Dsi To Crack Down On Illegal Foreign-Run Businesses

[moskito]

I think, that in our home countries Thais should be given the same treatment as we receive in their country.

That means, for example, here in New Zealand, Thais cannot own land, only the house that it is built upon. You cannot own, operate or take part in farming or agricultural activities whatsoever.

Nor can it own more than 49% of a business, or work in non-skills shortage work classes, no matter what visa they have unless employed as a foreign specialist. When employed, they should be given salary which in many cases is enough for only self-sustenance.

It must be made more difficult for Thai nationals to open bank accounts, and when they do given non-interest bearing accounts so that maximum profit is made from them.

Most of all, our governments should be openly skeptical about Thai people, discriminating between themselves and "foreign criminals".

I really hate to rant like this, but openly discriminating against people trying to improve the country and gain a bit of a profit for a nice lifestyle in Thailand is not the answer. We don't send our money home to our countries in most cases, but Thais working in our countries do, 80% guaranteed! Consider this..

you are absolutely right and i double that 100%

furthermore Thaipeople in other countries should not give ANY social welfare or medical supply like they get in Germany for example. If they asking the government in Germany they get all they need. A minimum of 380.-Euro a month (about 16000.-Baht) paid rent for an appartment or room up to max 380.-Euro (16000.-Baht) too. FREE medical treatment in ALL hospitals and at all doctors, doesnt matter what happend to them, from teeth pain to heart surgery etc....EVERYTHING free, except a ticket back home.... what happend to a farang here? any kind of help if you loose your job, health or your home?

WE invest our money here and dont send it back home, like hundred thousands of Thais living in foreign countries do every single month....money btw. wich made Thailand rich too, not only the families it was sent too......but we are what we are....just some f..kc..g longnose wich has to be treated like they deserved to be treated.

[Basil B]

Seems unfair that a Thai person can go to Britain and buy a shop freehold and open it as a Thai restaurant yet a British person cannot go to Thailand and buy a shop freehold to open as a Fish & Chip shop.

[arthurwait]

while human traffickers had brought Chinese prostitutes into Thailand.

So they're saying that this business above is reserved for Thais under the Foreign Business Act, and they don't want any non-Thais illegally competing??? Makes sense to me....

All those Russian and African girls on Sukhumvit every night must be tourists. I must have misunderstood the girls in Burkas shouting prices at us as well.

I was being sarcastic in my quoted comment above...

But in truth, for the foreign working girls you reference, it seems tourist visas are often their original means of entry into the country.

And then once they land, they become very hard working tourists who end up overstaying their permitted stay until someone somewhere catches up with them and/or the pimps they're working for don't provide enough payoff money to the proper people.

I know you were taking the michael I just couldn't find a better post to quote. The Russian girls outside Subway soi7/1 never seem to be eating subways.

[moskito]

Please tell me what the country will be like without Foreigners and their money?....We are but a minority of the thousands of illegal businesses that are being run

Like Burma I would imagine

Big multinational business leaving would affect things.

Foreign expats all with drawing wouldn't make much of an impact at all to the Thai economy. How many already are with their currency failing against the baht. Expats money here is bugger all.Tourism makes up 9% of the economy. Ex pats contribution compared to that is minimal.

If the Thai Chinese all left the country with their money, the country would be one absolutely screwed.

sorry Arthur but thats the second ABSOLUTELY ANOYING Post you have made..... FIRST ...check out what FARANG means and where it comes from, eat your Guava and realax...history is not ALWAYS lying to you. SECOND Expats AND other FARANGS or Negros or Chinese or Koreans or or or....has taken her former Thai GF back to their homecountries from where they send NOW every month money in high amounts back to Thailand....and this is going on since DECADES and not just since you are here in LoS..... get real and try to imagine how many ThaiGirls are living outside Thailand and sending money INTO Thailand since the 70s and how many that would be in the meantime...naaaaah? woke up and counted already? goooood morning

[erikr_]

'human traffickers had brought Chinese prostitutes into Thailand', wow, we don't have enough already!

