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A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand
- Thread starter Leongsam
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Lunch at local restaurant near my office. Love this place cos its rustic, comfortable, natural and most of all food is delicious
Lunch for 3
Thai green curry
Thai herb tamarind soup with prawn
Deep fried chicken wings with herbs
Omelete
Grilled eggplant with Thai herb and lime
Great lunch for 730 baht ($33)
Lunch for 3
Thai green curry
Thai herb tamarind soup with prawn
Deep fried chicken wings with herbs
Omelete
Grilled eggplant with Thai herb and lime
Great lunch for 730 baht ($33)
- Joined
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Hopefully, more baht friendly? With its runaway rise this year (highest amongst Asean), less bang for our buck.
Screwing up (excuse the pun) exports and tourist revenue (20% GDP)
Bank of Thailand introduces measures to mitigate
non-resident short-term speculation
Econ
Jul 12. 2019
By The Nation
The Bank of Thailand (BOT) has decided to enhance measures to mitigate impact of short-term speculative flows and increase the reporting requirements for non-residents’ holdings of debt securities, BOT’s Assistant Governor for Financial Markets Operations Group Vachira Arromdee said on Friday.
The details of the measures are as follows.
1) Enhance “Measures to Prevent Thai Baht Speculation” by reducing the limit on the outstanding balance of Non-resident Baht Account (NRBA) and Non-resident Baht Account for Securities (NRBS) from Bt300 million per non-resident to Bt200 million per non-resident with effect from July 22. For NRBA and/or NRBS with outstanding balances at the end of the day higher than Bt200 million per non-resident, financial institutions are required to notify the corresponding non-resident account holders to comply with these changes by reducing the outstanding balances within the effective date.
NRBA holders who are non-financial corporates with underlying trade and investment in Thailand, and have opened accounts directly with Thai financial institutions, may submit requests to the BOT for waivers of this outstanding balance limit, which will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
2) Enhance the reporting requirements for non-residents’ holdings of debt securities issued in Thailand where the names of end beneficiaries shall be reported for all non-residents’ holdings of Thai debt securities. This measure will help enhance the BOT’s surveillance of non-residents’ investment behaviours and will come into effect as of the July 2019 reporting period.
The BOT will continue to closely monitor the Thai baht movements as well as non-resident behaviours, and stand ready to use additional measures if undesirable speculative behaviours persist.
Vachira added that the measures address the heightened volatility in global financial market due to various factors, such as trade tensions between the US and major trading partners, the global economic slowdown, and the shift towards a more accommodative monetary policy stance amongst major central banks. These developments have increasingly led capital flows to return to Emerging Market Economies.
With a relatively more positive outlook on the Thai baht, investors have increased their positions in Thai baht and Thai securities, in part for short-term speculative purposes.
The Bank of Thailand (BOT) has been closely monitoring the Thai baht as well as non-residents’ capital flow movements, and is concerned about the rapid appreciation of the Thai baht relative to its regional peers, as it could lead to unfavorable macroeconomic repercussions.
Screwing up (excuse the pun) exports and tourist revenue (20% GDP)
Bank of Thailand introduces measures to mitigate
non-resident short-term speculation
Econ
Jul 12. 2019
By The Nation
The Bank of Thailand (BOT) has decided to enhance measures to mitigate impact of short-term speculative flows and increase the reporting requirements for non-residents’ holdings of debt securities, BOT’s Assistant Governor for Financial Markets Operations Group Vachira Arromdee said on Friday.
The details of the measures are as follows.
1) Enhance “Measures to Prevent Thai Baht Speculation” by reducing the limit on the outstanding balance of Non-resident Baht Account (NRBA) and Non-resident Baht Account for Securities (NRBS) from Bt300 million per non-resident to Bt200 million per non-resident with effect from July 22. For NRBA and/or NRBS with outstanding balances at the end of the day higher than Bt200 million per non-resident, financial institutions are required to notify the corresponding non-resident account holders to comply with these changes by reducing the outstanding balances within the effective date.
NRBA holders who are non-financial corporates with underlying trade and investment in Thailand, and have opened accounts directly with Thai financial institutions, may submit requests to the BOT for waivers of this outstanding balance limit, which will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
2) Enhance the reporting requirements for non-residents’ holdings of debt securities issued in Thailand where the names of end beneficiaries shall be reported for all non-residents’ holdings of Thai debt securities. This measure will help enhance the BOT’s surveillance of non-residents’ investment behaviours and will come into effect as of the July 2019 reporting period.
