Will 3 decades of Hopewell horror show have a shock happy ending for Thailand?

[webfact]

 

The Supreme Administrative Court’s recent decision to retry the Hopewell case may help the government avoid paying a huge sum in compensation which has been dubbed the “price of stupidity”.

 

For the past two decades, the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and Transport Ministry have been caught up in a legal battle with the doomed mass-transit project’s contractor, Hopewell (Thailand), a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Hopewell Holdings.

 

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The state agencies lost the first round of the battle, which centers on the statute of limitations, leaving Thailand facing a compensation bill of around Bt30 billion.

 

Reason for retrial

 

However, the court last Friday (March 4) ruled in favor of the ministry and SRT’s request for a retrial with Hopewell (Thailand) Co Ltd, citing a Constitutional Court verdict last year as “new evidence” that warranted a review.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/will-3-decades-of-hopewell-horror-show-have-a-shock-happy-ending-for-thailand/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-03-11

 

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[JoePai]

Happy ending - hope not, teach them a lesson

[Bluespunk]

Pay up srt.
 

You agreed to arbitration and lost.
 

You appealed despite agreeing to abide by arbitration and eventually lost again. 
 

How on earth does the country expect to attract foreign investment with these types of shenanigans. 
 

Pay what you owe. 

Edited March 11, 2022 by Bluespunk

[mtls2005]

The submarine will have been christened by monks, and red bull jr will be tried (in absentia?) before the SRT pays a satang on this one.

 

Barring some loss of face, like the seizure of an aircraft (again) this one will melt away.

 

 

 

 

[Led Lolly Yellow Lolly]

41 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

How on earth does the country expect to attract foreign investment with these types of shenanigans. 

They won't have any problem whatsoever. The risk is always factored into any investment at any price point, and Thailand is low risk, compared to say, Vietnam.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 11, 2022 by Led Lolly Yellow Lolly

[Bluespunk]

11 minutes ago, Led Lolly Yellow Lolly said:

They won't have any problem whatsoever. The risk is always factored into any investment at any price point, and Thailand is low risk, compared to say, Vietnam.

 

 

 

 

Lets see shall we...

[Led Lolly Yellow Lolly]

I think we've been seeing for 30 years already.

[sammieuk1]

Trying or buying to get the right result by the sound of it ????

[klauskunkel]

from the article:

Reason for retrial

However, the court last Friday (March 4) ruled in favor of the ministry and SRT’s request for a retrial with Hopewell (Thailand) Co Ltd, citing a Constitutional Court verdict last year as “new evidence” that warranted a review.

In March last year, the Constitutional Court ruled that the Supreme Administrative Court’s 2002 resolution on the statute of limitations — on which the Administrative Court’s 2019 ruling in favor of Hopewell was based — was invalid. The resolution had not been sent to Parliament for inspection or published in the Royal Gazette as required by the Constitution, the court explained.

 

 

In essence: they lose the case, then they don't send the ruling to Parliament, so the Constitutional Court can order a retrial. All by the book which they wrote. So, basically they win more years of court proceedings by which time they can make up new stuff or change laws... Maybe next time they will send the ruling to Parliament but somehow it won't be published in the Royal Gazette, because it rained that day...

I don't even think that they believe everyone is stupid, I think they simply don't give a damn what anyone thinks.

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

2 hours ago, Led Lolly Yellow Lolly said:

They won't have any problem whatsoever. The risk is always factored into any investment at any price point, and Thailand is low risk, compared to say, Vietnam.

Vietnam was attracting more foreign investment year on year, prior to COVID, so certainly foreign interest in investing there is increasing. 

Edited March 11, 2022 by Mr Meeseeks

[newnative]

Hopefully, a happy ending for Hopewell.  What a travesty.

[worgeordie]

The Stonehenge of Thailand , TAT should be promoting it as

a tourist attraction.

regards worgeordie 

[Bluespunk]

3 hours ago, Led Lolly Yellow Lolly said:

I think we've been seeing for 30 years already.

Ah huh…

Edited March 11, 2022 by Bluespunk

[Andycoops]

Another complete Thai justice whitewash, 30 years of a state agency with no morales just expecting the taxpayer to foot the bill for their gross incompetence while not giving a toss.

[biggles45]

'This government can save at least Bt30 billion,” 

 

New Smart cars have been ordered this week in anticipation. Mercedes this time tho. 

[zzaa09]

5 hours ago, Led Lolly Yellow Lolly said:

I think we've been seeing for 30 years already.

Much longer than that - in one form or another.

[Led Lolly Yellow Lolly]

2 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Ah huh…

Yeah that's right. Just open up your computer and check where the hard drive was made. Regionally Thailand is a very attractive place to do business or manufacture. It has been for a looooooong time. Trust me, I know. Hopewell is an abberation at the most. It hasn't changed a thing.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 11, 2022 by Led Lolly Yellow Lolly

[Bluespunk]

28 minutes ago, Led Lolly Yellow Lolly said:

Yeah that's right. Just open up your computer and check where the hard drive was made. Regionally Thailand is a very attractive place to do business or manufacture. It has been for a looooooong time. Trust me, I know. Hopewell is an abberation at the most. It hasn't changed a thing.

 

 

 

 

 

We'll see...