It is probably an industry the Thais are not ready to compete. Chinese lt is 200 baht?

[animatic]

It's sort of sad how many expats apparently sit glued to their computers waiting for the next news item to be posted on ThaiVisa so that they can generate all the pointless bitter comments to be applauded & cheered on by others stewing in their own bitterness.

You included?

At fifteen posts he's only working up to bitterness gradually.

[Arkady]

This announcement is pure nonsense. The DSI was established to be independent of the police, so that it could take on investigations where it was believed the police would not be impartial. Unfortunately it was quickly politicised and became a tool of whoever is in power with the top brass usually all getting the shove as soon as the government changes. This time the head of the DSI has managed to ingratiate himself with Chalerm and has been able to extend his term beyond the five minutes that were predicted after the Yingluck government came to power. Obviously he has a lot of information about the investigations of killings of and by red shirts in 2010 that make him useful to Chalerm. Apart from that the DSI probably has nothing to do, as Chalerm wants to protect the police and keeps them off the work they were established to do. The announcement seems to be just a rambling list of activities that there is no reason for the DSI to be invovled in, rather than regular police, probably as a feeble attempt to conceal the fact that the entire department has just been transferred to inactive duty and won't actually do anything at all.

Obviously bashing foreigners always sells well, even if nothing is going to be done about it. As for the mindless comment about the AEC, one can understand that many inefficient Thai businesses are concerned that the agreement will make it harder to gouge Thai consumers for their overpriced, poor quality goods and services once it AEC has started to function. Thus it might be the last chance to go after them before while that is still possible. The AEC will make Thailand's obnoxious Foreign Business Act less effective as far as all multinationals are concerned. ASEAN firms will be able to own 70% of businesses in the service sector and any company that has been domiciled and operating in an ASEAN country for over two years will count as ASEAN. Therefore multinationals wil be able freely operate 70% owned service businesses in Thailand owned through their Singapore subsidiaries. Of course the AEC won't help farangs running SMEs in the service sector in Thailand but it is not really worthwhile going after them. That is because:1) they are small and can't afford to pay much when they are shaken down and: 2) their nominess are frequently their Thai wives and the concept of conjugal property makes it very hard to determine who owns what in a marriage.

Basically the whole thing is a puff of hot air.

Edited January 1, 2012 by Arkady

[miksguevara]

pesky foreiners and their economic sucesses!!

[mezzy]

Somebody made the comment that foreigners don't send any money they earn here, in Thailand, overseas. I am happy to say that I do, around 70% of my monthly income at the moment. Many of my colleagues do too, well the ones without Thai partners that is. The reason I work overseas and have done for years is because I can save lots and use it to travel with. Maybe one day I will use it to buy a house.... but it won't be here in Thailand of course.

Also if there really are any rich foreigners living in Thailand I certainly would like to know! Girls gotta eat and all.

[hellodolly]

I think, that in our home countries Thais should be given the same treatment as we receive in their country.

That means, for example, here in New Zealand, Thais cannot own land, only the house that it is built upon. You cannot own, operate or take part in farming or agricultural activities whatsoever.

Nor can it own more than 49% of a business, or work in non-skills shortage work classes, no matter what visa they have unless employed as a foreign specialist. When employed, they should be given salary which in many cases is enough for only self-sustenance.

It must be made more difficult for Thai nationals to open bank accounts, and when they do given non-interest bearing accounts so that maximum profit is made from them.

Most of all, our governments should be openly skeptical about Thai people, discriminating between themselves and "foreign criminals".

I really hate to rant like this, but openly discriminating against people trying to improve the country and gain a bit of a profit for a nice lifestyle in Thailand is not the answer. We don't send our money home to our countries in most cases, but Thais working in our countries do, 80% guaranteed! Consider this..

Well there are many factors involved that come into play some back your position and some don't.