The BOT will continue to closely monitor the Thai baht movements as well as non-resident behaviours, and stand ready to use additional measures if undesirable speculative behaviours persist.
Vachira added that the measures address the heightened volatility in global financial market due to various factors, such as trade tensions between the US and major trading partners, the global economic slowdown, and the shift towards a more accommodative monetary policy stance amongst major central banks. These developments have increasingly led capital flows to return to Emerging Market Economies.
With a relatively more positive outlook on the Thai baht, investors have increased their positions in Thai baht and Thai securities, in part for short-term speculative purposes.
The Bank of Thailand (BOT) has been closely monitoring the Thai baht as well as non-residents’ capital flow movements, and is concerned about the rapid appreciation of the Thai baht relative to its regional peers, as it could lead to unfavorable macroeconomic repercussions.
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Power grab (new cabinet), diff but same same (as Thais say) 
Thought this was an interesting commentary by Chula's academic
New cabinet puts power grab on display
THITINAN PONGSUDHIRAKCOLUMNIST
PUBLISHED : 12 JUL 2019 AT 04:00
Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha poses for a photo with politicians from Palang Pracharath and other coalition parties after his premiership received royal endorsement. Royal Thai Government House
As if to remind the Thai public of what the past five years of military-authoritarian rule has been all about, the first post-election cabinet under Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha now represents the full manifestation of what was no less than a power grab.
Cliques and columns who wanted power took to the streets and laid the conditions for Gen Prayut to stage a coup. In turn, Gen Prayut then led a lacklustre coup-appointed government and saw to it that a constitution was written to ensure longer-term rule. Now Thailand has moved from a military government to a civil-military authoritarian rule under disguised and manipulated electoral legitimacy. Moving beyond this lot of government leaders is likely to bring about more political instability and heightened risks.
But this time, there is no more pretence about the Prayut-led junta's promise to stay for a "short time" and to undertake political reform, broker a national compromise, and tackle corruption. Each category has come up hollow after five years. Political changes have been reactionary, not progressive. Thailand's political divisions have deepened because one side has come out on top and had its way without due regard for the other side. Corruption and graft haven't gone away in view of unaccountable weapons procurements, rising military expenditure, conflicts of interest among the power holders, not to mention those infamous watches worn by Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon.
It was argued, with substantiation and persuasion that the ousted and elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra was beset by graft with the rice-pledging policy and lacking in legitimacy because of the amnesty bill. But the organisers of the street protests under the People's Democratic Reform Committee from October 2013 that led to the coup in May 2014 were not in it for altruistic reasons. Had they dislodged an elected government due to corruption and abuse of power and then stepped aside to let the Thai people have their say in a new election, this would have been understandable and even recognised. But protest leaders along with their military allies merely wanted to seize power for themselves. They have shrewdly manipulated and manoeuvred their way to the top.
Now we can see them in the new cabinet line-up. A clutch of protest leaders are ensconced in the ministries of education, digital economy and society, labour, and transport. The new education minister is particularly interesting because his immediate family is in the business of international education. Other PDRC firebrands, who are still with the Democrat Party, also have done well in this round of cabinet appointments.
Deputy ministers of the agriculture portfolio are controversial because one has been implicated in narcotics crime in a foreign country and the other is a relative of another shady and "influential" figure. These unsavoury individuals are provincial patrons and power brokers, and apparent fixers and trouble-shooters for the military regime, which still has a big say in how the show is run in Thai politics.
Perversely, many names in the cabinet line-up used to work under elected governments aligned to deposed and self-exiled prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Two of the deputy prime ministers fall under this category. A quick check online will reveal that more than a third of the current cabinet worked under Thaksin and his proxy prime ministers. It is difficult to claim that this government is qualitatively different than previously overthrown administrations because the same cabinet names keep coming up.
Out of all the portfolios, the ministry of foreign affairs is Thailand's face to the outside world. Yet the same minister, who previously denied Thailand had a human rights problem and who went out of his way to rationalise the coup and kowtow to the military regime, stays in the post.
