Hotel operator flouts the law
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The owners of a luxury five-star international hotel which opened illegally in central Bangkok last year (rated as "elegant but sterile" by Conde Nast and with a growing reputation for fast-food wedding receptions,) are preparing to build another mega-mon
The procedures so far appear similar to last time: aim to keep the plans under wraps to avoid public scrutiny and possible challenge; covertly corrupt the residential zoning law; solicit favours; fake a few signatures; orchestrate a litany of lies; drag an international brand into the equation – naive or corrupt, it really doesn’t matter – to make it all look kosher; disregard due diligence and due process; change the plans at the last minute to gain even more advantage. And hey presto you’ve got another legally-approved, questionable high-rise hotel achieved with a minimum of fuss.
A mindset of power, selfishness and greed is the catalyst for yet another profound exhibition of utter contempt towards individuals, the community, business competitors, international investors, the environment and the law. This is a case of both hospitality rape and the rape of hospitality. The “human load factor” is being grossly abused here, thereby enticing the issue of “human rights” to join the debate going forward.
In The Master Key, Charles Haanel writes: “The knowledge that if we infringe upon the rights of others we become moral thorns and find ourselves entangled at every turn of the road, should be an indication that success is contingent upon the highest moral ideal, which is ‘the greatest good to the greatest number’.” Ouch!
John Shepherd
Bangkok
