Land Crackdown Targets Thai Shareholders

[pyros]

Well , i know about the Thai law stating that non thais cannot own land and the possible problems with a company . Now , what exactly is illegal ? Is it that the company has the land ( and that is the only purpose or in part a a whole company together with something else , like bar , internetshop ... etcetc ) or is it because the non Thai only brings the money inside ??? If it is nr2 , the money only by a farang , can there be a problem with anything at all for example motorcycle or car or boat or anything at all in company name . Can anyone give answer to this...thx .

[LaoPo]

If Thai nationals can buy land next door to me in my country of origin, you would think that the Thai government in all it's benevelonce would reciprocate

Sure you can. It'll just cost you 40 million. Which if you compare the numbers of Thais who can afford to go abroad and acquire property (few) and foreigners who are willing and able to invest 40,, here for a piece of land (few), I'd say it about evens out. It's just a matter of each country setting roadblocks at different points.

Excuse me Heng, but that's just the point where the Thai Government is very shortsighted.

Thailand wishes to be a grown-up democratic country but is far from it by all standards.

The whole thing about buying/or not able to buy land and real estate in general is a missed chance by the Government.

Why?

It is quite normal in a lot of countries that people from outside buy there holiday home in another country; legal, easy and bringing in billions and billions (US or Euro's) and an enormous amount extra for workers in all categories.

I have read so many b_ll here like Thailand for the Thai etcetera but that's such an enormous misunderstanding by the people who claim so.

IF Thailand would allow foreigners to buy a nice (holiday)-home it would give Thailand an unprecendented BOOST in the economy; a boost Thailand needs; a boost for hundreds of thousands of workers from the poor countrysides.

Maybe some of you have NO IDEA of how many Europeans and Americans are buying/building/constructing holiday-homes in countries like France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Mexico, Belize, Central America, The Caribbean and so many more countries....

Do you think the people and Governments of those countries oppose to that?

NO! On the contrary, they welcome the people, the Billions in money and the extra labour.

Malaysia has understood that opportunity much better than Thailand and makes it easy for newcomers to buy/build a house.

The protectionism of Thailand is a thing which will NOT hold on the long term...and it is fact stupid!

I predict that Thailand will follow in the next 1 or 2 decades allowing foreigners to buy/build and you will see the economical effects in a split-second.

And, Heng, you and your family will be the first to know and the first to laugh laughing even more than you already do

LaoPo

[Maejo Man]

If Thai nationals can buy land next door to me in my country of origin, you would think that the Thai government in all it's benevelonce would reciprocate

Sure you can. It'll just cost you 40 million. Which if you compare the numbers of Thais who can afford to go abroad and acquire property (few) and foreigners who are willing and able to invest 40,, here for a piece of land (few), I'd say it about evens out. It's just a matter of each country setting roadblocks at different points.

A tongue in cheek remark Heng

edit:-syntax...I can't spell early in the morning

Edited June 3, 2006 by Maejo Man

[Noel]

Do you really believe that any Thais would vote for a party that helps farangs take their land and women?

I will be voting for whatever party came up with this law to finally stop farangs from pricing poor Thais out of their own land.

I take it you do not own land and do not have a girlfriend...?

[onlooker]

The opinion of a large Pattaya based developer. Foreign owned and selling land to farangs, the majority of whom buy using companies specifically set up for this purpose. (The method recommended on their website.):

Foreigners may NOT own land in Thailand ! Nothing new

Thais may NOT act as nominees for holding shares for foreigners in a company! Nothing new

Foreigners may "normally" NOT own more than 49% of a Thai juristic person (company) Nothing new

As the Senior Lawyer and partner in our law firm advised, in the past it was standard practice to register a land transaction into a company, with initially all shareholders and directors being Thai. Shares and Directors where changed after the registering of land transfer.

Over the years the land offices have become lenient, and it has become possible to register land in companies with sole foreign directors and up to 49% foreign ownership.

