Family Money: Scams abound

By Leslie Wright

Regular readers will recall one of my favourite adages: “Greed blinds prudence.” There are still plenty of potential investors out there who get sucked into schemes & scams because they imagine they’re smarter than the con-men and are going to get rich quick.

You may recall that the top news over the Songkran holidays - other than the appalling road deaths’ statistics - was the intriguing tale of long-lost treasures in Kanchanaburi. As the story unfolded, the police caught a number of people for possessing fake US government bonds and attempting to defraud local investors into buying them.

News reports said each of these forged papers had a face value of US$100 million. The victims were asked to pay one million to five million baht for the “investment”. It was not known how many people were tricked into buying these bonds with supposedly enormous values at ridiculously low prices. Even a couple of phuyai were allegedly involved, perhaps unwittingly.

What amazed me most was how people would actually believe these fraudsters. Were they so na๏ve or foolish to think they could buy these bonds cheaply and get rich quickly?

I guess the answer is that most people are inexperienced and imprudent investors who tend to believe “salespeople” too easily. All too often greed blinds prudence, even for more sophisticated investors, and sometimes even the Big Boys get stung.

Most of us do not spend enough time and effort scrutinising proposed investments. We often fall for the “act now or you lose the opportunity of a lifetime” sales pitch.

That is why Thailand has long been a haven for local and international scam syndicates. Here are just a few of them.

The Mae Chamoy Money Pyramid

In the 1980s and even more recently, some community leaders set up investment schemes to lure community members into investing millions in them. They promised to pay high returns to their “members” at no risk. These returns were actually generated from the principal of members who joined later - a classic Ponzi scheme which uses new money to pay off old ‘profits’.

The scam expanded until it finally collapsed when the manager mismanaged the cash flow and some members started to withdraw their money.

The Forex Scam

In the tradition of Mr Ponzi, various dealers in foreign exchange (“forex”) have set themselves up to lure investors with promises of huge returns for comparatively small amounts of capital. This used to be a minimum of 1 million baht, but last year one Bangkok-based firm upped the minimum to US$100,000.

People rarely stop to ask why, if the forex dealer is so successful, he still needs new customers and is interested in what should be a relative pittance in comparison with the millions he’s making - at least on paper.

Despite stories of these scams having circulated for years, I know of several expatriates who have “invested” in such schemes, but who in the past couple of years have been having great difficulty getting their money out again - although some have eventually succeeded (assumedly when new investors have re-seeded the pot, since that is the way this scheme usually works: no trades actually take place, so no paperwork exists to prove criminal activity by the fraudsters. Clever aren’t they?).

The Nigerian Advance Fee Scam

Many local businesspeople have received faxes or e-mails from people purporting to be officers of a state agency in Nigeria.

Typically, the writer will say he urgently needs to transfer to a foreign account US$40 million that he had secured from over billing on state contracts, and is requesting your help with an account number to park the funds. As a show of gratitude, he is willing to share a large percentage of the sum with you. (How he picked you of all people is usually glossed over, or mention is made of a “referee” - whom you may never have heard of - who purportedly gave him your name as being “a kind, honest and upright citizen.”)

The catch is that, to receive such a transfer, the contacted person must send up-front transfer/transaction fees of US$3,000~5,000 to his account in Lagos first. Needless to say, after such initial transfers, the local victims never hear from this Nigerian official again.

Indeed, I must be better known internationally than I had thought, inasmuch as even I received a series of emails from one Prince Pascal Palmer of Tungo, Sierra Leone, currently residing in Ghana, who claims to be the son of Prince Omoh Camara Palmer, who according to Prince Pascal was formerly the chairman of the State National Diamond Minning (sic) Corporation. This worthy asked me to help him clear a shipment through London (where I was expected to fly at my own expense) purported to be worth US$35 million, of which he and his mother would grant me a commission of 15%, and the balance they were looking to invest with my assistance into hotels or similar ventures in Thailand.

