Thailand's selfish super-rich

[MGP]

Some super-rich Thais donate huge sums of money to the super-rich Dhammakaya Cult. They are so powerful and super-rich that they appeared at the Thailand Forbes of January 2014. But I don't think that it could be considered philanthropy, just a selfish investment to allegedly get a good rebirth on their next life.

http://www.dhammakaya.net/en/docs/dhammakaya-cetiya

Edited April 17, 2014 by MGP

[AryanicAristocrat]

Thai Super Rich = Thai Hisos = Shit Garbage......most of these people made their money thru drugs originally or thru illegal land grabs and deals, thru corruption, thru getting monopoly or concessions to dominate certain industries thru the corrupted ammart, etc.

These garbage love to see their pictures at events (as they are invited by stupid event organisers or under achieving brand managers or mentally-handicapped PR Consultants who pay them to come! These garbage will never even buy a product or service of the events they are attending but expect them free! Then there is the media photographers and media editors (mostly illegitimate children of these garbage) who will photograph these garbage and put them into trash magazines like "Ello", "OKie", "Thailand Titlers", "Thai Rats Page 4" "Hiso Orgy . Com", "Bangkok Pus" etc (please note these are not the name of the original publications/,media, inorder to prevent being sued, have modified them a little) and then these garbage will love to see themselves in free copies of these publications (they will never buy them, will call the editor to send them one!) sent to them and call up each other etc. Off course there is still a small percentage of people without a life from the thai population who will buy these magazines or newspapers to see the pics of these garbage.

And the problem is that many Thais still have feudal-slave like tendencies in them and will workship these garbage or respect them. Until the thais learnt to spit on these garbage and their families and ultimately one day rise togther to confisticate the wealth of these garbage.....nothing will progress in this nation. Also people should stop buying or supporting publications that feature these garbage and also advertisers that advertise in these magazines or use these garbage as presenters or in their events etc.

Philantropic! Phew....these garnage do not know the word...is only what more they can get and even if they were to donate...its for free publicity plus tax write offs. Have heard about some events where at least 200 rich thais were there and thru auctions of items to raise monies for an orphanage home for kids with HIV, they raised only bt 160,000! What a laugh.

[Ianatlarge]

Taxing the rich is a good idea. A wide range of income and wealth in society is never healthy, in fact, a sign of a dysfunctional society. However, one simple way of remedying this is to pay workers more, a basic wage, a fair salary. An active, independent trade union movement in Thailand (and elsewhere) would help a lot with this.

[expat888]

There is a Thai word for philanthropy, but to my wifes' knowledge, she can not remember any rich family ever donating or leaving large sums to a cause.

Similarly the Chinese, they also never donate.

Greed and more greed......and there's never enough!

Wow. I do love your ignorance! How you can in one sentence generalize the whole Chinese population. To open your biased eyes, see the link to Forbes 2013 Chinese philanthropists.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/russellflannery/2013/04/23/2013-forbes-china-philanthropy-list-full-list/

People generalize in TV all the time and for the most part it's true. You just don't like his opinion and I don't like yours.

[expat888]

I wish the Singha corporation would give back and stop going up on their beer.

[chainarong]

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There is an inherent selfishness in the concept that wealth should be kept within families, passed on from one generation to another.

Indeed - so that the children can grow up and run over policemen with their Ferraris and get away with it.

That is their parents up bring , not the fault of the system .

[tomyummer]

Donate the money where? The charities are owned by the same families as tax havens. And the other charities are corrupt bird feeders.

The top families do open schools where they gauge others in tuition with the occasional scholarship.

And why should they donate to fill where an inept government fails?

The best top families in Thailand donate when there is a national disaster. Which is quite often. Probably best to leave it at that.

Edited April 17, 2014 by tomyummer

[mrtoad]

I read that Thais are the most generous tippers in Asia so perhaps that is whee the billions are going?

Yes, apparently paying off the police for running over a policeman, or shooting one dead in a night club, along with other incidents mean tips need to be paid.

