12DrinkMore Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 Boris is now moving to sell off the rest of the UK leaving just London. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamgeorgeallen Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 12 hours ago, HOAX said: I think I'll buy the land. It's perfect for a small bungalow for occasional use. make sure you put it in your thai girlfriends name. it will strengthen the relationship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baboon Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 55 minutes ago, sahibji said: or just getting rid of non core assets to be deployed elsewhere Like Chad or Albania. Somewhere more befitting of our status.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suradit69 Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 13 hours ago, Chookie said: Downsizing? or Rightsizing? Thailand seems to be getting unfashionable these days. Chook " Thailand seems to be getting unfashionable these days. " Nice try to redirect the blame on Thailand. More like the Brits downsizing to suit their rapidly diminishing diplomatic significance. They've been trying to flog assets at least since 2005 to fund their own government's operations, e.g. "to combat global warming ... ha, ha, ha Quote 12:01AM GMT 09 Feb 2005 To be sold: four acres of prime land in central Bangkok, currently occupied by one war memorial, some diplomatic buildings, and a historic flag pole. Estimated value: up to £30 million. Apply: HM Government, Whitehall. The Foreign Office plans to place on the market one third of the British Embassy's grounds on a lush 12-acre compound in one of the most expensive districts of Bangkok. Inside the grounds is a statue of Queen Victoria, "erected in loving memory by her subjects in Siam" in 1903. Many Thais regard Victoria as a fertility symbol and leave flower necklaces on the statue's plinth. The sell-off plan follows an announcement in December that 30 smaller embassies and consulates in the Pacific, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean are to be downgraded to divert funds to combat terrorism, weapons proliferation and global warming. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatfeedback/4195219/Britain-to-sell-off-its-prime-acres-in-Thailand.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawker9000 Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 54 minutes ago, Andrew65 said: I would think that this was something planned long before the Referendum. Is there any country in history that has been asset-stripped as the UK has been recent years!? We don't even own our own drinking water! A few years ago I heard that the British Embassies in Washington & Paris were up for sale, probably still are. I suspect that this was partly due to the fact that in coming years an EU Embassy will replace EU nations' embassies (except Germany, maybe!). Agreed. The Brexit losers will want to put it down to that, but I really don't think Brexit has anything to do with this. I'm certain there's an older thread here on TV about the proposal to leave that embassy site that predates the referendum by some months I think. But I didn't realize that embassy sites were the guest country's real property to buy & sell. So I did some research, and it seems that's in fact the case. The host country simply approves the sale (or the lease). Ex. The U.S. Embassy in London at Grosvenor Sq. is on land leased (a 999-yr lease) from the Duke of Westminster. It's moving, however, to land that's been purchased in Wandsworth. It's hard to believe the EU countries would give up sovereignty to the extent of closing their respective embassies in favor of a single EU embassy. That implies there will no longer be an ambassadorial exchange with each of these countries, and I find that hard to believe. You say it's a "fact", so please provide the source for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12DrinkMore Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 5 minutes ago, hawker9000 said: You say it's a "fact", so please provide the source for that. Definitely a fact. I have seen it posted on Thai Visa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawker9000 Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 4 minutes ago, 12DrinkMore said: Definitely a fact. I have seen it posted on Thai Visa. I guess I should have said credible source... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samjaidee Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 13 hours ago, baboon said: They might as well sell up and move to a cubby hole on the outskirts of town for all the use they are... Do you mean the embassy or the consulate? They have completely different roles. Have you ever dealt with the embassy rather than the consulate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soalbundy Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 13 hours ago, manarak said: I'm puzzled by this sale. Does it mean the British Embassy is the owner of that land? When land is given to a foreign country to establish its embassy, it is land that effectively becomes full property of a foreign government and it can then be sold? what is the process of getting new land for a new embassy? I believe it was given to them as a gift by a Thai king many years ago, i think that in some circles there is bad blood due to the sale because of this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theguyfromanotherforum Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 They will sell the land and move the offices to Nana Plaza where can accommodate a larger number of British expats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pdaz Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 (edited) 1 hour ago, BuaBS said: No they don't . What's 400 M GBP when your printing money like the rest of the central banks. By printing money they are just making the 18mil Baht worth more against the Pound Edited August 31, 2016 by Pdaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soalbundy Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 4 minutes ago, samjaidee said: Do you mean the embassy or the consulate? They have completely different roles. Have you ever dealt with the embassy rather than the consulate? They are both crap but at the consulate at least you get to speak with an Englishman instead of a Thai with an exaggerated sense of self importance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charmonman Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 (edited) I thought there was a law about 100+ year old buildings being considered heritage sites and therefore worthy of preservation (as if laws mattered where large sums of money are concerned). Edit: Upon further research I found out that the current site was built only in the 1920s, so they're trying to get rid of it before it turns 100 and preservationists get involved, perhaps. Edited August 31, 2016 by charmonman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baboon Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 5 minutes ago, samjaidee said: Do you mean the embassy or the consulate? They have completely different roles. Have you ever dealt with the embassy rather than the consulate? I mean the Embassy and yes, I have dealt with it on a few occasions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caca4u Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 If a thai wants to buy they should do leasehold only. Freehold only to british. Equal treatment!