WEALTH
10 Thais on Forbes' super-rich list, up from five last year
The Nation


Dhanin

BANGKOK: -- Thai billionaires have seen their wealth skyrocket in a year, with 10 making it into Forbes' list of the wealthy, compared with just five last year.

Leading the Thai billionaires is Dhanin Chearvanont, chairman of Charoen Pokphand Group. He and his family were worth US$14.3 billion (Bt426 billion) as of this month. Ranked as the 58th-richest person in the world, Dhanin saw his net worth increase by $7 billion from the same month last year.

Trailing is liquor and property tycoon Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, who has just completed the $11-billion acquisition of Singapore's Fraser and Neave. His net worth of $11.7 billion put him at 82nd, up from 184th last year with $5.5 billion.

Others are as follows:

_ Krit Ratanarak, $1.95 billion ($1.2 billion as of March 2012). Krit's family is a major shareholder of Bangkok Broadcasting and TV, which operates Channel 7.

_ Aloke Lohia, chief executive officer of Indorama Venture, $1.3 billion ($1.9 billion).

_ Thongma Vijitpongpun, CEO of Pruksa Real Estate, $2 billion.

_ Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth, founder and CEO of Bangkok Airways, $1.85 billion.

_ Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and family, $1.7 billion.

_ Vanich Chaiyawan, chairman of Thai Life Insurance, $1.4 billion.

_ Keeree Kanjanapas, CEO of BTS Group Holdings, $1.3 billion.

_ Wichai Thongtang, lawyer turned investor, $1.1 billion.

Dhanin, Charoen, Aloke, Krit and Chaleo Yoovidhya were the five Thai billionaires on the Forbes list last year.

For the fourth year in a row, Mexican telecommunications magnate Carlos Slim Helu tops Forbes' 27th annual world's billionaires list, with net worth of $73 billion, up from $69 billion last year.

Bill Gates retains the No 2 spot with net worth of $67 billion. Zara fashion firm's Amancio Ortega moves up two spots to third with net worth of $57 billion, ahead of Warren Buffett with net worth of $53.5 billion.

This marks the first year Buffett has not been in the top three since 2000, in spite of being the second-biggest gainer this year, up $9.5 billion. Forbes said that worldwide, 1,426 billionaires made up the 2013 List of the World's Richest People. Rebounding equity markets and strong consumer brands lifted a rash of newcomers into the billionaire ranks. In 2012, 1,226 billionaires were counted with combined net worth of $4.6 trillion or $3.7 billion on average. The average increased to $3.79 billion in 2013, when the combined net worth hit a new record at $5.4 trillion.

The 2013 Forbes billionaires list now boasts 1,426 names, with an aggregate net worth of $5.4 trillion, up from $4.6 trillion. It found 210 new 10-figure fortunes. Once again the United States leads the list with 442 billionaires, followed by the Asia-Pacific region (386), Europe (366), the Americas (129) and the Middle East and Africa (103).

According to Forbes, resurgent asset prices are the driving force behind the rising wealth of the super-rich around the globe.

-- The Nation 2013-03-06

Conspicuously absent from the list is any member of the Red Bull family fortune, although Chaleo Yoovidhya is referenced in a paragraph trailing "the list" of top ten wealthiest Thais, but no mention of Red Bull. Did the newspaper reporter inadvertently miss this one, or were they/he/she intentionally left off to detoxify negative publicity on the unresolved hit and run cop killing Red Bull Ferrari matter?

Again coincidentally, Ferrari, today announced the "fastest Ferrari ever made." http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/laferrari-fastest-ferarri-road-car-ever-comes-just-135535376.html?cache=clear

Based on the driving preferences of Thailand's rich elite, the new Ferrari should go over big in Thailand. As another coincidence, the Thai Ferrari dealership is co-owned by Chalerm Yoovidhya and Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, another member of the top five wealthiest Thais.

And once again, my name is nowhere to be found on the list. Maybe next year.

So the rich get richer and the poor, poorer, true Capitalism at its finest.

regards Worgeordie

No rice farmers on the list ??

I guess the 30% slash in corporate taxes was a breath of relief for the obsenely rich in Thailand.

So the rich get richer and the poor, poorer, true Capitalism at its finest.

regards Worgeordie

Not all rich are getting richer, and not all poor are getting poorer. Many rich people used to be poor.

In Thailand, millions of poor people have got richer. Poverty rates have dropped from over 40% to under 10%.

Sounds like you're a jealous loser who doesn't even know the facts.

Edited March 6, 201313 yr by davejones

Hooooooooray......

No rice farmers on the list ??

.

Twenty months ago when Thaksin proclaimed every Thai would be rich in six months, he didn't specify billionaire-level rich like himself.

.

Edited March 6, 201313 yr by Buchholz

Once again, I am disapointed that I was left of the list...

So the rich get richer and the poor, poorer, true Capitalism at its finest.

regards Worgeordie

Indeed, isn't it strange that in a time where the economic downturn is at it's peak and everyone we are losing our houses and other assets to save the banks and other institutions, that Forbes worldwide Billionaire memberlist grew with 20% and that most of the " old " members saw their net worth grow with a stunning 100% .

