Considering Casino Gambling The recent announcements by PM Samak and several other high-ranking government officials that the Administration will push for the legalization of casino gambling in tourist areas like Pattaya, Phuket and several others has put this issue back on the front burner of public discussion. It really should have been anticipated that the PPP would raise the legalization of gambling as a means of raising revenues now going to illegal games and to other ASEAN countries. Former PM Thaksin Shinowatra had backed legalizing casinos before he was overthrown in the September, 2006 coup, and the current PM has spoken out in favor of legal gaming several times over the course of his career, dating back some 30 years.
Your home’s your own With the increasing availability of high quality vacation and primary homes in paradise locations such as Koh Samui, Sattahip, Pattaya, and Koh Chang, many people from Western countries are considering purchasing a second home in Thailand. While it’s fairly easy to decide on a location and the type of property you like, the specific risks of acquiring land and property in Thailand may be very different from your home country.
THE POINTING ROOM It is called Hong Chi, or the Pointing Room in English. Readers may have never heard of it. It is not in law textbooks, nor does it appear in the judges' qualifying exam. But it does exist at every criminal court in the country - and it is off-limits to the public and lawyers of any type.
This is where the accused first face the judiciary. Those without bail and lawyers have a particularly difficult time. They are asked to stand in front of two judges and plead guilty or not-guilty to a set of accusations they have only heard just a couple of hours before.