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veritas48 Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 They have been selling assets since Tony Bliar and Gordie Brown stripped pension funds to build mosques etc in the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soalbundy Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 3 minutes ago, Veritas48 said: They have been selling assets since Tony Bliar and Gordie Brown stripped pension funds to build mosques etc in the UK. How very un-PC of you, you do not love our Muslim brothers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireyfish Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 does it have a swimming pool ... otherwise I'm not interested Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogmatix Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 6 hours ago, gdgbb said: Yes. The land was purchased by the British government, not given to it. The original British mission was on the river on Charung Krung Road but had become rather dilapidated, too small and river communications were no longer important to the mission but the din from river traffic was appalling. At the same time the King asked to buy the land to build his new Post Office building. The British obliged and bought land to build a brand new spacious mission from Nai Lert that was just rice fields in the middle of nowhere at the time to loud howls of complaint from the British community who all thought Ploenchit would be totally inaccessible. At that time the original plot was purchased Brits had an automatic right to buy land in the city by treaty, whereas Siamese had to seek permission from the King to buy within certain limits of the palace and Chinese had no rights to buy land at all. By the time the current plot was purchased and until the early 70s Brits could still buy land under treaty with consent from the government which was not to be unreasonably withheld. The British Club land was purchased under treaty from the King, who had acquired it as loan collateral from one of his relatives, at around the same tone as the Ploenchit embassy site and is still owned by the ordinary members today. There was also a British Consulate in Chiang Mai on British government owned land that was summarily closed down and flogged off s couple of decades ago, only to be reopened in an office building two or three years later. I guess the only options for a new embassy would be to build on leased land or rent in an office building which is probably where it will end up and the embassy families will also be moved to rented accommodation on housing allowances shrunken by the post Brexit pound. The money spent on building flats for 30 embassy families in the compound after selling the land at the front now looks like a waste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kabula Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 The follow up story should be interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyOz Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 1 hour ago, 12DrinkMore said: Boris is now moving to sell off the rest of the UK leaving just London. As Mayor of London Boris did a great job of selling off London. His ambition to sell will not stop at the M25. All UK asserts are fair game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baansgr Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 Just now, OMGImInPattaya said: I put it down to Brexit...the Brits seem to be feeling under the sofa cushions for any loose change it seems. It's really a shame as like the article says, this site (before the Central Embassy carbuncle) was a gracious bit of old British Raj in Bangkok. I'm just glad that when I lived in Bangkok for a few years at the turn of the Millennium, I was able to attend a few Ploenchit Fairs, ambassordor's open houses and teas, and Armistice Day rememberances, with Ole Queen Vic, at the embassy. The Foreign Office had a far larger worldwide presence prior to entering the E.U/Common Market and the BKK Embassy has been defunked for quite some time already so Brexit really has nothing to do with the sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spidermike007 Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 (edited) Has anyone really stopped to consider these prices? Nine acres for $600 million US? Edited August 31, 2016 by spidermike007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NextStationBangkok Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 Do they required Brexit bailout funds ? If they are interested to sell, rather they should donate to Royal Properties on good will, that would be more respectful to this country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minnehaha Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 14 hours ago, manarak said: I'm puzzled by this sale. Does it mean the British Embassy is the owner of that land? When land is given to a foreign country to establish its embassy, it is land that effectively becomes full property of a foreign government and it can then be sold? what is the process of getting new land for a new embassy? the post is definitely misleading. 1. Embassies do not own the land they are on here or anywhere I can think of (did a bit of searching to confirm that which I thought was common knowledge) 2. The British Residence here is on Crown Property Bureau land, as is about 75% of all prime property in Bangkok. It is customary to grant a very long lease to an Embassy - up to 100 years or more with clause to renew. Therefore, it seems that the Brits are selling the building and the lease for the land. Did they not sell the lease for all that land that Central Embassy is built on? That is CPB land, no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolgeoff Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 the location is central,everyone knows it is worth a lot of money.just wonder the real reason for selling and I also think where will they go after Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banana7 Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 (edited) 7 minutes ago, spidermike007 said: Has anyone really stopped to consider these prices? Nine acres for $6 billion US? That is about $700,000,000 per acre, or about $290,000,000 per rai of land. That is many, many times more than prime land in the heart of Beverly Hills sells for. It is positively astonishing what land sells for in metro Bangkok. Is this a major real estate bubble, or what? Well 18B baht doesn't convert to US$6B. At Oanda 18,000,000,000 THB is USD$519,845,000 or GBP 397,107,000 Edited August 31, 2016 by Banana7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangon04 Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 11 hours ago, maimeephom said: When I first came to Thailand in the early 70s.. Newly married Thai couples would visit the Embassy gardens, to make an offering to the statue of Queen Victoria. It was widely believed that the good Queen who bore 9 children , would bestow fertility on their marriage. They can still visit the fertility shrine behind the (ex-Hilton) Swissotel Nailert Park hotel in Wireless and pray to the giant dildos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spidermike007 Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 2 minutes ago, Banana7 said: Well 18B baht doesn't convert to US$6B. At Oanada 18,000,000,000 THB is USD$519,845,000 or GBP 397,107,000 yes, I stand corrected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiKT Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 I would have thought that with Brexit we would want to hold on to this site to retain a tiny bit of the oft besmirched National Prestige. No sharing with the EU now. Maybe a nice park for Brits, and selected others, probably not dogs or ..... Anyway they will just fritter the money away and end up paying more for accommodation elsewhere in the long run. Same old, same old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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