Walking Street land owners again scuttle demolition plan

[Shroud]

People don't get it. What's happening throughout Thailand is obvious to the eyes if you realize what's going on inside the Government and the ambitions they have for the future ASEAN country. The top elites are and will try to get rid of the entertainment industry as this is Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul top one priority and invite the future generations of high-end tourists to this destination. Quantity of arrivals doesn't seem to resolve much of the stalled problems this country has had for the past 10-15 years, but rather quality of tourists with cash to spend and help grow the consumer-based economy. 

 

The land grabbings by the government also points to the fact that cash flow to the national budget is critical to pay for the massive infrastructure projects the regime has undertaken. It's the most easiest and fastest approach to reclaim illegal landownership and price lands for next buyer thus enhancing the money flows to local and regional provinces. 

 

There's a war going on and the media doesn't purport it. It seems to be a sadness for many people especially for those who love to visit Thailand for that reason...The Army is winning. 

 

All in all, it's the interest of the Prayuth administration to bring back the Land of the Smile, but it will take years of doing and they're transforming it as we speak.  

Edited December 18, 2016 by Shroud
Added link.

[Destiny1990]

4 minutes ago, Shroud said:

People don't get it. What's happening throughout Thailand is obvious to the eyes if you realize what's going on inside the Government and the ambitions they have for the future of the ASEAN country. The top elites are and will try to get rid of the entertainment industry as this is Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul top one priority and invite the future generations of high-end tourists to this destination. Quantity of arrivals doesn't seem to resolve much of the stalled problems this country has had for the past 10-15 years, but rather quality of tourists with cash to spend and help grow the consumer-based economy. 

 

The land grabbings by the government also points to the fact that cash flow to the national budget is critical to pay for the massive infrastructure projects the regime has undertaken. It's the most easiest and fastest approach to reclaim illegal landownership and price lands for next buyer thus enhancing the money flows to local and regional provinces. 

 

There's a war going on and the media doesn't purport it. It seems to be a sadness for many people especially for those who love to visit Thailand for that reason...The Army is winning. 

 

All in all, it's the interest of the Prayuth administration to bring back the Land of the Smile, but it will take years of doing and they're doing it as we speak.  

Honestly sofar none of the entertainment zones in Thailand have been closed  up..I can be mistaken but isn't one of the duties of a government to reclaim illegal ownership?

[Shroud]

7 minutes ago, Destiny1990 said:

Honestly sofar none of the entertainment zones in Thailand have been closed  up..I can be mistaken but isn't one of the duties of a government to reclaim illegal ownership?

 

They don't, but indirectly squeezing them with more rules and regulatory factors and higher fees. The bigger venues would love to see the small ones vanish in order to attract more visitors to themselves, as they are more guarded by the local police. I personally seen places where they have destroyed shops and bars built on illegal land but the intention wasn't to close them. I'm not sure how this will look like in the coming future but you can sense what's going on since the puzzle kinda points that way. 

[NCC1701A]

If you were Thai, you would visit Walking Street once just to see it, if at all.

After that, there is no reason to go there.

Just like tourist destinations near where you live. 

 

All the rich Thais are on holiday every weekend here in Hua Hin.

 

The Thai government has a over inflated opinion of Thailand as a tourist destination.

They are messing with the equation and I don't just mean just sex tourism. No one is going to come to Thailand and Pattaya to hang out on this new "beach".

 

Thailand is a cheap vacation destination that is very unique. Period. Mess with that and the thousands of other tourist destinations in the world will push Thailand out of the game.  

 

And yes, there does seem to be some sort of panic going on with the government/banks looking for funds anyway they can. Including from Expats with the new 3 million baht visa requirement.

 

 

 

[Basil B]

15 hours ago, Golden Triangle said:

 

No need to shoot the messenger Basil, I am only reporting a conversation I had earlier today, sheeesh you guys get far too heavy sometimes, take a <deleted> breath and relax.

 

And by the way, I am with you on your last paragraph, WS days are numbered, how big that number is ( in days) is also open to discussion.

 

Oh and the deleted bit was F-R-I-G-G-I-N, God forbid I would use the word SCUM 

 

 

Keep your hat on...

 

My remark in the first line was referring to the person who told you...

[Golden Triangle]

13 minutes ago, Basil B said:

 

Keep your hat on...

 

My remark in the first line was referring to the person who told you...

 

Fair enough, my apologies 

[maxcorrigan]

On 12/17/2016 at 9:18 AM, LivinLOS said:

 

A beach no less.. Kings land.. 

Bit like the UK, where the Queen owns two miles out from land, of seabed around the UK coast!