As I am less greedy (or stupid) than Prince Pascal thought, I strung him along for a while, just in case it was a genuine case or hell froze over, and at one stage even received a phone call from a West-African sounding gentleman (having travelled extensively I’m quite good at identifying accents) asking when I would be coming to London to clear “my” shipment. On questioning, he claimed to be working at HSBC London, but vehemently refused to tell me which department he worked in or the phone number at which I could call him back. Not exactly standard banking practice. And I deal with international bankers every day.

A week or so later I received a fax from a Mr E. Anderson of “World Diplomatic Cargo” (noticeably without a “Co. Ltd” on the end) to the effect that my shipment had arrived and would I inform them when I was arriving in London to clear it through Customs. You can perhaps imagine how eager I was to do that, even if there really was a shipment to clear. It might have been diamonds, or drugs, or shrunken heads for all I know, and I don’t particularly fancy a grilling from the UK Customs officers for attempted smuggling. And I prefer to have my picture on page 8 of the Pattaya Mail than on page 1. Wouldn’t do my hard-won reputation in the local community any good at all!

As I graciously declined to travel to London to clear “my” shipment of God only knows what, I may have lost out on a great opportunity, but somehow I don’t think so.

But it didn’t even stop there. A few weeks later Prince Pascal Palmer sent me yet another email, telling me that the money had already been transferred to an unspecified bank account in London, using my name as “partner”. (He obviously thought I was unaware that “partners” have to sign application forms to open bank accounts, and UK banks are especially scrupulous in establishing bona fides of their customers.)

My somewhat less than enthusiastic response finally put an end to this nonsense. Perhaps they thought I came down with the last shower of autumn leaves, or was one of the many who allow greed to blind their prudence and go along with these wonderful opportunities to make the perpetrators money.

The Prime Bank Guarantee Fraud

Many local financial institutions have been contacted by foreign businessmen, who claimed to possess financial papers issued by leading international banks - the so-called “prime banks.” These were typically in the form of bank guarantees, irrevocable letters of credit or similar notes typed on the banks’ stationery.

The fraudsters either wanted to sell the papers at a hefty discount from the face value or use them as a collateral for loans from financial institutions.

There have been no public reports of any local financial institution losing money over this scam, but it has cost investors around the world more than US$1 billion, according to the International Chamber of Commerce.

The Gemstone Swindle

Thailand is internationally recognised for mining and cutting gemstones, especially sapphires and rubies.

Most people cannot tell the difference between a ruby and a spinel or a garnet, the latter being worth considerably less carat for carat than a natural gem-quality ruby. (Even the famous Black Prince Ruby in the British Imperial State Crown is actually a spinel, not a ruby.) Similarly, most people have little idea what a particular gemstone - even if a genuine one - is really worth, since price varies so much depending on the four ‘Cs’: carat, clarity, colour, cut.

Rubies vary from pale pink to dark red, while sapphires typically range from cornflower blue to almost black. There are also white sapphires - zircons - that look like, and are sometimes mistaken for, diamonds. In fact, a good quality blue sapphire is currently more valuable than a diamond of equal size. The much sought-after ‘star’ sapphires are typically dark grey, but occasionally a dark blue one comes along - very rare and very precious if it’s genuine.

Nowadays there are many artificial gemstones on the market, which are extremely difficult to tell from the genuine natural stones - even by experts in some cases. They are, however, worth only a fraction of what the genuine article would be.

In fact, an artificial ruby will typically have a better colour and lustre than a natural one. Artificial rubies are used in lasers, for instance, as they are purer than natural ones, so transmit light better.

Some unscrupulous dealers will sell the imitation as the genuine article, at the genuine article’s price, and offer very reasonable excuses why they cannot provide a certificate of authenticity.

Loose stones are often sold in this way, as “investment opportunities”, with figures being quoted of the huge profit you will make when you sell the stones “back home”. (You should pause to consider why the dealer doesn’t invest in airfare and keep all the “enormous” profits from the trade for himself.)

Tourists are especially easy targets for some of the touts who delight in taking busloads of tourists to their favourite gemstone dealer - who may very well be operating from a legitimate shop - where they may be enticed into buying “investment grade” stones, mounted or unmounted, genuine or artificial, at what in many cases later turns out to be vastly inflated prices. The tout may well receive up to 30% of the net sales price after discount, and the tourist has no recourse for having been ripped off.

