REGULARS
Grave investment issues
Will you leave your beneficiaries with a broken heart or with a broken heart and a headache?
For those of you who have an estate to leave to your loved ones when you die, what arrangements have you made for succession? If you have any wit, it is probable you have made a will with a local lawyer stating all bank accounts in Thailand and even offshore bank accounts. You should have also arranged with your pension provider to make sure that on death your widow automatically gets your pension.
So what about your investments?
Many expats are not even aware that the assets they hold directly will mean that the executor of their estate will need to go through probate in each jurisdiction where the assets are held.
For example let's say you hold four investments HSBC shares, JF Funds, UK stock and a BVI hedge fund. If these are held in different jurisdictions your widow will have to arrange lawyers in each jurisdiction, there will be different administrative procedures and your widow will spend a lot of time and money chasing what you meant for her alone. Think of the lawyer's fees. Its enough to make you turn in your grave..
I have to say that even though my own wife has a Masters degree from a Bangkok university, I have little doubt that she would find this task perplexing. What chance then a good Thai wife who came from a farming background with little more than primary education?
As always for every problem there is an answer.
If you transfer your assets into an international bond held offshore by a FTSE 100 company with an A+ Standard & Poor's rating your beneficiaries can avoid all the previous grief. In fact they will avoid probate and lawyers fees completely. There is a free trust facility so you can nominate your beneficiaries and on your death all your investments will pass to the people you have loved without grief other than loss for you.
The International bond has a lot going for it while you are alive and healthy. For instance-
Let's look at the aforementioned funds and add in structured notes and deposits. That's six different transactions. If you go the direct route, this will involve completing multiple applications and providing supporting documents to each institution. Buying a new asset would require yet another set of applications and documents. Studying the portfolio becomes difficult, as each institution needs to be contacted to provide a statement. Switching and rebalancing become very complicated as it means contacting institutions that may be in different countries and time zones.
The International bond can hold all your assets and requires only one application form and the provision of supporting documents. Assets are then bought and sold by simple instruction. All assets are valued on a daily basis. A clear and concise statement which shows the portfolio valuation and any transactions that were made is distributed to the client. Switching, selling, purchasing or rebalancing is made very simple and can be effected with a simple instruction to the provider.
But the major advantage of holding an international bond for the living and active trader is the benefits received from institutional investor discounts. When you purchase an international bond your status changes to an institutional investor and thus, not only are you able to purchase and benefit from large discounts on a range of funds, you are often able to access funds with reduced minimum entry levels as well, giving you access to funds that were once out of reach.
Let me give you two examples of the above.
If you were to buy a JF fund directly you would be faced with an initial charge of 5%
Through the international bond this charge would be reduced to 0%. Why? - Because of the purchasing power of the institution.
One of the most attractive property investments is through a company called Brandeaux where the minimum investment is Stg100, 000. Through the bond the minimum purchase is Stg.25, 000.
And finally the international bond can hold stocks and shares, bonds, Investment funds, Notes and deposits including all of them you already own. In other words you can transfer your current assets into it without purchasing any more as long as they are valued at the bond minimum of Stg25, 000 or currency equivalent.
So if you want to make life easier for yourself and your beneficiaries when you die, it is worth considering this product.
For more information contact jerry@swissinvestcenter.net
d'Geek
Colour E-paper display
LG.Philips LCD a leading innovator of thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) technology, has announced that it developed the world's first 14.1-inch flexible colour E-paper display, equivalent in size to an A4 sheet of paper. This is a second breakthrough in E-paper for LG.Philips LCD, which introduced the world's first 14.1-inch black and white flexible E-paper display in May 2006.
The 14.1-inch flexible colour E-paper uses electronic ink from E-Ink Corp. to produce a maximum of 4,096 colours. It can be viewed from a full 180 degrees, so that images always appear crisp, even when the display is bent.
Like the black and white flexible display, the colour version uses a substrate that arranges Thin-Film Transistors (TFT) on metal foil rather than glass, allowing it to recover its original shape after being bent. This model includes a colour filter coated onto the plastic substrate, allowing it to display colour images.
LG.Philips LCD's use of metal foil and plastic substrate rather than glass substrate makes the flexible colour E-paper display bendable and durable while maintaining excellent display qualities.
