Saudis Returning From Thailand Face Grilling
Razan Baker, Arab News

JEDDAH, 13 August 2007 — The Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) did not inform travel agencies across the Kingdom of a ban on Saudis traveling to Thailand and so many Saudis, who visited the country at the beginning of the summer, have returned to face questioning from the Kingdom’s authorities.

Thailand has for the past 12 years been on a list of countries that Saudis are not allowed to visit. The list includes Israel, Iraq and Bosnia. However, for the past three years restrictions on Saudi visitors to Thailand have been eased with many families and youths visiting the Far-Eastern country.

Being an affordable country to visit, many Saudis still continue to apply for tourist visas to Thailand, which are easily obtainable. There are no direct flights from the Kingdom to Thailand. Connecting flights are available in Dubai and Qatar. The Thailand Tourism Commission states it received 9,000 Saudis tourists in 2006. People this summer have once again been asked not to visit Thailand unless for business reasons, a rule that many members of the public are unaware of.

People believe the ban has been reinforced because of men who visit Thailand to drink alcohol, visit prostitutes and then be robbed and at times murdered.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Abdullah Al-Tamimi of the RCCI said that only businessmen are allowed to visit Thailand and are required to furnish relevant documents proving they are indeed businessmen.

Among travel agencies that have not been informed about the ban was Al-Tayyar Groups for Tourism whose Director Nassir Al-Tayyar said: “It would be better if they had informed the travel agencies in advance because not many Saudis know about it.”

Other travel agencies in Jeddah also told Arab News that they did not receive any sort of notification from the authorities about the ban and that they still continue to receive inquiries from people wanting to visit Thailand.

“So far around 80 percent of the packages that we have sold have been for Far-Eastern destinations. Of these, 20 percent have been for trips to Thailand,” said one travel agent.

Another travel agent said: “My friend was asking for a visa to visit Thailand this week. The Passport Department informed him that this is not allowed unless he shows relevant business documents and that he is registered with the RCCI. The administration then stressed that those who have traveled to Thailand as tourists and come back will be questioned about why they traveled there. They would also be prevented from traveling for six months to three years and fined SR5,000 for breaking the ban,” he said.

However, not all visitors to Thailand have been punished. Amaal Abdul Salam, a mother in her early 60s, said she has just returned from Thailand this week and is overwhelmed with the enriching experience she had there with her children and grandchildren. “We got our visas very easily before the summer. Thank God we didn’t face any problems not even when we came back,” she said.

Amaal added that her passport says that it is valid for use to all countries unless there is an exception. Excluded countries are not listed.

Hers was not the only family which visited Thailand this summer. Amaal said she met other Saudi families at her hotel and at shopping centers. She added that the ban was probably due to the drowning of 32-year-old Saudi in mid-July.

“It doesn’t make any sense that they ban everyone from going there. The country is beautiful, highly organized, and convenient money-wise. I don’t see why families cannot go there?” she said.

An employee at a travel agency said: “Those who have not been questioned will most likely be questioned when they renew their passports

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Thaksin completes Man City buyout

MANCHESTER: — Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra seal his takeover of Manchester City, gaining control of 75% of its shares, the BBC has learnt.

Thaksin lodged an ?81.6m takeover bid for City in June through his company UK Sports Investments and has steadily built up his shareholding.

He will officially install Sven-Goran Eriksson as club manager on Friday, BBC Sport understands.

The Eastlands board has backed the bid but there have been concerns about the source of the money, with Mr Thaksin facing corruption charges in Thailand.

But the man who brokered the City deal has said “the money is clean”. Earlier on Sunday, Keith Harris, executive chairman of Seymour Pierce Investment Bank, said the money had been “legitimately and transparently transferred to the UK.”

Thaksin will have to pass the Premier League’s standard “fit and proper person” test before being able to complete the proposed takeover.

Thai prosecutors recently filed corruption charges against Mr Thaksin. They have also frozen his assets.

Leading shareholders including current board members, former chairman Francis Lee and BSkyB have all agreed to sell their shares to Thaksin.

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Foreign man accuses PM of perjury BANGKOK: –

An American businessman does “not hate” Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, despite a mostly bitter 21-year relationship, it was reported Sunday.