[Led Lolly Yellow Lolly]

We saw already, it is what it is. Do you have anything substantial to add? ... because the multinationals, manufacturing, infrastructure importations and related economics are all there in plain sight. There have also been countless SRT partnerships with international consortia since Hopewell. Or are you suggesting they hide in plain sight? Nobody cares when there is money to be made. No, one, cares. No one will ever care.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 11, 2022 by Led Lolly Yellow Lolly

[herfiehandbag]

3 hours ago, Led Lolly Yellow Lolly said:

Yeah that's right. Just open up your computer and check where the hard drive was made. Regionally Thailand is a very attractive place to do business or manufacture. It has been for a looooooong time. Trust me, I know. Hopewell is an abberation at the most. It hasn't changed a thing.

 

 

 

 

 

Haven't the hard drive manufacturers just moved operations to, umm, Vietnam?

[Led Lolly Yellow Lolly]

This is about labour costs and free trade agreements, it has nothing to do with Hopewell. You'll have to do better than that.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 11, 2022 by Led Lolly Yellow Lolly

[impulse]

3 hours ago, Led Lolly Yellow Lolly said:

We saw already, it is what it is. Do you have anything substantial to add? ... because the multinationals, manufacturing, infrastructure importations and related economics are all there in plain sight. There have also been countless SRT partnerships with international consortia since Hopewell. Or are you suggesting they hide in plain sight? Nobody cares when there is money to be made. No, one, cares. No one will ever care.

The diff, of course, being that hard drives are in the private sector.  Hopewell, fire engines, electric buses, and BTS rolling stock (all of which have had payment issues) are in the public sector.

 

The problem with doing business with a corrupt gub'ment is that the next batch to get elected or installed are going to want their cut, and all the bribes that you paid the old guys actually works against you.

Edited March 11, 2022 by impulse

[Led Lolly Yellow Lolly]

... So check who built every SRT project since Hopewell, who supplied the rolling stock, etcetera, etcetera...

 

Nobody cares about Hopewell Project. No one. . . and I guarantee you, none of you can give me one example of failed direct or indirect foreign investment as a result of Hopewell.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 11, 2022 by Led Lolly Yellow Lolly

[Bluespunk]

16 hours ago, Led Lolly Yellow Lolly said:

We saw already, it is what it is. Do you have anything substantial to add? ... because the multinationals, manufacturing, infrastructure importations and related economics are all there in plain sight. There have also been countless SRT partnerships with international consortia since Hopewell. Or are you suggesting they hide in plain sight? Nobody cares when there is money to be made. No, one, cares. No one will ever care.

 

 

 

 

I disagree. 
 

Oh and when replying to someone’s post it’s best to quote them rather than just responding under the post…

[Sydebolle]

Call the tourism authority of Thailand and break the news. 

All tourists arriving at Don Meuaiong airport are given a free entry ticket to Bangkok Stonehenge, promotion valid until yesterday! 

[unblocktheplanet]

Should have appropriated the structures as soon as Hopewell bailed. We might have had public transit to Don Muang for 29 years already.

[Led Lolly Yellow Lolly]

23 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

I disagree. 

I find it funny that people are so blind to fact that they just ignore what's right in front of them. Thailand is full of foreign investment (private and state sectors) and has been ever since before and after Hopewell, which didn't change a thing. . . I ask for substantiation but get nothing and you instead choose to criticise my use of forum functionality. . .

 

 

23 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Oh and when replying to someone’s post it’s best to quote them rather than just responding under the post…

I disagree and I know how to use a forum. It's obvious who I'm responding to when it's the next immediate post.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 13, 2022 by Led Lolly Yellow Lolly

[Bluespunk]

 

18 minutes ago, Led Lolly Yellow Lolly said:

I find it funny that people are so blind to fact that they just ignore what's right in front of them. Thailand is full of foreign investment (private and state sectors) and has been ever since before and after Hopewell, which didn't change a thing. . . I ask for substantiation but get nothing and you instead choose to criticise my use of forum functionality. . .

My financial advisor often says past performance does not guarantee future performance, so I'll stick to my view that this whole debacle is not a welcoming sight for future investors. The fact you don't like this is irrelevant. 

 

18 minutes ago, Led Lolly Yellow Lolly said:

I disagree and I know how to use a forum. It's obvious who I'm responding to when it's the next immediate post.

Yeah right, that's why you don't quote or let posters know you are responding to their posts...lol. Now that is funny.

Edited March 13, 2022 by Bluespunk
double quote

[Led Lolly Yellow Lolly]

 

 

Quote

The fact you don't like this is irrelevant.

The salient point I'm making is that the negative publicity already existed for decades. In fact, there was FAR more publicity on Hopewell back then, I was here, I remember it, and I used to live in Lak Si just a short distance from the project. The running joke locally was the chicane frontage road dodging the columns. Nobody cared then, nobody cares now. The sun, the wind and the rain will erode away the columns before anybody cares.

 

 

26 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

that's why you don't quote or let posters know you are responding to their posts

What do you want, a phone call?

 

 

 

 

Edited March 13, 2022 by Led Lolly Yellow Lolly

[Bluespunk]

2 hours ago, Led Lolly Yellow Lolly said:

The salient point I'm making is that the negative publicity already existed for decades. In fact, there was FAR more publicity on Hopewell back then, I was here, I remember it, and I used to live in Lak Si just a short distance from the project. The running joke locally was the chicane frontage road dodging the columns. Nobody cared then, nobody cares now. The sun, the wind and the rain will erode away the columns before anybody cares.

We'll see.

 

2 hours ago, Led Lolly Yellow Lolly said:

What do you want, a phone call?

 

From you, god no...