This is legally still possible, however the new directive from the interior ministry, suggests that some foreigners are doing this for a living and it would thus be prudent to, ". if it is apparent that a foreigner holds shares or is a director or it is reasonable to believe that a Thai holds shares as

a representative of a foreigner, the officials shall investigate the source of income of Thais holding shares; inquiring into the current profession and the number of years in the service and monthly salary.", thus the official needs to start to do all sorts of paperwork and expose themselves. Why would an official receiving 7000 Baht monthly salary do that ?

Therefore, currently Land Offices are not transferring land into companies with foreign shareholders or foreign directors. Why should an officer risk doing anything else.

For us, this represents a small procedural change in that land is transferred into companies that are not 51% Thai owned but 100% Thai owned. Subsequently ownership of shares and directors is changed. Still: Nothing new

Because 51% is a majority and 100% is a majority. Nothing new. Only a change in the procedure of registration.

Why is the Government doing this ?

There has been a complaint from Prachuab Kiri Kahn (Huahin) pertaining to foreigners buying up small plots of land and splitting them for commercial Real Estate Development purposes.

Such a complaint must be taken in by the government and if the plaintive is influential even acted upon.

To understand the motivation behind such a complaint however it is important to understand a bit of history and the current real estate market in Huahin.

The government has long promised the mega bridge and superhighway connecting Bangkok to Huahin. Thaiair started flights to Huahin and there was even a ferry service between Pattaya and Huahin. Land speculation in Huahin was at a peak. However, the Bridge and superhighway has never materialized, flights have since been stopped and the ferry service has faltered. Recently however the Huahin property market has been revived, sparked by a few high end condominium projects sold mainly to well to do Bangkokians and small Farang detached housing developments. The Thai end of the market, through copy copy mentality, was soon overdeveloped and has since run into oversupply, while the small detached Farang developments are still selling units. Oversupply is impossible in this market as a villa is sold and a new one is built.

Farang developers (without developers licences) still selling while banks are foreclosing licensed Thai developer's properties has almost understandably brought about the current complaint and subsequent ministerial action.

Comparably the government is regularly forced to crack down on social woes by closing bars at midnight which is also not ideal for tourism.

Will the government crack down on "indirect" foreign ownership of land ?

No. If the government wanted to crack down on foreign "indirect" ownership of land, they would have multiple very effective ways of doing that. The "foreign" Thai real estate market brings in billions of US dollars in foreign direct investment into the country. The government certainly dose

not want to miss that. Foreign residents attract relatives and friends as tourists. And log stay Farangs are a constant source of currency flow into the Kingdom.

In fact the Tourism Authority of Thailand has just initiated a program to lure long stay Farangs into Thailand and sell them real estate through its 100 million Baht 30% share in the Thai Longstay Company Ltd. XXXXXXXX and 50 other major developers catering to Foreign buyers where invited to sign MOU's with the company and the TAT at a ceremony nationally televised on May 12th 2006 under the patronage of H.E. the governor of the TAT.

The government understands exactly what is going on in the Thai real estate market. It knows exactly who the players are, that are doing the Farang business. If it wanted to shut them down it could do so in 1 hour or less.

But bureaucracy is bureaucracy and thus there shall be times when bars close at midnight, the odd tourist is arrested for topless sunbathing and occasional undeliberate bureaucrat action that invokes a media wave decrying the end of the real estate market in Thailand. - nothing new.

For us it is not a legal problem but a marketing setback which will take marketing effort and some time to heal. According to insider information we will soon be back to the old procedure.

Regards

[Thaible]

Finally if the Democrats get in at the next election, I wonder whether they will reintroduce their previous plan to allow foreign retirees over 50 on retirement "O-A" visas to buy a single small plot of land for their retirement home in Thailand. That would solve a lot of these petty problems and makes a lot of logical sense to me. If restricted to say less than half a Rai of land it can hardly be construed as Thailand losing all their land to foreign investors. On the contrary it will encourage more retirees into Thailand bringing in their regular foreign currency pensions and not taking away jobs from the Thais, so perfectly fits in with general Thai values and beneficial to a good Thai/Falang community relationship.

