Food Academy Bangkok abruptly closed down

[webfact]

Food Academy Bangkok Abruptly Closed Down



BANGKOK: -- The Food Academy Bangkok (F. A. B.), set up by a Swede only a few years ago, has come to an abrupt end. F.A.B suddenly closed down by the end of 2014 and in the process a dream project of the initiator, Susanna Asklöf, was ruined.

The website said: ‘Closed due to external circumstances!’ On F.A.B’s previous Facebook page Susanna elaborated: “Dear friends and sponsors in Bangkok/Scandinavia!! After almost 3 years building up F.A.B and putting in 110 % effort, I regret to inform you that I can no longer keep up with the demands of the job and will be closing FAB. Since some people made my hard work even harder it is impossible to continue.”

The circumstances surrounding the closure are murky and the Scandinavian community is tight-lipped on the subject. F.A.B had enjoyed much support from Swedes and other Scandinavians in Bangkok, not only for its Scandinavian food and bread but also for its cause – helping underprivileged people in Bangkok’s slum area in Klong Toey to a career within restaurants – food & beverage – through learning the skills of cooking and baking, including also basic accounting and English skills. Susanna Asklöf had wanted to make a difference; ‘making merit’, as Buddhists would definitely define her efforts.

Many feasts and Scandinavian events, such as crayfish and midsummer parties, were held at F.A.B and the catering became successful in the community.

F.A.B was started and operated using her own funds, and with the help of private donors – a Swiss foundation among them – along with income from selling food and holding private events.

It all went well – until something went terribly wrong, the details of which Susanna Asklöf declines to reveal.

“F.A.B enjoyed a fantastic response but what good did that do when Thais did not believe in my sincere intentions, believing I was making a profit and wanting their share of that. I had to close down F.A.B since it was incomprehensible for the authorities to believe that I ran the project as a non-profit organization, and instead persistently believed I was doing something else.”

“I spent all my private savings to build up F.A.B and could never take out a salary. My private economy is in ruins.”

She did not mince here words in describing what she had been going through leading up to the closure.

“It’s been hell for me, and a catastrophe. They’ve ruined my life and my future.”

Who are they? Susanna’s concern for herself and the safety of all the organizations and individuals that supported are more important for her than elaborating any further.

Those causing trouble for her were only after money, she said to ScandAsia.



“My friends have supported me immensely during this time and I have fought extremely hard. Those who supported and were there with us already know – and we are protecting each other now. There is not much to add. No more people should get in trouble because of this.”

“Though difficult, I have greatly enjoyed the experience of helping young people getting started in the food business and I can’t thank you enough for also helping to provide new opportunities for those with limited options in life. I greatly appreciate all your help and support with this project,” she announced too on Facebook.

From her adopted home country Sweden she is deeply disappointed about Thailand, the country in which she was born.

“I feel safe now but I will never forget this hell I’ve been through, and I’m pretty disappointed to have seen that Thais do not understand that one might want to do something without having the ambition to make a lot of money.”

Source: http://scandasia.com/food-academy-bangkok-abruptly-closed-down/

-- ScandAsia 2015-02-25

[Stradavarius37]

They is the Food Mafia of course....

[iReason]

"Thais did not believe in my sincere intentions, believing I was making a profit and wanting their share of that."

"it was incomprehensible for the authorities to believe that I ran the project as a non-profit organization"

"Those causing trouble for her were only after money, she said to ScandAsia."

Thainess.

[clockman]

Forget about Buddism. There mantra is greed! Its the only thing they understand.

[BeforeTigers]

So they demanded bribes from a non-profit and now she's not allowed to speak on it because they've still got her over a barrel somehow. Couldn't even be bothered to check the books.

This country is run by <deleted> children.

[bushmill]

Sorry to read thi it ha been an great institution. Destroyed be jealousie and greed.

[JulieM]

I had a similar experience. I tried to help some people here and one greedy Thai Mutherfracker decided he wanted a large splice of the pie. I had no choice but to close up shop after his repeated demands for cash.

[Just1Voice]

I've been coming here for over 40 years, and after all I've seen, I would never even consider setting up type of business in this totally corrupt, baht worshiping country.

[bob4you]

As a foreigner in the country you have no chance. OK to live here but not ok to have a business here, if you are farang it just means another person to scam every

[bob4you]

In this country a foreigner has no chance. Everyone is wanting to get in your pocket. Forget it just enjoy life here, help yourself, no one else it is a country of scammers, cheats and thieves.

[ekkamai]

So sad, but I am not surprised. People move to Thailand with the best intentions, but after a while they become completely disillusioned and frustrated.

[questionsreplies]

She is Thai ? And scare of what ?

[Loaded]

Non-profit organizations should be set up as foundations. It doesn't appear that this organization was, or had applied to be, a foundation. Therefore, the authorities would see this as a business and I expect the revenue department would want audited accounts and tax paid on minimum salaries for the foreigners. Immigration would want to see non-immigrant B visas for foreign staff and labour would expect to see work permits. My suspicion is that they thought they were exempt from these rules and regulations.

[krisb]

Speculation?

Maybe it just went broke?

[paddyjenkins]

Remember the tsunami....many foreigners came to thailand to help, for free, out of pure decency, and were cheated by the usual suspects....the tuk tuk drivers etc....the authorities too....a forensic team from germany rushed to identify dna and were charged with working without a work permit and had to leave....as for the vast funds that were donated, nobody knows whose pockets that money ended up in....thailand is rotten to the core

Edited February 25, 2015 by paddyjenkins

[Naroge]

Non-profit organizations should be set up as foundations. It doesn't appear that this organization was, or had applied to be, a foundation. Therefore, the authorities would see this as a business and I expect the revenue department would want audited accounts and tax paid on minimum salaries for the foreigners. Immigration would want to see non-immigrant B visas for foreign staff and labour would expect to see work permits. My suspicion is that they thought they were exempt from these rules and regulations.

