puipuitom

I thought over 99 % of Thai business was already in foreign hands...when you count also the Thai Chinese in. Original Thais are of farmers of factory workers, hardly factory staff.

The Thai attitude towards foreigners let me decide in 2006 to leave this country with my business.

Can you ever imagine a farang being mayor of a big city in Thailand, like a Maroccan born man mayor or Rotterdam, or 7 out of 150 members of parlement in Netherlands of non-Dutch birth.

When you farangs finally understand you are ONLY and ONLY tolerated and never accepted when you leave a lot of money, knowledge etc.

Typical Thai narsistic behaviour:

Have hardly an idea, what happens outside their country, but will turn all statistic information upside down and right mirrored to find a way to rank their own country high(er)

Never thought of.. visitors useing AmEx, Visa or.. like 99% of all Europeans: not a credit card but a debit card or simple.. cash.

Compared to all Euopean and US cities: Bangkok is far more poluted, more traffic jam, lower interest of the population in the environment and a far higher level of swindling foreigners.

Seen my experience , visiting Thailand for business since 1978, living in Chonburi for 1993-95, sorry: I hold my opinion.

When you farangs finally are going to understand the situation? You are tolerated, never accepted for only and only one reason: you spend a lot of money in Thailand.

I do business with Thailand since 1976, lived in Thailand from 93-95, but NEVER it will be my home land. Police will try to rob you, taxi drivers swindle you, never you will be allowed to have your own house on a piece of land, and any voting right.. IMPOSSIBLE.

In my home country, Netherlands, we had in last government two deputy ministers of Turkish and Maroccan birth, now 8 members in parlement out of the 150 with a double nationality, the mayor of Rotterdam is Maroccan born. Can you imagine, the deputy-assistent-reserve mayor of any Thai village being NOT Thai ? Even a clerk ?

To get a non-immigrant visa to be Thai among the Thais: earlier Thailand will be covered by snow and ice. Go out, for dinner or whatsoever, and the Thais will chat all evening in Thai, leaving you to keep your chair warm. Only at the end of the evening, they will remember you, when the bill has to be taken up.

My 35 years experience: a farang is seen by the very strong narcistic Thai only as money spitting trash.

Thais ( and other S.E.Asians + Chinese ) + environment ?

Simply open your eyes and look.. the attitude to plastics. Everything what falls further as arm lenght, nobody takes care of. Water and air polution: everything what does not drop back in max two seconds on their head or dissolves their skin igignored.

The attitude to animals: no place on earth animals are treated worse as in this part of the world. They will kill the last tiger only for an afroditicum.

Earlier this part of the world will be covered by snow and ice.

Thais and honesty: I do business with this origin since 1976.

A police officer who wants 300 THB because.. he could not see your face behind the helmet screen.

You want a container our quick. Oh solly have to inspect first. unless 2000 THB call it " removable inlay paper"

Contract? As soon as the Thais see a reason to walk away from it, they do it. Result: a Thai contract is even not worth the paper it is written on.

and cheered here are: Dutch football, orange colour and.. The Royal family.

Insult ?

When you are in a pet shop, zoo or in the wild, and a parrot calls you dirty names... you are angry at the parrot ?

I am happy to live in the Netherlands (EU) , where you are allowed to make jokes about everybody. Really everybody.

Last convinction because of Lese majestic: Domela Nieuwenhuis in 1887 for a half year jail. Released after a few days.

European Court for Human Rights in 1992: members of a governments ( we do not speak anymore about the King/Queen ) should be able to absorb more critics as normal people. And with this, end of discussion.

would talk or interrupt classes more;

means:

- do not ask the teacher any questions

- no discussion about anything

- no putting question marks behind any statement

Only keep silent and listen.

What the results are of these.. just look around in Bangkok and the rest of Thailand, and ask yourself the question: why so many expats still work in Thailand on higher brain using levels, and Thais abroad only in hand working functions.

When NATO has aside of a no-fly zone to guarantee, also taken the job to protect the people of Lybia as much as possible out of the air against their dictator, who orders his troopt to use tanks, artillery, mortars and cluster bombs agains the populationof cities, do not be astonished when you get it back too. Do not forget: the estimate casualties under the civilian population is estimated a 10,000.