 

[hawker9000]

You could certainly just tear everything down on the beach side, but who's going to build anything worthwhile and tourist-oriented on a stretch of filthy bayfront that represents any significant improvement over what's there now? (No, whatever one's objections to WS, the bars aren't what's polluted the water.)   Here's what happens.  It all gets torn down and all those presently involved just suck up their bad fortune.  Then the government simply turns it over to someone else to "develop" ...................  for "fees" paid to the right people.   It might be designated "park land" at first, mostly for show, but that won't last and various new encroachments will begin within minutes.  TIT.   The idea that this all becomes a big resort-city redevelopment project with eager investment in high-end resort hotels and restaurants taking over the whole WS district is just ludicrous.   The fact that Pattaya is already overgrown with condos & hotel rooms already is no secret except to hopelessly committed expats well past their individual points of no return.   The beach isn't nice enough (and will stay not nice enough thanks to the lack of planned urban growth that's already blighted Pattaya), and Thailand has already done way too good a job of chasing away the most lucrative portion of its former tourist market share.

 

In the end, with no real plan....   Loss of tourist traffic; loss of jobs; loss of interest by anyone with real money to invest.  Growth?  Yes, there'll be some growth.  'Growth of a tourist-revenue-starved local population ever more inclined to exploit the dwindling number of clueless tourists who DO make it there. 

 

Peremptory action like just charging in with bulldozers isn't the answer.  It'll take more brain cells than that.  If Pattaya's lucky, maybe they'll build a nice new fish-processing plant where WS used to be...

 

Edited December 19, 2016 by hawker9000

[NanLaew]

2 hours ago, hawker9000 said:

... and Thailand has already done way too good a job of chasing away the most lucrative portion of its former tourist market share.

 

What portion is that? In your humble opinion of course.

 

And please don't say sexpat mongers.

[Destiny1990]

2 hours ago, hawker9000 said:

You could certainly just tear everything down on the beach side, but who's going to build anything worthwhile and tourist-oriented on a stretch of filthy bayfront that represents any significant improvement over what's there now? (No, whatever one's objections to WS, the bars aren't what's polluted the water.)   Here's what happens.  It all gets torn down and all those presently involved just suck up their bad fortune.  Then the government simply turns it over to someone else to "develop" ...................  for "fees" paid to the right people.   It might be designated "park land" at first, mostly for show, but that won't last and various new encroachments will begin within minutes.  TIT.   The idea that this all becomes a big resort-city redevelopment project with eager investment in high-end resort hotels and restaurants taking over the whole WS district is just ludicrous.   The fact that Pattaya is already overgrown with condos & hotel rooms already is no secret except to hopelessly committed expats well past their individual points of no return.   The beach isn't nice enough (and will stay not nice enough thanks to the lack of planned urban growth that's already blighted Pattaya), and Thailand has already done way too good a job of chasing away the most lucrative portion of its former tourist market share.

 

In the end, with no real plan....   Loss of tourist traffic; loss of jobs; loss of interest by anyone with real money to invest.  Growth?  Yes, there'll be some growth.  'Growth of a tourist-revenue-starved local population ever more inclined to exploit the dwindling number of clueless tourists who DO make it there. 

 

Peremptory action like just charging in with bulldozers isn't the answer.  It'll take more brain cells than that.  If Pattaya's lucky, maybe they'll build a nice new fish-processing plant where WS used to be...

 

On a serious note i am happy that Pattaya City Hall did not hire you as their new city development planner!

 

[fforest1]

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

 

What portion is that? In your humble opinion of course.

 

And please don't say sexpat mongers.

 

Look no further than Phuket were tourist are denied the simple

pleasure of sitting on a beach chair with a umbrella...Why? To

save the beach ..lol... Maybe the Russian did not mind sitting

on the sand but wealthy tourist have voted with their feet...

This same thinking is hard at work destroying bangkok's 

famous markets...

I hope Walking streets value can be recognized...  

 

 

 

Edited December 19, 2016 by fforest1

[farcanell]

17 minutes ago, fforest1 said:

 

Look no further than Phuket were tourist are denied the simple

pleasure of sitting on a beach chair with a umbrella...Why? To

save the beach ..lol... Maybe the Russian did not mind sitting

on the sand but wealthy tourist have voted with their feet...

 

 

 

Yep... ruin the use of the beach, to save the beach, whereas effective municipal beach cleaning, of the beachs, would have perhaps been a far better option for all... especially beach users, of which there are fewer, since removing the vendors.

