Bangkok Post : Xenophobic nonsense from the Land Dept

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Xenophobic nonsense from the Land Dept

Published: 3/06/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News

Really amazing battle talk from our Land Department Director-General Anuwat Meteewiboonwat, who says that houses can be confiscated if the funds used to buy them came from a foreign spouse.

Logical, isn't it? Because that's like sleeping with the enemy; we must protect ourselves at all times!

I'm saying ''we'' because that's how I consider my status after 15 years living, working and paying tax in this country.

Also, after 15 years I am well aware that every once in a while somebody crawls out from under a stone to start yelling xenophobic nonsense.

Normally nothing bad happens, which is why nobody needs to get really nervous about the noise from Mr Anuwat.

But considering the public relations impact or the current economic status of Thailand, perhaps Mr Anuwat should take notice of the statements coming from the Malaysian Minister of Tourism, Ng Yen Yen.

Miss Ng Yen Yen was last week on a promotional visit to Holland, where she told the following things to the press.

''I understand that people in Holland get about 950 euros in pension every month. With that kind of money you can live very comfortably in Malaysia.

''No more Spain or Italy, because we in Malaysia have made things very easy for you and we offer anybody older than 50 years a 10-year visa.

''Also, in the olden days you could not own more than 70% real estate; now we've changed that to 100%.''

Does Mr Anuwat hear who's talking? This is coming from a neighbouring country just next door.

Perhaps Mr Anuwat should issue a new statement, saying things were misunderstood by the press and that he was talking theoretically and was in no way trying to be threatening.

Maybe then the damage can be controlled and everybody's life can continue happily _ the Thai lives and the ''we'' lives.

PIM HOOGEVEEN

-----

Why not just expel all foreigners ?

So it seems confirmed that the Land Department's Director-General Anuwat Metee-wiboonwat declared while recently in Phuket: ''If the Thai spouse has enough money to buy the house that is fine, but if the Thai has no money and uses money given to him or her by a foreigner to acquire property, that is against the law. If we check and find out later that a Thai person has been using money from a foreigner to buy land anywhere in Thailand, we will revoke title deeds.''

If this statement is confirmed as true, it comes in direct opposition with the intent of modifying the law that a few years ago only permitted a male Thai spouse married to a foreigner to own land, while a female Thai spouse was prohibited to do so.

Never has the source of funding been mentioned as a requirement for such a legal transaction.

Furthermore, there is a document to be signed by the foreign spouse at the Land Department when land acquisition is performed by the Thai spouse, clearly indicating that the foreigner has not and could not exercise in the future any claim whatsoever on the land owned by his Thai spouse.

So what is the purpose of Mr Anuwat's declaration? A war on foreigners? Now this xenophobic director-general wants to prevent married couples from living according to their combined sources of income by preventing them from acquiring property if the revenues are not generated by the Thai side.

This is in complete disregard to the essence of what ''marriage'' means (sharing) and is an outrage to common sense.

Maybe Mr Anuwat should simply have proposed getting rid of and expelling all foreigners from the country, instead of using such a wicked and ridiculous subterfuge.

Thanks to Khun Supachok (''Land policy ridiculous,'' Postbag, June 1) for showing that it is not just foreign spouses who are inflamed by such bigotry.

ANGRY NONTHABURI RESIDENT

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AJ

Discussion 31 : 15/07/2009 at 12:03 PM31
"15 years living, working and paying tax" this is something to look at in more detail! I heard that Foreigners "Farang" are responsible for 70% of the total Income tax in Thailand!

Would like to know the real numbers, but just think about this. We can not escape paying tax like most Thai can. It makes one way sense that we "Farang" are the biggest source for income Tax but have in return ZERO rights!!!
Bubba

Discussion 30 : 10/06/2009 at 12:21 PM30
It is amazing how few people in Thailand own such wealth, including land. But the Thai population must be kept sleepwalking and so, the blame has to go somewhere.

Farang are the perfect scapegoats. By l it is foreigners responsible for the lack of land ownership by the poor.

It is a great ploy, and a typical right wing one for garnering support. In Europe and the USA the "uneducated" workers and poor are easily whipped into frenzies by leading them to believe it is the simple presence of foreign elements in society that is responsible for their plight.

Meanwhile, by keeping people believing the foreigners are the bad guys, the rich can remain rich without having to worry the poor will begin to see who really owns what....
M

Discussion 29 : 10/06/2009 at 07:02 AM29
The solution is simple. Simple is something that is often neglected in Thailand.

