German Seeks Runaway Thai Wife For Son's Sake

[KuhnPaen]

It took him 2 whole years to blow through 10 mil? What an amateur. That's only $450 a day roughly. Think about it....I can spend easily in one night on Soi Cowboy. Plus, he bought cars, a house, and presumably furniture, TV's and other necessities. I'm sure everyone in the family needed a new ipad3 too. I remember visiting an ex GF's parents in Isaan--the first day I met them, they asked me for a new house, a new truck, and tons of other shit. I just nodded my head and said "sure"....I was on the next bus back to Bangkok alone. The Thais seem embarassed by this episode the same way they were embarassed by Lady Gaga's comments about buying a fake Rolex. Duh! Of course it's true--but please don't call us out on our bullshit.

Bangkok of old is GONE. The friendliness is GONE. The scams are here to stay though. I still love it, and I go back every 3 months like clockwork...only my heart is a lot harder, and my tolerance for their BS is at an all time low. Learn to play their games, or get played yourself--that is pretty much the bottome line.

[TwoDogz]

In 2002 I had a (thai-)girlfriend from Lopburi who at that time worked as a Go-Go-dancer In Patpong.I fell in love with her and we lived togetther in Bangkok for a couple of years. One day we went to the bank together and I put 3 million Baht in HER bank-account (Fixed deposit for 1 year ), because she got a better interest-rate at that time.

Time went by and when the year was over we went to the bank together again to withdraw the 3 million from HER account in order to put it back in MY account.

When the banklady checked the filled out forms, she asked my girlfriend (NOT KNOWING THAT I COULD UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS SPOKEN):

" Do you really want to give the 3 million back to the FARANG"?

My g/f answered (what is VERY RUDE for a thai (Lady) to say): Don't ask stupid questions and do your job.

But that was her answer, because she did know, you understand Thai!

Sorry, gotta say putting $3,000,000 in a non spouse go-go dancer's name just to get a little better interests is really showing bad judgment. Much worse than spending the money on what one perceived to be a home for your wife and child. Glad it worked out for ya though.

Just curious how much extra interest warranted that risky investment. Probay better risk return ratio on buying US penny stocks.

Betting he would make an awesome high stakes stock broker

[Pimay1]

It took him 2 whole years to blow through 10 mil? What an amateur. That's only $450 a day roughly. Think about it....I can spend easily in one night on Soi Cowboy. Plus, he bought cars, a house, and presumably furniture, TV's and other necessities. I'm sure everyone in the family needed a new ipad3 too. I remember visiting an ex GF's parents in Isaan--the first day I met them, they asked me for a new house, a new truck, and tons of other shit. I just nodded my head and said "sure"....I was on the next bus back to Bangkok alone. The Thais seem embarassed by this episode the same way they were embarassed by Lady Gaga's comments about buying a fake Rolex. Duh! Of course it's true--but please don't call us out on our bullshit.

Bangkok of old is GONE. The friendliness is GONE. The scams are here to stay though. I still love it, and I go back every 3 months like clockwork...only my heart is a lot harder, and my tolerance for their BS is at an all time low. Learn to play their games, or get played yourself--that is pretty much the bottome line.

Taken with a grain of salt.

[Pimay1]

Well I've said this before and I'll say it again and surly get called all kinds of ugly terms like I did the last time but so be it. And before you start with the "you are bitter because of a failed relationship", nope not the case. I'm sure I will get the "my wife and I have been together for x numbers of years and she is another Mother Teresa, we have X number of beautiful children and we are so happy". Good for you mate.

Any man that comes to this country knowing the modus operandi of these ladies, buys land putting it in the ladies name, buys a house putting it in the ladies name, buys a car/truck putting it in the ladies name deserves exactly what they get. If they get a happy life ever after then they deserve it, they are extremely lucky. If they get the shaft by the lady they deserve it. I have been here since 1994 and seen this same thing but sometimes different circumstances happen so many many times and it never ends. You would think with the Internet and google these guys would at least do a little research before coming here. But no problem, to each his/her own.

[Bill999]

The numbers don't add up here.

I moved from Britain to Thailand ten years ago. At that time I was worth six-and-a-half million baht - which at today's lousy exchange rate would be worth around four-and-a-half million baht.

And a decade later - thanks to a competent IFA - despite a 1/3rd drop in the value of the pound against the baht and another 1/3rd drop in the value of my nest-egg (thanks to the robber barons of Wall Street) I am STILL worth nearly three-and-a-half million.