To make this new display possible the company developed proprietary processing technology that minimizes panel deformation and prevents circuit structure change during high-temperature processes. LG.Philips LCD focused on the designs of the colour filter structure and TFT, as well as colour filter lamination technology. This allowed them to overcome processing difficulties inherent in the lack of heat resistance in metal foil and plastic substrates.
These displays are extremely energy efficient, only using power when the image changes. Additionally the displays are extremely thin, less than 300 micrometers (µm). The images displayed are comparable in quality to printed pages.
Mr. In-Jae Chung, the company's Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President said, “The potential applications for this display are incredible and will allow our customers to create new products that are not only convenient to use but also save natural resources. This represents the next generation in display technology.”
According to a recent report from Displaybank, a Korea-based research firm specializing in the display industry, the flexible display market is projected to grow into a USD 5.9 billion market by 2010, rising to USD 12 billion by 2015.
wireless technology
Japan will set up an experimental high-tech wireless zone on one of its islands next year, where sensors will allow doctors to remotely monitor the health of the elderly and alert motorists to nearby pedestrians, a news report said.
Produce such as vegetables would carry IC tags that could send information such as where they were grown to shoppers' mobile phones, according to Kyodo News agency.
Sensors would monitor the movement of pedestrians and notify nearby drivers, and check the heart rate of elderly people living alone for round-the-clock monitoring by local hospitals, according to the report.
IC tags are tiny computer chips with antennas that can be used to track products.
To test the technology, the government intends to cooperate with telecom carriers, electronics manufacturers, automakers and other companies, the report said. Technology deemed successful will then be offered nationwide.
The wireless zone will likely be set up on the northern island of Hokkaido or southern island chain of Okinawa , where there is less radio wave interference, according to Kyodo. Calls to the ministry for confirmation went unanswered Saturday.
A 1 billion yen (US$8.7 million) project in a central Tokyo shopping area uses 1,200 tiny computer chips embedded in lampposts, subway-station ceilings and roads to beam maps and store guides to passers-by.
Pee-S2
This story can be filed away as another incidence of Darwinism in action. A University of Wyoming student was injured after attending a party in which a friend was celebrating the purchase of a new gaming console.
Gary Wells had decided to invite a few friends over after he had bought a new PlayStation 3. Part of the festivities included the destruction of his old PlayStation 2 for which Wells held a draw to see which one of his friends would put the old console out of its misery.
Later that evening, Wells held the draw with friend and fellow student Mike Post being named the winner. Post, who was intoxicated by this time, immediately staggered over to the corner of the room where the PlayStation 2 was still plugged into a small television. Post then surprised everyone by urinating on the PS2--did we mention the console was still plugged in?
Amusement then turned to concern as Post fell unconscious and was rushed to Ivinson Memorial Hospital . Fortunately for him he was released the next day with no serious injuries.
Guess Mr. Post should have taken a Wii instead.
Earth Report
Giant Turtle Rediscovered
A local villager fishing in a mangrove in TaKua Tung – western Thailand got a surprise when he caught in his net a large turtle. The catch turned out to be a rare mangrove terrapin, a species that has not been observed in the wild in Thailand for over 20 years.
Realizing that this was an unusual find, the villager contacted a local specialist from WWF Thailand's Marine and Coastal Resources Unit, based in the coastal province of Phang Nga , some 800km from the capital, Bangkok .
Mangrove terrapins (Batagur baska) are one of Asia 's largest freshwater turtles. They live in creeks and estuaries on the Andaman coast, from Bangladesh , Myanmar , Thailand , and Malaysia to as far as Sumatra in Indonesia , as well as in the South China Sea in the Gulf of Thailand , Cambodia and Vietnam .
Mangrove terrapins feed on the seedpods of mangrove and other coastal trees. Smaller terrapins also eat shrimp and crabs.
“In Thailand , this species is considered to be critically endangered and is classified similarly in Cambodia , Vietnam and Malaysia ,” said Dr Chavalit Vidthayanon, a freshwater biologist at WWF Thailand.
“In the past, villagers could catch up to one thousand of these terrapins a year for their eggs, meat and shells.”
Today, the mangrove terrapin population has been drastically reduced and is facing extinction in the wild, especially in Thailand . The main threats are hunting, egg harvesting, loss of habitat and nesting beaches, and the incidental drowning in fishing nets.