Oh the Syrians.. have bad luck as.. were not the first and will not be the last. So, die massively, like the Hama massacre of 1982, which has been described as "the single deadliest act by any Arab government against its own people in the modern Middle East".

All those complainers.. just think.. when a future (Thai) government will force you to leave (Thailand), with giving all your posessions to the (Thais), of course you expect the US Marines to save you ? Remind: the Europeans will discuss, negociate, talk and argue till you are dead. As THIS is what happened until now in Africa....

I worked for a factory in Pattaya area, where the machinery had to be changed. We made a time scheme, and during Songkran some European technicians would come over for the final touch. Till on month before.. we had to discover the Thais hardly had done anything. Postpone, and never thought in TIME.

My 17 years esperience since then: no Thai can plan in the future. Shipment out Mid April might mean: 5th of May. Shipment out end of Feb and.. forgot the order. Solly, leglet inconvinien, will be end of Aplil. So Better loose orders to China as making a plan and stick to it.

As a Chinese Thai friend of mine said: why you think so much of Thailand is in the hands of Chinese immigrants, factories are owned for 95% by Chinese immigrants, and the other 4 % by Koreans, Taiwanese and farangs. Thais 1 %.

Simply because they never had to plan. Eat papaya and.. spit out the seeds. one year later you have papaya trees. Coconut: have only to wait till the fruits fall down.

Why you think there are so many expats on decisiion levels, from factories to tourist resorts and hotels. For 20 years and still now.

Just wait... till Myanmar is accepted as tourist desination again. 50% of the tourists will stay away.

Just wait, till the children of the fugutives, who returned and are returning to Vietnam really start their work: much of Thai industry will not be compatative ( not for prices, but in understanding of the Western way of doing business)

Now already China is taking over one product after the other of former Thai exports. In my case: bamboo shoots, baby corn, mixed vegetables, sweet cor, lychee, longan, mango slices, papaya dices, pineapple, oyster and soya sauce, chili sauce, instant noodles, rice vermicelli, wasabi, sesame oil. For me, 95% of my business is already gone away from Thailand.

Remind: for the inflow of one US$/Euro it generates a multiple effect into a local economy ( multiplier effect, can be 10-25 x the inflow effect) : remind the farmer, who has less money to spend, so..will reduce his spending, so others will earn less, and reduce their spending etc. Same the factory worker, the container truck driver, the can maker, the bottle maker, the label printer.

When all pensionario's would leave Thailand, just think of the tailor, the condo owner, the taxi driver, the restaurant owner.. from making now a profit, they will plunge in having a shortage on income, so will save on many fields, resulting in a depression.

You think, one Thai understands this ?

My Thai business partner once had a problem to get a Schengen visa to enter Netherlands.

Simply needed: return ticket, health ( travel ) insurance, money to pay the stay, or invitation where to stay. That;s IT.

Only.. she wanted to go via Dubai, from an exhibition there. As purchasing a ticket in Thailand Dubai-NL-Dubai is very expensive, she wanted to buy the additional part of the ticket in Dubai.

So, was refused in Bangkok at the Dutch embassy.

Result: as Dutch national, with Dutch company importing tropical foods I complained at the head of the Dutch visa department of our government.

Next day she got the invitation to come to the Dutch embassy in Wireless road to collect her visa.

Again a proof, farangs in Thailand are only TOLERATED when they leave a lot of money there. Best: simple dump it at the airport and depart again. Even better: transfer is and stay away.

I am so happy I sold my condo in time, and switched all my business away to Sri Lanka and Southern China

As I wrote so often: The Thaoi;s only and only TOLERASTE 0 = somethiong different as accept) us farangs for ONE and ONRE reason only: we brin gh moeny in.

The most they would like we simply transfer it, and even stay away.

For the rest: they spit on us, farangs.

That;s why I switched nearly all my business already away to Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Southern China. Happy I got rid of my condo.

Just wait, till Burma is accepted again as tourist destination, and.. Thailand’s economy will fall down till Laos level.

I will not drop a tear, as the Thais did it all themselves by selling their votes for a little money so these elected crooks have their own made law on their side to robb off the poor Thqaia even more.