I must in fairness mention that by no means all local jewellery stores are rip-off artists; many will give you excellent value for money, provided you’re careful with your purchases and are satisfied that the price you’ve paid is fair. A certificate of authenticity will usually be provided by honest merchants upon request. You may indeed end up with a beautiful piece of jewellery for a very reasonable price.

But it is worth noting that neither the Thai government nor the Tourist Authority of Thailand (‘TAT’) runs, supports or sponsors any gemstone dealer. It is in all cases entirely a matter of caveat emptor: Let the buyer beware.

Trat and Chonburi provinces are well known as market centres for gemstones. Tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stones will be on view at rickety little tables and stalls in the market, and in most cases the stones are genuine. But the price asked may or may not be anywhere near the stone’s true value.

It is essential to take someone with you whom you trust and who is an expert in stones (if you yourself are not), and who can speak Thai and bargain vigorously with the dealer. You may indeed pick up a bargain, but again, there’s no guarantee and no comeback if you have been less than wise in your purchases.

In any case, don’t imagine you’re going to buy gemstones at a quarter of their international value (no matter what sales pitch is put to you) with a view to making a “killing” when you return home.

To protect yourself against any of these possible swindles you need to be prudent in your investment decisions. Don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions and never hand over a single baht unless you are satisfied with the answers.

At the end of the day, use your common sense and the basic rule of investment - there is nothing free in this world. If you want higher returns, you should be willing to assume higher risks.

Leslie Wright is managing director of Westminster Portfolio Services (Thailand) Ltd., a firm of independent financial advisors providing advice to expatriate residents of the Eastern Seaboard on personal financial planning and international investments. If you have any comments or queries on this article, or about other topics concerning investment matters, contact Leslie directly by fax on (038) 232522 or e-mail [email protected] Further details and back articles can be accessed on his firm’s website on www.westminsterthailand.com

by Mirin MacCarthy

Neighbourhood Project

The residents of my little moo ban have been co-ordinating an effort to feed stray dogs and to aid in simple medical care when needed. Like everywhere else in Thailand, we have our fair share of ‘Soi dogs’ which don’t really have families and homes, but have what might be referred to as ‘territory’. These are the dogs (and cats) who exist on scraps and whatever they can scrounge through begging or scavenging. We all see these pitiful, mangy creatures, whose lives are full of suffering. The past few months, an informal discussion has been taking place during our evening strolls around the housing estate, as to who is already doing what, and who wants to contribute to the effort in some way. If we wait for the political will of the authorities to address this overwhelming problem, we will all know that we will wait a long time.

Those of us who have no house pets of our own usually feed the stray dogs, but those who have their own dogs needed to figure out how they could participate without eventually provoking nightly outbreaks of snapping and snarling over territory and food, thus promoting more harm than good. Since we are all coming and going at different times to different places, this well-meaning charity is revealing some hilarious patterns of logistics. As with most things in Thailand, it is taking on the proportions of what my Mum used to call a “Chinese fire drill”, meaning everyone running in different directions at once”.

One woman had to leave her beloved dog back in the USA when she returned to Pattaya to work in the family business. Living alone in a large house at the front entrance to the housing estate, she delighted in feeding all the dogs which gather all day on that corner. Since she is a single wage earner, and has little disposable income, the cost of feeding a dozen dogs presents a hardship. Most of the houses near her are owned by Bangkokians who come down only on the weekends. So they are not there everyday to contribute food.

Up at the top of my Soi, all of the houses, including my own, have dogs and cats as house pets. If we feed the stray animals outside our gate, our own pets raise a rumpus. After a few months of chaos, dogfights, bruised humans and animals alike, we needed to formulate a way so we could all help in some way, each according to our space, time and ability. Many of the neighbours with pets decided to drop off cash and supplies of food and rice at the single woman’s house so she alone could feed the pack which parks at her gate. She loves doing this each night when she returns from work, and now it doesn’t present a financial hardship.