[brianP]

The rich get richer, and the bitch get bitchier.

[chooka]

It sure would be interesting to see how much wealthy Thais and even others give back in donations to their society...

My guess is it would be hard to gather b/c there is no reporting method in place. Since so few pay taxes really can't use income tax reports to disclose...

CB

The Red Bull family have made a few donations to a family in need and the police social club

[Thaiisnotrequired]

They made it, they can do what they want with it. Don't see anything wrong at all with providing financial safety for x amount of generations to come, only wish I had a huge win-fall coming my way!

Say that to Ferrari drivers, aged 26, who don't care about much, as they inherited everything.

And the other hundreds of thousands who inherit money and don't run people over? Stupid is what stupid does, regardless of cash (although it can make it easier to get away with it here).

I personally know 3 people who have run over and killed people here and got away with it by paying under 1 million baht. None are from rich families and none have inherited anything as far as I know.

Methinks you missed the point. The fact that the next generations receive large sums of money seems to indicate a lack of worth for others' lives, or the value of life itself. The article is about the super-rich, not hundreds and thousands... of which you personally know 3 who have killed and bought out of it for less that Baht 1M, and yet you say they are not rich, but I bet they had to pay over 400k. You know 3, and I wonder how many know many more, if you adjust your knowledge to the millions here? If they inherited nothing, how did they pay huge fines to buy their way out? It's all relative, of course, but if you are in the higher echelons of society here, or are related even to a mere police officer, chances are you will have an opportunity of not serving time which you deserve for your punishment. I hope the 3 people you personally know are very proud of the fact that they had enough money to purport the corruption which lessers have access to, and that they bought out of guilt with good karma! However, we are now off-topic, although the article is about donations, and thus we could bring in donations to an 'authority' to get off Scot free...

[geriatrickid]

Inheritance tax anyone?

Doesn't work and technically double taxes people. If someone has already paid income tax, their money is theirs to do as they wish. Countries such as the USA who impose such estate taxes have seen only the moderately wealthy penalized as the super rich ail always be able to pay for experts to find tax loopholes and other legal methods to minimize or avoid the tax due.

[Pimay1]

What about the Shin clan who absolutely love their country and country men and women, isn't their aim to do good for all ( of their own family ) ?

Wow, that didn't take long, 2 post to turn this into a "Shin clan" bashing, I wonder do you know that any of the "Shin clan" do or do not donate to any cause? and for that matter do you? As for myself I do such as world wild life fund, world vision, green peace,

And of the 3 you donate to, how much of what you donate actually goes to the "cause" and how much is used to pay "admin" costs for some "activist" on a USD 250k/yr "salary"

Carter Roberts, WWF’s president, pocketed a $425,000 salary in 2009. The chief operating officer of the World Wildlife Fund, Marcia Marsh, earns over $300,000 in salary and benefits.

World Vision President (Canada) receives $300,000 base salary, (plus supplied - a home valued in the $700,000 - $800,000 dollar value range, completely furnished, completely paid all housing expenses, including taxes, water/sewer, telephone/fax, HD/high speed cable, weekly maid service and pool/yard maintenance, fully paid private schooling for his children, upscale automobile and an $55,000 personal expense account for clothing/food, with a $125,000 business expense account). Because it is a "religious based" charity, it pays, little to no taxes, can receive government assistance and does not have to declare were the money goes. Only about $0.52 of earned income per dollar is available for charity causes.

[LuckyLew]

Thai peoples three favorite words are " me me me "

Not likely to change

[JeremyBowskill]

They made it, they can do what they want with it. Don't see anything wrong at all with providing financial safety for x amount of generations to come, only wish I had a huge win-fall coming my way!

Say that to Ferrari drivers, aged 26, who don't care about much, as they inherited everything.

And the other hundreds of thousands who inherit money and don't run people over? Stupid is what stupid does, regardless of cash (although it can make it easier to get away with it here).