Do you really believe that any Thais would vote for a party that helps farangs take their land and women?

I will be voting for whatever party came up with this law to finally stop farangs from pricing poor Thais out of their own land.

Not all farangs are in Thailand to exploit the women and the land and if they are there are plenty of Thais benefiting too !

Bottom line is that Thailand wants to become part of the International community then it is going to have to change many things or loose out to those countries that will.

Haha. So letting in unproductive retirees who marry uneducated farm girls will help us join the international community? If these are the leaders of the "international community", I'd prefer to be left out.

But nice try with the meaningless cliches.

[Lazy Sod]

Copy&paste from the Thorntree Thailand forum:

The HOT news from a contact at Government House:

There's been another letter sent out from the Interior Ministry to all provincial governors: "Ignore the previous letter and carry on as before"

Toxin was apparently purple with rage during a meeting with major Thai-Chinese developers/investors today.

Lots of junior clerks are in the toilet scraping their underwear as we speak and a couple of assistant permanent heads of department are about to have the word "permanent" erased from their job titles - in addition to being sent to the Ministry of Inactive Posts, Mukdahan branch office, to live out their lives. TIT!

It took 6 days to fix. It might take a little longer to undo the damage and the scaremongering and hysteria stirred up by the likes of Emperor Tud and the Bangkok Post.

The more I despair of Thailand the more I have confidence in knowing that what is f****d today will be fixed tomorrow. Trouble is, the reverse happens all too often. Surely it's not too hard to learn the old maxim - "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

Can anybody else confirm this? I guess not until Monday when the Land Office's open again.

[engism]

After having my company set up by a Thai Lawyer following Thai Law I wonder how deep the problem goes, It appears to me that the Foreigners are not at fault here as they are simply following Thai Law as practiced by the Thai Legal community. If then a Thai Lawyer has circumvented the law of the land, then who is liable for prosecution and or investigation? The recent action by the Thai officialdom will need a Black and White solution as the grass roots credibility of the Thai Legal system and foreign investment security has been seriously eroded.

[Ricardo]

Finally if the Democrats get in at the next election, I wonder whether they will reintroduce their previous plan to allow foreign retirees over 50 on retirement "O-A" visas to buy a single small plot of land for their retirement home in Thailand. That would solve a lot of these petty problems and makes a lot of logical sense to me. If restricted to say less than half a Rai of land it can hardly be construed as Thailand losing all their land to foreign investors. On the contrary it will encourage more retirees into Thailand bringing in their regular foreign currency pensions and not taking away jobs from the Thais, so perfectly fits in with general Thai values and beneficial to a good Thai/Falang community relationship.

Well said, rayw

Do you really believe that any Thais would vote for a party that helps farangs take their land and women?

Thaible, call me naive, but I thought my (Thai) wife married me of her own free choice ! And that the land she bought, legally & from a willing Thai seller, and where we built our home, was paid-for with a lot of hard-earned (by both of us) money. So why use the word 'take' - as though something nefarious or underhand is assumed to have happened ?

I will be voting for whatever party came up with this law to finally stop farangs from pricing poor Thais out of their own land.

And my wife will probably be voting against any party, which tries to deny her the freedom & right, to marry whoever she wants. After all - Thailand is the land of the free - no ?

[Gary A]

It's possible that the government will never enforce the law. Would you place a wager on it? I certainly wouldn't. Would you trust the "LAW" firms and lawyers who set up bogus companies for their own big profits? You can bet those people are squirming and looking VERY hard for ways to continue their businesses.

I remember a big sign in Pattaya - "You can own property in Thailand". Bullshit, not legally you can't and I would wager that a foreigner will NEVER be able to own property here. Thailand is for Thai people and Thailand belongs to the Thai people. The constitution and national anthem state that. We are visitors here and must respect the Thai laws if we expect to remain welcome.

I have many farang friends who own homes through their Thai companies. I hope for their sake that the law forgets about the existing home owners.

