Bangkok’s CentralWorld Reopens Today

[phiphidon]

Ya, I know...

And while I doubt anyone beforehand specifically would have thought that the Reds were going to torch CentralWorld, considering that they'd been camped out there for months and using the place as their group restroom facility, you gotta wonder...

Wouldn't anyone in government have considered... yes, we're going to turn off the water to try to thirst-out the Reds, but what happens if WE need the water for something... like... firefighting????

The water had been turned off...

But then again, as some TV posters pointed out that "the Reds threatened to burn down Bangkok" and apparently there are videos inviting people "to bring a bottle" for some time previous to these events you would have thought the government would also have noticed this and their "representatives" might have thought differently about their actions vis a vis the water/electricity supply?

Still, whatever, there's an ice rink and a new Krispy Kreme franchise, Awesome!

[Deeral]

It's hard to take seriously someone who uses expressions like "red terrorists"

As far as I now Interpol can't issue warrants

[Seismic]

Just amazing they've got so much rebuilt/reopen already. In a western country the company would still be trying to get a construction/rebuild permit, tied up in court over claims/insurance, etc.

Don't be silly, It would never have been torched in a western country

[Deeral]

Just amazing they've got so much rebuilt/reopen already. In a western country the company would still be trying to get a construction/rebuild permit, tied up in court over claims/insurance, etc.

Don't be silly, It would never have been torched in a western country

Really? how do you know that?

I think you might take a quick look round Europe over the last few years and you might reconsider that opinion.

....and what about L.A.??

....and White Power, don't they like to blow up or burn buildings?

[pisico]

<br />Pisico<br />Thanks for the details. It does not, however,  affect the point I was trying to make, which was that, for whatever reason, all nations have their constraints, circumstances, peculiarities, compulsions, politics, whatever, and it would be erroneous to apply the standards of one country to another.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

In total agreement with you about that.

Now, for an additional bit of info, do you know if Big C in Makasaan is open for business again?

[rubl]

please don't talk bad about the red's as they are part of the REAL elected Thai gov. thank you

Are you for real? Or just plain stupid? Wether the red terrorists had been part of an elected government or not, is not the issue. That they rampaged and held hostage parts of the capital for weeks and were the cause of over 90 people killed, is the issue. Your blatantly misinformed comment is unbelievable. And pathetic.

As I said on previous posts who has been charged with terrorism, certainly Interpol have got no warrants. Stop spewing out the establishment propagnda

Why would Interpol need warrants as most are either incarcerated, or known to be in Cambodia ? Only for k. Thaksin they have the indication from the Thai government and things are probably 'in progress'. You're more likely to be in an Interpol witch-hunt if you're seen walking with a 13-year old than being a 'terrorist'.

PS don't start the flames, I'm a father, my son is 13-1/2 and likes to go shopping together (to get away from mother I think)

Edited September 29, 2010 by rubl

[Sabre]

Just amazing they've got so much rebuilt/reopen already. In a western country the company would still be trying to get a construction/rebuild permit, tied up in court over claims/insurance, etc.

That might have something to do with who the (ultimate) owners are ...

Sabre you've hit the nail on the head

The ultimate owners own the land. They continue to be paid the rent. They don't really care what is built on it or that whoever rents it makes money from it.

Your comment is rather strange.... The owners own the land and all that is built on it. Of course they care whether there is a 5-star shopping mall on their land as opposed to a burnt out wreck. If you were the owner, what would you prefer?

[Sabre]

Sorry. Triple Posting.

Edited September 29, 2010 by Sabre

[Sabre]

Sorry. Triple posting.

Edited September 29, 2010 by Sabre

[Buchholz]

please don't talk bad about the red's as they are part of the REAL elected Thai gov. thank you

Are you for real? Or just plain stupid? Wether the red terrorists had been part of an elected government or not, is not the issue. That they rampaged and held hostage parts of the capital for weeks and were the cause of over 90 people killed, is the issue. Your blatantly misinformed comment is unbelievable. And pathetic.

As I said on previous posts who has been charged with terrorism, certainly Interpol have got no warrants. Stop spewing out the establishment propagnda

There's a whole gaggle of terrorism-charged Red Shirts that are waking up for another breakfast at Bangkok Remand Prison this morning.