I personally know 3 people who have run over and killed people here and got away with it by paying under 1 million baht. None are from rich families and none have inherited anything as far as I know.

Methinks you missed the point. The fact that the next generations receive large sums of money seems to indicate a lack of worth for others' lives, or the value of life itself. The article is about the super-rich, not hundreds and thousands... of which you personally know 3 who have killed and bought out of it for less that Baht 1M, and yet you say they are not rich, but I bet they had to pay over 400k. You know 3, and I wonder how many know many more, if you adjust your knowledge to the millions here? If they inherited nothing, how did they pay huge fines to buy their way out? It's all relative, of course, but if you are in the higher echelons of society here, or are related even to a mere police officer, chances are you will have an opportunity of not serving time which you deserve for your punishment. I hope the 3 people you personally know are very proud of the fact that they had enough money to purport the corruption which lessers have access to, and that they bought out of guilt with good karma! However, we are now off-topic, although the article is about donations, and thus we could bring in donations to an 'authority' to get off Scot free...

I think you missed the point. The 3 people I know inherited nothing, they worked and saved to get money in the normal fashion. If you think 1 million baht makes you rich, I can only assume you are a skintbow English teacher.......... My point was for every "redbull" type example you can put up, there is probably half a dozen people of normal means getting away with the same crimes. Its not money exactly that is to blame but a bent system that lets people kill without recourse.

1 example, which I am free to mention as it doesn't really effect anyone was my wifes cousin. The 18 year old girl was riding back from going to the ATM for her aunt, when smashed in to by a drunk 20 something in a crappy old truck. He himself was potless, but somehow the families family sold some rice land in Nakkon nowhere to raise 500k to buy himself out. This was given directly to the girls mother and all charges have now been dropped. This story is about 4-5 months old and should you wish p.m me and I will send you FB pictures of it all, to prove to you it goes on at every level.

The other 2 were farangs, 1 of the guys has done it twice and killed 2 people!!!

Edited April 17, 2014 by JeremyBowskill

[geriatrickid]

Donate the money where? The charities are owned by the same families as tax havens. And the other charities are corrupt bird feeders.

The top families do open schools where they gauge others in tuition with the occasional scholarship.

And why should they donate to fill where an inept government fails?

The best top families in Thailand donate when there is a national disaster. Which is quite often. Probably best to leave it at that.

You don't know too much about charitable giving in Thailand do you?

The "best top families" contribute relatively little when there is a national disaster. Giving 20,000 or 100,000 baht is chump change.

The reality is that the Thai culture amongst the super wealthy is one of protectionism and selfishness. This is very different from other asian cultures such as the Japanese or expat Chinese. Canadian, Australian and US universities have benefited from some of the wealthy Chinese families who have built major facilities or endowed a chair.

Thai families give next to nothing to universities. The schools you say they open are relatively underfunded and eventually come to rely upon the state.

Why should they donate to fill in where an inept government fails? Because it is the right thing to do.

If people in Australia, UK, USA etc. had your attitude, the nationals in those countries would not have benefit from homeless shelters, big brother/big sister charities, the John Howard/Elizabeth Fry Societies, the Salvation Army, Animal Care charities etc. You and your PDRC keep talking of reforms, well this is one that starts at home. Shoulder your moral and civic responsibility and make a difference. I do, and many other foreigners in Thailand do. If it wasn't for the foreign community donations our lives would be worse off. We'd be exposed to more homeless child beggars, more animal abuse, less medical outreach, fewer community services and less environmental protection. You benefit from that so why not pay your fair share?

[fab4]

What about the Shin clan who absolutely love their country and country men and women, isn't their aim to do good for all ( of their own family ) ?

Thaksin has already given money to country

NEWS » INTERNATIONAL BANGKOK, May 4, 2010

Updated: May 4, 2010 10:19 IST

The Thai government has decided to use 42 billion baht (1.3 billion dollars) confiscated from fugitive politician Thaksin Shinawatra and his family to help repay the country’s public debt, media reports said on Tuesday.

