Thailand Must Win Back Trust Overseas

[webfact]

WEEKENDBRUNCH

Thailand must win back trust overseas

By Nophakhun Limsamarnphun

The new government must bring political stability and bureaucratic reforms if the economy is to regain foreign investors' confidence, says the head of the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce in Thailand

For Nandor von de Luehe, chairman of the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce in Thailand (JFCCT), political stability has become one of the country's top issues.

"As an organisation, JFCCT is neutral politically and hopes the incoming government will engage with us so that we can put forward our proposals."

"The political environment should support the economy, but the past few years it has been the opposite, as politics has obstructed business and industry."

"What we need is to go back and regain political stability in order to move forward," he says.

For the new government, which will be headed by Yingluck Shinawatra of the Pheu Thai Party, one of the top agendas is to make Thailand more attractive in the eyes of foreign investors.

"Based on the latest World Bank report, Thailand's overall competitiveness has slipped three positions this year when compared with the last."

"In some aspects, Thailand did not perform well - such as ease of starting a business here. This is one of the things that we would like to discuss with the new government with regards to making Thailand more attractive again so that more [foreign] money flows into the country," says the JFCCT chairman.

Over the past few years, political uncertainty has eroded Thailand's competitiveness when compared to that of Vietnam and Indonesia.

The new Thai government must also look ahead towards the Asean Economic Community, which comes into effect in 2015.

"It's [about] how Thailand can be a leader, not a follower, in order to reap the fruits of a freer flow of trade, investment and skilled labour."

"When we look at the service sector, Thailand is still under-performing [in some areas], so the country has to boost its competitiveness in sectors such as ICT [information, communications and technology]."

"[For example], we are still waiting for the launch of 3G [third generation] telecom and Internet services. We need to turn it into a reality," says von de Luehe.

In regards to manufacturing, the JFCCT chief says Thailand is still very strong in several sectors, especially the automotive, electronics and petrochemicals industries, so new investment in these areas will come here automatically.

"But it's a different story when it comes to small and medium enterprises [sMEs]. When these smaller investors saw Thailand burning, they would no longer put their money here.

"In terms of the ease of doing business here, the country was ranked 95th in the last World Bank report. Thailand needs to reform [to stay competitive].

"The new government should look at and take actions against complicated procedures for getting licences [for example]. Too much is still at the discretion of bureaucrats. There are too many shortcuts, and that's corruption.

"These complicated procedures slow business. There must be the political will to reform, just as in the issuing of passports [which is now much more convenient for Thais].

"The new government should make things easier for foreign investors. Reforms are always work in progress in the globalised world.

"As an organisation, we're neutral, not involved in politics, but we do focus on policies [which affect the economy, business and industry].

"Most parties came forward with economic policies such as the daily [minimum] wage increase, but we're concerned about productivity and how to balance [a wage hike with higher productivity]," he says.

While overall, the economic policies of Thailand's political parties are similar, most foreign investors are hoping that populist policies are no longer the priority.

Instead, they are looking for a sense of continuity, along with the appointment of competent ministers to the new Cabinet.

-- The Nation 2011-07-09

[visions]

First and easiest step is to streamline the beauracraticle nightmare of visa and workpermit bullsh#it.

A system similar to Cambodia would bring in much more startup businesses and provide more employment for Thai workers.

But it takes a business minded person to impiment those ideas. the ousted Dems were focused in the opposite direction.

They wanted only to remove the farangs.....but couldnt seem to understand that Thai jobs were lost because of that.

[whybother]

First and easiest step is to streamline the beauracraticle nightmare of visa and workpermit bullsh#it.

A system similar to Cambodia would bring in much more startup businesses and provide more employment for Thai workers.

But it takes a business minded person to impiment those ideas. the ousted Dems were focused in the opposite direction.

They wanted only to remove the farangs.....but couldnt seem to understand that Thai jobs were lost because of that.

Where do you get that the Democrats wanted to remove farangs?

[EnhancePlus]

Trust? We don't need no stinkin' TRUST. We're THAI! All the trust they need is keeping interests high so more money can flow into the SET.