Normally I would ignore your rant but when you claimed they are trying to improve the country I had to say some thing.

In my opinion they are trying to make it the same for them as they had at home only here they can enjoy a life style that home did and does not offer them. Kinda self serving catch 22. How many of these generous types are paying enough money for their employes to live with the same here as employe's in the same jobs back in New Zealand live. And that dosen't even take retirement and medical benefits into account. The ones who are really trying to help are the NGOs and yes they face some pretty stiff regulations. I see where doctors with out borders had to leave the country because they could not operate under those conditions.

Does New Zealand welcome Thai visitors with open arms such as Thailand welcomes them or is it like North America make it as tough as they can for a Thai to come visit for ten days.

As for opening a bank account all they asked was the same information as in America and Canada plus a passport. Interest makes no difference if you have enough money to put in the bank and get a significant amount of money from it in New Zealand or any place in the world you have a awful lot of it and it should not matter to you here in Thailand.

Consider this in your country the government has welfare to take care of your family here in Thailand they don't but they do have a strong family bond. Sad to say it is getting less and less as you improve there country.

[Grumbles]

It's sort of sad how many expats apparently sit glued to their computers waiting for the next news item to be posted on ThaiVisa so that they can generate all the pointless bitter comments to be applauded & cheered on by others stewing in their own bitterness.

Well said!!

[Dibbler]

Perhaps the DSI could also help crack down on illegal Thai-run businesses such as wildlife poaching and trade. Thai criminal gangs have gone global with this lucrative business in recent years, now involved in rhino poaching in southern Africa, and smuggling elephant ivory from Central Africa. Closer to home you only have to go to the Chatuchak Weekend market, a short distance from DSI headquarters, to see illegal trade in Thai and exotic animals flourishing. There's not been any serious attempt to stop this illegal business despite millions of dollars of funding made available by international donors for police training and investigations.

[Centrum]

ThaiVisa is primarily the domain of white Europeans, Americans, Canadians, Australian and Kiwis. Whenever a report is made about foreigners in Thailand, the TV masses

automatically think the people being targeted are white farangs, like themselves. Hence the 'moan component' is high.

Where I live, there are a large number of businesses being run by foreigners, land and buildings are being purchased by foreigners, and jobs reserved for Thais are being done

by foreigners,

As a white face, I could not hope to do what these people do. I would be shut down within days.

I would not be surprised if the people in my area could well be the foreigners mentioned in the article.

I have long suspected the dozens of restaurants owned by non Thais in my area, that have no customers night after night, are simply money laundering facilities.

Recently, a non-Thai bar opened up and closed down within 3 months in my soi. The local word was it was money laundering.

Buildings and land changing hands for over $1 million and noit a white face in sight.

[473geo]

It's sort of sad how many expats apparently sit glued to their computers waiting for the next news item to be posted on ThaiVisa so that they can generate all the pointless bitter comments to be applauded & cheered on by others stewing in their own bitterness.

You included?

At fifteen posts he's only working up to bitterness gradually.

only 15 posts appears to be quite observant then

And why would anybody seek to attack him because of his comment...............unless of course........

[hellodolly]

I think, that in our home countries Thais should be given the same treatment as we receive in their country.

That means, for example, here in New Zealand, Thais cannot own land, only the house that it is built upon. You cannot own, operate or take part in farming or agricultural activities whatsoever.

Nor can it own more than 49% of a business, or work in non-skills shortage work classes, no matter what visa they have unless employed as a foreign specialist. When employed, they should be given salary which in many cases is enough for only self-sustenance.

It must be made more difficult for Thai nationals to open bank accounts, and when they do given non-interest bearing accounts so that maximum profit is made from them.

Most of all, our governments should be openly skeptical about Thai people, discriminating between themselves and "foreign criminals".