We all co-operate with money and time to get injured animals to a veterinarian, and rotate our time to nurse them until they have recuperated. One Bangkokian who owns a small hotel brings huge bags of meat from their restaurant when the family comes on the weekend. Those of us who have favorite veterinarians will eventually see that each dog and bitch will be spayed and nurtured and we will all share the cost of boarding the dog if needed. Lots of our neighbours have no pets, but have lots of friends. So when litters appear, they are the ones who spread the news so the puppies and kittens can be adopted.

A few of us take the animals for injections, and a couple of residents have vets who actually make house calls, since the strays are unwilling to enter our cars and trucks. This service is a true blessing for our group. I have had some experience coaxing stray dogs into the back of my family car so I could take them for simple medical treatment and it is not as easy as it sounds. Thai dogs are like children! They don’t get into cars with strangers.

Now, this all reads good in print; well-meaning and good-hearted. But in practice, it is actually disorganised, and although it does some good to some animals, it does not truly do more than get these poor critters the most basic assistance. Last month, unbeknownst to me, one family on another street took one dog to be neutered. A good deed well done. Last week I took the same dog to be neutered. No wonder he gave me such a bad time. He fought, he cried, he howled all the way to the pet clinic; right up to the moment 4 strong assistants had him pinned on the operating table. That’s when they noticed the surgical scar.

by Lesley Warner

by Marion

The Queen of England is most usually associated with Corgi dogs, but in actual fact, the Queen is the “owner” of a special series of ten heraldic beasts. These were commissioned to celebrate the ancestry of the British Monarch and were unveiled at her coronation in 1953.

Unicorn

From the time of earliest human civilization, depictions of certain animals - real or imaginary - were used as symbols of royalty and power. Such “beasts” were among the earliest icons used in medieval heraldry. The decapitating Tudor monarch, Henry VIII (1509-1547), commissioned carvings of those beasts most closely associated with British royalty, to decorate his palace at Hampton Court. These were mounted on the bridge leading to the entrance of Hampton Court Palace and were originally placed there to celebrate Henry VIII’s marriage to Jane Seymour, but were demolished in William III’s reign and subsequently replaced in 1909. The figures on the bridge today are very recent, dating back to 1950.

So Heraldic Beasts have been depicted since medieval times as the supporters in coats of arms, and carved stone figures of such creatures were widely used to decorate castles, palaces and public buildings, particularly in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

Henry VIII’s Beasts were the inspiration for the human-size Queen’s Beasts placed to guard Elizabeth II’s entrance into Westminster Abbey at her Coronation in 1953. The current set of Queen’s beasts were made almost 2 metres tall and today the carved beasts can be seen in the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, while another set was given to Canada. Miniatures in ceramic fetch a small fortune these days, and I have been fortunate to be able to examine one of these sets at close hand.

Welsh Dragon

The ten beasts, and the shields they hold, refer to the Queen’s royal ancestry. They are: the lion of England supporting the royal arms of the United Kingdom; the griffin of Edward III holding the badge of the Royal House of Windsor; the falcon of the Plantagenets bearing the golden fetterlock badge of the House of York; the black bull of Clarence supporting the royal arms used from 1405 to 1603; the white lion of Mortimer holding a badge with the white rose of York; the Beaufort Yale (a heraldic antelope able to swivel its horns to counter an attack from any side) representing the House of Lancaster, bearing a crowned portcullis badge; the greyhound of Richmond supporting a Tudor rose badge; the red dragon of Wales supporting the arms of the princes of North Wales; the unicorn of Scotland holding a shield of the old royal arms of Scotland; and the white horse of Hanover supporting the royal arms used from 1714 until 1800.

All of these beasts have historical significance, even mythical ones such as the Welsh dragon and the Scottish Unicorn. The fabled unicorn was known in ancient Mesopotamia, India, China and later in the Christian West and was a symbol of fierceness, strength, and purity. By the fifteenth century it had become part of the heraldic menagerie of the Scottish kings and, when James VI of Scotland succeeded Elizabeth I to the throne of England in 1603, to become James I of England, the Scottish unicorn and the English lion became the heraldic supporters of the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom.