Of course, I have RENTED my house (forget OWNING one here). My guess is that to have blown more than twice what I started with in just TWO years, he must've paid through the nose for either a HUGE house - or one in a "fashionable" area - in which case, he's a FOOL.

With ten million baht in his possession, he could've bought a decent house for just ONE million baht - then, given the low cost of living he praises here, lived like a KING on the interest from the remainder. I thought Germans were supposed to be well-ORGANISED?

How could anyone do that on the interest from 9m baht?

[Vale Tudo]

The numbers don't add up here.

I moved from Britain to Thailand ten years ago. At that time I was worth six-and-a-half million baht - which at today's lousy exchange rate would be worth around four-and-a-half million baht.

And a decade later - thanks to a competent IFA - despite a 1/3rd drop in the value of the pound against the baht and another 1/3rd drop in the value of my nest-egg (thanks to the robber barons of Wall Street) I am STILL worth nearly three-and-a-half million.

Of course, I have RENTED my house (forget OWNING one here). My guess is that to have blown more than twice what I started with in just TWO years, he must've paid through the nose for either a HUGE house - or one in a "fashionable" area - in which case, he's a FOOL.

With ten million baht in his possession, he could've bought a decent house for just ONE million baht - then, given the low cost of living he praises here, lived like a KING on the interest from the remainder. I thought Germans were supposed to be well-ORGANISED?

How could anyone do that on the interest from 9m baht?

Even at 10% that's only 900,000 per annum,you're not going to live like a King on that!

More realistic is 5% or 450,000.You're certainly not going to live a footballer's existence on that,are you?

10 million isn't a huge amount of money but it should be enough to live comfortably for more than 2 years!He was obvioulsy scammed out of it by professionals,thinking that when it was gone he'd hang around for some payback which didn't happen.

As for the daughter,the mother-in-law obviously knows where she is but this is a cultural problem.The Thai Government must know how badly this reflects on the whole country,not just the perpetrators,why don't they put laws in place to stop it?

I believe they have made some effort with these girls not allowed to purchase land or property without proof they had the money in their bank,before they met their partner/mug/mark!

Why wasn't this the case with the family here,or is it?

Anyone saying he deserves it should consider if they'd feel the same way if it was a family member,a brother or father say?

[TomTao]

A short while ago, before the verbal jousting began, another poster put up a post saying that his wife read in the Thai news that the German gentleman's wife had come forward and signed some paper work, I presume giving him permission to take his son out of the country, is there any update on whether he has left with his son or not?

Sent from my GT-I9003

[David48]

I was renting at c.100,000 bt a month (yes, I live on Phuket & enjoy having my own pool and sea view). 10 years rent at 100,000 baht a month... 12 million baht. I spent half that building my own house which I can rent out for c.100,000 bt, valued for sale at 18 million bt +.

I've lived there for c.7 years. By my calculations I'm up - I would have spent 8.4 million in rent alone, so I've saved 3.6 million in rent and now have a house worth 18 million baht...

For those buying just use your head - check chanote carefully, past land use, is there any possible future dispute of ownership, usage of land etc. Protect your investment legally - ownership through company, ownership through Thai nominee (in which case protect yourself with a 30+30+30 year lease), foreign ownership in condo etc

I would strongly advise against simply buying land and putting directly in your wife/ gf's name.

You good sir, are living in a fool's paradise.

It's just maybe no-one has pointed that out to you before.

It's not a legally protected investment ... and yes, you own the house ... but you can't, ever, own the land.

Enjoy your dream.

[TommoPhysicist]

Maybe he thought buying land and building a house would give his son some security for the future; it's not uncommon for new parents to buy a home and "feather the nest" for their young... well perhaps it is amongst expats here, presumably you'd just place the babe in an empty box of chang, call that a crib and sooth the babe to sleep with the sounds of the local karaoke bar...

If he were buying for the son, then it should have been put the property in the son's name.

He could have lived there with the kid (and had control of the property) until the kid was age 20.

There is no excuse for being stupid.

[metisdead]

Several posts commenting on other posters rather than discussing the topic have been removed.

[Vale Tudo]

Maybe he thought buying land and building a house would give his son some security for the future; it's not uncommon for new parents to buy a home and "feather the nest" for their young... well perhaps it is amongst expats here, presumably you'd just place the babe in an empty box of chang, call that a crib and sooth the babe to sleep with the sounds of the local karaoke bar...