Mangrove terrapins have small heads and an upturned snout. The feet are webbed with only four claws. The body and shell is brownish-black, the underside a bit lighter. They lay their eggs at the end of the year, from November to January, during which time the females will travel up the rivers to lay their eggs in undisturbed sandbanks or beaches. Females can lay 2-3 clutches of approximately 20 eggs. The eggs have an incubation period of about two months.
The female mangrove terrapin that was found weighed in at 28kg and measured over 50cm in length. It was suspected that she was on her way to nest.
“She is probably very lucky that she wasn't eaten or sold to a wildlife trader,” added Dr Vidthayanon. “We have recommended that the terrapin be brought to a fisheries department facility to be cared for and bred so that her offspring can be released back into the wild.”
WWF Thailand plans to develop a project to protect the headwaters of the Klong Tum, where the terrapin was discovered, as well as continue efforts to research this rare species.
“The discovery of a species that was believed to be extinct in Thailand is considered to be a very important event,” said Songpol Tippayawong, Head of WWF Thailand's Marine and Coastal Resources Unit.
“It shows that the natural habitat, in which it was found, is still rich and should be conserved.”
Tracking Tigers in Kuiburi National Park
Tigers are charismatic representatives of the complex ecosystems in which they live. They require large areas to survive and their conservation should therefore benefit smaller animals within an area as well. As top predators, their existence helps maintain the ecological integrity of an area, for example by limiting the abundance of herbivores.
There are fewer than 400 tigers remaining in Thailand 's forests. The largest and best-studied tiger population is in the Western Forest Complex, in western Thailand . In the extensive forests along the Tenasserim mountain range south of this area, however, the status of tigers and their prey remains unclear.
Kuiburi National Park represents the southern edge of this forested region. In Kuiburi National Park, WWF Thailand is working with Park Superintendent, Chonlathorn Chamnankit, and park rangers to study the distribution and abundance of tigers, other large carnivores (such as leopards), and their prey, as a basis for improved management.
This project, linking ecological research, local knowledge, and collaborative management to protect large mammals in Thailand , is a collaboration between WWF Thailand and the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation, and is funded by Keidanren Nature Conservation Fund and the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund.
The project is training rangers to implement a low-tech, sign-based (footprints) system to assess the distribution and relative abundance of large carnivores and prey species. Together with WWF biologists, rangers have recently completed two intensive field surveys covering 240 km2 of the park. Researchers found signs from at least 5 tigers, and recorded the presence of 5 other species of large carnivores as well: leopard, clouded leopard, dhole, Asiatic black bear, and sun bear.
“The ecological information emerging from this field work has immediate relevance for large mammal conservation in the park. For example, tigers remain widely distributed within the park, but the status of crucial prey species such as gaur (a species of wild cattle) and sambar (deer) is highly variable. Some locations have healthy populations, while in other places special management might be necessary to revive sparse numbers of animals”, said Robert Steinmetz, Project Leader and Head of WWF Thailand's Conservation Biology Unit.
The field research is designed to be repeatable by park rangers, who can then track the trends of focal species and assess the effectiveness of their patrolling efforts. Later, research results will be returned to local communities, initiating a collaborative effort to address the complex conservation challenges facing the park.
Useful Telephone Numbers for Hua Hin
Railway station
032-512 770, 032-511 073
Bus station of Hua Hin
032-511 654, 032-512 543
Bus station of Prachuabkirikhan
032-601 901
Bus station of Pranburi
032-621 443
Hua Hin Hospital
032-520 401
Dog Rescue Center
0-1981 4406
Wild life Rescue Center (Tayang)
032-458 135
Department of Land Cha-am office:
032- 430 846-7
Department of Land Hua Hin office:
032-536 164, 032-512 407
Department of Land Prachuabkirikhan:
032-611 211
Department of Land Pranburi
032-622 199
Local Government (Hua Hin)
032-521 340, 532 471
Local water supply
032-511 677
The Power Board of Hua Hin
032-512 215, 032 513 165
Observer office:
032-531 078
Red Cross.
032-512 567
San Paolo Hospital
032-532 576-85
Polyclinic International
032-516 424, 032-516 425
Shell Cooking Gas
032-511 144, 032- 515 620
The Communication Authority of Thailand
(Hua Hin)
032-511 351
Rotary Club of Hua Hin
0-1916 6637
Meeting every Thursday 8.pm
at Hua Hin Grand Hotel & Plaza
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