No foreigners engaged in the business.

[Loaded]

Non-profit organizations should be set up as foundations. It doesn't appear that this organization was, or had applied to be, a foundation. Therefore, the authorities would see this as a business and I expect the revenue department would want audited accounts and tax paid on minimum salaries for the foreigners. Immigration would want to see non-immigrant B visas for foreign staff and labour would expect to see work permits. My suspicion is that they thought they were exempt from these rules and regulations.

No foreigners engaged in the business.

Strange then that Swedish Susanna Asklöf said "After almost 3 years building up F.A.B and putting in 110 % effort, I regret to inform you that I can no longer keep up with the demands of the job..."

Edited February 25, 2015 by Loaded

[Bangkokhatter]

Maybe read the OP again, it says she was born in Thailand. So maybe there were no foreigners employed there?

[chooka]

Bloody bread eaters trying to oust thier fancy imperial title bits on thais.

[koo wallety tourist]

employing too many reds?

too much competition for 7 and tesco?

making those pesky despicable farang feel to comfortable?

Edited February 25, 2015 by koo wallety tourist

[shirtless]

Its very sad and will be a loss to Thailand , seems like these people are just despicable when iy comes tp money just avoid any investments in Thailand and you dont leave yourself open to these basturds,

[Sealbash]

And now we have read one side of the story. Our imaginations can create the other side.

[Jim walker]

You do business in any third world country it will end up with the same results at least she did not commit suicide and was found dead in some side street or hung in her apartment, its so sad that in Thailand family comes so far down the list and money money is always number one here are their any figures released on how much Thai people donate to charity per head of population or is charity a bad word over here.

[Benmart]

Sad to read such a story. Try to help those less fortunate and the vermin come out of the woodwork. The teachings many local people hide behind is a flimsy façade to conceal their greed and corruption.

[Suradit69]

Forget about Buddism. There mantra is greed! Its the only thing they understand.

"There [sic] mantra is greed! Its the only thing they understand."

Unlike people in the west who always put personal profit way down the list of their priorities.

I don't know anything about her or her goals or her modus operandi , but her description of their activities sounds like someone running a business for profit, or at the very least a school that would compete for students with for-profit schools, however the profit might eventually be used. There didn't seem to be any reference to their registration as a charity or whether their operation was over-seen by a board that included Thai members.

Right now we are baking Swedish pastries, along with buns, cinnamon buns, and sourdough bread which we supply to a large number of small and large companies around the Bangkok area. We also take private orders as well.

The school now occupies a building which had previously been a print shop and deliveries are made via local motorcycle courier. We do catering for corporate events, private parties and children’s birthday parties, and offer both Swedish and international menus, as well as music entertainment.

There are a number of charities with foreign-based support that operate in conjunction with Thais in Thailand that don't face any insurmountable obstacles,

But looking through some of her quotes it appears that she had too much of a personal stake in the success of the "charity" and considered it very much of a personal fiefdom. Even if her motivation was entirely selfless, she comes across as someone who doesn't want to share control and may have relied too much on portraying herself as a benefactress to the huddled masses who didn't need to be totally transparent. Even when being charitable, one has to be diplomatic and not operate as a one-woman show,

Why her "personal economy" would be in ruins unless she had a financial interest in the school is at least a little suspicious. There should have been a total separation between her personal "economy" and that of the school if it was meant to be a charitable organization.

“I spent all my private savings to build up F.A.B..."

"My private economy is in ruins ..."

“It’s been hell for me ..."

"They’ve ruined my life and my future.”

[Thaddeus]

As a foreigner in the country you have no chance. OK to live here but not ok to have a business here, if you are farang it just means another person to scam every

To be honest, a poor Thai encroaching on a rich Thai's patch would get the same result.

They screw each other over far more frequently than us. but that doesn't get in to English language news.

[Lupatria]

What happened to her is OK and just. You just have to accept it as Thainess.

[Mot Dang]

"Thais did not believe in my sincere intentions, believing I was making a profit and wanting their share of that."

"it was incomprehensible for the authorities to believe that I ran the project as a non-profit organization"

"Those causing trouble for her were only after money, she said to ScandAsia."

Thainess.

Yep, that sounds about right. Gordon Gecko is alive and well in Thailand, and there are a lot of Thais out there that fly by his mantra "Greed is Good". Remember the poll that Bangkok Post did I think last year ? The question was basically "Do you think corruption is acceptable ?' 70% of respondents (several thousand), said that it was acceptable, but as long as they benefited. These were normal folk in the street. Great national psych ah ?

[Mot Dang]

I've been coming here for over 40 years, and after all I've seen, I would never even consider setting up type of business in this totally corrupt, baht worshiping country.

I totally agree with you. I have been here 34 years and thought about opening a business several times, as well as being approached to enter "partnerships". Each time I looked at a Business Plan, each time I had a look at direct costs, and hidden costs (you know what I am talking about), but in the end said thanks but no thanks. I don't do business where your constantly in the pockets of the cops, local administrators, the local mafia, cheats, grifters etc. Oh and the dirty lawyers. Those falang who took the plunge and succeeded, I have admiration for you.

Edited February 26, 2015 by Mot Dang

[maidee]

with sponsors & seling food, what did her in ?