Quote: (09-02-2013 05:49 AM)Thomas the Rhymer Wrote:
Quote: (09-02-2013 05:44 AM)AsiaBaller Wrote:
Nobody in their right mind opens a business as a foreigner in those countries, aside from well connected chinese that open their sweat shops there which cater to big foreign corporations like H&M and foreign restaurateurs, who cater to the rich locals and expats.
Everything you own in developing south east asia can be taken from you in a whim and this happens all the time.
If you own a restaurant this is not likely to happen, but anything a local crony could run by himself will be taken from you sooner or later. The law only exists on paper in those countries.
Any real life examples to share?
There has to be a way to survive the system.
Even the Philipine government has conned the company which owns the Frankfurt airport out of millions of dollars for the development of a new terminal at the Manila airport.
They refused to pay over 400 million dollars for the development.
The judge in the PIs that ordered charges against the government unsurprisingly got murdered: http://www.orientexpat.com/forum/5848-ju...-murdered/
The international court case was dismissed as Fraport had paid the locally necessary bribes to get the project approved.
http://www.philstar.com/business/202190/...-investors
"Investments" in countries like Myanmar and Cambodia are something for big corporations looking to exploit the local population, the countries natural resources or to build a big name hotel.
Locals cash in on everything else which is associated with economic development and exceptions confirm the rule.
The only people that tend to survive are those that run a small biz which relies on them as owners to run (i.e. western butcher, baker etc.) or outsourcers that just hire the local work force, which is not a business a local crony could take over.