I really hate to rant like this, but openly discriminating against people trying to improve the country and gain a bit of a profit for a nice lifestyle in Thailand is not the answer. We don't send our money home to our countries in most cases, but Thais working in our countries do, 80% guaranteed! Consider this..

you are absolutely right and i double that 100%

furthermore Thaipeople in other countries should not give ANY social welfare or medical supply like they get in Germany for example. If they asking the government in Germany they get all they need. A minimum of 380.-Euro a month (about 16000.-Baht) paid rent for an appartment or room up to max 380.-Euro (16000.-Baht) too. FREE medical treatment in ALL hospitals and at all doctors, doesnt matter what happend to them, from teeth pain to heart surgery etc....EVERYTHING free, except a ticket back home.... what happend to a farang here? any kind of help if you loose your job, health or your home?

WE invest our money here and dont send it back home, like hundred thousands of Thais living in foreign countries do every single month....money btw. wich made Thailand rich too, not only the families it was sent too......but we are what we are....just some f..kc..g longnose wich has to be treated like they deserved to be treated.

Am I correct in my understanding that you are saying Germany treats them the same as Germans if they go to the Government for help.

I think you will find the same here if you go to the Thai government for help they will treat you the same as a Thai citizen.

Do you really believe the money coming back to the families is making them rich and how is Thailand getting rich from it?

[JurgenG]

How many thread like this one should we have before people understand DO NOT INVEST YOUR MONEY IN THAILAND !

The only people who flourish here are the crooks. I went for a couple of days in my small village in Isaan. We have now our fist whorehouse, run by a .... falang !

On the other hand, I met a new immigrant, a very nice guy, who have been married to his thai wife for more than 30 years, but actually never lived in Thailand beside a couple of weeks holiday every year. The thing he repeats all the time is "in my country we don't do things like this, in my country this is illegal ...." The problem is he has already invested most of his savings in his dream retirement house. And his wife is not an ex bar girl, she was a trainee in his company when they met.

There is no protection for foreigners in this country.

Beside, for a Thai woman, whatever her education, it will always be family first. Even if she had lived 30 years abroad, the day she return to Thailand she is again a 100% Thai woman, family first, and when I say family, it means extended family, very extended family, then husband.

DSI is just a minor problem. People should lobby their foreign department that every would be immigrant to Thailand be warned there is zero protection for them in Thailand. Do not invest your money here !

Edited January 1, 2012 by JurgenG

[Shurup]

I think, that in our home countries Thais should be given the same treatment as we receive in their country.

That means, for example, here in New Zealand, Thais cannot own land, only the house that it is built upon. You cannot own, operate or take part in farming or agricultural activities whatsoever.

Nor can it own more than 49% of a business, or work in non-skills shortage work classes, no matter what visa they have unless employed as a foreign specialist. When employed, they should be given salary which in many cases is enough for only self-sustenance.

It must be made more difficult for Thai nationals to open bank accounts, and when they do given non-interest bearing accounts so that maximum profit is made from them.

Most of all, our governments should be openly skeptical about Thai people, discriminating between themselves and "foreign criminals".

I really hate to rant like this, but openly discriminating against people trying to improve the country and gain a bit of a profit for a nice lifestyle in Thailand is not the answer. We don't send our money home to our countries in most cases, but Thais working in our countries do, 80% guaranteed! Consider this..

TGW: Totally agree verbatim with what you wrote !

I have lived in in your beautiful NZ for 10 years (Hawkes-Bay & Wellington) and here in LOS for nearly 20: the difference in treatment is like 'day-and-night; that'show I know that what you wrote is totally true & correct.

Cheers, mate !

JaapFries

Tell me, would Thailand be the same if falangs were allowed to buy land? I will tell you what would have happened - all the prime land would have been bought and fenced out already with no access to the public or turned into the private resorts for the rich. I am glad it's not happening.

Read Nica's reply below, he got it right and I sepecially agree with the last paragraph from his reply.

I don't know of any foreigners owing land in Canada unless they become Canadians.

