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AmoresPerros
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Still hesitating wether to make a long post about it. I'll skip the details but basically it seems the thai government is looking to reap more benefits of its very succesfull policy towards the gem industry and pressure has increased noticeably during the last couple of months to get money from the players.
A new level was reached yesterday morning when government officials apparently following direct orders from Thaksin cordonned off a minor soi of Chantaburi gem market and arrested 30 foreign buyers. Most of them where released on bail the same evening but while coming back today to the police station where their passport was hold they were all of them kept again in custody. They are still there from what I know and if things don't clear up before 10pm they're there at least in untill monday. It seems they are charged for doing business without the right documents, despite they're mostly buying goods there and 5 of them have a work permit valid in Bangkok.
It puts the pressure on the big players there, mostly thai and indians, in case similar actions were taken in more sensible sois or offices only a couple of hours later. Atmosphere was quite tensed today as threats of deportations and blacklisting were made.
Anyway it reminds of threads about foreign businessman beeing arrested for having a "business lunch" without a business visa or people asked for their work permit while walking on the skytrain station wearing long sleeves shirt.
What's the legal basis there ?? What do one need to enter the country,say to buy goods and export them back?
Felt so far as a gem buyer I was in a blessed business where government just let you have your way as long as you're bringing money in the country but it seems like in the piss test, minor actors get involved and more or less victimised in bigger players issues. We're already obviously taking steps to overcome the present issues but wouldn't mind some boardmembers feedback on the topic.
Cheers!
AP
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 9:49 am on Oct. 1, 2005
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philly
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As I understand it there are lots of places to get laid in BKK, but the action centers around several specific areas, such as Nana Plaza.
Other than that, UTSE, or maybe the one at the Wall Street Journal.
cheers,
Phil
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Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 9:54 am on Oct. 1, 2005
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shoke
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There's a Sino-Thai clique who think they can make their own rules for the rest of the world. The falang inflicted the 1997 currency debacle on their abacuses and now, they'll show who's the big boss.
However, it's a competitive market out there.
Just take your money elsewhere... more fun, less hassle, more money, less corruption, no pretences at nationalism, more success... best of all, no Sino-Thais mismanaging.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 12:43 pm on Oct. 1, 2005
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koolbreez
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The police rotations just renegotiating the tea money tree......lol
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Sexy Bangkok Girls
Posted on: 10:07 pm on Oct. 2, 2005
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China Sailor
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Quote: from AmoresPerros on 11:17 pm on Oct. 1, 2005
Anyway it reminds of threads about foreign businessman beeing arrested for having a "business lunch" without a business visa or people asked for their work permit while walking on the skytrain station wearing long sleeves shirt.
That is why I do not wear a long sleve shirt in LOS 
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 7:05 am on Oct. 3, 2005
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AmoresPerros
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Shoke,
yes, this may end up like a mistake for the thai economy.Thailand still has an edge in ruby manufacturing but traders might get fed up with the recent govewrnment animosity and Sri lanka, Hong King/China and Dubai may end up the happy beneficient of such issues in the thai agenda. Where else did you think about, especially if it was in relation with coloured stones wholesale trade??
Anyway I'm disapointed about the situation as Chantaburi was very much a trader paradise. No control whatsoever over circulation of goods and people while at the same time a very safe place to deal. Can't really think of another rather open place where to make business in a straighter way, so rid of bureaucratic barriers and criminal threat. Just need a few mns to close a 10 or 100 thousand dollar deal and tens of deals around if you know on which door to knock, but no way nor need to get a 100 bucks invoice. Still easy to get your goods legally outside the country as the thai powers were very lenient about the formalities
This and the abscence of import duty on rough stones, along the zero export duty on cut stones, the thai government did a great job in turning that country in the world center of ruby and possibly sapphire trading. It seems that now the government is upset at those guys driving 10 million baht cars and transferring much more between their bank account without ever having paid tax and some guys in office want a bigger share. Might as well be something going on keeping in check the indians who are already worldwide ridiculind thai trading skills and are about to do the same in the homeland.
Anyway, it's moving and surprisingly I managed three interesting deals on saturday, one very stressing though as we had to go near the market and constantly watching over our shoulders we almost felt as we were doing a drug deal. Hopefully we'll just need to add a bit of red tape on the whole activity and it will thrive again.
According to the closest from the action source I know the 30 businessmen were still locked in last night.
At the present foreigners are required to get a special clearance before going to buy in Chantaburi so tourists should clear away untill it cools down. Brought 2 pics yesterday and signed the required form outside a friend's office fast on my way to the airport for going to Chantaburi next week but didn't have time to read all the details.
Time to get back to the Royal Suite in Galleface, along that thai bird that shall help me forget Colombo is an utterly boring place.
Cheers, and stay clear from male only cells.
AP
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Bangkok Women : Meet Beautiful Thai Girls
Posted on: 11:54 am on Oct. 3, 2005
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AmoresPerros
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Some more on this topic... things had calmed down for a while, some small players have disappeared and many have gone through more paperwork to avoid this kind of problem again. Among others I get a buying permit before going to Chantaburi and several foreigners changed their work permit in order to conduct legally business there. Things were kindda OK for a few weeks...
Came back to work in BKK yesterday and learned that cops made a raid on the way between Chantaburi and BKK, at a time and a place where many gem dealers weekly stop for a chat and food on the way back to BKK. Controlled everybody, indian, pakis and chinese who had the right working papers but not the right invoices. Confiscated all the goods the could find and sealed them. Case ongoing, market was dead again last week.
It seems the thai government really want the 7% vat which should be OK for many dealers if they could just claim it back as the law says.
Yet in BKK when a gem dealer claims the VAT it means he will get a visit from the custom department which will cost him significant money. hence very few dare to claim it and the issue is still hot.
Now just hoping for some chinese get hold of heating process so they can start manufacturing in China and f*** thailand. Which is not such a merry prospect as f***ing thais is actually one of the sweetest pleasures of life.
But well...
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 8:58 pm on Dec. 20, 2005
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