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Foreigners to be allowed to own Thai land?
Subject discussed at cabinet meeting
Prime Minister Chuan Leekphai met last week with his
cabinet to discuss a bill to allow foreigners to buy land, a move intended to placate
certain criteria set out by the IMF.
The IMF has criticized Thailand for the delay in dealing with economic
problems. The Prime Minister, however, stated that he felt that there would be no
‘instant cure’ for the large obstacles the Thai economy faced.
A part of the solution might be to allow non-Thai nationals to have the
right to own land and office buildings.
The proposed plan set out by the Prime Minister and his cabinet describes
4 cases in which this would be possible:
1. The foreign national must invest more than 25 million baht
(approximately $625,000 US) and would be allowed to buy no more than 1 rai of land (there
are 2 1/2 rai to one acre).
2. Foreigners who married Thai nationals would be allowed to own not more
than one rai of land.
3. The total area of an office building owned by a non-Thai could not
exceed 5 rai in total area and could be held for only 5 years.
4. Land rented on a 99 year basis would be increased to 100 years, but the
rental contract must be renewed every 50 years.
Tharin Nimmahemin, the Minister of the Treasury, felt that this would
please the IMF as it would give people in the country more buying power. He said if there
were no problems, this new law would go into effect in 1999.
Tharin stated he felt this would be an inducement for the IMF to release
more funds to Thailand.
Officials from the IMF were scheduled to meet with the Prime Minister on
August 5th.
Pattaya Mail Administrative Editor
assaulted
Possibly linked to one of two criminal cases
Amorn Malhotra, Administrative Editor of the Pattaya
Mail Newspaper, was assaulted outside a popular local pub at approximately 2:30 a.m.
on August 8 after meeting with a group of foreign journalists. The attack left Amorn
suffering from multiple head injuries.
Amorn was reaching for his car keys when the unknown assailant approached
him from behind and hit him with a lead pipe. The assailant then fled into the darkness
near the Vientiane Restaurant.
 Amorn Malhotra lies in
hospital after an unprovoked assault.
Arriving on the scene, police officers found Pratheep Malhotra, Publisher
and Chief Editor of the Pattaya Mail attending to Amorn. As Amorn was bleeding
profusely, Pratheep rushed him to the hospital while police searched the area for clues
and a possible suspect.
Officers went to the hospital to question Amorn and learned from Pattaya
Mail’s Administrative Directors that the assault could have resulted from one of
two recent cases Amorn had been working on and had been instrumental in helping police
apprehend the suspects.
Police Lt. Colonel Attahphon Namnart, Deputy Superintendent of the Pattaya
Police, visited Amorn at the hospital and stationed two officers outside his room for
protection.
Police have questioned eyewitnesses and have been able to make a police
sketch of the assailant’s face. They expect to apprehend him soon.
FCCT finds Pattaya
impressive
A contingent of journalists from the Foreign Correspondents
Club of Thailand descended on Pattaya last weekend. Our city has, in the past, been the
subject of some unfavourable reports in the overseas press, but this has been changing
recently, as Pattaya itself changes.
Scheduled visits to the Waste Water Treatment Plants, Laem Chabang
Industrial Estates and a "Round Table" conference at City Hall were all
successfully completed.
The FCCT also made special mention of the Pattaya Mass Media Club and a
presentation was made to Chanyudh Hengtrakul as its President.
The Saturday evening dinner was opened by Chonburi MP Khun Sansak
Ngarmpiches who expressed his confidence in the continuing growth and improvements in the
Eastern Seaboard.
FCCT President Philippe Decaux was particularly impressed with our Tourist
Police, singling them out for a special mention. He also said that his group was impressed
last year with the advances Pattaya had made, and he was very pleased to see that the
progress was still continuing.
Canadian paedophile
arrested
Video tapes and over
1,000 photos confiscated as evidence
Charles Brock from Toronto Canada was arrested in Pattaya
last week for his alleged sexual abuse of minors and breaking Thailand’s
anti-pornography laws.
 Canadian
Charles Jeffrey Herbert Brock was arrasted in Pattaya last week and charged
with pedophilia.
After receiving a call from a concerned
neighbor who claimed to have witnessed many activities that she believed
regarded child abuse, Pol. Capt. Aachin Buaphun, Sub. Inspector of Pattaya
Immigration Bureau, ordered his detectives to investigate and observe
Brock’s behavior.
By the 5th of August, police determined they had enough
evidence to pursue the case and obtained a warrant to search Brock’s house
on Pattaya 3rd Road.
Brock, however, refused officers’ entry, insisting that the
Tourist Police be contacted, a request the Pattaya Police obliged.
While waiting for the arrival of the Tourist Police, a 15
year old girl was detained as she tried to sneak out of Brock’s home.
Once the Tourist Police arrived and were allowed to enter
Brock’s house, the subsequent search turned up several sex videos and over
1,000 photographs of nude young women and girls, some of which allegedly
showed Brock performing sexual acts with the girls. Most of the pictures
found were taken in his own house. Officers also confiscated a camera and
many sex materials.
