Thailand eyeing tighter restrictions on foreign businesses

[micmichd]

Don't allow foreigners to own land.

That would be the beginning of the end of independence.

Once foreign investors have a foot in the door, they inevitably try to grab hold on all natural resources, and they don't give a damn what happens to the population on the land.

Imperialistic logic will force them to do so, regardless of their very personal intentions.

[jpeg]

Interesting piece in the New York Times re the cost of this coup. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/02/opinion/thailand-and-the-coup-trap.html?_r=1 Particularly liked the part which points out 0,01% own a fifth of the land in the US as against 0.01% owning HALF the land in Thailand, making the US looking like a 'socialist paradise' in comparison

Edited January 2, 2015 by jpeg

[micmichd]

Interesting article in NYT. They call for survival of the Kra Isthmus Channel project. Remember the 1985 Japanese plan to use 20 nuclear devices (each twice as strong as the Hiroshima bomb) to "build" such a channel? A perfect example what can happen if you give land away to foreign investors.

[Christie Paul]

Logical business policy is not linear and does not always comport with immediate gains. It can appear erroneous and stupid, so as to effectively mask its true and often diabolical intentions.

Perhaps 90% of the people, Thai and Falang would benefit from more transparency, more open policies, less ridiculous bureaucracy and a positive business environment.

But the super elite may have other ideas.

Their view could well be that the country has sustained enormous growth over the last decade, consequently their interests have been diluted. This is of particular importance when you consider that the world economy is presently tanking. Real growth is illusory and they know it. So why not collapse this house of cards, let prices tank, unemployment go through the roof and then simply wade through the debris and cherry pick every asset you want for a fraction of its former price?

A proper examination the of the great depression reveals this strategy (and result) very clearly, but not many people, perhaps because of how odious it is, can entertain the idea that any group of people could be so cruel. This is why a heuristic understanding of events and history are so important and perhaps why history is subject to more propaganda than even current events.

The simplest, most extreme and best example, is contrived war. Nothing transfers wealth like it.

Making racist remarks about the simplicity and stupidity of Thais, is firmly at odds with the rather large contingent of Thai intergenerational family business's, that measure their wealth in the billions of dollars and are spread over half a dozen jurisdictions. This point should be emphasised because it is they, more than any other players, that exert the most influence over the policies which shape the current landscape.

Edited January 2, 2015 by Christie Paul

[Christie Paul]

Don't allow foreigners to own land.

That would be the beginning of the end of independence.

Once foreign investors have a foot in the door, they inevitably try to grab hold on all natural resources, and they don't give a damn what happens to the population on the land.

Imperialistic logic will force them to do so, regardless of their very personal intentions.

The owning of land is virtually illusory.

Almost no one actually owns land in any country.

There is only one title which proves ownership and that is an Allodial title.

Whenever it is expedient or if the real owners want it back, they can take it.

In the meantime they tax it and collect rent on it, which is proof that mostly those who consider themselves "owners", even to the extent they are named as such in legalise are not the actual owners.