pagallim Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Very sad that the Phuket Gazette comes up with such responses to stories such as this. Instead of pressing the developer for an immediate response, they accept this 'coming soon' kind of attitude. Don't they realise that most countries recognise this kind of response as being corrupt in the sense that they do not want to upset their sponsors!!!! Shame on the Phuket Gazette. Get the facts and print them, otherwise keep taking the advertising money and admit you are not a NEWSpaper anymore. People are not interested in 'managed' responses i.e. we'll talk about it again next week/preparing a special report! Either the story is true, or not. Print it, and stand by the principle of honest reporting. The very fact that they reported it as a 'One sided news report' is a joke, the opportunity is there to make it a 'two sided news report' and only the Phuket Gazette failed to make it such. Phuket property developer under fire in one-sided news report PHUKET: A leading UK news tabloid, the Daily Mirror, reported earlier this week that Chelsea football star Joe Cole invested in the Hua Hin Country Club and is now demanding his money back as the project has remained an empty field for the past two years. Phuket has figured into the headline grabbing news as Cole has alleged that local Phuket development firm Lersuang is at fault, and the Mirror claims that calls to the group’s offices were not returned. Lersuang is the developer of the stalled Turtle Cove, Tamarind Hills, Infinity Heights and Lersuang Village projects in Phuket. There has been much local speculation in the market about the completion of the existing properties, though the company has continued to operate its offices here on the island. Press like this certainly is not a positive for the Phuket market and there have historically been few project defaults in Phuket in the past. This looks to be a developing story as the UK news has given only Joe Cole's side of the story. There needs to be a balance in the sources for the story and certainly a statement from the Phuket group would be helpful. NOTE: The Phuket Gazette had no difficulty in reaching management at Lersuang's Phuket office for comment yesterday. The Gazette is now preparing a special report for publication early next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boater Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 very interesting... but as the PG is a allie here this thread maybe closed... lets keep it clean and hopefully it will stay open boater Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boater Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Press like this certainly is not a positive for the Phuket market and there have historically been few project defaults in Phuket in the past. This looks to be a developing story as the UK news has given only Joe Cole's side of the story. There needs to be a balance in the sources for the story and certainly a statement from the Phuket group would be helpful.NOTE: The Phuket Gazette had no difficulty in reaching management at Lersuang's Phuket office for comment yesterday. The Gazette is now preparing a special report for publication early next week. isnt phuket gazzette helping on the matter and actually slaming the uk paper? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pagallim Posted May 8, 2009 Author Share Posted May 8, 2009 Press like this certainly is not a positive for the Phuket market and there have historically been few project defaults in Phuket in the past. This looks to be a developing story as the UK news has given only Joe Cole's side of the story. There needs to be a balance in the sources for the story and certainly a statement from the Phuket group would be helpful.NOTE: The Phuket Gazette had no difficulty in reaching management at Lersuang's Phuket office for comment yesterday. The Gazette is now preparing a special report for publication early next week. isnt phuket gazzette helping on the matter and actually slaming the uk paper? That's my whole point. Yes, good that it's been reported, but sad that there isn't a response from the Gazette having already spoken to the developers, they defer any comment until 'next week'. Why? I understand about the 'new sponsor' arrangement, and I must admit to having misgivings about this, the same as the tie up with 'The Nation'. Ultimately, there will be 'sponsor' orientated censorship of topics and comments, and I really don't believe that this is what Thaivisa is all about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boater Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 maybe a topic title change is in order??? .... as it is a little mis leading but the mirror did point out some points that we all no are valid... well lets wait till next week and see Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trd Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Why are you rushing to defend this property company. Is only good news permitted about Phuket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pagallim Posted May 8, 2009 Author Share Posted May 8, 2009 Agreed. However, appreciate my scepticism where immediate responses are not forthcoming. I await the report with interest, but in the interest of Thailand in general and Phuket in particular, it's better that a response is given sooner rather than later, otherwise the 'angle' of the story will only get more international credence, and silence by the developer will only give validity to the report. I think it important for national/local