What Thais do with their money legaly made in other countries is their business, me and millions of other falangs would be pretty pissed if our governments told us that we can't take our money to Thailand or anywhere else out of our countries.

I wish the laws were different here too but truth is that most Thais cannot travel as easy, if at all, to most of our home countries as we can come to Thailand.

Thailand is far from alone in not allowing foreigners to buy land. This is common in many poorer countries as well as some rich ones such as Switzerland.

The basic principle of working in Thailand is that we cannot take jobs away from Thais. I wish this was different but it is fair and a law I'm sure many would love to have in the west. I'm sure the industries we are not allowed to own business has some sort of rational but beats me as to what they are.

If you want to work in the fields/farms all day for very cheap wages, as many Thais do when they get a work permit to go to many of our home countries, then I am guessing that may be available here too as Thailand has about 1/2 million foreign workers from even poorer countries that do sh@t work too.

I have no problem with a country that doesn't allow non-citizen individuals to come to that country and own land or start local businesses but do have a problem with a country that doesn't let somebody become a citizen if they would be an asset to the country.

Edited January 1, 2012 by Shurup

[limbos]

ThaiVisa is primarily the domain of white Europeans, Americans, Canadians, Australian and Kiwis. Whenever a report is made about foreigners in Thailand, the TV masses

automatically think the people being targeted are white farangs, like themselves. Hence the 'moan component' is high.

Where I live, there are a large number of businesses being run by foreigners, land and buildings are being purchased by foreigners, and jobs reserved for Thais are being done

by foreigners,

As a white face, I could not hope to do what these people do. I would be shut down within days.

I would not be surprised if the people in my area could well be the foreigners mentioned in the article.

I have long suspected the dozens of restaurants owned by non Thais in my area, that have no customers night after night, are simply money laundering facilities.

Recently, a non-Thai bar opened up and closed down within 3 months in my soi. The local word was it was money laundering.

Buildings and land changing hands for over $1 million and noit a white face in sight.

How would you call all these optician shops all over the country and specifically in tourist destinations where they sell a pair of glasses and a half per day. Always wondered how come there are so many of them, wouldn't be money laundering, would it?

Imho the real money laundering is in the exchange boots everywhere where you can change money without anybody being interested where it came from.

[arthurwait]

Please tell me what the country will be like without Foreigners and their money?....We are but a minority of the thousands of illegal businesses that are being run

Like Burma I would imagine

Big multinational business leaving would affect things.

Foreign expats all with drawing wouldn't make much of an impact at all to the Thai economy. How many already are with their currency failing against the baht. Expats money here is bugger all.Tourism makes up 9% of the economy. Ex pats contribution compared to that is minimal.

If the Thai Chinese all left the country with their money, the country would be one absolutely screwed.

sorry Arthur but thats the second ABSOLUTELY ANOYING Post you have made..... FIRST ...check out what FARANG means and where it comes from, eat your Guava and realax...history is not ALWAYS lying to you. SECOND Expats AND other FARANGS or Negros or Chinese or Koreans or or or....has taken her former Thai GF back to their homecountries from where they send NOW every month money in high amounts back to Thailand....and this is going on since DECADES and not just since you are here in LoS..... get real and try to imagine how many ThaiGirls are living outside Thailand and sending money INTO Thailand since the 70s and how many that would be in the meantime...naaaaah? woke up and counted already? goooood morning

I'm struggling to understand what you have written. Sorry.

So are you saying farang doesn't mean guava and all the Thais that call a guava a farang are mistaken and that all the Thais that have told me it is about the white flesh why we get called it are wrong ?

Are you saying that foreigners who don't live in Thailand have something to do with Ex-pats who live here leaving or how much they contribute to the economy ? The point was 'what would Thailand be like if the foreigners left'. People who have already left have nothing to do with that.