When you are willing to sell your voting power ways for peanuts, do not be astonished, when you are treated as monkey.

My question: why any politician is willing to PAY to get this job ? I have only one explanation: because he can steel back more as his/her investment.

Steel = corruption, tax money OR increase of purchases ( remind: checks at Suvarnabhumi airport or .. 2 different sky trains) OR selling below value ( land where in the future an airport is going to be built ) or negelect other Thai interests.

How come Thai voters can be so stupid.

I am importing coconut milk in cans from Thailand already since 1995. Not even ONE of my Thai suppliers gave me ANY explanation, market update, present and expected situation. NOTHING. As so often Thai Marketing & Sales think, their business is only to empty their in-mail box and forward it to production, with at the end send invoice etc to their overseas buyers.

24 Dec I asked my supplier to verify their proices, so they confirmed 28th . I placed two orders 28th , got confirmation back 28th .. and heard.. 4 Jan.. " Oh solly, cannot anymo', must inclrease plice ".

From other sources I heard, Thai simply neglected their trees, and did nothing in crop protection. Result, now a beetle took ground, and is eating the fruit knots.

Result: Thailand has to import LOTS ( over 1 million raw coconuts a WEEK .. from.. wherever they can get. So big risk to import diseases from outside, like Kerala wilt disease phytoplasma. This could wipe out Thai coconut.

Another: import - of course, Thai way of thinking - the cheapest coconut meat from Vietnam, inclusive all contaminations ( why you think, so many overseas buyers buy from Thailand and NOT from Vietnam ? ). So, big chance, they are going to harm Thai reputation for the coming decade.

For you as consumer: buy " OLD" canned / in tetra coconut milk, at least production date a 4 months ago.

Great: no telephone, no fax, no television, no computer anymore... and a 10,000 other words "imported" from other languages..

The Germans did that a 75 years ago, and .. failed for a part, + having a set-back for learning other languages.

The French still try it, with result their international language knowledge is .. LOUSY.

My mother-language, Dutch ....nobody understands outside of NL + B, a 22 million people. German..outside the "Heimat" NOT.

Sorry, wheater you like it or not.. this battle is already won completely - thanks to Internet- by the English language. Result: wherever on the world I go, I can use this international language everywhere. And.. when at one company they do not understand me well enoug.. pity, I go with my orders to another. ( Tianjin Flourishing Co and Longfeng New Asia: pity for you )

So, finally Thailand gets something back of what they do to the world in every thinckable aspect !

Look to Thai industry: how many OWN patents are given out in Thailand ?

Look wherever you can, and you see it is OR coped OR imitated OR made the same OR a " me-too" product

The copy-shop is being copied ...

You also saw the changements in Myanmar ? Just wait, till that country is accepted again by the Western World as tourist destination: many will go to there for the many canturies old temples and other historic buildings, the much more pure nature spots, and the lower prices. Imagine a further drop of.. 10 % ?

This aside of the recession and the stronger THB versus Euro and US$; the anti-farang attitude of police and swindling by taxi drivers, tourist attractions with their double pricing, and Thai attitude, even when as guest invited by a farang for dinner, to speak Thai amoung each other. Farang is only good to fil his/her chair and pick up the bill.

I live in the Netherlands, a country about 1/3 UNDER sea level, sometimes even 6 mtr.

Here people started to build dikes a 1000 years ago. Now we have 17,000 km of river dikes, sometimes 18 mtr high and huge sea dikes.

In Feb 1953 the Northsea broke though and killed a 1850 people. Result the Dutch started such an overwhelming project, even not in 10,000 years the sea could do the same. Last part was finished just a few years ago.

In 1993 the rivers came very high. Result: all environment and financing discussions finished, and river dikes were increased. Just a few weeks ago.,.. big parts of Belgium were flooded, but in NL..nobody got wet feet.

Conclusion: the government must think in the future, sometimes generations ahead, supported by the people. In Thailand.. many have already problems to think over " prung nee " = tomorrow.

And government.. is only thinking of its OWN interests.

That's also why so many expats have a good job in Thailand.

Why always so much nonsense about a Schengen visa ?

