Reasonableman

What is the forest department doing ? Damrong makes a lot of noise when kicking out poor farmers and forest dwellers from their home but what he is really doing behind his smoke screen is clearing the scene for the large state corporations. It has already been discussed in this forum, the objectives of the officials of the national parks is the financing of the national parks (and their officials !!!!) through running resorts, logging and mining. You have read correctly, logging and mining. Is it something you want to see in a national park ?

Have you noticed that when Damrong was questioned for his action, the only NGOs, the only "grassroot" support he received was from organizations ran by his former classmates ? The big international organization abstained from any comment. And when a respected organization like the WWF warned about the consequences of a major project in a National Park, where is Mr Damrong ?. Fortunately at last the press is waking up, there is a very courageous editorial today in the source that can not be named. Just lets hope people will finally open their eyes and realize for who the the forest department is really working for.

Damrong is not the topic of this thread. Agreed that dams, resorts, logging and mining inside national parks are anathematic. However, you should really declare your interest in benefiting from encroachment on restricted agricultural land and park lands before you make such alarming (possibly libelous) claims against Damrong, and at least attempt to substantiate them if you want them to be taken seriously.

Don't panic, nothing to worry about... The minister gave assurances...

So, in summary, if you were a Thai taxpayer, would you say it is worth investing another 500 million taxpayer Baht to make/keep you and others happy? The benefits to Thailand seem somewhat unclear to many.

I am a Thai tax payer and in its current form no...there would be some value in a system like this, but not the way it was set up

Yes, so am I, and is see little benefit in underwriting a commercial enterprise that runs at a loss, and then funding it again to the tune of 500 million Baht. What is the benefit to Thailand of this scheme? Can anyone clarify, please? Not to Elite cardholders, but to Thailand...

know the history. 5 year visa renewable for life = residency permit. Worth the 30K for many Chinese.

No... a visa is not a residency permit.....not even close, further it was never a 5 year visa either....there are no 5 year visa's in Thailand, didnt Thai Eliters have to visit immigration every year and pay THB 1900 or something for renewal ?

Must have been a busy day at all the 10 baht/hour internetcafes for all the ignorant posters here to spew their venom on a subject, they clearly know very little about.

I bought the card 2003, paid 1M bath. Ever since then I have heard from all the barstoolguys, that it was only a question about time before the card would be cancelled. Nine years on still alive and kicking (?). First a 3 year visa (passport expired) and after that 2 times 5 years. Current one expires 2016. So there ARE 5 year visas in Thailand! No yearly renewal, but like anyone else 3 months reporting. So so far visas with no headache for 13 years. Less than 80.000 a year. IMO money well spent. If the Thai taxpayers have to foot the bill for running the thing, couldn't care less I thaought i my naivity that my fellow expats should applaud that some farang are actually getting their moneys worth here. BTW this is not a second batch, just business as usual.

So guys order another beer and join your friends outside 7/11 and leave the TE to the cardholders and the Thai government.

So, in summary, if you were a Thai taxpayer, would you say it is worth investing another 500 million taxpayer Baht to make/keep you and others happy? The benefits to Thailand seem somewhat unclear to many.

Every dam is sacred,

Every dam is great.

If a dam is wasted,

God gets quite irate.

know the history. 5 year visa renewable for life = residency permit. Worth the 30K for many Chinese.

Good luck! Hope you sell lots and Thailand will make trillions (again)!

BANGKOK: -- Tourism Ministry agrees to recapitalise Thailand Privilege Card by Bt500mn. More info as we have it.

So, no info available for the revamped scheme, ( perhaps it's not even going to be revamped ) no details given so far and yet 23 posts of condemnation..............................

It's all very predictable.

Must be the historic background...

Strange using army trucks to move things in during the worst flood in living memory Surely a Honda City would have been a better option, stupid democrats.

Submarines were in short supply.