A farang who invests 40 million baht in Thailand MAY (note the may) be able to own up to one rai for a residence. Why do you suppose that is the law if you can legally form a cheaper company to own land and a home?

[stevieff]

Finally if the Democrats get in at the next election, I wonder whether they will reintroduce their previous plan to allow foreign retirees over 50 on retirement "O-A" visas to buy a single small plot of land for their retirement home in Thailand. That would solve a lot of these petty problems and makes a lot of logical sense to me. If restricted to say less than half a Rai of land it can hardly be construed as Thailand losing all their land to foreign investors. On the contrary it will encourage more retirees into Thailand bringing in their regular foreign currency pensions and not taking away jobs from the Thais, so perfectly fits in with general Thai values and beneficial to a good Thai/Falang community relationship.

Do you really believe that any Thais would vote for a party that helps farangs take their land and women?

I will be voting for whatever party came up with this law to finally stop farangs from pricing poor Thais out of their own land.

[/quot

Not all farangs are in Thailand to exploit the women and the land and if they are there are plenty of Thais benefiting too !

Bottom line is that Thailand wants to become part of the International community then it is going to have to change many things or loose out to those countries that will.

Haha. So letting in unproductive retirees who marry uneducated farm girls will help us join the international community? If these are the leaders of the "international community", I'd prefer to be left out.

But nice try with the meaningless cliches.

Boy, I'm not sure where to begin. Let's start with farangs pricing poor thai's out of their own land. Gee, did you ever stop and think that it's your own people selling the land to farangs? That's right, your own people's greed. The thai's who own the land do not care about "poor thais", their fellow citizens, they care about maximizing their profits. Now as to the women. No one is stealing your women, women are thinking individual human beings, and can make their own choices upon who to be with. My wife, who is thai, told me before we got married, she would never marry a thai man again, after being beaten and treated like a dog by her ex(thai)-husband. Perhaps you are the one who needs to stop with the xenophobic, hate-filled cliches and start to really understand what's happening with your land and your women.

[Prakanong2005]

From above - It is a property developer saying this so a handful of salt needs to be taken but will it really be that easy?

"

For us, this represents a small procedural change in that land is transferred into companies that are not 51% Thai owned but 100% Thai owned. Subsequently ownership of shares and directors is changed. Still: Nothing new

Because 51% is a majority and 100% is a majority. Nothing new. Only a change in the procedure of registration."

Will anybody but the most gullible even attempt this until the issue is sorted?

They say its only a marketing problem LOL

Ford said that about the Edsell and Coke inc about New Cola

[Noel]

Finally if the Democrats get in at the next election, I wonder whether they will reintroduce their previous plan to allow foreign retirees over 50 on retirement "O-A" visas to buy a single small plot of land for their retirement home in Thailand. That would solve a lot of these petty problems and makes a lot of logical sense to me. If restricted to say less than half a Rai of land it can hardly be construed as Thailand losing all their land to foreign investors. On the contrary it will encourage more retirees into Thailand bringing in their regular foreign currency pensions and not taking away jobs from the Thais, so perfectly fits in with general Thai values and beneficial to a good Thai/Falang community relationship.

Do you really believe that any Thais would vote for a party that helps farangs take their land and women?

I will be voting for whatever party came up with this law to finally stop farangs from pricing poor Thais out of their own land.

Not all farangs are in Thailand to exploit the women and the land and if they are there are plenty of Thais benefiting too !

Bottom line is that Thailand wants to become part of the International community then it is going to have to change many things or loose out to those countries that will.

Haha. So letting in unproductive retirees who marry uneducated farm girls will help us join the international community? If these are the leaders of the "international community", I'd prefer to be left out.

But nice try with the meaningless cliches.

