Bangkok Post, Thailand, Insider Column.

Nov. 6--MAKING THE MOST OF AN ASSET, NPL-STYLE: Those who follow the twists and turns of corporate reform and debt restructuring have become accustomed to the prevailing local attitude of "too big to fail".

The more you owe, the better your chances of hanging on to most of what you have and enjoying the lifestyle to which you've always been accustomed. Let the lawyers and the bankers haggle over the details -- a billion here and a billion there -- there are parties to enjoy, golf games to be played, holidays to take.

And if you own a large commercial property, even if it's not being paid for as such, you still deserve to make the most of it, says a reader who frequents a Bangkok landmark that houses offices and a five-star hotel:

"Yesterday, I was at the hotel -- I'm a member of the fitness club there -- and was wondering why one of the four elevators was locked and not functioning. On investigation, I found that a few of the family members -- they own the place, after all -- wanted to come and use the fitness club and therefore they locked one of the elevators for their convenience.

"So, I guess if there's a day when all the family members decide to come and use some of the facilities such as the restaurants, fitness centre and the various exclusive clubs, then the guests who pay for the hotel rooms would be asked to use one elevator or maybe just use the staircase to walk up and down the 37 flights.

"I started wondering if the family hadn't come to realise that this building is the only asset in their portfolio that's worth anything.

"If they keep misusing it, then there could come a day when revenues from this unit too will dry up and they would be left with no means to even hire the lawyers to keep the bankers away.