Hey, why kill a good thing? a good thing that is for the leaches, cronies, the idle job positions

holders with the bombastic titles that this revival will bring to the close circle of people that need to be looked after,

nothing here is done for the country or the consumer,,,

There will always be a market for people with lots of money to stash abroad... just not enough of them to make the scheme economically viable for the Thai taxpayer, unfortunately, who gets to kick the can again to the tune of half a billion Baht. LOS, "Hub of Elite Safe Havens".

OMG How Awful !!

Thinking of going home with only pleasant memories of her travels and now she will leave with deep scars on her Soul and with deep hatred.

Don't forget the baby in 9 months!

Offensive and thoughtless post. The woman has been assaulted; it is not funny in the least.

it comes to my attention that The Nation has a hard time with numbers...

"... Abhisit Vejjajiva was blocked from joining a political seminar in Samut Prakan yesterday by more than 100 red shirts. Abhisit was due to officially open a seminar organised by the party entitled "Assemblies join forces to design Thailand". Before he could arrive, a rally of about 70 red shirts ..."

at least it's not a factor of 10, eh?

Yingluck is a robin-hood govt.

Tax the rich and freebies for the poor.

100% agree with you.

Tax the poor and freebies for the rich, that's the way to go !

Hey Yingluck, show us your birth certificate !

Woops, wrong thread ...

Yeah, back to the "agricultural" resort with ya! Oops wrong thread

Crisis management = first create a financial crisis, then run around desperately like a headless chook trying to find a solution, when clearly the solution is to spend more money.

I used to love techno (of which trance and house are sub-categories) in the late 1990's and (very) early 2000's. I (personally) have moved on, and I don't think the music that was popular then is on a "higher" level.

Euphoric (or "uplifting") trance, as suggested by its very name, is designed especially to put the listener into a "higher" state of mind,

Do people who listen to this type of music actually have a higher state of mind?

A trancelike state verging on comatose now equals a "higher state"? Sounds like Flatliners without the insights or the adrenalin rush.

So, if an Olympic runner were an alcoholic, the best motivator would be....?

What I was missing was a question like: "If the issuing of U.S. visas strictly is based on U.S. laws, why was a visa then issued to Thaksin Shinawatra, who is known to be a convicted felon and has jumped bail in his home country?"

" US Ambassador Kristie Kenney answered every question that Thai people have concerning both on political and trade issues". End of story.

Oops, perhaps not every question that the non-Thai people have...

I think its called " the devils advocate "

Spelt "advocaat"...

Pernod Ricard is quite large distilled beverages company and owns a lot of famous brand of liquor.

Among them: Absolute Vodka, Chivas Regal, Beefeater Gin, Jameson Irish Whiskey, and many others.

You would be surprised...

All the more laudable of them to keep their well-kept little secret from youngsters. Good for them!

Machiavelli must be turning in his grave at such downright cynicism... Responsble liquor industry... A contradiction in terms...

It's all a cunning plot to undermine the IQs, and sap the vigor, of ASEAN competitors. Let's look forward to the day when the last bar of soap has been exported to our unsuspecting neighbors, when LOS eventually becomes soap-free and is restored to its rightful pre-eminent status in the region.

Can't help thinking of this man as a technology-retarded. Every country has planes and helicopters and agencies around that have access to satellites able to make surface pictures. Based upon gathered information using the means they have, they should get their agencies inspectors on the road to investigate and suggest all necessary actions to preserve their woods from deforestation.

It really becomes time they take action, not only in the south, but everywhere. I don't think that anybody out here would need a hint to understand why the politicians turn a blind eye on the yearly returning fires set by farmers in the mountains in the north. Meanwhile those farmers keep encroaching more land because nothing gets done. For the past few years I hear those fires need to be stopped and what else has been done so far but talking ?

Yes, I know..TIT

If the plantation is rubber or palm it is still wooded. Would the satellite pictures make a distinction on there photos as to what kind of forestation is down there?

Yes. And if you are growing weed, they can spot it.