Boy, I'm not sure where to begin. Let's start with farangs pricing poor thai's out of their own land. Gee, did you ever stop and think that it's your own people selling the land to farangs? That's right, your own people's greed. The thai's who own the land do not care about "poor thais", their fellow citizens, they care about maximizing their profits. Now as to the women. No one is stealing your women, women are thinking individual human beings, and can make their own choices upon who to be with. My wife, who is thai, told me before we got married, she would never marry a thai man again, after being beaten and treated like a dog by her ex(thai)-husband. Perhaps you are the one who needs to stop with the xenophobic, hate-filled cliches and start to really understand what's happening with your land and your women.

Very well said, stevieff!

[Bryan in Isaan]

<clip>

Haha. So letting in unproductive retirees who marry uneducated farm girls will help us join the international community? If these are the leaders of the "international community", I'd prefer to be left out.

But nice try with the meaningless cliches.

Boy, I'm not sure where to begin. Let's start with farangs pricing poor thai's out of their own land. Gee, did you ever stop and think that it's your own people selling the land to farangs? That's right, your own people's greed. The thai's who own the land do not care about "poor thais", their fellow citizens, they care about maximizing their profits. Now as to the women. No one is stealing your women, women are thinking individual human beings, and can make their own choices upon who to be with. My wife, who is thai, told me before we got married, she would never marry a thai man again, after being beaten and treated like a dog by her ex(thai)-husband. Perhaps you are the one who needs to stop with the xenophobic, hate-filled cliches and start to really understand what's happening with your land and your women.

Very well said, stevieff!

And a couple of more comments for Thaible-

Why do you consider non-working retirees "non productive"? Their productivity is the money they bring in. By that measure, they produce as much as 10 Thai citizens. Also, not all wives of farangs, retirees or otherwise, are uneducated. This is another xenophobic myth - that is, a Thai who marries a foreigner must be somehow inferior, lacking in morals or intellect.

Edited June 3, 2006 by Bryan in Isaan

[Steph1012]

Finally if the Democrats get in at the next election, I wonder whether they will reintroduce their previous plan to allow foreign retirees over 50 on retirement "O-A" visas to buy a single small plot of land for their retirement home in Thailand. That would solve a lot of these petty problems and makes a lot of logical sense to me. If restricted to say less than half a Rai of land it can hardly be construed as Thailand losing all their land to foreign investors. On the contrary it will encourage more retirees into Thailand bringing in their regular foreign currency pensions and not taking away jobs from the Thais, so perfectly fits in with general Thai values and beneficial to a good Thai/Falang community relationship.

Do you really believe that any Thais would vote for a party that helps farangs take their land and women?

I will be voting for whatever party came up with this law to finally stop farangs from pricing poor Thais out of their own land.

Not all farangs are in Thailand to exploit the women and the land and if they are there are plenty of Thais benefiting too !

Bottom line is that Thailand wants to become part of the International community then it is going to have to change many things or loose out to those countries that will.

Haha. So letting in unproductive retirees who marry uneducated farm girls will help us join the international community? If these are the leaders of the "international community", I'd prefer to be left out.

But nice try with the meaningless cliches.

[Steph1012]

<clip>

Haha. So letting in unproductive retirees who marry uneducated farm girls will help us join the international community? If these are the leaders of the "international community", I'd prefer to be left out.

But nice try with the meaningless cliches.

Boy, I'm not sure where to begin. Let's start with farangs pricing poor thai's out of their own land. Gee, did you ever stop and think that it's your own people selling the land to farangs? That's right, your own people's greed. The thai's who own the land do not care about "poor thais", their fellow citizens, they care about maximizing their profits. Now as to the women. No one is stealing your women, women are thinking individual human beings, and can make their own choices upon who to be with. My wife, who is thai, told me before we got married, she would never marry a thai man again, after being beaten and treated like a dog by her ex(thai)-husband. Perhaps you are the one who needs to stop with the xenophobic, hate-filled cliches and start to really understand what's happening with your land and your women.

Very well said, stevieff!

And a couple of more comments for Thaible-

Why do you consider non-working retirees "non productive"? Their productivity is the money they bring in. By that measure, they produce as much as 10 Thai citizens. Also, not all wives of farangs, retirees or otherwise, are uneducated. This is another xenophobic myth - that is, a Thai who marries a foreigner must be somehow inferior, lacking in morals or intellect.