Edited July 9, 2011 by EnhancePlus

[Awohalitsiktoli]

First and easiest step is to streamline the beauracraticle nightmare of visa and workpermit bullsh#it.

A system similar to Cambodia would bring in much more startup businesses and provide more employment for Thai workers.

But it takes a business minded person to impiment those ideas. the ousted Dems were focused in the opposite direction.

They wanted only to remove the farangs.....but couldnt seem to understand that Thai jobs were lost because of that.

Where do you get that the Democrats wanted to remove farangs?

This is 2011 and since at least 2001 all of the parties have wanted to remove farangs as clearly demonstrated by the visa rule/immigration changes. Back to the issue here, they actually want to win back trust overseas. That is really a laugh if it were not so sad. Now they have lost all respect/trust overseas except perhaps from dictators in failed African states.

[mrtoad]

First and easiest step is to streamline the beauracraticle nightmare of visa and workpermit bullsh#it.

A system similar to Cambodia would bring in much more startup businesses and provide more employment for Thai workers.

But it takes a business minded person to impiment those ideas. the ousted Dems were focused in the opposite direction.

They wanted only to remove the farangs.....but couldnt seem to understand that Thai jobs were lost because of that.

Just wait till Thaksin is back in control - new to the country by any chance??

[mrtoad]

Now they have lost all respect/trust overseas except perhaps from dictators in failed African states.

And an exiled fugitive dictator in Dubai

[sirchai]

"In some aspects, Thailand did not perform well.

Now they'll see how bad they'll perform in the near future. :jap:

[sirchai]

First and easiest step is to streamline the beauracraticle nightmare of visa and workpermit bullsh#it.

A system similar to Cambodia would bring in much more startup businesses and provide more employment for Thai workers.

But it takes a business minded person to impiment those ideas. the ousted Dems were focused in the opposite direction.

They wanted only to remove the farangs.....but couldnt seem to understand that Thai jobs were lost because of that.

Where do you get that the Democrats wanted to remove farangs?

This is 2011 and since at least 2001 all of the parties have wanted to remove farangs as clearly demonstrated by the visa rule/immigration changes. Back to the issue here, they actually want to win back trust overseas. That is really a laugh if it were not so sad. Now they have lost all respect/trust overseas except perhaps from dictators in failed African states.

This is 2011 and since at least 2001 all of the parties have wanted to remove farangs as clearly demonstrated by the visa rule/immigration changes.

Where did you get this from? :jap:

[geriatrickid]

There was significant confidence in the deposed PM Thaksin. The fact of the matter is that the man was able to live in relative peace overseas. As I recall people were beside themselves when he was in China including Hong Kong, Paris and elsewhere. Not one foreign government lifted a finger to assist the thai government apprehend the man. The man made a few visits into the EU in a discreet manner that never made the press. If there is international outrage, no one that maintains a public profile can hide out for long.

According to the conspiracy theorists of TVF, the man is backed by all sorts of rich and powerful foreign cabals like the "illuminati". According to others he is a commie and a stooge of the Chinese. Sorry, but Thaksin carries more weight in the international community than did the former PM Abhisit. When Mr. Thaksin spoke, people listened.

[EnhancePlus]

There was significant confidence in the deposed PM Thaksin. The fact of the matter is that the man was able to live in relative peace overseas. As I recall people were beside themselves when he was in China including Hong Kong, Paris and elsewhere. Not one foreign government lifted a finger to assist the thai government apprehend the man. The man made a few visits into the EU in a discreet manner that never made the press. If there is international outrage, no one that maintains a public profile can hide out for long.

According to the conspiracy theorists of TVF, the man is backed by all sorts of rich and powerful foreign cabals like the "illuminati". According to others he is a commie and a stooge of the Chinese. Sorry, but Thaksin carries more weight in the international community than did the former PM Abhisit. When Mr. Thaksin spoke, people listened.

Cause they can't understand a word he says

[Awohalitsiktoli]

First and easiest step is to streamline the beauracraticle nightmare of visa and workpermit bullsh#it.

A system similar to Cambodia would bring in much more startup businesses and provide more employment for Thai workers.

But it takes a business minded person to impiment those ideas. the ousted Dems were focused in the opposite direction.

