.

Residents of Thailand may only be introduced as Guests for Lunch or Dinner.

There can be quite serious repercussions if a Member breaches this rule - particularly if Guests are introduced to play Golf or swim.

Patrick

Hey everyone,

Anyone a member of the RBSC? Is it value at 10,000 B's per year? How many visitors are you allowed to bring? What are the drink pices like? Do you have to pay any additional green fees to play gold, lawn bowls , watch horseracing etc. decent gym there? I don't know anybody who is a member there at present, will this be a problem? any feedback would be much appreciated.

I have been a Member for over 30 years and it is excellent value.

Unfortunately you will have no chance of joining - the waiting list is closed.

You can apply to join the Polo Club - with premises in Soi Polo off Wireless Road - which is a subsidiary of the RBSC but I have no idea how long the waiting list is there, or how much it would cost you in Entrance Fees and Subscriptions.

Facilities there are good too but there is no Golf or racing and as a Member of the Polo Club you cannot use the facilities at the RBSC.

Patrick

how much tax do I have to pay out of my monthly salary?

It rather depends ...........

In which Country you are earning the money?

In which Country do you reside?

Patrick

Do you mean things like Quartz Crystals, Amethyst Cathedrals, Malachites etc??

I don't know of any lists but there is a good shop on New Road between the Oriental Avenue and Siphaya Road (same side as the GPO) which has these things, plus Coprolites, Ammonites etc..

Sorry I cannot recall the name!

Patrick

Racing takes place every Sunday alternately at the Royal Bangkok Sports Club in Henri Dunant Road and at the Turf Club in Nang Lerng (but check - some Sundays there is no racing if it's a holiday or Wan Phra for example).

As already mentioned the legal gambling is all on the Tote System - there are a lot of illegal bookmakers around too but as a Farang and speaking no Thai you will not know how to proceed here anyway.

By Internatinoal standards the "horses" are actually Ponies.

Unless you are a Member of the Club - or a Guest of a Member - you will only have access to the Public Stands which frankly are not a very nice place to be, the clientele is almost exclusively from the poorer strata of Thai society.

Patrick

I am pretty sure that Thai workers who went to Israel to work were well aware of the risks involved, but chose to accept them for the opportunity to earn substantially more than they could in Thailand.

The posturing of the Labour Ministry will only result in these people being forced to return to Thailand to work on subsistence level salaries – almost certainly still owing huge debts to Brokers who secured them the overseas jobs …… Brokers who obtained their licenses to recruit workers by colluding with Officials in the Ministry.

The cynic in me suspects that this episode is mainly directed to benefit these same Brokers and Ministry Officials – within a few months after the current workforce has been “rescued” everything will have been forgotten and new workers from Thailand will be recruited, once again having to pay hefty Fees to the Brokers.

Patrick

Another great incentive for prospective Investors in Thailands' infrastructure.

Enter into an agreement to build something and allow the Thai Government a minority interest, then watch as they unilaterally destroy the basis of your Return on Investment calculations by imposing fee reductions.

Without doubt within a few years the other shareholders will be approached by a benevolent Thai Government with an offer to buy them out of their (now) unprofitalbe venture at a discount.

The BTS System is still being eyed by a corrupt and incompetent BMA too.

Patrick

I would like to relocate to Thailand and probably Pattaya.I have $60,000 USD in cash and was wondering if this amount is enough to get started with settling in and starting a small business or income investments.

I can sell properties and assets here in the US and have much more available but would prefer not to liquidate just yet.

I am also very excited about Vietnam's potential and does anyone have any  business experience or investment advice on Vietnam.

I have Bank Of America bank accounts and ATM card and Visa card.Would these be OK there and are there branches there.How would one transfer US funds to Thailand and convert to bahts and would HSBC or other banks be good options.

Thanks and hope to see you on the beaches there!

If you are serious about setting up a business here - and want to succeed - don't plan on spending much time on the beaches, at least not for the first 3 or 4 years.

Patrick

Forth, Depand on which of the five holes you're intending to use it for?

Five?

FIVE!

###### I KNEW I was missing something!

Patrick

Honore de Balzac wrote :

"Behind every great fortune there is a crime"

Patrick

Maybe you and the Headmaster should re-examine priorities?

Sure we could use less monies to send the girls to charm school prior to them going to Pattaya to support their families as many of these girls end up doing. Or we can buy the boys farm equipment, so they can continue to be slaves to the cycle of borrowing monies so that they can plant the rice and buy the expensive pest control and then again borrow to be able to plant again.

You are being unnecessarily facetious and, having fixated on one idea, have closed your mind both to the full implications of what you are proposing - and to other possibilities.

By attempting to raise US$ 3,000.- this year and spending it on something as transient as Internet time you are committing yourself or whoever comes after you to raise that same sum of money every year henceforth to maintain this “benefit” to which you will introduce these children.

Consider first of all the disappointment and possible repercussions on the children if, after one year, you are no longer able to continue to pay for the Internet access. You will have been responsible for opening a door to them then slamming it closed.

I strongly suggest that if you are able to raise a lump sum like this you get together with the Headmaster and look for some way to invest it for the permanent benefit of the children – even something as mundane as purchasing a few hundred square wa of land near the school and turning it into a vegetable garden which the children can tend to. They would learn valuable skills and at the same time benefit from growing their own food to supplement what is almost certainly the pretty poor diet they presently enjoy. Numerous studies have proven that proper nutrition is a significant factor in developing growing children in many areas, not least in the ability to concentrate and therefore learn better.

Whilst I am certainly not suggesting that they should not be given ideas above their “station” in life you must surely realise that the majority of these children, from a remote village in Kampaengpetch, are destined to be farmers etc.. The chances of even one of them becoming a Computer Programmer and earning “s##tloads of money” is extremely remote – far better to apply the funds to something that will benefit every one of them and perhaps improve their chances in their future careers.

Whilst I admire your efforts to help this School, I cannot help but feel that there must be a better use for Baht 100,000.- per year other than giving the children Internet access.

Maybe you and the Headmaster should re-examine priorities?

Patrick

This will surely be counterproductive – if it ever gets off the ground of course.

Western Consumers invariably buy Brands they know – regardless of where the item is actually produced, because they know it is backed by the ultimate owner of the Brand who needs to maintain the reputation and Goodwill of his Company and Product.

Many, many Companies manufacture in Thailand and sell the Product in Europe or the U.S. – it’s called outsourcing!

What International Company is going to keep their manufacturing base here if the Thai Government establishes and (probably unfairly) promotes a “Thailand Brand” of the same Product?

The end result would certainly be the loss of many jobs as the Multinationals relocate to China, Laos etc. and leave Thailand struggling to get their “Thailand Brand” established and accepted.

A really dumb idea, again not thought through properly.

Patrick