I suggest its not only the flalangs that are being targeted by the small minded xenophobes that infest Thai officialdom, its also that poorer "un-educated" thais often end up living in expensive houses, owning cars, motor bikes and educating themselves and their children in a manner normally reserved for the upper and middle classes.

Perhaps a problem some middle class thais have, is that they see "inferior" northern people as passing them by on the wealth ladder. Many of the middle classes would like to preserve what they see as the status quo, of Issan people working as skivvies, cleaners, garbage, collectors factory slaves and generally staying in their place!

For me, I have had nothing but warm relationships with the tens of thousands of Thais I have encountered during the past 10 years, but do note the odd bitter thai having a pop at falangs and their Thai wives. We should however keep it in perspective

[Mobi]

The reality is, that when you get educated people like Thaible, and not so educated people like my own wife, (who is not stupid, avidly devours the daily newspapers, weekly magazines and watches all the tv news progragrammes), who are both convinced that it would be a major disaster if farangs are ever allowed to own even a tiny bit of 'their' land, then there is no hope of the law ever being changed.

Generations of politicians - from both sides of the political divide, have played the xenophobic card whenever it suits their purpose, and generations of good, well meaning folk have been brainwashed since birth to resent, mistrust and blame foreigners for all of their country's misfortunes.

TIT

[stevieff]

<clip>

Haha. So letting in unproductive retirees who marry uneducated farm girls will help us join the international community? If these are the leaders of the "international community", I'd prefer to be left out.

But nice try with the meaningless cliches.

Boy, I'm not sure where to begin. Let's start with farangs pricing poor thai's out of their own land. Gee, did you ever stop and think that it's your own people selling the land to farangs? That's right, your own people's greed. The thai's who own the land do not care about "poor thais", their fellow citizens, they care about maximizing their profits. Now as to the women. No one is stealing your women, women are thinking individual human beings, and can make their own choices upon who to be with. My wife, who is thai, told me before we got married, she would never marry a thai man again, after being beaten and treated like a dog by her ex(thai)-husband. Perhaps you are the one who needs to stop with the xenophobic, hate-filled cliches and start to really understand what's happening with your land and your women.

Very well said, stevieff!

And a couple of more comments for Thaible-

Why do you consider non-working retirees "non productive"? Their productivity is the money they bring in. By that measure, they produce as much as 10 Thai citizens. Also, not all wives of farangs, retirees or otherwise, are uneducated. This is another xenophobic myth - that is, a Thai who marries a foreigner must be somehow inferior, lacking in morals or intellect.

I suggest its not only the flalangs that are being targeted by the small minded xenophobes that infest Thai officialdom, its also that poorer "un-educated" thais often end up living in expensive houses, owning cars, motor bikes and educating themselves and their children in a manner normally reserved for the upper and middle classes.

Perhaps a problem some middle class thais have, is that they see "inferior" northern people as passing them by on the wealth ladder. Many of the middle classes would like to preserve what they see as the status quo, of Issan people working as skivvies, cleaners, garbage, collectors factory slaves and generally staying in their place!

For me, I have had nothing but warm relationships with the tens of thousands of Thais I have encountered during the past 10 years, but do note the odd bitter thai having a pop at falangs and their Thai wives. We should however keep it in perspective

not

You make some excellent points here. A lot of what's going on in Thailand is a wealth transference issue. Before, people in BKK controlled most of thai society, using people from Issan and other provinces as servants, maids, gardeners, etc. and controlling a basic caste system, has the people from other provinces had no other options. Now that farangs have started marrying some of these women, they have become upwardly mobile, thus threatening the caste system. That is why you get resentment from small-minded, xenophobic people like Thaible. He's undoubtedly from BKK, from a wealthier family, articulate in english, but not really very bright. He resents farangs because they represent a threat to his perceived legacy, a legacy of economic, and thus, social control.