It is a very simple system:

1) you have to apply for a visa at the embassy of the country you will stay the longest / where you enter / where you depart. But in fact.. nobody checks this.

2) EU governmentsd do NOT want a few things:

a) somebody here on the expense of the EU tax payer

somebody who stays long time as illegal

So: ad a ) show you have a health insurance + the money to pay for your stay. When you have an invitation letter from somebody in the EU to give you free accomodation, that amount is not needed to show.

ad b1) Have a proper reason to go back: permanent job, capital to take care of ( house for instance ), own business.

b2) departure ticket ( best return to origin, but .. departure to .. Dubai.. is jusst as good )

The more your papers are clear, the less chance for interview to explain or a refusal.

Last: if refused, you can complain at the Foreign Dept ( visa section) of the country who refused the visa.

Remind: it is NOT a criminal offence to overstay ( as long as at a stupid control by police as you did something wrong, you are not caught )

So, sister where you stay in .. NL sick and you want to stay longer to take care for her children? Simple trip to the police here and about sure you can stay longer.

This is NOT Thailand and NOT the USA.

It's an act of nature; how could the Thai government have mitigated against it? What are you suggesting they should have done, ask god to turn the tap off?!

Ever heard of building DIKES ?

In the Netherlands we started a 1200 years ago with it. Since then improved and improved and constructed over 17,000 km of dikes. In Jan 1995 the rivers came at much higher levels as ever expected. Over an area of 60 km wide and 150 km long over 250,000 people, their lifestock and everything else they want to move, had to be evacuated in just days. 30 juni 2000 problem was solved by increasing all dikes along 4 big rivers ( Rhine, Waal, Maas and IJssel) till some places 16 mtr higher as normal water level.

For the Thais: as so many things: to stupid and too lazy. What can you expect from a nation, which sells their votes for a 20-100 baht to any croock, who wants to plunder the country? From a government, who even shoot-to-kill on a protesting crowd ?

English, as second language in Thailand ...

O.K., but .. the level is so desperate low, here in Western Europe we would call it the fifth language...after own native, English, German, French, and /or Spanish and Italian...

When they call " English" in Thailand, used by the majority in greater Bangkok, the costal area till Rayong and Hua Hin + Chiang Mai, i would name it more " Thailish " = nearly impossible to understand.

I met now-and-then somebody, who tells me, he/she studied in an native English speaking country, but even then, the level is at max: " Thenglish" .

First: pronounce all, and not to swallow half of the sounds.

Second: learn to pronounce the " r ", and not to mix up " l " and " n".

For me: again: a by far overestimating the Thai skills by themselves.

And for me and mny others here, English is NOT my native tongue, but Dutch. ( and after: German, French )

I employed an MBA grad on arrival in 2000 at a good salary and after a month things were fine until I asked her to set up a chart of accounts! The response was 'What's that?"

I do not think any MBA graduate would understand the request. Do you mean a spread sheet listing? What info did you want in the chart? Providing clear and comprehensible instructions to personnel is a key part of getting things done.

I wouldn't get too carried away there. I chart of accounts is a pretty simple request. I would expect anyone who has been to a business school of any kind to understand the term. How you want it set up is secondary. Use a computer or do it long hand in any event a chart of accounts is something available in any business. If an MBA didn't understand the term they are not an MBA in any normal sense of the word.

I have an MBA.

I do not understand what a chart of accounts is supposed to mean.

Based upon my employment criteria, employer and peer reviews I am judged competent to perform my job and receive a large salary with performance bonuses. And yet, I had no idea what was meant by the reference to a chart of accounts. Sorry,

Me too, after Physics in 1974 I graduated from University of Amsterdam in Business Economics ( Drs ) as evening study after 8 years in 1990, but still.. with only this question, you would get the same reply.

And then astonished, if for many foreigners ( farangs) a Thai bacherlor degree is seen as a " high school" certificate. NO MORE !

My own experience since 1993 with Thai graduates: so dramatic low education, their diploma's are worth nothing as their knowledge is dramatic low. That's why so many go for a 1-2 years to a foreign Uni, mostly to studty English. But.. graduated .. or only stayed 2 years abroad ?

Really: Amazing Thailand !