If he were buying for the son, then it should have been put the property in the son's name.

He could have lived there with the kid (and had control of the property) until the kid was age 20.

There is no excuse for being stupid.

Sounds like the beginnings of the Thai Visa Expat's Nativity Play this Christmas!

Who's prepared to donate a Luk Kreung to play baby Jesus then?

[TomTao]

Maybe he thought buying land and building a house would give his son some security for the future; it's not uncommon for new parents to buy a home and "feather the nest" for their young... well perhaps it is amongst expats here, presumably you'd just place the babe in an empty box of chang, call that a crib and sooth the babe to sleep with the sounds of the local karaoke bar...

If he were buying for the son, then it should have been put the property in the son's name.

He could have lived there with the kid (and had control of the property) until the kid was age 20.

There is no excuse for being stupid.

What if his son wasn't born at the time he purchassed the property?

Sent from my GT-I9003

[David48]

Maybe he thought buying land and building a house would give his son some security for the future; it's not uncommon for new parents to buy a home and "feather the nest" for their young... well perhaps it is amongst expats here, presumably you'd just place the babe in an empty box of chang, call that a crib and sooth the babe to sleep with the sounds of the local karaoke bar...

If he were buying for the son, then it should have been put the property in the son's name.

He could have lived there with the kid (and had control of the property) until the kid was age 20.

There is no excuse for being stupid.

Where does it say that he (or his wife, I'm aware of Thai property Laws) owned the land?

Most likely it was the grandmothers land upon which he built the house.

[Ferangled]

Maybe he thought buying land and building a house would give his son some security for the future; it's not uncommon for new parents to buy a home and "feather the nest" for their young... well perhaps it is amongst expats here, presumably you'd just place the babe in an empty box of chang, call that a crib and sooth the babe to sleep with the sounds of the local karaoke bar...

If he were buying for the son, then it should have been put the property in the son's name.

He could have lived there with the kid (and had control of the property) until the kid was age 20.

There is no excuse for being stupid.

Not actually true. You have to be a certain age to own land in Thailand. I have checked but my memory fails me as to how old, believe it's something weird like 13... I'm sure another member would be able to enlighten us?

But feel free to call a complete stranger stupid if it makes you feel better, facts be damned!

[TommoPhysicist]

Most likely it was the grandmothers land upon which he built the house.

In which case, his house, and he can remove it ....... matches are cheap!

[Ferangled]

I was renting at c.100,000 bt a month (yes, I live on Phuket & enjoy having my own pool and sea view). 10 years rent at 100,000 baht a month... 12 million baht. I spent half that building my own house which I can rent out for c.100,000 bt, valued for sale at 18 million bt +.

I've lived there for c.7 years. By my calculations I'm up - I would have spent 8.4 million in rent alone, so I've saved 3.6 million in rent and now have a house worth 18 million baht...

For those buying just use your head - check chanote carefully, past land use, is there any possible future dispute of ownership, usage of land etc. Protect your investment legally - ownership through company, ownership through Thai nominee (in which case protect yourself with a 30+30+30 year lease), foreign ownership in condo etc

I would strongly advise against simply buying land and putting directly in your wife/ gf's name.

You good sir, are living in a fool's paradise.

It's just maybe no-one has pointed that out to you before.

It's not a legally protected investment ... and yes, you own the house ... but you can't, ever, own the land.

Enjoy your dream.

Apparently I'm not permitted to reply to this my post seemingly vanished.

No, I don't own the land or house. I haven't claimed to. As a foreigner however you are permitted to lease property here, legally. PM me for a decent lawyer.

Fairly irrelevant given the actual post; I've already saved on rent, that was the point... it doesn't always make sense to rent in fact long term the opposite is true IMHO... if I'm allowed one!

[TommoPhysicist]

Not actually true. You have to be a certain age to own land in Thailand. I have checked but my memory fails me as to how old, believe it's something weird like 13...

Did your wife/gf play any part in this checking process?

A Thai child of any age can own land and property (outright only, no debt attached), with everything being controlled (but not sold) by one nominated parent (who can be a foreigner) until the kid is age 20. Don't believe the lies you are told by corrupt officials at your local Amphur office (especially if in they are conspiring with a Thai female).