Are you saying that girls who marry thousands of Farangs who go to other countries get jobs that earn so much that the money they send back effects the Thai economy and as much as the Thai-Chinese middle classes to multi-millionaire/billionaires who supposedly own something like 80% of the businesses in Thailand and i would guess make up the bulk of the 17% of Tax payers ? Does tax get paid to Thailand on the money they send back home ? Certainly it helps support families and local shops, but it's not on the same scale.

If tourism makes up 9% of the economy I can't see ex-pats making maybe 1% of the economy. Where as, as said above the figure bandied about (if true) is 80% of the businesses and 70% of private land in the country being owned by Thai-Chinese, then there is no comparison.

Edited January 1, 2012 by arthurwait

[mortenaa]

DSI is just a minor problem. People should lobby their foreign department that every would be immigrant to Thailand be warned there is zero protection for them in Thailand. Do not invest your money here !

Hehe. Rubbish.. What are you scared of man? Sounds a bit paranoid to me. I can tell you that if you are a business owner in any country, there is no protection. Its you, and your money. If you loose them, no-one is going to save you. As an employee you have protection, both here and in most western countries. I live and work here, have several investments, a car, a home. Everything in my name. I pay my taxes, and doing everything by the rules. I sleep like a baby every night

Edited January 1, 2012 by mortenaa

[AleG]

Another wish would be cracking down on Thai owned businesses not paying tax, vat or social security...... There is a huge market out there.

Scene: DSI chief office, a breathless subordinate breaks in clutching some papers.

Subordinate- Chief, as you instructed we did a crackdown on Thai businesses to find out who is not paying all their taxes.

Chief- Yes, and so?

Subordinate- Sir, in all of Thailand we found three!

Chief, surprised- Three? Only three not paying?

Subordinate- No, only three that pay all their dues!

[AleG]

fareng only applies to westerners. other asians are not considered farengs. for some reason it only applies to non-asians.

The reason being, as far as I know, that the term farang comes all the way from the time of the crusades, a thousand years ago, when the Francs invaded the Middle East and did all manner of nasty things. From the Francs if morfed into farang from the Middle East through India into Thailand.

[AllanB]

Seems they are cracking down on the wrong people, but then these people will just pay off the cops and the proper businessmen will suffer.

Perhaps they need to crack down on the bent cops, now there is a task!!

[philw]

Everyone starts up every time a story like this comes up. Think people over the coming years are in for a shock. This is not really a law issue, it's a tax issue. People Thai and farang are not paying their taxes, as the computers get better at putting the bits together more and more dodgy businesses will come to light. This company nominee thing for house ownership is a prime example. How can some unseen nominee who probably has signed hundreds of share agreements and on paper owns millions of Baht in shares not get notice by the tax man for ever. Some of these house must get sold yet the nominee pays no tax on the profits. Would you be able to get away with it in your home country,no and Thailand will catch up with the west in it's tax collecting systems. Jim.

Think you just nailed it.

The Revenue Dept here are getting better and better and it won't be long before tax compliance requirements cause a few sleepless nights to those who thought they were immune.

[bigbamboo]

I think, that in our home countries Thais should be given the same treatment as we receive in their country.

That means, for example, here in New Zealand, Thais cannot own land, only the house that it is built upon. You cannot own, operate or take part in farming or agricultural activities whatsoever.

Nor can it own more than 49% of a business, or work in non-skills shortage work classes, no matter what visa they have unless employed as a foreign specialist. When employed, they should be given salary which in many cases is enough for only self-sustenance.

It must be made more difficult for Thai nationals to open bank accounts, and when they do given non-interest bearing accounts so that maximum profit is made from them.

Most of all, our governments should be openly skeptical about Thai people, discriminating between themselves and "foreign criminals".

I really hate to rant like this, but openly discriminating against people trying to improve the country and gain a bit of a profit for a nice lifestyle in Thailand is not the answer. We don't send our money home to our countries in most cases, but Thais working in our countries do, 80% guaranteed! Consider this..

I knew a Thai lady that arrived in NZ on a 30 day tourist visa, promptly got pregnant, and as was a Kiwi father was allowed to stay on, on an extended visa.