 

exotic Thailand is becoming sanitized Thailand.... we that have seen it, are lucky to have seen it (exotic Thailand)

 

that said, with a return to normalacy, once an elected government is in situ, perhaps normalcy, as we have seen previously, will reassert itself, hopefully though, in a more structured manner involving regulated licenses and permits to operate

[Destiny1990]

2 hours ago, fforest1 said:

 

Look no further than Phuket were tourist are denied the simple

pleasure of sitting on a beach chair with a umbrella...Why? To

save the beach ..lol... Maybe the Russian did not mind sitting

on the sand but wealthy tourist have voted with their feet...

This same thinking is hard at work destroying bangkok's 

famous markets...

I hope Walking streets value can be recognized...  

 

 

 

Its indeed a heartbreaking story but Pattaya will be more then fine even  with a reduced Walking Street.there will be more then enough empty bar chairs left in the city For u to have your excitement.

[KarenBravo]

The pragmatic solution would be for rents and key money to go to the government. After all, this is public land.

Nothing else changes.

[Destiny1990]

 

2 hours ago, KarenBravo said:

The pragmatic solution would be for rents and key money to go to the government. After all, this is public land.

Nothing else changes.

What makes you believe that Walking Street is Public Land?Have u ever even been in Thailand with these statements of yours?

[KarenBravo]

I was first in Pattaya in 1982. Lived in Phuket since 85. In the mid-eighties it was well known that the sea side of walking street was "government land" as it was called back then. Knew several bar owners (BJ & Champions) and one restaurant owner whose restaurant was on the land side and most of the seating area on government land. They had to cross walking street with ordered food. Even they acknowledged it was not their land.

 

And just what are your qualifications to comment on this thread?

Edited December 19, 2016 by KarenBravo

[Destiny1990]

44 minutes ago, KarenBravo said:

I was first in Pattaya in 1982. Lived in Phuket since 85. In the mid-eighties it was well known that the sea side of walking street was "government land" as it was called back then. Knew several bar owners (BJ & Champions) and one restaurant owner whose restaurant was on the land side and most of the seating area on government land. They had to cross walking street with ordered food. Even they acknowledged it was not their land.

 

And just what are your qualifications to comment on this thread?

Okey Fair enough just bit confused because in your first post you declare walking street public land and now in your second post u declare walking street government land.

[NanLaew]

12 hours ago, Destiny1990 said:

Okey Fair enough just bit confused because in your first post you declare walking street public land and now in your second post u declare walking street government land.

 

Public and/or government land = not for private use/personal gain.

 

We are not talking about the whole of Walking Street, only the parts that lie west of the what used to be the south end of Beach Road commonly known as the beach. This was well before someone decided pedestrianization yielded an added layer of protection for their illegal operations while masquerading as a tourist traffic safety concern.

 

The 'raft' of papers that landowners and stakeholders are waving at the current administration are as illegal and invalid as they were when someone PAID a government official for them many, many years ago.

[hawker9000]

19 hours ago, NanLaew said:

 

What portion is that? In your humble opinion of course.

 

And please don't say sexpat mongers.

lu·cra·tive

ˈlo͞okrədiv/

adjective

adjective: lucrative

1. producing a great deal of profit.

    

   synonyms:

   profitable, profit-making, gainful, remunerative, moneymaking, paying, high-income, well paid, bankable;

[NanLaew]

6 hours ago, hawker9000 said:

lu·cra·tive

ˈlo͞okrədiv/

adjective

adjective: lucrative

1. producing a great deal of profit.

    

   synonyms:

   profitable, profit-making, gainful, remunerative, moneymaking, paying, high-income, well paid, bankable;

 

I know what lucrative means. I am trying to ascertain what portion of the tourist market you consider the Thai's have killed?

 

On 12/19/2016 at 7:44 AM, hawker9000 said:

and Thailand has already done way too good a job of chasing away the most lucrative portion of its former tourist market share.

 

What is this "most lucrative portion"? Since tourism generates between 12% to 15% of the nations GDP, it would be good to know what this significant metric was.

[pegman]

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

 

I know what lucrative means. I am trying to ascertain what portion of the tourist market you consider the Thai's have killed?

 

 

What is this "most lucrative portion"? Since tourism generates between 12% to 15% of the nations GDP, it would be good to know what this significant metric was.

Horny old farang.

[SGD]

I know some daughters and granddaughters of Vietnam War US expats who each rake in over $500,000 per year from just a tiny fraction of Walking Street. The whole place must make $100m plus a year.

[Pattaya46]

2 hours ago, SGD said:

I know some daughters and granddaughters of Vietnam War US expats who each rake in over $500,000 per year from just a tiny fraction of Walking Street. The whole place must make $100m plus a year.