One of the most distasteful things about Thailand IMHO, is that no Thai will act against the wishes of another Thai. If you take a Thai wife/gf with you to any sort of legal or official transaction, you are risking them all ignoring your wishes, and bowing to the wishes of your wife/gf. This includes, government officials, your lawyers, banks and everyone else. I never allow my wife to attend any business meetings with me, and have successfully avoided the cheating and scams (as far as I know).

Better off hiring a complete stranger as translator if you can't speak Thai yourself (and not one that was recommended or even ever had contact with your wife/gf).

Edited October 15, 2012 by TommoPhysicist

[Ferangled]

Not actually true. You have to be a certain age to own land in Thailand. I have checked but my memory fails me as to how old, believe it's something weird like 13...

A Thai child of any age can own land and property (outright only, no debt attached), with everything being controlled (but not sold) by one nominated parent (who can be a foreigner) until the kid is age 20. Don't believe the lies you are told by corrupt officials at your local Amphur office (especially if in they are conspiring with a Thai female).

It was actually a case of a foreigner friend with a younger Thai brother. He had to wait until his brother was 13 or so before transferring the chanote from his ex wife... who incidentally didn't even try to fleece him of his land or house but duly waited for the brother to reach an age where he was permitted to own the land in his own name. Must be the exception to the rule of Thai Visa eh?

[Tatsujin]

Quoted from another source:

Thai children having a Foreign parent can also buy or accept land as a gift. But if it is done in order to avoid the law, as example for the purpose of Foreign ownership, the land department will not register the transaction. Also, most Land Departments will refuse to transfer land to a child under 7 years old, because they consider that the child is too young, can't understand and can't sign his name. However, there is no minimum age in the law to own land in Thailand.

[Tatsujin]

One other thing to remember here with anything related to 'ownership' and 'foreigners', the Thai's are quite happy to do whatever you want them to do, including circumventing their own laws in the rather grey areas that they tend to. But when and if push comes to shove, I believe if you are going up against another Thai, you'll lose, no matter what pretty pieces of paper you may have and no matter what fancy lawyers you might have used. Remember, they can't lose their licence for giving bad advice and rarely are they prosecuted.

This applies equally to land/house ownership and company formations etc.

Edited October 15, 2012 by Tatsujin

[TommoPhysicist]

This applies equally to land/house ownership and company formations etc.

Property owned by a Thai minor can only be sold with a court order.

I've never heard of any judge issuing one to sell a child's property.

That also means you will never be able to sell said property either.

[Vale Tudo]

Not actually true. You have to be a certain age to own land in Thailand. I have checked but my memory fails me as to how old, believe it's something weird like 13...

Did your wife/gf play any part in this checking process?

A Thai child of any age can own land and property (outright only, no debt attached), with everything being controlled (but not sold) by one nominated parent (who can be a foreigner) until the kid is age 20. Don't believe the lies you are told by corrupt officials at your local Amphur office (especially if in they are conspiring with a Thai female).

One of the most distasteful things about Thailand IMHO, is that no Thai will act against the wishes of another Thai. If you take a Thai wife/gf with you to any sort of legal or official transaction, you are risking them all ignoring your wishes, and bowing to the wishes of your wife/gf. This includes, government officials, your lawyers, banks and everyone else. I never allow my wife to attend any business meetings with me, and have successfully avoided the cheating and scams (as far as I know).

Better off hiring a complete stranger as translator if you can't speak Thai yourself (and not one that was recommended or even ever had contact with your wife/gf).

I just don't know whether to laugh or cry at this comment,if you trust your wife so little why on earth did you marry her in the first place?Does she have a front door key even,or has she not earnt that yet?

[TommoPhysicist]

I just don't know whether to laugh or cry at this comment,if you trust your wife so little why on earth did you marry her in the first place?Does she have a front door key even,or has she not earnt that yet?

Her front door, her farm.

Marriage is a business contract, never good business practice to totally trust your partners.

Would I trust her with 50,000bht of my money, yes ...... would I trust her with 50,000,000bht of my money, no.

Would I trust anyone in the world with 50,000,000bht of my money, only my mother.

Edited October 15, 2012 by TommoPhysicist

[noob7]

Maybe he thought buying land and building a house would give his son some security for the future; it's not uncommon for new parents to buy a home and "feather the nest" for their young... well perhaps it is amongst expats here, presumably you'd just place the babe in an empty box of chang, call that a crib and sooth the babe to sleep with the sounds of the local karaoke bar...