Brock’s passport revealed that he had also been making many
trips to Cambodia, Burma, and Laos. Some of the pictures and videos may have
been taken in these locations.
The ages of the girls appearing in the videos and
photographs allegedly ranged between 3 and 17 years old.
The 15 year old girl stated that she met Charles Brock at a
popular shopping mall some time ago. She said that Brock had offered her 500
Baht per night to just come and sleep with him, but if he had sex with her
he would pay her 700 Baht.
Brock was charged with child molesting and pedophilia, and
brought to the Pattaya Immigration Bureau for further interrogation before
trial.
Norwegian tourist
receives rapid court hearing
Only one of three assailants prosecuted
Norwegian tourist Karl Magne Lauritsen, who has received an
abundance of help from the Tourist Police after an ugly incident involving off-duty
Pattaya Police, was granted what may have been the quickest court hearing on record for
Thailand.
Late last month, Lauritsen, allegedly drunk and angry, ended up kicking
the wrong car on Soi 8. The car was being driven by off-duty police officers who
retaliated by beating him, pointing a gun to his head, throwing him in jail and violating
his rights.
After the incident, Lauritsen sought help from the Pattaya Tourist Police
and was eventually escorted to Bangkok to file an official complaint with the Commander of
the Thai Tourist Police, Pol. Maj. Gen. Phiphatphol Phoonsukhwattana.
 Karl and Malaika,
the women who assisted him throughout the ordeal, stand in front of Chonburi court.
The Tourist Police Commander took quick and decisive action against the
officers involved, resulting in their suspension from duties until investigations could be
completed.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Phiphatphol Phoonsukhwattana assisted Karl further by
arranging the release of charges against him from the Pattaya Immigration Office, and the
return of his bail in the amount of 50,000 Baht. He also arranged permission for Lauritsen
to stay in the kingdom for as long as he would like.
As Karl would be leaving the kingdom on the Tuesday the 4th, the Commander
even arranged a hearing at Chonburi court for Monday, August 3rd, which may be record time
for a Thai case. Karl was also provided with an interpreter to help him translate.
At Chonburi court, however, only one of the three assailants was present
to stand trial.
When the defendant’s lawyer asked Karl how he could be so certain
that the defendant was the man who pointed the gun at him, Karl replied, "When you
have someone pointing a gun at your head, you certainly do not forget his face."
The Pattaya Police officer was charged with pointing a gun at Karl’s
head, but at this point it is not known what further action will be taken against him.
And the question remains, what about the other two assailants?
Louis’ final resting place
Over 600 people swelled the
Church of St. Nikolaus to overflowing for the funeral service of Louis
Fassbind, formerly the Executive Vice President of the Royal Cliff Beach
Resort and the man popularly known as “Mr. Pattaya”.
The mourners, who came from Pattaya, Bangkok, Thailand Provinces and
overseas, represented but a small fraction of those who knew him, and whose
lives had been touched by him in one way or another.
They were welcomed by Khun Panga Vathanakul, on behalf of the Fassbind
family.
The church and its grounds were a mass of flowers with floral tributes from
near and afar. Included amongst them were those from the Ambassador for
Switzerland, the Fassbind family, Banglamung Home for the Aged, personal
friends such as Kim Caula, the Pattaya Mail, the Pattaya Sports Club,
Tourismo Thai, Diethelm, Berli Jucker, local Resorts and Country Clubs. For
Louis Fassbind’s final function, this could be no “small” production.
The Requiem Mass was held by Fr. Michael Picharn assisted by Frs. Brennan
and Giovanni and eulogies were given by close friends Walter Meyer, Rudi
Maerkle, and Fr. Raymond Brennan.
Amongst those present were Seri Wangpaichitr, the Governor of the Tourism
Authority of Thailand, General Saiyud Kerphol, lifelong friends Bruno
Forrer, K. Ning his secretary of 20 years, plus representatives from the
Thai Hotels Association, the Pattaya Business Tourism Association, Rotary
and countless other organizations.
His body was buried next to his old friend Gene Farley in the St. Nikolaus
cemetery. In accordance with Louis’ last wishes, the Navy Band was there to
entertain and everyone present had wine to drink to his memory. The guards
of honour for his final trip came from the Royal Cliff and a glass of his
favourite wine was placed on his casket and taken to the graveside as
nourishment for his crossing of the River Styx. In death, as in life, Louis
left us with “style”.
Editorial Post Script: Pattaya should not forget the man whose energies and
enthusiasm contributed so much to the development of Pattaya. His monument
needs to be more than ethereal memories, but should be such that his name
can become part of the daily life of Pattaya, this city that he loved so
dearly. One suggestion is to name a street or road after him. The Pattaya
Mail puts forward that the road running down to the Royal Cliff Beach Resort
from Pra Tum Nak hill could be named the Fassbind Memorial Drive. This would
be a fitting reward for the man whose vision “made” the Royal Cliff Beach
Resort complex what it is today.
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