PM Prayut meets with British Ambassador Mark Kent on bilateral ties

[Nickymaster]

Mark Kent ..How's the coup going general?

General....Well the attitude adjustment is in full swing however people just aren't getting it so we arrested a couple of students took them away but it didn't work so we thought ok we will ban the the hunger games movie and that will teach him.

Oh ok will how about the Koh Tao what's happening on that front?

General ......What's a Koh Tao?

Kent ..ok now we've got that out of the way where can we invest?

Seriously how old are you dude? You make up stories all over the place and they aren't even funny.

[Nickymaster]

Mr Kent, meanwhile, disclosed that British investors were already keen to invest more in Thailand. He said he appreciated the Thai government’s attention to tourist safety, assuring that more British travelers would be coming to the Kingdom.

According to The Stuttering Parrot nobody wants to deal with Thailand. I guess he is wrong again..

Edited November 21, 2014 by Nickymaster

[rickirs]

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British Ambassador Mark Kent today called on Prime Minister General Prayuth to discuss a range of issues. He urged PM Gen Prayuth to fulfil his promise to restore democracy to Thailand by the end of 2015, and to maintain respect for human rights.

Ambassador Kent also raised tourist safety and security and the importance of maintaining an open, fair and transparent business environment for investors. He asked for assurances that British and other foreign investment in Thailand would not be jeopardised by new legislation.

Mr Kent affirmed that the UK stands ready to engage with Thai ministries and agencies, as well as the private sector and civil society, to take forward work in all these areas and on other issues of mutual interest.

This is what it says on UK embassy facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/ukinthailand

Not exactly the same is it !!

No.

"He urged PM Gen Prayuth to fulfil his promise to restore democracy to Thailand by the end of 2015, and to maintain respect for human rights.

Ambassador Kent also raised tourist safety and security and the importance of maintaining an open, fair and transparent business environment for investors.

He asked for assurances that British and other foreign investment in Thailand would not be jeopardised by new legislation."

[rickirs]

Did the General explain how much he dislikes martial law and how it hurts him so much?

[Mudcrab]

That photo displays the classic example of the big Fake LOS smile.

That photo displays the classic example of the big Fake UK Diplomat smile

[jayboy]

I am REALLY unimpressed with this Ambassador

Don't agree at all.I have met him a few times and he seems first class - intelligent,principled and down to earth.But he is an ambassador and it is not his role to be confrontational or abrasive.If UK interests and citizens are to be protected the channel of communication must be kept open, however much he would personally like to administer a painful slap.

[sabaitoo]

I am not British ( Thank God ), but I actually have noticed that your Ambassador Mark Kent have been as outspoken and straight as diplomaticly possible in the Koh Tao case

The statement from the Brits seems to have been lost in translation as usual in the Thai press, some may even call it propaganda..oh Well TIT

BRITISH AMBASSADOR CALLS ON PM GENERAL PRAYUTH

British Ambassador Mark Kent today called on Prime Minister General Prayuth to discuss a range of issues. He urged PM Gen Prayuth to fulfil his promise to restore democracy to Thailand by the end of 2015, and to maintain respect for human rights.

Ambassador Kent also raised tourist safety and security and the importance of maintaining an open, fair and transparent business environment for investors. He asked for assurances that British and other foreign investment in Thailand would not be jeopardised by new legislation.

Mr Kent affirmed that the UK stands ready to engage with Thai ministries and agencies, as well as the private sector and civil society, to take forward work in all these areas and on other issues of mutual interest.

[Mudcrab]

Yes...yes mutual benefits.....51% thais & 49% foreigners.

Hmm, what I find so hypocritical is that many of my fellow UK guys I know, as well as Euro and US falangs too, moan a lot about how their countries allow foreigners to take over our Western businesses and land with little or no restriction. So if they are against that then what they are saying is that they surely must agree with the Thai system of controlling foreign investment that they want imposed in their home nations and thus must believe it is a good thing how they control it here. . YES I can understand that too. Or are they saying not in their own back yard but okay to lift all restrictions here in Thailand ??? That is one sided crap of course. I think the investment rules here though are too stringent and not in the long term interests of the nation and really need to be somewhat more flexible and encouraging for foreign investment, whereas certainly in the UK it is probably way too flexible.

Some leeway still needs to be given for 100% land ownership, no NOT for business investment but for normal residential use only by long stay falangs living here legally. Restrict such residential land 100% ownership to one plot only per person and to say less than 1 rai, or even half a rai, as that is easily more than enough for a nice normal family house with a reasonable manageable garden area for those who like gardening. That would save all that crap and potential problems of having to form legal Thai limited companies or complex lease back arrangements with your Thai wife/girlfriend. It would be such a minuscule percentage amount of land and certainly have absolutely no danger of falangs taking over Thailand's land which is their main worry. It would also encourage more folk to come to live in Thailand, especially retirees of course, aiding the economy here. Of course as long as they meet the perfectly reasonable and fair Thai visa requirements, especially visas for retirees which I think are very reasonable and fair....well except for retirees under 50 where the law needs changing to accommodate those folk who have worked hard to retire early and escape the horrid rat race to enjoy life.

Personally I am for free trade and investment world wide as I have to say I am a one world live and let live sort of guy, but I know that will never happen of course, just good ideals that at least we should be aiming towards. But at least more sensible less restrictive rules both here and in the UK and other western nations would make this world a better and more smiley less selfish place to live, which surely has to be good for mankind.

Agree with some of what you say.

Oz allows foreigners to buy land/houses with restrictions...unfortunately with slack enforcement apparently.

After all if a foreigner bought some land in Oz and then left...they can't take it with them can they? (that was a stylised quote from a politician many years ago)

I can see a case for a foreign developer to own a block of land and 'do' something with it benefitting Thailand...builders, services etc etc.

I can also see the case, from the Thai perspective, where cashed up foreigners come in to a 'village' and buy the lot - cheaply from their perspective.

Where do the Thais benefit from this?

Grab the cash and go somewhere else could be one answer, but the connection to ancestral land could be a lot stronger than the western idea of capitalism gives credit for. Hard for westerners who are used to simple capitalism to understand.

It also forces up the cost of land until it becomes unaffordable for the average person. Imagine that...the average person can't afford to buy land IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY. Sorry for the CAPS but the point needs to be made. Sydney, Melbourne in OZ are currently experiencing this.

Might also explain why the West has become so fractured from the nuclear family perspective.

Maybe a halfway measure might work.....farang hubby and Thai wife (or any mgender mix you prefer) can buy some land (or farm) but upon the death of the hubby the land reverts to wife. In the case of wife passing away first, the the hubby has sole use of the land until death, unles he sells it, then it goes to whatever Thai dependents he or the wife had, and not to the hubby's likely overseas estate.

[joebrown]

At least Mark Kent raised the question of tourist safety, according to the Embassy Facebook page. I was very disappointed by the lack of a trade agreement whereby the UK buys into Thai DNA technology and receives RTP Investigative Training personnel to improve the UK understanding of the word 'perfect/complete'.

Edited November 21, 2014 by joebrown

[Cake Monster]

The Hon. Mr. Kent, surely did not pay a courtious visit to General Prayuth.

It would never have been his intention to discuss " bilateral ties " over tea and biccies.