How does this show the extent or otherwise of foreigner (attempted) control via nominees?

The whole point of using a nominee is to give the appearance of Thai majority ownership.

Posted by petter on July 3, 2011 07:12

When a foreigner buy a land at 5 up to 8 million baht a rai, all lands around will be at that price and today Thai local people are unable to buy home as average salary is between 6 up to 12.000 Baht per month.
It is impossible for Thais to refund a bank loan, pay school for children, bear the cost of daily food and refund a loan to a bank; even with a Bachelor Degree, the salary is between 12 up to 20.000 Baht at best.
Foreigners are setting-up Thai ghost companies with Thai proxy nominees as Thai Directors, Thai shareholders and Thai staff in order to own real estate, to buy land or to control assets of Thai companies such as in the diving and yachting industries.
This is why many Thais are deseperate and will give their votes to any political storyteller who gives them a dream to swallow.

Posted by Whistle-Blower on July 3, 2011 09:11

Just thinking logically it would seem that to deduce a relationship between foreign land ownership and Thai voting patterns is a stretch. Or even the existence of a bogeyman of foreign ownership. For one if they are indeed forming all these fake companies they are paying some taxes, they are paying some salaries and if they are buying land they are paying Thai's 8M baht per rai. Which adds to the economy and maybe is not a totally horrid thing. I am sure it happens but I know what I go through each year to prove my company is real and it's not that simple. Even accepting that fact logic suggests that it is the exception not the rule as 99% of Thailand is not beach front in Phuket, that would not account for many people priced out. The reasons for the disenfranchisement of people here has a historical precedence that goes back far beyond the time that Westerners arrived which can be proven using google or reading any history of Thailand and it's people.

Also not sure where you are looking but in the time I have been on the island I have seen countless new lower to middle housing developments built, many new apartments go up, many more and better cars on the road - Thai's are buying all this and I don't see the banks repo-ing houses so someone is affording it. The evidence shows it is Thai people. Like all economies not all sectors see the same gains but there are those benefiting.

Sorry I just don't see anything real that a majority of foreigners are making fake proxy companies, buying up all the land and taking food out of the mouths of Thai people. I also don't see real evidence that Thai people are unable to prosper and pay their bills. In fact all the evidence that I see here and around my offices in Sakorn Nakorn and Bangkok is a burgeoning Thai Middle Class and a prospering national economy and an economy that is not totally dependent on tourism or foreigners for survival.

Posted by Martin on July 3, 2011 10:20

@ Martin
Sakorn Nakorn and Bangkok is not Phuket where most of prime lands, and I do not speak frontbeach lands, are bought by foreigners either for speculating, for setting-up a resort or houses for rent or for retiring.
There are laws in Thailand but Thais and foreigners alike love to flout the laws at the expenses of poor Thai people and genuime investors.
Unfortuntly thoses who should protect Thailand and prosecute those lawbreakers are also making tea-money by helping wrongdoers to cheat on legal documents.
Corruption is widespread in all strates of the Thai society and kill the weakers as cancer.

Posted by Whistle-Blower on July 3, 2011 10:52

@ Editor Comment
I write black on white in my comment "and I do not speak frontbeach lands" so; I was not speaking about prime lands on beaches.
Tambon Rawai and Tambon Chalong may be a good example.
In 2000 land was at less than 700.000 Baht per Rai and today landowner ask at least 5 up to 10 million Baht per Rai.

Posted by Whistle-Blower on July 3, 2011 11:07

Understand where you are coming from Whistleblower and agree that corruption is an issue as the editor has pointed out frequently, but this is a glass half full/half empty debate. I see changes that indicate (perhaps slowly) an end to some of it. I see people doing far better here than ever before and some officials who get it. A maturing election process with less abuse and a major shift away from a dominion. History tells me that where you have a strong middle class and these developments the abuses are less tolerated. I really do believe that when you have an inchoate democracy and economy you have to have some patience. I stand by my above comment that while I think the abuses you suggest go on they are not rife.

Posted by Martin on July 3, 2011 11:12

I agree the extent of foreign efforts to circumvent the general prohibition on (attempting) to control land is often overstated with hyperbole.

However publishing a list of Thai owners doesn't prove anything. The whole point of nominees is appearance. Trojan horses are meant to look like horses.

If Thai officials were genuinely interested and sufficiently motivated to investigate many of the weaker structures would be seen for what they are. However that's unlikely to happen.

Posted by petter on July 3, 2011 15:23

you can add katathani resort in katanoi. the owner is a 100% thai family and they own all the beach front land at kata noi

Posted by j on July 4, 2011 08:49

"The people who spread this stuff" is a state-run media outlet, a fact you failed to mention in your article. The English-language story that appeared locally was a concise translation from their story, with the headline: Land Office CLAIMS ....

Is it not informative to let foreigners know what these officials are spewing to the vernacular press?

Phuket Sub

Posted by Phuket Sub on July 4, 2011 09:55

'no evidence' is different from 'i've seen no evidence'

would be interesting to know how many ownership paper trails Ed and others have seen

Posted by petter on July 4, 2011 19:56

Ed - better than revealing more than you know ;)

Posted by petter on July 5, 2011 13:42