Would you think that the man in the street is told fairytales ?

what are you saying here, that Thailand won't fall in a heap if all the pensioners decided to pack up and head home? Say it ain't so.

So the rich get richer and the poor, poorer, true Capitalism at its finest.

regards Worgeordie

Not all rich are getting richer, and not all poor are getting poorer. Many rich people used to be poor.

In Thailand, millions of poor people have got richer. Poverty rates have dropped from over 40% to under 10%.

Sounds like you're a jealous loser who doesn't even know the facts.

Well the 10 people on the list have gotten substantially richer,and you say poverty rates are under 10% in Thailand, that must be well under the rates for lots of countries in Europe,and even the U.S.A.

I used to be a Capitalist (retired at 42),so I would not class myself as a loser,by any stretch of imagination, jealous of what?, look at the mess Capitalism has gotten the world into,all about greed,profit at

any cost, cut jobs increase the bottom line, get people into debit ,then take their homes off them, I am not a Communist either, just disgusted at what the World has turned into.

regards Worgeordie

what are you saying here, that Thailand won't fall in a heap if all the pensioners decided to pack up and head home? Say it ain't so.

I'm not sure if your question was directed at me but, what I was saying is that the economic crisis is created with only one purpose, getting the rich richer and the poor poorer.

10 Thais on Forbes' super-rich list

Actually, 9 Chinese and an Indian.

One word - Can the Thais spell EXPROPRIATE? I think they can. They did it in during the revolution of 1932, although that's being erased from history.

nice to see all stays like it is : rich getting richer ... indeed... let the flow of graft continue

a nice break for the companies to reek even more profits on the behalve of their working employees paid per day, what a working in the west gets per hour

So the rich get richer and the poor, poorer, true Capitalism at its finest.

regards Worgeordie

Have to disagree with you worgeordie.

True PT at work.

Not to worry but with Asean rules coming into effect not to worry many Chinese Thais who have had their government issued licenses to make uninterrupted profits will find it harder to compete but of course others will be saved that bother by sake of Thai national industry being saved being fully opened to Asean companies. If you do not like the rich you can always boycott their companies, if you like eating only home grown rice, home spun clothes and walking everywhere.

Edited March 6, 201313 yr by northernboy

So the rich get richer and the poor, poorer, true Capitalism at its finest.

regards Worgeordie

Not all rich are getting richer, and not all poor are getting poorer. Many rich people used to be poor.

In Thailand, millions of poor people have got richer. Poverty rates have dropped from over 40% to under 10%.

Sounds like you're a jealous loser who doesn't even know the facts.

I really would love to see your source that poverty rates are under 10%.

Not sure about many rich people used to be poor.

How many is many 199? Remember that the population of Thailand is 66,000,000. While 199 can be construed as many it in no way represents any significant number.

How much money is rich to you. What is your idea of poor.

So the rich get richer and the poor, poorer, true Capitalism at its finest.

regards Worgeordie

Have to disagree with you worgeordie.

True PT at work.

Hi Hellodolly you would, and what is PT,?

Regards Worgeordie

No rice farmers on the list ??

Thaksin is working on that.

Give him two more years.

So the rich get richer and the poor, poorer, true Capitalism at its finest.

regards Worgeordie

Have to disagree with you worgeordie.

True PT at work.

Hi Hellodolly you would, and what is PT,?

Regards Worgeordie

PT Are wonderful Government

Once again, I am disapointed that I was left of the list...

You have to learn how to spell to make the list.... JUST KIDDING !!!

davejones, on 06 Mar 2013 - 10:18, said:

worgeordie, on 06 Mar 2013 - 09:41, said:

So the rich get richer and the poor, poorer, true Capitalism at its finest.

regards Worgeordie

Not all rich are getting richer, and not all poor are getting poorer. Many rich people used to be poor.

In Thailand, millions of poor people have got richer. Poverty rates have dropped from over 40% to under 10%.

Sounds like you're a jealous loser who doesn't even know the facts.

It is indeed true that the poverty rate is below 10%. It is also true that Thailand has the one of the greatest income gaps in Asia, and it is growing.

You know, you can say someone is jealous and write them off. But, there are many other negative qualities about people that could equally be cited in this kind of discussion, such as selfishness, greed, etc. So, pick you bad personal trait: jealous losers, or greedy capitalists. I'd say someone, a billionaire let's say, who pays his hundreds or thousands of workers a subsistence income while the billionaire himself makes, well, millions from those workers, is pretty selfish and greedy. That worse than being a single, solitary jealous loser.

Edited March 6, 201313 yr by Jawnie

Well, I googled a little and actually found a self-made $ multi-millionaire in Thailand, not old money. Meet Thai citizen William E Heinecke, founder of/with stakes in Pizza Company, Marriot, Four Seasons, Sizzler.

Nevermind

Edited March 6, 201313 yr by IsaanUSA

what are you saying here, that Thailand won't fall in a heap if all the pensioners decided to pack up and head home? Say it ain't so.

You mean head back to China (and India), right?

(See photo in original post)