[ratcatcher]

Come on Thaible, what have you got to say to that. Are you very bright? Judging by some of your comments, I'd say 'stevieff' has hit the nail on the head, as they say.

[stevieff]

Hey Steph,

Sorry about the "not" in the first part of my response to your comment. Not sure where it came from. I wasn't disagreeing with your comment at all.

[Prakanong2005]

"Now that farangs have started marrying some of these women, they have become upwardly mobile, thus threatening the caste system. That is why you get resentment from small-minded, xenophobic people like Thaible. He's undoubtedly from BKK, from a wealthier family, articulate in english, but not really very bright."

Not wishing to comment on Thaibles abilities but I have heard resentment from a few middle class Thai's when they know certain Issan girls with only high school now have very nice houses and nice secure comfortable lives either in Thailand or overseas.

The middle class married their own and wanted it kept that way with no social mobility but now the lower social groups are just going right above them.

Of course there will be many rich Thai's that will keep their position but the petite bourgeois are champing at the bit with resentment and xenophobia.

Now just where did this happen in Europe in the 30's?

A gross exaggeration of course with the situation in Thailand

[Rdrokit]

Finally if the Democrats get in at the next election, I wonder whether they will reintroduce their previous plan to allow foreign retirees over 50 on retirement "O-A" visas to buy a single small plot of land for their retirement home in Thailand. That would solve a lot of these petty problems and makes a lot of logical sense to me. If restricted to say less than half a Rai of land it can hardly be construed as Thailand losing all their land to foreign investors. On the contrary it will encourage more retirees into Thailand bringing in their regular foreign currency pensions and not taking away jobs from the Thais, so perfectly fits in with general Thai values and beneficial to a good Thai/Falang community relationship.

Do you really believe that any Thais would vote for a party that helps farangs take their land and women?

I will be voting for whatever party came up with this law to finally stop farangs from pricing poor Thais out of their own land.

[/quot

Not all farangs are in Thailand to exploit the women and the land and if they are there are plenty of Thais benefiting too !

Bottom line is that Thailand wants to become part of the International community then it is going to have to change many things or loose out to those countries that will.

Haha. So letting in unproductive retirees who marry uneducated farm girls will help us join the international community? If these are the leaders of the "international community", I'd prefer to be left out.

But nice try with the meaningless cliches.

Boy, I'm not sure where to begin. Let's start with farangs pricing poor thai's out of their own land. Gee, did you ever stop and think that it's your own people selling the land to farangs? That's right, your own people's greed. The thai's who own the land do not care about "poor thais", their fellow citizens, they care about maximizing their profits. Now as to the women. No one is stealing your women, women are thinking individual human beings, and can make their own choices upon who to be with. My wife, who is thai, told me before we got married, she would never marry a thai man again, after being beaten and treated like a dog by her ex(thai)-husband. Perhaps you are the one who needs to stop with the xenophobic, hate-filled cliches and start to really understand what's happening with your land and your women.

well said Stevieff!

[Deadcert]

Finally if the Democrats get in at the next election, I wonder whether they will reintroduce their previous plan to allow foreign retirees over 50 on retirement "O-A" visas to buy a single small plot of land for their retirement home in Thailand. That would solve a lot of these petty problems and makes a lot of logical sense to me. If restricted to say less than half a Rai of land it can hardly be construed as Thailand losing all their land to foreign investors. On the contrary it will encourage more retirees into Thailand bringing in their regular foreign currency pensions and not taking away jobs from the Thais, so perfectly fits in with general Thai values and beneficial to a good Thai/Falang community relationship.

Do you really believe that any Thais would vote for a party that helps farangs take their land and women?

I will be voting for whatever party came up with this law to finally stop farangs from pricing poor Thais out of their own land.

[/quot

Not all farangs are in Thailand to exploit the women and the land and if they are there are plenty of Thais benefiting too !

Bottom line is that Thailand wants to become part of the International community then it is going to have to change many things or loose out to those countries that will.