They wanted only to remove the farangs.....but couldnt seem to understand that Thai jobs were lost because of that.

Where do you get that the Democrats wanted to remove farangs?

This is 2011 and since at least 2001 all of the parties have wanted to remove farangs as clearly demonstrated by the visa rule/immigration changes. Back to the issue here, they actually want to win back trust overseas. That is really a laugh if it were not so sad. Now they have lost all respect/trust overseas except perhaps from dictators in failed African states.

This is 2011 and since at least 2001 all of the parties have wanted to remove farangs as clearly demonstrated by the visa rule/immigration changes.

Where did you get this from? :jap:

Guess I should have not mentioned it. "Remove farangs" means "remove all farangs that are not rich." No need to go down that road again. The evidence is clear. It is a well-beating horse

[furyrider]

First and easiest step is to streamline the beauracraticle nightmare of visa and workpermit bullsh#it.

A system similar to Cambodia would bring in much more startup businesses and provide more employment for Thai workers.

But it takes a business minded person to impiment those ideas. the ousted Dems were focused in the opposite direction.

They wanted only to remove the farangs.....but couldnt seem to understand that Thai jobs were lost because of that.

Where do you get that the Democrats wanted to remove farangs?

Well Gess did you ever read the news papers and news, If you had you would,t have to ask a stupid question.

[Steely Dan]

There was significant confidence in the deposed PM Thaksin. The fact of the matter is that the man was able to live in relative peace overseas. As I recall people were beside themselves when he was in China including Hong Kong, Paris and elsewhere. Not one foreign government lifted a finger to assist the thai government apprehend the man. The man made a few visits into the EU in a discreet manner that never made the press. If there is international outrage, no one that maintains a public profile can hide out for long.

According to the conspiracy theorists of TVF, the man is backed by all sorts of rich and powerful foreign cabals like the "illuminati". According to others he is a commie and a stooge of the Chinese. Sorry, but Thaksin carries more weight in the international community than did the former PM Abhisit. When Mr. Thaksin spoke, people listened.

You are overlooking his little foray into football club ownership in the UK. After his farcical rule over Manchester City ended he quickly became persona non-grata in the UK and eyebrows were raised over the financial transaction and money flows surrounding his sale of Man City to a Dubai consortium considering the large discrepency in the amount he paid for the club compared to what he claims to have sold it for. The UK cancelled his visa shortly afterwards.

He stated the UK would be sorry! I can only speculate how this threat will manifest itself.

http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20081125-103173.html

[Jingthing]

A system similar to Cambodia would bring in much more startup businesses and provide more employment for Thai workers.

Dream on! That is never going to happen in Thailand. Actually, what is totally predictable is that sooner or later, Cambodia will tighten up their catch all super easy business visa (you don't even need to do any business!).

[REM]

There was significant confidence in the deposed PM Thaksin. The fact of the matter is that the man was able to live in relative peace overseas. As I recall people were beside themselves when he was in China including Hong Kong, Paris and elsewhere. Not one foreign government lifted a finger to assist the thai government apprehend the man. The man made a few visits into the EU in a discreet manner that never made the press. If there is international outrage, no one that maintains a public profile can hide out for long.

According to the conspiracy theorists of TVF, the man is backed by all sorts of rich and powerful foreign cabals like the "illuminati". According to others he is a commie and a stooge of the Chinese. Sorry, but Thaksin carries more weight in the international community than did the former PM Abhisit. When Mr. Thaksin spoke, people listened.

I'll bet one reason the other countries haven't apprehended Thaksin isn't because they 'respect' him so much, like all of the ignorant say, it's because there is no international arrest warrant. Without that, they'll just keep taking his money The Dem's issued a domestic arrest warrant for terrorism, but never pursued it with interpol or in the international court of justice. Just another example of the short sightedness of your comment, and Thai politics. What's even funnier, is the sister of a wanted terrorist in Thailand, is most likely going to be the new PM.

Thai Credibility = 0 after this election! Thailand has A LOT of work ahead of it to gain back trust.