Perhaps Thailand as Asean chair needs an experienced pair of hands to handle crucial diplomatic processes but this country has plenty of foreign affairs talent. Supporters and sycophants will make excuses in favour but Thailand could have done better with a seasoned but fresh pair of hands. A number of ministers who served the military government have also been retained. Among them is the new finance minister who was embroiled in a bank scandal harking back to an earlier Thaksin administration more than a decade ago.
New allies who have been enticed to join the ruling Palang Pracharath Party have been given choice portfolios, particularly Suriya Jungroongruangkit. Yet this is the same person who was transport minister under a Thaksin government that was so deeply mired in corruption allegations over the CTX airport X-ray scanners that it was nearly brought down.
Gens Prayut, Prawit and Gen Anupong Paochinda still control the interior and defence ministries. Evidently, their grip on security in the country is as firm as before. Thailand has now moved into a new phase of civilianised authoritarian rule with some power sharing. The military still lurks in the background with powers that infringe on basic freedoms.
As the uninspiring cabinet line-up gears up to announce policies that have uncanny echoes of the Thaksin "populist" era, what is tantamount to a power grab will become even more conspicuous.
The once-vaunted notion that there are good and bad people who want to run Thailand is a farce. They are all the same people. Let's not forget that, and let's aim for the same set of rules that are fair and square for everyone.
Thitinan Pongsudhirak, PhD, teaches at the Faculty of Political Science and directs the Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University.
THITINAN PONGSUDHIRAK
AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AT CHULALONGKORN UNIVERSITY
Thought this was an interesting commentary by Chula's academicNew cabinet puts power grab on display
THITINAN PONGSUDHIRAKCOLUMNIST
PUBLISHED : 12 JUL 2019 AT 04:00
As if to remind the Thai public of what the past five years of military-authoritarian rule has been all about, the first post-election cabinet under Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha now represents the full manifestation of what was no less than a power grab.
Cliques and columns who wanted power took to the streets and laid the conditions for Gen Prayut to stage a coup. In turn, Gen Prayut then led a lacklustre coup-appointed government and saw to it that a constitution was written to ensure longer-term rule. Now Thailand has moved from a military government to a civil-military authoritarian rule under disguised and manipulated electoral legitimacy. Moving beyond this lot of government leaders is likely to bring about more political instability and heightened risks.
But this time, there is no more pretence about the Prayut-led junta's promise to stay for a "short time" and to undertake political reform, broker a national compromise, and tackle corruption. Each category has come up hollow after five years. Political changes have been reactionary, not progressive. Thailand's political divisions have deepened because one side has come out on top and had its way without due regard for the other side. Corruption and graft haven't gone away in view of unaccountable weapons procurements, rising military expenditure, conflicts of interest among the power holders, not to mention those infamous watches worn by Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon.
It was argued, with substantiation and persuasion that the ousted and elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra was beset by graft with the rice-pledging policy and lacking in legitimacy because of the amnesty bill. But the organisers of the street protests under the People's Democratic Reform Committee from October 2013 that led to the coup in May 2014 were not in it for altruistic reasons. Had they dislodged an elected government due to corruption and abuse of power and then stepped aside to let the Thai people have their say in a new election, this would have been understandable and even recognised. But protest leaders along with their military allies merely wanted to seize power for themselves. They have shrewdly manipulated and manoeuvred their way to the top.
Now we can see them in the new cabinet line-up. A clutch of protest leaders are ensconced in the ministries of education, digital economy and society, labour, and transport. The new education minister is particularly interesting because his immediate family is in the business of international education. Other PDRC firebrands, who are still with the Democrat Party, also have done well in this round of cabinet appointments.
Deputy ministers of the agriculture portfolio are controversial because one has been implicated in narcotics crime in a foreign country and the other is a relative of another shady and "influential" figure. These unsavoury individuals are provincial patrons and power brokers, and apparent fixers and trouble-shooters for the military regime, which still has a big say in how the show is run in Thai politics.
Perversely, many names in the cabinet line-up used to work under elected governments aligned to deposed and self-exiled prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Two of the deputy prime ministers fall under this category. A quick check online will reveal that more than a third of the current cabinet worked under Thaksin and his proxy prime ministers. It is difficult to claim that this government is qualitatively different than previously overthrown administrations because the same cabinet names keep coming up.
Out of all the portfolios, the ministry of foreign affairs is Thailand's face to the outside world. Yet the same minister, who previously denied Thailand had a human rights problem and who went out of his way to rationalise the coup and kowtow to the military regime, stays in the post.