Sorry, if gaggle is the improper term, but not sure what to call a large group of them.... perhaps they are more properly classified as a herd or pack.

[phetaroi]

It was you and other posters here that were expecting law and order in Thailand to be enforced as if it were the west. Is that so difficult for you to grasp ? It would be, given your predilection to heap scorn on an entire nation.

You say arrogantly "Just be glad men DO come here otherwise half your national income would disappear." Do you really have data to back up this stupid claim and prove that half of Thailand's income comes from single male tourists ? If you do, lay it on the table. If you don't, get down to some serious reading and research.

Racism in the word "farang?" Here, try and grasp this. I will say it very slowly for you to comprehend. Farang is oriental lingo for foreigner. Other Asian languages have similar sounding words. It is not racism. Racism is what you have indulged in here by heaping scorn on all Thais.

Two comments. First, I suggest you not call others arrogant until you modify your own posting style. I say this, because when you say things such as, "Is that so difficult for you to grasp?" and "Here, try and grasp this. I will say it very slowly for you to comprehend." That is very arrogant langauge.

Second, when you say that some of us, "were expecting law and order in Thailand to be enforced as if it were the west," no...at least in my case, I was not expecting it to be enforced as in the west, but I think one mark of a civilized country is when law and order are enforced.

I truly disliked Malaysia's Mahathir, but I agreed whole-heartedly with his statements that not all democracies have to be Americans style democracies.

[whybother]

Your comment is rather strange.... The owners own the land and all that is built on it. Of course they care whether there is a 5-star shopping mall on their land as opposed to a burnt out wreck. If you were the owner, what would you prefer?

Are you talking about this particular case? I thought one person owned this land and someone else owned, built and ran the building.

Or are you talking in general in Thailand ? In which case, my understanding was that if one owned the land, and another owned the building, the person that owned the building had the right to "remove" the building if they wanted. There have been a number of "divorce" type threads discussing that.

If either situation is incorrect, please correct me.

If I was the owner of the land, I would prefer to be paid rent. But it is obvious in Thailand that that is not the case for all land owners, with the number of half built shells that have been seen around Bangkok for many years.

[whybother]

Double post.

Edited September 30, 2010 by whybother

[Deeral]

Your comment is rather strange.... The owners own the land and all that is built on it. Of course they care whether there is a 5-star shopping mall on their land as opposed to a burnt out wreck. If you were the owner, what would you prefer?

If my shopping centre was out of date and needed a major refurbisment, I think I'd go for the burned-out hulk and the insurance or govt subsidy.

[Buchholz]

LOL @ the not-so-subtle attempts to displace responsibility for the burning down of CentralWorld away from those Reds responsible for the action.

[Deeral]

LOL @ the not-so-subtle attempts to displace responsibility for the burning down of CentralWorld away from those Reds responsible for the action.

LOL @ the ignorance, gullibility and lack of critical thinking of some posters.

Edited September 30, 2010 by Deeral

[Buchholz]

LOL @ unsubstantiated, out-of-this-world speculation when tons of evidence to the contrary is readily available but is dismissed with a flame of "ignorance."

[HereIAm]

"Racism in the word "farang?" Here, try and grasp this. I will say it very slowly for you to comprehend. Farang is oriental lingo for foreigner. Other Asian languages have similar sounding words. It is not racism. Racism is what you have indulged in here by heaping scorn on all Thais. "

sadly this only shows that you don't understand racism.THe word only really refers to "Westerners" and this is decided by the APPEARANCE of the person being referred to this is being done on RACIAL grounds - so it would follow that it is a racist term.

You seem to be an apologist for Thailand.THis is usually done by accusing those who point out the country's shortcomings of failing to understand Thai culture or "The Thai way". I find it hard to believe that any Thai would be proud of the corruption nepotism and shear incompetence that pervades all aspects of Thai business and politics.

To the outside world Thailand likes to project an image of a progressive, modern country striving ahead to embrace globalisation yet retain it's own culture and identity. This however to any but the most casual or uninformed observer couldn't be further from the truth.