Here's a link to remind you that he does have the warrant, but it's only domestic:

[geriatrickid]

There was significant confidence in the deposed PM Thaksin. The fact of the matter is that the man was able to live in relative peace overseas. As I recall people were beside themselves when he was in China including Hong Kong, Paris and elsewhere. Not one foreign government lifted a finger to assist the thai government apprehend the man. The man made a few visits into the EU in a discreet manner that never made the press. If there is international outrage, no one that maintains a public profile can hide out for long.

According to the conspiracy theorists of TVF, the man is backed by all sorts of rich and powerful foreign cabals like the "illuminati". According to others he is a commie and a stooge of the Chinese. Sorry, but Thaksin carries more weight in the international community than did the former PM Abhisit. When Mr. Thaksin spoke, people listened.

I'll bet one reason the other countries haven't apprehended Thaksin isn't because they 'respect' him so much, like all of the ignorant say, it's because there is no international arrest warrant. Without that, they'll just keep taking his money The Dem's issued a domestic arrest warrant for terrorism, but never pursued it with interpol or in the international court of justice. Just another example of the short sightedness of your comment, and Thai politics. What's even funnier, is the sister of a wanted terrorist in Thailand, is most likely going to be the new PM.

Thai Credibility = 0 after this election! Thailand has A LOT of work ahead of it to gain back trust.

Here's a link to remind you that he does have the warrant, but it's only domestic: http://www.thaivisa....rrorism-charge/

You left out some key details;

When Mr. Thaksin was in the UK and there were rumours floating that he would seek political asylum, the UK government simply revoked his visa. On the surface, it looked like trouble for Mr. Thaksin, but what it did was deflate the possibility of Thailand attempting an extradition request. It basically cut the legs out from under Thailand as it would have been easier for Thailand to go after Mr. Thaksin in the UK and at the very least tie him up in embarrassing legal procedures for several years.

When Thailand was putting out feelers to see if the international community would assist in the apprehension of Mr. Thaksin, the government was rebuffed by the international community. The consensus was that the charges were political in nature and there was sympathy for Mr. Thaksin. That doesn't mean that international governments loved the guy, but he had been a reliable friend when he was PM. There are new players in the world now and perhaps sentiments have changed, but I do know based upon my own work that a great many movers and shakers have a greater comfort level with Mr. Thaksin since he is a known entity. As they say, better the devil you know, than the demon you do not know.

Mr. Thaksin is no saint, but international investors don't care about that. They want someone that is ready to do business, that is consistent and that understands how international business works. The former finance minister Korn was capable of that as well, and I'd go one step further in saying that Mr. Korn had a bettter grasp of the international finance community technical workings. What Mr. Korn did not have was an ability to convince people and to understand the intangible aspects of making a deal. Mr. Thaksin was able to blend popular support into the deals, whilst a man like Mr. Korn had a limited ability to understand the need of regular folks to be part of, or at least perceive be part of the process.Thaksin was a deal maker.

Edited July 9, 2011 by geriatrickid

[Babcock]

I agree gerry.

I do know from sources within the visa immigration department that they like thaksin just as in 3 army districts in Bangkok voted overwhelmingly pheu thai (watermelon soldiers?).

I should expect relaxation of visa laws and in time easing of land ownership restrictions for faring.

Thaksin tried this before but was blocked by the elite.

Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia

Have all more friendly visa and ownership legislation.

Time for Thailand to catch up.

[Soutpeel]

I should expect relaxation of visa laws and in time easing of land ownership restrictions for faring.

Dream on...

and pray tell how are ownership legislation in the likes likes of Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia more friendly than Thailand....in none of those countries are you allowed to own land either, with the exception of Malaysia under the "my second home program".....suspect you are talking through your bottom...

Although the one positive thing with our man in Dubai back in charge is that we may see an introduction of the Thai elite card part deux, seeing as if failed dismally the first time around, the new and improved Thai eleite card will cost you THB 3.0 million with even less privilages.....

[homeslice]

"Thailand must win back trust overseas". I'll take "yeah, right!" for a thousand please.