Other examples of royal heraldic beasts can be seen at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, where 76 beasts of 14 different types are represented. Known as the Windsor Beasts, they decorate the Chapel roof. Among the fourteen different types, there are six beasts unique to this Windsor series - the white swan of Bohun holds the arms of Bohun (the family of Henry IV’s first wife Mary); the white hart of Richard II supports a shield depicting a badge of broom-pods (planta genista - a pun on the name Plantagenet); a silver antelope, wearing a golden circlet and chained, bears the arms of France and England quartered; the black dragon of the Earls of Ulster supports the red cross on gold of the de Burgh family, from whom the Yorkist kings were descended; and the unicorn of Edward III and the hind of Edward V hold vanes (a type of flag) rather than shields.

Heraldic beasts then are part of the record of Britain’s colourful history, and the current Queen’s Beasts are just a fraction of that rich tapestry. Perhaps the next animals to be mounted will be the Queen’s corgi’s. Who knows!

by Anchalee Kaewmanee

On the surface this person is calm, self controlled and easy going. But that surface charm can be deceptive in the strictest sense, for it can mask a mountain of passion and wilfulness. These people have some pretty strong desires and must work very hard, even ruthlessly, to satisfy all that ambition. No matter how kind, considerate and gentle they may seem to others, this group always gives their own goals first consideration and top priority. It is patiently true that the Taurus Sun and Aries Moon combination always looks out for Number One, first and foremost. Determination is the key to this nature. Once these individuals set their sights on something (or someone), they pursue it with a remarkably unwavering intensity. If anyone should happen to stand in their way, well, that’s their problem. For the Taurus-Aries, the end justifies the means, and they often get their way at the expense of others.

Fortunately, an inherent sense of caution and diplomacy keeps some of these individuals’ more destructive qualities in check. A person born into this sign is able to compromise and accommodate others even if only when it is in their own best interest to do so. Of course, their real desire is to be boss, and to control their own destiny. Comfort, security and worldly pleasures are their aims in this life. They rarely think about the possibilities of an afterlife. Adept at taking careful stock of what they have, and accumulating as much as they can get, our Taurus-Aries people will gain as much power and prestige as possible in the shortest time allowed. Possessing keen powers of persuasion, this Sun-Moon sign can convince others easily, and has the resolve and capabilities to accomplish many things. Bold, multi-talented and tireless, this sign is a high achiever. Their very presence can be intimidating! There are, however, several faults which could stand in the way of great accomplishments. Temper is one. Unlike most Taureans, the Moon in Aries prevents the suppression of angry or anxious feelings for very long. This combination is subject to quick and devastating flare-ups. Hot rage, even when it quickly cools, is apt to become a crippling drawback if it isn’t channelled in a productive endeavour. Physical activity is vital to the Taurus-Aries, and sports such as tennis, squash or running will dissipate some of that abundance of nervous energy.

A little less of the competitive spirit could also improve the prospects of this particular sign. Healthy ambition is a fine quality, but winning at all cost can alienate even the most devoted admirers. By becoming more flexible it’s possible to expand the mind and perspective. Exploring the spiritual, emotional, and intellectual pleasures that life has to offer will open up new avenues of experiences. Such single-minded concentration on material desires can often produce a very lop-sided personality. The Taurus-Aries has a tendency to act on impulse, and personal biases often dictate the moves. A little more flexibility and a regard for the opinions and counsel of others will allow this subject the chance to learn from other than personal experiences. This sign doesn’t take advice easily, even when it is very good advice.

Though extremely sensual, this duo can be overly jealous and possessive, even cruel in love relationships. Although these individuals expect absolute loyalty from their partner, this does not always mean that the same strict rules apply to them. The Taurus-Aries is often fickle only because impulse seems to rule their choices more often than well thought-out plans. Passionately involved one minute, and downright aloof the next, this combination would do well to be more prudent when making emotional commitments.

by Richard Brunch

From Alan Tilley, Pattaya: I have a PC which I know is past its use by date, several times over. If you can believe it, I still have Windows 95 on it which was installed when I first bought it! Anyway, I’ve had a reasonable win on the lottery and want to spend some of this, up to 100,000 baht on updating my computer system. I feel sure that with a more up to date system my enjoyment will be greatly enhanced and my frustrations reduced.

