Originally Posted by
rickschoppers
Thailand is all about payoffs and connections. Without that, your chances are pretty much nil. I hate to be so negative, but I don't think anyone wants to give you a false impression here and set you up to fail.
Totally true, The only reason myself and my Canadian partner started our business on Tao was because we had a local Thai partner who paved the way for us to operate over there with no working permit or fok all.
We ran the business and he handled the officials.
There was not even a police station. In 89 the officials in Surattani decided it was time to build a police station, the three shops operating at that time where visited by the top Police and asked to make a donation to build the Police station and also purchase a picture of the King and Queen.
I shit myself as we had no work permit so it was a quick call to the Thai partner on the islands one telephone, he advised us how much to give them and all was sweet.
Anyway, of course they new we where operating under the protection of the Thai partner. Cannot be a farang and remain anonymous, every local was talking about the new farangs and the diving business.
Also we made sure part of our profits returned back to the locals in the way of providing bungalow accommodation, food ETC.
Without the Thai Partner we never could have started that Business.
Impossible.