The Comptroller Department decided to use Mr. Thaksin’s money for national debt repayments after 46 billion baht were transferred to state coffers from 32 bank accounts in six commercial banks previously holding the frozen cash, the Bangkok Post reported.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article421270.ece

Whether it was voluntary or not I dare say it's still more than Dhanin Chearavanont or any of the other eight individuals and families above Thaksin in Thailands richest list have given to the people. Likely there are more than a few families up in the previously ignored North and Northeastern parts of Thailand that appreciate his interest in them despite all the snide comments that no doubt will (and has done many times before) arise.

Edited April 17, 2014 by fab4

[rametindallas]

There is a Thai word for philanthropy, but to my wifes' knowledge, she can not remember any rich family ever donating or leaving large sums to a cause.

Similarly the Chinese, they also never donate.

Greed and more greed......and there's never enough!

The land that is involved in the Alpine Golf Resort and land development was donated to the local temple by a rich woman upon her death. Many wealthy in Thailand leave large amounts to temples. Whether you can call temples a charity or not is up to you.

[Bkungbank]

The Western culture and Eastern culture are not the same, Western people when their children grown up independent for his or her to choose their own life to live with but Eastern culture a parent have responsibly until their die, they have to inherit wealth for their children to make sure after they have die their children would not suffer in poverty.

In shopping you can see western children are running freely where eastern children are holding hands by their parent, Bill gates and Warren Buffett are donation half of the money to charity where Hong Kong Billionaire Lee Kah Seng are not doing so.

[rametindallas]

They made it, they can do what they want with it. Don't see anything wrong at all with providing financial safety for x amount of generations to come, only wish I had a huge win-fall coming my way!

Say that to Ferrari drivers, aged 26, who don't care about much, as they inherited everything.

That's some pretty twisted logic. So, in your world, people who don't inherit everything never do stupid things and people who inherit everything always do stupid things. Nuts. Correlation is not causation.

[MGP]

There are many small and medium size organizations in Thailand to help both animals and human creatures.

A kind suggestion for you, super-rich Thai Visa farangs:

http://www.rakmaw.com/index.php?lay=show&ac=article&Ntype=24&Id=539542471 (menu in English on the right)

https://www.facebook.com/catroompantip

Edited April 17, 2014 by MGP

[rametindallas]

Thai Super Rich = Thai Hisos = Shit Garbage......most of these people made their money thru drugs originally or thru illegal land grabs and deals, thru corruption, thru getting monopoly or concessions to dominate certain industries thru the corrupted ammart, etc.

These garbage love to see their pictures at events (as they are invited by stupid event organisers or under achieving brand managers or mentally-handicapped PR Consultants who pay them to come! These garbage will never even buy a product or service of the events they are attending but expect them free! Then there is the media photographers and media editors (mostly illegitimate children of these garbage) who will photograph these garbage and put them into trash magazines like "Ello", "OKie", "Thailand Titlers", "Thai Rats Page 4" "Hiso Orgy . Com", "Bangkok Pus" etc (please note these are not the name of the original publications/,media, inorder to prevent being sued, have modified them a little) and then these garbage will love to see themselves in free copies of these publications (they will never buy them, will call the editor to send them one!) sent to them and call up each other etc. Off course there is still a small percentage of people without a life from the thai population who will buy these magazines or newspapers to see the pics of these garbage.

And the problem is that many Thais still have feudal-slave like tendencies in them and will workship these garbage or respect them. Until the thais learnt to spit on these garbage and their families and ultimately one day rise togther to confisticate the wealth of these garbage.....nothing will progress in this nation. Also people should stop buying or supporting publications that feature these garbage and also advertisers that advertise in these magazines or use these garbage as presenters or in their events etc.

Philantropic! Phew....these garnage do not know the word...is only what more they can get and even if they were to donate...its for free publicity plus tax write offs. Have heard about some events where at least 200 rich thais were there and thru auctions of items to raise monies for an orphanage home for kids with HIV, they raised only bt 160,000! What a laugh.

