Koh Samui: German says he paid 800,000 baht to operate his unlicensed villa

[ronaldo0]

I bet all his neighbours and just about everyone in chaweng noi must be crapping it !! ????

Having looked at what he does he seems to be connected to the lord almighty by the fact he only wears the same white shirt and he sells boxes than can cure and treat all kind of things all over the world !!

I have some miracle rocks if anyone is interested , they will guarantee you good health and to win the lottery !!????

[Hank Gunn]

3 minutes ago, Kieran00001 said:

 

 

 

Sorry, strike two.

 

You’re posting the fees from a third-party consultant/ construction firm, quoting THEIR fees for various permits. Additionally, none of those fees refers to a building permit (i.e. actually building something and not for Modification, Destruction, Relocation, or Change of Usage, etc.).

[natway09]

Smart German ??? Cannot be the sharpest knife in the drawer.

Planning approval, building permit, Member of Hotel Ass, Habitation Certificate & first months police payment  cost approx

150,000 Bht

[thurien]

4 hours ago, KittenKong said:

800,000 Baht plus 850 Baht. What was the 850 Baht for? Service charge?

 

Even when you are paying a massive bribe they find a way to nickel and dime it upwards.

 850 thb = entertainment tax

[gunderhill]

8 minutes ago, Kieran00001 said:

Pointing out to you that you are posting your criminal activity on the internet is not being self-righteous

????????  really, I  think I did 100kmh last  night in a 90  zone  also, in fact I  know I did as cruise control was set to that, even allowing for error .

"criminal activity"  honestly, get over yourself and lose the halo.

[Hank Gunn]

4 minutes ago, Kieran00001 said:

 

Pointing out to you that you are posting your criminal activity on the internet is not being self-righteous, however your attempts to call your bribe something else is.

 

As for your wife, her fears are probably warranted, in my experience, those who go down the paying bribes road just keep paying them till their money is gone, once the official knows they are dealing with a mug, why would they stop?

Okay, this is getting tiresome. I repeat, I paid no bribe so I’m not posting my “criminal activity on the internet”. At least I was correct with my “self-righteous” comment.

 

Interesting to see you back-peddling on your initial comments about my wife’s concerns. Maybe you’re starting to get some of the big picture.

[Beggar]

19 minutes ago, gunderhill said:

When I  built  my properties a  check with the head of  village produced the response "no permit or licence needed as 3km from a main road", also confirmed with the local land office.

Never forget this story of the guy who build a beautiful very big villa here in Thailand and of course he asked the lokal government too. After he was finished they built a road and somehow his buildings were in the way.

[Hank Gunn]

Just now, gunderhill said:

????????  really, I  think I did 100kmh last  night in a 90  zone  also, in fact I  know I did as cruise control was set to that, even allowing for error .

"criminal activity"  honestly, get over yourself and lose the halo.

As I said in one of my other responses: “self-righteous”.

[gunderhill]

Just now, Beggar said:

Never forget this story of the guy who build a beautiful very big villa here in Thailand and of course he asked the lokal government too. After he was finished they built a road and somehow his buildings were in the way.

And if you remember he knew it was  coming and the only disagreement was about how  much compensation he would receive for his  property.

[mike787]

...and here we go again, sadly another naive farang learning about the thai way (wai) of life in the land of smiles.

[jgarbo]

5 hours ago, colinneil said:

OK saying he paid 800.000 baht, but who did he pay the money to?

He upset the local hoteliers, and they put the boot in, he needs to learn a lot more about corrupt practices here before spending serious money on any project.

 

Do otherwise smart people leave their brains at home when they come here? Would he pay for anything in Germany without checking laws, getting planning permission and a receipt for any payments. The cops and hoteliers are right, he's wrong. Trick for young players. 

[gunderhill]

2 minutes ago, jgarbo said:

Do otherwise smart people leave their brains at home when they come here? Would he pay for anything in Germany without checking laws, getting planning permission and a receipt for any payments. The cops and hoteliers are right, he's wrong. Trick for young players. 

Is  Germany Thailand?

[maddox41]

Best to get the building permit . Apply for a hotel Licence and all sundries before 1 brick has been laid. 

Then if all legal then build it. 

 

But he has built in the nicest part of Samui. But rule 101 don't piss off the locals especially on a small Island

[Kieran00001]

16 minutes ago, Hank Gunn said:

Okay, this is getting tiresome. I repeat, I paid no bribe so I’m not posting my “criminal activity on the internet”. At least I was correct with my “self-righteous” comment.

 

Interesting to see you back-peddling on your initial comments about my wife’s concerns. Maybe you’re starting to get some of the big picture.

 

Here is what you wrote.

 

"had to pay thousands of baht to corrupt government officials for a building permit for an extension to our house"

 

Yes, I get the big picture, you've been lying with dogs and now you're got fleas, just don't expect sympathy when telling us about your criminal activity in Thailand, its only making it harder for the honest folk.

 

 

 

[sambum]

4 hours ago, RobMuir said:

How do you know he upset the local hoteliers? 

How do you know it was the “hoteliers” who “put the boot in” ?

Was the 800,000 divided up between all the local hoteliers? 

 

Do you have some information regarding the specifics of this case or is that just what you imagined to have happened?

 

It only costs 16,000 baht to apply for a hotel license legally.

"But the hoteliers' association on the holiday island reported the villa owner to the authorities for operating without a license and taking business away from legitimate Thai operators".

 

To me that sounds like legitimate Thai hoteliers/operators have put the boot in/complained to the authorities! But I don't KNOW - just reading the post properly sometimes helps.

[Beggar]

3 minutes ago, maddox41 said:

Best to get the building permit . Apply for a hotel Licence and all sundries before 1 brick has been laid. 