[Pi Sek]

<snip>

Mr. Thaksin is no saint, but international investors don't care about that. They want someone that is ready to do business, that is consistent and that understands how international business works. The former finance minister Korn was capable of that as well, and I'd go one step further in saying that Mr. Korn had a bettter grasp of the international finance community technical workings. What Mr. Korn did not have was an ability to convince people and to understand the intangible aspects of making a deal. Mr. Thaksin was able to blend popular support into the deals, whilst a man like Mr. Korn had a limited ability to understand the need of regular folks to be part of, or at least perceive be part of the process.Thaksin was a deal maker.

It is true Thaksin was a "good" (if we're talking profit margins) businessman, and it's true he was good at "convincing people", I think you are very naive if you believe any prospective international large-scale investor will not raise an eyebrow at the many investors that were fully shafted by legislative changes causing them to lose ground against companies owned by Thaksin and his relatives/aides the last time he was in control of the government.

[mrtoad]

You left out some key details;

When Mr. Thaksin was in the UK and there were rumours floating that he would seek political asylum, the UK government simply revoked his visa. On the surface, it looked like trouble for Mr. Thaksin, but what it did was deflate the possibility of Thailand attempting an extradition request. It basically cut the legs out from under Thailand as it would have been easier for Thailand to go after Mr. Thaksin in the UK and at the very least tie him up in embarrassing legal procedures for several years.

The UK didn't do it because it supported him, they did not want to get caught up in an asylum case of a high profile person with a dubious reputation. The UK remembers Pinochet well, they weren't going to get involved in that type of situation again.

[mrtoad]

I agree gerry.

I do know from sources within the visa immigration department that they like thaksin just as in 3 army districts in Bangkok voted overwhelmingly pheu thai (watermelon soldiers?).

I should expect relaxation of visa laws and in time easing of land ownership restrictions for faring.

Thaksin tried this before but was blocked by the elite.

Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia

Have all more friendly visa and ownership legislation.

Time for Thailand to catch up.

Thanks, that's given me a chuckle.

[Pi Sek]

I agree gerry.

I do know from sources within the visa immigration department that they like thaksin just as in 3 army districts in Bangkok voted overwhelmingly pheu thai (watermelon soldiers?).

I should expect relaxation of visa laws and in time easing of land ownership restrictions for faring.

Thaksin tried this before but was blocked by the elite.

Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia

Have all more friendly visa and ownership legislation.

Time for Thailand to catch up.

Thanks, that's given me a chuckle.

Haha, indeed... I missed that one!

Just to be clear, Thai Rak Thai were the ones who brought in the 15-day visa on arrival rule for those using land crossings for their tourist visa extensions (something I agreed with, and I still do, because it makes life more difficult for those working without a business visa and work permit) and TRT were the ones who started cracking down on foreign-controlled "nominee" land holding companies (which in my opinion was to entangle the Ministry of Commerce in an operation to distract attention away from various Thaksin proxies snatching up plots of Tor Bor Tor 5 land to be used for hotels, one of which was a large tract of forestry land on Koh Pha Ngan).

Having said that, whilst TRT was no friend to the international business community, I don't think Peua Thai will have the same outlook, out of necessity... although I expect the opposition will not allow them to open up the Foreign Business Act as much as most on here would like them to, if they try it.

Honestly, I doubt that a lot of people here (though not all) with positive opinions about Thaksin actually lived here between 2001 and 2006. I did.

[marquess]

I agree gerry.

I do know from sources within the visa immigration department that they like thaksin just as in 3 army districts in Bangkok voted overwhelmingly pheu thai (watermelon soldiers?).

I should expect relaxation of visa laws and in time easing of land ownership restrictions for faring.

Thaksin tried this before but was blocked by the elite.

Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia

Have all more friendly visa and ownership legislation.

Time for Thailand to catch up.

Thanks, that's given me a chuckle.

I agree Thaksin did nothing to make the life of a farang any easier during his tenure, don't forget also he had that xenophobic Interior Minister (Purachai)who made PR a little harder, also the amount required for marriage visas was also doubled. It may well be of course that his time spent abroad has lessen his dislike of foreigners? Things were certainly better before he came to power.

Haha, indeed... I missed that one!

