Some facts, BIO approved Australian projects and investment below.

2012 27 projects 12,452.1 million baht

2013 19 projects 1,249.58 million baht

2014 (Jan – June) 9 projects 7,145.3 million baht

http://www.boi.go.th/upload/content/T%20AUS14%286%29_31261.pdf

The embassy informed me many of these were sitting for a year and took so,long to approve the companies pulled out.

Didn't go ahead after approval given?

Possibly there are some things Thailand is doing better than Australia. Maybe not selling the farm not allowing free imports and keeping some jobs for its own ctizens may not be such a bad idea.

Business delegates from Oz will have to come here to Thailand if they so desire, as Thai officials are banned from entering Australia for any reason by the Australian Government.

In fact PM Abbott has been very uncomplimentary towards acting PM Prayuth and his " Government "

The present Australian Prime Minister is probably the most unpopular for decades. IMO he is a lying, two faced, cheating bastard in bed with his religious and his business buddies. Nevertheless he was DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED which is more than can be said of the Thai Government. Because Australia has a democratic government and free speech I can refer to Abbot in the manner I just have. I would dare not critise the Thai Government like that whether I believed it to be true or not.

Some facts, BIO approved Australian projects and investment below.

2012 27 projects 12,452.1 million baht

2013 19 projects 1,249.58 million baht

2014 (Jan – June) 9 projects 7,145.3 million baht

http://www.boi.go.th/upload/content/T%20AUS14%286%29_31261.pdf

The embassy informed me many of these were sitting for a year and took so,long to approve the companies pulled out.

Didn't go ahead after approval given?

Aparently not. The people were interested backed up by the Embassy, got approval as did I and then it was revoked because they wanted MORE Thai involvement which I gathered to be ownership, although that is not part of the deal for BOI, and then the businesses went to malaysia and Vietnam. Mainly to Vietnam and I have contact with a few of them citing very similar reasons for my own going there. TOO HARD to do the visas and too many hoops for business permits even though BOI is supposed to be a one stop shop. But mainly them changing the rules on Thai involvement in the ownership

The FTA was such a winner. Pay b3 million for a Ford Territory and the same as everyone else for Aussie cheese and wine. Where was the win for AU's imports?

The FTA was such a winner. Pay b3 million for a Ford Territory and the same as everyone else for Aussie cheese and wine. Where was the win for AU's imports?

The elimination of 94 per cent of Thailand’s tariff and quota barriers on imports from Australia as of 2010, with the remaining tariffs phasing to zero in 2015 or 2020 (with the exception of skim milk powder and liquid milk and cream, for which the tariff rate quotas will be eliminated in 2025).

http://www.dfat.gov.au/fta/tafta/

When the Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement entered into force on 1 January 2005, Thai tariffs on Australian wine were gradually reduced from 54 per cent in 2005, to 8 per cent in 2013, and will continue to be phased down by 4 per cent each year to reach 0 per cent by 2015. This will give Australian wine producers an immediate competitive advantage over wine from other producing countries that pay a tariff of 51 per cent.

In addition to import tariffs, imported wines are subject to four different tax systems:

Excise tax – value-based rate at 60 per cent

Municipal tax – 10 per cent of excise tax

Value added tax (VAT) – 7 per cent

Health support project – 2 per cent

http://www.austrade.gov.au/Export/Export-Markets/Countries/Thailand/Industries/Wine