A Thai court will start hearings next month into allegations by William Monson, 63, the president of US-based Clearview Wireless, that Thaksin committed perjury during a previous hearing.

The proceedings will take place in the run up to a general election in October, with Thaksin already being attacked by the opposition as a self-serving carpetbagger.

Monson and Thaksin established a joint venture in 1985 that was to eventually become Thailand’s first cable television station. The relationship turned sour in the late 1980s when, Monson alleges, Thaksin seized transmission equipment and filed false criminal charges against his staff.

Monson said he offered Thaksin a financial settlement several years ago but was rebuffed. “Thaksin has created his monsters. I will eat them,” he told the newspaper.

The timing of the hearings - just before an election - was “providential,” but not by design because he has been fighting the case for a long.

Monson, who is married to a Thai woman, said, “I think a leader has to be honest.” Thaksin’s early business history is a murky.

He established his first computer company to sell computers to the police when he was an officer still on the police office.

Thaksin walked away from reporters last week when they asked him how he proposed to fight the allegations

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Chanthaburi launches a reforestation project to help save wild elephants

Kaeng Hang Maew (แก่งหางแมว) district in Chanthaburi will set aside 1,000 rai of land for reforestation and growing of plants that are food of elephants to mark the 60th anniversary of His Majesty the King’s ascension to the throne.

District chief Wiwat Chanthananurak (วิวัฒน์ ฉันทนานุรักษ์) said villagers will jointly reforest 700 of the 1,000 rai and grow small plants for elephants in another 300 rai from June 24 onwards.

Mr. Wiwat said forests in the district have been destroyed leaving wild elephants with almost nothing to eat so they often invaded plantations of villagers.

He said the reforestation project will make the areas fertile again while also providing food sources for elephants.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 14 June 2006

PCT Thailand

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Gazette News: Land crackdown targets Thai shareholders

BANGKOK: — The Ministry of Interior has ordered a crackdown on property companies attempting to circumvent Section 74 of the Land Act in order to allow foreigners to control land ownership.

Section 74 states (unofficial translation): “In the process of registering [land] possession rights and contracts between parties … officers have the power to investigate both parties and call them for questioning or have them send relevant documentary evidence as is necessary. Officers will proceed as is appropriate to the case.

“In cases where there is reason to believe that the request to register possession rights will evade the law or where there is reason to believe that land is being bought for the benefit of foreigners a request for an order from the Minister will be made. The Minister’s order will be final.”

The crackdown will target Thai partners in Thai-foreign ventures, examining their inco me, their professional qualifications or experience, and their credit history.

In an order dated May 15 and issued to all provincial governors, the Deputy Permanent Director of the Ministry, Sura-art Thongniramol, notes, “The Ministry of Interior has received reports that there are foreigners working with Thais or [engaging] Thais to register a company with the aim of buying and selling immovable property as a business venture.

“At the initial stage a house and land are purchased for residence or [for use as] an office and later [the aims are changed] to selling and subdividing for sale to foreigners … which is illegal.”

Provincial officials are ordered, “as protection against bypassing the law”, to examine limited companies, limited partnerships and general partnerships “having the aim of carrying out business in immovable property.”

The order continues, “If it appears that an alien holds shares or is a director, or if it is reasonable to believe that a Thai holds shares as a representative of an alien, the officers shall investigate the income of Thais holding shares, delving into the number of years [they have been] in [their] current profession, and their income. The provision of necessary evidence is required.

“If a loan was taken [by the Thai] for the purchase [of shares] evidence of the loan is required.”

The order does not specify which officials will be responsible for investigating suspect companies, nor does it set out, except in the vaguest of terms, what will happen after the “investigation”.

All it says is, “If after due investigation it can conceivably be believed that the request for registration … is to bypass the law or [it can be believed] that [those involved are buying] land for the benefit of an alien as defined in Section 74 … the officers who undertook the investigation shall forward the findings to the Land Department to a wait the order of the Minister.”

No deadlines are set for how long an investigation will take, or how fast the Minister will be required to deliver a judgment.

Local reaction was hard to come by. The Phuket Provincial Land Office was not aware of the new order. However, one Thai involved in the property industry, who did not wish to be named, remarked that it seemed “like a good thing, as long as the application is fair”. He added that he worried that it might be used by some “for their [own] benefit”.

PCT Thailand

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