Haha. So letting in unproductive retirees who marry uneducated farm girls will help us join the international community? If these are the leaders of the "international community", I'd prefer to be left out.

But nice try with the meaningless cliches.

Boy, I'm not sure where to begin. Let's start with farangs pricing poor thai's out of their own land. Gee, did you ever stop and think that it's your own people selling the land to farangs? That's right, your own people's greed. The thai's who own the land do not care about "poor thais", their fellow citizens, they care about maximizing their profits. Now as to the women. No one is stealing your women, women are thinking individual human beings, and can make their own choices upon who to be with. My wife, who is thai, told me before we got married, she would never marry a thai man again, after being beaten and treated like a dog by her ex(thai)-husband. Perhaps you are the one who needs to stop with the xenophobic, hate-filled cliches and start to really understand what's happening with your land and your women.

I would just like to add "unproductive retirees who marry uneducated farm girls " bring in money and more often than not when they die their much younger spouses benefit from their pension for many years to come!

So please stop with the one sided argument.

[Dakhar]

My wife is neither a farm girl, or uneducated. She has a B.A. from Thailand, and a MA from America. I have a doctorate degree, and we differ in age by 5 years. She comes from a semi-wealthy family that brought themselves up from the deep depths of poverty.

I am talking selling flowers on the street poverty.

Their wealth was achieved in one generation.

Thaible, I have just got to ask, is it the width or the length that makes you feel inferior?

[Dragonman]

OK - so I cannot own land in my own right, but I can legally lease the land for 30 years and "possibly" another 30 years.

I can also build a house on the land and legally own the house.

What happens at the end of 30 years if, for whatever reason, the lease is not, or cannot be, renewed?

I still own the house so what happens to it?

Good question. I've wondering about this for some time.

Move it to another piece of land where you can get another 30 year lease.

Not very feasable I know, but if you build something that could be disassembled or a prefab modular house, it could be done. Most likely you will end up walking away from it or attempting to get the land owner to buy it off you so he/she could sell both land and house to someone else.

There are a couple of legal aspects to this scenario. If at the end of the 30 year lease the then owner will not renew, there is some protection in that an eviction order would be required. Whether it be granted would be up to the Judge. If you are destitute or infirm you would be more likely to gain a "stay of execution" You would also be awarded in law a recompense of value from the owner, but the amount could be assessed as market value. Likely to be low with a property having access, but no surrounding land.

A couple of other facts that need clarifying. Foreigners have been unable to acquire land in Thailand under the provisions of Section 86 of the Land Code 1954, although amended in 1999 to allow the 40 million baht investment, etc. This amendment in 1999 was not the original draft law submitted by Ministry of Interior( this agreed to a 1 rai maximum acquisition, no financial limit), but was changed by The Senate, as envisaged.

[bensark]

very uncertain market now becuase of this.

[Prakanong2005]

My wife is neither a farm girl, or uneducated. She has a B.A. from Thailand, and a MA from America. I have a doctorate degree, and we differ in age by 5 years. She comes from a semi-wealthy family that brought themselves up from the deep depths of poverty.

I am talking selling flowers on the street poverty.

Their wealth was achieved in one generation.

Thaible, I have just got to ask, is it the width or the length that makes you feel inferior?

Thaible, I have just got to ask, is it the width or the length that makes you feel inferior?

ROFLMAO

[icecubes]

Do you really believe that any Thais would vote for a party that helps farangs take their land and women?

I will be voting for whatever party came up with this law to finally stop farangs from pricing poor Thais out of their own land.

What a Five knuckle shuffle .

Have a sticky day.

[usatrader]

Oddly and ironically jus pos this thread, I happen across this ad on the Bangkok Post's web site.

Sadly, it appears uncertainity is the measure of all politics and economics in Thailand these days. Hopefully short lived.

My 25 satang anyway.

[the scouser]

I stay in a province in the south where you can stay in a 2 bedroom apartment in a 5 star hotel for 10,000 baht a month including breakfast, laundry and maid service free.

Sounds like a great deal! Any further details - name/location?

Scouse.