media to comprehend the expectations of international news reporting. Where a topic has international interest, there should be opportunity for all parties to input comment/denial. Otherwise, it is just another 'Thailand' story, where everything is 'coming soon', and 'no problem'. There is an awful lot of sand on this island, and obviously a great number of ostriches to bury their heads in it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boater Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Why are you rushing to defend this property company. Is only good news permitted about Phuket. i dont think anyone here is rushing to defend this company, what the highlights of the report is that Cole bought an off plan property in Thailand that will be never built and 30 people have lost there money, now this isnt good for other companies that are currently selling off plan property Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trd Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Granted that news like this isn't good for the property market. But if the allegations are proved correct then people have the right to know. And as someone who was working in the property market here for 10 years, I can tell you I've seen a few things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pagallim Posted May 8, 2009 Author Share Posted May 8, 2009 Why are you rushing to defend this property company. Is only good news permitted about Phuket. i dont think anyone here is rushing to defend this company, what the highlights of the report is that Cole bought an off plan property in Thailand that will be never built and 30 people have lost there money, now this isnt good for other companies that are currently selling off plan property Absolutely right. Which makes it even more important for organs such as the PG to produce factual and timely responses. If you open yourself up to the world, then you have to live with the responsibilities and expectations that this involves. Failure to produce ethically correct news will only result in the belief that some form of censorship or bias is being applied, with the resultant zero credibility. With respect to the header of this post, when I read the PG report, and the aspect of a 'special report coming next week' my first thoughts were of the adage 'lies, dam_n lies, and statistics', and the expectation that there will be a roll out of the number of units built/sold/handed over to clents etc etc, with the PG seeking not to distance itself from their primary advertisers. Perhaps my cynicism is unfounded. Let's hope so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Burr Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 (edited) what the highlights of the report is that Cole bought an off plan property in Thailand that will be never built and 30 people have lost there money, now this isnt good for other companies that are currently selling off plan property Cole never put any money at all into the development. He was promised a penthouse apartment if he spent time publicising the development and granting permission to use his name in the advertising. He is whinging about a broken promise. Edited May 8, 2009 by Sir Burr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pagallim Posted May 8, 2009 Author Share Posted May 8, 2009 what the highlights of the report is that Cole bought an off plan property in Thailand that will be never built and 30 people have lost there money, now this isnt good for other companies that are currently selling off plan property Cole never put any money at all into the development. He was promised a penthouse apartment if he spent time publicising the development and granting permission to use his name in the advertising. He is whinging about a broken promise. Good one, and quite credible. That's the kind of response that I would have expected the PG to have produced, if that's the story from the developer. So why not make the report now? Probably I'm influenced by my belief that the media in Thailand is essentially bought and controlled by sponsors/owners, and that news reporting is only done on the basis of 'who do we upset least'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Burr Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 It was stated in the original UK newspaper article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbk Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 topic title edited per Boaters suggestion since as near as I can tell it has nothing to do with the OP's subject... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pagallim Posted May 8, 2009 Author Share Posted May 8, 2009 topic title edited per Boaters suggestion since as near as I can tell it has nothing to do with the OP's subject... Agreed. Perhaps my original post title reflected my opinion of the PG reporting philosophy too much, i.e. too little, too late. