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But
property laws need amendment A Pattaya real estate
conference heard that the demand for land and property
of most types in the area remains strong, yet the
government needs to play its part in reassuring
investors. Held at the Jomtien Palm Beach seafront hotel
on February 9, the afternoon seminar was attended by 700
people and led by experts in their field. Introductory
speakers traced the history of Pattaya from its origins
as a racy vacation spot in the 1970s to the cosmopolitan
city it is today. The provincial governor, Pracha
Taerat, said that many new markets had opened up in
recent years to diversify Pattaya and to lessen the
dependence on sex tourism. In 2006, almost 6 million
tourists had visited the resort.
Several
experts pointed to the continuing boom in property
related purchases. Nigel Cornick, chief executive
officer at Raimon Land, cited surveys to show that last
year 16.6 billion baht were spent on Thai condo
purchases, of which almost half were in the Pattaya
area. "Pattaya remains the premier destination for
property interest, particularly high-end and luxury
units," he noted. Over 80% of condos are being bought by
Thais or by foreigners already living in Thailand. He
added that, as of January 2007, there were 315 building
projects started along the eastern seaboard and 110 in
Pattaya and Banglamung alone, explaining that 56% of
sold units were now condominiums, a big change from five
years ago. The boom in high end, luxury condominium
construction had not abated. Other speakers referred to
the industrial hinterland of the eastern seaboard,
particularly the petroleum refineries and automobile
factories, which meant that the whole region was now far
from being just a tourist retreat. Land prices in
districts such as Mabprachan and, in particular Bang
Saray which is popular for new estates, were still
accelerating on a year on year basis. This was good news
for investors of all kinds and reflected continuing
confidence in the area. On the other hand, it was
pointed out that mortgages had declined in the last year
and that Thai interest rates were still too high to
attract would-be buyers of moderate means. Sky rocketing
oil prices in 2006 and a hike in the cost of
construction materials had also been a disincentive,
several speakers believed. Some kinds of units were
becoming much less popular, for example shophouses with
several upper floors which were not really needed in
this day and age. Once the seminar was opened to public
discussion, farangs in the audience felt strongly that
the Thai government needed to apply itself to legal
clarification. The crackdown on nominee companies many
of which were set up years ago, the revisions to the
alien business law and the 30% withholding tax on some
foreign currency transactions were all subjects which
had created confusion and had made some farang buyers
put off a decision to buy or lease. This was
particularly a sensitive issue in Pattaya because of the
large foreigner resident population. The seminar was
extended for half an hour after one delegate complained
that too little time had been devoted to grass roots
concerns. He was cheered by the audience when he said he
was a foreign investor in Thailand who sometimes felt he
was being treated badly because of restrictive
governmental policies. Other speakers wanted lobby
pressure to allow foreigners to buy one rai of land for
domestic housing, to extend full leases for up to 90
years and to simplify the bureaucratic work permit
regulations issued by the department of employment.
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Immigration chief defends visa changes
Frauds and pedophiles unwelcome The national
head of the immigration police has said he is well
satisfied with the visa rule changes introduced on
October 1 last year. Police lieutenant general Suwat
Tumrongsiskul was asked by reporters about the measure
to limit to 90 days, in any 6 months’ block, the stay of
foreigners relying on successive 30 day stamps on
arrival.
The
regulation has been particularly significant in Pattaya
which traditionally has had large cohorts of modest
income farangs journeying every month of the year to the
Cambodian border in minibuses to renew their 30 days
stamp. Since October 1, it’s said that the number of
land crossing visa runs has shrunk by 50% with some
businesses restricting the service or even going out of
business altogether. When asked if the new regulation
had caused confusion at border crossings and airports,
general Suwat said the counting process was “no problem”
and that immigration computers were helping officers
count up the days, if necessary. He added that his
primary aim was to weed out foreigners who were misusing
the 30 day on arrival stamps to obtain ongoing
residence. He defended the new measure by saying it had
little impact on legitimate long stay tourists but was
an effective deterrent against foreigners who were
working illegally or otherwise abusing Thai hospitality.
“The 30 day tourist visa allows enough time for a
tourist to travel around the country. If people want to
work here, they should apply for a non immigrant “B”
visa from the Thai embassy in their own country before
coming.” The immigration head also stated that the
background of foreign teachers would continue to be
checked in conjunction with the Thai education ministry.
He said the crackdown was necessary to prevent crime,
including the use of forged qualification certificates,
and to protect children from sexual predators. “We do
need to be more strict in checking teachers’
qualifications as we don’t want unqualified personnel or
sex deviants teaching Thai children. This crackdown will
help us better to screen the backgrounds of people
coming here to teach,” he said. The general agreed that
it is difficult to ascertain a person’s sexual
proclivities through inquiry, but said the police would
check about criminal records in the teachers’ home
countries. General Suwat agreed that the deportation
last year of American John Mark Kerr, a former suspect
in the murder of an American child, had reminded the
immigration bureau about the possible danger posed by
pedophiles. He also pointed out that, in a recent
investigation, 7% of academic credentials had been
forged. “Such people need to be prosecuted and
deported,” the commissioner confirmed.
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