She needed support because of language etc so got her sister over to help...who also promptly got pregnant to a kiwi guy. Then because both girls needed support the Mother was brought over to look after the girls, and once babies born could babysit while the mothers went to work......which (working) never happened of course.....officially, so both girls and mother were on social benefits, working for under-counter cash, earning without paying tax. Then the mother was lonely without her husband, so he was brought over to make the family complete again....living all together in a govt provided house in blissful harmony...... paid for by the NZ tax payers. Good business minds??? beats the hell out of farming in Isaan which is where they came from.

Now compare that to the treatment a Farang gets in Thailand when his GF gets pregnant........ Not Thai bashing, just pointing out the inequality treatment dished out....... I admire the girls for initiative...... which lack of, is often derided in these columns.

I know your average Kiwi guy is only versed in beer and rugby but couldn't they support the two Thai girls they 'promptly' got pregnant when they arrived in New Zealand?

Edited January 1, 2012 by bigbamboo

[TAWP]

The only people who flourish here are the crooks. I went for a couple of days in my small village in Isaan. We have now our fist whorehouse, run by a .... falang !

I respectfully put to you that there are already others, for long time, but that you did not know about them.

[473geo]

Everyone starts up every time a story like this comes up. Think people over the coming years are in for a shock. This is not really a law issue, it's a tax issue. People Thai and farang are not paying their taxes, as the computers get better at putting the bits together more and more dodgy businesses will come to light. This company nominee thing for house ownership is a prime example. How can some unseen nominee who probably has signed hundreds of share agreements and on paper owns millions of Baht in shares not get notice by the tax man for ever. Some of these house must get sold yet the nominee pays no tax on the profits. Would you be able to get away with it in your home country,no and Thailand will catch up with the west in it's tax collecting systems. Jim.

Think you just nailed it.

The Revenue Dept here are getting better and better and it won't be long before tax compliance requirements cause a few sleepless nights to those who thought they were immune.

Especially if the outstanding can be recalculated over a previous period of 7 years or so........

[OzMick]

" ...Narat Sawettanan said 536 websites had been shut down since December 13..."

And I was lead to believe that only the Democrats carries out such "undemocratic" acts.

[JurgenG]

The only people who flourish here are the crooks. I went for a couple of days in my small village in Isaan. We have now our fist whorehouse, run by a .... falang !

I respectfully put to you that there are already others, for long time, but that you did not know about them.

Agree, but the places were really sordid, only for the desperates. For a "decent" place until recently, you had to drive 40 km.

And also the place is on the main road, with advertisement, you can't miss it. Everybody know there is a falang behind it but they prefer to crack down on illegal farmers ...

There is definitely something rotten in the state of Denmark Thailand

[JurgenG]

DSI is just a minor problem. People should lobby their foreign department that every would be immigrant to Thailand be warned there is zero protection for them in Thailand. Do not invest your money here !

Hehe. Rubbish.. What are you scared of man? Sounds a bit paranoid to me. I can tell you that if you are a business owner in any country, there is no protection. Its you, and your money. If you loose them, no-one is going to save you. As an employee you have protection, both here and in most western countries. I live and work here, have several investments, a car, a home. Everything in my name. I pay my taxes, and doing everything by the rules. I sleep like a baby every night

Put is simple. As a businessman, you should be aware of the risk you take. We trade also with Thailand but our profits are booked in HK. For my personal investments in Thailand, I wrote them off long time ago, book value = $0. I enjoy "my" house but I know it's not mine. It doesn't matter for me, I still have a lot of time before retirement to make money.

The real problem is for older people who invest all their savings in Thailand and are too old to go back to work should something happen. They should be warned that once the money is "invested", it's gone. As usual Thailand is good to crack down on the "offenders" but stand by the side when the poor guys are conned of their life time saving.

I don't say Thailand is Nigeria but the scams are frequent enough to justify an official warning.