Then if all legal then build it. 

 

But he has built in the nicest part of Samui. But rule 101 don't piss off the locals especially on a small Island

On his company website he provides a "Spiritual Healing site" among many other things like portable energy (perhaps a battery?). Looks very interesting his business... Perhaps the energy flow was not strong enough for a location like Koh Samui. 

 

https://energetic-medicine.com/author/kiran/#

 

[Just Weird]

6 hours ago, petermik said:

Saw this on MCOT news last night....some army bigwig turns up some time ago telling him that the building is illegal unless he deposits 800,000 baht in his wifes bank account which the german guy does with proof..bank transfer and photos of the soldier and his wife.....now the sh*t hits the fan again and someone in the military has some awkward questions to answer   

"..and someone in the military has some awkward questions to answer"

So has the German who clearly knew that he was paying a bribe!

[moutamine]

Wow what a genius... pays bribe money and that's is argument for not having a license to operate...Deport him!

[Tatsujin]

5 hours ago, huberthammer said:

"The German owner was unable to produce a licence, building permit or guest registration books."

 

"He has been charged with not having a license to operate a hotel, illegal work practices and not reporting foreign guests within 24 hours."

 

I feel sorry for the guy. Seems rather naive and did not seem to waste a minute on getting his homework done before building a house and operating a business. Thai law and regulations are complicated, confusing and not always logical but it is safe to say that he did not even cover the basics. Must have listened to the property sales guy and his mates "don't worry, everybody does it and if they ever show up just pay them". 

 

I would think that we will get a lot more of this in the future as laws are getting enforced and things become more transparent. Missing building permits and licenses are not something that will just go away.

He’ll be the first of many

[Beggar]

6 minutes ago, Tatsujin said:

He’ll be the first of many

He is not the first. There are many very self confident westerners who try to do business here. They are so self confident that they underestimate the Thai people. But it is their playground here and they set the rules. 

[Rod the Sod]

3 hours ago, Hank Gunn said:

“Respect to the law and how culture in Thailand operates.”? 

 

Give me me a break. There is no rule of law in Thailand. It’s money above everything else that personifies Thai culture. And before you label me some “Thai Basher” (a silly euphemism often applied to those who speak the truth on this forum) in less than 2 years back in Thailand after living with me in the US, my Thai wife is in the process of being cheated out of land that’s been in her family for decades, and has had to pay thousands of baht to corrupt government officials for a building permit for an extension to our house. I might add that while our extension was built to code, our next door neighbor built a similar extension but did clearly outside of code/illegally. No skin off my/our teeth as it doesn’t impact us, but spare us the drivel about “respect for law and Thai culture.”

I think you will find it is "skin of your nose". My teeth are skin free....

[Gandtee]

6 hours ago, petermik said:

Saw this on MCOT news last night....some army bigwig turns up some time ago telling him that the building is illegal unless he deposits 800,000 baht in his wifes bank account which the german guy does with proof..bank transfer and photos of the soldier and his wife.....now the sh*t hits the fan again and someone in the military has some awkward questions to answer   

A soldier wanting money for his wife. I find that hard to believe. We all know soldiers are as white as the driven snow. For a mia noi maybe but not the wife.

[BigC]

This story is wrong. Be offered 800 k to male police go away 

 

 

[Duck J Butters]

 

 

1

1 hour ago, Kieran00001 said:

 

Pointing out to you that you are posting your criminal activity on the internet is not being self-righteous, however your attempts to call your bribe something else is.

 

As for your wife, her fears are probably warranted, in my experience, those who go down the paying bribes road just keep paying them till their money is gone, once the official knows they are dealing with a mug, why would they stop?

Even Thais have to pay bribes. My Thai wife was educated at Stanford in the US and runs a multi-million dollar stem cell and anti-aging chain in Thailand. She has to pay bribes constantly to other Thais. This is how it works. Most of the medicine she uses is imported from the US and Germany because quality control in Thailand is absolutely horrid. Even Thais won't use or buy medicine that is made in Thailand. No one with an ounce of brainpower would touch medicine made in Thailand. It simply isn't' safe. How do you think the Thais get all this farang medicine into Thailand????? Custom bribes buddy. Who do you think the richest people in Thailand are? They all work at Thai customs. You hands down must pay for protection in Thailand regardless of being Thai or farang. The same rules apply to ALL business owners. Both my wife and I graduated from the number 1 University in the world: Stanford. We are both multi-millionaires. I think we would know what it takes to operate a successful business in Thailand.

[Letseng]

6 hours ago, ezzra said:

So this german guy thought he could build a huge villa, no permit, no licence, no construction supervision, just a willi nilli devil may care attitude, in an area full of 'law abiding Thais' rent it out to gusts as a hotel and get away with that? and then he complain of a shakedown, could he have done that in Germany i wonder...and i thought german people are much smarter than that...

No doubt he is one of those "superior" Germans who can deal with a bunch of Thais. They outsmarted him.

[huberthammer]

3 minutes ago, Letseng said:

No doubt he is one of those "superior" Germans who can deal with a bunch of Thais. They outsmarted him.

looking at his business dealings and facebook it seems more the case of a space cadet and thinking positive energy will sort it  all out and good things will come to the chosen ones....

 

 

[Tropposurfer]

some ones trying to tell us that a bloke with that much money does deals with such lesse faire attitudes and attention to details like legalities etc ? Rubbish! 

[DanaDeLuxe]

He's kind of a guru it seems ... Energy healer. ????

http://www.informationenergymedicine-association.com/practitioner-5/

 

[Thingamabob]

A lot missing in this story but one thing is clear, he was really stupid to get involved in something like this.

[Lokie]

An example of a saying me Ol' dad used to say - its been 'Jerry built'