Perhaps Thailand as Asean chair needs an experienced pair of hands to handle crucial diplomatic processes but this country has plenty of foreign affairs talent. Supporters and sycophants will make excuses in favour but Thailand could have done better with a seasoned but fresh pair of hands. A number of ministers who served the military government have also been retained. Among them is the new finance minister who was embroiled in a bank scandal harking back to an earlier Thaksin administration more than a decade ago.
New allies who have been enticed to join the ruling Palang Pracharath Party have been given choice portfolios, particularly Suriya Jungroongruangkit. Yet this is the same person who was transport minister under a Thaksin government that was so deeply mired in corruption allegations over the CTX airport X-ray scanners that it was nearly brought down.
Gens Prayut, Prawit and Gen Anupong Paochinda still control the interior and defence ministries. Evidently, their grip on security in the country is as firm as before. Thailand has now moved into a new phase of civilianised authoritarian rule with some power sharing. The military still lurks in the background with powers that infringe on basic freedoms.
As the uninspiring cabinet line-up gears up to announce policies that have uncanny echoes of the Thaksin "populist" era, what is tantamount to a power grab will become even more conspicuous.
The once-vaunted notion that there are good and bad people who want to run Thailand is a farce. They are all the same people. Let's not forget that, and let's aim for the same set of rules that are fair and square for everyone.
Thitinan Pongsudhirak, PhD, teaches at the Faculty of Political Science and directs the Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University.
THITINAN PONGSUDHIRAK
AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AT CHULALONGKORN UNIVERSITY
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@Froggy Question for you. Lets say PAPsmearer wants to visit Thailand for 2 weeks. U know, hit the usual spots like Bangkok, Phuket, Chiangmai, Pattaya, etc. Is it worth it to hire a guide/translator/female companion/fuck buddy? Is there a website or forum where you can find these services? I don't want to hassle with where to eat, the language, where to find good massage without being ripped off, etc. Let me know, hor.
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Its a good idea to have a local companion. I have no idea about a website or service platform cos being a local I don't use it even if there is one. Am afraid I can't help you. I only know listing of "escorts" is plentiful however the women I suspect are those dark low end type that AMDK deemed exotic. Another way is to hire car and driver who can speak english for the duration of the trip, I will chose this way. This is easy to find.
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Ok, I will consider hiring a car and driver, is there a website or forum to do that from?
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Asides from usual main car hire companies (Avis, Hertz etc), there are other local (and cheaper) setups. Local setups also prevalent for each major city, as you doing far out cities (ie possibly fly?). Cursory search for reputable Budget Car Rental with chauffeur (you don't want any hassles):
https://www.budget.co.th/ServiceChauffeur.aspx
Another practical option is to do Grab, and ask/negotiate with (English speaking) driver for daily package. More affordable, and saves you the usual car hire fuss, gas and more importantly, "local" city insider know how (makan, rub down joints, bars etc). You can also do same with local meter meter blokes (but risk not speak much English). Most Grab/taxi drivers do this, as far more lucrative. I know of even local khun Thais who do this in their 'non-native' cities.
But of course, if you get 'lucky' at one of the local city bars... you get full lobangs (but watch out for LBs hor)
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Asides from usual main car hire companies (Avis, Hertz etc), there are other local (and cheaper) setups. Local setups also prevalent for each major city, as you doing far out cities (ie possibly fly?). Cursory search for reputable Budget Car Rental with chauffeur (you don't want any hassles):
https://www.budget.co.th/ServiceChauffeur.aspx
Another practical option is to do Grab, and ask/negotiate with (English speaking) driver for daily package. More affordable, and saves you the usual car hire fuss, gas and more importantly, "local" city insider know how (makan, rub down joints, bars etc). You can also do same with local meter meter blokes (but risk not speak much English). Most Grab/taxi drivers do this, as far more lucrative. I know of even local khun Thais who do this in their 'non-native' cities.
But of course, if you get 'lucky' at one of the local city bars... you get full lobangs (but watch out for LBs hor)
Thanks, good advice Yingyang, will look into that. Grab driver for a daily package sounds like a good idea. Never thought about that.
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I myself done just that in Chiangmai late last year, for a day tripper up to the mountains. He even has a tuk tuk or 2, for congested sois (lorongs).
With luck, you might even land a chiobu driver (with side benefits)
. Enjoy LOS, and write home (here) on your sexploits
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