If he were buying for the son, then it should have been put the property in the son's name.

He could have lived there with the kid (and had control of the property) until the kid was age 20.

There is no excuse for being stupid.

Where does it say that he (or his wife, I'm aware of Thai property Laws) owned the land?

Most likely it was the grandmothers land upon which he built the house.

Without any legal contract for a 30 year usage.

Thinking with the wrong head

[Tatsujin]

It was mentioned earlier that someone had a 30 + 30 + 30 year lease (or it was suggested as a way to do things) . . . you can't . . . it's only legally binding up to a maximum of 30 years . . . any more than that will be completely ignored by the Courts.

[ALFREDO]

Not actually true. You have to be a certain age to own land in Thailand. I have checked but my memory fails me as to how old, believe it's something weird like 13... I'm sure another member would be able to enlighten us?

But feel free to call a complete stranger stupid if it makes you feel better, facts be damned!

I was, a century ago, told, you cannot put land in a young child's name, but -jamescollister- wrote,

"You can put land in kids names, but you need a court order to sell them if the child is not of age."

http://www.thaivisa....75#entry5695405 === read there for more in my answer-posting

I checked a bit, he seemed to be right, you can give land in your child's name and I read nothing from an age limit.

< < < Link to another forum removed as per forum rule 10 > > >

http://www.thaivisa....e-in-sons-name/

Edited October 15, 2012 by ALFREDO

[metisdead]

Some more off topic posts have been removed. Another post has been edited to remove a link to another forum:

10) Not to post commercial spam or to post any promotional links, URLs or addresses to a member's own business or that would lead people to your site. Not to post URL links to other forums . Not to flood, post commercial or for-profit advertisements, chain letters, pyramid schemes, and similar solicitations. Any member who violates this prohibition will be banned from all forums on this website.Advertisers are the only members allowed to post links, URL's or addresses to their sites.

[FritsSikkink]

protect yourself with a 30+30+30 year lease

This is possible if the plot of land is not sold to another new owner or the land owner stay alive long enough to renew your lease terms (and he could up the lease price each term). Other than this, it is fallacious to think that you can lease a plot of land for 90 years under Thai civil laws.

Under Thai civil laws, a long term lease of a plot of land can be up to a maximum lease period of 30 years. The law also provides for leasing land for the life period of the land owner or the lessee.

A 30 years lease of land is a long term lease and has to be made in writing, signed by the lessor and lessee and registered at the district Land Office in order to be legally enforceable. In Thailand any lease of immovable property for more than 3 years must be registered. The registration of the 30 years lease period at the district Land Office means that you, the lessee, have the right to use or benefit from the plot of land for the registered 30 years lease period. No other third party would be able to use or receive benefits from the land for the 30 years.

If the land had been bought up by a new owner during the 30 years, this new owner is binding to your 30 years registered lease i.e. allow you to lease the land for the registered lease period. In legal language, you have a real right over the land for the registered 30 years.

Any promises to renew the 30 years lease term for another 2 x 30 lease terms are just promises agreed upon between the land owner and you. An example of such personal promises can be a stipulation in the lease of land contract: “the lessor agrees to renew the lease for another two 30 years lease terms”. Besides the lessor and yourself, no other person is contractually binding to these renewal promises. A third person is not a party to these promise agreements.

Therefore, when the plot of land is sold to a new owner, the new owner is not binding to the promise to renew the lease at the end of the 30 years registered lease. If the land owner dies, the promise dies too, whoever is the land owner at the end of the 30 years is not obligated to renew the lease as well.

[Tatsujin]

protect yourself with a 30+30+30 year lease

This is possible if the plot of land is not sold to another new owner or the land owner stay alive long enough to renew your lease terms (and he could up the lease price each term). Other than this, it is fallacious to think that you can lease a plot of land for 90 years under Thai civil laws.

Under Thai civil laws, a long term lease of a plot of land can be up to a maximum lease period of 30 years. The law also provides for leasing land for the life period of the land owner or the lessee.

Exactly, the implication of the previous post being that there were 3 x 30 year leases in place, giving 90 years . . . which is just not (legally) possible.

[scorecard]

A short while ago, before the verbal jousting began, another poster put up a post saying that his wife read in the Thai news that the German gentleman's wife had come forward and signed some paper work, I presume giving him permission to take his son out of the country, is there any update on whether he has left with his son or not?

Sent from my GT-I9003

Any confirmed update on this, anybody?