Considering Casino Gambling The recent announcements by PM Samak and several other high-ranking government officials that the Administration will push for the legalization of casino gambling in tourist areas like Pattaya, Phuket and several others has put this issue back on the front burner of public discussion. It really should have been anticipated that the PPP would raise the legalization of gambling as a means of raising revenues now going to illegal games and to other ASEAN countries. Former PM Thaksin Shinowatra had backed legalizing casinos before he was overthrown in the September, 2006 coup, and the current PM has spoken out in favor of legal gaming several times over the course of his career, dating back some 30 years.
What in the World is "Key Money"? Or, why should I have to pay so much for a key…If you’ve read ads for businesses for sale in the Pattaya area, you've no doubt noticed that a typical listing will say “Price is 1.5 million baht plus 200,000 baht key money", or "Key Money of 500,000 baht is included in the price". Some ads may neglect to mention "key money"…but don’t imagine for a minute that you’re going to get away without paying it.
VISAS & PERMITS REQUIRE PROFESSIONALISM - Getting It Right The First Time Is Important If you are lucky enough to meet an expat who has lived in Thailand for many decades, take the time to get to know them, as there is much to be learned from listening to their advice. I was fortunate, when I chose to reside in a guest house with such a gentleman when I first arrived in the Kingdom many years ago, and the advice that he gave me on day-to-day living saved me many a headache.
Sermon with great merit is launched
Pattaya mayor Ittiphol Kunplome held a press conference on the subject of The Sermon with Great Merit in the Playhouse, together with Soottikorn JIanpaitoon of the Alangkarn theatre and Mrs Supadee Witeethammasak, director of the religious and cultural office in Chonburi.
Will Citigroup Survive? Four Possible Scenarios
Citigroup may soon get all the sleep it needs. Investors are growing increasingly concerned that the global financial behemoth could go the way of Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch. Shares of the company, which was once the world's largest bank, closed at $3.77 on Friday. The company's board members reportedly met on Friday and will continue to talk over the weekend to discuss the firm's options. There are a number of possible outcomes, not all of which conclude with the end of Citi. "Somehow they need to get the price of their stock up," says James Ellman, a hedge fund manager at Seacliff Capital. "If they don't they are in for a lot of big problems."
Handicapped tourists need a better service
The elderly might benefit from lofty plan - Mr Apichart Puedpan, assistant to Pattaya’s district administrative chief, chaired a meeting to talk about facilities for groups such as children, the elderly and the physically challenged. It was stated by the Father Ray Redemptorist Centre, which runs a vocational centre for the handicapped, that they had a detailed plan to make the city more user friendly by improving road sgns and creating better facilities in public places, including footpaths.