 

Ridiculous post . These are absolutly unrealistic amounts, mainly for "just a tiny fraction of WS". I know the manager of a nice agogo right on Walking Street, and he pays less than $100'000 per year for the rent.

[SGD]

On 12/24/2016 at 3:44 AM, Pattaya46 said:

 

Ridiculous post . These are absolutly unrealistic amounts, mainly for "just a tiny fraction of WS". I know the manager of a nice agogo right on Walking Street, and he pays less than $100'000 per year for the rent.

 

So you know one person who pays $100k for one unit.

 

What if that landlord had 5 units ?

 

There's your $500k.

 

As for my statement, these landlords actually run businesses on the land they own.

[Pattaya46]

^ 5 units the size of this big agogo would not be a "tiny fraction" of WS... IMHO

Good for them though.

[NanLaew]

22 hours ago, SGD said:

 

So you know one person who pays $100k for one unit.

 

What if that landlord had 5 units ?

 

There's your $500k.

 

As for my statement, these landlords actually run businesses on the land they own.

And you know some that get $500k... so?

 

Either way, I don't think these "daughters and granddaughters" have any businesses that are built out over the beach side of WS. Otherwise your claim that they "actually run businesses on the land they own" is probably valid.

[Destiny1990]

On 12/28/2016 at 10:13 AM, SGD said:

 

So you know one person who pays $100k for one unit.

 

What if that landlord had 5 units ?

 

There's your $500k.

 

As for my statement, these landlords actually run businesses on the land they own.

What on earth  makes u believe that if you collect rent for a business built up on some land that then it means they must also own the land??

[Stardust314]

please don t "westernised" all Thailand.  we dont want another boring ,undercontroll,feminazi, western-europe or usa type "paradise" with concrete walls and expensive products. no more bars than hooters-cold blood smile "dont touch bar girls "with usa  price of beer...lol thanks . i dont need travel for half world and spend money to  have same price of beer like in germany/gb and "bar girls" from ukraina  with 100eu per hour.  its more aids in europe than in thailand,remeber this!

but cambodians are so dumb now and make all expensive than in thailand. and start anti drug politics.

in equador is it cool now  but  unfortn. soo much crime,like in brasil..  dutch and amsterdam is already destroied with one religoius fanatics.....

places like nana plaza and whole pattaya is unique and i will there until my last "bax" 

thailand was better before 20 years. after 1999 dicarbido the BEACH movie start thailand BIG economic groow. from 2000+ to 2012 was cool backpackers "hole" cheap and safe , like cambodia too . damn i miss that times..

But if west world  wil get poor asia get too.. like china now but they get from that other way later. .  they have man power  witch will never have western world )) so by carefull

 

[zorro1]

please don t "westernised" all Thailand.  we dont want another boring ,undercontroll,feminazi, western-europe or usa type "paradise" with concrete walls and expensive products. no more bars than hooters-cold blood smile "dont touch bar girls "with usa  price of beer...lol thanks . i dont need travel for half world and spend money to  have same price of beer like in germany/gb and "bar girls" from ukraina  with 100eu per hour.  its more aids in europe than in thailand,remeber this!

but cambodians are so dumb now and make all expensive than in thailand. and start anti drug politics.

in equador is it cool now  but  unfortn. soo much crime,like in brasil..  dutch and amsterdam is already destroied with one religoius fanatics.....

places like nana plaza and whole pattaya is unique and i will there until my last "bax" 

thailand was better before 20 years. after 1999 dicarbido the BEACH movie start thailand BIG economic groow. from 2000+ to 2012 was cool backpackers "hole" cheap and safe , like cambodia too . damn i miss that times..

But if west world  wil get poor asia get too.. like china now but they get from that other way later. .  they have man power  witch will never have western world )) so by carefull

 

Nothing lasts forever. Enjoy it while you can

For those ready to retire now but want to bump up the package by another 10 years should think about that.

[Stardust314]

On 19. 12. 2016 at 5:44 AM, farcanell said:

 

Yep... ruin the use of the beach, to save the beach, whereas effective municipal beach cleaning, of the beachs, would have perhaps been a far better option for all... especially beach users, of which there are fewer, since removing the vendors.

 

exotic Thailand is becoming sanitized Thailand.... we that have seen it, are lucky to have seen it (exotic Thailand)

 

that said, with a return to normalacy, once an elected government is in situ, perhaps normalcy, as we have seen previously, will reassert itself, hopefully though, in a more structured manner involving regulated licenses and permits to operate

exotic Thailand is becoming sanitized Thailand.... we that have seen it, are lucky to have seen it (exotic Thailand)

lucky men .. best comment .