Anyway one luxury I do want on my new system is the ability to run two monitors at the same time. In addition I require good performance and a great deal of stability. I am not a fiddler and am quite content to use only, after all why would I still be content with Windows 95? In essence I am looking for a complete system including scanner and printer. Any recommendations and advice would be greatly appreciated, although I don’t want to go overboard, I don’t intend purchasing again for a long time so want something that will last.

Computer Doctor replies: I guess we need to start with processors. Your choices within your price and performance range are AMD’s Athlon and Intel’s Pentium 4, both are good and I recommend that whichever you choose then you also use an Asus motherboard, which apart from being reliable offers the best opportunity for ‘legal’ overclocking. One thing you do need to bear in mind is that whilst memory for the Athlon board is cheap, 238Mb of PC133 will cost around 1,200 baht or less, the same 128Mb of PC600 for the Pentium 4 board will set you back around 10,000 baht. I recommend you have 256Mb of memory. As yet software applications do not take full advantage of the Pentium 4 architecture so its power cannot be fully experienced today, whereas the Athlon is for today’s software.

The choice of hard disk drives has a very real bearing on the overall performance of the system. These need to be ATA 100 and have a spindle speed of 7,200 RPM - do not take those with a spindle speed of 5,400 RPM, the difference in price is marginal and the difference in performance very noticeable. As to manufacturer, Quantum seems to offer the best balance of performance and reliability.

On the subject of reliability, I recommend you have a second hard disk, to allow backup of data. The hard disks should not be less than 20Gb in capacity. A good quality sound card is essential for multimedia applications and those in the Creative Live range are ideal. Combine this with Cambridge SoundWorks speakers. With regards to video cards, these have a significant effect on performance and in order to run 2 monitors concurrently, I think the Matrox DualHead range is ideal. Obviously you need a CD ROM or DVD player depending on your circumstances and possibly a CD ROM writer for both convenience and backup. Whichever processor route you take, in order to be assured of system stability, it cannot be overstressed that a 300 Watt power supply is essential, and whilst on the subject of power, include a UPS on your shopping list, APC and Chloride are both good makes.

For a modem, go for a US Robotics external, 56K. A good monitor makes for less eye strain and greater viewing pleasure. I recommend at least a 17” and if the budget will stretch it is hard to beat a Sony Trinitron. As for printers, a Hewlett Packard DeskJet 930C should fit the bill and for a scanner it is hard to beat the Epson Perfection 1240U or 1240U Photo, the latter if you wish to be able to scan photographic negatives.

With regards to operating system, my personal favourite is Windows 2000 Professional but Windows ME also has a place, its best quality is probably the Restore Function but if you don’t fiddle then this probably isn’t a significant feature for you.

I hope this helps you with your selection and the whole package should come in under your budget.

Send your questions or comments to the Pattaya Mail at 370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, 20260 or fax to 038 427 596 or e-mail to [email protected] The views and comments expressed within this column are not necessarily those of the writer or Pattaya Mail Publishing.

Richard Bunch is managing director of Action Computer Technologies Co., Ltd. providing professional services which include custom database and application development, website design, promotion and hosting, computer and peripheral sales service and repairs, pro audio solutions, networks (LAN & WAN) and IT consulting. For further information, please telephone 01 782 4829, fax 038 716 816, e-mail: [email protected] or see our website www.act.co.th

by Duncan Stearn

A period of relative calm, as far as coups were concerned, ensued until November 17, 1971, when Thanom Kittikachorn launched an internal strike, ending constitutional rule, declaring martial law and assuming dictatorial power.

However, by June 1973 student demonstrations against the government commenced and after a few months these protests had grown into mass rallies calling on Kittikachorn to resign.

After troops fired on student demonstrators on October 14, Kittikachorn resigned and went into exile. The event ushered in a period of unstable democracy that saw four Prime Ministers in three years.