Allow foreign ownership of land just like Condos. Put a cap on the amount of land a foreigner can own in their own name. If you own say over 20% business land you can't own your own plot. Set the cap at 20 TWa or 20,000 Rai, it doesn't mater. Make a Tax rate 50% higher than Thai nationals or whatever you want but have set rules that everyone can live with - Simple.
Bill W

Discussion 28 : 08/06/2009 at 08:47 AM28
What about all those foreign corporate interests that have put millions of baht into the economy from overseas?
Will my 51% Thai ownership be able to take everything I own and have it confiscated? Something for Mr. Anuwat to think about. What he is proposing goes further than just property that was funded (either partially or in total) by a foreign spouse. He threatens even the corporate "ownership" of land for business use by foreigners.
Agree that if foreigners were allowed to buy any land they wanted in Thailand, soon after few Thai could afford a place to live (except those Thai who have large amounts of money or some political connection and are used to bribing people to get what they want anyway.
Best to just keep the system as it is, but respect the values that some foreigners place on their Thai relationships.
For those foreigners who don't like the system, move to Malaysia or go back home. Case closed!
J. van Rosmalen

Discussion 27 : 08/06/2009 at 12:15 AM27
Yes I confess
For the last 14 years I helped.
In our village in Nong Khai we have water in the homes. The village temple I helped.
Food for everybody once a day.
My family is selfsupporting now.
It made us happy. But it was not the farrang who did it. We did it.
You could charge me for illegal help. We did not know. But please Don't confiscate the temple ,the family house and rice and a few rai of earth.
You want to execute me ? O.K.
But please keep the benefits a live.
It might be good for your coutry, for sure its health food and carefor the village. A very worried farrang who does'nt live in Thailand. Thank you people with a form of hatred against us/me
Anders

Discussion 26 : 05/06/2009 at 03:56 PM26
Another silly jingoistic sabre-rattle from some stuffed shirt.. A lot of these people have no idea of the world outside their own borders, and are just playing to the peanut galleries of the great unwashed electorate of their own country or constituency.

Khun Anuwat is not the first or won't be the last Thai politician to utter crass, nationalistic rubbish like this. I wonder if he is trying to appeal to shirtless, tattooed Thai laborers everywhere, or just wants to do even more damage to the countries' housing market, and the vast amount of downstream business associated with it?

Nice work, Khun Anuwat.
sammy

Discussion 25 : 04/06/2009 at 12:55 PM25
i rented a shophouse in ao nang krabi. the tessabaan refused to give me a water connection to the building. they said, "water is for the thai people, not foreigners." had to put the water in the name of the housekeeper and pay her to pay the water bill. really, this happened to me. outide of bangkok these local officials can do anything to you. this is what it has come to here.
Aussie John

Discussion 24 : 04/06/2009 at 08:32 AM24
Why is it that the Thai government never makes any formal comment on the way it treats it's expat communities.
Thais all over the western world enjoy freedoms that are blatantly denied to weaterners in the kingdom with the only propaganda given to 'all believing Thais' is that normal not so wealthy westerners married to Thai nationals would take over the country.
What rubbish.! Thai elites control it already.!
Why are'nt western nations enforcing xenophobic laws so as to keep the millions of Thai restaraunts from trading, not to mention buying up land and owning businesses 100%. We must be MAD to let such people have equal rights in our own nations.
This is an elites' law that beifits Thai elities alone.
One minute the Thai government wants westerners to invest in the country, the next minute it's telling us the opposite.
When will the Thai government CLEARLTY SPELL IT OUT.
Are foreign nationals allowed to live with their Thai partners in Thailand with a real sense of security as Thais do in the west or NOT.???.
When will the government explain it's racist attitude that affects so many children born to Thai and their foreign spouses.
Why all the HYPOCRISY.??
I for one fear for my children's future in such a racsist environment. What do I tell them.???
And do you think the PAD will change these laws if it comes to POWER ?.
I don't think so.
lek

Discussion 23 : 04/06/2009 at 08:03 AM23
just rent. keep your money offshore. dont open a business. keep a bag packed. avoid contact with the officials in your daily life. Thats the way to live in Thailand.

enjoy all the good and avoid the bad.
Richard Collins

Discussion 22 : 04/06/2009 at 05:10 AM22
Re Discussion 16: If you wish to know why so many Thai ladies marry foreign men, I will quote my wife who is Thai. Thai men are lazy in caring for their wife, they prefer to drinking, gambling and staying our late rather than being with their family. Also she said when at school so many "men" were either gay or wanted to be ladies that she would rather look abroad than trying to find a real one at home. As for buying your land, you had better speak to your own elite who seem to own most of it anyway, not the small blocks that we wish to buy for our lovely families.
I apologize for any insult to some Thai men who do look after their families but this was what my Thai wife said.

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Bangkok Post : Xenophobic nonsense from the Land Dept

Xenophobic nonsense from the Land Dept

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