Thailand News

Thailand News

Thailand Bids Farewell To Robbie Fowler

Just a year after his arrival in Thailand, Robbie Fowler is on the move again, this time he is heading to India. The 36 year old striker made headlines last year when he signed with Muang Thong United of Thailand's Premier League. Shortly after his arrival, the former Liverpool hero and England striker was also named as the team's player-coach. The signing of Fowler in July last year may have put the Thai Premier League on the map, making international sports headlines, but as far as the fans are concerned, it was a failed experiment. 

The 36-year-old striker, who scored 183 goals during eight years at Liverpool and won 26 England caps, would not score his first goal for Muang Thong United until almost 3 months into the season. After a disappointing start, Fowler replaced Henrique Calisto as acting head coach, however he did not fare any better than the man he replaced.

Muang Thong United won the league by four points in 2010. Just a year later there was a shocking swing of 29 points, seeing them finish in third place, some 25 points behind Buriram PEA. The final quarter of the season when Fowler was at the helm, turned out to be a complete disaster. Winning just one of their final eight games - a disastrous run which saw them lose to Buriram and rivals for second place Chonburi, and drop points to each of the bottom three teams all while Fowler was in charge.

Fowler did not leave Thailand on good terms with the club, he was quoted as saying "The president and CEO of Mtutd know why I quit and it certainly was nothing to do with results." This was in response to an article published in the Bangkok Post, quoting Fowler as saying "I want to take responsibility after the team failed to get good results". Fowler followed up on Twitter, flatly denying that he made any such remarks. 

Fowler joins fellow aging football stars such as Herman Crespo and Fabio Cannavaro, who have also made the move to the new upstart Indian Football League. The new league will be based on the American MLS, as well as cricket's IPL, around 30 players and six coaches from around the world will be auctioned off in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata for the league, to be staged between 25 February and 8 April.

With Cricket dominating the sports scene in India, their Fifa world ranking is a dismal 162nd overall, despite the fact that 60,000,000 Indians tuned in to watch The English Premier League football matches last year. The league's organizers are hoping that by bringing in high profile players like Fowler, Crespo and Cannavaro, Indian football will grow and improve in the coming years. 

A New Year On The Horizon

Reflecting On 2011, And Looking Forward To 2012

In many ways 2011 was a tough year for Thailand, with the worst flooding in more than 50 years crippling the country's capital and killing any hopes of positive economic growth. Despite facing adversity, Thailand will look back at 2011 as a year that brought many positive milestones. The national elections in July of 2011 saw Thailand elect their first ever female Prime Minister, Yingluck Shiniwatra, sister of former PM Thaksin. Despite the flooding in the Central provinces and the closure of the Don Muang Airport, Thailand still managed to see a record number of annual visitors in 2011, a staggering 16 million tourists arrived at airports throughout the country.

resort areas of Pattaya and Hua Hin will see a dramatic increase in demand

While the floods managed to slow economic growth in 2011, property value continued to rise, Thailand's Treasury Department announced a 20% increase in property valuations nationwide, the cost of construction materials and skilled labour is expected to rise as much as 50%, with increased demand due to necessary repairs and reconstruction. While buyers might be hesitant to invest in property in the country's capital without a clear plan in place to combat future flooding, the nearby resort areas of Pattaya and Hua Hin will see a dramatic increase in demand.

The island of Phuket continued to see record numbers of annual visitors in 2011, however the resort destination is still suffering from growing pains, including the lack of an efficient transportation system, and an increase in crime and petty theft. Swedish newspaper "Aftonbladet", recently published a story predicting the demise of Phuket, saying "Phuket in Thailand has become a nightmare for many Swedish holidaymakers". Swedes make up a large percentage of the annual visitors to Phuket, and while negative publicity like this is nothing new, it seems inevitable that local authorities have a lot of cleaning up to do if they want to keep people coming to Phuket.

The economic forecast for 2012 is a modest growth of just under 5%, however GDP in the second half of 2012 will grow 5-7 per cent, better than the 3-4 per cent growth expected in the first half of the year. Another record number of annual visitors in 2012 will not only boost the economy, but also keep the property market going strong. All indications are that 2012 will be far more kind to Thailand than 2011, as we look forward to a positive new year.

Flooding In Central Thailand

Tips The Scales Of Supply And Demand

Central Thailand has recently been devastated by flooding that has crippled the nation's capital, forcing the closure of the Don Muang Domestic Airport and causing damage to homes and businesses throughout the suburbs of Bangkok. The floods have displaced millions of people, and tragically claimed the lives of more than 400. While Bangkok's central business district has been spared, several factories and industrial parks outside the city have been inundated with floodwater.

 the people of Thailand are well equipped to deal with adversity

Now that the floods have began to recede, the question on many people's mind is what will be the affect on the country's economy, and how will this play out for the property market? It is clear that the floods will have a negative impact on the agricultural and manufacturing sectors, how long it will take to fully recover remains to be seen. So far the indications are that the damage to residential properties in Bangkok's suburbs has tipped the scales of supply and demand, leaving people scrambling to get into rental units in areas that have not been affected.

Reports of price gouging are piling up at the Internal Trade Department, with thousands of complaints from Bangkokians that landlords are demanding as much as 2-3 times the normal rates for rental units inside the city. People are paying these prices, because they have very little choice, with increased demand there are fewer properties available. At first glance, this may sound like shameless profiteering during times of crisis, however some landlords defend their actions by claiming they are only protecting themselves. Landlords are claiming that potential renters intend to use these low cost rentals as a temporary home for up to a dozen of their family and friends, leaving the property in shambles just as soon as the flood waters recede.

This sudden shift in the supply and demand in Bangkok is likely to spill over to the nearby resort town of Pattaya, where there are several condominiums and housing projects that will be even more appealing to potential home buyers in light of the recent events in Bangkok. Property developers across the country are seeing a significant increase in potential buyers spilling out of Bangkok, looking for properties in other areas of Thailand. Even as far away as Chiang Mai in the North, the property market has seen a sudden boost in interest in the past month.

It will certainly take time for the country's economy to get back on track, however the people of Thailand are well equipped to deal with adversity, and despite many people losing their homes and all of their belongings, spirits remain high. Thai people show a unique ability to make the best of their situation, without dwelling on their problems, they pick up and move on, keeping a smile on their face at all times. This is what draws in so many tourists year after year, as the slogan goes "Thailand is truly The Land Of Smiles".