Just to be clear, Thai Rak Thai were the ones who brought in the 15-day visa on arrival rule for those using land crossings for their tourist visa extensions (something I agreed with, and I still do, because it makes life more difficult for those working without a business visa and work permit) and TRT were the ones who started cracking down on foreign-controlled "nominee" land holding companies (which in my opinion was to entangle the Ministry of Commerce in an operation to distract attention away from various Thaksin proxies snatching up plots of Tor Bor Tor 5 land to be used for hotels, one of which was a large tract of forestry land on Koh Pha Ngan).

Having said that, whilst TRT was no friend to the international business community, I don't think Peua Thai will have the same outlook, out of necessity... although I expect the opposition will not allow them to open up the Foreign Business Act as much as most on here would like them to, if they try it.

Honestly, I doubt that a lot of people here (though not all) with positive opinions about Thaksin actually lived here between 2001 and 2006. I did.

[marquess]

I agree gerry.

I do know from sources within the visa immigration department that they like thaksin just as in 3 army districts in Bangkok voted overwhelmingly pheu thai (watermelon soldiers?).

I should expect relaxation of visa laws and in time easing of land ownership restrictions for faring.

Thaksin tried this before but was blocked by the elite.

Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia

Have all more friendly visa and ownership legislation.

Time for Thailand to catch up.

Thanks, that's given me a chuckle.

Haha, indeed... I missed that one!

Just to be clear, Thai Rak Thai were the ones who brought in the 15-day visa on arrival rule for those using land crossings for their tourist visa extensions (something I agreed with, and I still do, because it makes life more difficult for those working without a business visa and work permit) and TRT were the ones who started cracking down on foreign-controlled "nominee" land holding companies (which in my opinion was to entangle the Ministry of Commerce in an operation to distract attention away from various Thaksin proxies snatching up plots of Tor Bor Tor 5 land to be used for hotels, one of which was a large tract of forestry land on Koh Pha Ngan).

Having said that, whilst TRT was no friend to the international business community, I don't think Peua Thai will have the same outlook, out of necessity... although I expect the opposition will not allow them to open up the Foreign Business Act as much as most on here would like them to, if they try it.

Honestly, I doubt that a lot of people here (though not all) with positive opinions about Thaksin actually lived here between 2001 and 2006. I did.

I agree Thaksin did nothing to make the life of a farang any easier during his tenure, don't forget also he had that xenophobic Interior Minister (Purachai)who made PR a little harder, also the amount required for marriage visas was also doubled. It may well be of course that his time spent abroad has lessen his dislike of foreigners? Things were certainly better before he came to power.

[hellodolly]

First and easiest step is to streamline the beauracraticle nightmare of visa and workpermit bullsh#it.

A system similar to Cambodia would bring in much more startup businesses and provide more employment for Thai workers.

But it takes a business minded person to impiment those ideas. the ousted Dems were focused in the opposite direction.

They wanted only to remove the farangs.....but couldnt seem to understand that Thai jobs were lost because of that.

Where do you get that the Democrats wanted to remove farangs?

This is 2011 and since at least 2001 all of the parties have wanted to remove farangs as clearly demonstrated by the visa rule/immigration changes. Back to the issue here, they actually want to win back trust overseas. That is really a laugh if it were not so sad. Now they have lost all respect/trust overseas except perhaps from dictators in failed African states.

I have only been here five years and I see no move to remove Farangs. that is the ones who came here legally and follow the guidelines. At this time I see the immigration trying to enforce the rules. The rules to come into Thailand are easy. Try going to a western country. Chances are you have all ready got your visa before you leave the country. If you want to make Thailand your home they do have rules to insure that you can take care of your self.

I will admit that the money one for the retirement visa is nuts. For instance I need 65,000 baht a month if I am not married to a Thai. 40,000 if I am married to a Thai. Well I have a Thai wife and she does not save me 25,000 baht a month she actually cost me in excess of 10,000 baht a month.

How do you win trust when you have a government with a leader who can not even come into the country. How do you attract business when you openly state you are going to raise the wage rate 2 to 3 times as much over the next few years.

And that is not saying any thing about electing MPs who are in Jail or being tried for crimes against the country.

There is going to be some creative image making ahead.