Point taken. Yes, in Thailand's usage the word "farang" does uniquely refer to westerners, more specifically whites. As technical definitions go, you may be right in terming that as racism since it is based on appearance. However, unlike most other racist terms, the word "farang" does not -- I think -- carry any derogatory import. Maybe westerners are best placed to say whether they feel it is derogatory. To my mind it is simply used to identify a class of people Thais believe generally behave well, are financially well endowed and represent the free world. If that is the case, it is a racist practice NOT to call other non-western foreigners who also behave well, are financially well off and come from free countries "farangs." That's just my small joke.

As for being an apologist for Thailand, hmmm, well as definitions go, you may be not entirely wrong but not entirely right either. Calling for greater objectivity and awareness of ground realities while evaluating a situation or issue should by itself not, I think, make one an apologist. But you may have another view. Also, a call for objectivity cannot be termed accusation. I think you are over sensitive.

I never suggested Thais were proud of corruption or nepotism.

Your contention of "shear incompetence that pervades all aspects of Thai business and politics" is an exaggeration and an insult to Thais. Pervades all aspects ? Bangkok could not have been built, Thailand could not have been a premier tourist destination of the world with its famed food, shopping, hotels, healthcare and hospitality and swish public transport, and Thailand could not have been a leading exporter of some of the finest and cheapest apparels, jewellery and industrial products if what you said were true. Well now, call me an apologist all over again.

[HereIAm]

It was you and other posters here that were expecting law and order in Thailand to be enforced as if it were the west. Is that so difficult for you to grasp ? It would be, given your predilection to heap scorn on an entire nation.

You say arrogantly "Just be glad men DO come here otherwise half your national income would disappear." Do you really have data to back up this stupid claim and prove that half of Thailand's income comes from single male tourists ? If you do, lay it on the table. If you don't, get down to some serious reading and research.

Racism in the word "farang?" Here, try and grasp this. I will say it very slowly for you to comprehend. Farang is oriental lingo for foreigner. Other Asian languages have similar sounding words. It is not racism. Racism is what you have indulged in here by heaping scorn on all Thais.

Two comments. First, I suggest you not call others arrogant until you modify your own posting style. I say this, because when you say things such as, "Is that so difficult for you to grasp?" and "Here, try and grasp this. I will say it very slowly for you to comprehend." That is very arrogant langauge.

Good post !

Second, when you say that some of us, "were expecting law and order in Thailand to be enforced as if it were the west," no...at least in my case, I was not expecting it to be enforced as in the west, but I think one mark of a civilized country is when law and order are enforced.

Thanks for clarifying. My point was, law and order was also restored in Thailand, but they did it their way, given their complex and dicey power dynamics.

[Deeral]

"Racism in the word "farang?" Here, try and grasp this. I will say it very slowly for you to comprehend. Farang is oriental lingo for foreigner. Other Asian languages have similar sounding words. It is not racism. Racism is what you have indulged in here by heaping scorn on all Thais. "

sadly this only shows that you don't understand racism.THe word only really refers to "Westerners" and this is decided by the APPEARANCE of the person being referred to this is being done on RACIAL grounds - so it would follow that it is a racist term.

You seem to be an apologist for Thailand.THis is usually done by accusing those who point out the country's shortcomings of failing to understand Thai culture or "The Thai way". I find it hard to believe that any Thai would be proud of the corruption nepotism and shear incompetence that pervades all aspects of Thai business and politics.

To the outside world Thailand likes to project an image of a progressive, modern country striving ahead to embrace globalisation yet retain it's own culture and identity. This however to any but the most casual or uninformed observer couldn't be further from the truth.

Point taken. Yes, in Thailand's usage the word "farang" does uniquely refer to westerners, more specifically whites. As technical definitions go, you may be right in terming that as racism since it is based on appearance. However, unlike most other racist terms, the word "farang" does not -- I think -- carry any derogatory import. Maybe westerners are best placed to say whether they feel it is derogatory. To my mind it is simply used to identify a class of people Thais believe generally behave well, are financially well endowed and represent the free world. If that is the case, it is a racist practice NOT to call other non-western foreigners who also behave well, are financially well off and come from free countries "farangs." That's just my small joke.

As for being an apologist for Thailand, hmmm, well as definitions go, you may be not entirely wrong but not entirely right either. Calling for greater objectivity and awareness of ground realities while evaluating a situation or issue should by itself not, I think, make one an apologist. But you may have another view. Also, a call for objectivity cannot be termed accusation. I think you are over sensitive.