Good you let some of that class hatred/envy out sometimes. If you keep it inside, it will eat you up. Very sorry for you that you can't make your own way and are so afflicted by the success of others that you can't see the benefits they bring.

[Thaiisnotrequired]

They made it, they can do what they want with it. Don't see anything wrong at all with providing financial safety for x amount of generations to come, only wish I had a huge win-fall coming my way!

Say that to Ferrari drivers, aged 26, who don't care about much, as they inherited everything.

That's some pretty twisted logic. So, in your world, people who don't inherit everything never do stupid things and people who inherit everything always do stupid things. Nuts. Correlation is not causation.

Your inference is twisted logic. Nothing to do with wealth about doing wrong or right. It is what the relative wealth can buy you in Asia, particularly Thailand. It is the responsibility that goes with doing right, or having done wrong - and in the case you know I am referring to the rich took no responsibility, purely because it is rich! The causation in his case does not correlate with the end result. Kao jai mai na?

[Loles]

I never understand if some-one is dam_n rich why doesn't make anything for poor, if not for other only for own good feeling.

They don't take an orphanage and support the orphans, pick up from them the gifted children and take care about their education.

They don't make foundations for support poor children education also, or foundation for

They seat at home, calculate every day about wealth, and only try to find out how they can get more.

West and east are all the same.

[uptheos]

What about the Shin clan who absolutely love their country and country men and women, isn't their aim to do good for all ( of their own family ) ?

Do you realise how many previous lifetime points they had to accumulate, to become so wealthy?

[robblok]

Inheritance tax anyone?

That is one of the worse taxes there is your whole life your paying taxes VAT / Income tax and then all that money that was previously taxed will be taxed again.

It is a morally repulsive tax. You punish the people who save some money for their kids.

Just fix the current taxes don't add new ones.

[arthurwait]

There is a Thai word for philanthropy, but to my wifes' knowledge, she can not remember any rich family ever donating or leaving large sums to a cause.

Similarly the Chinese, they also never donate.

Greed and more greed......and there's never enough!

And how would she know if they did ?

[arthurwait]

There is an inherent selfishness in the concept that wealth should be kept within families, passed on from one generation to another.

Indeed - so that the children can grow up and run over policemen with their Ferraris and get away with it.

Propaganda feeding propaganda.

[arthurwait]

Just think if the Thai rich did give their money to the poor, half the people on this site wouldn't get laid.

[rametindallas]

They made it, they can do what they want with it. Don't see anything wrong at all with providing financial safety for x amount of generations to come, only wish I had a huge win-fall coming my way!

Say that to Ferrari drivers, aged 26, who don't care about much, as they inherited everything.

That's some pretty twisted logic. So, in your world, people who don't inherit everything never do stupid things and people who inherit everything always do stupid things. Nuts. Correlation is not causation.

Your inference is twisted logic. Nothing to do with wealth about doing wrong or right. It is what the relative wealth can buy you in Asia, particularly Thailand. It is the responsibility that goes with doing right, or having done wrong - and in the case you know I am referring to the rich took no responsibility, purely because it is rich! The causation in his case does not correlate with the end result. Kao jai mai na?

I didn't 'infer' anything. This time I will quote your twisted reasoning. "you know I am referring to the rich took no responsibility, purely because it is rich" So, what you are saying is the non-rich take responsibility more than the rich? I want to know: Have you ever even visited Thailand? If so, you certainly never got to know Thais or Thainess. It is a trait of Thais to never accept responsibility; it was 'fate' that what happened and not of their own doing. I'm not going to explain to you again as you are obviously deficient in the logic department. Either that or you let envy of the wealthy cloud your reasoning. For the last time: Money has NOTHING to do with character. Wealth does not make one have a higher burden of responsibility any more that lack of wealth makes one have to be lesser burden of responsibility. Every human has the same onus of responsibility.