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thaiwanderer Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 ideally Lersuang should have dealt with it straight away head on with the Mirror as they have not it would have been better (for them and PG) for there not to be anything until the full response rather than this pathetic teaser which correctly or not smells of headless chickens and a overly 'sympathetic' paper in any event i am not be surprised by the original story or the apparent response by Lersuang or PG (PG states a response from Lersuang would be 'helpful' for balance (not the fault of the Mirror if as reported Lersuang don't get back to them), then PG adds they had no trouble getting in touch with Lersuang for comment - so why does publication of their comment await the special report when it would restore the balance their header complains about? i can only imagine what the 'special report' will contain) as to joe cole "Joe is upset to learn that people have lost out financially. He invested in good faith." or promoted (as reported)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valentine Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 About a year ago there was a razzle dazzle promotion for an apartment complex in Poonphol Plaza which was to include a small water park. Not sure how much money they accepted if any at all. I asked them about setting up some kind of escrow type account (they do not appear to exist in Thailand but I thought something could be set up) & they neatly side stepped the issue. Up until a couple of months ago not a single sod had been turned. Selling off the plan has always been popular amongst the developers but is inherently risky for the buyers. Let the buyer beware. I wonder if anyone is willing to publish a list of projects that have accepted payments & failed to proceed or have halted, statements from the developers can be included. Even developers that have good intentions are having difficulties but by coming clean on what is going on & that payments can be refunded or a guarantee given then it may go some way to helping the property market which I felt was starting to mature given the previous wild west cowboy mentality which pevailed earlier & still does to a certain extent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivinLOS Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 I am sure the gazette will get to the bottom of it.. on behalf of their advertisers.. As to the reports so far.. reported earlier this week that Chelsea football star Joe Cole invested in the Hua Hin Country Club and is now demanding his money back Yet the report goes on to say he was given the apartment for promotion work.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geriatrickid Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 I still don't get the point of the thread. Does the OP actually expect the Phuket paper to be anything more than a source of generic community news and an advertising circular? In respect to property investments, TV threads provide good advice of the do's and don'ts. If people don't want to do their due diligence and pay for professional legal counsel, then tough. Cripes, TV's legal firm sponsors list the dangers of real estate investment on their websites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanalli Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Press like this certainly is not a positive for the Phuket market and there have historically been few project defaults in Phuket in the past. This looks to be a developing story as the UK news has given only Joe Cole's side of the story. There needs to be a balance in the sources for the story and certainly a statement from the Phuket group would be helpful. Paragraphs like that make me lose all faith in journalism in Phuket these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sungate Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Press like this certainly is not a positive for the Phuket market and there have historically been few project defaults in Phuket in the past. This looks to be a developing story as the UK news has given only Joe Cole's side of the story. There needs to be a balance in the sources for the story and certainly a statement from the Phuket group would be helpful.NOTE: The Phuket Gazette had no difficulty in reaching management at Lersuang's Phuket office for comment yesterday. The Gazette is now preparing a special report for publication early next week. isnt phuket gazzette helping on the matter and actually slaming the uk paper? I think you are right, Boater. The Gazette is attempting to prepare a TWO (or maybe even THREE) sided story - not the knee-jerk type of report that pagallan seems to want. It looks like pagallan has lost the plot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patklang Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 So he Joe Cole hasnt been ripped of for money,just the real estate agent has told lies to him and now refuse to honour agreement. So we still should not trust real estate agents then,as some on here are saying this is not dishonest,as he was ONLY promised a first choice of Penthouse suite if he gave his time free.So how much does Jo Cole charge for his time then????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Somtamnication Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 This topic won't last long, as PG is a sponsor. The day PG publishes a real TKO of an article, hel_l will freeze over and all tuk tuks will be metered and inspected daily by govt. officials. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boater Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 very interesting... but as the PG is a allie here this thread maybe closed...lets keep it clean and hopefully it will stay open can we please stick to this, as flaming PG WILL get this thread shut So we still should not trust real estate agents then,as some on here are saying this is not dishonest,as he was ONLY promised a first choice of Penthouse suite if he gave his time free.So how much does Jo Cole charge for his time then????? well this is the issue here, most ARE trustfull i once heard a few years back that they where going to start a Real Estate Federation on Phuket to try and get rid of all the ' Cowboys ' sham it didnt happen, but would be good if it where to happen but there are some simple tips when choosing an agent 1) make sure they are a) CIPS registered REBA registered and c) AIPP ....... also , remember Off Plan offers greater returns, but greater the risk........ But i see some developers are now using Escrow which is another good sign, which means you cannot ' In Theory ' lose your money as the developer never holds it in the first place over and out boater Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loverboy44 Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 So he Joe Cole hasnt been ripped of for money,just the real estate agent has told lies to him and now refuse to honour agreement.So we still should not trust real estate agents then,as some on here are saying this is not dishonest,as he was ONLY promised a first choice of Penthouse suite if he gave his time free.So how much does Jo Cole charge for his time then????? That time when Mr Cole was there the agents told the customers that he bought a condo in this development. He heard it but did not say that he actually got paid for it with this condo. Any more questions Mr Cole? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boater Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 and will PG also interview Mr Cole for a complete report? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pagallim Posted May 9, 2009 Author Share Posted May 9, 2009 Press like this certainly is not a positive for the Phuket market and there have historically been few project defaults in Phuket in the past. This looks to be a developing story as the UK news has given only Joe Cole's side of the story. There needs to be a balance in the sources for the story and certainly a statement from the Phuket group would be helpful.NOTE: The Phuket Gazette had no difficulty in reaching management at Lersuang's Phuket office for comment yesterday. The Gazette is now preparing a special report for publication early next week. isnt phuket gazzette helping on the matter and actually slaming the uk paper? I think you are right, Boater. The Gazette is attempting to prepare a TWO (or maybe even THREE) sided story - not the knee-jerk type of report that pagallan seems to want. It looks like pagallan has lost the plot? The initial thread was not so much to do with Joe Cole's finances, more to do with the PG, having spoken to the developer, not providing a timely further insight to the circumstances. It very much smacked of stalling for time, let's get our stories straight, and then produce something on behalf of it's core advertisers (real estate) that diffuses the issue. The words under, carpet, swept spring to mind. Thailand, and particularly Phuket, does not need any adverse publicity at the moment, and it's naive of the Thai media to believe that international audiences will blindly accept the too often one sided press reports that are prevalent here. Certainly not knee-jerk, though objectivity and ethical journalism would be welcome! Ironic the recent report of World Press Freedom Day (link below). http://www.phuketgazette.net/archives/arti...rticle7305.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivinLOS Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 So we still should not trust real estate agents then,as some on here are saying this is not dishonest,as he was ONLY promised a first choice of Penthouse suite if he gave his time free.So how much does Jo Cole charge for his time then????? well this is the issue here, most ARE trustfull i once heard a few years back that they where going to start a Real Estate Federation on Phuket to try and get rid of all the ' Cowboys ' sham it didnt happen, but would be good if it where to happen but there are some simple tips when choosing an agent 1) make sure they are a) CIPS registered REBA registered and c) AIPP ....... You cannot have honest trustworthy real estate dealers for farang purchasers when farangs cannot legally purchase.. If your going to be involved with side stepping laws and advising people on workarounds then by definition your not straight. I have never yet met a real estate agent here who owns up to these base facts of 'ownership'.. Every single one spouted the "well theres a way" mantas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boater Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 You cannot have honest trustworthy real estate dealers for farang purchasers when farangs cannot legally purchase.. If your going to be involved with side stepping laws and advising people on workarounds then by definition your not straight. I have never yet met a real estate agent here who owns up to these base facts of 'ownership'.. Every single one spouted the "well theres a way" mantas. what you quote is not entily true 1) A farang can LEGALY own a condo ( only 49% of the total SQm of the complex ) 2) A farang can LEGALY own a lease on a house or apartment ( 30 Years --- Subject to the debate of the 30 + 30 Extension ) As per above i hae not included the company formation as i do not believe in it ................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivinLOS Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 A lease isnt ownership.. its pre paid rent.. But each to their own I guess. Yes a condo is legal.. But round up 100 agents and see how many exclusively deal in condos.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.png.3b3332cc2256ad0edbc2fe9404feeef0.png)
.thumb.png.76be522b3b43e7458166b9dac9e422ed.png)
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now