I never suggested Thais were proud of corruption or nepotism.

Your contention of "shear incompetence that pervades all aspects of Thai business and politics" is an exaggeration and an insult to Thais. Pervades all aspects ? Bangkok could not have been built, Thailand could not have been a premier tourist destination of the world with its famed food, shopping, hotels, healthcare and hospitality and swish public transport, and Thailand could not have been a leading exporter of some of the finest and cheapest apparels, jewellery and industrial products if what you said were true. Well now, call me an apologist all over again.

"a certain class"?????????????

Overtly insulting maybe not - but racist in the sense that it invokes the concept of "other" (not US) based purely on a view of humanity based on the false concept of racial stereotyping.

I can't see that as anything but negative.

as for the rest, well a few months back I'd have gone into every point, but this is a forum with not much going for it and I haven't the time.

perhaps though you might get a reality check on Thailand's place and image with the rest of the world.

[Sabre]

Your comment is rather strange.... The owners own the land and all that is built on it. Of course they care whether there is a 5-star shopping mall on their land as opposed to a burnt out wreck. If you were the owner, what would you prefer?

Are you talking about this particular case? I thought one person owned this land and someone else owned, built and ran the building.

Or are you talking in general in Thailand ? In which case, my understanding was that if one owned the land, and another owned the building, the person that owned the building had the right to "remove" the building if they wanted. There have been a number of "divorce" type threads discussing that.

If either situation is incorrect, please correct me.

If I was the owner of the land, I would prefer to be paid rent. But it is obvious in Thailand that that is not the case for all land owners, with the number of half built shells that have been seen around Bangkok for many years.

Well the land is owned by the Crown Property Bureau.

My understanding is that Central Pattana have a 30-year lease over the land.

I will admit I am not sure who owns the actual buildings, but presumably by the time the lease expires it won't matter much. The value is always in the land, not the buildings. Anyway, I really doubt that the tenant would try to take the buildings when it leaves.

Edited September 30, 2010 by Sabre

[spectrumisgreen]

Just amazing they've got so much rebuilt/reopen already. In a western country the company would still be trying to get a construction/rebuild permit, tied up in court over claims/insurance, etc.

Excellent news, amazing as you say!! :jap:

[rheinwiese]

Just amazing they've got so much rebuilt/reopen already. In a western country the company would still be trying to get a construction/rebuild permit, tied up in court over claims/insurance, etc.

Excellent news, amazing as you say!! :jap:

Perhaps it might take a little longer due to safety investigations and checks?

Sure not a big issue here in TH when a big shot is pushing to get back in business before the peak season starts.

[Deeral]

Just amazing they've got so much rebuilt/reopen already. In a western country the company would still be trying to get a construction/rebuild permit, tied up in court over claims/insurance, etc.

Excellent news, amazing as you say!! :jap:

Perhaps it might take a little longer due to safety investigations and checks?

Sure not a big issue here in TH when a big shot is pushing to get back in business before the peak season starts.

I'[m surprised we haven't had a spate of fires and businesses raised from the ashes - all you have to do is blame it on the Redshirts and you're home and dry.

[whybother]

I'[m surprised we haven't had a spate of fires and businesses raised from the ashes - all you have to do is blame it on the Redshirts and you're home and dry.

It makes it easier to blame on red shirts when you get evidence of red shirts throwing things on the fire.

Edited October 1, 2010 by whybother

[Deeral]

So your advice would be to wear, or not to wear a red shirt when starting a fire?

Edited October 1, 2010 by Deeral

[whybother]

So your advice would be to wear, or not to wear a red shirt when starting a fire?

My advice would be for red shirt supporters not to be caught lighting fires. My understanding is that they weren't just wearing red shirts, they were caught and were identified as red shirt supporters.

[draftvader]

All this to-ing and fro-ing is forgetting the major point. White Spot is not back

[Deeral]

Oh right - so that must be the truth then.we all know that the government NEVER lies and that arsonists are paragons (excuse the pun) of truth and virtue

[Deeral]

the point being a major supporter of the government has had his shop re-built in record time?

Edited October 1, 2010 by Deeral