On October 6, 1976, a group called the Administrative Reform Council, led by Admiral Saangad Chaloryoo and General Kriangsak Chomanand, ordered troops to storm Thammasat University in Bangkok and suppress the student movement. Scores of students were killed and over 10,000 fled into the jungles, some joining the insurgents of the Thai Communist Party.

Two days later the coup leaders appointed Thanin Kraivichien, a former High Court justice, as Prime Minister.

An attempted coup against the government was defeated in March 1977, but on October 20 the same year the military overthrew Kraivichien in a bloodless strike. General Kriangsak Chomanand was appointed Prime Minister.

After widespread anti-government demonstrations, Kriangsak resigned in February 1980 and was replaced by the army commander, General Prem Tinsulanonda.

On April 1, 1981, General Prem was ousted in a bloodless coup, but the coup leaders, lacking the support of the Royal Family as well as three of the four army regional commanders were forced to relinquish power after just three days.

Yet another abortive coup took place on September 9, 1985, in Bangkok. Unfortunately, the action led to the death of award-winning Australian cameraman and reporter Neil Davis and his soundman Bill Latch when they were caught in the crossfire between rebels and forces loyal to General Prem Tinsulanonda. The coup was unsuccessful and a state of emergency was declared (until September 16).

Former Prime Minister General Kriangsak Chomanand was arrested in connection with the coup and charged with sedition.

General Prem eventually stepped down in 1988 and Chatichai Choonhaven, who headed up the first civilian government since 1976, took his place.

The Choonhaven government was rocked by a series of scandals and on February 23, 1991, he was toppled in a bloodless coup led by General’s Sunthorn Kongsompong and Suchinda Kraprayoon. This has proved to be the last coup launched in the country and despite economic and cultural upheavals since then, the military has refrained from overt interference in domestic politics.

by C. Schloemer

Good points: healthy, adaptable, friendly, good with children, intelligent, reliable, good guard dog

Take heed: needs lost of exercise

The Siberian Husky is perhaps the most friendly of all Arctic Spitz breeds. It has a long history of friendship with mankind. It combines the roles of household companion with work-mate. It hauls the sled, it herds animals, and it is faithful and reliable.

Those owners who do not need dogs to pull sleds will find this breed an excellent family pet. This friendly canine has a lovely nature. The Siberian Husky loves children and its reliable temperament makes it trustworthy. Faithful and loyal to its owners, this breed also makes a very good guard dog. It adapts well to sub-urbane living in a modest home but ample garden. However, those owners with a tiny garden will need to provide lots of outings for the Husky. This dog will not do well in confinement and will become a nuisance without enough space in his life. Out in the country, with lots of space and fresh air, he is truly in its element. Thailand’s hot and humid climate is not really compatible with this breed and it will suffer in the heat.

Although this breed does not bark, it does howl, and on long winter nights the sounds of its lonely howl can sound remarkably eerie. Some Huskies may not get along well with other, smaller animals, and have been known to kill chickens, rabbits, even cats. Huskies can also be protective of their territory, and are known to be vicious fighters against other dogs that they might feel threatened by that wander into their “territory”.

Size: Height at the withers: dog 53-60 cm; bitch, 51-56 cm

Weight: dog 20.5 -27.2 kg; bitch, 15.9-22 kg. Weight should be in proportion to height.

Exercise: Famed for sled racing, this dog has remarkable endurance and great powers of speed. This is definitely not a dog to keep tied up in one’s back yard. If owners do not have space and time for lots of free runs in open spaces, this is a poor choice and the owner cannot do justice to this magnificent animal.

Origin and history: The Siberian Husky was bred by the nomadic Chukchi tribes of Northeast Asia. Their purpose in breeding the Husky, from other local dogs, was to produce a hardy animal of super endurance, which would combine the roles of companion and hunter with that of a speedy sled dog, which at times might be their only means of transport across the great tundra.

More recently, the Siberian Husky has been recognised as a show dog. It performed creditably as a search and rescue dog for the American Air Force in World War II, and has popularised the sport of sled racing in America and many other countries in the world that follow this sport.

Updated every Friday
Copyright 2001  Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
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Updated by Chinnaporn Sungwanlek, assisted by Boonsiri Suansuk.
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